Everyone in the car fell silent at once.
Cecilia Gu said, "If my sister is being held hostage, even if the sweep finds her, she might not be able to signal for help. No, I have to go with you!"
Charles Yin immediately held Cecilia Gu back, noticing her eyes redden with emotion. He quickly said, "The people I brought are all professionally trained. If someone is disguised, they'll be able to spot it!"
The other person quickly added, "Yes, Miss Cecilia Gu, the people sent by Mr. Mo are also well-trained. Even if the other side tries to disguise themselves, it won't be easy to escape!"
Cecilia Gu glanced quickly out the window, her eyes growing even redder.
Adrian, what exactly are you planning to do to my sister?
Who are you, really?
The car quickly arrived at the Su Family residence.
Although the Su Family still had mourning banners up, the funeral was over, so visiting now wasn't considered a disturbance.
With Mrs. Jiang missing at the Su Family, everyone there was extremely anxious. Naturally, they didn't mind, and welcomed Cecilia Gu and Charles Yin inside.
"Mr. Yin, Mrs. Yin, I'm truly sorry. She went missing at our Su Family, and even if it costs us everything, we'll find her." The elderly Madam Su, leaning on her cane, came out to greet them. Seeing her weathered face, Cecilia Gu couldn't help but feel moved.
"Thank you," Charles Yin nodded to her. "This was a premeditated kidnapping. Otherwise, with Mo Rong's vigilance, she wouldn't have been so easily deceived. The perpetrator is cunning, first gaining everyone's trust before striking when their guard was down. After all, no one expects a sickly person to be a threat."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Mr. Yin is right," Max Mo's voice came from afar.
Cecilia Gu and Charles Yin turned to see Max Mo entering with his team.
It had been a long time, but Max Mo was as charismatic as ever.
Yet in just three years, everyone seemed to have changed.
The moment Max Mo saw Cecilia Gu, he couldn't help but pause.
Some things never change, no matter how much time passes.
But Max Mo quickly composed himself and greeted them nonchalantly, "You’re here."
Cecilia Gu nodded. "Thank you, Max."
"No need to be so formal," Max Mo replied with a slight smile. "Grandpa's been talking about you a lot lately. If you have time, give him a call."
"Okay," Cecilia Gu answered warmly, smiling back.
Charles Yin quickly ended the small talk and asked, "Mr. Mo, any progress?"
"Not yet. The team is in position. If the suspects leave the house, we'll know immediately," Max Mo said seriously. "But they might stay hidden for a while. This season, there's plenty of food available, and if they have enough refrigerators, they could stock up for a long time."
"If they don’t leave, it’ll be hard for us to find them," Charles Yin nodded in agreement, starting to think of other options.
Just then, Max Mo’s assistant turned to Cecilia Gu. "Miss Cecilia Gu."
Max Mo’s team stubbornly insisted on calling her Miss Cecilia Gu instead of Mrs. Yin, probably still feeling sorry for their boss.
Their boss, Mr. Mo, has stayed single all this time—because of Cecilia Gu.
Cecilia Gu looked up as Max Mo’s assistant said, "Mrs. Jiang is close to Miss Cecilia Gu. Even if she’s kidnapped, she’ll try to leave clues for us. Could you tell us about her habits?"
Before Cecilia Gu could answer, Eric Jiang hurried out from the next room. "Yes, yes, that reminds me! Molly will definitely try to send us a signal! Cecilia, you know Molly best—what clues would she leave for us?"
Cecilia Gu shook her head. "My mind is a mess right now. I just can’t think of what hint my sister would give me."
Seeing how distraught Cecilia Gu was, Charles Yin felt a wave of sympathy. "Alright, let’s not think about it for now. We’ll search first, and once we find a clue, you can help us identify it, okay?"
Cecilia Gu nodded firmly.
Charles Yin wasted no time and started making calls, remotely directing his team to conduct a citywide search.
After everyone left, Cecilia Gu was about to go out searching when Max Mo stopped her. "If you go out looking like this, you’ll only make everyone worry more."
Cecilia Gu slowly turned to face Max Mo.
Max Mo's eyes dimmed as he withdrew his hand, forcing a smile. "Don’t worry. Nora’s so smart—she won’t let herself be in danger for long."
"You..." Cecilia Gu didn’t know what to say.
She seemed to forget that Nora Yun almost married Max Mo.
Ugh, my head hurts.
What a mess this all is!
How did everything get so tangled up together?
Max Mo felt a bit awkward too, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.
When he learned that Nora Yun had been reborn in Molly Yun’s body, he struggled for a moment, wondering if he should try to win Nora back.
But eventually, he realized the person he loved wasn’t Nora anymore—it was Cecilia Gu.
Those two sisters had claimed all his feelings and sense of belonging, in this life and the last.
Sadly, neither Cecilia Gu nor Nora Yun belonged to him anymore.
Max Mo was smart enough to know that since they weren’t meant to be, he might as well let go—at least they could still be friends.
Better that than not even having friendship.
"I’ll find her," Max Mo said, then hurried off.
Watching Max Mo’s retreating figure, Cecilia Gu felt even more guilty.
The Yun family really owed the Mo family far too much.
There was no way to repay it in this lifetime—maybe in the next.
Cecilia Gu didn’t go out searching after all. Instead, she stayed home waiting for news.
She believed that as soon as Molly Yun found a chance, she would definitely leave a clue for her!
She was waiting for Molly Yun’s signal.
At that moment, Molly Yun hadn’t left any hints for Cecilia Gu—she was still unconscious.
No one knew how much time had passed before Molly Yun slowly woke up. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a luxurious room.
Molly Yun sat up abruptly and saw that her clothes had been changed.
Molly Yun’s expression changed instantly!
She instinctively checked her body and, finding nothing amiss, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Molly Yun put on her shoes and walked outside, discovering she was in a large villa. All the windows were covered with curtains, so no light could get in. The lights were always on, whether it was day or night.
Where is this place?
Why am I here?
Suddenly, Yiran’s face flashed through Molly Yun’s mind.
It’s him!
That bastard!
He actually used her trust to kidnap her!
Molly Yun turned to look for an exit, trying to find a way out.
"Awake?" Yiran’s voice came from behind her.
Molly Yun spun around and saw Yiran, dressed in black shirt and pants, looking exactly as he had in the jungle.
"You’d better give up on that idea," Molly Yun said coolly. "I won’t let you get your way."
"You mean, violate you?" Yiran laughed. "No, I wouldn’t do that. Of course, if you wanted to, I’d cooperate."
Anger flashed across Molly Yun’s face, but Yiran quickly added, "If you’re not willing, I won’t force you."
Molly Yun just snorted.
"My plan is to extract your genes, combine them with mine, and use artificial insemination to have a surrogate carry the child," Yiran said with a bright smile. "See, isn’t this a great idea? You don’t have to do anything you dislike, I don’t have to face an awkward situation, and we can have a child that belongs to both of us! That child will be the next High Priest of the Shadow Tribe, inheriting my legacy."
Molly Yun’s expression changed again. "Yiran, you’re insane! I won’t cooperate with you!"
"Sorry, you don’t have a choice," Yiran said, staring at Molly Yun. "As a Yun family woman, your child will inherit the bloodline of the Yun family astrologers."
"So what? What does that have to do with you? Yun family astrologers only serve the Yun family—they’ll never be your High Priest!" Molly Yun just couldn’t understand his logic.
"Nora," Yiran stared at her. "Don’t you realize that an astrologer is just another kind of High Priest?"
Molly Yun’s heart raced with anxiety.
"Otherwise, how do you think I found you? Of course, I used the stars to calculate your whereabouts," Yiran replied. "In your Yun family, you call it an astrologer. In my tribe, it’s called a High Priest. Both can divine and read the stars. Our child, with both our bloodlines, would have the powers of both an astrologer and a High Priest. Why wouldn’t they be the next High Priest of the Shadow Tribe?"
Molly Yun was completely panicked.
How could this happen?
"Nora, don’t bother trying to escape. No one will find this place," Yiran smiled. "I’ve planned for this day for a long time. Things are chaotic outside because of your disappearance—they’re turning all of R City upside down. But it’s pointless. We’re not even in the city proper. No amount of surveillance will find us."
Molly Yun grew even more uneasy.
"Nora, I don’t want to hurt you. I just want a child with you," Yiran said, his gaze still pure, but Molly Yun felt sick to her stomach.
"Rest for a few days. I’ll have someone give you nutrition and injections," Yiran stared at her. "The surrogate for our child is ready. All that’s left is your cooperation."
"Don’t even think about it!" Molly Yun finally understood the despair and struggle Cecilia Gu had felt. "I’d rather die than let this child be born!"