ATGJSY: Chapter 32
"You've filed this report; I permit the case to be opened."
Lu Xuan, caught in a state of anxious despair, was taken aback upon hearing Rong Qian's words. He looked up at her, and there was a calm and rigorous authority about her—a strength that compelled trust and reliance.
While the American police might not permit it, China could. Rong Qian accepted his report, streamlining the necessary procedures, and began to demonstrate her professional capabilities.
Rong Qian meticulously inquired about every detail of Lu Xuan's interactions with Chen Shiyi. Her professionalism, evident in the precise terminology she used, gave Lu Xuan the distinct impression of being interrogated by the police.
Throughout the process, Shen Yi silently observed from the side.
Rong Qian seemed like a different person—serious and focused. She conducted the one-on-one inquiry with Lu Xuan, her pen swiftly recording details on paper.
After completing the questioning, Rong Qian pondered for a moment and then asked Shen Yi, "You've done numerous part-time jobs. How did you find them?"
"Some I found myself, others were through acquaintances."
Rong Qian continued, "Who was this acquaintance?"
"Lin Feng."
With a decisive snap, Rong Qian closed her notebook and stood up. "Let's go find Lin Feng."
"You mean Shiyi's part-time job was introduced by Lin Feng?" Lu Xuan urgently sought clarification.
Rong Qian looked at him sternly. "Without evidence, any suspicion is mere conjecture. I only said we are going to find him; I didn't say he was the one who introduced the job. Don't jump to conclusions or act rashly against him."
"I understand." Lu Xuan loosened his clenched fists, having momentarily felt a surge of anger toward Lin Feng.
Lin Feng worked night shifts at a bar and usually slept there. He was visibly annoyed when Rong Qian and the others woke him up early in the morning.
"Chen Shiyi? Yes, she did ask me about finding a part-time job."
"So it was you who introduced her!" Lu Xuan shoved Lin Feng against the wall, glaring at him. "Tell me! What job did she find, and where was the interview?"
Rong Qian shook her head in exasperation. Her earlier warning seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
"What the hell are you doing so early in the morning?" Lin Feng pushed Lu Xuan away, exasperated. "Can’t you let me finish talking?"
Lu Xuan, still fuming, was about to retort when Shen Yi intervened. "Let him finish."
Meeting Shen Yi's gaze, Lu Xuan took a deep breath and reluctantly stepped back.
Rong Qian approached Lin Feng. "Chen Shiyi wanted a rather specific part-time job. You didn’t have the connections, but you knew someone who might, so you introduced her to your friend. Is that correct?"
"How did you know?" Lin Feng looked surprised. "She wanted to be a violin tutor. I didn’t have contacts in that area, so I told her that Jesse might know someone."
Jesse was one of Lin Feng's African-American friends.
"A tutor?" Lu Xuan was momentarily stunned. He had mentioned to Chen Shiyi before that she played the violin so well that she could make money teaching it. But Chen Shiyi had been insecure, saying it was impossible. Lu Xuan had encouraged her many times, but she never showed any interest, so he eventually stopped mentioning it.
Unexpectedly, she had taken his words to heart all along...
"By the way, what’s happened to Chen Shiyi?" Lin Feng finally asked.
Rong Qian replied, "Nothing much. She’s just been missing for less than 24 hours."
"And that’s ‘nothing much’?" Lin Feng's eyes widened. He hurriedly used the bar's phone to call Jesse, but the news was disappointing. Jesse hadn’t introduced Chen Shiyi to any job either!
Lin Feng was furious and demanded Jesse come to the bar immediately.
Rong Qian asked Jesse some specific questions, such as when Chen Shiyi approached him and her demeanor at the time.
Jesse, despite not knowing who Rong Qian was, was a straightforward and honest person and answered earnestly.
Though Jesse’s information provided no new leads, Rong Qian remained patient. "When Chen Shiyi talked to you, where were you?"
"In the store," Jesse replied. His family ran a small shop, and he usually helped with the cash register.
When Chen Shiyi came to find him, there weren’t many customers in the shop. Jesse was leisurely checking out a customer while talking to her.
"Think again, did anything unusual happen when Chen Shiyi left? Or did anyone unfamiliar approach her after she exited the shop?" Rong Qian gently prodded, coaxing him to delve deeper into his memory.
Prompted by Rong Qian, Jesse did recall a detail. He said to her, "Yes! There was! There was a middle-aged white man with gold-rimmed glasses. He only bought a pack of cigarettes but didn't come to pay until Chen Shiyi left. Then he hurriedly settled the bill and left."
"I remember now! He followed behind Chen Shiyi!"
***
When Chen Shiyi woke up, she found herself bound hand and foot, with duct tape over her mouth, trapped in a storage room.
Confused and terrified, she attempted to struggle, only to realize she had no strength. She thought to herself, "This is it. My life is over!"
It all started the day she went to see Jesse...
Chen Shiyi now regretted it deeply. She shouldn’t have trusted strangers.
Even though the man was well-dressed and seemed respectable, she shouldn't have blindly believed that he genuinely wanted to hire her as a violin tutor for his son and invited her to his home.
Despite considering herself smart, she hadn’t accompanied him that day but instead left her phone number.
Later, his secretary contacted her several times. She learned that he was the owner of a company with a seven-year-old son at home.
She also found out that his wife was Chinese, so he wanted to hire a Chinese violin tutor for their son.
He had mentioned that they needed to ensure she was truly skilled before they would hire her.
So Chen Shiyi thought it over and decided there was little risk, so she agreed to go in the afternoon.
Initially, everything seemed fine. The maid invited her to sit down and even brought her a cup of coffee, asking her to wait for a while. Chen Shiyi only remembered drinking the coffee, and then she knew nothing.
The coffee had been drugged.
Feeling scared and not knowing what awaited her, she heard footsteps outside the door. Every hair on her body stood on end, and she felt icy cold all over.
Once fear took hold, her body trembled uncontrollably, tears streamed down her face, and Chen Shiyi cried helplessly, repeatedly calling out Lu Xuan's name in her mind.
Lu Xuan... Save me, Lu Xuan... Lu Xuan!
"Shiyi!"
Suddenly, in the car, Lu Xuan was jolted awake! Lin Feng, sitting next to him, was startled. Concerned, he asked, "What’s wrong? Had a nightmare?"
Lu Xuan broke out in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. He noticed everyone in the car was looking at him and felt somewhat apologetic.
He remembered closing his eyes after getting into the car, intending to recall any details he might have missed. Unexpectedly, he had fallen asleep and dreamt about Chen Shiyi.
"Have I been asleep for long?" Lu Xuan asked.
"No, just about ten minutes," Rong Qian replied, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel. She rested her chin on her hand, waiting for the traffic light ahead.
Shen Yi sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed, eyes closed, lost in thought.
They had rented the car near the bar. Lin Feng had wanted to show off his driving skills, but before he could even get behind the wheel, Rong Qian had taken over.
Now, Lin Feng, Lu Xuan, and Jesse sat in the back seat, unaware of where Rong Qian was taking them.
Finally, unable to contain his anxiety any longer, Lu Xuan asked, "Rong Qian, where are we going?"
It was already noon, and they had been following Rong Qian around all morning without finding any trace of Chen Shiyi. The longer it took, the more anxious Lu Xuan became!
Rong Qian turned to him and gave him three words, "To save someone."
Then, as an afterthought, she added, "I already know where she is."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi slowly opened his eyes. There seemed to be a hint of relief in his gaze, and then, imperceptibly, he let out a sigh.
Rong Qian noticed but said nothing.
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