louisehourcade Chapter 201: Time to Close the Net
Chapter 201: Time to Close the Net
She walked on the sidewalk, the straps of her schoolbag digging into her shoulders, her peripheral vision scanning the cars parked at the street corner.
A black sedan was parked quietly in the shade of a tree. Its window was halfway down, the reflection on the glass showing a blurry human figure.
She pretended to bend down and tie her shoelace. Her movements were slow and natural, her fingers lightly fiddling with the knot. A glance from the corner of her eye revealed it—a black car was inching along behind her, the crack in its window filled with eyes.
There were people in the driver’s and passenger’s seats, and two more sat in the back. One of them seemed to be holding a notebook, head down, writing something.
Not just one person, but several, and their expressions were all malicious.
’So many ill intentions gathered in one place... anyone would be on alert.’
She stood up, brushed the dust from her knees, and continued walking forward, her expression as normal as ever.
’Now that I know what they’re up to, it’s time to stop being polite.’
She had noticed something was off long ago. For the past few days, she had deliberately acted unguarded, all to lure the snake out of its hole.
Now that they had finally shown themselves, it was time to put her plan into action.
’Time to close the net.’
That day, Shanshan specifically hailed a cab.
She had contacted a reliable friend in advance to help with arrangements, confirming that the details of the pickup vehicle were correct.
She hailed a cab at the intersection, looking relaxed as she walked toward the taxi on the side of the road, its "For Hire" sign lit up.
"Driver, to the city center hospital, please. Thanks."
The driver was a middle-aged man who looked quite ordinary. He wore an old jacket, his hair was slightly graying, and at first glance, he seemed like a regular cabbie.
But with a single glance, she caught the vicious look he shot her from the rearview mirror.
His fingers tapped twice on the door frame, as if sending a signal.
She feigned getting into the car with a slight sway of her body. The moment the tip of her foot touched the step, she abruptly sidestepped, using the crowd as cover, and retracted her leg with lightning speed.
She darted into a convenience store at the mouth of a nearby alley, slipped out the back door where an accomplice was already waiting, and quickly left the scene.
The driver, along with the suspicious gang in the tailing car behind them, completely failed to notice that she had never gotten in at all.
They only saw the car door close and the engine start. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
The car behind them slowly pulled out, maintaining its distance as it followed, ready to execute the next phase of their plan.
This was the moment they had been waiting for. The instant the car started moving, their operation began.
The primary car sped toward the predetermined section of the road and deliberately slammed into the guardrail at a turn, creating the illusion of a violent collision.
The airbags deployed, a muffled THUD sounded from inside the car, and parts went flying. The scene was utterly convincing.
Many people at the school gate had seen Shanshan get into that taxi with their own eyes.
Not long after, a loud BANG! echoed, and everyone froze.
The police cordoned off the scene. The preliminary judgment was a traffic accident, and they were investigating the driver’s identity and the vehicle’s origin.
Ling Anxun didn’t receive the news until later.
He was in a meeting at the time, and his phone was on silent.
His assistant rushed in, pushed the door open, and handed him a note. He glanced at it, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.
He sprinted down the hallway, pushed through the crowd, and squeezed past the police tape, asking in a hoarse voice, "Where is she? Where’s Shanshan?"
Meanwhile, the Ling family was in chaos.
When Ding Qin heard the news, she nearly fainted on the spot, barely managing to stay upright by gripping the edge of the sofa with both hands.
Tears streamed from her eyes as she repeatedly muttered, "My Shanshan," on the verge of a complete breakdown.
It was Fu Yuanwu who stabilized the situation. He comforted his wife while quickly using his network of contacts to find out more details, and then rushed to the scene himself.
Seeing his son’s devastated, red-eyed expression, the old man’s heart clenched painfully.
He knew Ling Anxun had always been calm and restrained, never losing his composure in front of others.
"Anxun! Anxun, come here!"
Fu Yuanwu called out several times, but Ling Anxun seemed deaf, grabbing onto every person who passed by and asking in a raw voice:
"My daughter? Where’s Shanshan? Did any of you see her? Where is she?!"
Someone stammered in reply, "We... we don’t know either. The back seat is empty. The driver said she got in, but after the crash, we looked, and there was no one... really, no one..."
A large crowd had gathered at the scene, and police sirens grew closer, but no one dared to step forward and pull him away.
Even if there was only the slightest chance, he couldn’t accept the worst-case scenario.
He stood beside the twisted, deformed taxi, staring at the caved-in back seat, his mind replaying the scene of him dropping her off at school that morning.
She had waved at him with her schoolbag on her back, smiling as she said she’d see him after school.
The accident scene was a complete mess.
Strangely, the drivers of both the lead and tailing cars only had a few scrapes. The one who had rear-ended the taxi got away with even lighter injuries.
They were just a bit shaken up, sitting by the ambulance drinking water and muttering, "That was too weird."
The investigation wasn’t even over when a familiar figure suddenly appeared from the direction of the school gate—it was Shanshan!
The crowd instantly erupted.
Some people screamed, some backed away, but most just stared wide-eyed, unable to believe that the little girl who was supposed to have died in the crash was walking toward them step by step.
Even her normally calmest teacher was so frightened he fell right on his rear.
He was clutching a student file, and he didn’t even notice the papers that had scattered all over the ground.
His lips trembled as he muttered over and over, "Impossible. This is impossible."
The principal and a few other school leaders all let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, thank heavens! As long as she’s alive, that’s all that matters!"
Ling Anxun practically flew over to her in a frenzy, sweeping his daughter into his arms and holding her deathly tight.
He didn’t dare let go, as if she would disappear again the moment he loosened his grip.
"Shanshan! It’s my Shanshan! You’re okay... I’m so glad you’re okay..."
"Dad, I’m sorry. I made you worry."
"I’m sorry, Dad. I... I just had a feeling someone was going to make a move on me, so I decided to play along with their plan and get away. I didn’t think it was that dangerous, so I didn’t tell you... I’m really sorry. I was wrong, I’m so sorry..."
Her throat tightened as she stammered out the whole story, tears welling in her eyes.
Ling Anxun held Shanshan’s small, soft body, and the heart that had been lodged in his throat for so long finally, bit by bit, settled back into place. Only then did he slowly loosen his hold.
"As long as you’re okay, nothing else matters."
Ling Anxun didn’t say a single word of reprimand.
She would have preferred that he put on a stern face and lectured her, or even raised a hand to her.
She had no heart to ask about how things were handled afterward, leaving everything for Ling Anxun to resolve.
For the next few days, she simply requested time off from school and didn’t step out of the house, staying home all day to be with her family.
Although Ling Anxun was swamped with work, he tried his best to find time to rush home for a visit every day.
One day, they had arranged to meet at their front door early to go out for dinner together.
Shanshan had specially changed into a new dress she’d bought and carefully combed her hair. She waited at the door for nearly an hour, but there was still no sign of him.
"What’s wrong, Shanshan? You look unhappy."
"Dad’s not here."
Just then, the phone on the table suddenly began to ring.
The old man sitting nearby reached out and picked up the receiver. Shanshan stared intently at the expression on his face.
"Mm, I understand."
"Grandpa! Was that Dad on the phone?"
She shot up from the sofa and rushed over. Fu Yuanwu was taken aback for a moment, glancing at her in surprise.
"How did you know it was Anxun?"