The competition ended without any surprises—both of them won. For now, as long as they didn't face each other, it was fine.
After waving goodbye to Wen Qiaozhe, Bo Yuxu got into the car driven by Ji Xingzhi. Ji Xingzhi had already picked up He Xiuyuan, who was wearing the standard uniform of the work-study school, radiating youthful energy. Bo Xin felt that this was the kind of youthfulness a kid his age should have.
"How have you been doing there lately?"
He Xiuyuan smiled modestly. "Thanks to you, Master, I've been doing very well there." So well that it exceeded his expectations. He hadn't realized he could communicate and get along with so many people without needing to rely on Sui Dongsheng. He Xiuyuan felt pleasantly surprised.
Bo Xin attributed this to He Xiuyuan's own abilities—aside from his skills, he also had a naturally approachable personality, but he simply never had the chance to show it.
He Xiuyuan thought for a moment and pulled something out of his bag. "By the way, I brought gifts for the younger brothers." For Brother Yanyi, he had a popular card game, which he had won from a classmate during a game. For Brother Yuxu, he had prepared a tape of a recent famous English movie—listening to tapes could help practice spoken English.
Bo Yuxu put it away and murmured, "Thank you."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Bo Yuxu noticed Ji Yanyi leaning over from the back seat and grinning at him. "Hehe."
Bo Yuxu: "..."
What was Yanyi 'hehe'-ing about? It somehow felt related to that comment about him "not improving at all." And now he was showing off that he was right. If he kept it up, Bo Yuxu might hit him with the tape.
Bo Yuxu turned away, propping his chin on his hand, and stared out the window.
—
At the Tao family's residence, the area around the eldest son's house was almost completely sealed off due to the kidnapping of the second young master. Especially after Tao Wanchun learned that the person's original target was Tao Lehua, the boy was now barely allowed to go out except for the competition. As for Tao Lejie's villa, Tao Wanchun and the police were gathered there. Twelve hours had passed, and Tao Wanchun was furious. "Don't tell me you have no leads at all! He was driving my car. He's injured—he'll need to buy medicine. Have you checked the nearby shops?"
The police officer was helpless. "The car hasn't appeared on the roads since then. As for buying medicine, he could pay someone else to do it for him." That was why they said this criminal had strong counter-surveillance skills.
Tao Wanchun didn't care. He paid so much in taxes, the police should prioritize solving his problem. But in the end, he hadn't received a single piece of good news.
In the oppressive and heavy atmosphere, someone knocked on the villa's door. A police officer went to check and found Tao Lehua, Tao Wanchun's other child. He opened the door. "Kid, what's the matter? Are you looking for your dad?"
Tao Wanchun also walked over. "Go home right now."
Wen Ni, sitting on the sofa, said bluntly, "Go home? Go back to that cage where you can never get out? What were you thinking, arranging so many bodyguards? Our child was just starting to feel a little better not long ago."
Tao Wanchun snapped, "I'm protecting him!"
Wen Ni retorted, "He doesn't need that kind of protection from you!"
Seeing that they were about to start arguing, the police officers broke into a cold sweat. One child was kidnapped, and the father was bickering with his ex-wife over the other child. Could this scene get any more chaotic? One officer advised, "Let's focus on the kidnapping case first."
The two finally stopped, but they turned their faces away, clearly unwilling to deal with each other and both unconvinced.
Tao Lehua clutched a fluffy stuffed toy—it was the only thing that gave him a little comfort in this oppressive atmosphere. He took a deep breath, obviously about to say something.
"I asked someone to help us find him."
The police asked, "Who is it?"
Tao Lehua recalled what Bo Xin had said and repeated, "An expert in anti-tracking."
Liu Yangjun, the head of the theft case, clicked his tongue. No way. Could it be that kid?
It turned out it was. He Xiuyuan arrived with the Ji family.
The one who reacted the most was Tao Wanchun. He looked at Ji Xingzhi with obvious displeasure. "What are you doing here?"
Ji Xingzhi clutched his chest, his expression sincere but his tone teasing. "I heard that Mr. Tao's beloved son was kidnapped. As a new partner, I wanted to do my part in this matter. Please don't refuse."
Tao Wanchun gritted his teeth. This was what he disliked about Ji Xingzhi—his expression was always provocative, his actions always deceptive, and his words always so sanctimoniously polite that there was no way to refuse. It was infuriating.
Tao Wanchun took a deep breath to calm himself. He didn't want to lose his composure in front of Ji Xingzhi.
"Is this the person you found? Isn't he too young?"
Liu Yangjun interjected seriously, "Please don't underestimate this kid. His counter-surveillance skills are truly outstanding."
Tao Wanchun: "..."
He couldn't even force a smile. He didn't understand why these police officers were always going against him. He stepped aside and said to He Xiuyuan, "Come on, let me see what you can do."
He Xiuyuan smiled politely, completely unafraid. In fact, compared to adult provocation, the provocations from minors were more vicious and malicious. But he had proven himself to them. Some now called him 'Brother He,' while others avoided him entirely.
A few maps were spread out in front of him. He Xiuyuan snapped back to focus, a sharp glint in his eyes. He circled and marked several possible locations on the paper. To take someone and park a car, they needed a building. The building couldn't be too empty or too crowded. Most importantly, it had to be uninhabited—a place where he could bring someone, beat them, and abuse them without being discovered. He Xiuyuan paused briefly as he drew, but only for a second before continuing.
Liu Yangjun noticed the pause and quickly asked, "Did you find something?"
He Xiuyuan shook his head. "There's still too little information."
Tao Wanchun folded his arms, feeling a bit confident.
But the next second, He Xiuyuan raised a number. "I can only narrow it down to three locations. You can send people to check them."
Tao Wanchun squinted, scrutinizing He Xiuyuan. Was he really that good? If so, Tao Wanchun rarely felt a desire to recruit talented people.
He softened his tone. "How did you figure that out?"
He Xiuyuan glanced at Tao Wanchun but didn't explain. "I'm just showing off in front of an expert. My master is even better—I learned everything from her."
Bo Xin, sitting nearby, was taken aback. She hadn't taught He Xiuyuan anything. But who could refuse a compliment that made them look good? Bo Xin smiled and patted him on the cheek, as if silently agreeing and implying that she was indeed his teacher.
Tao Wanchun's amiable expression nearly cracked. If he remembered correctly, this woman was Ji Xingzhi's wife—someone he could never poach.
Tao Wanchun clicked his tongue. He decided he shouldn't dwell on that now. His youngest son was still waiting for him to rescue. For some reason, at this critical moment, he faintly resisted the act of 'rescue.' Probably because Tao Lejie must have already learned that he refused to pay the ransom. Would the boy resent him? Go crazy? Use this to demand more? Just imagining it was headache enough. Tao Wanchun checked the time—no new calls had come in after the first one. In these twelve hours, he had known nothing about that side.
His cheek twitched. He rubbed his face to steady himself. In the end, it seemed he had no choice but to go rescue him.
The police had already started moving—walkie-talkies, firearms. Due to the severity and impact of the case, they were permitted to carry weapons. The fifteen people in the villa were split into three groups, heading to different locations. There weren't enough cars, so for the lower-probability locations, five people squeezed into one car.