Chapter 214 – Chen Li Missing
The photo was obviously taken secretly, a bit blurry, but undeniably a picture of Chen Li. The person who sent this threatening letter even drew a big cross over Chen Li’s face with red ink on the photo, making the threat very clear. The moment Wei Chen saw the photo, he felt like the air around him had been sucked away. His breathing became rapid, his mind went blank, and he didn’t even know when the photo slipped from his hand.
However, Wei Chen quickly regained his composure. He had lost count of how many deep breaths he took to calm himself down. Once he managed to hide his emotions completely, he picked up his phone and called Chen Li.
However, the call went unanswered, and the voice from his phone indicated that the other person’s phone was turned off.
Maybe it was just out of battery and turned off.
Wei Chen consoled himself this way internally. He then found Zhuge Yu’s number in his contacts and dialed it. Without waiting for Zhuge Yu to speak, Wei Chen asked, “Has Li Li returned home?”
Zhuge Yu could sense Wei Chen’s urgency in his tone, and his heart skipped a beat. “Xiao Li has returned home. Why, hasn’t he arrived yet?”
“I’ll go and check.” Wei Chen said this and hung up the phone. He was about to stand up and rush home when suddenly his legs went weak, and he sat back down in his office chair. Somehow, Wei Chen was drenched in cold sweat without knowing when. His whole body felt weak.
A feeling of worry named ‘worry’ kept swirling in Wei Chen’s heart. He repeatedly reassured himself that Chen Li would be fine. However, the sensation of his heart being emptied continued to be intense. Every heartbeat felt like a knife dancing in his chest, causing sharp, painful sensations.
Wei Chen didn’t pay much attention to this feeling. After calming down a bit, he stood up again and, holding the keys, rushed to the elevator. He happened to meet Sheng Jiaqi, who was also leaving work.
Although Wei Chen had a seemingly calm and expressionless demeanor at this moment, Sheng Jiaqi had sharp eyes. With just a glance, he saw through Wei Chen’s nervousness and urgency. He could even feel that Wei Chen was about to collapse, as if something major had happened. “Achen, what’s wrong?” Sheng Jiaqi asked in concern.
Wei Chen didn’t answer. He simply handed the threatening letter to Sheng Jiaqi.
Sheng Jiaqi opened the envelope, and upon seeing the photo inside, his brows furrowed, and his pupils contracted in disbelief. “This… Is Chen Li okay?”
“I don’t know,” Wei Chen said, his eyes vacant but filled with worry, and his body trembling slightly.
“Achen, hold yourself together for now,” Sheng Jiaqi comforted. “Chen Li will be fine.” This was the first time Sheng Jiaqi had seen Wei Chen so helpless. In his eyes, Wei Chen had always been confident, unfazed even when faced with insurmountable challenges. He could calmly conquer them all. But now, he saw a nervous and helpless Wei Chen, almost in a state of panic.
“Yeah, I want to go check his school.” Wei Chen used tremendous self-restraint to suppress all his emotions here. Presently, he looked just like his usual self, but Sheng Jiaqi noticed Wei Chen’s trembling hands that he couldn’t control.
“Okay, I’ll give you a ride to Q University,” Sheng Jiaqi said. Given Wei Chen’s current state, he was not fit to drive.
“Thank you, Uncle Sheng,” Wei Chen knew what state he was in at the moment and didn’t insist on driving himself.
During the drive, Sheng Jiaqi made a call to his home. He had promised Wei Hua and Cookie to go out for dinner yesterday, but now it seemed they wouldn’t be able to make it on time. He had to call and explain the situation.
Wei Hua and Cookie, upon hearing about Chen Li’s situation, lost their appetite for the meal they were about to have at the restaurant. They decided to join the search instead. Wei Hua even prepared to call his friend at the Public Security Bureau.
Wei Hua asked Sheng Jiaqi to take Wei Chen home to check on things, while he and Cookie went to Q University to look for Chen Li. They split up, making their search more efficient. So, Sheng Jiaqi changed the original route and drove Wei Chen directly back to Wei Chen and Chen Li’s home. However, what awaited Wei Chen at home was darkness; Chen Li had not returned.
*
At Q University, Wei Hua held Little Biscuit and, along with Cookie, was looking for Chen Li.
Zhuge Yu, from the information he gathered during the previous conversation with Wei Chen, got an idea of what was going on. Now, hearing the details from Wei Hua’s mouth, he became extremely worried and immediately mobilized his students to find Chen Li.
However, despite searching the vast campus thoroughly, they could not find a trace of Chen Li.
When Wei Chen arrived at Q University, he heard this news. He seemed composed on the outside, but Wei Hua knew that Wei Chen was on the verge of breaking down.
“Wei Hua,” Wei Chen’s voice was low, and a storm brewed in his eyes.
“Yes?” Meeting Wei Chen’s gaze, Wei Hua felt an inexplicable fear, a cold shiver running down his spine. Nevertheless, he managed to reply calmly.
“You know people in the Public Security Bureau, right?”
“I’ll contact them right away.” Wei Hua immediately took out his phone. A person wouldn’t just disappear for no reason, especially considering that someone had threatened Wei Chen using Chen Li earlier. Therefore, the possibility that Chen Li had fallen into the hands of ill-intentioned individuals was high.
Wei Hua’s friend at the Public Security Bureau was a close buddy. Upon hearing that Wei Chen’s loved one might be in danger, he took action without delay. Half an hour later, he called Wei Hua, saying that they had found the person who had sent threatening letters to Wei Chen and was now in custody at the police station.
The group moved from Q University to the police station. Seeing the man handcuffed, Wei Chen and Sheng Jiaqi were not surprised at all. This man was the former head of the logistics department at Changfeng Group. He had been removed from his position by Wei Chen after being caught embezzling, and he held a grudge. That’s why he sent threatening letters to Wei Chen and kidnapped Chen Li, having a strong motive for his actions.
The crowd thought Wei Chen would lose control and fiercely confront the logistics former head. They were prepared to intervene if needed. However, Wei Chen didn’t charge forward. He only stared intensely at the logistics’ former head, his voice low as if emanating from ice, “Where is Chen Li? Where have you kept him?”
The logistics’ former head vigorously shook his head, denying, “I don’t know. I didn’t kidnap him.”
“Where is he?” Wei Chen asked as if he hadn’t heard the logistics minister’s denial.
The logistics’ former head continued to shake his head. “Yes, I planned to kidnap him to threaten you, that’s true. But the person I sent told me that he didn’t leave Q University today. My people didn’t catch him!”
“He’s not lying,” said Cookie, seated in front of the computer. He had hacked into Q University’s monitoring room, obtaining the surveillance footage of the school’s entrances throughout the day. Indeed, there was no sight of Chen Li leaving the school, and no unusual individuals entering or exiting.
Of course, Q University was vast and had some blind spots in surveillance. However, there were no blind spots at the main entrances. So, from this footage, it was clear that Chen Li should still be on Q University’s campus.
But Q University was so big. They had just hastily searched, not finding any trace of Chen Li. The question lingered in everyone’s mind: if Chen Li wasn’t captured by the logistics minister, then where could he be?
This question loomed in everyone’s mind.
“Let’s go to Q University,” Wei Chen didn’t hesitate and immediately went back to Q University to continue the search. Since the surveillance showed Chen Li hadn’t left Q University, he would comb every inch of the campus to find his Li Li.
When they emerged from the police station, the sky had already turned completely dark. In the brightly lit world where families were enjoying their hot meals at this hour, Wei Chen felt a sense of darkness within. Not finding Chen Li made his home feel like an empty box, devoid of warmth.
Little Biscuit was a child and was a bit tired. Wei Hua asked Sheng Jiaqi to take Little Biscuit home while he and Cookie continued to accompany Wei Chen in the search.
As they returned to Q University once more, the students in Chen Li’s class were still there. Even though they had searched the school once before, they were worried about missing any spots. Q University was huge, and their previous rushed search might have been incomplete.
Under Zhuge Yu’s lead, the students from Q University’s School of Fine Arts joined the search for Chen Li immediately. Online platforms and social media were also mobilized to spread the word about the search for Chen Li.
However, the night grew darker. From the teaching building to the library, from the School of Fine Arts to the Medical School, and then to the School of Economics, the search covered the entire campus. Even some abandoned dangerous buildings were searched, yet Chen Li still did not appear.
Where could Chen Li have gone? Had something unfortunate happened to him?
No one had an answer in their hearts, nor did they dare to think about it, for that faint answer was something they couldn’t bear to confront. They all held a wish in their hearts—that Chen Li was simply sleeping in some corner, having forgotten to go home.
Huang Zhenzhen held her roommate’s hand, searching in the small grove. Normally, this small grove was a place Huang Zhenzhen avoided because there were far too many terrifying stories circulating among the students. But today, in order to find their fellow student Chen Li, she bravely stepped in, not leaving any inch of land or shadow under each tree unexamined.
“Did you see Mr. Wei just now? He looked really terrifying,” her roommate said during the search. Wei Chen was usually serious, and now he seemed like an iceberg. Even from a distance, you could feel the low pressure emanating from him, instilling fear in people’s hearts.
Huang Zhenzhen replied, “Mr. Wei must be very anxious; Chen Li is very important to him.”
“Yeah,” her roommate responded seriously. “If an important family member couldn’t be found, I’d probably be crying my eyes out by now. Mr. Wei must be extremely anxious.”
As they spoke, they had already searched through the small grove, but Chen Li was not there.
The sky transitioned from deep black to pale white. In the blink of an eye, the night passed, and despite deploying such a large search effort, Chen Li was still not found.
At this point, some had already given up, thinking that Chen Li might have encountered something unfortunate.
Wei Chen didn’t give up. He had not closed his eyes the entire night. Wei Chen’s eyes were bloodshot, yet he persisted in searching stubbornly. He wouldn’t even sit down for a moment to have a drink of water and rest.
Chapter 214 – Chen Li Missing
The photo was obviously taken secretly, a bit blurry, but undeniably a picture of Chen Li. The person who sent this threatening letter even drew a big cross over Chen Li’s face with red ink on the photo, making the threat very clear. The moment Wei Chen saw the photo, he felt like the air around him had been sucked away. His breathing became rapid, his mind went blank, and he didn’t even know when the photo slipped from his hand.
However, Wei Chen quickly regained his composure. He had lost count of how many deep breaths he took to calm himself down. Once he managed to hide his emotions completely, he picked up his phone and called Chen Li.
However, the call went unanswered, and the voice from his phone indicated that the other person’s phone was turned off.
Maybe it was just out of battery and turned off.
Wei Chen consoled himself this way internally. He then found Zhuge Yu’s number in his contacts and dialed it. Without waiting for Zhuge Yu to speak, Wei Chen asked, “Has Li Li returned home?”
Zhuge Yu could sense Wei Chen’s urgency in his tone, and his heart skipped a beat. “Xiao Li has returned home. Why, hasn’t he arrived yet?”
“I’ll go and check.” Wei Chen said this and hung up the phone. He was about to stand up and rush home when suddenly his legs went weak, and he sat back down in his office chair. Somehow, Wei Chen was drenched in cold sweat without knowing when. His whole body felt weak.
A feeling of worry named ‘worry’ kept swirling in Wei Chen’s heart. He repeatedly reassured himself that Chen Li would be fine. However, the sensation of his heart being emptied continued to be intense. Every heartbeat felt like a knife dancing in his chest, causing sharp, painful sensations.
Wei Chen didn’t pay much attention to this feeling. After calming down a bit, he stood up again and, holding the keys, rushed to the elevator. He happened to meet Sheng Jiaqi, who was also leaving work.
Although Wei Chen had a seemingly calm and expressionless demeanor at this moment, Sheng Jiaqi had sharp eyes. With just a glance, he saw through Wei Chen’s nervousness and urgency. He could even feel that Wei Chen was about to collapse, as if something major had happened. “Achen, what’s wrong?” Sheng Jiaqi asked in concern.
Wei Chen didn’t answer. He simply handed the threatening letter to Sheng Jiaqi.
Sheng Jiaqi opened the envelope, and upon seeing the photo inside, his brows furrowed, and his pupils contracted in disbelief. “This… Is Chen Li okay?”
“I don’t know,” Wei Chen said, his eyes vacant but filled with worry, and his body trembling slightly.
“Achen, hold yourself together for now,” Sheng Jiaqi comforted. “Chen Li will be fine.” This was the first time Sheng Jiaqi had seen Wei Chen so helpless. In his eyes, Wei Chen had always been confident, unfazed even when faced with insurmountable challenges. He could calmly conquer them all. But now, he saw a nervous and helpless Wei Chen, almost in a state of panic.
“Yeah, I want to go check his school.” Wei Chen used tremendous self-restraint to suppress all his emotions here. Presently, he looked just like his usual self, but Sheng Jiaqi noticed Wei Chen’s trembling hands that he couldn’t control.
“Okay, I’ll give you a ride to Q University,” Sheng Jiaqi said. Given Wei Chen’s current state, he was not fit to drive.
“Thank you, Uncle Sheng,” Wei Chen knew what state he was in at the moment and didn’t insist on driving himself.
During the drive, Sheng Jiaqi made a call to his home. He had promised Wei Hua and Cookie to go out for dinner yesterday, but now it seemed they wouldn’t be able to make it on time. He had to call and explain the situation.
Wei Hua and Cookie, upon hearing about Chen Li’s situation, lost their appetite for the meal they were about to have at the restaurant. They decided to join the search instead. Wei Hua even prepared to call his friend at the Public Security Bureau.
Wei Hua asked Sheng Jiaqi to take Wei Chen home to check on things, while he and Cookie went to Q University to look for Chen Li. They split up, making their search more efficient. So, Sheng Jiaqi changed the original route and drove Wei Chen directly back to Wei Chen and Chen Li’s home. However, what awaited Wei Chen at home was darkness; Chen Li had not returned.
*
At Q University, Wei Hua held Little Biscuit and, along with Cookie, was looking for Chen Li.
Zhuge Yu, from the information he gathered during the previous conversation with Wei Chen, got an idea of what was going on. Now, hearing the details from Wei Hua’s mouth, he became extremely worried and immediately mobilized his students to find Chen Li.
However, despite searching the vast campus thoroughly, they could not find a trace of Chen Li.
When Wei Chen arrived at Q University, he heard this news. He seemed composed on the outside, but Wei Hua knew that Wei Chen was on the verge of breaking down.
“Wei Hua,” Wei Chen’s voice was low, and a storm brewed in his eyes.
“Yes?” Meeting Wei Chen’s gaze, Wei Hua felt an inexplicable fear, a cold shiver running down his spine. Nevertheless, he managed to reply calmly.
“You know people in the Public Security Bureau, right?”
“I’ll contact them right away.” Wei Hua immediately took out his phone. A person wouldn’t just disappear for no reason, especially considering that someone had threatened Wei Chen using Chen Li earlier. Therefore, the possibility that Chen Li had fallen into the hands of ill-intentioned individuals was high.
Wei Hua’s friend at the Public Security Bureau was a close buddy. Upon hearing that Wei Chen’s loved one might be in danger, he took action without delay. Half an hour later, he called Wei Hua, saying that they had found the person who had sent threatening letters to Wei Chen and was now in custody at the police station.
The group moved from Q University to the police station. Seeing the man handcuffed, Wei Chen and Sheng Jiaqi were not surprised at all. This man was the former head of the logistics department at Changfeng Group. He had been removed from his position by Wei Chen after being caught embezzling, and he held a grudge. That’s why he sent threatening letters to Wei Chen and kidnapped Chen Li, having a strong motive for his actions.
The crowd thought Wei Chen would lose control and fiercely confront the logistics former head. They were prepared to intervene if needed. However, Wei Chen didn’t charge forward. He only stared intensely at the logistics’ former head, his voice low as if emanating from ice, “Where is Chen Li? Where have you kept him?”
The logistics’ former head vigorously shook his head, denying, “I don’t know. I didn’t kidnap him.”
“Where is he?” Wei Chen asked as if he hadn’t heard the logistics minister’s denial.
The logistics’ former head continued to shake his head. “Yes, I planned to kidnap him to threaten you, that’s true. But the person I sent told me that he didn’t leave Q University today. My people didn’t catch him!”
“He’s not lying,” said Cookie, seated in front of the computer. He had hacked into Q University’s monitoring room, obtaining the surveillance footage of the school’s entrances throughout the day. Indeed, there was no sight of Chen Li leaving the school, and no unusual individuals entering or exiting.
Of course, Q University was vast and had some blind spots in surveillance. However, there were no blind spots at the main entrances. So, from this footage, it was clear that Chen Li should still be on Q University’s campus.
But Q University was so big. They had just hastily searched, not finding any trace of Chen Li. The question lingered in everyone’s mind: if Chen Li wasn’t captured by the logistics minister, then where could he be?
This question loomed in everyone’s mind.
“Let’s go to Q University,” Wei Chen didn’t hesitate and immediately went back to Q University to continue the search. Since the surveillance showed Chen Li hadn’t left Q University, he would comb every inch of the campus to find his Li Li.
When they emerged from the police station, the sky had already turned completely dark. In the brightly lit world where families were enjoying their hot meals at this hour, Wei Chen felt a sense of darkness within. Not finding Chen Li made his home feel like an empty box, devoid of warmth.
Little Biscuit was a child and was a bit tired. Wei Hua asked Sheng Jiaqi to take Little Biscuit home while he and Cookie continued to accompany Wei Chen in the search.
As they returned to Q University once more, the students in Chen Li’s class were still there. Even though they had searched the school once before, they were worried about missing any spots. Q University was huge, and their previous rushed search might have been incomplete.
Under Zhuge Yu’s lead, the students from Q University’s School of Fine Arts joined the search for Chen Li immediately. Online platforms and social media were also mobilized to spread the word about the search for Chen Li.
However, the night grew darker. From the teaching building to the library, from the School of Fine Arts to the Medical School, and then to the School of Economics, the search covered the entire campus. Even some abandoned dangerous buildings were searched, yet Chen Li still did not appear.
Where could Chen Li have gone? Had something unfortunate happened to him?
No one had an answer in their hearts, nor did they dare to think about it, for that faint answer was something they couldn’t bear to confront. They all held a wish in their hearts—that Chen Li was simply sleeping in some corner, having forgotten to go home.
Huang Zhenzhen held her roommate’s hand, searching in the small grove. Normally, this small grove was a place Huang Zhenzhen avoided because there were far too many terrifying stories circulating among the students. But today, in order to find their fellow student Chen Li, she bravely stepped in, not leaving any inch of land or shadow under each tree unexamined.
“Did you see Mr. Wei just now? He looked really terrifying,” her roommate said during the search. Wei Chen was usually serious, and now he seemed like an iceberg. Even from a distance, you could feel the low pressure emanating from him, instilling fear in people’s hearts.
Huang Zhenzhen replied, “Mr. Wei must be very anxious; Chen Li is very important to him.”
“Yeah,” her roommate responded seriously. “If an important family member couldn’t be found, I’d probably be crying my eyes out by now. Mr. Wei must be extremely anxious.”
As they spoke, they had already searched through the small grove, but Chen Li was not there.
The sky transitioned from deep black to pale white. In the blink of an eye, the night passed, and despite deploying such a large search effort, Chen Li was still not found.
At this point, some had already given up, thinking that Chen Li might have encountered something unfortunate.
Wei Chen didn’t give up. He had not closed his eyes the entire night. Wei Chen’s eyes were bloodshot, yet he persisted in searching stubbornly. He wouldn’t even sit down for a moment to have a drink of water and rest.
