“I asked him,” Xu Lai said. “He said his parents died and he has no relatives left. He grew up in an orphanage. It’s a sad story, and he didn’t seem willing to talk about it, so I didn’t press him further.”

Qiao Wanwan nodded. "What about other things? How often does he come back to China to see you?"

“He’s very busy with work and only comes back three or four times a year. The rest of the time I fly to Australia to see him.”

"Didn't you notice anything wrong with him?"

Xu Lai thought about it carefully and shook her head. "We rarely see each other and don't live together, so I really didn't notice. He's a very thoughtful and caring person, and I completely trust and rely on him. I guess even if something was wrong, I wouldn't suspect anything."

"That's true. When you're with someone who's older than you and more knowledgeable and articulate than you, you can only be a little fangirl in front of him."

Xu Lai lowered her eyes. "It's my fault. I misjudged people, which led to this situation..."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. You should get some rest. If you think of anything, just have your bodyguard contact me. You can also tell your bodyguard directly if you need anything."

"good."

Qiao Wanwan got up and left. Although she didn't get any valuable clues, at least she cheered Xu Lai up, which was a good thing.

“Jingting, three days have passed, but there’s still no news from He Songling.”

“Who told you there was no news?” Zhan Jingting raised his hand and touched her hair. “He Songling’s phone has been on all the time, and the SIM card that can be tracked has not been destroyed.”

"Really?" Qiao Wanwan pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Someone as cautious as him couldn't be so careless, so he did it on purpose! Does he want us to follow him to find the mastermind behind this?"

“I think so too,” Zhan Jingting said coldly. “He dared to call us, so he definitely isn’t with the mastermind behind it all.”

"That's natural."

"So I suspect that he was the one who lured us away from our position, diverting our attention so that the mastermind could escape more easily."

"Possibly."

Zhan Jingting smiled and said, "Now, in order to save Xu Lai, he is not afraid of exposing his whereabouts, which is to give us the opportunity to follow him to find the mastermind. If we can bring Zaozao back, that would be the best. If Zaozao has really had an accident, then his leading us to find the mastermind is a great achievement, enough to make us release Xu Lai."

“That makes perfect sense!” Qiao Wanwan nodded repeatedly. “He’s so meticulous; every step he takes is probably carefully calculated! If we follow him, is it very likely that we can find the mastermind behind this?”

"I can't guarantee anything. What if He Songling changes his mind at the last minute, or sets a trap for us? So I just had someone follow us secretly and see what happens."

"Yes, we can't act rashly. We must ensure the safety of our own people."

"Don't worry, I've already explained everything."

"Then let's wait and see if He Songling can bring any good news."

"good."

......

Three more days passed in the blink of an eye, and He Songling still hadn't called.

Qiao Wanwan couldn't help but feel anxious. "I only gave him ten days, and six days have already passed. If he wants to deliver Zaozao to me within ten days, he has to rescue Zaozao now."

"Jingting, where is he now? Have he rescued Zaozao? Or has he met with the mastermind behind it all?"

“I’ve already asked him. He’s currently in the neighboring country. His location stopped moving two hours ago. I checked and he’s staying at a hotel, so he should be resting.”

Qiao Wanwan frowned. "So, the mastermind behind this has already escaped the Golden Triangle and gone to other countries."

"That's what I guessed before, but I didn't know where to look."

Qiao Wanwan pointed to He Songling's location on the map, "Do you think the mastermind is in this place?"

“If nothing unexpected happens, he should be here,” Zhan Jingting analyzed. “He knows very well that once we escape the Golden Triangle, we will be helpless, so there is no need to escape too far.”

“I think so too,” Qiao Wanwan said. “Then He Songling is very likely to meet him next!”

"I have already instructed our people to keep a close eye on He Songling and have contacted the local police. Once the mastermind is discovered, we will make an arrest."

"Very good!"

Several hours passed, but He Songling's position remained unchanged.

“Strange…” Qiao Wanwan looked at the red dot on the computer screen and couldn’t help but wonder, “Although it’s nighttime now, it’s only eight or nine o’clock there. Could it be that He Songling has been sleeping in his room all this time?”

"They're probably tired from traveling and want to catch up on sleep," Zhan Yin analyzed.

“But I don’t think this is like him.” Qiao Wanwan thought about it seriously, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and looked at Zhan Jingting sitting on the sofa. “Jingting, what if he left his phone at the hotel and then secretly went out to meet the mastermind behind it all!”

Zhan Jingting immediately took out his phone and made a call, "Go and verify if He Songling is really in the room."

"yes!"

About half an hour later, the bodyguard called back, "Master Zhan, I had the female bodyguard pretend to be a cleaning lady and knock on the door, but no one answered. She used the room key to open the door and went in, and He Songling was indeed not in the room. His phone was on the bedside table! I have already checked the hotel's surveillance footage."

"No need. Even if we find him, he has already done what he was supposed to do."

"I'm sorry, Master Zhan, we failed to keep an eye on them!"

"Keep an eye on it."

"yes."

After Zhan Jingting hung up the phone, Qiao Wanwan said, "Indeed, we can't blame them. There aren't enough people outside, and it's impossible to keep a close watch on them. He Songling is also very cunning, so it's not easy to keep an eye on him."

"Hmm. But if he can get Zaozao out, he should call us to help him."

"I hope so."

......

At that time, in a neighboring city far from the hotel, He Songling arrived at a house.

"Brother He, you're finally back!"

"Brother He, are you alright?"

He Songling smiled and replied to his subordinates, "I'm fine."

The masked man came out of the house, strode forward, and hugged him tightly. "Songling, you've worked hard."

"Of course, it's good that everyone is alright."

The masked man released him. "How was it? Zhan Jingting's men didn't catch up, did they?"

“I deliberately lingered at the border for a long time to make sure no one was following me before I came here to meet you. You shouldn’t have been caught.”

"That's good," the masked man said. "Next, we'll do as you said, conserve our energy, and reorganize our plans. But don't worry, I'm confident I can definitely kill Zhan Jingting and Qiao Wanwan!"

He Songling asked, "Since you're so confident, do you have a plan?"