Chapter 1461 My Son is My Life
To protect his wife and cat AI children's identities as hackers, Jin Liwei took the restored video footage and presented it to the police, telling them that the experts he privately hired were the ones who retrieved them.
The police believed him because he was Jin Liwei, the CEO of Jin Corporation. He had the money and power to hire experts that even the police force could only dream of.
The police officers took away the evidence to examine it among themselves first. They haven't shown it to Jiang Ying Yue, Lin Yehan, Long Hui, and Long Tengfei yet.
Jin Liwei felt a little relieved. If they all watched what the kidnappers did to Little Jun and Gravy without any preparation, then they would most definitely either collapse or turn berserk.
His wife, Iris, was still in the other room doing what she was best at with her laptop. If Jiang Ying Yue turned hysterical, none of the men here would be able to help calm her down. Only a fellow mother like Iris would have the proper energy to understand the gravity of Jiang Ying Yue's emotions.
Of course, Jiang Ying Yue had the right to know what her son went through, but it was best to give her a warning first to prepare her heart.
Before long, the kidnappers were identified. They were small-time crooks. The older ones had already served time in prison for petty crimes.
The police concluded that these crooks shouldn't be smart or thorough enough to execute a rather sophisticated kidnapping plan like this. Based on their usual modus operandi, they couldn't have possibly had the ability to delete the public surveillance footage or toss their victim's items to prevent tracking all by themselves.
There was only one strong possibilityâsomeone was guiding them from the shadows. These kidnappers were nothing more than mere marionettes.
There had to be a mastermind.
Jin Liwei and the others' expressions turned ugly.
"Please tell us if you know people who might have motives to kidnap the child," a police officer asked them. "People who might have grudges against you."
Jin Liwei was silent for a while. As the head of Jin Corporation, he had plenty of enemies. Since he married his wife, her enemies also became his enemies. The list of the couple's enemies was long.
Lin Yehan frowned but shook his head. Of course, there were people who he didn't like and disagreed with, but he didn't think of them as outright enemies. Then his gaze fell on Long Hui.
The other man saw Lin Yehan looking at him. Long Hui snapped, "What the hell are you looking at me for?!"
"Long Hui's ex-wife," Jiang Ying Yue said.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Please explain more, Mrs. Lin," the police officer said.
Jiang Ying Yue looked at Long Hui with barely concealed hatred flashing in her eyes. "Long Hui's ex-wife, Mao Qiuyue, has the biggest motive to kidnap my son."
Long Hui: "I don't thinkâ"
"Just try to defend that woman in front of me!" Jiang Ying Yue interrupted Long Hui before he could finish what he was going to say. "Our son has been kidnapped, Long Hui! The police are asking us for people who might have motives to do this. And I think that your ex-wife has the biggest one! She already tried harming Little Jun before! She can do it again! Even if she's already in jail, her family can take revenge for her! Their lives turned upside-down because Mao Qiuyue targeted us mother and son before! And it's all because of you! Don't you know that? Long Hui, just try to defend your ex-wife in front of me, and I swear to the heavens that I'll break your bones. I don't care if the police arrest me, I'll break your bones if you try to defend Mao Qiuyue in front of me when our son's in danger!"
The police officers subtly changed their stances just in case she followed on her threat.
Lin Yehan locked her in his gentle yet firm embrace. He didn't say anything to stop or encourage her, but his actions indicated that he wanted her to calm down.
Of course, she understood what he meant, but she didn't want to listen.
How could she stay calm when her only son was in danger? S n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
he didn't even know if her son was still alive or not.
Oh, please, please, please! Just let her son be alive!
She would do anything and everything! Just please let Little Jun still be alive!
"Yehan!" Jiang Ying Yue broke down once again. She sobbed on her husband's chest. "Please save my son! I won't be able to live anymore if something ever happens to Little Jun. Please, Yehan! I beg you! My son is my life! We need to save him!"
Lin Yehan's jaw clenched. He embraced his sobbing wife, trying to comfort her, even though he knew that nothing would calm her down except for Little Jun's return and seeing the child alive and safe and sound.
"Ying Yue, I'll do everything to find our son," Lin Yehan promised his wife.
Long Hui glared at Lin Yehan but didn't snap at the man anymore. Although he hated Lin Yehan for referring to Little Jun as "our son", Long Hui decided to let it pass. Jiang Ying Yue's heart-wrenching sobs made him feel as if his heart was being sliced open.
He also took a few moments to think about the possibility of Mao Qiuyue being the one to order the kidnapping of his son. The more he thought about it, the more possible it felt.
He hated to admit it, but the woman he has been married to was a venomous snake. Marrying Mao Qiuyue was a huge mistake. Instead of helping him achieve his ambitions, she dragged him down instead.
And now she dared order the kidnapping of his son?
How dare she?!
Long Hui's eyes burned with loathing. He had already convicted Mao Qiuyue with the crime in his mind.
"Officer, please investigate Mao Qiuyue and the Maos!" he asked the police.
Chapter 1462 Regret is a Bitter Pill
Long Tengfei interrupted Long Hui. "Son, let the police do their job. We can deal with Mao Qiuyue and the Maos later if they're really the one who ordered the kidnapping of my grandson. But before all that, we must first focus on finding Little Jun."
"Yes, Father," Long Hui replied with gritted teeth.
The three-way confrontation between Jiang Ying Yue, Lin Yehan, and Long Hui temporarily stopped because of Long Tengfei. However, the tense atmosphere was still palpable.
Jin Liwei was about to return to his wife when Lin Yehan asked him, "Third Brother, can we watch the CCTV footage you handed to the police?"
Jiang Ying Yue and the others all looked at him. They all wanted to watch it.
Jin Liwei hesitated but eventually sighed. He knew that this couldn't be avoided.
In the end, he first warned them about the contents, especially Jiang Ying Yue, before showing them the video footage on his phone. It was already uploaded to their family cloud storage by his wife.
Lin Yehan held Jin Liwei's phone while Jiang Ying Yue watched beside her. Long Tengfei sat on his other side while Long Hui stood behind them.
Long Hui could sense that Jiang Ying Yue didn't want him anywhere near her, but he had the right to know what exactly happened to their son. Fortunately, neither she nor Lin Yehan stopped him from watching the video footage.
When they reached the part where the kidnappers shot the German Shepherd dog fiercely protecting Little Jun, Jiang Ying Yue couldn't help but cry out. Then in the next few seconds, Little Jun was also slapped down to the ground. This time, everyone was enraged.
"Little Jun!" Jiang Ying Yue felt her vision go dark.
"Ying Yue!" Lin Yehan tossed the phone to Long Tengfei who managed to clumsily catch it.
Fortunately, Jiang Ying Yue didn't lose consciousness. She wanted to run where her son was taken but she didn't know where. The bone-deep fear for her son made her tremble.
"Bastards!" Long Hui grabbed a nearby flower vase and smashed it against the wall. "How dare you hurt my son?! I'll kill you all! I'll kill you!!!!!"
Long Tengfei stayed silent but his grip on the phone tightened. He continued to watch, trying his best to search for any clues in the video that the police hadn't discovered yet.
"Sir boss, everyone!" Dom interrupted them.
They all turned to look at him.
"They found Gravy! And they've already located Little Junie boy!" Dom's tears flowed down his face. "Sis Yue, we're going to rescue our Little Junie boy. I can feel it in my bonesâwuwuwuwu! You have to trust me when I say that I can really feel it in my bones!"
"Really?!" Jiang Ying Yue stood up and grabbed Dom's arms. "Are you sure about that, Dom?!"
He nodded. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
The police officers looked at each other in confusion.
Police Officer 1: "Did we find the boy and the dog?"
Police Officer 2: "Maybe?"
Police Officer 3: "We haven't received any reports about it. Let me contact HQ."
Jin Liwei could hear the police talking. He had an idea about who found Gravy and located his godson, but he wouldn't tell the police if his suspicion was correct.
He cleared his throat. "It might be my people. Let me go check and confirm on my end."
The police officers had a look of realization.
"Oh, of course, Mr. Jin. Go ahead. And please update us about any developments, too, if possible."
"En." Jin Liwei nodded. "I will."
Before he could ask for it, Long Tengfei handed him his phone. "Please save my grandson."
"Of course, Father-in-law."
After saying this to Long Tengfei, Jin Liwei hurried to the other room.
Jiang Ying Yue and the others didn't notice his departure. They were too busy asking Dom questions, but unfortunately, he didn't know any additional information. Nevertheless, Jiang Ying Yue began to feel more optimistic about the rescue of her son and dog.
Lin Yehan hugged his wife.
Long Hui couldn't sit still and walked back and forth while trying to calm himself down. He glanced at Jiang Ying Yue and Lin Yehan.
He almost blew his top again watching them but managed to stop himself in time. Not only was his father there to reprimand him if he did that, but the police officers wouldn't allow him to make trouble either. He could only grit his teeth and avoid looking at his ex-lover being embraced by her husband.
'It should've been me beside her!' he thought darkly.
He wished to kick Lin Yehan away from Jiang Ying Yue and stand beside her. They could comfort each other while waiting for their son's rescue.
But everything was too late now.
She belonged to somebody else. This fact made his heart feel like it was being twisted.
If only he hadn't abandoned Jiang Ying Yue and their son.
If only he dared to marry her, not fearing the criticisms from the Long clan elders.
If only he hadn't married Mao Qiuyue in the first place and let her harm the mother and son.
If only he had been a normal man, not the crown prince of Long Industries, then he could have built a happy family with Jiang Ying Yue and their son without any problems.
If only....
There were a lot of if onlys that he wished could've happened instead of this f*cked-up situation that he was living in right now.
Regret was indeed an extremely bitter pill.
With a heavy heart, Long Hui forced himself to calm down and wait for news about his missing son instead.
He had already lost his ex-lover.
He couldn't lose his child as well.
###
Inside the next room, Jin Liwei found his wife still working on her laptop. This time, she had earphones onâthe special ones that she designed herself beforeâand was talking to some people. She saw him and removed one of the earphones.
"My brother's people found Gravy," she told her husband. "They said he's barely alive but they'll do their best to save him. His injuries are extremely serious."
Jin Liwei nodded.
Iris handed him one of the earpieces. He put it on. Now, he could listen to the real-time rescue attempt of their godson.
Chapter 1463 The Woman in a Floral Dress
The sky had turned dark. Time was ticking.
Lu Zihao and his subordinates got off several silent off-road vehicles behind a mountain. They were fully armed and moved like elite soldiers.
A female voice directed them through their in-ear phones.
"Please hurry, Big Brother," Iris said after giving directions on where they should go. "Little Jun must be frightened."
"I'm on it," Lu Zihao replied, his expression cold and unchanging.
He scanned their surroundings, a mountain forest, through his night-vision goggles and gestured at his subordinates. They followed his silent orders.
Together, they moved through the forest in unison like a pack of nocturnal creatures.
Soon, they saw a lone wooden house located at a tricky incline. There were no other houses. It was most likely a temporary shelter made by hunters from the nearest village at the neighbouring mountain.
Iris spoke again through their in-ear phones, "The police special force has also figured out Little Jun's general location. I trust you more than them to rescue my godson, Big Brother, so please hurry up."
"Got it." Lu Zihao gave signals to the different teams under his command. "Drop a lead for the police bastards to wait at the Western front of the mountain where the main road is located. I'll leave the child there for them to 'rescue' later, so they won't feel like total useless losers."
"Okay. I'll have Liwei handle it."
"Hm."
The siblings had a tacit understanding not to continue dissing the police during this urgent situation.
Lu Zihao and his subordinates activated the thermal sensors in their goggles.
"Body heat matching that of a child detected at one o'clock," a child's voice sounded through their in-ear phones.
"Vital signs?" Lu Zihao asked.
Bacon replied, "Vital signs appear normal." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Continue monitoring the child's vital signs."
"Understood, Uncle Zihao."
Lu Zihao moved to a different spot to confirm the thermal image matched that of a child with his own eyes. He also found the locations of the other kidnappers.
His subordinates reported their findings through their in-ear phones one by one while Bacon supplemented information that they missed.
Bloodlust surged from Lu Zihao, but he quickly suppressed it. All that was left was cold calmness before a violent storm.
He and his team were utterly focused on rescuing the child.
He was about to issue the following command when Bacon alerted them, "Danger, danger."
###
Approximately five hours ago.
Mao Qiuyue's parents finally arrived at this god-forsaken place. The way to the mountain was difficult to navigate. They were dropped off at the southern foot of the mountain where there was no paved road. There wasn't even a trail.
"Do we really have to climb the mountain?" Mother Mao asked as she looked at the tall and dense vegetation with great trepidation.
A slender woman stepped out of the SUV. She wore an extremely impractical outfit to the mountains. A full-on floor-length floral dress with puffed sleeves, cinched waist, big sunglasses, high stilettos, and a large black wide-brimmed hat.
"We have a deal, Mrs. Mao," the woman said.
Father Mao stood beside his wife and asked the younger woman, "Can you really help our daughter get out of jail?"
Instead of answering, the woman just smiled. After a few seconds, several fully armed people appeared from the mountain and pointed their guns at the couple.
Mr. and Mrs. Mao trembled and they immediately fell on their knees, not caring about the dirt and sharp rocks cutting their skins.
"Have mercy!"
"Please don't kill us!"
The woman in a floral dress waved her hand and the men withdrew their guns.
The Mao couple released sighs of temporary relief, but their fear only multiplied. They knew that agreeing to the woman in a floral dress was like making a deal with the devil, but they had no choice.
Their daughter, Mao Qiuyue, was in jail. She was already scheduled to be transferred to a high-security prison. They thought that their daughter didn't deserve what happened to her. It was only when she married that damned bastard Long Hui that her fate and that of their family reversed.
Marrying Long Hui was the beginning of the Mao family's downfall.
Their company, Mao Textiles, didn't only become bankrupt. It ceased to exist. The government repossessed almost everything while their rival companies and other enemies swarmed and scavenged all that remained.
Also, their bank accounts, both domestic and international ones, had all been frozen. Even their secret off-shore slush funds had been seized. It was a mystery how these were discovered.
But they had no time to investigate. They couldn't even save their daughter, much less themselves. How could they still spend the time, energy, and money to conduct investigations, especially when they themselves were under investigation?
So when they received an offer of help from the mysterious woman in a floral dress, they only hesitated a little before accepting.
They had nothing to lose now.
The most important thing was that the woman promised them that she would help get their daughter out of jail, help them get revenge, and finally help them escape abroad, as long as they obeyed her.
Now that they were nobodies who had nothing, they were willing to be dogs for her as long as she could fulfill their requests.
The woman in a floral dress chuckled. "Don't worry. You haven't fulfilled your end of the bargain yet, so I won't have you killed. But better be obedient or my men's fingers might slip. Stand up now and start stretching. You still have to climb the mountain. You have to climb it even if you have to crawl."
Father Mao nodded while helping the shaking Mother Mao to her feet. "We just have to frighten the child, right?"
The woman in a floral dress smiled, showing her white teeth. "Up to you. Scare him or hit him. Doesn't matter to me. If you accidentally kill the child, it's fine, too. I don't care. Just do your part of our deal and I'll do mine."
Father Mao frowned but Mother Mao clenched her fists.
"Just wait until I get my hands on that bastard child!" Mother Mao held a huge grudge.
Chapter 1464 Unidentified Armed Intruders
"Off you go." The woman in a floral dress waved the couple away.
A team of fully armed men surrounded them and began to lead them into the mountain. Father Mao gave one last look at the woman in a young floral dress. His eyes shook and he quickly turned his head forward.
He had already seen what the younger woman looked like before without dark sunglasses, but he would never get used to it no matter how many times he saw it.
She had an uncanny resemblance to Iris Long except for the eyes. Iris Long had bright, mesmerizing phoenix eyes while the woman in a floral dress had cold, sinister eyes.
When Iris Long looked at people, it felt like she was enchanting them.
The other woman, on the other hand, made people feel like they were being stared at by a cold and venomous reptilian creature.
Maybe that was why the woman in a floral dress always wore big, dark sunglasses to conceal her eyes. From the nose down, she resembled Iris Long. But when she showed her eyes, it felt like an instant crack in the mirror. The fantasy was destroyed. The fake immediately became apparent.
Despite his thoughts, Father Mao didn't dare to comment about the younger woman's appearance. He didn't want to die yet. At least, not before rescuing his daughter from jail and getting revenge for the downfall of his family.
If the woman in a floral dress was the devil, then he would gladly become her minion as long as he could avenge his daughter and family.
But he could only accomplish all that by obeying the younger woman who had an uncanny resemblance with one of his daughter's enemiesâIris Long.
Although they held a bigger grudge against Long Hui and the mother of his bastard child, Jiang Ying Yue, Iris Long wasn't innocent either.
If not for Iris Long's support, Jiang Ying Yue and her bastard child would never have the capability to defend themselves against his daughter, Mao Qiuyue. Thus, Iris Long was also included in their list of people who they wanted revenge on.
Because of all of them, his daughter, Mao Qiuyue, was jailed and about to be sent to prison. They already bailed out their daughter before, but Long Hui sued them as well, adding to her charges. They could only watch helplessly as the police arrested their daughter.
Father Mao and Mother Mao weren't off the hook either.
After his company's collapse, he was also due to be arrested with multiple charges. His wife was also considered as an accomplice.
It was only because the young woman in a floral dress claimed that she helped delay their trial that the couple was about to stay out of prison. Because of her, they could still hope for a reversal of their fortunes. But only if they did the younger woman's bidding.
Father Mao released a sigh that seemed to contain all his dreams and hopes for revenge. He mentally shook his head to rid himself of useless thoughts. He and his wife had a mission today.
They needed to accomplish it or else....
He glanced at the fully armed men surrounding them and leading them deeper into the mountain.
Or else they would be dead.
There wasn't even a need to question it.
Of course, he and his wife would do it.
Even if they had to walk all over the corpse of a child.
###
Back to the present, Lu Zihao's eyes constricted as he saw two additional thermal images through his night-vision goggles.
The two thermal images were that of adults. They entered the room where the thermal image of the child was located. The next few scenes were too gruesome for normal people.
Lu Zihao was not a normal person and neither were his subordinates, but they were still angered by what they saw. Although what they were seeing were only thermal images, the violence was still very clear for everyone to see.
Those with sharp hearing like Lu Zihao could hear the faint cries of pain, desperation, and terror from the child.
"Big Brother, please!" Iris' urgent voice begged him through his in-ear phones.
Lu Zihao's jaw clench. "Engageâ"
"Danger," Bacon warned all of them, interrupting his uncle's command. "Unidentified armed intruders detected. Danger."
Lu Zihao whipped his head around and scanned their surroundings. Before anyone could react, he raised his gun and shot several times. He saw several thermal images collapse to the ground after he shot them.
His subordinates weren't too slow either. They followed suit and exchanged gunshots with the unidentified enemies. Some of his subordinates were also shot, but they didn't collapse.
Thanks to Bacon's timely warning, they held the advantage.
"Teams 3 and 4 engage the intruders. Teams 1 and 2 follow me to rescue the child. Team 5 secure our escape route." Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Roger!"
"Roger, Boss Hao!"
Lu Zihao moved through the mountain forest toward the patched up shelter like a panther in the night. He and subordinates coordinated like a pack, moving in unison as if they shared one central brain.
The unidentified armed intruders attempted to block their way but Teams 3 and 4 covered for them.
Bullets rained from all direction. The once peaceful mountain forest turned into a warzone in an instant.
The wild animals fled. Some even got caught in the crossfire and died just like that.
Lu Zihao was in his element and so were his subordinates. But surprisingly, the unidentified intruders caught up to their level.
He was surprised for a moment but quickly adjusted his frame of mind back to cold calmness as he shot down all the enemies standing in his way to rescue his sister's godson and his wife's nephew.
The kidnappers were the first ones to try fleeing as soon as the crossfire started, but they had no idea that the other party was in an entirely different league from small-time crooks like them.
"Leave a couple of them for the police and the rest for us to interrogate," Lu Zihao commanded.
"Roger, Boss Hao."
A kidnapper died a few feet away from him. He scowled and shot the one who shot the kidnapper.
"Don't let these unidentified bastards kill all the kidnappers," he added.
"Roger!"
Chapter 1465 I Hurt
The bruised and wounded child cried after Mother Mao hurled him to the ground. The child curled his body while whimpering. He raised his tied-up little arms over his head, trying to protect it while the madwoman continued to rain down blows on him.
"I think that's enough," Father Mao said as he tried to pull his wife away.
He hated the child's parents for destroying his daughter's life, but this was all too much. Originally, he planned on just frightening the child to fulfill their end of the bargain with the woman in a floral dress, but his wife immediately raised her hand on the poor child.
"Go out if you can't stand it!" Mother Mao snapped at him.
The child was dragged across the floor. But before she could start another wave of strikes, they heard the sound of gunshots and people shouting outside. Even the kidnappers started fleeing, but it was all too late.
Mother Mao was terrified. She immediately abandoned the poor child and ran to her husband.
Father Mao grabbed her and pulled her to hide behind the walls.
"Aaaaah!"
Mother Mao covered her ears as a bullet shattered the wooden window. Even the poorly made mud walls started to crumble in places where bullets hit.
"Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
Father Mao covered his wife's mouth. He closed his eyes and seemed to accept their fates.
"We're done for," he murmured as the wooden door to the room flew away when someone kicked it open.
Armed men swarmed inside.
One swooped toward the now unconscious child and quickly but carefully carried him outside. Everything happened so fast that Father Mao just stared in horror as the other armed men pointed their guns at them. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Perhaps adrenaline got into her and Mother Mao thought that the armed men were on their side, the subordinates of the woman in a flower dress.
She recklessly jumped forward and cried, "Help! Please help us!"
"No, don't!" Father Mao tried to stop her, but it was already too late.
The armed men's response to them was a barrage of gunshots.
###
Lu Zihao rained down bullets in the old couple's direction. His sister asked him to leave the mother*cking pair to the useless police losers to handle later. Although this wasn't his ideal plan, he decided to give in to his sister's request this time.
Then they heard Bacon's voice through their in-ear phones, informing them that the old couple's physical appearance matched that of Mao Qiuyue's parents.
Lu Zihao's eyes narrowed as he continued shooting at the area around the Mao couple, frightening them out of their wits.
"You heard that, Evelinka?" he asked his sister in Russian.
There was a pause before Iris' voice said, "Yes."
"You still want me to leave them alive?"
Once again, a pause. Then, a shaky breath. "Do what you want," she finally said.
"Hm. Just this once, I'll be extra nice," he said, his tone like that of the devil.
He, Nikolai Vetrov, had never been "nice" to outsiders. But for today, he decided to play "nice" to this mother*cking pair of human-clothed monsters as "thanks" for what they did to the child.
First, he greeted the Mao couple with an ultra-enthusiastic welcome of gunshots on the ground.
Oh, the old witch dropped to her knees in appreciation?
The old fart was so happy that he peed his pants?
Who else was as nice as him, Nikolai Vetrov?
Nobody!
Unable to contain his "niceness", he shot Mother Mao's two hands as "thanks" for using those hands to "take care" of the child.
Then he shot Father Mao's two ears off. The old fart heard the child's cries but did nothing. Lu Zihao felt that he should "reward" the motherf*cker for playing deaf.
He stopped shooting, walked towards Father Mao, and then used a blade to cut the older man's eyes. Those eyes watched as his wife "took care" of the child without stopping her.
Father Mao lost his ears and eyes.
Lu Zihao sneered at him and then used the butt of his gun to hit the older man's nape. Father Mao fell to the ground unconscious.
Mother Mao was so overcome by the pain of having her hands shot and witnessing her husband go blind and deaf that she also fainted.
"Take them back to the HQ," Lu Zihao commanded. "We'll show them how 'nice' we are before we dump them to the police to handle."
"Roger, Boss Hao!"
His subordinates promptly carried the Mao couple like sacks of trash.
"No protests, Evelinka?" he asked.
"Big Brother, I'm not a hypocrite," Iris replied through his in-ear phones. "They hurt my godson. Just...."
"Just?"
He heard her sigh. "Just don't forget to leave them to the police after you're done dealing with them. We live in a lawful and civilized society now, Big Brother."
"Heh."
"You have your own family now," she added in a whisper.
He didn't reply.
Bacon interrupted them, "Attention. The unidentified armed men are now withdrawing. I repeat, the unidentified men are now withdrawing."
Lu Zihao frowned. "Team 3, pursue and find out more information about them. Team 4, gather their fallen members and take them back to HQâthe living for interrogation and the dead for examination. Teams 1, 2, and 5, continue with the original mission."
"Roger, Boss Hao!"
"Roger!"
He left the room and found a couple of his subordinates quickly but carefully administering first aid to the child. The kid whimpered and opened his eyes. They saw the fear in the child's eyes.
"Little Jun, it's me." Lu Zihao removed his night-vision goggles.
The child turned his head at the familiar voice and cried, "Anko Haohao!" (Uncle Haohao)
He reached his little arms toward his uncle. Lu Zihao signalled his subordinates. They withdrew. He knelt and opened his arms. The kid threw himself at him.
"Wah! Anko Haohao! Junjun scayed! Waaaaah!!!" (Wah! Uncle Haohao! Junjun is scared! Waaaaah!!!)
The cold-bloodedness in Lu Zihao's eyes melted away as he cradled the child in his arms. "It's okay now, Little Jun. Uncle Zihao will return you to your parents and our family."
Little Jun blinked his eyes at him, large drops of tears falling down his face.
"I hurt."
Chapter 1466 I'm So Beautiful
As soon as Lu Zihao heard what Little Jun said, he immediately wanted to plant more bullets on the Mao couple.
How dare they do this to the child?!
His eyes flashed with evil thoughts. He caught himself when he felt the child trembling in his arms. Controlling his bloodthirsty aura, he patted Little Jun's back, doing his best to comfort the child.
He had become a bit more adept in dealing with children after becoming a father himself.
Thankfully, Little Jun was also already used to him and close to him, so the child felt secure in his presence.
"Go to sleep now, Little Jun," Lu Zihao said. "Leave everything to Uncle Zihao. Once you wake up, the police uncles will come pick you up and return you to your parents and our family."
Little Jun peeked at the other masked people and pointed at them. "Anko and anty?" (Who are these uncles and aunties?)
"They're the uncles and aunties who helped Uncle Zihao save you."
"Tenkyu, Anko and Anty!" (Thank you, Uncles and Aunties!)
The Shadow Winds' members all hesitated. Lu Zihao stared at them, directing his commanding aura at his subordinates.
"You're welcome, Little Jun," one of the people who administered first aid to Little Jun was the first one to respond.
The others followed suit. "You're welcome!"
"Hehe." Little Jun giggled despite his pitiful, bruised, and wounded appearance.
Lu Zihao once again patted the child's back, trying to lull Little Jun to sleep. It seemed to be effective and Little Jun soon became drowsy. His eyes closed and his breathing became deeper and more rhythmic.
"Let's go," Lu Zihao commanded.
"Roger, Boss Hao!"
"Roger!"
Lu Zihao rearranged Little Jun into a safer but also more comfortable position in his arms. One of his subordinates strapped the child onto Lu Zihao's torso.
He trusted his abilities the most among the people in Shadow Winds. Little Jun would be the safest with him.
"Big Brother," Iris' voice sounded through his in-ear phones.
"The child is with me now," he replied.
He heard her sigh in relief. Then she said, "Thank you. I'll have Liwei inform Jiang Ying Yue and the others that Little Jun has been rescued."
"Yeah. Send the useless police special force losers to wait at the designated place. I'll deliver the child to them."
"Alright."
No unexpected people hindered them this time.
Nevertheless, Lu Zihao and his subordinates still prepared themselves just in case the unidentified armed men showed up again.
###
Several hundred miles from the mountains sat a lone villa surrounded by woods. At first glance, it looked deserted but there were actually more than a hundred people patrolling and working inside.
The mysterious woman the Mao couple met earlier at the foot of the mountain was in one of the rooms. She wore another floral dress while getting her nails done. She listened to the latest report from a subordinate.
Her face which had an uncanny resemblance to Iris Long was fully revealed. This time, she wasn't wearing sunglasses, so her eyes which were completely different from Iris Long's flashed with irritation, disgust, and malevolence.
"Tsk. Useless old people! Mao Qiuyue's parents are so stupid. They can't even kill a mere child!"
"Many of our people have been captured by the other side," the subordinate added.
She scoffed. "If they got captured, then it means that they're incompetent."
"The boss will want an explanation as to why we lost so many of our men today."
At the mention of the boss, the woman in a floral dress paled. But she quickly controlled her expression and raised her chin.
"I'll personally explain it to the boss," she said. "Now get out of my sight!"
The expressionless subordinate didn't bother replying to her before leaving.
"Ouch! That hurt!"
She kicked the young woman doing her nails and checked her big toe. It was bleeding. This angered her even more and continued to kick the young woman.
"I'm sorry, Madame! Please, don't hit me anymore! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean it!"
The young woman begged for forgiveness but the woman in a floral dress was without mercy.
She kicked the young woman directly in the head. The young woman's head hit the ground with a loud thud, and she lost consciousness. Even when the young woman fainted, the woman in a floral dress still continued to kick and stomp like a mad woman.
It was only a few minutes later when she finally stopped. And she only stopped because it felt boring when the young woman stopped begging for mercy.
The woman in a floral dress cleared her throat and tried to straighten her clothing, pushing her perky chest out. Then she strutted away like nothing happened.
She passed by a mirror and saw her reflection.
At first glance, people would think that she was Iris Long.
"Beautiful," she murmured while touching her face. "I'm so beautiful."
Then her fingers turned to claws. Her expression turned vicious.
"I hate you," she spat with tremendous hatred.
Her eyes which were the dead giveaway that she wasn't Iris Long narrowed into almost reptilian slits. They were cold and cruel. There was insanity hiding behind them.
Yet when she smiled, she looked so much like Iris Long.
She began singing. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I'm dead when awake
Alive when asleep
How do I live when there is no you
Except in my dreams at night~"
Unfortunately, like her eyes, her voice was nothing like Iris Long's. She was completely tone-deaf, and yet she sang with gusto, pretending like she was performing in a concert.
Her every movement was calculated as she gestured. Even her expressions were on point.
If the Black Stars saw her right now, they would immediately figure out that she was copying one of Iris Long's most iconic performances at the show MusicFest Tonight.
Those who weren't Black Stars might even mistake her for Iris Long herselfâbut only on mute.
Once they heard her ear-grating singing voice, then it would be obvious that she was nothing like Iris Long but a second-rate copycat.
She twirled across the room and then performed Iris Long's iconic curtsy bow. Then she threw her head back and laughed.
Chapter 1467 I, Junjun
At the Western front of the mountain where the main road was located, the special police force waited on standby. They blocked the road, but even if they hadn't, there wasn't anyone passing by in this place. So far, they only encountered a villager herding goats with his dog.
"Are you sure that we can trust CEO Jin's hired experts to rescue the child?" one of the officers asked.
"That was the Chief's instructions. We just need to obey."
"But we've been waiting here for so long."
They all stopped because one of their comrades was reporting something through their radio. It seemed that they sighted a group of armed men fleeing at the other side of the mountain. They weren't sure if those armed men had something to do with the kidnapping case, but as members of the police special force, they just couldn't let them go.
Their captain made a quick decision and split their group into two. One would chase the armed men while the other half would remain waiting for the child.
Some of the officers who were assigned to continue waiting were envious of the ones assigned to give chase. Waiting on standby like this was too boring. They were a special police force and yet they were commanded to wait like jilted wives.
CEO Jin Liwei assured them that his hired experts had already rescued the child and would deliver the child to them.
"Why don't CEO Jin's hired experts deliver the child directly to their family?" one of the newest recruits asked.
His comrade glanced at him as if he just asked a dumb question. "Wealthy people like CEO Jin have the money and power to hire the best experts. If those experts aren't yet employed by our state, then that means that their backgrounds aren't clean enough. Then they could only be hired privately."
"Meaning?"
The comrade sighed, shaking his head that this recruit might be indeed a little dumber than he expected. "It means that the experts CEO Jin hired this time might have criminal backgrounds. They can only operate in the shadows. That's why we're being used as a front to make the child's rescue more legitimate. Remember that CEO Jin's wife and brother are famous celebrities. They need to keep their reputations clean."
The recruit's eyes widened in shock. "But that's...that's cheating!"
The comrade rolled his eyes. "Just obey the Chief's command. Once the child is delivered to us later, our special forces will be the ones to receive the credit."
"But...but still...that doesn't feel right. If CEO Jin is hiring criminals, then isn't that a crime, too? Shouldn't we arrest him?"
The older officer gave the recruit a side-eye. "Do you have evidence? We can't just arrest someone like CEO Jin without a valid reason. Besides, I'm just guessing. It's not a certainty."
Then he leaned closer to the younger man, looked around, and whispered. "And even if we're in the police force, my advice to you is to not look at the world in plain black and white. Even the highest leaders in our nation-state tolerate some people with criminal backgrounds as long as they can benefit our country and not endanger our sovereignty. It's a symbiotic relationship. We give them some freedom to do their thing while they assist us in the shadows with tasks that we can't legally do because of our positions' restrictions."
The recruit's expression was a sight to see. It looked like he just opened a new world that he never knew existed.
The older officer sighed and patted the younger man's shoulder. "I know what you're feeling. I was the same way before. You just have to learn how to focus on the things that matter. As long as we do our job properly and protect the citizens, then that's all that matters."
The recruit contemplated his comrade's words while waiting for new updates.
Another report came in from the other team who gave chase to the armed men on the other side of the mountain.
"What happened?" the recruit asked. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
The older officer shared what he heard. "They're saying it's weird because it appears that the armed men are actually two groups. A second group of armed men are chasing another group of armed men. When the second group realized that our special force comrades were chasing them, they actually threw two members of the other group that they captured to us."
"What?! Something like that happened?" The recruit was bewildered.
"Yeah. It's as if they're saying, 'Here's a couple of treats, so don't bother us anymore'. Of course, our comrades continued chasing, but it seems that both groups were extremely skilled and managed to throw our comrades off their tails. Their skill levels may be even higher than ours."
The recruit was even more shocked. "Even higher than ours?!"
The older officer gave him another side eye. "Don't be too conceited and never be complacent. We might be the best of the best among the police, but outside the force, there will always be people who are better than us. That's why our Chief always tells us to strive to become a bit better each day. We must serve and protect the people, and that's what we just need to remember. Always."
The younger officer nodded his head.
Then they stood in attention when their comrades at the front pointed their guns at the mountain. The recruit and the older officer all followed suit.
It was dark.
Since this was a mountain road, although cemented, there were no bright streetlights.
Even they, the special police force, couldn't help but have goosebumps in a place like this.
"Who's there?!"
Then they heard a soft cry like the soft mew of a kitten.
"Junjun! I, Junjun!"
A child limped out of the dark mountain trees with his bandaged little arms raised high in surrender. He was crying pitifully, as he looked at them while trembling.
"It's the child!"
"Is he alone?!"
"Yes, it looks like he's alone."
"What are you all waiting for?! Go get the child quickly!"
Everyone moved and took care of Little Jun.
Finally, they could feel useful after waiting for many hours.
Chapter 1468 Traumatic
At the hospital, Iris and Dom flanked the sobbing Jiang Ying Yue, comforting her. The two were also crying, but they needed to be strong for their friend and her poor son. It wouldn't be helpful if all of them collapsed from despair.
Jin Liwei and Lin Yehan were standing nearby speaking in low, serious voices with a couple of police officers.
The dazed Long Hui sat beside his father, Long Tengfei, a bit far away from the others. He had a black eye. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
They were all waiting in front of the operating room. Little Jun was in surgery because they found that he had multiple fractures.
It was a miracle that he had been able to walk out of the mountain forest by himself.
The emergency doctor who examined Little Jun when he first arrived at the hospital commented that whoever administered first aid to the child did an excellent job in setting all the fractures. The skillful and precise technique would help prevent Little Jun from suffering a lifetime of sequelae caused by the fractures he sustained today.
Iris and the others headed to the hospital first to await Little Jun's arrival after confirming that the special police force had finally "rescued" him. However, the police and the other emergency responders decided that it was better for the child to head straight to surgery instead of meeting his family first.
The first aid administered on Little Jun might be successful but it wasn't enough by itself. What the child went through during his kidnapping was horrendous. His injuries were grave. He needed urgent medical treatment.
Meeting his family could wait.
They needed to make sure that the child was alive and well first before they could allow him to meet his family.
It would be a tragedy if they were able to "rescue" him but he died under their watch.
At first, Long Hui made a scene when he learned that he wasn't allowed to see his son yet before the emergency surgery. However, when the police revealed that it was Mao Qiuyue's parents who beat up Little Jun, he couldn't even fight back when Jiang Ying Yue attacked him.
It was thanks to the police who restrained Jiang Ying Yue that Long Hui came out of it with only a black eye.
Because of what happened, the others weren't speaking or even looking at Long Hui. Even his father, Long Tengfei, stayed silent and didn't bother comforting him.
Although Long Hui had already divorced Mao Qiuyue and shouldn't be blamed for what his ex-wife's family did to his son, everyone understood that the Maos only did such a horrific thing because they got involved with Long Hui in the first place. If Little Jun wasn't Long Hui's son, then the Maos wouldn't even bother to risk offending Jin Liwei who was the child's godfather.
It was already Jiang Ying Yue's huge mercy to even allow Long Hui to stay in the hospital after learning about the Maos' direct involvement in their son's kidnapping.
She already suspected that they were involved in the kidnapping, but after confirming that she was indeed right, it was still a huge blow to her.
Not just to her, but to everyone else.
Just looking at Long Hui's face was enough to trigger her fury, so she did her best to ignore his existence.
It was only because he was Little Jun's biological father and their son might look for him that she was even allowing him to stay. If not for this, she would have already chased him out and forbidden him to see their child ever again.
Back to the present, Grandpa Lu arrived with Long Jinjing and Chen Fei.
"Where's my little boy?!" Grandpa Lu demanded with his booming voice. "How is my Little Jun?! Is he alright?! Why aren't you saying anything?! Tell me, I want to know!!!"
Jin Liwei stepped forward to calm down the old man and explain what happened so far.
Long Jinjing joined Iris and Dom in comforting Jiang Ying Yue while Chen Fei marched toward Long Hui. She was about to claw the man's face when a masked man suddenly appeared and pulled her back.
"Let me go! I need to teach this motherf*cker a lesson!"
"Babe, calm down," Jin Chonglin's voice came from behind the mask and dark sunglasses.
Chen Fei continued to struggle in his arms. "No, I'm not gonna calm the f*ck down! This bastardâ"
The operating room opened.
She finally stopped and turned her head like everyone else, eager to know about Little Jun's condition.
Wang Yingjie took off his mask.
Jiang Ying Yue stood up and rushed to him. "Second Brother, how's my son?!"
"Little Jun is fine now and stable," Wang Yingjie replied.
Everyone sighed in relief.
"But he still needs to stay in the hospital," he said. "He has a concussion, some internal hemorrhage, multiple fractures, and several deep and superficial skin wounds. I'll also refer him to a child psychiatrist to help him deal with the trauma of what happened to him."
Jiang Ying Yue, Iris, and the others felt like their hearts were being stabbed while hearing the extent of Little Jun's injuries.
How could the child that they cherished like a jewel in their palms undergo such horrific tragedy?
The people who did this to an innocent child were monsters!
They all turned their heads and looked at Long Hui at the same time.
Long Hui clenched his jaw and tensed his body, but he didn't snap at them. Their condemning eyes made him feel small and guilty. He also began to think that maybe it was indeed his fault.
But he knew that he would never wish something like this to his son. Little Jun was his son! He loved the child.
Fury at his ex-wife and former in-laws filled him. He hated them to the bone!
It was all their fault.
If it weren't for them, Little Jun would be safe and sound. His son wouldn't have to go through something so traumatic at such a young age.
While Long Hui was absorbed with hatred for Mao Qiuyue and her family, the others already disregarded him. They continued to ask Wang Yingjie about Little Jun's condition.
Chapter 1469 Slippers Army Returns
At first, Jin Liwei still tried to suppress the news of Little Jun's kidnapping. Even when so many people had witnessed Iris Long and Long Tengfei rushing out of Long Industries with urgent expressions, Jin Liwei and his cat AI children still managed to control the release of the news. However, there was too much of a commotion especially when the police got involved.
The media got ahold of some information and pursued it. In no time, they were able to determine that Iris Long's nephew had been kidnapped.
Seeing the flood of news about Little Jun's kidnapping, Jin Liwei was about to increase his efforts in suppressing it but his wife stopped him.
"Let the whole world know what happened to our little boy," Iris said, her voice filled with hostility. "Also release the Maos' involvement in the case. Just control the information and not allow any heartless crazy people to bully our godson."
"Alright." Jin Liwei nodded.
Once Jin Liwei stopped suppressing the news and even released some relevant details about the case, the floodgates opened.
The Black Stars were the first ones to react with vengeance. As loyal fans of their Boss Iris, they adored her nephew and considered Little Jun as their beloved nephew as well. They were all very protective of the child and felt heartbroken after hearing about what he went through today.
They all gathered together and sent out their most powerful troll group, the Slippers Army.
Even the infamous iEatSlippers appeared to lead the charge when everyone already knew that he was now a busy CFO of their Boss Iris' game company, Planet Monkey.
Following him were many of the original members of the Black Stars who supported their Boss Iris since she made a comeback after waking up from a year-long coma.
iEatSlippers' colleague, MonkeyFace, who was also now Planet Monkey's CEO, appeared as well.
The posh ladies, MrsLovePhantom, and her equally classy friendsâJJNumber1Fan, JJNumber2Fan, and JJNumber3Fanâdidn't shy away from joining the Black Stars' cry for justice either.
The young vanguard of the Slippers Army, LittlePhoeonix, joined her senior iEatSlippers to troll the Maos and anyone trying to defend them.
And of course, the founder and president of the fan club, CaptainBlackStar, led everyone like a general commanding her troops.
Every single loyal member of the Black Stars did their part in demanding justice for Little Jun. Poor child must have been traumatized. They would never rest and continue fighting until Little Jun achieved the justice he deserved.
Once again, the nation witnessed the fighting prowess of Iris Long's fans.
Some people had already forgotten the terror of dealing with the Black Stars when defending their Boss Iris, especially against their notorious troll group, the Slippers Army.
Even Jin Chonglin's army of worldwide fans couldn't compare to the Black Stars' viciousness. The Black Stars, especially the Slippers Army, wouldn't stop at anything to protect their Boss Iris. They were truly loyal in the truest sense of the word.
Since Iris Long went into hiatus in showbiz starting when she got pregnant and until now after giving birth, the Black Stars also retracted their claws and hid their fangs.
Perhaps the last time that they had this kind of massive activity was when they also defended Little Jun and his mother after Long Hui and his then-wife Mao Qiuyue bullied them in a very public lawsuit.
Now that Mao Qiuyue's parents had done something so despicable to Little Jun, the Black Stars felt like their reverse scales had been touched once again.
Mao Qiuyue was hateful, but she was already in jail. When they learned that she was due to be transferred to prison soon, they even celebrated the victory of triumphing over the evil forces.
They didn't expect that her parents would go ahead and do something even more loathsome and directly kidnap Little Jun and even beat him up. Now, it was reported that the poor child was hospitalized and underwent surgery for multiple fractures and other serious injuries, not to mention the psychological treatment he must go through to overcome the trauma.
Just imagining what Little Jun went through made the Black Stars' blood boil.
Now everyone finally remembered how savage the Black Stars could be.
They didn't spare Long Hui either. In fact, they attacked his reputation for allowing his former in-laws to torture his own son.
Of course, they still showed him a minuscule amount of mercy because they learned that he at least had the decency to go with their Boss Iris to ask the police to save his son. This meant that he still cared for his son despite his stupidity in choosing an evil wife (now ex-wife).
If not for this, the Black Stars would assassinate his entire reputation until he couldn't even show himself in public.
Some Black Stars members were quite wealthy and powerful, like MrsLovePhantom and her posh friends.
Iris Long's music was just so evocative and soul-stirring that it resonated with many people regardless of age and social class.
These wealthy and powerful Black Stars readily used their money and influence to pressure the law enforcement and the figures overseeing the justice system to hasten Mao Qiuyue's imprisonment and her parents' arrest, not only for their involvement in Little Jun's kidnapping but also for the couple's pending criminal cases regarding their company's tax evasion, bribery and other serious accusations. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
They even inquired about the best child psychiatrists in the nation and abroad, planning to recommend the specialists to their Boss Iris for her nephew's psychological treatment.
Back at the hospital, Little Jun was now recovering in a private suite. He still hadn't regained consciousness after the surgery.
Wang Yingjie was his surgeon but also his attending doctor in this hospital. Dragon Palace Home #10's in-house doctor also came to assist in determining the best treatment for the child.
The newly married Jiang Ying Yue and Lin Yehan stayed beside the sleeping child while the biological father, Long Hui, sat on a couch intended for visitors.
Iris and Jin Liwei excused themselves out of the suite and stayed at a nearby empty lounge.
Chapter 1470 Not the True Mastermind
Iris and Jin Liwei spoke with Lu Zihao on the phone while their bodyguards made sure that nobody loitered nearby to eavesdrop on them.
"These two Mao cockroaches are just accomplices," Lu Zihao told the couple. "They're not the true mastermind behind Little Jun's kidnapping."
The husband and wife looked at each other while frowning.
"I already suspected that this is the case," Iris said, sighing. "But now that Big Brother has confirmed it, I now understand why I kept feeling anxious lately. So this was the feeling of dread that I kept on having. We're dealing with someone dangerous whose identity we don't even know yet."
Jin Liwei's frown deepened. He pulled his wife closer to him. "Let's not worry about that unknown danger for now. Let's focus on our godson being safe and sound now. We'll have time to deal with that unknown danger later."
"Yes, Little Jun is safe now." She addressed her big brother on the phone, "Did Mao Qiuyue's parents confess about the person who instructed them?"
They heard Lu Zihao sneer. "These two pieces of sh*t are not only despicable, but they're also stupid. At first, they wouldn't open their mouths, but once my people did their work, they spilled everything. The man says that it was a younger woman who made an offer to save Mao Qiuyue from imprisonment and help their family escape abroad as long as they do whatever the woman told them to do."
"Woman?" Iris asked, her frown deepening.
"Yeah. They say it was a woman who always wears a floral dress. Apparently, she looks like you."
"Looks like me?" Iris was bewildered, and to be honest, creeped out. "Are you sure?"
"That's what these two pieces of sh*t say," Lu Zihao said in a tone filled with danger. "My people made them undergo a polygraph test, and it should be the truth. But of course, the results might not be 100% accurate. We should also consider the possibility that these two cockroaches underwent some psychological modifications like hypnosis to confuse us."
Iris and Jin Liwei glanced at each other, worry reflected in their eyes.
"Evelinka, don't worry too much," Lu Zihao said in a softer tone. "I haven't personally interrogated Mao Qiuyue's parents yet. I'll extract the real truth from them no matter what, even if I have to crack their skulls open and pull their brains out."
"Big Brother!"
Lu Zihao chuckled in a devilish voice. "Just kidding, my little sister."
His words didn't assure her at all. If it were in their past lives, her big brother would have already done it with no second thoughts.
"Jin Liwei, take care of my sister and your godson," Lu Zihao changed his tone into a more serious one.
"En, you don't have to tell me," Jin Liwei replied with an equally serious tone.
"I'll try to find out more information about the identities of the true mastermind and the unidentified armed men we encountered in the mountain."
"Okay," Jin Liwei and Iris both said.
"Also keep an eye on my wife. I know she's worried about her nephew, but we still have our own brats waiting for their mother at home."
After saying these words, Lu Zihao ended the phone call. Iris couldn't even retort. She wanted to say that the Lu twins weren't only waiting for their mother but also their father. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
However, she couldn't even criticize her big brother because the reason he became so busy today was to rescue her godson and find out about the true mastermind behind Little Jun's kidnapping.
Also, she and Jin Liwei had their own twins waiting for them at home.
Iris asked her husband, "What do you think about transferring Little Jun to our home? This is a public place and people come and go as they please. Even if the security here is good compared to other hospitals, I still can't rest assured. Our home is much safer."
"En, I thought the same way, too." Jin Liwei nodded. "I've already spoken with Eldest Brother Yehan earlier when Little Jun was still in surgery. He also agrees that our home's security is the best. He has decided to let the mother and son stay at Dragon Palace while Little Jun recuperates from his injuries. In the meantime, he'll work on tightening the security at his farm villa."
She sighed in relief. Initially, she was prepared to persuade Jiang Ying Yue and Lin Yehan to allow Little Jun to stay at Dragon Palace Home #10 for a while. She missed the little guy so much!
In addition, this kidnapping incident frightened her so much more than when Little Jun had been hospitalized for dengue fever the last time. She wanted to keep the child close to her.
With Dragon Palace Homes' inherent tight security plus Jin Liwei's additional strong home security team, and most importantly, her modifications of their home's security and surveillance systems in tandem with their cat AI children Ketchup and Bacon, even the world's most secure bank wasn't as safe as their home.
Thankfully, Lin Yehan recognized this fact and agreed to let go of his newly married wife and bonus son while he worked on his own farm villa's security.
Now Iris could rest assured about his godson's safety.
She wished that she could erase this traumatic memory from Little Jun's head, but that was impossible. They all just had to work hard and carefully help the child deal with the trauma. And hopefully, he would survive stronger and more resilient than before.
Nevertheless, just the fact that something like this happened to the child broke their hearts.
"Darling," she murmured.
"What's wrong?" Jin Liwei asked.
"Is it evil of me to want to murder Mao Qiuyue and her parents? I want to strangle them with my own hands for what they did to our godson."
He hugged her tightly in his arms and kissed the top of her hair, inhaling her fragrance.
"If you think that it's evil for you to think like that, then I guess that I'm evil, too. Because I also want to do the same thing to them. I'm sure that Jiang Ying Yue and Eldest Brother Yehan also feel the same way. It's only natural that we want to protect our children and punish those who hurt them. Don't feel too bad about it, love."