Chapter 41: Lin Jing Was Kidnapped

At half-past nine in the evening, Lin Jian walked out of Tianfu Hot Pot City. He had downed nearly half a liter of liquor, and his head was spinning.

The guys from the security department could all hold their liquor, especially the three ex-soldiers: Tan Jian, Xu Xiaohui, and Wang Chuang. They were absolute bottomless pits, downing three-ounce glasses in a single gulp.

As a result, by the time Lin Jian stumbled out of the hot pot restaurant, his legs were wobbling.

Fortunately, he had a decent tolerance. Even though he had drunk a lot, he still managed to stay relatively clear-headed.

RING RING RING!

After seeing his last colleague off in a taxi, Lin Jian’s phone suddenly rang. He checked the screen; it was Lin Jing.

"Mom, wait for me for half an hour. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Wait for me," Lin Jian slurred slightly.

"You can’t drive if you’ve been drinking. Also, I’ve already left on my own. I’m taking a cab back, so just head straight home!"

"Huh? You left? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me?" Lin Jian forced himself to sober up a bit as he walked toward the Audi.

"I’m fine. I’m not a child anymore. Just hurry home." Lin Jing laughed and hung up.

After getting into the car, Lin Jian didn’t drive off immediately. Instead, he waited for a designated driver. He had already requested one when paying the bill, so the driver was supposed to arrive in about ten minutes. However, after waiting for four or five minutes, his phone rang again. He picked it up and was surprised to see it was a call from his sports school coach.

"Teacher Li, is something the matter this late?" Lin Jian quickly answered.

"Lin Jian, weren’t you just eating at Tianfu? Where are you?" Teacher Li shouted over the phone.

"Huh? How did you know I was eating at Tianfu?" Lin Jian asked in confusion.

"I saw you! You were drinking with seven or eight people. Done eating already?" Teacher Li chuckled.

"I just finished and I’m outside sobering up. Are you in a private room, Teacher Li? Which one? I’ll come find you."

"Room 999. Come on over." Teacher Li hung up after giving the room number.

Lin Jian hurriedly got out of the car and headed back into the restaurant. A moment later, he pushed open the door to Room 999. When he peeked inside, he shrank back in fright.

"Hey, hey, hey, look at you! Acting like I’m going to eat you alive. Get in here!"

The person who spoke wasn’t Teacher Li, but his daughter, Li Xiaodong. Lin Jian used to constantly freeload meals at Teacher Li’s house, so he was incredibly familiar with her. Xiaodong was about to graduate from college and was a few years older than Lin Jian.

"Oh wow, when did you get back, Xiaodong?" Lin Jian feigned surprise.

"What, am I not allowed to come back?" Li Xiaodong glared at him.

"Of course you are! I never said you couldn’t. But how did you get even prettier, Xiaodong? Why do you keep getting better looking as you grow older?" Lin Jian said with a cheeky grin.

"Get lost." Praised so openly, Li Xiaodong’s face instantly turned red, and she laughingly shoved him.

"Lin Jian, who were all those people earlier?" Teacher Li asked at this moment.

"My colleagues. I’m working as a security guard at Recovery Group. I got promoted to deputy supervisor today, so I treated them to a meal!"

"Oh?" Teacher Li’s eyes lit up.

Li Xiaodong looked surprised. "Not bad, Little Jianjian. You’re a security supervisor now?"

"Xiaodong, can we please not call me Little Jianjian?" Lin Jian said with a bitter face.

HEHEHEHE!

Seeing Lin Jian’s aggrieved expression made Li Xiaodong incredibly happy, and she couldn’t stop giggling!

The father and daughter were the only ones eating. Teacher Li had raised Li Xiaodong all by himself.

"That works. Since you already have a job, that’s even better," Teacher Li said in a gratified tone.

"Then... what about that matter?" Li Xiaodong glanced at her father, hesitating to speak.

Teacher Li smiled. "Then there’s no need to introduce him anymore."

"Right, right, right. No need to introduce me to any jobs." Lin Jian knew that Teacher Li had always wanted to find him a job and had been contacting people lately. It seemed he had made some headway today, otherwise, he wouldn’t have called him over.

"Who said anything about introducing you to a job?" Li Xiaodong rolled her eyes at Lin Jian. "Let me tell you, Little Jianjian, the place my dad was introducing you to... to... Forget it. It’s better that you don’t go. Going there might not be a good thing anyway, right, Dad?"

Teacher Li took a sip of his liquor. "Exactly. Going there might not have been a good thing. The fact that Lin Jian has been promoted to a security supervisor at Recovery Group relying on his own merits shows that he’s quite capable."

"Alright," Li Xiaodong nodded.

Just then, Lin Jian’s phone rang again. It was the designated driver’s number.

"It’s the driver," Lin Jian said, holding up his phone. "I drove the boss’s car out today, so I can’t drive it back myself. I had to call a designated driver!"

The father and daughter of the Li Family exchanged a glance. This kid was doing pretty well for himself to be trusted with the boss’s car.

"Yes, I’ll be right out. Okay, okay, please wait a moment!" Lin Jian said into the phone, standing up at the same time. "Teacher Li, Xiaodong, I have to go now. I’ll treat you two to a meal another day. Xiaodong, don’t rush back to school just yet. Once I’m free in the next couple of days, I’ll treat you to a feast!"

Li Xiaodong laughed and scolded, "Hurry up and get out of here. Keep in touch over the phone!"

Lin Jian turned and left with a chuckle.

As soon as Lin Jian left, Li Xiaodong turned to her father, Li Hai.

"Dad, actually, he’s doing pretty well right now, so let’s just drop the matter of him joining the Eight Trigrams Sect!" Li Xiaodong said.

"Mm, we won’t bring it up again!" Li Hai nodded.

These past few days, he had been constantly contacting his own Sect, the Eight Trigrams Sect, intending to send Lin Jian there to study under a renowned master. But looking at it now, there was no need.

When it came down to it, the Eight Trigrams Sect was one of the Inner Sects. Nowadays, practicing martial arts, practicing Qi Cultivation, and practicing fist techniques had no future. It genuinely wasn’t as lucrative as being a security supervisor.

Moreover, he had another concern. The Eight Trigrams Sect emphasized lineage, innate potential, destiny, and the like. He was afraid Lin Jian would find it hard to adapt once he joined, and if he ended up clashing with the people inside, things would go south. Therefore, since Lin Jian had found a better path, he no longer needed to worry about it.

"Never mind him. What about you? You’re graduating soon. What are your plans?" Li Hai asked with a straight face.

"I’m going to look for my mom!" Li Xiaodong tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "My mom has already prepared everything for me over there. I just need to go over."

Li Hai nodded silently.

Meanwhile, after telling the designated driver the location of his residential complex, Lin Jian sat in the backseat and dozed off.

An unknown amount of time later, the driver woke him up. "Sir, we’ve arrived. Is this the right complex?"

Lin Jian glanced outside. "Yes, this is it. Thanks."

He got out of the car, took the keys from the driver, and walked toward his home. A moment later, he unlocked the door with his own house key. However, the apartment was pitch-black.

"Mom, are you asleep?" Lin Jian called out.

But there was absolutely no response from inside!

Lin Jian turned on the light and squinted at the shoe rack by the door. The high heels Lin Jing had worn today were nowhere to be seen.

"Huh?" Startled, Lin Jian hurriedly used his Thought to probe into Lin Jing’s bedroom!

She wasn’t there! Nor was she in the bathroom! Lin Jing hadn’t come back!

In an instant, Lin Jian completely sobered up, beads of sweat even forming on his forehead. While extending his Thought to cover a thirty-meter radius, he dialed Lin Jing’s number!

However, Lin Jing’s phone was turned off! It was turned off!

Lin Jian felt as if he had been struck by the Five Thunders, his entire body swaying dizzily!

He thought, "No way, nothing could have happened. That Old Cat wouldn’t have the guts. Besides, in such a short amount of time, it’s impossible for him to have found out who my mom is or what her name is, right?"

Lin Jian turned and rushed downstairs, continuing to dial Lin Jing’s number as he went!

However, just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, his phone suddenly rang! It was an unknown number. Lin Jian hastily answered.

"Lin Jian, if you want to find her, come to the Xishan Reservoir sluice gate. If you call the cops, bear the consequences."

The call was extremely brief. The other party hung up immediately after speaking.