“When I graduated from university,” Xu Lai said, “I had always had feelings for him, but because of my low self-esteem, I never dared to confess to him. Until the day of graduation, he actually came back from Australia to celebrate with me. Later, we had dinner together, and I drank some wine before I finally mustered up the courage to confess. That’s how we got together.”

"Are you sure he's only with you because he really likes you?" Qiao Wanwan didn't believe that loving someone would lead to deception, so she remained skeptical.

Xu Lai seemed to realize something, her face flushed, and she lowered her head, whispering, "Madam Zhan, I know what you're trying to say. Perhaps some men are indeed indiscriminate in their affections, readily accepting a girl like me who confesses her feelings, but he's different..."

Her voice trailed off, “Although we’re together, we haven’t had that kind of relationship. I’m rather introverted and traditional, and he respects me a lot. We agreed that we would save our first time… for our wedding night.”

Everyone: "......"

Zhan Jingting felt a little awkward, so he stood up and said, "Wanwan, you ask. I'll go outside and wait."

"......good."

After the bodyguard left with Zhan Jingting, Qiao Wanwan spoke up, "Don't be shy, it's alright. According to you, your relationship is indeed very pure, and he is quite rare. Isn't there a saying? Liking is unrestrained, but love is restrained."

“Yes, yes, I think so too!” Xu Lai looked up excitedly as if she had found a kindred spirit. “That’s why I cherish him so much! I really feel that he is a ray of light in my dark life, a blessing from my parents in heaven!”

Qiao Wanwan: "......"

“Mrs. Zhan,” Xu Lai said, her joy vanishing and replaced by worry, “you just said that the man in the photo is a murderer, but he’s clearly my boyfriend. He’s warm and kind, how could he be a murderer? You must have made a mistake!”

"After I graduated, I went to this Chaoyang Orphanage to find a job. Although the salary was not high, I felt fulfilled and happy every day. We agreed that after he quit his job and returned to Beijing to find a job, we would get married. Every weekend, we would spend time with the children at the orphanage. Later, when we have our own children, we will take them with us... My boyfriend could never be a murderer, absolutely not!"

"Don't get agitated." Qiao Wanwan didn't know what to say, so she could only continue to ask, "When was the last time you two met?"

"It was about a month ago when he came back to China to see me."

Qiao Wanwan calculated the time, and it matched perfectly.

Where did he stay after returning to China?

"Stay at a hotel."

Have you been to the hotel he stayed at?

"No, he's the one who comes to me."

"Did he suddenly go missing?"

"How did you know!" Xu Lai's fingertips trembled, and her face paled inch by inch. "One night, he suddenly stopped replying to my messages, and then disappeared for a long time before contacting me again. I asked him what happened, but he didn't say. I don't like to pry, so I didn't ask him for details."

"Mrs. Zhan, my boyfriend can't possibly be the murderer you're talking about. Your bodyguard took my phone. Give it back to me, and I'll call him right now to prove it to you!"

Just as Qiao Wanwan was about to speak, her phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen, swiped to answer the call, and said, "Hello, who is this?"

"Madam Zhan." A cold voice came, "Release her. If you have any problems, come at me."

Qiao Wanwan smiled, pressed the speakerphone button, and said, "You're quite well-informed, but I don't know whether I should call you He Songling or He Yu now?"

Xu Lai shuddered violently, staring at Qiao Wanwan's phone in disbelief!

Qiao Wanwan continued, "Mr. He, tell me, how did you know she was here with me?"

"You don't need to know this. I'll say it again: let her go."

"If they didn't install surveillance cameras in the capital, then they tracked Miss Xu Lai's phone and found out that she was detained in this place before we brought her here, right?"

"Qiao Wanwan!" He Songling's voice suddenly rose, "Let me tell you, I don't have much patience, you'd better not test my limits!"

"So you've finally revealed your bottom line?" Qiao Wanwan said coldly. "Don't worry, Miss Xu is innocent, I won't hurt her. But I hope you remember, my sister is innocent too. I'll release Miss Xu, but you have to bring Zaozao back to me safe and sound, and we'll make a trade. Let me tell you, He Songling, if my sister loses a single hair, I'll make Xu Lai lose two. If my sister loses an arm, I'll make Xu Lai lose two! You're despicable, so don't blame me for giving you a taste of your own medicine!"

"Qiao Wanwan, how dare you!"

"There's nothing I wouldn't dare to do." Qiao Wanwan sneered. "If you don't believe me, you can try and see if I dare... By the way, my patience is limited. I'll give you ten days. That should be enough time to bring Zaozao back, right? If Xu Lai doesn't see Zaozao after ten days, he's definitely dead!"

After Qiao Wanwan finished speaking, she hung up the phone immediately.

The girl opposite her was already in tears, muttering to herself, "How could this be? How could he be the person you described... No, it must be a mistake, he can't be a bad person, he can't be..."

“Miss Xu, you don’t believe it’s him, but he couldn’t possibly mistake you for someone else.” Qiao Wanwan looked at her. “You should have heard what I just said. Your whereabouts must have been within his surveillance range, which is why he knew you were here with me immediately.”

Xu Lai shook her head uncontrollably, "It doesn't matter, even if he installed surveillance cameras around me, I can forgive him, but murder is a crime... Madam Zhan, I beg you to tell me, he's not a murderer, I beg you..."

“If you want to deceive yourself, there’s nothing I can do,” Qiao Wanwan said. “Take your time to process this, because you can’t leave here for the time being. Your boyfriend kidnapped my sister, and I have to exchange you for her.”

Qiao Wanwan got up and went out. Zhan Jingting was sitting at the table watching the surveillance footage in the room.

"How's it going?" Qiao Wanwan asked, stepping forward. "Have you found He Songling's location yet?"

"Found it, it's on the border of the Golden Triangle."

"Should we send Jiang Dong to arrest him?"

“He dared to call us first, so he must be confident that we won’t catch him,” Zhan Jingting said. “Since you’ve already asked him to exchange Zaozao for her, let’s see what he does next.”

"Alright." Qiao Wanwan called over a bodyguard. "Keep a close eye on her. Make sure she doesn't get away, but make sure she doesn't get hurt."

The bodyguard nodded. "Don't worry, Madam. She can't escape from this place, and no one else can get in to rescue her."

"Um."

......

This was the best news in a while. As soon as Qiao Wanwan got home, she ran to tell Zhan Yin, who was still lying in bed recovering from his injuries.

Zhan Yin was delighted after hearing this, "That's great! I just didn't expect this guy to be so innocent?"