C8

The Lee family has a storied military background, so it's baffling how they could raise someone as spiteful and frivolous as her.

Lee Bingqian had barely touched her breakfast, so when she saw the spread of dishes before her, she figured it was better to eat than let it go to waste. As she ate, she pulled out her phone to call her sister, ready to vent about the day's disastrous blind date.

"Hello, the number you are dialing is not in the service area. Please try again later." A cold, automated voice responded from the phone.

Odd, she thought, her text from yesterday went unanswered, and now the call wouldn't go through. Lee Bingqian stared at her phone, puzzled.

The more she thought about it on her drive, the more something seemed off. Lee Binglian's phone was always on, and there had never been an issue reaching her before.

Could she have had a fight with her brother-in-law?

Lee Bingqian scrolled through her phone only to realize she hadn't saved her brother-in-law's contact information. She sped home.

"Mom, have you heard from Binglian in the last couple of days?" Lee Bingqian asked, noticing her brother-in-law sitting in the living room. She glanced around, but her sister was nowhere to be seen.

Lee Bingqian quickly took a seat on the sofa and inquired, "Where's Binglian? Why are you here by yourself?"

Her brother-in-law, looking distressed, shook his head. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Did you guys have a fight?" Lee Bingqian pressed, her frustration mounting.

She could feel the tension in the living room; her father and grandfather were stern-faced, while her mother and grandmother were tearful.

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Lee Bingqian demanded, "Talk to me! What's happened?"

Chen Wei, pale as a ghost, replied, "We didn't fight. Binglian is missing. I can't get ahold of her."

"Missing?" Lee Bingqian's mind raced. "Do you know where she was last? When did you last speak to her?"

"She disappeared in Vushor. I last heard from her three days ago."

"Vushor? Why on earth was she in Vushor?" A realization struck Lee Bingqian, and she turned to her father with urgency. "Are you keeping something from me?"

"Didn't Binglian retire to become an assistant and bodyguard for a celebrity? There's no way she would just head to Vushor without a reason. Dad, what's really happening?" Lee Bingqian felt she knew the answer, yet she dared not believe it.

Listening to her eldest daughter's probing, Liu Yuhang couldn't help but stifle her sobs behind her hand.

Realizing he could no longer keep the truth hidden, Lee Shiyu dismissed the servants. He sighed deeply and said, "Binglian did indeed retire, but she was reassigned to the intelligence department. That's all I know; I'm not privy to any more details than that."

"Then, she must have been sent to Vushor on a mission! Dad, what do we do now?" Lee Bingqian asked, her anxiety palpable.

Lee Shiyu shook his head. "If the intelligence department can't reach her, they'll send someone to discreetly search for her. There's nothing more we can do."

"So we're just supposed to sit here and wait? Do nothing at all?"

Lee Shiyu gave a slight nod, which only made Lee Bingqian's expression grow darker.

Incredulous, Lee Bingqian pressed, "The person who's missing is Binglian—my sister, your daughter! How can you remain so detached and heartless? Do you only care about the country, with no thought for your family?"

Liu Yuhang, tears streaming down her face, clutched at Lee Bingqian's hand. "Bingqian, please, no more. I believe your sister will return to us safely."

"How can I be calm when Vushor is in such chaos?" Lee Bingqian's heart ached as if it were being sliced open. "I thought Binglian had long since left the military life behind. I was overjoyed at her wedding, but now it seems she's gone from the tiger's den straight into a wolf's lair!"

"Enough! How dare you utter such treasonous words! The Lee family has always been dedicated to the nation. How did we raise someone like you?" Lee Zhiguo, unable to contain his fury, slammed his walking stick against the floor, the sound echoing loudly.

"So, because you're devoted to the country, you think you can dictate our lives? You expect me to abandon my dreams and act like a puppet, obediently following your every command?" Lee Bingqian scoffed, "This is my life, and I intend to live it on my own terms!"

"Bingqian, enough is enough!" Her father looked at her with an impassive face, yet his voice carried a barely concealed fury.

Lee Bingqian wrenched her hand from her mother's grasp and shot a look at her father and grandfather. "Fine, just keep on being apathetic," she said.

With that, Lee Bingqian turned on her heel, heading for the entrance.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lee Zhiguo barked.

"I can't be as heartless as you all. I can't even begin to imagine what Binglian is going through. I need to go find her!"

"Vushor is vast, where do you think you can possibly find her?"

"So, we should just give up the search because it's a big place? Hah!"