Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 640 - 476, (Epilogue - That Year) 3, One Step Too Late

Chapter 640: 476, (Epilogue - That Year) 3, One Step Too Late

The night was deep, and Gu Yong stared at his phone, feeling somewhat anxious and uneasy.

The time for the meeting with Yan Qi, as agreed, was approaching. He wanted to just turn off his phone, but he also wanted to leave himself a way out, so he kept turning it off and on.

After torturing himself like this for half the day, he finally made it to the appointed time, but the phone did not ring.

His men, who were arranged to keep watch around the area, also didn’t report any unusual movements.

So he forced himself to wait for another hour, and the phone still didn’t ring.

Gu Yong laughed then. It turned out that his previous worries were all in vain; Yan Qi didn’t show up at all.

He decisively turned off his phone.

Thinking he could finally sleep peacefully, his lookout, Xiao Mao, suddenly texted: "Brother Yong, there seems to be some commotion outside."

Gu Yong’s heart, which had just settled, jumped up again. He hurriedly got up, put on a coat, and went out into the night.

.

There were indeed people outside, but it wasn’t Tang Yanqing, it was Xiang Yuan.

Today, coincidentally, when Shi Nian and Xu Xinzhen were shopping, Xiang Yuan was also in the commercial area. He was a courteous person and knew the importance of the Eleventh to Chinese people, so he prepared to buy some gifts and visit Shi Haoran that evening to chat with the teacher’s wife.

Besides, he had heard from the teacher that his precious daughter would be back for the holidays, so it was a good opportunity to meet her.

He pondered for a moment and bought a Swarovski sweater chain for Shi Nian. The small crystal swan was just right, and the design was perfect for the season.

After his purchase, seeing there was still time, he found a café with a window in the mall to have some tea and read a book, passing the time.

He was engrossed in his book when suddenly there was a commotion around him. Raising his head, he saw everyone in the café rushing to the window, looking down at the street below. They were all saying, "Something has happened."

Following his instincts, he turned his head to look outside. Through the large floor-to-ceiling window, he saw, from a high vantage point, a middle-aged woman kneeling on the road below, crying her heart out.

He was shocked to recognize that it was Xu Xinzhen.

He pushed through the crowd, ran downstairs, and rushed to Xu Xinzhen’s side. Only then did he know that the teacher’s daughter had been kidnapped in the street.

He asked Xu Xinzhen which direction the car drove off to, then pursued in that direction.

With his profession as a lawyer and the deduction methods he learned from Shi Haoran, he didn’t learn in vain, though he stumbled and didn’t know the geography, he followed his instincts, tracking all the way to this small village.

However, after all, he was an outsider and had lived abroad for many years. His mannerisms and behavior were distinct, which made him conspicuous, and as soon as he entered the village, he was discovered.

Xiang Yuan snuck into the village and found he was alone, with no sign of the police.

Moreover, the local villagers kept their distance from him, and no one would tell him anything. Thus, he didn’t dare to rashly notify the police, relying only on his ability to find clues in the village.

.

New to the place and unfamiliar with the village’s geography, Xiang Yuan was spotted by Gu Yong, who, familiar with the terrain, spotted Xiang Yuan early on.

Xiang Yuan’s decisive and calm actions, along with his distinct overseas traits, made Gu Yong uneasy.

Gu Yong mistook Xiang Yuan for Yan Qi.

Despite having dealt with Yan Qi for a long time and arranging things for him in China via phone, Gu Yong had never heard Yan Qi’s real voice—Yan Qi always changed it to a child’s tone on the phone. So he instinctively thought that Xiang Yuan was the sought-after Yan Qi.

Seeing the situation, he decided to strike swiftly and decisively, hiding in a dark alley and knocking Xiang Yuan unconscious unexpectedly.

Even though the village was remote, with two people already abducted, Gu Yong was on edge and at his wits’ end.

He feared the locals might talk, so he hurried to find another safe place to move both captives. His resources were limited, and in a panic, he couldn’t find a suitable place.

Out of habit from recent years, he logged into the BBS again.

Even if "Yan Qi" was already in his hands, the BBS was based abroad. How would anyone there know what he had just done in China?

He quickly needed to find a high-level expert who could tell him what sort of place he should find in such a situation. A place to hold these two people and, at the same time, a base to engage Shi Haoran in a good fight.

.

Logging onto the BBS, he naturally didn’t encounter Yan Qi. But he found a lifeline, he found "Smiling Face"!

He tried to be as tactful and virtual as possible when consulting Smiling Face.

"Smiling Face" calmly said, "I can help you. Your IP address isn’t hidden well; I know you’re in China, Yun City. Regarding Yun City, there are many good spots I can point you to. But I have no reason to help you for free, so as an exchange, you need to tell me what exactly you did."

Gu Yong initially refused to say.

"Smiling Face," unhurried, waited leisurely, "It’s easy to check the Yun City police’s public platform online, from which I can see the Yun City police have an impressive case-solving rate. You can see there are highly skilled people in the police there. Judging by their speed, consider yourself lucky if you can safely make it to dawn."

Even across two countries, this person could deduce the Yun City police’s abilities just by simple platform numbers. It shocked Gu Yong even more.

"Smiling Face" sent a sleepy emoji: "Finally, I’ll wait for you for two more minutes. If there’s no response within two minutes, I’ll log off, and you won’t ever find me again."

Gu Yong had no choice but to surrender.

He avoided the heavy and took the light, merely saying he helped Yan Qi kidnap someone.

"Smiling Face" replied with four words: "You deserve to die!"

Gu Yong was startled, quickly explaining, "I’m just doing Yan Qi’s bidding."

"Smiling Face" paused, then asked, "Yan Qi hasn’t been online for two days. Did he meet up with you?"

Gu Yong had no choice but to confess, "He’s in my hands too."

To his surprise, upon hearing this, "Smiling Face’s" attitude changed dramatically. "Smiling Face" comforted him: "Well done. You don’t have to be afraid anymore, because from now on, I will guide and assist you."

"Smiling Face" gave him a location, telling him it was once a Russian-style building, with a strong, broad bunker, more than sufficient for his needs.

Gu Yong happily took people there and indeed found the key in the "smile’s" indicated nest.

He expected it to be an abandoned wild house for years, but upon entering, he discovered that the bunker was fully equipped, with electricity, water, computers, and internet, and each room’s decor was filled with foreign flair, luxuriously so. Especially the wallpaper on the walls, which felt like carved cowhide, a wonder they had never seen before.

The rooms even stored foreign wines and canned food, leaving his men gawking. He then blindfolded and gagged Shi Nian and Xiang Yuan, locking them in separate rooms.

.

Tang Yanqing arrived at China Yun City Airport in the morning of the next day.

Flying from M Country to China, then transferring in Beijing, he first met with foggy weather, delaying the flight; and then lost a few hours during the transfer in Beijing.

During the transfer, he tried to call Gu Yong’s phone but couldn’t get through. A foreboding sensation arose, but he thought it was plausible given the time wasn’t their agreed meeting time, thus justifying the situation.

When he finally landed in Yun City and called Gu Yong’s phone again, still, it didn’t connect!

Anxiously he took a taxi, heading to the meeting spot with Gu Yong. The taxi driver was listening to the traffic broadcast, which was playing a cooperation notice in a loop. The description of the missing person matched Shi Nian’s characteristics perfectly!

His heart clenched, wishing the taxi could sprout wings and quickly fly to Gu Yong’s side.

.

Meanwhile, in the Yun City Bureau meeting room, people who had stayed up all night were still wide awake.

Everyone looked at Shi Haoran, their eyes filled with admiration and respect, as well as sympathy and pity.

In just one night, Shi Haoran seemed to have aged ten years.

But he remained calm, only leaving to visit his wife in the hospital before returning to personally oversee the operations.

Even Director Zheng suggested he should go back to accompany his wife. Xu Xinzhen had been traumatized, exhibiting symptoms of acute stress disorder on the spot. Director Zheng offered to personally lead the team and update him immediately should any news arise, but Shi Haoran still refused.

After a night of surveillance and investigation along possible routes, all information was gathered there.

As usual, when faced with unsolved cases when clues were unclear, everyone placed their hopes on Shi Haoran. At this moment, everyone couldn’t help but look towards him, hoping his deductive skills could point them in a definite direction amidst the confusion.

Shi Haoran lowered his head, speaking slowly, "From the scene of Nian Nian’s disappearance, the suspects’ methods were not sophisticated. Judging by the type of vehicle they used, their rough lifestyle and social class can be inferred; and that they dared to act in a commercial area indicates they are familiar with the road conditions around the commercial area, suggesting they may live nearby, or their workplace is nearby."