Li Chuanmo released a breath, "I was told her mother has been kidnapped."
"That's true, but she has been rescued. Jackie made sure of that." Charlie replied, referring to one of the men he brought for the operation.
"Good. Stay on the phone."
"Okay, Boss."
"And tell your men to helm him in and lead him out."
"Trust me Boss, they're doing that already. It shouldn't be long before they have to come out. I've told Fudo to make sure they are led my way. I have to finish the job well so that I can boast to Lancaster later."
Li Chuanmo was not in the mood to respond.
*****
As Gao Tinghua ran, he dialed Li Chuanmo's number, but it said he was on another call. Frustrated, he focused on running until he got into the hotel.
He was out of the event building when he noticed footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw Han Leifeng.
"You didn't have to come."
"You left in such a hurry. I wanted to find out if everything was okay. Besides, I didn't see your sister in the hall."
"Everything is not okay, not exactly. She went to change her clothes and is not back yet."
"Is that a problem? Don't women take their time when changing outfits?" Even as he asked that, he remembered that Pei Yueran was always a fast dresser. She never wasted time dressing for any occasion.
Gao Tinghua hesitated and then bit the bullet, "It's not that simple. We suspect that she's missing."
"What? Yueran is missing? Hurry!" Worries about her being married flew out of Han Leifeng's mind as he broke into a run, leaving the frowning Gao Tinghua behind.
Yueran? She was introduced as Gao Tingyue today, so how did he know her name was also Yueran?
Ignoring the greeting of the receptionists, they took the elevator straight to the floor the Gao family booked.
As the lift went up floor after floor, Han Leifeng frowned tightly, wishing the elevator wasn't so slow. He looked like he could not wait to sprint out of the contraption.
Gao Tinghua finally noticed something odd. As the elevator stopped, he asked, "You're acting weird you know? Did you perhaps know my sister before today?"
The elevator opened and Han Leifeng dropped the words, "Yes, of course I know her. She's my wife," before dashing out of the elevator.
Gao Tinghua actually stood there, shocked out of his mind.
Wife???
He came to his senses when the elevator began closing again. He quickly opened it and rushed out, "Wait! What do you do mean by what you just said?"
Han Leifeng ignored him while he walked through the corridor, checking for the room number.
Hot headed, Gao Tinghua caught up with him and dragged him back harshly. Caught off guard, Han Leifeng stumbled.
"Say it again: Who's my elder sister to you?"
Han Leifeng said, "Let's not do this now. If you really care for her, you should be checking if she's in the room or something. We can talk about this later."
Gao Tinghua glared at him but eventually released his suit jacket and walked towards the room his mother prepared.
When they got there, they knocked but got no response. Impatient, Han Leifeng twisted the doorknob open and barged in while shouting Pei Yueran's name.
Just as they stepped in, they saw Madam Jiu on the floor, twitching. Gao Tinghua hardly spared her a glance before walking past her to check the bathroom and closet.
Han Leifeng's eyes widened. After a moment of immobility, he quickly pulled out his phone to dial a number.
"What are you doing?" Gao Tinghua asked when he returned to see him looking at him phone.
"Calling an ambulance of course. Someone is injured." Han Leifeng spoke as the call connected. "Hello, we have—"
His words were caught off because Gao Tinghua snatched his phone in a swift motion and ended the call.
"Are you crazy? I said my sister is missing and you plan to alert the world? What do you think would be on the newspaper headlines tomorrow if an ambulance was to suddenly come here at this time?" Gao Tinghua who was already anxious with no place to vent straightaway poured his anger on Han Leifeng.
Calming down, Han Leifeng had to admit that his words made sense. Due to the state he was in earlier, he didn't even think of this point.
"But we can't just leave her like this. If anything happens, it would be a bigger problem. After all, many people saw her leave with Yueran." Han Leifeng pointed out.
Gao Tinghua thought for a moment, then called a personal friend of his, who was a doctor to come and attend to her. Han Leifeng meanwhile, bent to see if there was anything he could do for Madam Jiu.
Looking at her closely, he noticed her eyes were closed, her mouth open while her fingers and toes twitched. Thankfully she was still breathing, so he only adjusted her head to make it easier for her to take in air, and covered her with a blanket.
Gao Tinghua spoke at that moment, "A doctor would be coming to treat her shortly. I told him her symptoms and he said she was probably hit by a stream of current, but that she would be fine. Let's go. It's a pity she's not awake, I would have asked her some questions."
Han Leifeng shook his head at how nonchalant he sounded but acquiesced. They had to go and find Yueran anyway.
So both of them left the room, with Han Leifeng suggesting, "Let's split up. We'll meet back here in fifteen minutes. If there's any news before then, call me."
Gao Tinghua nodded, eyes scanning for what direction to take. As he set out towards the emergency staircase, he continued dialing Li Chuanmo's number without success.
"Brother-in-law, pick up ah!" He shouted in frustration. Han Leifeng, who was going in the opposite direction, flinched, pain shooting through his chest.
Once all this was over, he had to meet the man who stole his wife. He needed answers, from both of them.
*****
Li Chuanmo could see Gao Tinghua's repeated calls, but as much as he liked to scold him usually, he wasn't ignoring his calls for no reason this time.
Rather, it was because he was very focused.
A few minutes ago, he noticed the red dot had moved a considerable distance and his heart tensed as he spoke to Charlie, "They should be out in the open anytime from now."