As a few rays of morning light emerged from the dim horizon and the surrounding clouds took on a tinge of white gradually turning into a layer of golden red, Shen Youquan, who had not closed his eyes all night, was suddenly moved to tears by the glow. A female police officer sitting next to him comforted him in a low voice, and he quickly wiped away his tears, his voice hoarse as he said, "These are physiological tears, I haven't slept all night, my eyes are too dry, and I can't bear the stimulation of light."
Everyone nodded silently, not probing further, but well aware that his emotional state must be difficult.
Several cars arrived at Shen's house in succession, and upon hearing the sound of the engines, Shen's father and mother hurried out to check, their faces even more haggard and pale, evidently having not slept all night. Zhong Huilu, on the other hand, naturally retained her resplendent appearance as usual.
Upon seeing Shen Youquan followed by a group of people, Long Chengsheng immediately asked, "Mr. Shen, who are they?"
"They are my financial personnel, bank managers, and the security personnel responsible for transporting cash. Mr. Lan Q I'm planning to sell all the available assets I have, and he'll help me with the arrangements," Shen Youquan said, pointing to a middle-aged man with gray hair.
Long Chengsheng certainly recognized Mr. Lan Q, who managed most of Shen Youquan's assets as his agent. The man was now pursing his lips, his face somber, with two men and a woman, all dressed as elite professionals, bringing in a locked cash box which was quite substantial in weight, also being watched closely by two sturdy men, fearing that a gang of thugs might suddenly emerge from any corner and steal the box.
Long Chengsheng's gaze was fixed firmly on these boxes for a few seconds before he eventually turned away with a dry throat, saying, "Mr. Shen, everything at home is fine after you left."
"That's good, thank you! Today, Mr. Lan and I will be very busy, and I need you to take care of the house. My parents are both in poor health, so please take extra care of them," Shen Youquan instructed as he walked away, looking disheveled, with stubble, red eyes from his recent crying, appearing like a father consumed with worry for his son's safety.
Long Chengsheng nodded repeatedly in agreement, while Shen's father and mother continued to ask if their son had successfully raised the money.
The group of people entered the second floor in a grand procession, and due to the narrow staircase, the relatively younger "financial personnel" rubbed shoulders with Long Chengsheng and Zhong Huilu, though they did not attract their attention. The female officer disguised as a bank manager made a pretense of looking for the restroom and then proceeded to enter the master bedroom, quickly surveying the situation inside the room and exploring the discarded items in the trash can.
Zhong Huilu was very vigilant and almost immediately followed suit.
After she left the master bedroom, the female officer entered the study and, lowering her voice, said, "Dr. Song, Zhong Huilu applied a facial mask last night."
"I know," Song Rui said with half-closed eyelids, as if he had already anticipated it.
Even Shen Youquan, despite everything, noticed that something was amiss, gritting his teeth as he said, "My son has been kidnapped, and she still has the heart to apply a facial mask? It seems her nervousness is all an act." After saying this, he felt even more disheartened. He had spent the whole night frantically bustling about for other people's children, feeling anxious and worried. In fact, just to be safe, he really did ask Mr. Lan Q to sell a few of the promising stocks. How much loss was this?
"I'm going to see my daughter. Dr. Song, you guys continue with your work," Shen Youquan wiped his face and left in a hurry. In front of Zhong Huilu and Long Chengsheng, he had spent all his energy to suppress his anger and resentment. If it weren't for his daughter, he didn't know how he would be able to carry on.
"Go ahead," Song Rui said, flipping through a stack of financial reports, not looking back as he waved his hand.
Shen Youquan hurried into his daughter's room, kissing her chubby cheeks and smelling her fragrant neck, causing his tears that had been suppressed to start flowing again.
Shen Yuling was woken up by her dad's stubble scratching her, but she didn't mind at all, instead hugging his big head and asking in a soft voice, "Daddy, why are you crying? Did Mommy scold you? Don't cry, don't cry, I'll give you candy." She snuggled into the blanket, crawled from one end of the bed to the other, and somehow fished out a piece of candy from a corner, stuffing it into Shen Youquan's mouth.
"After you finish it, you won't cry anymore, Daddy," Shen Yuling gently patted her father's head with her little fat hand, kissing his chin, showing such consideration, like a little adult.
With such a well-behaved and understanding daughter, Shen Youquan's tears flowed even more fiercely. Why did she secretly hide so much candy in the blanket? Why did she know that eating sweets would make her feel better? It was because she had cried too many, many times, and each time, apart from sweets and herself, no one could give her a hug and comfort. Yet there wasn't a trace of darkness in her heart. When her father was sad, she immediately forgot his neglect and indifference, sharing her cherished secret with him, just to provide him with some comfort that she was capable of.
Who said that daughters have stubborn personalities and need strict discipline? Who said that daughters have a bad temper and are selfish? These were simply prejudices! Shen Youquan hugged his daughter tightly, tearfully making a promise, "Daddy's little treasure, from now on, Mommy won't scold you again, and with Daddy here, no one can make you cry."
As the father and daughter snuggled together for warmth, Long Chengsheng brought up a pot of hot tea to the second floor and knocked on the door of the study. His gaze quickly swept over each unfamiliar face, secretly observing their every move. The two security personnel diligently guarded the cash boxes, while the woman in the bank uniform was rapidly counting the cash on a currency counting machine.
The neatly stacked bundles of banknotes, tightly bound with white paper, now displayed a sea of red on the large table, tingeing the color of Long Chengsheng's pupils as well. His hand carrying the tray trembled slightly, but he quickly steadied himself, turning to observe the two men sitting beside Lan Q.
The younger-looking man was briskly operating a computer, the screen filling with extremely complex charts and graphs; the more mature and composed man was holding a folder, explaining to Lan Q how to buy and sell several types of funds, discussing the losses and revenues, as well as the maneuvers that would result in maximal benefits. They all seemed very professional, with handsome and polished appearances that seemed far removed from police work.
Completely unaware that the people who had returned with him were a group of police officers, Lan Q sincerely exclaimed, "No wonder Mr. Shen abandoned his long-standing team and hired you, a new addition. Your business capability is indeed strong! May I ask where you have worked before, and why have I never seen you before?"
Long Chengsheng pricked up his ears and looked over. Except for Lan Q, he did not recognize anyone in the room, naturally leading to some suspicions.
"I worked as a consultant at Sampson for a period of time. Here's my business card," Song Rui handed over a beautifully crafted business card.
Lan Q widened his eyes, looking astonished, "So you are Dr. Song Rui, who successfully led the acquisition case of Renault Meihua? I've admired you for a long time! That battle was truly brilliant; you accurately predicted every strategy of Meihua and timely counteracted it. The whole industry was circulating rumors about your exceptional abilities to read people's minds. You never lost at the negotiating table! Last year, I even used your case as a classic example to teach my students, and now here I am meeting you! Oh, this is such an honor!"
Song Rui humbly and politely responded, "Mr. Lan, you are too kind. You are my senior in the field."
Lan Q quickly waved his hand, "Nonsense, in our industry, the adept should be the teacher. I was being arrogant just now. Mr. Shen's fortune to have you come and help is truly incredible. We can completely trust you!"
"Mr. Shen has indeed devoted all his efforts to saving the child. Although we are outsiders, we must help in any way we can, and the safety of the child is of utmost importance. We must quickly sell off these assets, as the child can't wait," Song Rui's attitude remained calm, which also influenced Lan Q. The two men plunged back into their busy work, and Long Chengsheng had dispelled all doubts and left the tea tray behind to exit the room. He had been at Shen Youquan's side for years, so he naturally understood the splendor of the Renault Meihua acquisition case. It turned out that this man was the Dr. Song Rui who had been glorified back then, truly no wonder his temperament was so outstanding.
As he turned the corner of the stairs, he sneered and thought, "It seems that Shen Youquan really cares a lot for Shen Yurao, hiring the best manager to help him raise money."
At noon, Shen Youquan had already raised ten million in cash, which was now neatly stacked in the study. During this time, the kidnappers had made two phone calls urging for the ransom, saying only a few words before hanging up, and Xiao Li had not been able to trace their location, with the escape route of the female kidnapper still a mystery.
Shen's father and mother had no appetite at all, while Zhong Huilu was half-reclining on the sofa, weeping inconsolably, heedless of everything. Shen Youquan had the nanny take care of his daughter, playing in a corner of the study, never leaving his sight for even a moment. Long Chengsheng was responsible for running errands for everyone.
After half an hour, a delivery person suddenly brought a package, specifically asking for Zhong Huilu to sign for it.
"Do you still have the mood for online shopping?" Shen Youquan asked in a hoarse voice.
"I didn't buy anything," Zhong Huilu said bewilderedly as she opened the package and saw a small box inside. Upon opening it, she was greeted by a bloody finger, robbing her of her breath and heartbeat.
"Ah!" A scream pierced through the crowd's eardrums, followed by a segment of a little finger being flung by Zhong Huilu and landing on the carpet.
"What's this? Is it, is it Rao Rao's finger?" Shen Youquan had already instructed the nanny to take Shen Yuling away, so only the adults present witnessed this bloody scene. He stumbled forward, disregarding the sticky blood and dirt on the ground, trembling as he picked up the severed finger, held it to his chest, and cried out in despair, "This is Rao Rao's finger, they chopped off Rao Rao's finger! They're really ruthless. I was already raising money. Couldn't they have waited?"
His acting skills were originally not this convincing, but once he imagined Shen Yurao's ordeal as his own daughter's, he could no longer contain the pain in his heart.
The nanny and the maids hiding in the dark all had red eyes after witnessing the scene, thinking in unison: "Mr. Shen is truly pitiful!"
The commotion downstairs caught the attention of Lan Qi and the others. They rushed out of the study to see what was happening. After learning the whole story, Song Rui calmly said, "Mr. Shen, it looks like this finger was recently severed. Quickly take it to the hospital for preservation. Maybe it can be reattached after the child is saved."
"Yes, yes, take it to the hospital for preservation," Shen Youquan finally snapped out of his daze.
Long Chengsheng's face turned pale for the first time. He was just about to say that he would take the severed finger, when Shen's mother fell heavily to the ground, unable to bear the shock and passed out. Shen's father also clutched his chest, gasping for breath, muttering incoherently. Zhong Huilu stared blankly at the ceiling, unable to shed tears. Compared to her vibrant appearance in the morning, she now looked disheveled, her eyes unfocused, and her lips dry and cracked. This woman, with tousled hair, dull eyes, and parched lips, truly resembled a helpless mother who had lost her child.
"How could this happen, it should not have happened!" she murmured almost inaudibly, completely unaware that Long Chengsheng was glaring at her fiercely.
Without thinking, Shen Youquan asked Long Chengsheng to support Shen's mother, while he ran upstairs to find blood pressure medicine for Shen's father. The young "finance employee" saw that everyone was in chaos and bravely offered, "Mr. Shen, why don't you hand over the finger to me, I'll take it to the hospital for you. Don't worry, my brother is an anesthesiologist at the City People's Hospital, and he knows how to handle this severed finger."
"No, I'll go." Long Chengsheng wanted to take a closer look at the severed finger, so he tried hard to seize this opportunity.
However, Shen Youquan ignored him, repeatedly admonishing as he fed the medicine to his father, "Remember to keep it a secret with your brother. Absolutely do not call the police, or else Rao Rao will be in danger!"
When a hospital receives a severed body part, they generally choose to report it. Without someone to help facilitate the process, taking it there would mean that the kidnapping of the child could no longer be concealed. Long Chengsheng, a rootless wanderer in Jing City, was completely unable to handle the hospital's inquiries afterwards, so he had to swallow his previous demand.
The young finance employee left with the severed finger, while chaos erupted in the Shen household. Shen's mother had only been dizzy for two minutes before she regained consciousness, crying out, "Youquan, why are you dawdling, hurry and raise money! Sell your house, your car! I still have a hundred thousand in savings, all of them are yours!" She rushed back to the bedroom and brought out a bankbook. Before this, she had already withdrawn millions, and this hundred thousand was for their funeral expenses.
After struggling, Shen's father finally managed to swallow the blood pressure medicine, and hoarsely said, "Sell our house in our hometown as well. The property deed is in the compartment of my wardrobe. If Rao Rao is gone, your mother and I won't need it. In our old age, we'll go away with him directly!"
Shen Youquan, with red eyes, said, "Dad, what are you talking about! I will find a way to raise the money. You don't have to use your funeral expenses."
He pushed the bankbook back, but the old couple insisted, taking out valuable items for their son to exchange for cash. Everyone was working hard for Shen Yurao's safe return, except for Zhong Huilu, who had opened her mouth several times, but under Long Chengsheng's stern gaze, stayed silent and did not mention the fundraising.
Seeing her and Long Chengsheng's reactions, Song Rui and the female police officer exchanged glances, and they were confident of their suspicions of the crime.