Chapter 29: She’s Missing
“Where’s the friend I brought back?” Shuang Lin asked the nanny who was cleaning, with a hint of anxiety in her voice.
The nanny paused, recalling, and said. “It seems the lady left before that gentleman.”
“What!” Shuang Lin exclaimed in surprise. She quickly realized that Yeyun Ye must have overheard her conversation with Xiuqi Chi.
Shuang Lin cursed Xiuqi Chi under her breath and immediately went out to find Yeyun Ye. However, in such a large place, finding one person was like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially since Yeyun Ye’s mobile phone was unreachable.
With no leads, Shuang Lin could only call Yuxun Xia.
Upon hearing that Yeyun Ye was missing, Yuxun Xia immediately left his home. “Check the nearby surveillance cameras. I’ll see if Yeyun went to the hospital.”
Shuang Lin was beside herself with worry. The thought of Yeyun Ye being in danger made her feel even more remorseful for her carelessness.
Shuang Lin managed to find the surveillance footage, but it only showed Yeyun Ye walking past a certain intersection, which was unfortunately a blind spot for the cameras.
While Shuang Lin and Yuxun Xia were consumed by worry, another person was experiencing the same turmoil: Xingze Gu.
Netizens, unable to find Yeyun Ye at the hospital, had turned their anger towards Xingze Gu. He was initially just a small internet celebrity. Now that something had happened, his company, considering his market value, was preparing to abandon him, leaving him in an extremely awkward predicament. His previous endorsements had all been canceled, and some had even replaced Xingze Gu without any notice. In short, friends scattered when trouble arose.
Brother Hu’s forehead was beaded with sweat. Thinking about how closely his own interests were tied to Xingze Gu’s, he felt he had to try anything, “desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“This is the first time I’ve experienced something like this,” Xingze Gu said, sitting on the sofa after a busy day, staring at his computer screen. On another mobile phone, he was frantically trying to call Yeyun Ye.
Brother Hu responded impatiently, “I’ve asked my friend to investigate that woman, and we should have results soon. She often goes to a particular hospital and has a good relationship with a doctor there. You can call that doctor later; perhaps she’s there.”
Xingze Gu nodded. After the initial panic, he had gradually calmed down. He didn’t believe these problems could continue to escalate indefinitely. If necessary, he could start all over again; he was still young.
Brother Hu couldn’t stand his nonchalant attitude. Looking at the phone number sent to him, he patted Xingze Gu’s shoulder. “Stop fooling around. I’m telling you, if we can’t find this woman, we’re both finished.” It was easy to make someone online, but even easier to ruin them.
Xingze Gu decided to try his luck, and to his surprise, the call was immediately answered.
“Shuang Lin, have you found Yeyun?” Yuxun Xia, assuming it was Shuang Lin calling, asked urgently.
Xingze Gu was stunned when he heard this. Yeyun? Wasn’t that the woman’s name? “What do you mean? Yeyun Ye is missing? What happened?”
Hearing a man’s voice, Yuxun Xia gradually came to his senses. Looking at the unfamiliar number and realizing the other person was also trying to contact Yeyun Ye, he asked, “Is there something you need Yeyun for? You can tell me first, and I’ll pass on the message when I find her.”
“Why does she disappear at such a crucial moment?” Xingze Gu said agitatedly, running a hand through his hair. Sensing the other person’s urgency to see Yeyun Ye, Yuxun Xia was confused. “May I ask who you are?”
Upon learning that he was Xingze Gu, Yuxun Xia became excited and quickly asked, “I know you! Yeyun mentioned you. She said she was very sorry about that matter, but now… we can’t find her. If it’s possible, could you help us by posting a search notice online?” Despite posting a missing person notice, Yuxun Xia’s efforts had yielded no results.
“I can’t,” Xingze Gu refused after hearing him out. “If you go online now, you’ll see all the negative news about me, all because of her. If I post this kind of information now, I’ll have no chance of recovery.” Xingze Gu was clear-headed. His immediate priority was to safeguard his hard-earned career; otherwise, it would only lead to more trouble. Besides, kindness had no place here, as this incident clearly showed.
Yuxun Xia understood Xingze Gu’s refusal and promised to call him back once they found Yeyun Ye before hanging up.
When Brother Hu learned that Yeyun Ye was missing, he wasn’t as agitated as Xingze Gu. “Perfect. No matter what we say later, that woman won’t be able to refute it.” Spreading rumors was a common tactic in the entertainment industry.
Xingze Gu knew what Brother Hu was planning. After a moment of silence, he said, “There must be another way. Don’t do anything unethical.”
Yeyun Ye wandered the streets in a daze. She suddenly felt like a jinx, believing that anyone who tried to help her would ultimately suffer misfortune. With this thought, Yeyun Ye became even more lost. The world was so vast, yet it seemed there was no place for her. Was she really going to succumb to Xiuqi Chi’s demands? No! Yeyun Ye vehemently rejected the idea.
Seeing Shuang Lin’s call, Yeyun Ye, unwilling to drag her down further, callously hung up and turned off her mobile phone. She felt the videotape hidden in a secret compartment of her bag. Gritting her teeth, and remembering her previous experience, she avoided all surveillance cameras and silently returned to the welfare home.
The welfare home appeared even more desolate than when Yeyun Ye had visited before. She glanced at it without any further emotion. Finding a computer in the lobby, she inserted the videotape. However, after waiting for a long time, the computer displayed: “Device incompatible.”
Yeyun Ye was stunned for a moment, then remembered that many of Feng Ye’s USB drives could only be accessed on his own computer. Yeyun Ye walked into Feng Ye’s office. As she had anticipated, the videotape played successfully on Feng Ye’s computer.
The videotape was not a single, complete video but contained several fragmented scenes. After watching it, Yeyun Ye felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Even though she knew it was the Xiang Family who caused the tragedy that befell the Ye Family, learning the details firsthand was still terrifying.
Yeyun Ye’s thoughts were in disarray. The video on the computer began to loop, and she didn’t notice that the office door behind her had been silently opened.
