Chapter 101: The Little Girl Goes Missing

Driven by concern for Ning Ni, Lin Yang drove recklessly, pushing the speed well over a hundred kilometers per hour. At such a velocity, any rear-end collision on the highway would surely be fatal, but at this moment, he could not afford caution. He knew Ning Ni’s temperament all too well—she would never leave silently without a word unless it was something serious.

After the previous incident, the traffic police patrolling the highway had been on high alert for his license plate number. Despite running red lights and speeding in restricted zones, he faced no pursuit, which, surprisingly, made things easier for him.

In less than half an hour, Lin Yang slammed on the brakes sharply, the car drifting ninety degrees to stop at the reserved parking spot at the villa’s entrance. Knowing he had returned, the bodyguards were already waiting outside, and Zhang Qiqi was no exception, pacing anxiously.

Dressed in a light blue jacket, fitted jeans, and glaring white sneakers, Zhang Qiqi hurried towards him as he stepped out of the car. Her tense heart finally relaxed upon seeing him.

“Qiqi, what happened? When did Ning Ni disappear?” Lin Yang maintained his composure despite his worry, immediately asking for details. He needed clues from her; without them, searching blindly would be futile.

After calming herself, Zhang Qiqi briefly recounted the afternoon’s events. From her account, Lin Yang quickly pieced things together. Ning Ni had stayed in her bedroom most of the time, with Zhang Qiqi having urged her out for a walk around four in the afternoon—after which Ning Ni vanished.

Lin Yang found this strange. Even though Zhang Qiqi was occupied with her father’s illness and caring for Zhang Zifeng alongside her mother, the villa was guarded by over a dozen bodyguards. Logically, even if Ning Ni left, someone should have noticed. Yet, no one had seen her go.

The idea that she could disappear without a trace baffled him. Ning Ni was hardly capable of such stealth. A search of her room revealed her clothes untouched—she clearly hadn’t prepared to leave. Yet here she was, vanished.

Helpless, Lin Yang gathered the bodyguards and questioned them one by one, but their answers varied. None could say when Ning Ni had disappeared.

“Have you tried calling her?” Lin Yang asked Zhang Qiqi, pulling out his phone and dialing.

“Sorry, the number you dialed is turned off,” came the disheartening automated voice as he pressed the call button.

“We just tried; it’s off. Where could she have gone? This is maddening!” Zhang Qiqi stomped impatiently. Though they had only known each other a few days, their bond had grown strong, and her worry for Ning Ni was genuine.

The fact that Ning Ni’s phone was off only deepened Lin Yang’s unease. A living person disappearing in broad daylight was alarming news indeed.

Just as Lin Yang’s anxiety peaked, the head bodyguard suddenly exclaimed, “Wait, the security cameras! They must have captured something!”

Relieved by the reminder, Lin Yang’s tense expression softened as he dashed to the monitoring room on the first floor. If they could find even the smallest clue, the search would become much easier.

Bursting into the room, he was grateful the cameras were running. He powered up the main console and anxiously scrolled through the afternoon’s footage.

After painstaking review, they finally spotted a trace of Ning Ni—she had climbed over the wall. Lin Yang felt a flush of disbelief. Though the villa’s perimeter fence wasn’t exceptionally tall, roughly three meters, it was still a formidable height for someone like Ning Ni—petite and delicate, barely over 1.6 meters.

Unless she had some aid, scaling it would be nearly impossible.

The footage revealed a ladder, carelessly discarded in a corner of the first-floor maintenance room. Lin Yang was exasperated: how had the dozen or so bodyguards failed to notice such an obvious clue?

It wasn’t carelessness—they simply couldn’t imagine Ning Ni would choose such a dangerous route.

Scrolling back further to footage from the previous night around ten o’clock, Lin Yang realized that she had planned to leave long before today. Otherwise, why would she secretly move the ladder late at night?

He now understood her inexplicable morning tantrum to some extent, but more questions arose. What had driven her to flee? The only conclusion he could reach was that she feared his interference and thus left secretly.

Had her family pressured her again? The thought gnawed at Lin Yang’s mind; knowing Ning Ni as he did, this was the only plausible explanation.

“This is bad. She must be headed to the train station,” he said, worry tightening his chest. From the footage, Ning Ni left around three in the afternoon. Given the time, she might already be on a train home.

Normally, her returning would be welcome. But ever since her father’s recent visit revealed his weakness and cruelty, and seeing the vile faces of her uncle and cousin, Lin Yang knew what awaited her at home: a miserable fate marrying Jiang Tao, that scoundrel.

To be treated as a mere commodity was unbearable for Lin Yang, who had known her since childhood and had always acted like an older brother, protecting this innocent, outspoken, and endearing girl.

“Let’s go to the train station,” he said without hesitation, sprinting out of the villa, hopping into his car, and flooring the accelerator straight toward Jin Hai Train Station.

Someone had to stay behind to guard the house, especially with Zhang Zifeng’s fragile condition. Zhang Qiqi remained, along with two eager young bodyguards who wanted to search for Ning Ni at the station, but the head bodyguard sternly ordered them to stay. After the recent attack, he wouldn’t risk another incident on the premises.

While driving, Lin Yang was busy making calls. Anyone who could help was contacted without hesitation. Jin Hai was a third-tier city, yet the daily flow of passengers was substantial, and he and the villa’s few bodyguards were simply overwhelmed.

Meng Hu was naturally his first call, followed by Su Xiaodong, a known idler with connections, and then Guo Xiaoxiao, daughter of the deputy mayor. He refrained from bothering Zhu Yun Yun, daughter of the party secretary, judging that Meng Hu and Su Xiaodong’s help sufficed.

As Lin Yang’s loyal subordinate, Su Xiaodong was indefatigable. Even though it was already night and he was shamelessly enjoying himself with a beauty, he rose without hesitation to gather his men, all headed for Jin Hai Train Station.

Meng Hu was no different. As a powerful figure dominating both legitimate and underworld circles in Jin Hai, he had plenty of men, including informants at the station. With one call from Lin Yang, he dispatched them to search and even directly inquired at ticket counters.

Since the station was public, they had to be cautious, making the search challenging.

When Lin Yang arrived, Su Xiaodong and Meng Hu were already standing at the station entrance, braving the cold wind.

He was surprised they had beaten him there. Although both resided in districts closer to the station than his own, Lin Yang’s driving skills were unparalleled—an hour’s journey for others took him just half.

Sensing his puzzlement, Meng Hu grinned and explained, “I happened to be working nearby today, not in Nanxiang District. Oh, and Xiaodong was at a nightclub around here. One call from you, and this guy crawled right off a woman—mid-action, no less! Doesn’t care about holding back at all.”

Meng Hu’s rare joke drew a wry smile from Lin Yang. Su Xiaodong, indifferent, added, “Ha! What’s a woman compared to Brother Yang’s business? Once this is done, I can return to her. Tightness? Just means more rounds, no big deal.”

Amused, Lin Yang relaxed slightly but wasted no time. “Any leads? Have you found Ning Ni?”

Both shook their heads helplessly. The station was vast; finding a person was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Especially if Ning Ni was deliberately hiding, the task was nearly impossible.

Lin Yang frowned deeply. Nearly three hours had passed since Ning Ni left the villa. Even if she took a taxi straight to the station, it would take at most an hour and a half, meaning she’d been there for at least that long. By now, she likely had already left Jin Hai.

“What do we do now?” Lin Yang’s worry deepened. If she had already left the city, the situation became far more complicated. Should he go to her hometown to retrieve her? That seemed difficult, and how could he confront the cold-hearted, profit-driven patriarch of the Ning family with any authority?

Or should he storm their home and forcibly bring her back?

The thought terrified him. As the saying went, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter how skilled he was with the “Heavenly Spirit Thirteen Blades,” challenging the Ning household alone was a death sentence.

Rocket launchers, submachine guns, sniper rifles—their firepower was no joke. Lin Yang’s head pounded with the dilemma. What could he possibly do?