At this moment, Shi Sheng still didn’t know that this shameless father and daughter pair had already set their sights on her.
The semester had only just begun, and third-year courses weren’t too demanding. Coupled with the leniency her professors granted, aside from visiting He Qiuqiu each day with a nourishing soup, Shi Sheng spent all her remaining time poring over the files she had obtained from Shi Corporation.
Every single one of these files was protected with multiple layers of encryption, requiring careful cracking any mistake, and the data would be instantly destroyed.
Cracking them couldn’t be rushed, and rushing wouldn’t help anyway. Fortunately, the first thing Shi Sheng had learned growing up was how to wait.
Wednesday was the day He Qiuqiu was to be discharged. After eating alone at home, Shi Sheng prepared to go out and order a bouquet of flowers to welcome her.
Just as she was about to lock the door, her phone rang. The screen showed no caller ID, only a string of gibberish.
When she answered, a young male voice came through.
“Boss, the key has been cracked!”
Shi Sheng’s grip on the phone tightened slightly. “I’m out. Make it quick.”
“The file contains the orphan list from the Jiangcheng Welfare Center eighteen years ago. But we’ve confirmed there’s no information on you in it.”
Investigating welfare center records wasn’t particularly difficult sometimes it could even be considered easy.
But with an old fox like Shi Mingqian around, all records from the Jiangcheng Welfare Center from eighteen years ago had long since been completely erased, leaving no trace at all.
Otherwise, Shi Sheng wouldn’t have had to wait until now to get any results.
Hearing this, she allowed herself a small sigh of relief.
But she immediately asked, “What about the rest?”
The young man continued, “This file is incomplete. The rest should have been separated and hidden elsewhere. But we did find a tiny clue in this one it points toward Jing City.”
“Jing City?” Shi Sheng lightly rubbed her index finger against the phone. “Do whatever it takes confirm it as soon as possible.”
She wanted a clear result, not vague speculation.
After responding with a simple “Got it,” the young man hung up.
Shi Sheng steadied her thoughts for a moment, then followed her plan and went to the florist, carefully selecting a bouquet of sunflowers.
These were He Qiuqiu’s favorite flowers. Shi Sheng hoped that her friend’s life could always see the sun, always live in the light, always grow wildly, and always shine no matter that she had been abandoned by her parents.
Once she had the flowers in hand, Shi Sheng checked them carefully. But perhaps the wrapping paper was too sharp, as her fingertip was cut slightly.
Almost immediately, her right eyelid began twitching uncontrollably, faster and faster, sending a shiver of anxiety through her.
Her sixth sense hadn’t failed her. Seconds later, her phone in her pocket rang.
It was He Bing from the welfare center.
A bad feeling crept over Shi Sheng.
As soon as she answered, she heard He Bing’s suppressed sobs through the receiver.
“Shengsheng, Xiao Qiu was just kidnapped…”
Shi Sheng’s heart sank.
Kidnapped?
In broad daylight how could anyone storm a hospital and abduct someone?
Who had done this? What was their motive?
Was it someone who held a grudge against He Qiuqiu? Or something else?
And was He Qiuqiu in danger?
She had too many questions, but judging by He Bing’s state, it would be impossible to explain over the phone.
So she simply said, “I’m heading to the hospital immediately. Stay there and don’t move.”
Twenty minutes later, Shi Sheng found He Bing crouched in a corner outside the hospital, struggling to contain her emotions.
Shi Sheng hurried over. “What happened?”
Seeing Shi Sheng, He Bing could no longer hold back her emotions and burst into tears. “I don’t know why. Xiao Qiu insisted on being discharged early, saying she wanted to come home and surprise you. Who knew that while I went to buy a bottle of water, I turned around and saw several men shoving her into a car.”
Shi Sheng’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
Why?
Because He Qiuqiu knew about her aversion to hospitals, she had insisted on leaving early to spare Shi Sheng another visit.
“She couldn’t struggle free. I wanted to help, but by the time I ran over, the car had already driven off…”
After saying this, He Bing slapped herself.
“It’s all my fault for going to buy water. If I had stayed with Xiao Qiu, this wouldn’t have happened…”
Shi Sheng frowned and stopped He Bing from hurting herself.
“If you two had stayed together, maybe both of you would have been kidnapped. Then there wouldn’t even be anyone left to send me a message.”
He Bing choked back tears. “What should we do now? I reported it immediately, but they just said they’d investigate. When will there be a result? What if Xiao Qiu is hurt? I’m so useless I didn’t even get the license plate.”
Shi Sheng’s eyes darkened. “Don’t worry. As long as they haven’t left Jiangcheng, no one can take He Qiuqiu under my watch.”
She then pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
After three tones, the line was answered.
“Hey, boss, why are you calling me again? Did something happen?”
“He Qiuqiu has been kidnapped. Her phone has a location tracker find her location immediately!”
“What?! Xiao Qiu was kidnapped?! I’ll check right now!”
The young man typed furiously as he spoke.
Three minutes later, he said, “Boss, Xiao Qiu’s current location is on Ronghua Avenue…”
Shi Sheng didn’t hesitate. She jumped into the car, pressed the accelerator, and headed straight for Ronghua Avenue.
He Bing in the passenger seat didn’t dare speak a word, afraid of distracting Shi Sheng.
“Boss, they turned west, entering Jianshe Road…”
Hearing this, Shi Sheng slammed the steering wheel and changed course.
She knew a shortcut that would reach Jianshe Road faster.
For half an hour, the two vehicles raced, chasing each other relentlessly.
The driver in front was clearly skilled, driving fast enough to rival a professional racer.
Shi Sheng’s driving skills weren’t as good, but with real-time navigation, she kept up.
Meanwhile, inside a study of a villa, a male voice sounded with some surprise: “Oh? I didn’t know she could drive and she’s not bad at it either.”
“Boss, what do we do now? Should I make him take a few more turns?”