Chapter 69
“What did you say?”
The sound of Qin Mofeng’s phone hitting the ground echoed as he stared, horrified, at the police officer speaking.
The officer said, “It seems Ling Sicheng might also be in trouble. We’ve investigated the surveillance around Duan’s company, and we saw him get into a taxi early this morning. We’ve checked with all the taxi companies in the city, but we couldn’t find the car—it’s likely disguised. Just now, our colleagues found the car abandoned at the city’s outskirts, near Huan Cheng Park. There were signs of a struggle inside the car and around it, and there’s blood, probably from Ling Sicheng. We suspect he was knocked unconscious and taken away from that spot. The person who responded to your message earlier is likely the one who took him. They also used this method to lure Shen Yan out.”
“Damn it!”
Qin Mofeng slammed his fist on the table, his mind exploding with a mix of guilt for not trusting Ling Sicheng and worry for his safety.
“Who the hell did this?!”
Qin Mofeng was about to lose his mind.
“Duan Yang!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Su Yunzhe strode into the room, his expression grave.
He had just gotten off a plane, intending to surprise Shen Yan at home, when he received news that Shen Yan was missing.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t worried, but right now, anxiety was useless. Finding Shen Yan was the priority.
“Duan Yang?” The police were familiar with Duan Yang’s name, but they couldn’t jump to conclusions without evidence. “Do you have any proof, Mr. Su?”
“It’s definitely him. If I’m wrong, I’ll take full responsibility. But right now, we need to find Duan Yang. As far as I know, he’s been sentenced. Though he hasn’t been sent to prison yet, he should be wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. The police should be able to track him.” Su Yunzhe said, trying to remain composed.
“Yes, it’s that bastard! Officer, you have to find him quickly. He’s capable of anything at this point. He must be completely out of his mind!” Qin Mofeng added, now more alert.
The police didn’t waste any more time and immediately contacted the relevant departments to locate Duan Yang’s electronic ankle bracelet.
Soon, they had a result.
“He’s near the west suburban highway entrance. It looks like he’s heading towards the highway to leave H City.”
“Shit, he’s trying to run with him? Chase him down!”
Qin Mofeng immediately grabbed his car keys and rushed out, while the police mobilized a large force to pursue.
However, they were too far from the west suburbs, and judging by Duan Yang’s speed, they were unlikely to catch him before he crossed into the next city.
Luckily, Su Yunzhe had already arranged for private helicopters from both the Su and Qin families, which allowed them to reach their destination in less than 20 minutes.
But those 20 minutes felt like an eternity to Su Yunzhe.
Shen Yan was pregnant, and Duan Yang, knowing he was about to be imprisoned, was clearly intent on ensuring Shen Yan wouldn’t survive this.
Although they had located Duan Yang’s position, where was Shen Yan? Was he alive? Was he okay?
For the first time in almost thirty years, Su Yunzhe felt his hands tremble with anxiety, as though his body was moving faster than his thoughts.
Finally, twenty minutes later, they arrived at the highway entrance and found Duan Yang. The police immediately broadcasted for him to stop, but instead of slowing down, he sped up and crashed through the toll booth, barreling onto the highway.
Suddenly, it seemed like the car lost control, and while turning a corner, it slammed into the guardrail. Due to the high speed, the car flipped over and rolled, eventually landing upside down with smoke rising from the wreckage.
Su Yunzhe’s vision blurred, and for a moment, he could barely stand.
If it weren’t for someone nearby holding him up, he might have already jumped from the helicopter.
Shen Yan… was he dead?
At that moment, Su Yunzhe’s mind went blank, and everything around him felt unreal, like a faded old movie.
It wasn’t until his feet touched the ground that his body moved before his mind, and he rushed toward the wreckage. There, the police were pulling a bloodied person from the car—it was Duan Yang.
Su Yunzhe immediately ran up to the car, frantic to find Shen Yan, but was held back by two police officers.
“Mr. Su, please calm down. There’s no one inside, just him. The car’s fully engulfed in flames, you can’t get any closer.”
Su Yunzhe couldn’t believe what he was hearing and grabbed the officer. “Are you sure? There’s no one else in there?”
“Yes, just him. He was the only one in the car.”
Su Yunzhe’s legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground.
Shen Yan wasn’t in the car—thank God.
But why wasn’t he with Duan Yang? Had Duan Yang… already…
Su Yunzhe couldn’t bear to think about it. He forced himself to focus on the positive—at least Shen Yan wasn’t in that car. That was a small comfort.
“Bastard, Duan Yang, you’d better not die! Tell me, where the hell did you hide Ling Sicheng?”
At that moment, Qin Mofeng, ignoring the police’s attempts to stop him, began beating the unconscious Duan Yang senseless. But Duan Yang’s injuries were too severe, and it was unclear if he would survive, let alone talk.
Su Yunzhe’s fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked. He wished he could do the same, but now wasn’t the time.
Finding Shen Yan was what mattered most.
Duan Yang was no longer a reliable source, but his electronic ankle bracelet should have recorded all the places he had been. Shen Yan was surely somewhere among those locations.
Su Yunzhe immediately found an officer and requested the tracking data from the ankle bracelet.
Just then, Shen Yan’s phone suddenly rang.
After Qin Mofeng had reported Shen Yan missing, the police had kept the phone, but now, a strange number was calling.
Everyone was confused.
Only Su Yunzhe didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the phone and answered.
“Hello…”
“Yanyan, where are you?”
Just one word, and Su Yunzhe immediately recognized Shen Yan’s voice. He spoke urgently.
At that moment, Shen Yan was on the balcony, supporting Ling Sicheng, trying to stay calm as the entire house was engulfed in flames, thick smoke billowing up.
He hadn’t expected that Su Yunzhe would be the one answering, and for a moment, he felt a wave of exhaustion.
“Su Yunzhe, I’m at Qing Shui Bay, on the 30th floor of our building, by the mountainside,” Shen Yan said.
“I’ll be there right away!” Su Yunzhe responded immediately, barking orders as he got onto the helicopter. “Hurry, to Qing Shui Bay!”
Shen Yan leaned against the guardrail, gazing at the fiery inferno behind the glass door, with a hundred-meter drop beneath him. His heart sank further with each passing moment.
“Su Yunzhe,” he whispered, “I’m trapped in here. The fire’s out of control. I called 119, but rescue might be difficult, in case…”
“There’s no ‘in case’!” Su Yunzhe interrupted, his voice firm. “Yanyan, I’m coming. You’ll be fine, I promise!”
Shen Yan gave a faint smile. “Alright, I’ll wait for you. Actually, I was thinking…”
“Hello… can anyone hear me?”
Just as Shen Yan was about to speak, he suddenly heard voices from below. Looking over, he saw a young couple on the adjacent balcony, shouting up to him anxiously.
Seeing that he had noticed them, they shouted louder, “Do you have a rope or something? We can lay a board across, and you can climb down to our place!”
Shen Yan’s eyes lit up, and without thinking of continuing his conversation with Su Yunzhe, he quickly stood up. “Please help! My friend passed out, I’ll get him down first.”
Earlier, he had tried to call for help from his neighbors, but due to the building’s isolated location, no one had responded. He hadn’t expected the adjacent building to have anyone.
The young couple pulled out a long wooden board, just long enough to bridge the gap between the balconies, and it was wide enough to support them.
Shen Yan had already torn up some bed sheets and curtains, hoping they might be useful, and now, it seemed they were. He quickly tied the sheets and curtains around Ling Sicheng, securing him tightly.
Carefully, he placed Ling Sicheng outside on the balcony, his heart in his throat. Any slip, and Ling Sicheng would fall to his death.
Shen Yan gripped the sheets tightly, slowly lowering the man.
Being someone who rarely exercised, and with the added strain of his pregnancy, he was already exhausted from the earlier struggles. His hands were trembling, the sweat making it harder to maintain his grip. Every time he lost his hold, his heart skipped a beat.
But fortunately, Ling Sicheng was safely placed on the board. Shen Yan didn’t dare let go of the sheets, still holding tight.
The couple on the other balcony slowly began to move the board, and Shen Yan gradually relaxed his grip. Bit by bit, Ling Sicheng was lowered to the adjacent balcony.
Shen Yan was drenched in sweat, panting heavily, his face pale. But as he saw Ling Sicheng safely on the other balcony, he felt a bit of relief.
Suddenly, the young couple below screamed in panic, “Watch out behind you!”
Shen Yan turned just in time to see the glass door on the balcony collapse toward him.
Reacting instinctively, he crouched down, and the glass door crashed into the guardrail. The flames from the fire, along with thick smoke, burst out, quickly engulfing the entire balcony.
Was he really going to die here?
Shen Yan was trapped between the glass door and the guardrail, surrounded by thick smoke. Without thinking, he instinctively touched his stomach.
He could hear the couple from the adjacent building desperately shouting to him, but he was too exhausted to respond. The glass door wouldn’t budge, and even if it did, he couldn’t get himself out.
He leaned against the guardrail, dazed, as smoke filled the balcony. His instincts led him to shrink down, as most people who died in fires were not burned, but suffocated by smoke, which rose upwards.
“Su Yunzhe, where are you?” he thought desperately.
If he didn’t come soon, Shen Yan feared he would die here, and take their unborn child with him. At that thought, he almost wanted to laugh bitterly.
He did his best to minimize inhaling the thick smoke, but slowly, he began to feel short of breath, his mind growing fuzzy. He was about to lose consciousness.
In his semi-conscious state, he heard frantic calls from someone, and then felt himself being lifted. Around him, there was chaos—the sound of wind, the rush of air, and the relief of being able to breathe again.
“Su Yunzhe…” he mumbled, barely aware of what was happening.
He was held even tighter, and he heard Su Yunzhe’s voice in his ear, “It’s me, it’s alright. You’re safe, you’re safe.”
Only then did Shen Yan finally relax, letting go of everything as he lost consciousness.
