Chapter 174: Chapter 174

The weather was terrible, and the flight to Beicheng was delayed by seven hours.

Fu Jichen stayed in Paris for almost ten hours during which he sent messages to Shen Jianian, but received no response.

As it was nighttime, he assumed she was sleeping and refrained from calling her, so as not to disturb her rest, thinking she would see his message in the morning and know he would be home late.

At 5:15 in the morning, Fu Jichen and his two companions boarded the flight to Beicheng at Charles de Gaulle Airport, eager to return home.

Lu Yanzhi dozed fitfully several times on the plane. Each time he awoke with squinting sleepy eyes, he could see Fu Da looking energized in the neighboring seat, and couldn’t help but tease him, "I’ve seen people skip meals for love, but never skip sleep for it."

Fu Jichen was in no mood for jokes, frequently checking his watch and calculating the landing time.

Around 11:50 p.m., the plane landed at the Capital International Airport, Terminal 2, surrounded by bright lights.

Qu Mo had been waiting in the airport parking lot two hours in advance. He had talked to Zheng Yi by phone that afternoon and learned some information, waiting with a solemn expression, unsure how to break the news to his boss.

Zheng Yi was the driver and bodyguard responsible for Shen Jianian’s safety, initially assigned by Fu Jichen through Qu Mo.

Qu Mo was someone close to Fu Jichen. When Zheng Yi encountered trouble and couldn’t reach Fu Jichen, he had to discuss it with Qu Mo.

However, the outcome was so unexpected that even Qu Mo couldn’t decide what to do.

The first thing Fu Jichen did after getting off the plane was to turn on his phone which had been off for twelve hours. Missed call alerts flooded in; a rough glance revealed some were business calls from senior executives, others were personal calls from people like Cheng Jin and Zheng Yi, along with several unmarked calls from strangers, but none were from the one person he eagerly thought of.

Fu Jichen frowned, checking messages on other communication apps as he walked.

He didn’t frequently use WeChat, but Shen Jianian liked it. He opened it to see there wasn’t a single word, feeling something wasn’t right.

"Watch where you’re going, Fu Da," Lu Yanzhi cautioned. They just narrowly avoided bumping into a passerby, thankfully the other person reacted quickly and stepped aside in time.

Just then, Qu Mo called, explaining the specific location of the car park to his boss. On the phone, it was rare for Qu Mo’s tone to be hesitant and filled with unspoken tension.

This was unusual, and Fu Jichen instantly sensed something was wrong, asking, "Did something happen?"

He didn’t specifically ask if something happened to Shen Jianian, clearly already having an inkling.

Qu Mo was silent for a few seconds, then opened his mouth with difficulty, "I’ll explain everything to you in person."

Inside Fu Jichen, his heart was racing as he hurried toward the parking lot, with Song Fang and Lu Yanzhi struggling to keep up with his pace.

Upon reaching the parked Maybach, Qu Mo was standing by the car, smoking a cigarette. Seeing his boss approach, he hurriedly discarded the cigarette butt and crushed it with the tip of his shoe.

As soon as the back seat car door opened, Fu Jichen got in and directly asked, "What happened to Shen Jianian?"

Song Fang and Lu Yanzhi, who followed right behind and just sat in the car, were suddenly confronted with this question, leaving them stunned and clueless about the situation.

Facing a cold and stern expression, Qu Mo’s heart filled with anxiety, and his Adam’s apple bobbed twice before he spoke despite others being present, "Miss Shen had an incident."

Even before Fu Jichen could press for details, he decisively laid it all out.

"The housekeeper at Yunding Palace found Miss Shen missing in the morning. When she asked the gatekeeper, she learned that Miss Shen went out last night and never returned. Panicking, she informed Zheng Yi of the situation, and he immediately pulled up the surveillance to investigate Miss Shen’s whereabouts."

Ever since Shen Jianian came to Beicheng, Zheng Yi had been by her side, personally witnessing Mr. Fu’s attention to her, daring not to slack off even a bit, mobilizing all available resources.

It was found that Shen Jianian had left Yunding Palace and got into a taxi heading for the airport. Based on her personal information, it was deduced that the flight was headed to Jiang City.

Jiang City is very far from Beicheng, and the investigation faced obstacles, leading them to seek help from Qu Mo.

With a broader network, Qu Mo immediately connected with sources in Jiang City to track Shen Jianian’s moves after landing.

Upon investigation, they discovered that Jiang City’s renowned Cross River Bridge had a car accident in the early hours, involving an unidentified female passenger who was very likely to be Shen Jianian.

Getting this news left not only Zheng Yi but also Qu Mo, who was used to challenges, flustered, unable to fathom how the boss would react upon learning this incident after returning.

The case is still under investigation, with related evidence held by the police. Acquiring more detailed information was indeed quite challenging.

The account from Qu Mo’s mouth was already a simplified version.

Inside the car, dead silence spread. Song Fang and Lu Yanzhi were shocked into silence. Especially Lu Yanzhi, sitting next to Fu Jichen, could feel the chilling aura emanating from him.

Lu Yanzhi glanced over, the man’s hard and cold face seemed like it was covered with an iron-gray mask, exuding a repressive aura.

"Fu Da, maybe it’s a mistake. Didn’t Qu Mo say that they didn’t find the ID of the female passenger? It might not necessarily be Shen Jianian." Lu Yanzhi’s comforting words seemed pale.

Fu Jichen loosened his tie knot, got out of the car without a word.

Song Fang and Qu Mo reacted a few seconds later and followed him. Lu Yanzhi gritted his molars, thinking he didn’t have anything else to deal with for now, so he followed too to see if he could help.

Fu Da dared to confront the elder in the family for that Shen Jianian. If it really was her who was in trouble, what would become of Fu Da, he didn’t know.

One thing he didn’t understand was why Shen Jianian, who was just fine, would buy a ticket to Jiang City in the middle of the night.

The four returned to the airport lobby, planning to fly to Jiang City overnight according to Fu Jichen’s intention; he had to confirm with his own eyes. Until he saw her, he wouldn’t believe anyone’s words.

He didn’t believe she would die, let alone that she would leave Beicheng, leave him.

Song Fang was checking flight tickets on his mobile while walking, but unfortunately, the last direct flight had taken off three hours ago, and the connecting flights took too long, the boss certainly wouldn’t want to wait. Then he checked for high-speed trains and regular trains, but there were no departures in the early morning.

If they drove, it would take nearly twelve hours.

In the past, Song Fang could calmly and coolly handle any situation, but this time was so tricky that his palms were sweating, and he had to tell the boss the truth.

Fu Jichen paused his steps, his stern face giving an impression of being unapproachable, yet the bloodshot in his eyes added a touch of vulnerability to his look.

No matter how strong and fearless a person is, they will reveal a vulnerable side when encountering certain things. As long as they are human, there will be things they care about, they will have weaknesses.

Fu Jichen took out his phone from the pocket of his western trousers, made a call, said one or two brief sentences, turned around, and stepped out of the airport, his silhouette lonely, as if no one could integrate into his world.

Lu Yanzhi sighed and followed silently.

At 1:30 in the morning, they boarded a helicopter heading to Jiang City.

Amid the loud noise of the rotors, Lu Yanzhi looked at the night view of Beicheng after a heavy rain, the sporadic lights below entering his eyes, offering no warmth, only a sense of desolation.

The last time he took a helicopter was when the old man in his family had a kidney transplant. The situation was urgent, flying from Yicheng to Beicheng, landing on the hospital rooftop...

Lu Yanzhi put on his noise-canceling headphones, his gaze fell on the person beside him. Fu Jichen had taken off his tie, casually wrapping it around his hand. His back leaned against the seat, but his body was still upright, looking invincible, indicating how chaotic he might be inside.

Originally full of joy to come back and see his sweetheart, he heard the bad news just after landing. It was already not easy to maintain a facade of calmness.

In the dead of night, the suburb funeral parlor of Jiang City, due to its remote location, was surrounded by messy grass and trees, swaying in the wind, creating a rustling sound that added an air of desolate melancholy.

The unclaimed female passenger’s body lay in the morgue, worried that it would be difficult for the family to identify. Her clothes and jewelry were still on her, covered with a white sheet.

The staff led Fu Jichen over, while the other three waited outside.

Lu Yanzhi, busy for several days in Switzerland, caught some sleep during the long flight. By this time, his body inevitably felt a bit tired, so to refresh himself, he lit a cigarette, standing at the bottom of the steps, taking draws absentmindedly.

The funeral home staff had been called up in the middle of the night without a trace of complaint, only because they’ve been informed that someone important from Beicheng was coming.

This distinguished personage was dressed in a tailored black suit without a tie, the collar of his white shirt neatly arranged. Despite some creases on his clothes, it didn’t affect the noble aura he exuded.

His leather shoes tapped on the tiled floor, echoing in the deserted hallway.

Fu Jichen walked to the frame bed, the female corpse’s arm exposed outside the white sheet, wearing a light blue sleeve, the cuff adorned with a delicate platinum sleeve button in the shape of a rose.

Shen Jianian had a coat , designed by a well-known designer. There were only a few in the entire country, and it was a gift he had personally chosen for her.

Fu Jichen’s throat trembled as if stuffed with coarse gravel, breathing was painful.

The hand hanging at his side clenched tightly, the joints cracking as his heart was swept up in a hurricane, shattering the barriers he had built, leaving only ruins.

The staff, seeing his hesitation to act, could understand his feelings and stepped forward to help remove the white sheet.

The face and neck of the female corpse were extensively damaged, and despite being cleaned, it was hard to recognize her original appearance, requiring careful confirmation by the family.

He knew that this undoubtedly added more pain to the already unbearable situation.