Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Watching the two of them disappear through the doorway, the two tall, burly men outside finally let out a sharp breath of relief.
One of them tugged at his clothes. “Scared me into a cold sweat.”
The other snorted twice and said disdainfully, “People like that are all the same. Always looking down on everyone like their eyes are on top of their heads.”
“By the way, we just let them in like that? Shouldn’t we call Director Wu?” one of them asked.
“Did that arrogant look seem fake to you?” As they spoke, the two suddenly exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing.
Just then, a phone suddenly rang.
“It’s Old Cai’s phone. Should we answer it?”
“Check who’s calling.”
“Director Wu.”
“Director Wu? If it’s Director Wu, just answer it for him. See what he wants.”
…
Nan Mu followed behind Old Cai, quietly observing the building. A long, dim corridor stretched ahead of them, and once they reached the end, the space suddenly opened up. Hidden inside was actually an elegant Shanshui Villa.
Nan Mu walked from beneath the corridor along the lakeside. Past the pavilion, he could see a row of low buildings. Through the cracks of doors that had not been fully shut, he could make out dining tables, chairs, and stools inside some of the rooms.
Places like this usually hired private chefs to cook.
Nan Mu had been to similar places with others before. These places were not open to the public. They only received people within the “estate owner’s” circle. The food and drinks inside were generally things that could not be obtained outside, or were difficult to obtain.
Alternatively, some people had special identities and feared it would be troublesome if they were recognized while eating out, so they specifically invited guests to places like this.
Although Shanshui Villa was usually guarded, no electronic equipment would ever be installed inside, including surveillance cameras and the like. That was a major taboo.
That was also why Nan Mu dared to show his face here with only a pair of gold-rimmed glasses as a disguise.
It seemed he had made the right bet.
After passing the pavilion, they arrived at a small villa.
Old Cai entered a passcode on the electronic lock and led Nan Mu inside.
The villa was decorated in a Chinese style, antique and elegant, but what greeted the eye was not a living room. Instead, there was a huge projection screen, giving the place the feeling of a dance floor or KTV room. Through the spacious area, Nan Mu could even see the glass doors across from him at a glance, as well as the swimming pool outside them.
Old Cai took Nan Mu to the elevator, which went up to the third floor.
There were several rooms on the third floor. Old Cai led him to one of them and pushed open the door.
===
Ever since Wen Miao had gone to see Director Wu, Director Wu had been restless.
He sent Old Cai a text message. After confirming that nothing had gone wrong on Wen Tangtang and Wen Xin’s side, he gradually calmed down.
To him, the most pressing matter now was to find out as quickly as possible who had told Wen Tangtang about everything, then think of a way to silence them…
Although this would be extremely difficult, he knew very well that it was crucial to him. If it was not resolved in time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Of course, by “silence,” he did not mean killing anyone.
Intentional homicide started at ten years, and in serious cases could even result in life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Whereas even if he were caught now, the most he could be sentenced for was assisting others in prostitution. At worst, it would be under five years in prison.
Besides, this was not his first time handling a situation like this. As long as a person did not want to die, they would inevitably have desires. Money, power-as long as enough was offered, there was no mouth that could not be sealed.
But even when negotiating terms, he first had to know who the other party was. Otherwise, if he did not even know whom to negotiate with, he could not spend his money even if he wanted to.
After Wen Tangtang and Wen Xin were captured yesterday, it was not as if he had not tried to buy them off with money and power. But those two were extremely tight-lipped and did not fall for that tactic at all.
That was why Director Wu was so desperate to find the person behind Wen Tangtang. He knew the female students under his control all too well. They were either timid and weak-willed or greedy for wealth and status. Dealing with them would be far easier than dealing with Wen Tangtang or Wen Xin.
To make sure nothing unexpected happened before he found that person and “dealt with” her, he had no choice but to keep Wen Xin and Wen Tangtang under control first, so they could not cause trouble.
Originally, in Director Wu’s estimation, the matter should have gone very smoothly.
But never in his wildest dreams had he expected a Wen Miao to suddenly pop up out of nowhere…
Director Wu had spent the entire morning probing quite a few of the female students he had in hand. He was trying to find the source of the problem, but even now, he still had no leads.
When afternoon classes began, he was still somewhat distracted. To investigate Wen Miao, he had even specially ordered someone to pull the enrollment files of Wen Tangtang, Wen Xin, and Wen Miao.
That confirmed the relationship between the three of them. Aside from Wen Tangtang, who was a student in the Biology Department, the other two were both in the Materials Department.
Then he suddenly recalled the scene from last night when they had seized them. That Wen Xin had clearly stumbled into it by chance at the last minute… Did that mean the only one who knew the truth was Wen Tangtang?
If someone could tell Wen Tangtang, that meant this person was probably on pretty good terms with her in daily life…
He suddenly slapped his thigh and pulled up the complete list of Wen Tangtang’s roommates and classmates.
Wen Tangtang was a graduate student, and A University of Science and Technology’s graduate program was not easy to get into. There were not many students who had been recommended for direct admission either, so it was easy to narrow things down. Wen Tangtang’s class had only two direct-admission spots in total. Aside from Wen Tangtang, there was Nan Mu.
But Nan Mu was male, and he had recently taken leave to go home for a funeral.
Among the graduate students who shared a dorm with Wen Tangtang, there was not a single one he recognized. However, among Wen Tangtang’s undergraduate classmates, there was one who had repeated a year…
Cheng Jiamin.
His eyelid twitched. He suddenly remembered that when Wen Miao had come to see him at noon, she seemed to have run into this Cheng Jiamin right then.
“No way…”
Director Wu immediately took out his phone and called Cheng Jiamin, but her phone was turned off. No matter how many times he tried, no one answered.
He checked Cheng Jiamin’s afternoon classes and immediately called the teacher in charge of that period. From the teacher, he learned that Cheng Jiamin had asked for leave.
What a coincidence.
The more Director Wu thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Then he remembered that Cheng Jiamin had been to Shanshui Villa before, and sweat instantly broke out across his palms.
He immediately called Old Cai, but on the other end, Old Cai, who usually answered the phone quickly, took a very long time to pick up.
“What’s going on? Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?”
“Sorry, Director Wu. Old Cai isn’t here.”
Director Wu heard that it was not Old Cai’s voice and was somewhat displeased. “Where did he go? He didn’t even take his phone.”
“He’s keeping some guests company. He left in a hurry.”
Director Wu’s expression eased slightly. “Those two people I had you bring over yesterday… Are they behaving?”
“They’re locked in a room. Old Cai was worried they wouldn’t behave, so he planned to starve them for two days.”
Director Wu nodded. “Fine. Keep an eye on them. But don’t let anything actually happen.”
“Don’t worry. When has anyone we’ve trained ever caused trouble?”
Director Wu’s tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed into the hint of a smile. “I know you and Old Cai are reliable. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked you to handle this… All right, as long as nothing’s wrong. I’ll hang up now.”
“Sure thing. Then… when Old Cai gets back later, should I have him call you back?”
“No need.” Director Wu was just about to hang up when he suddenly remembered something else and asked in confusion, “Oh, right. What guests is Old Cai keeping company? Who went there today?”