Chapter 182 - Chapter 182: Splash!
Chapter 182: Splash!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After Lu Yingxin and Lin Xiaowan left, the lady boss went back to work. When she saw her husband, she said, “One of the young ladies who came earlier was really strange. They didn’t order any alcohol, but she seemed drunk. She even passed out.”
Her husband did not think much of it and only said, “Perhaps she drank before she came.”
It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly. The lady boss was not in a hurry to clear the table since there were not many customers at this time.
In the private room, the phone, which Lu Yingxin had forgotten to bring away, lit up again. A string of unknown numbers called again. After ringing for a while, the phone screen turned dark before it lit up again.
Lu Yingxin did not go far. After leaving the restaurant, she slowly made her way to the back of the restaurant through a very small path. When she walked to the end of the path, she saw a lake.
‘As expected…’ Lu Yingxin thought to herself. Earlier, when she was standing in the hallway, she had stood by the window. She could smell a kind of dampness in the air so she guessed that there had to be a lake nearby.
Earlier, Lu Yingxin had drugged Lin Xiaowan’s milk tea. For convenience, she bought milk tea that was not in a sealed cup. Previously, Lin Xiaowan had eaten and drank everything she had given her without any vigilance. As such, she knew that Lin Xiaowan would drink the milk tea she brought without any suspicion.
At this moment, Lu Yingxin was in a good mood. After all, she was about to get rid of an eyesore, someone whom she was intensely jealous of.
Lu Yingxin found a few huge rocks nearby before she stared at Lin Xiaowan’s ankles for a long time. She looked around for suitable tools before she squatted down and looked at Lin Xiaowan’s shoelaces. Lin Xiaowan was wearing a pair of sneakers today. The laces seemed strong and long enough.
Lu Yingxin was not worried that Lin Xiaowan would wake up. After all, she worried that Lin Xiaowan would quickly regain consciousness so she was rather heavy-handed when she drugged the milk tea with sedatives. Fortunately, the milk tea was very sweet so Lin Xiaowan could not taste anything strange with it.
Lu Yingxin tied the heavy rocks to Lin Xiaowan’s ankle using the shoelaces. She was not very skilled so she only tied the rocks to one ankle. She stood up and dusted her hands, thinking that it was enough before she started dragging Lin Xiaowan to the lake. With a splash, she threw Lin Xiaowan into the lake. The surface of the lake rippled, but there was no movement after that.
Apart from the drag marks on the ground, no other traces could be seen.
In a coastal city.
Huo Zheng could not get through to Lin Xiaowan’s phone, and he began to feel uneasy. When he called Aunt Wu and learned that Lin Xiaowan had gone out but had yet to return, he grew even more uneasy.
Lin Xiaowan had never rejected his call before. Moreover, after rejecting his call, she did not answer his subsequent calls. It was too suspicious.
In fact, this was one of Lin Xiaowan’s peculiarities. Her phone’s address book was empty; she did not save anyone’s number. Hence, no matter who called, her phone would only show a string of unknown numbers. Lu Yingxin, who was unaware of this, was very smug when she rejected the call.
Huo Zheng tugged his tie, frustrated, before he massaged his temples.
At this time, Assistant Song knocked on the door and entered. “President Huo, Mr. Zhao, the driver, is on the line.”
When Huo Zheng could not get in contact with Lin Xiaowan, he had asked Assistant Song to find out which driver drove Lin Xiaowan out today.
Huo Zheng asked coldly, “Is Young Madam with you?”
The driver straightened his back when he heard Huo Zheng’s voice. He replied, “No. Young Madam went to eat with someone. The car couldn’t enter the small street so she told me to wait at the entrance. I’m still waiting for her.”
Huo Zheng pinched the bridge of his nose. He could not help but panic; he had an ominous feeling that something had happened. He said, “Go and look for her now. Don’t end the call.”
‘Who did she have lunch with?’
Huo Zheng’s mind kept spinning. Aunt Wu did not know whom Lin Xiaowan was having lunch with since Lin Xiaowan did not say anything before she left. However, this was unlike Lin Xiaowan. Lin Xiaowan’s social circle was not big at all. When she went out, she would usually go out with Gu Yuwu. However, if she went out with Gu Yuwu, she would definitely tell Aunt Wu. Not only that, but she would even tell Aunt Wu where she was going.
‘Unless she doesn’t feel comfortable about telling Aunt Wu about the person she was having lunch with…’
There was only one person. It was the person whom Aunt Wu had complained about to Lin Xiaowan, someone whom Aunt Wu disliked. It was none other than Lu Yingxin.
Huo Zheng’s sense of unease continued to grow. He hoped that he was overthinking things.
Meanwhile, the driver on the other end of the line could tell from Huo Zheng’s tone that something was wrong. He was very nervous and quickly ran into the restaurant. Since it was the only restaurant around, there was no need for him to look around. When he went to inquire, he felt as though he was going to faint when he heard the answer. He said anxiously, “President Huo, the owner said that Young Madam left about ten minutes ago.”
Huo Zheng cursed and smashed the ashtray on the table on the ground, but he quickly forced himself to calm down.
The driver on the other end of the line said, “There’s only one path leading away from the restaurant. 1 was at the entrance earlier, but I didn’t see Young Madam or any suspicious people come out. The restaurant is called Jiyu Courtyard. I’m going to search the surroundings now.”
Huo Zheng did not end the call. As he wore his Bluetooth earpiece, he said to Assistant Song, “Book the earliest flight back to Shengjing for me. If there’s no flight, get the flight route approved and send the family’s private plane over to pick me up.”
Assistant Song left immediately and got to work.
Huo Zheng’s work here was almost done. Originally, he planned to return to Shengjing tonight. However, now, he did not want to stay a second longer. At this moment, he regretted leaving Lin Xiaowan alone. After all, she was so naive that he needed to take care of her at all times. She would have been fine if he had stayed by her side.
On the other end of the line, the driver said again, “President Huo, I found a pair of pink sneakers! They’re size 36. They belong to Young Madam!”
In the next moment, the driver said, panicking, “I think 1 found her!”
Huo Zheng’s heart skipped a beat as he asked, “Where?”
The driver’s lips moved, but no sound came out. He placed his phone on the ground and quickly dove into the lake, holding his breath.
The driver was not just a driver. He was also skilled in combat so he could protect his employer if necessary. It was only natural that he knew how to swim.
“Speak!”
Huo Zheng did not receive a reply from the driver and could only hear the sound of water splashing. He felt like he was going to go crazy from anxiety..