C11 Something Happened to Su Qingxue!

Inside a high-end restaurant's private dining room, Xie Shaofeng raised his glass to toast with Su Qingxue, smiling as he continued, "I'm genuinely interested in acquiring your Celestia Company. Your uncles are on board as well. Ms. Su, you should give it some thought. We'll base the price on a market evaluation!"

Su Qingxue responded coolly, "Celestia was built from the ground up by me. Despite the current difficulties, it's not just about the money. It's about my confidence in and attachment to the company."

Xie Shaofeng let out a cold laugh upon hearing this. "Ms. Su, you're still too naive. There's no room for sentiment in business. The market resources Celestia has developed are quite impressive. They'd be even better under the management of Iron Claw Holdings."

"If you're so keen, why not invest instead? Buying out my uncles' shares would give you a 30% stake. With additional capital, we could profit together!" Su Qingxue countered with a smile.

"That's not acceptable. You'd still retain 30% of the control, wouldn't you? Plus, I have bigger ambitions; I want to be in charge. So, I'm only interested in a full acquisition. If you're not willing, I can always step in after Celestia goes bankrupt," Xie Shaofeng said with a smug smile, a hint of darkness flickering in his eyes.

"Are you saying you're determined to buy Celestia? And you've even swayed my uncles?" Su Qingxue sensed a plot brewing. Celestia was her creation, her baby, and she had no intention of giving it up until absolutely necessary.

Remaining composed, Xie Shaofeng smiled and suggested, "Ms. Su, we're all in business here. In this market economy, let me acquire Celestia first. Then, I might consider investing in your Phoenix Group. Please think it over."

"No need. If you're interested in getting involved with Celestia, you can only do so as an investor. As for the Phoenix Group, I'm not looking for outside investors at the moment. That's my final word," Su Qingxue stated icily.

At her refusal, the shadow on Xie Shaofeng's face deepened. Internally, he seethed with frustration, thinking, "Foolish woman, you have no idea what you're missing. With the support of both the legitimate and underground worlds, what chance do you have against me? I, Xie Shaofeng, will get what I desire. Only then can I stand against the Lin family in the future."

The two parted on less than amicable terms. Watching Su Qingxue leave, Xie Shaofeng downed his glass of red wine in one swift gulp and made a phone call. "Mr. Zhou, Su Qingxue has left. Is everything in place?"

"The operation is underway. Just leave it to the Dragonspire Conclave!" came Zhou Cheng's voice from the other end.

"Excellent. Now it's time for your performance!" Xie Shaofeng said with a smug satisfaction before hanging up. His eyes then roamed the club's hall, searching for his next conquest among the many beautiful women.

...

Su Qingxue found Xie Shaofeng utterly tedious. He had summoned her with such fanfare, and she had expected at least a dinner, not just idle chatter. Clearly, he had no real interest in collaboration.

She headed to the underground garage and started up her Maserati. Barely ten meters toward the exit, a loud bang erupted from beneath the car, and flames instantly engulfed it.

Inside, Su Qingxue felt the car shake violently. She slammed on the brakes, crashing into the airbag, and lost consciousness.

At that moment, a black Buick SUV pulled up. Several masked men in black emerged, swiftly lifting Su Qingxue into the vehicle before speeding away from the scene.

...

As the night deepened, Lin Chen, on his way back from Emerald Peaks, checked the time—it was already eight o'clock.

Descending from Emerald Peaks and preparing to drive home, Lin Chen received an urgent call from Liu Ranmong, the housekeeper at his villa.

"Young Master, where are you?" Liu Ranmong's voice was laced with worry.

"I'm on the roadside, about to head back. What's happened?" Lin Chen inquired.

"The Miss went to a party, there's been an accident with her car, and she's missing..." Liu Ranmong's words were tinged with deep panic and sorrow.

Lin Chen paused, his mind racing. He remembered the woman mentioning a business meeting that morning. Piecing together recent events, he grasped the gravity of the situation. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "Have you called the police?"

"I've already alerted the police, and they're reviewing the footage. It might take a while to get any results," Liu Ranmong said.

"Okay, don't worry. I'll work with the police to make sure we find Qingxue."

Lin Chen ended his call with Liu Ranmong without further questions, found a car at the roadside, and headed straight for the police station.

Despite Su Qingxue's recent disappearance, the police had sprung into action due to a severe car bombing incident in the basement.

Upon reaching the station, Lin Chen learned that the surveillance camera had been tampered with beforehand, and with the high volume of traffic in and out of the parking lot, it was impossible to identify a specific vehicle. Lin Chen attempted to use satellite tracking to locate Su Qingxue's phone, to no avail as it had been turned off.

He requested the police to pull up the parking lot's footage from twenty minutes before and after the incident, and he began reviewing the video himself.

The police were accommodating, understanding that although it was irregular for Lin Chen to view the footage, he was the victim's husband. They did not object.

"Mr. Lin, here's the video. Have a look for yourself. The incident occurred around 7:30 PM, but with the volume of traffic, we can't determine which car was involved," a middle-aged detective explained, pointing to the monitor.

Lin Chen scrutinized the footage, noting the continuous flow of vehicles. He asked the officers to speed up the video playback from double to eight times and finally to fifteen times the normal speed.

The accompanying officers were astonished as the images flickered too quickly for the naked eye, but Lin Chen watched intently.

"Is it even possible to see anything at this speed?"

"Young man, maybe you should stop. We'll figure something out."

"Besides, the person hasn't been missing for 24 hours yet. If there was an issue with the car, it's possible it was taken to a hospital. You should go home and wait for news."

"We also need to close up shop; it's nearly nine o'clock!"

"..."

Just then, the video paused, and Lin Chen pointed to a black Buick SUV, saying, "That's the vehicle. Look, there are three or four people inside, squatting and peering out with hoods on. This is the most suspicious car, and the timing matches up perfectly!"

Upon hearing the new information, the police officers glanced at the car window and were immediately taken aback. A head cover was visible—how had they missed that?

How could they have overlooked such a crucial detail on the window?

The officers quickly reviewed the traffic footage again, tracing the vehicle's movements after it had left the scene. They discovered that once the car was on the road, the individuals with head covers had already removed them and were speeding towards the expressway.

It was becoming increasingly clear that this was indeed the vehicle in question. The entire police department couldn't help but be impressed by Lin Chen's keen observational and analytical skills. His attention to detail was not just thorough—it was downright extraordinary!

"Keep tracking their route after they exited the expressway. I want an update within twenty minutes!" Lin Chen commanded before promptly exiting the police station.