DASFAM_85

Bai Xu rushed back the moment he got the news, arriving just as he ran into Shang Yanxiao at the entrance of the main house.

"A' Xu!"

"What's the situation now?"

"Still don't know, let's talk inside."

"Okay."

The two of them hurried in. The spacious main house was now blanketed in an atmosphere of unease and anxiety.

Old Madam Shang spotted the two of them and immediately stood up in distress, "Yanxiao, you're finally back!"

"Grandmother, don't panic just yet."

Shang Yanxiao quickly walked over to support her, turning his gaze to Shang Keshu off to the side, "Little Aunt, what exactly happened?"

Shang Keshu, normally composed, now showed signs of tension as well, getting straight to the key points, "He went missing from the hospital, we're already checking the security footage."

Aside from the medical team coming to treat him at home, Old Master Shang also had to go to the hospital for a follow-up checkup every half month. Even though the results were minimal and the rehabilitation progress wasn't ideal, the Shang family hadn't given up on continuing this.

In the past, whenever he went out for these checkups, someone would always take turns making time to accompany him, but this time, of all times, the timing happened to align poorly—

The second branch's family had gone to another province for a wedding, Shang Queyan had gone to Haishi for a new custom prosthetic fitting, and as for Shang Yanxiao and Bai Xu, today had originally been left open for the Zhongdi project celebration banquet.

Old Madam Shang's eyes welled with tears, "It's all my fault. Why did I have to go to the temple to burn incense and pray to Buddha! I should have stayed by his side."

Shang Keshu hurried to comfort her, "Mother, this isn't your fault. You're getting on in years, these kinds of things shouldn't be something you have to worry about."

Shang Keyi, standing nearby, had lost her usual vigor, exhaustion visibly written across her entire being, "That's right, if anyone's to blame, it's us."

In her later years, Old Madam Shang's only remaining hobby on ordinary days was this bit of incense-burning and prayer. This time, it was actually Old Master Shang himself who, worried about her, had insisted through gestures that the two sisters accompany his wife.

"It wasn't the Old Master's first time going to the hospital for a checkup either, and with the butler accompanying him too, that's why we didn't think much of it."

As a result, when the three of them, mother and daughters, returned home as usual, they found that Old Master Shang still hadn't come back. They called the new butler, only to hear him say in a panic—

"The Old Master's gone missing! He was taken away by someone at the hospital!"

"……"

So it wasn't that the Old Master had wheeled himself away on his own, but that he'd been taken by someone?

Bai Xu's brow furrowed tightly, "Someone who could clearly know everyone's schedules in our family, or rather, knew that the Old Master wouldn't have family with him today…"

Shang Yanxiao caught on, "A' Xu, are you saying this was done by someone we know?"

The words had barely settled before nearly everyone's eyes landed on Shang Keyi's face.

"……"

Shang Keyi met their identical sharp gazes, and her whole body trembled, "Why are you all looking at me?"

Shang Keshu came back to her senses and stepped closer to add, "Big Sister, the two kids aren't suspecting you, but what's Qishun been doing lately? I feel like I haven't seen him at home in a long time?"

Realizing the suspicion of the three of them, Shang Keyi immediately turned her gaze toward Old Madam Shang, "Mother, Qishun wouldn't do something like this!"

"He's just been embarrassed because of what happened before New Year's, that's why he doesn't want to come home and has been staying out."

"I, I just talked to him on the phone yesterday, he's terribly busy, he has no reason to do something like this!"

Even as she said this, Shang Keyi's heart was filled with uncertainty.

Ever since that last time mother and son had shut the door and talked things through honestly, she felt like she could no longer see through this son of hers.

"……"

A knot of unresolved anguish sat lodged in Old Madam Shang's chest, and in her heart, she didn't want to believe Shang Qishun had done such a thing either, "Keyi, call him right now."

"Okay, okay, I'll call him right now!"

Shang Keyi choked back a sob and hurriedly fumbled for her phone.

Before she could even dial Shang Qishun's number, the sound of footsteps rang out at the entrance once again.

The new butler walked in with the police, and the moment his eyes met the Old Madam's, he dropped to his knees in front of everyone, overwhelmed with guilt.

"Old Madam, I failed in my duty, I've let you down! Whatever happened, it's all my fault!"

Old Master Shang's treatment sessions were conducted privately, each one lasting about forty-five minutes.

The new butler had originally been keeping watch outside in the corridor the whole time. But as the session was nearing its end, a 'doctor' wearing a white coat and a mask suddenly approached and handed him a piece of paper—

Claiming that patient Shang Hong's treatment fees were insufficient, and that he needed to go pay the balance immediately.

The butler had felt a bit doubtful at first, sensing that there was no way the account the Shang family had set up for the Old Master's treatment could be short on funds. But the other party had acted too convincingly, and the payment slip handed to him looked too genuine as well.

After a moment's hesitation, he believed it and rushed downstairs with the slip in hand, only to discover at the payment window that it was forged.

Realizing something was wrong, he hurried back upstairs, only to be told by the intern nurse that the Old Master had just been taken away!

The butler searched the entire hospital alone with no results, and only then was he forced to admit the truth.

"......"

Someone disguised as a doctor lures the butler away, and right after, someone else takes the Old Master?

One link in the chain after another!

A carefully orchestrated scheme through and through!

Bai Xu realized the severity of the situation, yet still maintained absolute composure, "Save the apologies for after he's found! Have you pulled the hospital security footage? Who exactly took the Old Master away?"

The police nodded, "Come take a look and confirm."

By rights, a missing person report could only be filed twenty-four hours after disappearance, but given the current circumstances, it was essentially certain that Old Master Shang, lacking the ability to move on his own, had been forcibly taken away by someone, and could potentially be at risk of harm.

As they spoke, the police played the security footage retrieved from the hospital, handing it over for everyone to confirm.

With just one glance, Old Madam Shang felt her vision swim with stars, "It's, it's Sun Chuan!"

"Butler Sun?"

Shang Keshu and Shang Keyi also caught on, the latter unconsciously letting out a breath of relief.

A cold look surfaced on Shang Yanxiao's face, "This person used to be our family's butler. He was let go before New Year's because he did something wrong."

The police nodded, "That would explain it—"

"I asked the nurse, and she also said it was someone she'd seen before, a familiar face, and the old gentleman didn't show much physical resistance at the time."

Shang Keyi spoke up, "When the Old Master was hospitalized, Butler Sun used to accompany him there, so it's probably true that the medical staff would recognize his face."

"If he was let go by your family for doing something wrong before New Year's, we can't rule out the possibility of a vengeful motive."

"……"

Hearing this, Old Madam Shang's legs went weak.

"Mother!"

"Grandmother!"

Shang Keshu and Bai Xu reacted quickly, catching her from either side to hold her up.

Shang Yanxiao's brow furrowed tightly as he looked at the police, "Can you immediately pull the security footage from around the hospital?"

The police, recognizing the severity of the situation, said, "My colleagues were already pulling the footage before I came here, I'll check in with them again."

Old Madam Shang sank back into the sofa, growing increasingly breathless with panic.

She looked at Bai Xu in front of her, her heart filled with both anger and regret, "Xiao Xu, I should have listened to you two back then, I shouldn't have given Sun Chuan another chance!"

Back then, out of the years of loyalty between them, Old Madam Shang had only dismissed Sun Chuan and sent him away from the Shang household, but in front of others, she'd still made sure to preserve his dignity.

She'd simply said the old butler had reached an age where he should go abroad to reunite with his children and grandchildren, and enjoy a peaceful retirement.

Unexpectedly, this kindness had turned into a mistake! The man had taken Old Master Shang away without so much as a word!

If things were really as the police suspected, and Sun Chuan held a grudge and intended harm toward the Old Master, what then?

"Grandmother, don't panic just yet."

Bai Xu did his best to comfort Old Madam Shang, "Grandfather can't move on his own, so he could only have been taken away in his wheelchair, and Sun Chuan is also getting on in years, so he should be easy to spot."

"Bai Xu's right, if they're just pushing the wheelchair by hand, they can't have gotten very far."

"Even if they left by car, there's such extensive security camera coverage on every road around the hospital now, the police are bound to find them."

"Right, didn't Sun Chuan mention last time that his son and grandson lost a huge sum of money abroad? Maybe he just took the Old Master to get money out of it?"

In front of Old Madam Shang, Bai Xu could only put things in the best possible light, "If he calls asking for money, we'll just give it to him."

Old Madam Shang clutched the prayer beads in her hand tightly, "Fine, money doesn't matter, give him however much he wants."

Buzz buzz buzz.

Shang Yanxiao's phone vibrated, it was a call from Shang Queyan. He answered it in front of everyone.

"Hello, Queyan."

Shang Queyan's voice on the phone was equally heavy, "Brother, I just got off the plane and saw the messages you all sent! What's the situation now? Has Grandfather been found?"

Shang Yanxiao briefly explained the situation, "...For now, we can only let the police step in and investigate as quickly as possible."

But Shang Queyan said, "Brother! We don't need to wait for the police, I have a way to find out where Grandfather is."

Shang Yanxiao was taken aback, "You have a way?"

Hearing his lover's startled tone, Bai Xu immediately stood up, "What is it?"

Shang Yanxiao glanced at him, then decisively put the phone on speaker, "Tell us."

Shang Queyan explained, "Ever since Grandfather started using a wheelchair, I've been worried about something like this happening, so during the New Year's break, I had someone install a miniature tracker inside that watch he always wears."

"Grandfather knows about this, and I specifically told him that as long as that watch stays on him, I can have someone locate him at any time."

Old Madam Shang heard this too and quickly spoke up, "He's wearing it, he's wearing it! No wonder he was always so reluctant to take it off!"

Shang Queyan wasted no time, "Give me a moment, I'll have someone check it right away."

"Got it."

Shang Yanxiao agreed without hesitation and hung up the phone.

Bai Xu let out a quiet breath of relief, the tension in his chest easing slightly:

No wonder the male lead, in the original novel, only grew more solidly footed as the story progressed. This kind of foresight and planning from Shang Queyan really came in handy at a crucial moment!

In less than three minutes, Shang Queyan sent Shang Yanxiao a message on WeChat, "Brother, this is the current specific location of the watch tracker."

"I checked, it's pretty close to where I am at the airport now. I'll drive over directly to look for him, you all come too once you've confirmed with the police."

Shang Yanxiao gave a worried instruction, "Queyan, don't act on your own once you get there, stay in contact at all times."

"Okay."

The two brothers quickly confirmed the situation, and Shang Yanxiao immediately went to find the police at the entrance.

Bai Xu stayed behind, thought for a moment, then said, "Grandmother, Little Aunt, you two stay home and wait for news. I'll go along with Yanxiao and the police!"

Old Madam Shang seemed about to say something, then hesitated, "I..."

Shang Keshu decided at once, "Mother, let's just listen to Bai Xu and the others this time. I'll stay home with big sister and wait for news with you, to keep your mind at ease."

Old Madam Shang felt an endless, overwhelming anxiety, but still worried about being a burden to the children, "Alright."

...

Longxing District, western suburbs.

From time to time, massive planes swept across the sky overhead, producing roars loud enough to rattle the eardrums.

This was the rural village closest to the capital's Longxing Airport. The residents here had originally moved away due to the airport's planned construction, but later, when the airport plans changed, this stretch of land had been left vacant again.

Over time, it had become a gathering place for migrant workers from out of town, drifters in the capital, and homeless people, though the living conditions were dismal.

The wastewater on the ground gave off a foul stench, and rats darted out from time to time from the mountains of garbage piled up, each one grown unnervingly large.

Sun Chuan carried a bottle of cheap liquor he'd just bought to the end of the alley. After confirming no one was following him, he pulled open a rusted, battered iron gate and went inside.

Inside the dim, cramped room, everything was broken and worn down.

Old Master Shang sat steadily in his wheelchair, staring fixedly at the person walking in from outside. Unable to speak a complete sentence, he could only express himself through silence and his eyes.

Years of master-butler bond made it easy for Sun Chuan to read the Old Master's emotions in that moment.

Anger, contempt, and even more so, disappointment at having misjudged him.

Sun Chuan sat down on a creaking wooden chair, trying to make himself sound pitiable, "Old Master, if I weren't truly at the end of my rope with no other options, I wouldn't have resorted to something like this."

He took out one of the only two halfway-clean bowls and poured the watered-down cheap liquor into it, "Sometimes, I really do envy you."

"In this lifetime, you've had more money than you could ever spend, a household of children and grandchildren who, by and large, turned out filial and accomplished, and a marriage with the Old Madam that's stayed steady for decades, it's enough to make anyone green with envy. But me, I'm nothing like that—"

"My wife died early, my son's ungrateful, my daughter-in-law despises me, and even my grandson, fresh out of college, turned out to be a good-for-nothing too."

After all these years, father and son between them had drained away every last bit of his retirement savings!

When they learned Sun Chuan had been driven out by the Shang family, far from showing any concern as children and grandchildren should, they'd instead criticized him for still causing trouble in his old age, and even blocked his contact information in a fit of anger.

Listening to the man pour out his sob story, Old Master Shang struggled to spit out two words, "You! Deserve it!"

However many injustices fate had dealt him, none of it was something he, Shang Hong, had caused!

What's more, although the two of them had related to each other as employer and butler, before the accident Old Master Shang had long since regarded Sun Chuan as a brother of his own! For this very reason, even the rest of the Shang family had treated this old butler with considerable respect!

Hearing this, Sun Chuan looked as though he'd been struck by a sudden jolt, "Shang Hong! You know full well the reason for what happened to you wasn't me, it was that bastard Wu Wei who caused it all!"

"From start to finish, I never once meant to take your life! But the first thing you did after waking up was have the Old Madam and that grandson of yours coldly throw me out!"

"If it weren't for that, why would my son have cut off contact with me? Then I wouldn't have ended up in the state I'm in now!"

The life he was living now was honestly worse than a dog's!

"……"

Old Master Shang's throat itched with rage, but he simply refused to give the man so much as a glance.

Seeing himself ignored, Sun Chuan's temper flared, "Shang Hong, you've already sunk this low, and you're still putting on airs for who, exactly!"

After all this time of mental torment, Sun Chuan's temperament had long since grown unstable.

He downed the liquor in his bowl in one gulp, abruptly stood up from the wooden chair, and deliberately poured the cup meant for Old Master Shang over the man's head.

"……"

Old Master Shang had rarely been subjected to such malicious treatment, his face turning livid in an instant, "You..."

Seeing his expression, Sun Chuan felt an immense satisfaction, "Can't speak now, can you? Are you still counting on those precious grandsons of yours to come save you? Let me tell you, save yourself the trouble!"

"I, Sun Chuan, may not have raised a decent son or grandson, but you, Shang Hong, you're no better off than me!"

——Screech!

Right at that moment, the harsh sound of the iron gate behind them being dragged open rang out.

Sun Chuan turned around, and Old Master Shang's gaze followed the sound as well.

Against the dim light, a familiar figure stepped inside, the person's elegant, gentlemanly attire utterly out of place in this run-down, cramped little room.

Old Master Shang's pupils trembled slightly as he met that gaze looking down at him from above.

Shang Qishun slowly removed the mask from his face, calling out, "Grandfather."

His figure blended into most of the shadows, only his face catching a faint yellow glow from the cheap lightbulb.

The smile that had always looked refined and gentle now carried something indescribably unsettling about it.

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