The weather wasn't good on the day of the funeral; it was overcast, but it didn't rain. Due to internal family conflicts, three cars were used for the journey up the mountain. Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng were naturally in the same car.
Before departure, staff conducted final arrangements and checks on the body. The hearse was ready, and Duan Yiheng was outside coordinating and checking all the documents and procedures. When it was almost time, Uncle Deng came to remind them.
Just as Lin Xi was about to leave, a staff member dressed in black rushed over in a panic. "Miss Lin," Lin Xi asked, "What's wrong?" The man said, "I'm so sorry, but I don't dare tell Mr. Duan. Miss Lin, please help me."
Lin Xi frowned: "What is it?" She vaguely remembered this person; he had always been in charge of things at the funeral hall.
"During the moving of Mr. Duan's urn, a crack was discovered. Although it doesn't affect anything, it's considered unlucky. It can be repaired, but it will take time, and the hearse is about to depart..." Lin Xi knew the rest without the staff member saying it. The departure time was set in advance and approved by the master. This was clearly the fault of the funeral home staff, but now wasn't the time to assign blame. "Where's the urn?" Lin Xi decided to check first. "Please come with me."
Lin Xi turned and followed him into the mourning hall. Meanwhile, Duan Yiheng was almost there. He looked up and didn't see Lin Xi, so he instructed, "Uncle Deng, it's time to leave. Go call Lin Xi."
Uncle Deng turned back into the mourning hall, but didn't see Lin Xi. He took out his phone to call her, but she didn't answer. Duan Yiheng couldn't wait any longer and came directly to her: "Where is she?" Uncle Deng said, "She didn't answer the phone."
Duan Yiheng took out his own phone, but it wasn't answered either. His face gradually darkened. He said, "Check the surveillance footage immediately. Something happened to Lin Xi." Duan Yiheng hurriedly left the mourning hall as he spoke. Just then, a fully enclosed van flashed past in his peripheral vision. "Stop the van!"
Duan Yiheng shouted as he ran over. The van was going very fast, unafraid of hitting anyone. Duan Yiheng passed the hearse, pulled the driver out, and smoothly shifted gears. Duan Mingxuan, seeing this, also drove after them.
Duan Zheng, confused, ran over and asked Uncle Deng, "What happened?" Uncle Deng, his face also dark, said, "The young lady is missing." Duan Zheng frowned, "What do we do now? We can't wait here with Dad." Uncle Deng thought for a moment and said,
"You go up the mountain with the hearse. I'll leave someone here to handle things." That was the only option. Duan Zheng turned and got into the car, and the hearse departed on time. Meanwhile, the van drove in the opposite direction from the hearse. Duan Yiheng kept accelerating, his face grim.
The houses on both sides of the road rushed past. The van driver saw the Maybach getting closer and closer in his rearview mirror and gritted his teeth, accelerating. But the two vehicles couldn't compete in performance; the longer it went on, the more the van's engine strained.
Duan Yiheng accelerated again, almost flying past the van. The van driver lost control, and the entire vehicle shook violently. Duan Yiheng suddenly accelerated, turned the steering wheel to the right, and brought it to a steady stop on the road.
The van driver instinctively slammed on the brakes, quickly shifted into reverse, and suddenly the rear of the van was violently slammed against him. It was Duan Mingxuan who had crashed into him. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the van was finally forced to stop.
Duan Yiheng's eyes were filled with a dark, angry rage. The van driver shakily got out of the van. Duan Yiheng opened the door, his blood running cold. Duan Mingxuan also rushed over, looked at the empty van, and grabbed the driver by the collar: "Where is she?"
The driver looked blank: "Who?" "Where's Lin Xi?" Duan Mingxuan roared, "Where is she? Didn't you kidnap her?" The driver quickly shook his head: "How could I dare to kidnap anyone?" Duan Yiheng no longer had the energy to pursue the van driver's responsibility.
This was a clever diversionary tactic. Duan Yiheng checked his phone; Lin Xi's location was still at the funeral home. Uncle Deng called at that moment, and Duan Yiheng immediately asked, "Is anyone still at the funeral home?" Uncle Deng replied instantly, "Yes, someone's there."
After asking who it was, Duan Yiheng made another call. The driver beside him had already been punched several times by Duan Mingxuan. Duan Yiheng got into the car and returned to the funeral home. As soon as he got out, a bodyguard handed him a cloth bag. Duan Yiheng took it and opened it; inside was Lin Xi's watch.
Fleeting jewelry was forbidden. Although Lin Xi's earrings, which had been fitted with a tracking device, were everyday wear, they were still inappropriate for a funeral. Her shoes had also been changed because they were going to bury the old man on the mountain today, leaving only this understated and elegant watch.
Duan Yiheng slammed his hand on the steering wheel and immediately made a phone call. The call connected quickly. Duan Yiheng exchanged pleasantries, saying, "Director Lin, I have a favor to ask you." The person on the other end readily agreed, and Duan Yiheng continued:
"Today is my grandfather's funeral, and my fiancée has been kidnapped. I need your help in finding her, but I don't know the kidnappers' demands, so please keep it a secret for now. I have two suspects here..." After saying this, Duan Yiheng instructed his bodyguards to stay and review the surveillance footage, noting down all suspicious individuals and vehicles to report to the police.
He then turned his car around and headed up the mountain. Duan Mingxuan followed behind, witnessing everything. He steeled himself and stayed behind. This time, he wanted to find Lin Xi before Duan Yiheng. Like Duan Yiheng, he also suspected Ke Yu and Chen Liangyi.
Ke Yu was especially suspicious, because even a weakened giant is still powerful; Ke Yu still had some connections he could use. But Chen Liangyi was more cunning than Ke Yu, and he feared she might not treat Lin Xi well.
Duan Mingxuan immediately called Yu Lang; the two were friends with many shady characters, and their ways were often questionable. On the mountain, everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the head of the Duan family, but no one knew what Duan Yiheng was thinking.
None of them knew that beneath Duan Yiheng's calm exterior lay the agony of being boiled in oil. He looked at his grandfather's portrait, silently praying for his protection. Duan Zheng, not seeing Duan Mingxuan, immediately called and berated him.
Duan Mingxuan, annoyed, hung up. Duan Yiheng was already on the mountain; who cared about him? Besides, the living were always more important than the dead, even if that person was his grandfather. At that moment, Duan Mingxuan suddenly felt that Duan Yiheng was nothing special.
He had gained everything, balanced everyone, but he couldn't abandon everything to go find Lin Xi. But Duan Mingxuan could. Duan Mingxuan stepped on the gas and drove out of the funeral home. As he passed a van, his expression suddenly froze. About three to five seconds later, he quickly turned around.
The man who had just driven the van looked familiar. He had worked with Chen Jingyi before and exposed Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng's relationship online. He had investigated privately and inadvertently discovered that Chen Jingyi was close to a released prisoner. Chen Jingyi called him Brother Shan.
That man just now looked a lot like Brother Shan that Chen Jingyi had mentioned.