Qin Guan drove like a madman.
He'd made over a dozen calls, but Xu Ruyi hadn't answered. Neither had Auntie Feng. This had never happened before.
Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong!
His mind raced with images of the car keys and Qi Min—the mastermind who'd plotted this far in advance. What had she done? The terror of the unknown paralyzed him.
He floored the accelerator toward home and dialed Auntie Feng again.
This time, she answered, her tone cheerful.
"Sir! I was washing Little Pear's hands—the water was too loud! We just got back from the aquarium. Miss left halfway through lunch after a phone call. Didn't say where she was going."
Xu Ruyi leaving her daughter? Unthinkable. She guarded Little Pear like a hawk.
Qi Min. It had to be her.
After last night's chaos, Xu Ruyi's doubts had festered. A call from Qi Min—revealing the affair—would push her to confront the truth alone.
Qi Min had copied Xu Ruyi's car key a month ago. This trap wasn't just for him—it targeted his wife.
Qin Guan cursed himself. He'd underestimated Qi Min's greed. Thirty million? She wanted everything.
He masked his panic, returning to the law firm to maintain his alibi. For hours, he "worked," delegating tasks while calling Xu Ruyi every 60 minutes.
No response.
He left a WeChat voice message: "Ruyi, where are you? I'm worried. Call me back—it's urgent."
By evening, still no word. At home, Auntie Feng paced like a trapped animal, spilling soup and burning her hands. "Miss never ignores calls! Something's happened!"
Qin Guan feigned helplessness. "She's an adult. Maybe her phone died, or she needs space. Police won't help yet."
Inside, his heart hammered.
The elevator dinged. A pale security guard rushed out. "Lawyer Qin! Your wife—she's downstairs! You need to see—"
Auntie Feng collapsed against the table, whimpering, "Miss…"
Qin Guan's heart stalled.
It's here. The moment's here.
"Hurry!" the guard urged. "She's…just come back, but—"