’What do I care if Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang live or die? I hope something terrible happens to them!’ Zhao Huilan was utterly disgusted by Xia Yingyu and her two children invading her family. She felt no affection for them, only resentment.

Xia Yingyu waited anxiously. She kept feeling that something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

Wang Lianhua followed Zhao Jinghai until they were a few dozen yards from the house.

"Mom, you shouldn’t have come out. Go on back," Zhao Jinghai said quickly. "It’s cold out here. I don’t want you to catch a cold."

Wang Lianhua just smiled, unbothered by the cold air, and said urgently, "Jinghai, as soon as you find Zhao Nuanyue, just knock that girl out and take her to the place we arranged with Mrs. Li. Mrs. Li is furious that we didn’t show up yesterday!"

"Of course. We can’t delay any longer. The more we wait, the more can go wrong," Zhao Jinghai said, his face grim. ’If I can’t get this promotion, I’ll have to wait for the next opportunity. But positions at the work unit are always one-to-one; who knows when another opening will come up?’

That’s why this time, he had to secure the promotion.

’No matter the cost, I’ll do it. Even if Xia Yingyu throws a fit... a wife’s status comes from her husband’s success. When I’m doing well, she’ll gain respectability. Her status won’t come from those two useless burdens she brought with her.’

"Good. You be careful, then. I’ll head back." Wang Lianhua was very satisfied, as if her son had already been promoted and struck it rich. "You be careful, too."

Zhao Jinghai asked the security guards at the gate if they had seen Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang leave.

"They left," a guard replied. "Looked like they were heading for the bus stop."

’The bus?’

Zhao Jinghai was taken aback. ’Didn’t Zhao Nuanyue say she was just going to walk around nearby? She didn’t go to the market this late at night, did she?’

’But it’s already nine o’clock. There are no more buses running from the market back to the base at this hour.’

’The bus schedule hasn’t changed in years. Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang have only been gone for half a year, so there’s no way they wouldn’t know. So what’s going on?’

So, Zhao Jinghai got a few of his subordinate guards and a driver to take a car to the market to search for them. They searched the area once, even waking up the people who lived near the bus stop to ask, but everyone said they hadn’t seen Zhao Nuanyue or Zhao Nuanyang.

A bad feeling grew in Zhao Jinghai’s heart. He went back to tell Mrs. Li. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Mrs. Li, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang have disappeared," Zhao Jinghai said with a frown. "It’s already ten o’clock at night, and security around here is excellent. It’s impossible they met with an accident."

"Disappeared?" Mrs. Li was stunned. She glanced at her son, who was dozing off and snacking at the side, and felt a surge of anger. She had waited for two nights now, only to be evaded by that Zhao Nuanyue both times. "Have you searched everywhere nearby?"

"I’ve searched everywhere. I asked the driver of the bus that passes our unit. He said they got off at Da Huang, but he doesn’t know where they went after that." A terrible premonition began to rise in Zhao Jinghai’s heart. ’Could it be... could it be that Zhao Nuanyue has run away?’

"Do you think Zhao Nuanyue figured it out?" Mrs. Li asked, frowning. "For both of them to disappear together... it’s just too strange. I think she might have sensed your ill intentions, or maybe she felt mistreated in your house and didn’t want to stay. Remember, when they came back that day, they waited outside for a long time before anyone let them in. I bet none of you gave her a warm welcome when she got inside, either..."

The more Mrs. Li thought about it, the more she was convinced her guess was correct.

Zhao Jinghai paused, then immediately understood Mrs. Li’s point. He realized it too and nodded. "Zhao Nuanyue couldn’t possibly know our plan. After all, only you, my mother, and I know about it. No one else. If she really did leave, it’s most likely because she dislikes and is fed up with me as her stepfather, as well as Huilan and my mother. As you know, my mother isn’t usually very nice to them..."

Hearing this, Mrs. Li was stunned, then it dawned on her. "I get it now. When I went to your house this morning, your mother was being incredibly nice and enthusiastic toward Zhao Nuanyue. That’s completely out of character for her. Anyone would be suspicious of such a sudden change—it’s like a weasel paying a friendly visit to a chicken coop..."

He looked a bit uncomfortable hearing Mrs. Li compare his mother to a weasel, but crude as the words were, the logic was sound. ’My mother despises Zhao Nuanyue, yet she was suddenly so nice and welcoming to her. Anyone would be suspicious of that.’

"Dammit, this is bad," Zhao Jinghai said, slapping his thigh. "Zhao Nuanyue must have run away with her brother! That girl might not know our exact plan, but she definitely knew we were up to something. So she just bolted without a second thought!"

Mrs. Li agreed that Zhao Jinghai’s reasoning was sound, which only made her more furious. "So all our efforts were for nothing?" she fumed. "We’re just going to stand by and watch Zhao Nuanyue leave? Let me tell you, Xiao Zhao, I don’t care which one of your daughters it is. As long as one of them ends up with my son, I’ll make sure you get what you want. But if you try to fool me... Hmph, you won’t even be able to hold on to the position you have now."

Mrs. Li was furious about this. ’My son isn’t young anymore,’ she thought. ’I want to see him get married, have children, and live a happy, peaceful life with a complete family before I die.’ She still had power and influence. No matter what kind of woman married her son, she had the means to train her into being perfectly obedient, making her willingly stay with the Li family.

’But now the girl I had my eye on has run off. Still, I can hold the promotion over Zhao Jinghai’s head. As long as he can get Zhao Nuanyue back under control, this matter can be resolved instantly.’

Mrs. Li’s words made Zhao Jinghai anxious as well. He never imagined Zhao Nuanyue would be so sharp. ’But for every clever trick, there’s always a way to outsmart it,’ he thought. ’Even if she’s as clever as the Monkey King, she won’t escape my grasp. I’ll get in the car and catch her right now.’

"Mrs. Li, don’t you worry," Zhao Jinghai said with a smile. "I’ll definitely find Zhao Nuanyue and bring her back. Even if she’s running away, she’s heading for the train station. Without a letter of introduction, she can’t buy a ticket. I’ll take some men to the station right now and find her. I guarantee I can catch her. Once we have her, we’ll knock her out, and then she’ll be ours to do with as we please!"

"Fine," Mrs. Li nodded. "I’ll give you one last chance. If you can’t find Zhao Nuanyue by tomorrow, then the deal is off. I don’t want an unwilling daughter-in-law who’ll just make our home noisy with arguments. It would be a complete disgrace!"

Mrs. Li’s words put immense pressure on Zhao Jinghai.

The underlying message was clear: if Zhao Jinghai couldn’t deliver on his promise by tomorrow, the promotion would have nothing to do with him.