Fan Xiaoyun was a very pure person. She admired strength, and the aura of power that Lu Ming displayed indeed piqued her interest.
She took out a business card and handed it to Lu Ming, saying, "This is my card. You are always welcome to come and work for me."
Lu Ming smiled and did not accept it.
He said, "I'm sorry, I am from the Jiang family of Jinling and will not switch my allegiance to you."
Fan Xiaoyun chuckled, "Things are unpredictable. Perhaps one day you will change your mind."
Then, without waiting for Lu Ming's reply, Fan Xiaoyun slipped the business card into Lu Ming's jacket pocket and, with a wave of her hand, left the scene with her entourage.
The farce came to an end.
Lu Ming brushed off his clothes. The woman in the baseball cap walked over and said, "Thank you, benefactor."
Lu Ming smiled, "I am your cousin. Why call me benefactor? It's all a joke. Come on, cousin, let's go eat together."
Lu Ming patted the woman's shoulder and they left together.
They went to a high-end hotel, booked a private room, and ordered a table full of dishes. There was no alcohol, only beverages and tea.
The woman in the baseball cap looked at the table laden with food, feeling a bit flustered.
She came from a poor family and had never eaten in such a high-class hotel. The crabs, which cost thousands of yuan each, were beyond her wildest imagination.
After everything was ordered, Long Wang (Dragon King) took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for the woman in the baseball cap and then sat beside her.
"Please, enjoy," Lu Ming said with a smile.
The woman in the baseball cap became flustered. She couldn't understand what was happening.
She looked at Lu Ming, "No, I dare not eat. These things are too expensive. I can't afford them. One crab is worth half my monthly salary. How can I afford to eat here?"
Lu Ming laughed, "You don't have to pay. All the meal expenses are on me."
"Ah?" the woman asked, "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Is there anything wrong with a younger brother being nice to his older sister?"
"But..." the woman said awkwardly, "You and I both know it's fake! You are not my cousin at all, and I am not your cousin."
Lu Ming burst out laughing.
After a while.
Lu Ming picked up a piece of pork belly and ate it. After finishing, he said, "Alright, I won't beat around the bush. Let me introduce myself. My name is Lu Ming, and I am the live-in son-in-law of the Jiang family in Jinling."
Jinling, the Jiang family.
No wonder they were so wealthy.
Lu Ming continued, "Why did you attack Fan Xiaoyun in the stadium just now? And why did you ask Fan Xiaoyun to return your daughter?"
The woman in the baseball cap suddenly became defensive, looking at Lu Ming with a strange expression.
She was very nervous.
Lu Ming noticed her tension.
So, Lu Ming said directly, "You don't need to be wary of me. To tell you the truth, my daughter is also missing. According to the clues I've gathered, it's highly likely she was bought by Fan Xiaoyun. Therefore, my purpose in appearing at the stadium today is the same as yours: to get my daughter back from Fan Xiaoyun!"
Ah?
The woman in the baseball cap was startled. "So we are both unfortunate souls."
Lu Ming said, "Can you tell me about your daughter now? Perhaps, if we join forces, we can rescue both of our daughters!"
The woman in the baseball cap nodded and told him her story with Fan Xiaoyun.
The woman in the baseball cap was named Liu Yamei. Her husband had died early, and she lived only with her daughter, Xia Rongrong.
Two months ago.
Fan Xiaoyun went to a resort area in Wudu for vacation. Liu Yamei worked there, and her daughter, Xia Rongrong, was with her because she was young.
While Liu Yamei was working, Xia Rongrong would stay by herself.
Fan Xiaoyun saw Xia Rongrong and liked the child very much. She often played with her and gathered a lot of information about Xia Rongrong during this time.
At first, everything was normal.
Until a week later, when Liu Yamei finished work and went to the staff lounge to find Xia Rongrong, she discovered that the child was gone!
Liu Yamei was very anxious and searched everywhere but couldn't find her.
Someone saw that Xia Rongrong had been taken away by Fan Xiaoyun. So Liu Yamei went to find Fan Xiaoyun, but Fan Xiaoyun vehemently denied it, saying she had not taken the child.
The problem was that Liu Yamei found Xia Rongrong's hair tie in Fan Xiaoyun's car! Fan Xiaoyun insisted it was a hair tie for a small dog.
Eventually, the police were called. After searching, they couldn't find the child.
After that, Fan Xiaoyun left the resort area.
Liu Yamei cooperated with the police for a long time, but they couldn't find the child. Liu Yamei felt that the child had been stolen by Fan Xiaoyun, so she quit her job, went to the Fan family, and repeatedly demanded her daughter back from Fan Xiaoyun.
But each time, the result was the same.
Fan Xiaoyun simply denied it.
Furthermore, if Liu Yamei made too much of a scene, she would be taken away by the police.
At this point.
Liu Yamei choked with sobs, "I dream of Rongrong every night. I know she must have been stolen by Fan Xiaoyun. There is no one else! I still remember the look in Fan Xiaoyun's eyes the first time she saw Rongrong. It wasn't a look of liking, it was a look of greed, like a wolf spotting a little rabbit!"
Sigh.
Lu Ming silently took out a cigarette and lit it.
This was somewhat bizarre.
Liu Yamei looked at Lu Ming and asked, "Mr. Lu, was your child also stolen?"
Before Lu Ming could speak, Long Wang said, "No, she was trafficked. We investigated through various clues and found that the remittance funds came from Fan Xiaoyun!"
"Then... then let's call the police!" Liu Yamei said.
Long Wang chuckled and said nothing.
Lu Ming tapped the ash off his cigarette. "Don't worry, leave it to me. We don't need to call the police. My biggest question right now is, why is Fan Xiaoyun stealing children and buying children? What does she want?"
Liu Yamei said, "She is infertile. Stealing children must be to raise them as her own!"
"No," Lu Ming immediately negated it.
If she wanted to raise a child, one would be enough. Why would she want two?
And, quite possibly, more than two.
The Fan family was rich and powerful; they wouldn't engage in the vile business of child trafficking. Fan Xiaoyun never displayed the children after getting them, nor did she claim them as her own to the outside world.
Was she planning to raise them secretly for fun?
Highly unlikely.
From Lu Ming's interaction with Fan Xiaoyun today, he could tell she was a ruthless woman with clear objectives, not a neurotic woman with nothing better to do.
Fan Xiaoyun's stealing and buying children must have a purpose.
What could that purpose be?
Long Wang said, "Regardless of the purpose, one thing is certain: Fan Xiaoyun has at least two children in her possession, perhaps even more. The urgent task is to find the children's hiding place and rescue them!"
Lu Ming nodded. "Yes, I agree with this point. Long Wang, for the next period, we will act separately. You will be responsible for investigating the children's hiding place, and I will be responsible for uncovering Fan Xiaoyun's true intentions."
"Alright!" Long Wang readily agreed.
Lu Ming put down his cigarette and said to Liu Yamei, "Sister Liu, leave the subsequent matters to us. Do not go to Fan Xiaoyun again, lest you alert her."
Liu Yamei was stunned for a moment, but then she agreed.
After all, besides throwing tantrums and demanding her child back, she had no other means, and these methods did not seem to be effective at the moment.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Lu."
"You're welcome. Come, Sister Liu, let's eat. Don't waste this seafood feast worth over twenty thousand yuan. Come, eat."