Chapter 399: Chapter 399

The tone was somewhat gloating.

"Then don’t trouble yourself." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel⦿fire.net

Li Minglai snorted coldly: "Be cautious with Gao Jie’s case. It’s not as simple as you think. When Director Xiang arrives, say more good things to her. She has a deep background and might look out for you."

Wen Zhou glanced at him: "You called me here just to say this?"

"Don’t doubt it. Do you know what her surname is?"

Wen Zhou seemed unimpressed: "Didn’t you just say, her surname is Xiang."

Li Minglai spoke mysteriously: "Do you know the Xiang family from Jingzhou? You’ve been a cop for so many years; it’s impossible you don’t know the Xiang family. Just saying—the fact that Miss Xiang came to Qingzhou caught me off guard. Never thought this position of mine was such a coveted piece of cake..."

Li Minglai chuckled smugly as he spoke.

Wen Zhou’s face was expressionless: "What about the Xiang family?"

Li Minglai rolled his eyes: "You’re good at everything, but you lack a sense of the big picture. If you could catch Miss Xiang’s favor, you’d never have to worry for the rest of your life..."

"Well, my surname is still Wen."

Li Minglai sneered: "What’s so great about being surnamed Wen? Do you think you’re from that prominent Wen family in Jingzhou? What a pipe dream. Would someone from the Wen family be serving as a criminal police captain in a little city like Qingzhou?"

Wen Zhou pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze silently.

"Alright, I know you’re upset because I didn’t pass my position to you. To be honest, I submitted the request, but it wasn’t approved up top. What can we do? You’re too young—you need a few more years to grow. Just assist Miss Xiang well for now. If you manage to win her favor, you’ll soar to success. Maybe your old buddy here will rely on you someday."

Li Minglai continued earnestly: "This Gao Jie case is like pulling a thread that unravels everything. I’m limited in what I can do. But now, we’ve got a big shot arriving at the critical moment. How deep you can dig depends on you."

Wen Zhou nodded: "Got it. Safe travels."

Something felt oddly off.

Gao Yuyue walked into the school gate, unsurprised by the complex looks coming her way from all directions.

She held her head high, her usual proud demeanor unchanged, walking straight forward without glancing around.

The mocking and sarcastic remarks were utterly unhidden.

Indeed, Gao Yuyue had been too arrogant in the past, offending quite a few people. Back then, relying on her family background, people resented her but didn’t dare speak out. Now that the Gao family had collapsed, even schadenfreude seemed like a courtesy.

The Gao family had fallen, but her maternal relatives were still quite influential.

Among Qingzhou’s established elite families, they were definitely noteworthy.

Though in recent years, they’d kept a very low profile, rarely appearing in the public eye, leaving many people unaware.

Those in the know didn’t openly deride her, but the murmurs and snide remarks behind her back were inevitable.

Snubbing the fallen while worshipping the powerful—this was just the way of the world.

Gao Yuyue turned around and saw Shen You’an walking toward her. She couldn’t resist sniffing her nose.

She didn’t want to admit it, but the cold weather was clearly making her nose run.

Shen You’an handed her a hard-boiled egg and a bottle of warm milk: "My aunt gave it to me. I couldn’t finish it all."

Gao Yuyue felt the warmth in her palm, and her cold heart seemed to thaw as if a spring breeze had passed through, filling her with warmth.

"I called you yesterday. Why didn’t you answer?"

Shen You’an replied calmly: "Oh, I was kidnapped yesterday."

Liu Runxi’s abduction was deeply concealed by Helian Yu; only a handful of people knew about it.

Gao Yuyue had hired someone to keep tabs on Gao Jie and learned he was arrested last night. Early this morning, she’d gone to the police station to dig for information.

Thus, she wasn’t aware that Gao Jie’s arrest was related to Liu Runxi’s kidnapping. Even less did she know Shen You’an was involved.

So when Shen You’an said, in an entirely nonchalant tone, that she’d been kidnapped yesterday, Gao Yuyue almost dropped the milk in her hand.

She turned her head in disbelief, wondering if she’d misheard: "What did you say?"

"Yesterday, Liu Runxi and I went to the city library to study. We were kidnapped by a gang of criminals. But Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu were bold and resourceful. With the help of the police, they quickly found us. Fortunately, both Liu and I were unharmed."

Gao Yuyue confirmed Shen You’an wasn’t lying, and her inner shock was palpable.

Though her words were lighthearted, the turmoil behind the scenes must have been unimaginable.

Their escape was partly due to the Liu family’s efforts and partly sheer luck.

But if something had gone wrong, the consequences would have been dire.

Gao Yuyue suddenly thought of something.

Liu Runxi was kidnapped yesterday, and Gao Jie was arrested that night.

Wasn’t that a bit too coincidental?

She hadn’t been idle yesterday either, hiring a private investigator to dig into Gao Jie.

She knew this man wasn’t someone easily caught in a trap. She’d been struggling to gather evidence against him when suddenly, he was arrested.

She hoped the police would step up this time and completely bring Gao Jie to justice.

If only she could obtain more incriminating evidence—Qing Hong was one lead, but it wasn’t enough.

Lost in thought, Gao Yuyue furrowed her brows, entirely oblivious to the faint smile playing on the lips of the girl beside her.