Chapter 254: Chapter 246: Do You Know How Important You Are to Me? (2)
Coming out of the Vegetarian Restaurant, Jin Jumo quickly dialed Mu Yan’s number, "Little Yan, where are you?"
"Sister Jin, you’re done so soon? Da Bao, Little Treasure, and I haven’t even started dinner yet." Mu Yan chatted with Jin Jumo while playing with Xixi and Hanhan.
Jin Jumo pressed her temple, "Yes, I’m done. Where are you? I’ll come find you."
"Little Treasure wanted fried chicken, so I brought her to KFC. It’s the one closest to where you live," Mu Yan said.
Jin Jumo suddenly felt the scene before her blur; her pale fingers pressed harder on her temple, and she shook her head vigorously, "Okay, I’ll be right over."
Before Mu Yan could respond, the phone slipped from Jin Jumo’s hand.
Jin Jumo tried to catch it, but her legs buckled, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Lying on the ground, Jin Jumo frowned, her eyes heavy. With all her strength, she barely opened a slit, but her hands and feet were already powerless.
In a daze, Jin Jumo heard chaotic footsteps approaching from ahead, getting closer.
Suddenly, two iron-like fingers gripped both sides of Jin Jumo’s face.
With trembling lips, Jin Jumo fluttered her eyelashes, seeing a blurry face she could not make out clearly.
"Look, is it this woman?"
Jin Jumo weakly tugged at her lips, wanting to speak, but as her lips moved, she found she couldn’t utter a word.
"Brother Leopard, it’s her. Look, she’s identical to the woman in this photo."
"Then that’s her." The man called Brother Leopard roughly released Jin Jumo’s face, stood up, and ordered his men, "Take her away."
Watching Jin Jumo being carried into the car, Brother Leopard glanced over at the Vegetarian Restaurant, smirked coldly, and prepared to step into the car.
"Brother Leopard, a phone call."
At that moment, a subordinate ran over with a phone, handing it to him.
Brother Leopard raised an eyebrow, glancing again at the Vegetarian Restaurant.
Saw a slender woman’s outline standing by the window in one of the private rooms of the Vegetarian Restaurant.
Brother Leopard curled his lip, took the phone, and placed it against his ear.
"Don’t harm her." The woman’s calm voice drifted over.
Brother Leopard chuckled menacingly, "As you say, I won’t harm her. I’ll just strip her clothes, nothing else."
The woman’s breath hitched for a second, "When you record, go in alone. No one else should be present. Also, the recording must not be shown to anyone."
"Damn, your demands are plenty!"
"I pay, you do the job. Since you’ve taken this business, you must meet my demands. That’s the code of the underworld. Surely, Brother Leopard understands?"
Brother Leopard squinted his eyes, then grinned wickedly, "Fine. I’ll agree to it."
"Let her go immediately after you’re done."
The woman said this lastly, then hung up the phone.
Brother Leopard pursed his lips, took one last look at the silhouette, and slid into the car.
Another private room in the Vegetarian Restaurant.
"Shi Yu, what are you staring at out the window? You’ve been looking for ages."
Shi Yu furrowed his brow, glanced back at his companion, then quickly walked to the dining table, grabbed the coat on his chair, and hastily said, "Something urgent came up, I’m leaving first. Charge it to my account."
"Hey, Shi Yu, what do you mean? Just leaving like that..."
"Sorry!"
Shi Yu’s cheerful voice floated in from outside the private room.
Shi Yu jogged outside the Vegetarian Restaurant while pulling out his phone from his coat, dialing Mu Yan’s number.
"Yu..."
"Little Yan, don’t talk, just listen. Are you with Sister Jin tonight?" Shi Yu’s voice was slightly breathless.
"...No, I’m with Xixi and Hanhan," Mu Yan replied, puzzled.
Hearing Mu Yan’s response, Shi Yu took a sharp breath, speeding up his pace outside the Vegetarian Restaurant.
Once outside, Shi Yu jumped into a convertible, sweat already dampening his short hair, "Little Yan, I just saw Sister Jin being taken away by a group of people."
"What did you say?" Mu Yan exclaimed.
Shi Yu quickly turned the steering wheel, chasing the car that had taken Jin Jumo, "I’m activating the phone GPS now. You must notify Sister Jin’s husband immediately."
"Yu..."
"Little Yan, it seemed like Sister Jin fainted when she was taken away. That group doesn’t seem like good people. I’m worried they might harm Sister Jin. I’ve caught up with the car now. I will call the police in a moment, so you must inform Sister Jin’s husband at once," Shi Yu paused and urged, "Hurry!"
"...Okay, okay, I will, I will, right away."
Shi Yu had no time to respond, ended the call, and immediately called the police.
At the fast-food restaurant.
Mu Yan could barely hold onto the phone with one hand, her hand trembling violently.
Holding the phone, Mu Yan’s eyes were bloodshot. She opened the address book and dialed a number shakily.
But the first time, the phone showed no one was answering.
Mu Yan bit her lower lip tightly, tears perched on the tips of her eyelashes, she fixated on the phone screen and repeatedly redialed.
After dialing numerous times, someone finally answered on the other end.
Impatiently, "Speak!"
"Uncle, Sister Jin is in trouble. I don’t have Uncle Rong’s contact info. Please tell him quickly, hurry."
"...Where are you?"
"I’m currently at a fast-food restaurant near where Sister Jin lives, with Xixi Hanhan. Uncle, hurry and tell Uncle Rong, I’m afraid, I’m afraid something has happened to Sister Jin." Mu Yan’s voice trembled intensely, her big grape-like eyes filled with panic and fear.
"Stay put there, I’ll be right there."
The man’s voice shed its grim coldness, becoming steady and reassuring.
Mu Yan, sobbing, nodded, "Okay. Please hurry."
After hanging up, Mu Yan gathered the dazed Xixi Hanhan and walked out of KFC, waiting outside for Xiao Nanqing and the others.
Fortunately, she didn’t wait long; otherwise, Mu Yan felt she might worry herself into madness.
Her body was enveloped by the man’s broad hands, Mu Yan gazed at the worry flashing in those always cold and unfeeling phoenix eyes, unable to hold back her tears from crazily falling.
"Are you okay?" Xiao Nanqing spread his palm, gently wiping Mu Yan’s tears at the corners of her eyes, his voice laden with deep concern and tension.
"What happened? Where is Little Mo?"
Mu Yan hadn’t even had a chance to respond when a low, severe voice struck across.
Mu Yan’s pupils contracted sharply, her nerves already tense and worried, she fumbled as she drew out her phone, handing it to the man whose expression was vicious and taut, as if he sought to slay the heavens and extinguish the earth, "Yu is now heading towards South City. Follow the GPS location here to find him. Also, Yu has already reported to the police, they should have mobilized officers to search now. You must rescue Sister Jin."
As soon as Mu Yan finished speaking, the phone in her hand was gusted away by the man like a storm, and immediately after, he disappeared from sight.
Xiao Nanqing glanced at Mu Yan with an inscrutable expression, lips taut with cold, strides following away.
Mu Yan clenched her fingertips, not noticing Xiao Nanqing’s changing glances toward her.
"Aunt Mu." A small voice full of unease came from below.
Mu Yan’s eyelashes twitched, looking down at the two little ones standing obediently by her legs.
The fear in her heart grew stronger, Mu Yan forced herself to endure, squatting down, holding Xixi and Hanhan’s little hands separately. "It’s okay, Da Bao Little Treasure. Daddy has gone to rescue Mommy. Do you know? Your daddy is very powerful. As long as he takes action, there’s nothing he can’t accomplish."
"Daddy is very powerful?" Xixi said, holding back tears, her small voice choking.
Mu Yan gently caressed Xixi’s eye corners, nodding, "Yes, Aunt Mu has never met anyone more powerful than your daddy."
Xixi said nothing, her chubby little body dependence squeezing into Mu Yan’s arms, her little head forlornly leaning against her shoulder.
Mu Yan’s eyes reddened, silently embracing Hanhan into her arms as well.
Known as the most chaotic alleys of South City, the deep alleys where the light does not shine.
Shi Yu followed closely behind a group of people, watching them carry Jin Jumo into a small hotel, led by a young woman dressed fashionably.
Shi Yu glanced at the hotel sign, quickly sending the address to Mu Yan and the police.
Seeing the message sent successfully, Shi Yu took a deep breath, and two minutes after the group went inside, he feigned composure and walked into the hotel.
The hotel was very old, somewhat like an ancient inn, with stair rooms.
As soon as Shi Yu walked in, he saw a man with a robust frame carrying Jin Jumo into a room, while the rest of the group struck arrogant poses, looking fierce, guarding the door.
Shi Yu didn’t dare to overtly look, he glanced once before retracting his gaze, walking to the counter, his voice trying to stay calm, "Are there any rooms?"
Standing at the counter was the young woman who had just led the group inside.
The young woman had a lady’s cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth, squinting as she sized Shi Yu up from head to toe, her chest pressing on the counter, squeezing out a patch of white, clamping the cigarette with two fingers, blowing smoke flirtatiously toward Shi Yu, "This young gentleman doesn’t look like someone who’d stay at our kind of little place."
Shi Yu, merely eighteen, very innocent, faced with the woman’s deliberate teasing, his ears turned red, his eyes dared not glance downward for a moment, stupidly staring at the top of the woman’s head, "Just tell me if you have a room, otherwise I’ll look elsewhere."
The woman found Shi Yu amusing, giggling and blowing another puff of smoke at him, her finger pointed to the upstairs room in two directions, "There’s a room, one at the end of the hallway, the last room. The other is there."
The woman pointed to the room next to where the group was guarding.
"The room at the end of the hallway is not to be stayed in." Shi Yu said, taking out his wallet, "I’ll take the other room. How much for a night?"
The woman gave Shi Yu a glance, "Quite superstitious, aren’t you?"
"Better to be cautious when out and about." Shi Yu said.
The woman laughed again, "Aren’t you afraid of those people?"
Shi Yu paused, not looking upstairs, but his gaze confusedly looked at the woman, "If you’re not afraid, why should I be?"
The woman laughed heartily, holding up two fingers, "Two hundred, guarantees you leave the same way tomorrow as you came tonight."
Shi Yu frowned, "That expensive?"
The woman stretched out her hand, suddenly brushing Shi Yu’s smooth chin, "You accompany me tonight, I won’t charge you, let you stay for free... sleep for free."
"..." Shi Yu’s face flushed, he suppressed his disgust, moved backward a step, silently pulled out two red bills from his wallet, handing them to the woman.