Chapter 62 Threat [VIP]

The dim basement smelled of mold and some indescribable pungent odor. She lay on the cold, damp floor, tightly grasping the warm hand beside her. The pervasive darkness enveloped her from all sides, and she clung even closer to the source of warmth.

"Don't be afraid, Mom and Dad will find us soon, and the police will catch all the bad guys!"

The boy next to her patted her and said comforting words that he himself didn't believe.

She nodded. She didn't know how long it had been before a little gray light came in from the air vent high up. It might have been a night, or a day. She just felt a burning pain in her stomach. She hadn't eaten for a long time.

The sound of rain outside had stopped. She pushed the boy, and they stood under the air vent, looking up at the palm-sized light source.

"No, it's too high and so small..." She shook her head.

The boy lowered his voice, "You're thinner than me, so you can get out. Once you get out, call the police. That's how we can be saved. Quick, step on my shoulders..."

She stepped on it tremblingly, and just as her hand reached the window sill, she heard a rustling sound outside the iron door.

"Hey, big brother, these two brats are really worth a fortune! A full 100 million! With this money, we brothers won't have to worry about the rest of our lives."

"Haha, it feels so good to do something big!"

"You guys go watch down there and make sure nothing happens to these two golden nuggets."

"What kind of accident could have happened? Could he have escaped down there?"

"Go quickly, what are you doing?"

With a loud "bang", the door was pushed open. The next second, she squeezed through the narrow window and ran out staggeringly with tears in her eyes.

There was still water on the ground from last night, and the gang soon discovered her escape. Cold, dark hands stretched out their hands to grab her. She dodged everywhere, but at some point she missed a step and was pulled down by a suction force.

Suddenly, a boy covered in blood grabbed her.

"Ayan——"

Lin Zhihua suddenly woke up.

A warm arm wrapped around her from behind. It was morning, but the sky was a little gloomy. Dark clouds covered the sky, and the wind whistled against the glass. It seemed that a heavy rain was brewing.

Lin Zhihua closed her eyes and drove away all the nightmares in her mind.

"A nightmare?" The man's voice was lazily like someone who had just woken up. His tone was very soft, and his lips gently brushed her cheek.

Lin Zhihua took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, I dreamed about being kidnapped when I was a child."

Fu Shengyan placed his palm on her back, patting it soothingly. He said with a smile, "Thank you, heroine, for saving my life back then. Our little heroine should be throwing left and right hooks in her dreams, knocking out a big bad guy with each punch, right?"

Lin Zhihua laughed when she heard this, and the depression and fear in her heart were actually dispelled a lot.

She closed her eyes. In fact, the scene that year was not quite the same as in her dream. Fu Shengyan held those people back, allowing her to successfully escape from the abandoned building and find the police to lead people to the exact location of the basement.

If he had really been caught...

Lin Zhihua's breathing stagnated, and a series of pleasant ringtones suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

It was the alarm she set yesterday. Lin Zhihua turned off the ringtone and saw that there were three unread messages.

One message was sent by Ye Qianxi, confirming Lin Zhihua's guess that Gu Shaochen and Bai Qingying had indeed been to Longxing Winery many times.

Lin Zhihua replied and clicked on Song Lansheng's message.

Shengshengbusi: Senior Sister, I'm taking An An on a tour of Country L. I've successfully divorced Gu Shaochen. Thank you! The lamingtons in this town are really good! We'll bring you some local specialties when we get back~

Lin Zhihua put down her phone and narrowed her eyes slightly. From what Song Lansheng said, the Gu family should not have gone to look for her, and there was no sign that they had any intention of taking the child away from her. It seemed that Gu Shaochen had probably persuaded the old man.

Bai Qingying's physical condition makes it difficult for her to conceive naturally. If there is even a slight chance, she would not think of snatching Song Lansheng's child and raising it herself.

Judging from the information Ye Qianxi sent to him, she was most likely one of the Zhou family’s clients and must know the address of the surrogacy laboratory.

*

It was past noon, and raindrops pattered against the glass windows of the cafe, blurring the outside world. Lin Zhihua sat by the window, her fingertips gently caressing the rim of her coffee cup. The rich aroma lingered on the edge, steam rising from the cup. Then the small bell hanging on the glass door chimed.

The clerk put down the rag he was using to wipe the table and gave a standard eight-tooth smile: "Welcome."

The customer ignored her. There was a gloom between her eyebrows and her eyes swept across the elegant and quiet store.

There were not many customers in the cafe. When she saw Lin Zhihua, she was obviously stunned for a moment, then adjusted her expression and walked forward slowly.

"It's you, Lin Xia," she put her bag aside. "I didn't expect you to ask me out. It's Song Lan. What do you want from me?"

Lin Zhihua didn't answer, "What would you like to drink?"

Bai Qingying didn't answer and waved for the waiter. She took a deep breath, with a mocking look on her face, "Song Lan? Tell her, it's impossible. Shaochen loves me. We will have our wedding on the second day of next month. Even if she threatens her with the child, Shaochen will not give in."

"Miss Bai, are you so sure that Gu Shaochen will love you forever and never change into a sugar cube?" she said, picking up a spoon and stirring it.

"Of course." Bai Qingying was very proud. "He has loved me for twelve years. Even if we are married, so what? I just beckoned him and he would pounce on me like a dog."

Lin Zhihua sighed softly, "So, do you think he loves you, Bai Qingying, or the little girl who saved him?"

Bai Qingying's face turned pale instantly. She picked up the coffee and took a sip.

Bai Qingying barely managed to maintain her expression. She bit her stiff tongue and struggled to suppress the turbulent waves in her heart. "How much do you know?"

Lin Zhihua blinked at her: "I know everything."

Bai Qingying stood up hurriedly, the blood in her body rushing to her head, her ears buzzing, and her limbs suddenly felt cold. She moved her lips and squeezed out a few words: "I don't understand what you are saying."

Lin Zhihua suddenly smiled. She said very considerately, "Don't be nervous. I won't tell Gu Shaochen, and neither will Song Lansheng. Don't worry, no one will compete with you for it. I'm not here to ask you for money. I just want to ask you for something. You definitely know this, and it's not a big secret."

The coffee was delivered, and the waiter looked at Bai Qingying with a hint of concern, "Miss, are you okay?"

Bai Qingying waved her hand, and the waiter placed the coffee in front of her and considerately gave her a few extra sugar cubes.

After everyone left, Bai Qingying looked around and asked in a low voice, "What's the matter?"

"Please introduce me to the surrogacy agency you went to." Facing Bai Qingying's vigilant eyes, Lin Zhihua put down the coffee.

"You're investigating me?" Bai Qingying's face turned grim. She stared at Lin Zhihua intently, and after a moment, she seemed to have figured something out. She curled her lips and said, "You're going through all this trouble, aren't you just asking me to be your recommender?"

Lin Zhi remained calm and said, "Well, they don't sound very reliable. The package prices are not cheap, up to one million, which is my income for several years."

There was a hint of contempt in Bai Qingying's eyes. She touched her bag, took out a card and threw it to Lin Zhihua.

Lin Zhihua looked down and saw that the person above her was an obstetrician from Ruian Hospital, and judging from his rank, he was a director.

"The laboratory that provides DNA editing technology is a biotechnology company owned by one of City A's super-rich families, the Wei family. Their director personally handles the operation, and they can precisely cut DNA and modify specific gene sequences. There's no chance of error. Even if something goes wrong, there's a guarantee of success. We can just go and make another one. At most, we'll have to wait a little longer."

Wei family!

Lin Zhihua's pupils suddenly constricted. She hadn't expected to find another big fish. She calmly asked, "Why didn't I see this set meal at Longxing Winery?"

Bai Qingying scoffed, "This is a hidden package, specially tailored for people like us, the upper class. Do you think DNA editing technology is something that's just commonplace? It's not something you can do just by having money."

Lin Zhihua looked up at Bai Qingying and said, "Can you be my referral so I can use this hidden package?"

"This costs eight million. Do you have that much money?" Bai Qingying curled the corners of her lips and took a sip of coffee.

Lin Zhihua smiled: "Don't you have it?"

The smile on Bai Qingying's face froze: "You!"

"Isn't my information worth eight million?" Lin Zhihua tilted her head in distress, stroking her chin. "If all else fails, I'll just go find Gu Shaochen. He shouldn't be short of eight million."

Bai Qingying took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I promise you."

Just eight million in hush money.

Bai Qingying frowned: "But you must promise me not to tell Shaochen about this, and make Song Lansheng shut up too!"

"The business card you gave me is the doctor who is in charge of gene editing?" Lin Zhihua raised the postcard she had just given her.

"How is that possible?" Bai Qingying seemed to see what she was thinking, and her eyes were slightly disdainful. "I already told you that the director personally performed the operation. You must know who the director of Wei's Biotechnology is, right? The one in your hand is responsible for embryo transplantation in the standard package."

It turned out to be him.

Lin Zhihua lowered her eyes and looked at the name on the postcard. It was the same signature as the one on Yu Miaomiao's contract in the ward of Ruian Hospital.

Lin Zhihua stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point: "Where was the embryo transplant performed?"

Thinking of the confidentiality clause, a trace of struggle flashed across Bai Qingying's face, but when she thought of the consequences of Lin Zhihua telling Gu Shaochen the truth, she gritted her teeth and said, "It's okay to tell you, it's in Ruian Hospital."

Lin Zhihua suppressed her surprise and asked aggressively, "Which building of the hospital is it in? Which floor? How can I get in? What's the house number?"

Bai Qingying thought her question was a bit strange, but didn't think much about it. "It's on the third basement floor of the inpatient department. You can only enter by swiping your employee card. I've only been there once, so how can I remember the door number?"

Lin Zhihua took a breath, her hands trembling slightly under the table. She knew that if she continued asking, Bai Qingying would become suspicious. She talked about a few irrelevant topics and hurriedly ended the conversation.

Before leaving, Bai Qingying suddenly called her, "Lawyer Lin, I hope you will keep your promise."

"Of course." Lin Zhihua raised the corner of her lips. After all, the person who least wanted Gu Shaochen to know the truth of that year, besides Bai Qingying, was Song Lansheng, one of the parties involved.

A black Cullinan stopped in front of her. Lin Zhihua opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

She removed the hidden camera and recording device, breathed a sigh of relief, and her brows relaxed.

Fu Shengyan helped her fasten her seat belt. "Officer Zhuo has already set off. We will definitely not let them get away this time."

Lin Zhihua nodded. Before she came to see Bai Qingying, she had already greeted Zhuo Jing in advance, and the video equipment was also broadcasting the entire process live.

Zhuo Jing has immediately taken people to Ruian Hospital and the laboratory, and he will definitely catch all these people in one fell swoop.