Chapter 13: Video
Sitting on the leather sofa in the room, Wen Xubai propped his chin with one hand, while the other tapped rhythmically on the armrest…
Outside the window, neon lights illuminated the night, showcasing the city’s prosperity.
The computer on the desk in front of him emitted a faint white glow. It had been turned on for a long time, yet it remained stuck on the desktop screen.
The slight electronic hum of the hard drive spinning seemed particularly piercing in the silent room.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Xubai finally pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion, his gaze fixing on the black USB drive beside the computer.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally picked up the USB drive and inserted it into the computer’s USB port.
Tapping the mouse lightly, he expertly opened the file. The first thing that caught his eye was a video file.
This video was very long, lasting up to six hours.
Wen Xubai sat quietly at the desk, watching in silence.
The beginning of the video was unremarkable. In the backyard of the mansion, the sunlight was just right; it must have been early morning.
Only a few servants watering flowers and cleaning, along with workers specifically for weeding, came and went sporadically…
Until…
Wen Xubai’s gaze suddenly froze.
In the video, a woman with long hair wearing a beige dress slowly pushed open the door and walked out.
Ruan Qing.
Wen Xubai narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing his attention even more.
The surveillance footage was too old and somewhat blurry, yet it couldn’t hide the noble aura surrounding the woman.
Her every elegant move and gesture exuded a dignity and composure that could only be nurtured through a good upbringing from childhood.
He couldn’t see her expression clearly, but Wen Xubai thought: She must be smiling.
The woman gently opened the garden door but only leaned half of her body out, as if making room for someone.
The next second, Wen Xubai knew the answer.
A little boy who looked no more than five or six years old stumbled out of the house, followed by a slightly older boy, who likely wasn’t over ten either.
Ruan Qing clapped her hands. Only after both of them came out the door did she gently close it.
The little boy was very lively. As soon as he came out, he was like a horse off its reins, running and chasing all over the wide lawn.
The slightly older boy, however, appeared a bit reserved, seemingly somewhat at a loss.
Ruan Qing must have realized the boy’s awkwardness, so she proactively took out a rubber ball.
At first, the older boy was a bit hesitant to let go, but gradually, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the game, having a great time.
If this video didn’t lack sound, Wen Xubai thought the sound of their laughter and joy would probably shatter his eardrums.
The servants nearby thoughtfully prepared thirst-quenching drinks and exquisite pastries, and set up a parasol, ready to serve the masters at any moment.
But the two children only rested briefly before pulling their mother up again, begging her to play with them some more.
Ruan Qing seemed to shake her head helplessly, but ultimately couldn’t resist the children’s eager gazes and joined them in play again.
Ruan Qing stood protectively in front of the younger child, opening her palms, pretending to block the other child’s pounce.
But when the other child really pounced over, she scooped him into her arms and planted several big kisses on him.
Looking at this harmonious scene, even Wen Xubai couldn’t help but curve his lips upward.
But in the next second, Ruan Qing seemed to spot something. Her head-turning motion abruptly stopped. She simply turned to give a few instructions to the two servants nearby, then immediately got up and ran out!
What was it?
Wen Xubai frowned slightly, staring for a moment in the direction Ruan Qing had left.
Unfortunately, that was a blind spot for the surveillance camera; nothing could be seen.
Meanwhile, with Ruan Qing gone, another servant took her place, continuing to play with the two young masters.
Wen Xubai looked at that servant carefully for a few moments, confirming he wasn’t mistaken.
It was Zhang Xiu.
While they were playing, the older child—whether he tripped over something or suddenly twisted his ankle—fell straight down!
A child’s skin is the most delicate, and the backyard was full of rough grass.
Both boys were wearing short sleeves and shorts, exposing large areas of skin. With such a heavy fall, one didn’t need to look to know that the skin would inevitably be scraped.
Sure enough, the boy fell to the ground and instantly covered his eyes, bursting into a loud “waaah” of tears!
Several servants panicked instantly, swarming forward in a flurry to help the young master up, hurriedly taking him into the house!
The scene was chaotic; everyone’s attention was focused on the injured boy.
Wen Xubai’s pupils constricted sharply, and he slammed the pause button!
Right here!
Wen Xubai zoomed in on the back door of the garden. In the blurry image, a figure wearing a hat could be vaguely seen.
Wen Xubai continued to enlarge the image to the maximum extent.
On the screen, the profile of the visitor was prominently displayed.
Unfortunately, the surveillance footage was simply too blurry; it was impossible to see clearly who it was. Only from the slender figure could he barely judge that it was likely a woman.
Wen Xubai saw the person wave towards the inside of the garden.
The next second, a little boy ran over.
It was precisely the five or six-year-old boy from earlier.
At first, the boy bit his finger, seemingly a bit hesitant. But upon seeing the red toy car in the person’s hand, he immediately disregarded everything else and ran over with a smile.
Wen Xubai’s heart sank instantly.
If he guessed correctly, this little boy… must be the “Third Young Master” who went missing in the car accident.
When the child got close, the woman covered the little boy’s mouth, seemingly afraid of being discovered by others. She looked around in a panic, then quickly picked up the child and ran.
Less than five minutes later, Ruan Qing returned. Seeing the empty backyard, she froze.
Coincidentally, one of the servants also rushed back, and the two met face-to-face.
Ruan Qing grabbed the servant’s arm directly, her mouth moving; she must have been asking about the child’s whereabouts.
The servant was also bewildered. Turning to look in the direction of the backyard, she instantly covered her mouth, her face pale with shock.
Wen Xubai clearly saw Ruan Qing’s tall body sway.
The servant must have noticed her mistress’s distress and reached out to support her, only to have her arm swatted away.
Holding up her skirt, Ruan Qing sprinted into the backyard, shouting and searching everywhere!
But in the end, she stopped in front of the back door, which was still ajar—clearly just opened by someone.
Even through the screen, Wen Xubai could feel Ruan Qing’s terror.
Her child was lost, and the back door was wide open.
Anyone could guess there were only two possibilities:
One, the child ran out on his own.
Two, someone took the child away.
But regardless of which one it was, for a mother, it was a devastating catastrophe.
Sure enough, Ruan Qing broke down instantly, screaming with her head in her hands. The next second, she rushed out frantically!
The video ended there.
Wen Xubai moved his fingers slightly, rewinding the video to the moment Ruan Qing had just brought the children to the backyard. He slowed down the playback speed and watched it repeatedly.
That woman had already arrived halfway through the mother and children’s game, standing outside the fence, watching for who knows how long.
Unwilling to give up, Wen Xubai zoomed in on the woman’s face again. But the image was still like a mosaic; apart from a blotch of skin color, nothing could be seen clearly.
The fingers resting on the mouse tightened slowly. Wen Xubai felt as if his heart was about to stop beating.
No wonder…
No wonder back then, no matter how the Wen and Ruan families searched, no matter how much manpower and resources they mobilized, no matter how intense the rescue efforts were—even wishing they could drain the entire highway sea—they couldn’t find a single trace of the “Third Young Master”…
Because they had been misled from the very beginning…
From the very beginning, that child… was never in the car at all!
“That day… there was clearly only one child!”
Li Haiqing’s words echoed endlessly in Wen Xubai’s mind. Wen Xubai clutched his head abruptly, recalling the scene from that day once again…
Flames reaching the sky, explosions, cries of pain…
The smell of gasoline and blood constantly filling his nose, his vision obscured by blood—whether his own or his parents’, he didn’t know…
Pain, so much pain.
Every bone in his body felt crushed. His small, thin body was trapped between two adults, unable to move…
“Xiao Che… don’t be afraid… Mom is here…”
A weak voice sounded slowly in his ear, and gradually… fell silent.
Scared…
Even Wen Xubai’s knuckles were trembling. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, desperately suppressing the tumultuous and chaotic memories in his mind! Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, flowing down his neck and into his shirt…
Why?
Why?
Since this video is in the Wen house, how could the Wen family not know???
Why did everyone default to thinking the child was in the car???
Was someone deliberately concealing and misleading? Or was there another conspiracy?
Who was the person who took the child?
What is their relationship with the Wen family?
What exactly was their motive?
And where is that child now?
Wen Xubai slammed his fist onto the table, leaning heavily on it as he took several deep breaths.
Only when his breathing had calmed down with difficulty and his chaotic thoughts had cleared somewhat did Wen Xubai finally relax again.
As if all the strength had been drained from his body, Wen Xubai slumped backward abruptly, his head hitting the soft back of the sofa.
Then, he picked up the phone beside him, scrolled down the contact list, found a familiar number, and dialed it.
The call was connected very quickly.
A bright voice came from the other end: “Hello? Boss?”
“I’ll send you a video in a moment. Restore the image quality for me within 24 hours.”
With that, without waiting for a response, Wen Xubai hung up the phone.
At the same time, a knock suddenly sounded on the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
“Third Young Master, the Master would like to invite you to the living room.”
Recommended Reads
