The Disappearance at the Haunted House

The restroom door swung open. Li Yan surveyed the empty lounge area, his face etched with confusion. How had all three of them vanished in the short time he’d been in the restroom?

Frowning, he hastily called Lin Yi. The call connected, but no one answered.

“Huh? What’s going on with Brother Lin?” He stared at his phone, puzzled. Li Yan circled the haunted house attraction twice more, yet still found no trace of them. Even the messages he sent to Lin Yi remained unread.

Since he didn’t have Chen Sishi or Bai Zhiyue’s contact information, he paced anxiously. Then, a thought suddenly struck Li Yan. Qin Ruoxue was the class monitor; she surely would have Chen Sishi’s phone number.

Doo-doo~

After a few rings, the call connected.

“Hello? What is it?” Qin Ruoxue’s voice came through, sounding somewhat chaotic, as if she wasn’t at home.

“Class Monitor Qin, do you have Chen Sishi’s phone number?”

A moment of silence passed on the other end before Qin Ruoxue replied, “Yes, I do. Why do you need her contact information?”

“Oh, it’s nothing major. I just need to talk to her about something.”

After hearing Li Yan’s explanation, Qin Ruoxue’s brows subtly furrowed, and her voice took on a hint of frostiness. “Tell me, what exactly do you need her for?”

‘It’s not a big deal anyway. Brother Lin probably wouldn’t blame me for telling Qin Ruoxue…’ Thinking this to himself, Li Yan recounted the recent events.

Upon hearing that Lin Yi might be in danger, Qin Ruoxue abruptly hung up.

Li Yan stood there, phone still raised, and let out a helpless sigh. ‘I suppose I’ll just have to go look for Brother Lin myself,’ he thought. However, before long, Qin Ruoxue called him back.

“Hello, Li Yan, where are you right now? I’m coming over.”

“Huh? I’m at the train station. You… you’re coming over?”

“Wait for me a moment.” With that, Qin Ruoxue hung up.

The young woman, dressed in casual clothes, quickly boarded the butler’s car, bringing with her the items she had just bought from the supermarket. She tossed the snacks and drinks aside and commanded with an urgent tone, “To Xinshi Train Station.”

“Understood, Young Miss,” the butler replied.

Meanwhile, Chen Sishi and Bai Zhiyue helped the unconscious Lin Yi into an unassuming sedan. The driver, a frown on their face, glanced at the sleeping Lin Yi, appearing as if they wanted to speak but hesitated.

“Don’t ask too many questions,” Chen Sishi warned softly.

“Alright…” Under the intimidating presence of their boss, the driver dutifully shut their mouth. They were just an ordinary employee, and naturally, they wouldn’t dare to pry into matters that weren’t their concern.

Sitting in the lounge area, Li Yan had waited anxiously for over ten minutes. As each second ticked by, the unease in his heart intensified.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally spotted Qin Ruoxue. Her steps were swift, and she reached Li Yan’s side in no time.

“Li… Li Yan, where’s Lin Yi? Have you… searched… around?” Her brown hair cascaded naturally as Qin Ruoxue leaned, her slender arms propped on her knees, gasping for breath as she spoke.

“I’ve looked, but I couldn’t find him,” Li Yan answered truthfully. He had scoured the entire floor, only omitting the haunted house attraction and the women’s restroom. Given Lin Yi’s personality, it was highly unlikely he would have run into the haunted house or the ladies’ room, after all.

Qin Ruoxue’s beautiful brows knitted together as she picked up her phone and tried calling Chen Sishi.

Inside the car, Chen Sishi glanced at her phone, saw it was Qin Ruoxue calling, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed the reject button.

The call went unanswered, so Qin Ruoxue tried calling Lin Yi. Still no answer. Now, a hint of urgency crept into her expression.

“Li Yan, how many of you were there when you came out?”

“Four, counting myself.”

“What was the other person’s name?”

“I think it was Bai Zhiyue.”

Upon hearing that name, Qin Ruoxue’s frown deepened. She knew Bai Zhiyue; they had met a few times before, and she was certainly a difficult person to deal with.

Just as her anxiety mounted, Qin Ruoxue’s phone suddenly rang. Her first thought was that it must be Lin Yi or Chen Sishi, but the caller ID showed her father’s name.

A flicker of disappointment crossed her face, but she quickly composed herself and answered the call calmly. “Hello, Dad? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. The butler just called me, saying you might have encountered an urgent situation, so I called to check in.” Her father’s voice on the other end was gentle, imbued with clear concern for his daughter.

Qin Ruoxue pouted, feeling a little displeased. She had just told the butler not to inform her father, yet it seemed the moment she left, the butler had ‘betrayed’ her.

However, she then recalled seeing Lin Yiting at the company once before. Perhaps her father would have Lin Yiting’s contact information. A glimmer of hope sparked in Qin Ruoxue’s heart at this thought.

“Dad, do you have Lin Yiting’s phone number?”

Silence fell on the other end of the line, as if her father was deep in thought. “You know Lin Yi?”

“He’s my classmate.”

“In that case, just tell me directly what’s going on.”

After Qin Ruoxue explained that Lin Yi had been kidnapped by Chen Sishi, her father on the other end was clearly at a loss for words.

After a long pause, Qin Ruoxue heard a faint sigh. “Ruoxue, I’m already aware of this matter. I’ll discuss it with her father later,” he said.

As soon as she hung up, Li Yan eagerly stepped forward, his eyes filled with anticipation.

“Why are you looking at me? You should go home; I still need to find someone,” she retorted. Qin Ruoxue curled her lip in disdain, rarely showing kindness to any boy other than Lin Yi.

Li Yan opened his mouth, countless thoughts swirling in his mind, finally condensing into a single sentence. “Let me know when you find him. I’ll go check other places.”

Having been friends for years, it was impossible for Li Yan not to worry. Recalling Lin Yi’s past behavior and Chen Sishi’s demeanor, he realized he might have inadvertently landed Brother Lin in deep trouble.

****

On a bustling street, a cargo truck laden with goods slowly pulled to a stop in front of a commercial skyscraper. The building stood an impressive twenty-five stories tall, and its ground-floor shopping mall was extraordinarily vast.

A tall, elegant woman slowly descended from the truck. Her brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and her enchanting features exuded the charm of a mature woman.

Buzz-buzz~

She pulled out her phone, the screen displaying the name ‘President Qin’. Lin Yiting was puzzled; her current boss rarely called her, so this must be a matter of great importance.

“Hello, President Qin? Is there something you need me to distribute?”

“Has the cargo arrived?”

“Yes, it’s here. I’m just waiting for the other party to inspect it.”

As she spoke, a group of people emerged from the commercial building. Lin Yiting cross-referenced the manifest with them. Once everything was confirmed, Lin Yiting found a relatively quiet spot and asked.

“Now that I’m done, President Qin, what was the urgent matter?” On the other end, President Qin unhurriedly recounted the situation concerning Lin Yi. After he finished speaking, he remained silent, seemingly awaiting Lin Yiting’s reaction.

Learning that her younger brother had gone missing, Lin Yiting’s brows furrowed tightly, and her face darkened. She had specifically warned Lin Yi that very morning, yet it seemed her adversaries had still managed to succeed.

“President Qin, please allow me to take half a day off. I’m even willing to have my salary halved.”

“The cargo has already been delivered, so the remaining time is naturally yours,” President Qin replied.

“Thank you, President Qin.”

Ending the call, Lin Yiting checked Lin Yi’s location. Fortunately, the red dot on her phone was moving slowly, indicating that Lin Yi was indeed carrying his tracker.