Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Shen Muyun gazed at the IV drip above him, a wave of drowsiness washing over him as he drifted into unconsciousness.

Stepping out, Shen Liuyun spotted Lu Huainan on the phone around the corner. He had initially planned to head straight to the office, avoiding any disturbance.

"Liuyun!"

Shen Liuyun smiled at Lu Huainan, taking a few steps closer. "Yes, I was just heading to the office. There are still a few points in our contract that need further discussion."

"No rush. I'll join you shortly. How is Muyun feeling?"

Shen Liuyun raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Just superficial injuries. He seems to be in good spirits, but the police will be here today to take his statement."

"Understood. I've instructed the butler. Muyun needs quiet rest for a while. My place is close to the office, so it's convenient for me to look after him."

"Oh? Huainan, if I recall correctly, you're quite particular about cleanliness and never bring people home. What prompted this change of heart?"

Lu Huainan glanced at his watch, then looked up with a smile. "It was an emergency. Besides, Muyun is hardly a stranger. Given the close ties between the Lu and Shen families, it's only reasonable."

Shen Liuyun could tell from Lu Huainan's demeanor that it wasn't merely about family connections, but he chose not to press the matter further.

"Alright, Huainan, let's head to the office together."

Once at the office, they found a conference room and began reviewing the contract, clause by clause.

Most of the contract terms were in order, with only minor issues in the finer details requiring slight adjustments. Suddenly, Shen Liuyun recalled something.

"Huainan, do you remember what the kidnappers said? Their contact was dissatisfied with the contract we signed."

Lu Huainan was meticulously examining the terms. He had personally drafted most of them and knew them intimately.

"Yes, I know. The northern city plot is one of Jiangcheng's few prime locations. It's not surprising that someone has their eye on it."

"Actually, I suspect someone. However, over the years, Muyun's carefree attitude has made him many enemies. It's possible this contract is merely a pretext. Voicing suspicions without concrete evidence is never ideal; only a thorough investigation can reveal the truth."

Lu Huainan closed the contract in his hand. "Indeed, speculating will only cause us more worry. It's better to await the investigation results or take proactive steps by visiting the police station."

"Let's do that later, around noon. We still have documents to process now."

Lu Huainan nodded, patting Shen Liuyun's shoulder. "In any case, we should remain vigilant. You never know about internal threats."

Shen Liuyun smiled.

Lu Huainan picked up his phone and checked the pinned contact. There were no new messages. Was Shen Muyun asleep, or was he doing something else?

He glanced at Shen Liuyun, then rose and left the conference room, heading to the break room. Casually, he initiated a video call to Shen Muyun.

Shen Muyun was sound asleep when the ringing woke him. He rubbed his eyes and checked the wall clock. *Damn, it's already eleven o'clock. How long did I sleep?* He saw it was Lu Huainan calling and answered immediately without a second thought.

Shen Muyun ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and yawned. "Hmm, Huainan, is something wrong?"

"Nothing. Can't I just call you? How's your rest going? Does the wound still hurt? Liuyun and I are planning to go to the police station later."

At the mention of the police station, Shen Muyun perked up. "I'll come too. It's much better, and the fever has probably subsided. Don't worry. I really want to know who's behind this. I have a suspicion..."

"Liuyun has his suspicions too, but he hasn't named anyone. It's good that you're feeling better. Fortunately, they're just superficial injuries, though the one on your face is a bit more serious. But with Dr. Qi's expertise, it shouldn't be a major issue."

"Got it. See you at the police station then. I need to clean myself up—I'm a mess."

"Sure. We'll meet at the police station entrance later."

Shen Muyun rolled out of bed. After five or six hours of sleep, he felt more alert, though moving still tugged at his wounds. He wondered if Zhou Shiqing, that little bastard, was truly trying to kill him.

Entering the bathroom, Shen Muyun frowned at the bandage on his cheek. *Please don't let it leave a scar.* He should have protected his face better—it was his calling card. Gently, he peeled off the bandage and checked the mirror. Thankfully, it was just a bruise. It would heal with time.

Shen Muyun quickly washed up and checked the time. Lu Huainan had set the meeting for noon, which worked perfectly. The police station wasn't far from here.

At the police station, the first person Shen Muyun saw was Lu Huainan. *Damn, those dead eyes. Couldn't he look at Shen Liuyun more?*

Lu Huainan waved at him with a smile, looking nothing like he had during the rescue. For a moment, Shen Muyun had a strange feeling that it wasn't even the same person.

"Brother Yun, why are you standing there spacing out? Liuyun and I made time to come here."

"Indeed. We have a meeting this afternoon. Father will be back in a few days. Hopefully, this matter can be resolved before his return."

The three entered the police station together.

"You're here. I'm Zhou Sheng, the officer assigned to your case."

"Hello."

"Since you're here, there are a few things we need to confirm."

The three nodded, and Zhou Sheng led them into a meeting room. The atmosphere was relatively relaxed, not overly tense.

"Second Young Master Shen, have you offended anyone recently?"

Shen Muyun pondered for a moment. "Well, if we're talking about offending people, certainly. But recently, it's only been Zhou Shiqing. Although we had conflicts, they were purely business-related. I doubt he would resort to murder over something so trivial. That spineless worm..."

Lu Huainan interrupted Shen Muyun. "The kidnappers who took Muyun mentioned that their boss had issues with the contract between Lu Corp and Shen Corp. That should be the starting point for the investigation. However, many parties are interested in the northern city land, so that alone isn't enough to be the core investigative point. But Zhou Corp recently had a contract with Shen Corp canceled and then approached Lu Corp for assistance. I saw their contract at the time; the relevant terms didn't meet my expectations, so I refused. I have a feeling this matter is connected to Zhou Corp."

Zhou Sheng diligently took notes, nodding occasionally. "Okay, do you have any other clues?"

"I also recall that day in the break room, I happened to see my brother's secretary with Zhou Shiqing. They were whispering, and I caught them red-handed. I meant to bring it up later, but with everything that happened, I completely forgot."

"Hmm."

Shen Liuyun's expression darkened noticeably. "It seems we also need to investigate internally within the company."

Shen Muyun nodded in agreement.

"Also, I'd like to inquire about Brother Shui's background," Lu Huainan said, picking up a teacup from the table, examining the tea leaves inside before setting it back down.

Zhou Sheng looked apologetic. "We've had files on Brother Shui for a while. He's a repeat offender. He calls himself an artist and enjoys turning people into 'art pieces.' We haven't caught him yet; we're doing everything we can to track him down."

"What? Officer Zhou, you need to step up your efforts. Muyun has seen his face. What if he..." Shen Liuyun trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"Don't worry. He's just a hired hand. Since Second Young Master Shen escaped and they've already received half the payment, they likely won't come back for more. Rest assured, this individual has been on our wanted list for a long time, but we haven't caught him. This time, we thought we had him, but he changed clothes and slipped out."

"By the way, the ones who kidnapped me and the ones at the factory were two different groups of kidnappers..."

Zhou Sheng flipped through the documents in his hand, looking down. "Yes, we're aware of that. About two kilometers from the factory where you were held, we found a burned-out car with two bodies inside, completely unrecognizable."

Shen Muyun shuddered. Brother Shui was ruthless. If Lu Huainan hadn't arrived in time, the consequences... He didn't dare think further. He might have become the 1,314th failure, and even the system wouldn't know how he died. The thought sent chills down his spine.

"Oh, and in the car, I heard that one of Brother Shui's subordinates was the brother of the kidnapper who took me."

Zhou Sheng handed Shen Muyun some photos. "Take a look. See if you recognize anyone here."

Shen Muyun took the photos and flipped through them one by one. There were indeed a few familiar faces among them. He picked out the photos and said, "Officer Zhou, when I was in the car, I was blindfolded and couldn't see the two kidnappers' faces. I could only identify the people at the factory. These are them."

Zhou Sheng took the photos and said, "Yes, these match the people we've apprehended."

Zhou Sheng pulled out one photo from the stack. "This one is the brother of one of the kidnappers from the earlier group. He's already dead."

"That can't be. At the time, Huainan only grabbed Brother Shui and didn't touch anyone else."

Zhou Sheng shook his head. "Brother Shui is vicious and merciless. He never intended to let these two brothers live. As for the 50 million he swindled from you, he planned to keep it all for himself. Now, we just need to wait for the DNA test to confirm the identities of the bodies burned in the car. Thank you for your cooperation. Leave the rest to us, the police."

Shen Liuyun nodded expressionlessly. "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Officer Zhou. We look forward to your updates. We'll be going now."

"Sure, we'll contact you if we need anything else. If you think of any clues or information, feel free to reach out to the police as well."

After leaving the police station, Shen Liuyun spoke first. "I have a meeting this afternoon, so I'm heading back to the office first. Muyun, please rest well at home these next few days. There's no need to come to the office for now."

Shen Muyun nodded. He never had much interest in company affairs anyway and preferred to be a hands-off manager.

"Alright, Brother, go ahead and take care of your work."

Shen Liuyun waved and then left.

"Brother Yun, how about this—the Lu family has trained some excellent bodyguards. Would you like me to assign a few to you?"

Shen Muyun's mouth twitched. *Was this really not just a way to keep an eye on him?* No, absolutely not. "Well, Huainan, I think this was just an accident. As for bodyguards..."

"Alright then. I don't have anything to do this afternoon and don't need to go back to the company. Let's head home. I've made an appointment with Dr. Qi for a nursing session. His techniques are excellent. Let's try it together."