Chapter 54: What Kind of Trick Is This?

Chen Taohua spent 1.2 million to win the four-character calligraphy piece at the auction, then headed backstage to pay. However, she didn’t return afterward. Instead, she sent Lin Jian a text message saying she would contact him later.

The auction continued with a wide variety of items until it concluded two hours later.

Ye Ziqiu didn’t bid on anything else, having already made up her mind to buy Lin Jian’s Old Ginseng at its original price. Two million was fine. A seventy-plus-year-old Old Ginseng was a rare commodity abroad; if she gifted it to her grandfather, he would be just as happy. Naturally, she wondered why Lin Jian had spent two million to buy this ginseng in the first place.

As the crowd dispersed, Lin Jian and Ye Ziqiu didn’t spot Dongfang Wan and Jiangnan, assuming the pair had already left. The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the parking lot.

However, just as they arrived, several police officers suddenly blocked their path. They were all in uniform—two men and one woman. The men looked rather fierce, while the woman was quite pretty.

"Are you Ms. Ye Ziqiu and Mr. Lin Jian?" one of the male officers asked, briefly flashing a badge before putting it away. "We’re from the Modu branch. There’s a case that requires your assistance with the investigation. Please come with us."

Ye Ziqiu was completely bewildered, and Lin Jian was also a bit stunned. They wondered what was going on, why the police were intercepting them in the parking lot, and what major case this could possibly be.

"Don’t be nervous. We just need to verify some information with you. You’ll be free to go once we take your statements," the lead officer continued.

"Oh!" Ye Ziqiu had calmed down significantly by now. She nodded and said, "Cooperating with the police is our duty as citizens." When she returned to the country, her grandfather had told her to always obey domestic laws. Therefore, she naturally wanted to be a good, law-abiding citizen.

Lin Jian didn’t mind, but he couldn’t shake the strange feeling these officers gave him.

The three officers asked Lin Jian and Ye Ziqiu to get into a van. While Ye Ziqiu thought nothing of it, Lin Jian found it odd as he climbed in. "Don’t you have a police car for official duties?"

"This is for confidentiality," one of the officers replied. "Arriving in a police car would create a bad impression for you."

Lin Jian thought it made sense. If a police car had shown up with flashing lights, it would have drawn a crowd. Ye Ziqiu and Lin Jian sat in the middle row of the van, with the two male officers in the back and the female officer in the passenger seat. The driver was wearing plain clothes.

The van swiftly left the Zhongtian Hotel, took a series of winding turns, and finally stopped in front of the gates of an auto repair shop. By this point, even Ye Ziqiu sensed something was wrong. She wondered why they had been brought to such a place.

"Don’t be nervous. We’ve requisitioned this place for temporary casework," the lead officer explained. "After all, the confidentiality level of this case is too high, so we can’t be somewhere conspicuous!"

Skeptical, Lin Jian and Ye Ziqiu stepped out of the vehicle. The group entered the repair shop, but there were no old cars being fixed inside. Instead, there were numerous rooms fitted with iron doors that could be locked from the outside.

"Since statements must be taken separately, Miss Ye will do hers with us first," the lead officer said, pointing to one of the iron doors. "Mr. Lin, please wait in the room next door."

Lin Jian scratched his head. "Officer, could I take another look at your badge?"

"Cut the crap and get in!" one of the younger officers cursed, reaching for his waist. "Get in right now, you hear me?"

"Lin Jian, don’t cause trouble." Seeing that Lin Jian looked ready to fight, Ye Ziqiu hurriedly stopped him. She didn’t want him to get hurt.

Lin Jian nodded. "Fine." With that, he turned and walked into one of the rooms himself.

The moment he stepped inside, the iron door slammed shut, and the people outside immediately padlocked it. All noise from the outside was completely cut off, leaving him in utter silence. The door was custom-made.

Lin Jian stood inside in silence while using his Thought to look outside. However, he didn’t spot anything unusual.

Meanwhile, the lead officer continued, "Miss Ye, please go inside first as well. We still need to do some basic verification before taking your statement later."

"I need to see my lawyer," Ye Ziqiu replied coldly, "and I am not going into a room like that."

"That’s not up to you! Haha!"

One of the younger men suddenly grabbed Ye Ziqiu and, amid her startled cries, shoved her through another iron door.

BANG BANG BANG!

Ye Ziqiu pounded on the door from the inside.

At this moment, Lin Jian was actually in no hurry. He wanted to see exactly what these people were up to. Moreover, he was now absolutely certain that these guys were fakes.

"Lin Jian, can you hear me?" Ye Ziqiu shouted.

Without using his Thought, Lin Jian wouldn’t have been able to hear her at all. But through his Thought, everything in Ye Ziqiu’s room was crystal clear to him.

At the same time, he pulled out his phone, intending to call her to let her know he was fine. However, upon checking his phone, he found there was no signal whatsoever—not a single bar.

This was downtown Modu. How could there be no signal?

He thought, "Unless there’s a jammer, like the mobile signal blockers used outside college entrance exam venues, completely killing the reception! Very professional!"

Lin Jian was genuinely surprised. Weren’t these people a bit too professional? He wondered if this was a kidnapping to extort a ransom from Ye Ziqiu’s family.

Ye Ziqiu was still shouting in her room, her face deathly pale. Even a fool would know they had just been kidnapped.

Just then, headlights swept in from outside as two cars parked one after the other in the courtyard. Lin Jian extended his Thought over and was surprised to see Su Zhiwei stepping out of a car.

Accompanying Su Zhiwei was a middle-aged man in his forties. The man wore a simple oversized undershirt and traditional cloth shoes, with a large emerald thumb ring on his hand.

Su Zhiwei smiled. "Master Si, go easy on me!"

With that, he squatted down. The moment he did, several young men rushed up and rained punches and kicks on him. Soon, Su Zhiwei’s suit was torn open, his hair was a mess, the corner of his eye was swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. One of the lackeys even seemed to have brought a packet of red tomato juice and splashed it onto Su Zhiwei’s collar.

A moment later, Su Zhiwei stood up. He looked absolutely miserable.

Master Si laughed and patted his shoulder. "Su, my friend, you’ve really gone all out. You’re the man!" He gave a thumbs-up. Su Zhiwei was truly sparing no expense to chase a woman!

Su Zhiwei chuckled. "Master Si, don’t blow my cover later. Shall I go in now?"

"Let’s go." The group escorted Su Zhiwei and Master Si inside.

The moment they entered, Master Si’s expression shifted into a fierce scowl. "Throw him inside to reflect on his actions! Damn it, if he dares to act up again, cripple him!"

"Move! Hurry up, stop dawdling!"

Several lackeys dragged Su Zhiwei forward, opened the iron door to Ye Ziqiu’s room, and instantly shoved him inside.

The second he was pushed in, Su Zhiwei spun around and roared, "You bastards! Beat me to death if you have the guts!"

Just as he finished shouting, he whipped his head around, jaw dropping with impeccable timing. "Ziqiu? Why did they kidnap you too?"