"By the way, my dad said he wanted to see you." Su Qingyue suddenly raised her head, looking at Jiang Che with curiosity.
"Your father? Why did he suddenly want to see me?" Jiang Che asked, a hint of confusion evident in his expression.
"The last time Ye Chen was sent in, he called my dad to intercede on his behalf, but my dad didn't act after learning Ye Chen's true identity. It was also at that time that he heard about you capturing Ye Chen, which made him a little curious about you."
"Does he know about our relationship?" Jiang Che inquired further.
"He doesn't know that yet," Su Qingyue replied, shaking her head. Then she looked at Jiang Che playfully. "Why, are you scared?"
"I warn you, if you want to enjoy the benefits but refuse to acknowledge it, I won't let you off easily!"
"How could I? You're so considerate; I like it before it's too late." Jiang Che laughed, pulling Su Qingyue closer to him.
"That's more like it," Su Qingyue said, nodding in satisfaction. It was heartwarming for her to hear such affectionate words; after all, no woman dislikes hearing sweet compliments.
"Then I'll go and visit my uncle tomorrow," Jiang Che decided after a moment's thought. It would be too hasty to head straight to Baiyun Mountain now. If he guessed correctly, Ye Chen and Xiao Han would likely be returning, and they wouldn't reach Baiyun Mountain for a few days.
"Hee hee, good," Su Qingyue responded cheerfully.
At ten o'clock in the evening, inside the detention center, Mu Xiaoyao yawned as she entered the monitoring room, looking at the police officer on duty. "How is it? Any news?"
"Team Mu, we've checked all the surveillance cameras in Jiangbei City. The last time Ye Chen and Xiao Han appeared was on Lianhua Road in the eastern suburbs. They've now entered the woods in the suburbs."
"Into the woods?" Mu Xiaoyao's face darkened upon hearing the response. If that was the case, things would become trickier. There were no surveillance cameras in the woods, and their exact location remained unknown. If Ye Chen and Xiao Han stayed hidden for an entire day, it would be nearly impossible to track them down.
"What did the mercenaries say?" Mu Xiaoyao turned to a police officer who had accompanied her.
"There's no result. Those mercenaries don't know anything," the officer replied, shaking his head. It was unlikely that someone as cunning as Ye Chen would reveal all his plans to his subordinates.
"This is terrible..." Mu Xiaoyao sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration. With Ye Chen in the woods, all leads were effectively cut off. "Notify the nearby cities—Tianhai City, Tiannan City, and Qingping City. As soon as there are any clues regarding Ye Chen and Xiao Han, they need to contact us immediately. Gather some people and follow me to search the mountains!"
"Okay, Team Mu."
Mu Xiaoyao led her team to search the woods in the eastern outskirts of the city throughout the night, but they found nothing. Not only did they fail to locate Ye Chen and Xiao Han, they didn't even see a single soul. As dawn broke, casting a pale light across the sky, Mu Xiaoyao felt deeply frustrated. This was the first major setback she had encountered in a while, and it dealt a small blow to her confidence.
After regrouping and returning to the detention center, Mu Xiaoyao went home directly to get some rest. Having stayed up all night, she felt exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open.
After leaving the Tianbei International Hotel, Jiang Che purchased some gifts and then followed Su Qingyue back to Su's Manor. Upon arriving at the manor, Jiang Che carried both large and small bags as he walked in alongside Su Qingyue. It was his first visit to her home. His own Ivy Villa was already extravagant, but he was surprised to find that Su's Manor was no less impressive.
"Hello, Miss!" "Miss, you're back!" The staff greeted Su Qingyue warmly as they walked through the manor. Many of them began to speculate about Jiang Che's identity, as it was the first time Su Qingyue had brought a man home—an unusual occurrence that aroused curiosity.
"This man is so handsome!" one of the servants whispered. "Could he be the boyfriend the eldest lady has been searching for?"
"Miss really has good taste; such a handsome man is rare!" another chimed in.
"Not necessarily; I think this man is just the little boy raised by the eldest lady," a third remarked, drawing laughter from the others.
"Pfft!" Su Qingyue burst into laughter upon hearing the comments about Jiang Che. "Did you hear that? They all said you were a little boy."
"A boy is just a boy; there's nothing wrong with that. At least I'm holding onto your rich woman's thigh, right?" Jiang Che raised an eyebrow, glancing at Su Qingyue with a playful expression.
"Stinky, pervert!" Su Qingyue blushed and retorted, clearly recalling the events of the previous night.