The men in black were still standing there, seemingly watching her without any clear intent, and remained motionless.

Until a person rushed in from outside and addressed the men in black inside, "The boss has contacted us. Everyone go out now, leave this woman here for now."

Not long after, footsteps sounded, gradually fading away, followed by the closing of the room door.

Once again, silence fell in the room, so quiet that Xu Qian could only hear the sound of her own breathing. When those people left, they didn’t turn off the room’s lights, so upon opening her eyes, she was greeted by a glaring brightness. She blinked a few times and then slowly opened her eyes to adjust to the light in front of her.

It’s quite a large room, but appears rather simple inside—aside from the bed she was on, there’s nothing else. There’s no window either, forming a rather enclosed space, probably because they’re afraid she’ll escape.

Xu Qian thought their worry was entirely unnecessary. Just by hearing those people’s footsteps, she knew they had unusual skills, and not just two or three of them; outside there must be quite a few men in black. As a woman, already in her forties or fifties, how could she possibly escape right under their nose?

Just thinking about it, she couldn’t help but disdain those people a little.

However, looking at the door and walls, it looked like this was a residence or a villa, definitely not an abandoned factory.

Because those men in black had come in, Xu Qian was already very certain this incident probably wouldn’t be related to Zhou Jia. Zhou Jia, that petty person, is so stingy; he wouldn’t spend such an amount of effort to kidnap her.

Xu Qian sat up directly, slightly twisted her eyebrows, her eyes full of melancholy, and more of displeasure.

She had just discovered her granddaughter’s existence, was about to meet the beloved granddaughter to leave a good impression, yet she hadn’t anticipated being kidnapped just as she stepped out of the door. What kind of situation is this?

Upon waking, she discovered that apart from her clothes, her phone and necklace were missing, even her hairpin, necklace, and earrings had been removed.

Are these people afraid that her belongings contain a tracking device?

However... her necklace really does have a tracker, but who knows if those people had discarded it by now.

Sighing inwardly, Xu Qian finally understood the meaning of that saying, it’s truly ’man proposes, God disposes.’

This group is quite cunning.

...

By evening, Xu Qian hadn’t returned, but Lu Tianming had a growing sense of unease. Since Xu Qian left, he hadn’t received a call from her all day, which began to irritate him.

Before bed, the more Lu Tianming thought about it, the more something seemed out of place. He usually went to bed early, now it was just eight o’clock, but this unsettling feeling made him very uncomfortable. Finally, unable to withstand it, he picked up his cane and walked out of his bedroom.

In the living room on the first floor, the butler was inspecting irregularities in the villa. Upon seeing Lu Tianming coming down from upstairs, he quickly greeted him, calling out, "Sir..."

Lu Tianming’s face was taut with tension, and he directly instructed the butler, "Call Madam and ask when she’ll be home tonight. Just say... I have something to discuss with her."

The butler didn’t overthink, agreed, and immediately picked up the nearby phone to dial Xu Qian’s number. The call was quickly answered, but the voice was a distinctly professional-sounding male voice, "Hello, this is the City Traffic Police Division. May I ask how you are related to the owner of this phone?"

The butler was stunned, instinctively looked at Lu Tianming, and said, "Sir, I dialed Madam’s number, but the answer seems to be from the City Traffic Police Division..."

Lu Tianming’s heart skipped a beat; he quickly strode over to take the phone, placed it against his ear, his voice cold and commanding, "Who are you?"

The other side paused for ten seconds before repeating, "This is the City Traffic Police Division. I am a traffic police officer asking how you are related to the phone’s owner."

Lu Tianming’s expression turned severe, his voice grim, "She is my wife. Why do you have her phone? Has something happened to her?"

"This afternoon we received a call reporting a car accident on Xiangshan Avenue. But at the scene, there was only one vehicle with collision marks and no sight of the driver. We only found a phone in the car..."

The color drained from Lu Tianming’s face, and he unconsciously took two steps back, barely grasping what was being said. After dropping the phone into the butler’s hands, he grabbed his cane and headed straight outside, ignoring the fact that he was still in his pajamas.

The car Xu Qian drove out today was purchased less than three days ago, not yet licensed, so initially, the police couldn’t check who owned it. Plus, Xu Qian’s phone required fingerprint and password unlocking, making it impossible for them to find contacts until Lu Tianming had the butler call Xu Qian, allowing the police to notify someone related—Lu Tianming.

Watching Lu Tianming stride towards the exit, the butler held the phone to his ear and, after finishing the conversation, assured the other party that someone would be sent shortly for handling, then hung up to pursue Lu Tianming.

"Sir, are you heading out now?"

Lu Tianming continued without pause, though his face was filled with anxiety, hearing the butler’s voice calmed him slightly, he instructed, "Arrange a car. We’re going to the police division now, and call Jingchen."

Since Xu Qian had left, his mind had been uneased, suspecting something was wrong. Now this call had clearly alerted him that Xu Qian had definitely encountered trouble.

...

Lu Jingchen, Song Qiao, and their two children, along with Gu Qing and Gu Xiyan, were all at home having hotpot.

Gu Qing seldom visited An City, so Lu Jingchen, playing the host, was directly entertaining them.

Lu Jingchen had never imagined before that he would be sitting at the same table with Chu Munan, and even with Ji Sifan, who grew up as a childhood sweetheart with Qiaoqiao.

Although previous misunderstandings were resolved, men do harbor minor grudges; Lu Jingchen, facing Chu Munan and Ji Sifan, still regarded these two as romantic rivals but managed to keep a courteous demeanor nonetheless.