Chapter 77: The Private Investigator

2022-05-20

After hearing Team Leader Shao, I couldn’t help but feel a dull ache in my left kidney too.

If this business venture fails, Liu Yinyan would lose both his money and his life, wouldn’t he? Geniuses really do think differently—so decisive and relentless in ways most people can’t match.

In venture capital, you have to be sharp and precise if you want to succeed in such a volatile market. If this old man really is so shrewd, I bet some insider info tipped him off, making him certain his daughter’s been kidnapped.

Team Leader Shao continued, “So, as soon as he called the police, Mary and I tracked down everyone who’s ever had a grudge against him, as well as his current business rivals.”

He rapped his knuckles against the whiteboard as he spoke.

I looked over and saw at least dozens of photos—men, women, young, old—the board looked like the world’s largest matchmaking event. Beside each photo was a summary: name, age, profession, home address, and their history with Liu Yinyan.

Between the photos, red lines snaked back and forth, each labeled with that relationship—so dense you could barely see the whiteboard underneath. Mary and Team Leader Shao sure move fast; it’s barely been an hour since Liu Feier disappeared. They’re taking this seriously—can’t blame them, Liu Yinyan’s influence is hard to ignore.

“That’s a lot of people to check,” Xiao Liu muttered, scratching his head. “How long is it going to take us to get through all this?”

Team Leader Shao replied, “We’ve already called in plenty of reinforcements. There’ll be a lot more hands on deck. And this isn’t even everyone—just people with grudges or connections to Liu Yinyan. Realistically, we can’t rule out strangers targeting him just for his billionaire status.”

“So the workload’s huge,” Team Leader Shao sighed.

Gu Chen couldn’t help but grumble, “You never see all this fuss when a regular family’s daughter goes missing. Do rich people’s kids get special privileges? Is this level of manpower justified for a case we haven’t even confirmed as a disappearance?”

All of us turned to Gu Chen. I hadn’t really noticed before, but now, seeing his sullen face, it was clear he was angry. Gu Chen’s always spoken his mind, oblivious to anyone else’s feelings.

Still, he wasn’t wrong.

Team Leader Shao heard him and said evenly, “Young people are quick to anger, but you’ve got to understand, the world isn’t fair—never has been, never will be. That’s how I ended up telling you Liu Yinyan’s story. When he sold his kidney back in the day, nobody stood up and cried ‘unfair’ for him.”

“The world’s like a lopsided scale. Some are born at the top, others at the bottom. Some enjoy privilege, some face hardship. But you’re not stuck there forever. People can change their place—those who don’t treasure what they have can fall, those who work hard can climb up.”

“So fairness isn’t set in stone. If you want privilege, you have to earn it. If you want the perks but refuse to work for them—sorry, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Team Leader Shao fixed Gu Chen with a look. “That’s why we have to find Liu Feier. Understood?”

Gu Chen nodded out of instinct.

Team Leader Shao nodded back. “Alright, same as always: Mary and I will take charge and point you in the right direction—start with the suspects on those photos. You four head to Liu Yinyan’s house. It’s about time anyway. Besides us, Liu Yinyan’s also hired private investigators for this case.”

“Private investigators?” I shook my head. “Is that even allowed?”

Imitating me, Team Leader Shao shook his head too. “Nothing we can do. Liu Feier’s mother is a foreigner, so this time, it’s been quietly approved. Just don’t embarrass us—do your best to find Liu Feier before they do. We’ll support you all the way.”

If everyone’s putting in this much effort and it turns out Liu Feier just turned her phone off, that’d be truly awkward.

“By the way, did Liu Yinyan have any particular requests?” I asked.

Team Leader Shao held up a finger. “Just one. Feier’s safety comes first. No matter who’s behind this, as long as she’s safe, he’s willing to lose everything. Alright, you can head out now. The private investigators should have landed by now—they’re on their way to the Liu residence.”

We drove to Liu Yinyan’s home, a villa nestled in the coastal district.

Outside the enormous iron gates, luxury cars were parked everywhere—compared to them, our car looked like we’d rolled up on a tricycle.

“Why are there so many people here?” Xiao Liu gawked. “Looks like a car show.”

I rolled down the window, eyeing the crowd at the complex entrance. I recognized a few faces from TV—never thought I’d see so many bigwigs in person for once. I always figured these people lived above it all, in another world. Strange we’ve shared the same city for years and never crossed paths.

“Word’s out something’s happened, so they all rushed over,” I said, eyeing the five or six security guards at the gate. “Liu Yinyan’s not seeing anyone right now. Can’t blame him—the situation’s tense. For all we know, the culprit could be hiding among this crowd.”

“Seems like the rich really don’t have it as easy as we imagine,” Guan Zengbin said, getting out and handing the lead security guard our ID badges.

The guard spoke into his walkie-talkie. Soon, the gate swung open halfway—just wide enough for a car to drive through. Guan Zengbin climbed back in. “Let’s go—Team Leader Shao already gave them a heads-up. We’re good to enter.”

Watching the crowd swarm in behind us, I grinned. “Won’t be long before the media catch wind and flock over. Then Dongxing City’ll be in an uproar; suspicion everywhere.”

“Yeah,” Xiao Liu chimed in, “Say what you will about journalists, they sure can run fast…”

We drove into the villa district, but there was still a way to go before we reached Liu Yinyan’s place.

I frowned, scanning the surroundings. This community probably has more than one entrance—likely east, north, south, and west gates. But each has five or six security guards and wire fences running all along the perimeter. As we drove, I spotted patrols looping around. Cameras hid among the trees and electrical poles everywhere I looked.

Security here was tight. But if someone could whisk away a girl of seventeen or eighteen in broad daylight without anyone noticing, you could tell this was a professional job.

That meant someone must have cased the place well in advance. They’d dodged the patrols, skirted the cameras, then slipped straight into Liu’s villa.

With those thoughts swirling, our car rolled to a stop—we’d arrived at Liu Yinyan’s villa.

It spanned at least two hundred square meters and stood two stories tall. Security guards lingered outside, and they guided us to a parking spot when we pulled in.

Just then, a man who looked like the housekeeper stepped over. “Who are you?” he asked.

Xiao Liu answered quickly, “We’re here to investigate.”

The housekeeper looked uncertain, clearly doubting whether a bunch of young people like us could uncover anything useful. Not that I blamed him—the oldest in our group was Xiao Liu, at twenty-four, while the youngest, Guan Zengbin, wasn’t even twenty. No wonder we seemed less than reassuring.

Still, he didn’t say more and let us in. Stepping inside, we found Liu Yinyan seated in a leather armchair in the main hall.

He looked like he was resting his eyes, but his brow was knit with worry—a sign he was far from calm.

“Mr. Liu, they’re here,” the housekeeper said softly.

Liu Yinyan finally opened his eyes, giving us a once-over without a word. His face showed no sign of worry—none of the anxiety his housekeeper displayed. He just nodded, then said, “You were sent by Team Leader Shao. I trust him, so I’ll trust you.”

All of us felt a bit uneasy in his presence.

I jumped in, “Let’s not waste time—you’re eager to get your daughter back. Should we take a look at her room now?”

He nodded, then told the housekeeper, “Lao Li, show them to Feier’s room. By the way, Xiao Shao should’ve told you my wife also hired private investigators. She’s worried too, so I didn’t stop her. She just wants our daughter back.”

“Those private investigators already started their work. You need to cooperate with them. Don’t let a desire for credit come at the expense of my daughter’s life,” Liu Yinyan ordered, his tone commanding. “If anything happens to her, you’ll be held responsible too.”

But as quickly as the mood tensed, Liu Yinyan adopted his usual demeanor. “Let’s go. Actually, I’ll take you myself.”

He led us upstairs and, after a couple of turns, we reached Liu Feier’s room. The door was open and someone was standing outside, snapping photos. From inside came the muffled sounds of people moving around.

Looked like those private investigators Liu Yinyan’s wife hired had already begun their own search.