“System, monitor the favorability ratings in real-time. When there are abnormal fluctuations in the data, tell me immediately. Pay special attention to the changes in Lu Huainan and Shen Liuyun. Also,”
Shen Muyun looked at the system with interest, pinched its small wing, and smiled. “Do you have an automatic monitoring function, perhaps something like a wiretap that can monitor people’s movements?”
The system gave its small wings a gentle shake, and its screen glowed with a dissatisfied red light.
“Respected Host, the data shows that Shen Liuyun’s favorability rating has increased by a tiny bit. The reason is unknown. As for the monitoring function you mentioned, as a proper system, I do not possess such strange capabilities. Such behavior constitutes peeping, and peeping is not a good habit. Even as a system, I do not support it.”
His phone buzzed. Shen Muyun glanced at it; it was a message from Shen Liuyun. He tidied up the files on his desk, grabbed his car keys, locked the doors and windows, and hurriedly left the office for the underground garage. Throughout the walk, he kept checking the messages on his phone. Looking at the time, the evening rush hour had passed. Under normal circumstances, there would not be many cars on the road, so if he drove a bit faster, he would likely make it on time.
“Alright, system, I understand. Remember my words. You can rest early today; I am going to be busy. By the way, are you always available on call?”
“Respected Host, as your system, I am of course here to serve you at all times, even during off-hours. Whenever you have a need, just call my name. I wish you a wonderful evening. Now, let’s see; I will see you tomorrow. I wish you happiness and joy every day.” The system vanished in a flash, eager to clock out.
The weather was poor, with a persistent autumn rain falling continuously. The underground garage felt damp and stuffy, which was uncomfortable. Since he had entered, Shen Muyun felt like someone was behind him. At first, he did not pay it any mind, assuming it was just a colleague who had also just finished work and was heading the same way.
But once he was inside the garage, everything was deathly quiet. That feeling of unease began to erode his nerves again. The footsteps behind him mimicked his rhythm, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. He was truly being followed. Shen Muyun picked up his pace, trying to shake his pursuer off.
Where did he park the car? Shen Muyun recalled the morning when he arrived at the company.
He walked forward a few steps to B23. That was correct. Just as his fingertips touched the car door, he felt a sudden, numbing sensation in his lower back. Something was wrong. It was a stun baton. A split second later, everything went black as a blindfold was applied. He was still conscious, but his mind felt sluggish.
“Boss, is this the second young master of the Shen family? Do not get the wrong person.”
“It is him. There is no mistake.”
The lead man held a knife and tapped the back of it against Shen Muyun’s face several times. “That was easier than expected. Let us go; we need to get back and finish the job.”
Shen Muyun’s strength had been drained by the electric shock. He tried to struggle, but then he felt a sharp sting at the back of his neck: an anesthetic. His body became completely unresponsive. Then came the sound of a car engine starting. Who was it? Who wanted to hurt him? He could not think of anyone specifically, considering he had offended quite a few people. His consciousness gradually drifted away until it vanished completely.
Meanwhile, the victory celebration was proceeding as scheduled. It was less of a celebration and more of a gathering among close friends. Shen Liuyun arrived at Lu Huainan’s estate first, where he found Lu Huainan pruning rose branches at the entrance with great interest.
“Huainan, these roses are your pride and joy.”
Hearing the voice behind him, Lu Huainan placed his shears on a nearby round table. “Oh, you are here. Where is Muyun? Did he not come with you?”
Lu Huainan glanced toward the outside of the estate. Shen Muyun was nowhere to be seen, and a strange sense of anxiety stirred in his heart.
“I reminded him to come here earlier. He might be late because he was clearing out the meeting room and organizing related documents. Why are you so concerned about him? It would not be…”
Lu Huainan smiled and began inserting the trimmed roses into vases one by one, separating them by color. Drops of crystal-clear rainwater from the petals fell onto the table.
“It is nothing, I was just asking. Since you are here, let us head inside. The weather has not been great lately; I am afraid you might catch a cold standing out here. The new chef prepared several signature dishes with a rose theme. We should try them. I remember that you and Muyun both like desserts.”
Shen Liuyun rubbed the dewy rose petals, deep in thought. “Alright, let us head in first. Muyun should be here any minute.”
Shen Liuyun followed Lu Huainan into the banquet hall. The previous decorations were gone, replaced by rose-themed paintings, nearly all by famous artists.
“Huainan, do you like roses that much?”
Lu Huainan instructed the butler to prepare the food and turned to look at Shen Liuyun, who was examining a painting. “Hm? They are alright. Recently, the company’s R&D department has been developing a rose-scented perfume, so I have been looking into it. Do you not like roses?”
“It is not that I dislike them. Flowers are nice, but they wither too easily. I would rather prefer things that are more practical. Why is Shen Muyun still not here?”
Shen Liuyun looked at the clock in the center of the hall; he was already half an hour late.
“Do not worry, just give him a call. Liuyun, be patient. After all, the contract was signed today, and he is your assistant; he might have had to put in extra time to get everything sorted before he could come over.”
“Sorry, the subscriber you dialed cannot be reached. Please try again later. Sorry! The subscriber you dialed cannot…”
The mechanical female voice echoed from the phone. Shen Liuyun’s expression darkened. “He is still not picking up. I told him to hurry earlier. This is great; now he is nowhere to be found. He is truly unreliable.”
Lu Huainan chuckled. “Is he afraid of my sister? I mentioned earlier that guests could bring family, but maybe he overthought it, assumed she would be here, and felt awkward about bumping into her.”
“That is not it. You have not spent much time with him, but Muyun has a fearless temper. Besides, the marriage engagement between the Lu and Shen families was just a childhood joke and holds no weight. I talked to him about it before, and he agreed. You know he apologized for offending your sister previously, and I believe Miss Lu is a woman of class; she would not hold a grudge over such trivial things.”
Lu Huainan nodded. “Yes, my sister has already let it go. Anyway, it is just the three of us today. We will catch up and have a good time. It is raining outside, so maybe he is just stuck in traffic. Let us wait a little longer.”
The car was bumping along. Shen Muyun did not know how long he had been asleep before he finally regained a sliver of consciousness. He moved slightly. His head hurt so much. Why had the car not stopped yet? Shen Muyun struggled with all his might, but his hands were tightly bound with hemp rope. The anesthetic had not worn off, and he lacked the strength to break free.
The man in the passenger seat glanced into the back row and happened to see Shen Muyun’s movement. “Boss, the kid seems to be awake.”
The man in the driver’s seat looked back. “Tsk, it looks like the dosage of the anesthetic was a bit low. It does not matter; we are almost there.”
Shen Muyun’s head felt heavy and dull, extremely uncomfortable.
“Who are you people? Why are you kidnapping me?”
The driver laughed. “We do not know anything about the employer; that is the rule of our trade. Kid, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You must have offended someone you should not have. Think about it yourself.”
Shen Muyun took a deep breath and continued, “Offended someone? Did your employer not tell you who I am? I have offended more people than the amount of rice you have eaten in your lives. Do you expect me to filter through them one by one? That is not very interesting.”
“We just take money to solve problems for others; we do not care about anything else. If you have offended that many people, that is troublesome. Why do you not wait until you get to the underworld and discuss it with King Yama? See who it was. You might even be able to get this person who framed you sent down there early.”
Shen Muyun felt confused listening to this. This could not be real. What was this? Was this a difficulty spike added by the system? No, that was not right; the system went to sleep. If this were a system task, it would have told him.
“Oh? If you are going to kill me, there is no benefit in it for you. You must want money or some other gain. Or if there is something you want, you should say it; only then can I satisfy your demands.”
“You are quite smart, kid. We really do not know who the employer is. He just said you were a hunk of meat weighing about a hundred pounds. Once we get the money, your fate is in our hands. Kid, if you are obedient, maybe we can let you live. If not…”
Beep, beep, beep…
Shen Muyun’s phone rang again. This time, the kidnappers did not want to miss it.
“Take his phone and let me see who this infatuated person is. This is the third time they have called, right?”
The man in the passenger seat turned and nimbly took the phone from Shen Muyun’s pocket. He checked the name. “Boss, it is Shen Liuyun. Is this not the eldest young master of the Shen family?”
“Oh? That was easier than expected. Answer it.”
Shen Liuyun was pacing impatiently, and seeing Lu Huainan nearby made it difficult to lose his temper. “Huainan, if it really does not work out, let us just have dinner the two of us. I do not know what Shen Liuyun is doing. When I get home, I will have to have a serious talk with him.”
The phone rang for a long time before it was suddenly picked up.
Shen Liuyun could not suppress his growing anger. “Shen Muyun, where are you? I told you just a moment ago that the celebration was about to start. Do you have any sense of time? It is almost nine o’clock! Where have you wandered off to? Is having no sense of time a quality a businessman should have?”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. “Hello, eldest Young Master Shen.”
Shen Liuyun froze. “Who are you? How do you have Muyun’s phone? Where is he? Let him answer the phone!”
“Do not be so anxious, eldest Young Master Shen. Let us have a proper chat. We have just invited the second Young Master Shen to be our guest; we are treating him quite well.”
Shen Liuyun immediately understood the situation. He gripped his phone tightly, gritting his teeth. “Who are you people? Where is Shen Muyun now? What are your demands?”
Seeing that Shen Liuyun’s expression was grim, Lu Huainan signaled him to put the phone on speaker. Shen Liuyun understood and placed the phone on the table.
“Who we are is not important. We are just having the second Young Master over for tea. If you do not believe me, I can let him talk to you.”
The kidnapper in the passenger seat turned and held the phone in front of Shen Muyun’s face.
“Brother, do not listen to them! I was kidnapped by them. Brother…”
“Enough. If you do not know how to speak properly, then do not speak at all.”
The kidnapper in the driver’s seat took the phone back. “Did you hear that, eldest Young Master?”
“State your demands. As long as you ensure my brother’s safety, any condition is acceptable.”
The kidnapper clapped softly. “I applaud your brotherly love. Do you want to have a drink together to celebrate your harvest of affection? But now is not the time for that. Shen Liuyun, for every step you take slowly, Shen Muyun’s risk increases by a point. Think about it.”
Shen Muyun was stuck in the back seat and could not move. He softly called out for the system. He felt a sensation like an electric current running through his body, tingling and numb, but the system offered no response. In such an urgent moment, where did it go?
The kidnapper grabbed Shen Muyun by the hair. “Sss…”
“Eldest Young Master, his life is in your hands. If you do not hurry up, I am afraid…”
The phone was silent, save for the hum of static. Silence, only silence.