The CEO's Substitute Ex-Wife
Chapter 231: Disappearance

Chapter 231: Disappearance

Wen Nuan was quite drunk, but remarkably well-behaved, allowing Ye Feimo to hold her. Just as they entered the car, Wen Nuan’s phone rang. He saw the caller ID was from her family. Ye Feimo answered, and Mrs. Wen’s voice came through, asking Wen Nuan to come home for New Year’s. Ye Feimo said, "Auntie, today we attended a friend’s wedding, and Nuan Nuan drank too much. I’ll tell her when she wakes up."

Mrs. Wen, hearing that Wen Nuan was drunk, became very concerned and insisted that Wen Nuan come home. Wen Nuan hadn’t had many activities these past few days and had already told Mrs. Wen that she would go home after the wedding.

Ye Feimo didn’t want to refuse Mrs. Wen, so he could only say that he would take her home now.

Wen Nuan’s parents were reasonable people. He hadn’t even fully won over Wen Nuan yet, so he certainly couldn’t offend his future mother-in-law. Wen Nuan was so drunk that she was oblivious, not even knowing when Ye Feimo carried her through the door of her home.

"Why is she so drunk?" Mrs. Wen wrung out a towel to wipe Wen Nuan’s face. Ye Feimo said softly, "Today was her good friend’s wedding. She had a few extra drinks, and her tolerance isn’t very good to begin with."

"This child..." Mrs. Wen complained. Ye Feimo exited the room. Mrs. Wen found pajamas for Wen Nuan to change into so she could sleep more comfortably. Mr. Wen was downstairs. It was the first day of the New Year, so they exchanged congratulations for good fortune. Wen Jing, however, was being informal, reaching out for a red envelope. Ye Feimo didn’t have any red envelopes on him. Mr. Wen chuckled, "Don’t mind her, she’s just fooling around."

"I’m not fooling around! It’s New Year’s, so you should give red envelopes," Wen Jing said. Ye Feimo thought for a moment, then smiled and said he’d make it up to her on New Year’s Eve. Only then did Wen Jing give up. Mrs. Wen came downstairs, brought Ye Feimo some tea, and invited him to stay for dinner.

Ye Feimo politely declined, saying that Tang Shuwen’s wedding might have many lingering details to attend to, so he wouldn’t eat there. Mrs. Wen and Mr. Wen didn’t stop him. As he was leaving, he coincidentally ran into Fang Liucheng.

Ye Feimo’s brow furrowed. Fang Liucheng also hadn’t expected to see him at the Wen family home. He couldn’t help but wonder if Mrs. Wen and Mr. Wen had already accepted him. Given Ye Feimo’s notorious reputation, it would be difficult to gain the approval of the elderly couple.

Thinking this, Fang Liucheng smiled faintly and greeted Ye Feimo cordially. In front of Wen Nuan’s parents, Ye Feimo didn’t have his usual arrogance and surprisingly extended a hand to greet Fang Liucheng.

They exchanged a few pleasantries. Mrs. Wen and Mr. Wen exchanged an awkward glance. Ye Feimo didn’t say much more to Fang Liucheng and drove away. On the way back, however, he thought a great deal.

Wen Nuan and Fang Liucheng, childhood sweethearts, innocent and inseparable. If not for that twist of fate, they would likely have married.

His hands tightened, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he pressed the accelerator, speeding forward.

At seventeen, he met her. The sun was bright, and under the wisteria trellis, the girl’s singing was enchanting. In that instant, he thought he had met the angel of his life. Later, trials and tribulations ravaged the beautiful angel, destroying their love. After more than a year of dating, and seven years of unrequited love, through ups and downs, love had been eroded by time. All that remained was a lingering infatuation.

At twenty-five, he met the angel of his life again. He already knew he had lost her once and absolutely could not lose her a second time. Repeating past mistakes was a mistake his youthful recklessness would have made; history could not repeat itself. That youthful elegy became an eternal memory, to be buried only in remembrance. The past was like fleeting clouds, and having her by his side in the future was the life he truly desired.

He was willing to shed all his pride to win her back. A man should be weak when necessary, and what harm was there in being weak once in front of his woman? Being vulnerable once to win a lifetime – by any calculation, it was a worthwhile trade.

Her soft reminder echoed in his ears. He loved to drive fast, and she always reminded him to drive carefully. A faint smile curved his lips.

He would win her back and make her remind him to drive carefully for the rest of his life.

Just as he was thinking about Wen Nuan, he received a call from Cheng Anya. Wen Lan and Xiao Nian were in trouble.

Ye Feimo’s brow furrowed, and he drove towards the Tang family home.

The wedding was still ongoing, but the reception had been handed over to Mr. and Mrs. Lin. The news of Wen Lan and Xiao Nian’s disappearance was also kept under wraps, known only to a select few. When Ye Feimo arrived, the entire family had solemn expressions.

Wen Lan and Xiao Nian were missing.

The Tang family members had grave faces. Young Master Ye Third, Cheng Anya, and Mr. and Mrs. Ye Ningyuan were all there, and everyone’s expression was grim. Tang Si and Tang Shuwen’s faces were particularly dark. Several computers were set up in the living room, and phone lines were equipped with tracking devices.

Chen Xueru sat on the sofa. Tang Shuwen held her shoulder, comforting her repeatedly, but her face remained pale.

Monitoring cameras were installed throughout the wedding venue, but the perpetrators were skilled. The monitors from that period were damaged, and no records of that time were found. Ye Ningyuan was checking all vehicles that had entered, a massive and difficult task, as there were too many wedding vehicles today.

Moreover, there were many vehicles coming and going, including those transporting kitchen supplies. There was too much traffic. Ye Feimo helped review some of the video footage. Ye Ningyuan had already checked all monitors near the restrooms, and there were no unusual issues.

The park was large, with a total of ten restrooms. There were also four restrooms near the banquet hall. While reviewing the footage, Ye Feimo unexpectedly saw Wen Nuan and that man in an intimate scene, and his face instantly darkened.

Du Di...

The two couldn’t be heard speaking. Wen Nuan was drunk and probably didn’t even know where she was. Du Di wasn’t someone who would take advantage of another; he left like a gentleman. After this segment of the video, there was a blank.

This meant that when he and Wen Nuan were there, Wen Lan and Xiao Nian should not have been in trouble yet.

"Feimo, did you hear anything unusual in that area?"

Ye Feimo shook his head. His entire focus had been on Wen Nuan; he hadn’t paid attention to his surroundings.

Tang Si and Wen Lan had been married for so many years, and this was only the second time Wen Lan had been kidnapped. The last kidnapping was more than a decade ago. At that time, Longmen had offended someone, who sought revenge on Tang Si and captured Wen Lan and Tang Shuwen. Mother and son almost lost their lives. Since then, Tang Si had been very careful about Wen Lan’s safety; she was always protected wherever she went and rarely left alone.

He had been out of the jianghu for so many years, living peacefully, especially after Tang Shuwen took over the family business and Longmen. His guard had loosened, and there had been no problems in recent years.

Unexpectedly, something happened on the wedding day, and Xiao Nian also disappeared.

Tang Shuwen had already mobilized all Longmen brothers in A City to block escape routes and conduct thorough searches at every intersection, leaving no stone unturned. Longmen’s main power was in North America, but A City was not to be underestimated either.

Chen Xueru’s body was cold and trembling. She was worried about Wen Lan and even more about Xiao Nian. If anything happened to the child, she feared she would collapse. Tang Shuwen entrusted everything to the Ye Ningyuan brothers, wanting to help Chen Xueru upstairs to rest, but she insisted on waiting in the hall for news.