From the other side of the phone, Fan Jialuo's clear voice could be heard saying, "Call the police, Mr. Shen," without a trace of hesitation.

Shen Youquan started to ask in a hoarse voice, "Do you think-"

Before he could finish speaking though, Fan Jialuo whispered a soft "Shh...", telling him to be quiet.

Shen Youquan dared not to turn a deaf ear to any of Fan Jialuo's words. He immediately shut his mouth, and his pair of eyes shifted nervously all around the room, just like a thief scoping out his surroundings.

Sure enough, Zhong Huilu rushed into the study the very moment he stopped talking, and her first action after entering was to grab his arm, after which she pulled on the wrist holding the cellphone, and then she yelled, "Who are you calling? You want to call the police? Don't you know that calling the police will get Rao Rao killed?"

"I didn't call the police, I was just calling my friend to borrow money! Do you think 50 million is just a small amount for me?

I'm only in my early forties and I come from a rural background. Although I earn tens of millions of yuan a year now, I spend all of that money on real estate and investment.

This house we are living in now is a new one, and it cost a total of 260 million yuan. At your request, I paid this amount in full. I also established the fashion design company that you wanted, which is now in operation. There are many places that need me to spend money on them!

I don't have much working capital left. Where do you want me to get 50 million from in such a short period of time? Do you want me to sell the house and the company? Hah?"

Hearing her husband threatening to sell the company and house, Zhong Huilu didn't dare to continue arguing. She took a look at the damaged phone screen, and only after seeing a string of unfamiliar numbers and not 110 did she release his arm.

"Don't call the police. I'd rather spend money than take the 80% risk to my child's life by calling the police for help.

Youquan, children are the most important thing. If we lose money, we can always earn more, but that can't be done in the case of our child. Our child is the most important existence for us. Remember this!" With tears in her eyes, Zhong Huilu repeatedly exhorted her husband with this sentence.

Shen Youquan nodded in response to each of her words, but in fact, his heart turned even colder than ever before.

This woman appeared to be truly worried about Shen Yurao's safety, otherwise she wouldn't act crazily and stop him from calling the police.

However, if the one that had been kidnapped was Ling Ling, would she still be so worried?

He could guess the answer to that question without even needing to ask.

No. She wouldn't; his mom wouldn't; his dad wouldn't; not even his former self would think to worry about his family's little girl.

Shen Youquan's eyes once again moistened. He had to turn his head to the side to wipe the corners of his eyes quickly.

Indeed, he also knew that most families who became the victims of kidnappings would not report the case to the police. Those who did report to the police were generally unable to pay the ransom or were in desperate situations themselves.

If he hadn't previously discovered that Shen Yurao was not of his own blood, he also would not be so determined to call the police now, he would instead be rushing to pay the ransom to ensure the safety of his child.

Shen Youquan walked to the end of the corridor under Zhong Huilu's sharp gaze and said in a low voice, "Just now, it was my... wife."

When he said the word 'wife', it felt as if the tip of his tongue had been pierced by sharp glass shards, it was incomparably painful.

"I know." Fan Jialuo's tone was still gentle.

Shen Youquan was silent.

Yes, this man had boundless wisdom and even had the ability to communicate with supernatural beings, for how else would he have been able to tell him to be quiet just moments before Zhong Huilu abruptly entered the study?

Was he also able to sense the situation he was currently in?

If so, then his ability was really amazing.

Oh, right. What had he wanted to say just now? It seemed to be- Do you think it's better to call the police?

With this in mind, Shen Youquan felt his fear rise again, and he felt extremely upset again.

If Zhong Huilu had heard that sentence, she would certainly have gone mad on the spot, and then would have pestered him, scolded him, and forced him to take out the money!

In the past, whenever Shen Youquan saw Zhong Huilu's meticulous care for Shao Yurao, he only thought that she was gentle, virtuous, diligent and willing to work, and that she was the best wife in the world.

But now, he could only think that behind this meticulous care was clearly hidden the indifference and neglect she bore towards her daughter.

She gave all the motherly love she had to Shen Yurao, and treated her other child coldly, at times even harshly.

Was she worthy of being a mother?

Or... Did she already know that the fathers of her two children were different?

Thinking of this possibility, Shen Youquan's body couldn't help but suddenly stiffen, because he soon realized the more terrible fact such a possibility would lead to.

If Zhong Huilu had known that the two children had different fathers, would her harsh indifference towards her daughter also mean that she had no love for that particular child's father?

For a mother, as long as the children had crawled out of her own stomach, they would be the same, because they carried the same blood as her. But it was different for the fathers.

Following this logic, in Zhong Huilu's heart, her love for Shen Yurao was equal to her love for Shen Yurao's father, and the way she treated Shen Yuling coldly could be equated to how much she hated Shen Yuling's father.

But... wasn't Shen Yuling's father... wasn't it him?

Shen Youquan immediately turned to look out of the window to hide his face, which had completely distorted in anger.

He clenched his teeth and said, "Mr. Fan, I'll go to the police now."

He wouldn't lose his conscience and cross his bottom line for a woman who was not worthy of his love.

No! Never!

-He warned himself thus repeatedly, and this determination helped him dispel even the thought of ignoring Shen Yurao.

Calming down from this violent inner struggle, he asked in a hoarse voice, "What will happen to Shen Yurao?"

"He'll be fine," Fan Jialuo said lightly, "You'd better go to the police alone, and don't let anyone in the family know. If necessary, you can tell the police I sent you."

"Alright, I'll go now." Shen Youquan could only continue to nod as he confirmed again and again, "Shen Yurao won't be killed, will he?"

"No," Fan Jialuo seemed to smile slightly as he said this, which was then followed by a sigh as he added, "If you don't feel reassured, I can recommend an expert to you. With him leading, this case will definitely be solved successfully."

"Who is it?" Shen Youquan immediately asked.

"Dr. Song Rui. He is a Consultant for Criminal Investigations with the Chengnan Branch Police Station. You can trust his professional ability."

"Dr. Song Rui? Well, I'll remember it. Thank you, Mr. Fan. Thank you so much! If it were not for you, my little girl would not have come back today! Don't worry. When this matter is over, I will help you solve those two lawsuits!"

Choking on his own sobs, Shen Youquan hung up the phone quickly and wiped his face in embarrassment.

The so-called ignorant person was truly fearless.

How had he dared to face Mr. Fan in such an arrogant manner before? From now on, he would be in awe of everything unknown in the world!

Throughout this conversation, Zhong Huilu had been standing at the top of the stairs staring at her husband, trying to read the movements of his mouth to ascertain that he did not dial 110 after hanging up on the previous unfamiliar phone number halfway.

"Did you get the money?" Seeing her husband's tearful face, Zhong Huilu could only ask this anxiously.

"No, such a large sum of money, who would be able to get it instantly? Even the bank needs one to make an appointment in advance. I'll go to my accountant. Don't wait for me and go to bed first. I have to figure out how many investments I have in my name and what all can be liquidated." Shen Youquan ran downstairs in a hurry.

Zhong Huilu also followed him down. Seeing her husband's anxious, flustered and helpless appearance, she felt relieved.

Her husband really valued his son. For him to call the police over paying the ransom required to save his child was an impossible choice.

Indeed, she had over-thought it just now.

"Mr. Shen, where are you going? Should I take you somewhere?" Long Chengsheng immediately stood up and asked.

"No need, I'm going to my personal accountant. I have to liquidate my properties right away. Time is running out. If I don't hurry up, I'm afraid I will end up suffering more. There are elders and a child at home. Please take care of them. The only person I can trust right now is you." Shen Youquan casually made a perfunctory excuse.

Seeing that his boss had already spoken, Long Chengsheng dispelled the idea of going out with him, and repeatedly promised that he would take care of the family.

-

An hour later, the travel-worn Shen Youquan was seated in the reception room of the Chengnan Sub Bureau Police Station.

Two young police officers were sitting in front of him, one with a recording device and the other with a notebook, taking points.

"... The kidnapper's cell phone has been turned off?" The clean-shaven young police officer asked.

"Yes, the phone is always switched off everytime I call. They just told me to prepare 50 million yuan in three days in their first and only call to me."

Shen Youquan repeated everything he knew calmly. His attitude made him seem more like a bystander than a father who had just lost his child.

The two police officers looked him up and down with suspicion, and then instructed, "Mr. Shen, you can prepare the money first, and we will also start an investigation on our end. We'll send personnel to install tracking equipment in your house, so that when the kidnapper calls you again, we can begin to trace their location."

"I don't want to pay a ransom," Shen Youquan said frankly, "That's why I came to the police."

The two police officers glared at him with the line of words -You beast!- clearly written across their faces.

Shen Youquan, with a bitter smile, continued to explain, "Anyway, I'm not going to hide this matter from you. To tell you the truth, Shen Yurao is not my child, but the son my wife bore after fooling around with another man.

50 million yuan is not a small amount for me. I would have to sell properties, stocks and company shares to get that amount of money.

Because my investment portfolio will be affected by this sudden disruption, I will end up losing more money in the future. Then, without enough company shares, I will lose my current position as the President of the KN Group in Asia.

On the way here, I calculated that the total these losses will amount to is around 300 million yuan, which is enough to hurt me down to my nerves and my bones.

At a minimum, for the next eight to ten years, it will be difficult for me to stand up and rebuild my career to my current level again. I don't think it's worth sacrificing so much for a child that's not my own."

Once he withdrew all his paternal love and put aside the little pity in him that remained for Shen Yurao, Shen Youquan's calmness reached a terrifying level.

He handed over a blue folder and continued, "This is a paternity test. You can take a look at it."

The two young police officers pressed down the unspeakable curses bubbling in their hearts for this 'father', opened the paternity test report and looked at the content, before keenly fixing their eyes on the date.

"May 22, isn't that today? So, your son was kidnapped today, as soon as it was confirmed that he wasn't yours. Mr. Shen, isn't this too coincidental?

And as far as I know, your two children are twins, right? They must have undergone a physical examination when they were born, and no problems should have cropped up with their blood types, otherwise you would not have been free of doubts until now.

Twins with different fathers are extremely rare in the world. Many people don't even know that this kind of thing actually happens for real. What are the chances that you would suddenly get a paternity test?

Mr. Shen, there are too many loopholes present in your words. We need a reasonable explanation from you."

The two police officers stared at Shen Youquan with burning eyes, already regarding him as a key suspect.

Shen Youquan opened his mouth and was completely discomfited as he defended himself, "I know what you are thinking. You suspect that I did this. Due to my grudge against Zhong Huilu, I hired someone to kidnap Shen Yurao in retaliation.

No, I'm not that despicable. I intend to just let them go. Besides, if I was the one who had planned this kidnapping, then would I have come to report it to the police? Wouldn't that be the same as asking for trouble?"

The two police officers looked at each other and then explained their side, "Mr. Shen, parents and acquaintances have accounted for a large proportion of all the kidnappings we've cracked so far. Therefore, we must first eliminate the most probable people from our suspect list before we can determine the right direction for the investigation.

This is also to ensure the safety of the child. Please understand and cooperate with us.

Having said that, why did you suddenly doubt the origin of your child? Most people would not even think of this, right?

After all, they're twins, and your daughter looks just like you. Since your daughter is so similar to you, it would normally be impossible for you to suspect her twin brother. Your behavior is really strange, Mr. Shen."

Shen Youquan was a famous businessman. His wife and children had also been seen with him on TV. Naturally, the two police officers also knew of his family situation.

Since the police wanted to know the reason, and their conversation had already reached such a point, he simply confessed, "A friend of mine told me about this whole thing. His name is Fan Jialuo."

The two police officers, who were originally wearing very serious and stern expressions, were instantly dumbfounded.

They slapped the table in unison and exclaimed, "It's him! No wonder! He is the only one who would be able to see through such a strange thing."

When they turned to look at Shen Youquan again, the doubt and scrutiny in their eyes had been completely replaced by sympathy and pity; there was even a trace of inexplicable envy.

"You're lucky," The clean-shaven young police officer said, sighing heartily.

"Ah, yes, I am lucky to have received Mr. Fan's advice, otherwise my daughter would have been the one kidnapped."

Shen Youquan suddenly remembered another point and hurriedly added, "Before I came to report the case, he also told me that if Dr. Song Rui handles the case, then Shen Yurao would surely be able to come back safely."

Shen Youquan was slightly worried about this unreasonable requirement of his. After all, the police station was not run by his family, and investigators for cases were all assigned by their superiors.

How could he just order them around as he liked?

However, strangely, the young police officers were not worried or hesitant at all. One of them even picked up his mobile phone and actually called Dr. Song Rui, recounting the story in full.

"You know, I never take kidnapping cases." Dr. Song's tone was gentle, but his voice was cold, just as cold as the surface of certain metals.

Shen Youquan couldn't help but shudder. He didn't need to meet the other person to know that this was a great personality with an aloof status.

The young police officer then lowered his voice and said cautiously, "Fan Jialuo told the person filing the complaint that if you handle this case, the child will be able to come back safely."

Song Rui, who was preparing to firmly refuse: "..."

Shen Youquan keenly grabbed onto this window of opportunity and quickly added, "Mr. Fan's original words were-If you don't feel reassured, I can recommend an expert to you. With him leading, this case will definitely be solved successfully.

-Dr. Song Rui. He is a Consultant for Criminal Investigations with the Chengnan Branch Police Station. You can trust his professional ability."

Hearing these sentences, Song Rui seemed to be shaken, which caused his previously calm tone to waver slightly.

"He said he believed in my professional ability? He said I could solve the case successfully?"

"Yes, that's exactly what he said," Shen Youquan said, nodding quickly.

Although he would not sacrifice his career for Shen Yurao, he could still put in some effort to rescue him.

"Well, I'll be right there. You should check the identity of Shen Yurao's biological father first. I have a hunch that that information will be very important."

Rustling sounds came through the phone. It seemed that Dr. Song Rui was changing his clothes during the phone call itself.

From turning a deaf ear to eagerly joining, Shen Youquan was surprised by his sudden 180 degree transformation.

The young police officer repeatedly agreed before finally hanging up.

Then, he stared at Shen Youquan for a long moment. His eyes became sharper and his expression turned more serious.

When Shen Youquan almost could not hold on under such scrutiny, he suddenly asked, his voice filled with eagerness, "My surname is Li. You can call me Xiao Li. Did Mr. Fan mention me? Did he appoint me to help you solve the case? Am I right? My soul was enraptured by him before. He knows my strengths very well."

Shen Youquan, who had been stared at to the point that he nearly broke out in a cold sweat: "..."

To be honest, all of you are Mr. Fan's fans, aren't you?

His reputation is really handy in this police station!

...