video
Sitting on the leather sofa in the room, Wen Xubai rested his chin on one hand, while the other hand tapped the armrest of the sofa absently...
The lights and neon signs outside the window proclaim the prosperity of this city.
The computer on the table in front of me emitted a faint white light. It had been turned on for a long time, but it remained on the desktop.
The faint hum of the computer hard drive was particularly jarring in the quiet room.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Xubai finally rubbed his temples wearily, his gaze fixed on the black USB drive next to the computer.
After hesitating for a moment, I finally picked up the USB drive and plugged it into the computer's USB port.
With a light tap of the mouse, I skillfully opened the file, and what I saw was a video file.
This video is very long, lasting up to six hours.
Wen Xubai sat quietly at the table, watching in silence.
The beginning of the video is nothing special; the sun is shining brightly in the backyard of the mansion, it must be a very early morning.
Only a few servants watering the flowers and cleaning, and farm workers weeding, came and went intermittently...
until······
Wen Xubai's gaze suddenly froze.
In the video, a long-haired woman wearing a beige dress slowly pushes open the door and walks out.
Ruan Qing.
Wen Xubai narrowed his eyes, focusing his attention even more intently.
The surveillance footage was old and somewhat blurry, but it still couldn't hide the woman's air of nobility.
Every elegant movement and gesture reflects the poise and composure cultivated through a good education from a young age.
He couldn't see her expression clearly, but Wen Xubai thought: she must be smiling.
The woman gently opened the manor gate, but only poked half 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, but probably no more than ten years old.
Ruan Qing clapped her hands and waited until the two of them came out of the door before gently closing it.
The little boy was very lively. As soon as he came out, he ran and chased around on the wide grass like a horse that had been released from its reins.
The slightly older boy, on the other hand, seemed a bit reserved and somewhat at a loss.
Ruan Qing must have realized the boy's embarrassment, so she took out a ball.
At first, the older boy was a little reserved, but gradually he became fully immersed in the game and had a great time.
If the video hadn't been silent, Wen Xubai thought the sound of their laughter and chatter would have shattered his eardrums.
The servants nearby thoughtfully prepared thirst-quenching drinks and delicate pastries, and even held up a parasol, ready to serve their masters at any time.
The two children, however, only rested briefly before immediately pulling their mother to her feet again, begging her to play with them once more.
Ruan Qing shook her head helplessly, but in the end, she couldn't resist the children's longing eyes and started playing with them again.
Ruan Qinghu, in front of the younger child, opened his palms, pretending to block another child's lunge.
When the other child actually rushed over, he grabbed the child and hugged him tightly, kissing him several times.
Seeing this harmonious scene, even Wen Xubai couldn't help but smile.
But the next second, Ruan Qing seemed to see something, and her head-turning movement suddenly stopped. She turned her head and said a few words to the two servants beside her, then immediately got up and ran out!
What is it?
Wen Xubai frowned slightly and stared at the direction Ruan Qing left for a moment.
Unfortunately, that was a blind spot for surveillance cameras, so nothing could be seen.
Meanwhile, after Ruan Qing left, another servant took her place and continued to play with the two young masters.
Wen Xubai looked at the servant carefully for a few moments to make sure he wasn't mistaken.
It was Zhang Xiu.
While they were playing, the older child tripped over something or twisted his ankle and fell down!
A child's skin is the most delicate, and the backyard is full of rough grass.
Both boys were wearing short sleeves and shorts, with large areas of their skin exposed. After such a heavy fall, it was obvious without even looking that they would get scrapes and bruises.
Sure enough, the boy fell to the ground and immediately covered his eyes and burst into tears!
Several servants panicked instantly and rushed over, hurriedly helping the young master up and frantically leading him into the house!
The scene was chaotic, and everyone's attention was focused on the injured boy.
Wen Xubai's pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly pressed the pause button!
This is it!
Wen Xubai zoomed in on the back gate of the manor, and in the blurry image, a person wearing a hat could be vaguely seen.
Wen Xubai continued to zoom in on the image until it reached its maximum size.
The person's profile was suddenly revealed on the screen.
Unfortunately, the surveillance footage was too blurry to make out who it was. Only their thin frame allowed for the rough indication that it was a woman.
Wen Xubai saw that the person waved towards the manor.
The next second, a little boy ran over.
It was that five or six-year-old boy from earlier.
The boy was biting his finger at first, seemingly hesitant, but when he saw the red toy car in the person's hand, he immediately ignored everything and ran over with a smile.
Wen Xubai's heart sank instantly.
If he wasn't mistaken, this little boy... should be the "Third Young Master" who went missing in the car accident.
As the child approached, the woman covered the little boy's head, seemingly afraid of being discovered. She looked around in a panic, then quickly picked up the child and ran away.
Less than five minutes later, Ruan Qing returned and was stunned to see the empty backyard.
Just then, one of the servants returned, and the two met face to face.
Ruan Qing grabbed the maid's arm and opened her mouth, presumably asking about the child's whereabouts.
The maid was stunned. She turned her head and looked towards the backyard, then immediately covered her mouth, horrified.
Wen Xubai clearly saw Ruan Qing's tall figure sway.
The maid must have noticed her mistress's loss of composure and tried to reach out to help her, but the other woman slapped her arm away.
Ruan Qing lifted her skirt and ran quickly to the backyard, shouting and searching everywhere!
But in the end, it stopped in front of the back door, which was still ajar and clearly had been opened recently.
Even through the screen, Wen Xubai could feel Ruan Qing's fear.
Their own child is missing, but the back door is wide open.
Anyone can guess that there are only two possibilities:
1. The child ran out on his own.
Second, someone took the child away.
Either way, it would be a devastating blow to a mother.
As expected, Ruan Qing broke down immediately, clutching her head and screaming. The next second, she rushed out!
That concludes the video.
Wen Xubai twitched his fingers slightly, rewinding the video to the scene when Ruan Qinggang brought the child to the backyard, slowing it down, and watching it repeatedly.
The woman had arrived when the mother and her two children were halfway through their game, and she stood outside the fence, watching for who knows how long.
Undeterred, Wen Xubai zoomed in on the woman's face again, but the image remained pixelated, revealing nothing but a patch of skin color.
As Wen Xubai's fingers tightened on the mouse, he felt as if his heart was about to stop beating.
No wonder...
No wonder that back then, no matter how hard the Wen and Ruan families searched, no matter how much manpower and resources they mobilized, no matter how great the search and rescue efforts were—even to the point of wanting to fill up the entire highway—they couldn't find a single trace of the "Third Young Master"...
Because they were misled from the very beginning...
From the very beginning, that child... wasn't even in the car!
"That day... there was clearly only one child!"
Li Haiqing's words kept echoing in Wen Xubai's mind. Wen Xubai suddenly clutched his head, recalling the scene from that day once more...
Flames soared into the sky, explosions rang out, screams of pain filled the air...
The smell of gasoline and blood filled his nostrils, and his vision was blurred by what he couldn't tell if it was his own blood or that of his parents...
It hurts, it hurts so much.
His bones felt as if they had been crushed; his small, thin body was trapped between two adults, unable to move...
"Xiao Che... don't be afraid... Mommy's here..."
A weak voice slowly rose in my ears, and then... it fell silent.
Fear······
Wen Xubai's knuckles trembled. He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately suppressing the chaotic memories churning in his mind! Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, flowing down his neck and soaking into his shirt...
Why?
Why?
Since this video is in the Wen family's possession, how could the Wen family not know about it?
Why does everyone assume that the child was in the car?
Is someone deliberately concealing or misleading the truth? Or is there some other conspiracy?
Who took the child away?
What is their relationship with the Wen family?
What exactly is their purpose?
Where is that child now?
Wen Xubai slammed his fist on the table and took a few deep breaths while supporting himself on the table.
Once his breathing had finally calmed down and his chaotic thoughts had cleared up a bit, Wen Xubai was finally able to relax again.
As if all his strength had been drained, Wen Xubai leaned back abruptly, slamming his head into the soft back of the sofa.
Then, he picked up his phone, scrolled down the contact list, found a familiar number, and dialed it.
The call was answered quickly.
A bright voice came from the other end of the conversation: "Hello? Boss?"
"I'll send you a video in a bit. Please help me restore the video quality within 24 hours."
After saying that, Wen Xubai hung up the phone without waiting for a response from the other end.
At the same time, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Knock knock knock—"
"Third Young Master, the Master would like to invite you to the living room."
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