C9 Little Liang Is Gone

She groggily shifted closer, her small hand patting the empty side of the bed. Still not used to sleeping alone.

Picking up her phone, she answered to hear an anxious woman's voice: "Miss Shen, something's wrong! Little Liang is missing!"

"What?!" That one sentence jolted Shen Yueyin awake, her drowsiness nearly gone.

She sat up abruptly, calming herself before asking, "What happened? Take your time and explain."

Ms. Zhou was on the verge of tears. "I don't know what happened. This morning, I was taking the little one to preschool when suddenly a group of people appeared out of nowhere. They didn't say a word and just took her. They drove off, and I couldn't keep up on foot..."

"Who were they?"

"I have no idea. Just a bunch of men in black, all looking pretty strong!"

"Any noticeable features?"

As Shen Yueyin spoke, she quickly grabbed clothes from her wardrobe.

"I..." Ms. Zhou wiped her tears, trying to recall, then slapped her thigh. "They had a little badge on their clothes, like an eagle, but I was too flustered to see clearly. Anyway..."

An eagle...

Ms. Zhou continued to ramble on, but Shen Yueyin felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her, chilling her to the bone, making her teeth chatter.

"When did this happen?"

"Just about ten minutes ago. I chased the car for a while before calling you."

Shen Yueyin quickly ended the call, changed her clothes, and headed downstairs.

Xia Qingya was busy in the kitchen. Hearing the commotion, she looked over and said, "I made some soup for you; it’ll be ready soon."

Shen Yueyin paused, deciding to keep the news to herself for now, and told Xia Qingya, "Mom, I need to go out for a bit. I'll explain when I get back."

Then she headed straight out the door.

Shen Changqing, stirring honey into water, casually remarked to Xia Qingya, "I told you, even a dog wouldn't drink that soup, but you didn't believe me, huh?"

Xia Qingya awkwardly twitched her lips and silently returned to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Shen Yueyin drove straight to the J.Q Corporation building. After locking the car, she confidently walked through the company doors.

Zhang Yuan, who had been waiting in the lobby, immediately spotted Shen Yueyin and hurried over with a couple of laughs. “Here to see the Second Master?”

“Yes,” Shen Yueyin replied without hesitation. “Where is he?”

Zhang Yuan looked troubled, clasping his hands together. “The Second Master’s schedule is full today. If you have any business, Miss Shen, please make an appointment for tomorrow morning.”

A full schedule?

Shen Yueyin raised her eyes coldly. “What if I insist on seeing him?”

“Well...” Zhang Yuan scratched his head awkwardly. “You know we just follow orders. Pressuring us won’t help. How about you come back first thing tomorrow?”

“Hah!” Shen Yueyin let out a couple of cold laughs and skillfully dialed a number on her phone.

The busy tone droned on for a while before a man's icy voice finally answered, “Hello?”

“Jing Si, what exactly do you want?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Second Miss Shen.” He emphasized the title deliberately.

“Jing Si, you know what Yiliang means to me. You also know she’s shy and gets scared in unfamiliar places. Can you just...”