Sudden Incident: Kidnapping! Ye Xiaoli?

Chapter 79 Breaking News: Kidnapping! Ye Xiaoli? (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

This was the first time Yue Huizhen had spoken to him in such a tone, clearly indicating that something serious had happened.

"Give me the address, I'm coming now," Shen Shaofeng said directly without asking any further questions.

"Duofu Road, the Ye residence. Hurry, it's urgent!"

"Okay. I'm at home, I'll be there soon."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Shaofeng strode into the bedroom, took out his sidearm and spare ammunition from the bedside table, and stuffed them into the gun holster.

He changed into a leather jacket, put on a baseball cap, grabbed his car keys, and headed out.

Kowloon Tong, To Fook Road.

This is a traditional "old money" mansion area, with detached houses hidden behind dense hedges and high walls.

Compared to the hilltop and Repulse Bay, the people living here are probably more secretive.

Shen Shaofeng drove slowly along Duofu Road, searching for the so-called Ye residence.

There's no way around it; without someone to guide you, ordinary people coming here won't even be able to see the address of a mansion.

Soon, he saw two figures outside a tall iron gate.

Lok Wai-ching, and another tall young woman.

The two were pacing anxiously outside the gate, with Lok Wai-ching occasionally tiptoeing to look towards the intersection.

Shen Shaofeng parked his car on the side of the road and walked over quickly.

"Junior brother."

When Yue Huizhen saw him, it was as if she had seen her pillar of support; she immediately came to greet him: "You've finally arrived!"

"What exactly happened?"

"This is my best friend, Huo Xixian, Helen."

"Helen, this is Shen Shaofeng, whom I mentioned to you. He's my junior brother, the Zero Division Inspector."

Lok Wai-ching quickly introduced the two to each other.

Huo Xixian was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a dark women's suit, with a beautiful face and elegant demeanor.

She nodded to Shen Shaofeng, forcing a smile: "Shen Sir, thank you for making this trip—"

"Hello, Miss Huo."

"Just call me Helan. Here's what happened—"

She gave a brief account, explaining that her stepfather, real estate tycoon Yip Hiu-lai's youngest son, had been kidnapped.

She sought help from her close friend, who had a wide network of connections. Lok Wai-ching recommended herself to her, which led to the current situation.

Shen Shaofeng frowned deeply.

Is Ye Rongheng, the most beloved youngest son of Ye Xiaoli, chairman of Mingda Group, being kidnapped?

Isn't this a scene from Genesis?

The masterminds behind the scenes are Xu Wenbiao and Ye Rongheng's second brother, Ye Rongyi.

This Hong Kong drama is a classic; it was TVB's masterpiece around 2000.

It's so classic that Shen Shaofeng watched the entire collector's edition DVD set in America in his past life and rewatched it more than once.

"What's the ransom demand? How did the kidnappers contact Mr. Ye?"

Huo Xixian shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes: "I don't know the specifics either. Uncle answered the phone. He only said that the kidnappers warned him not to call the police, or they would kill the hostage."

"DouDou said you've solved many major cases before, so we'd like to ask you for your help privately—"

"Please, Inspector Shen, Joe is a very good person, please don't let anything happen to him—"

Yue Huizhen tugged at Shen Shaofeng's arm: "Junior brother, if you can, please help Helen."

She knew very well that Shen Shaofeng might not be willing to take that risk.

This guy seems easy to talk to, but his kind side is probably only revealed to his true friends.

Lok Wai-ching had actually hesitated about whether to act as the middleman, but she couldn't resist Helen's persistent pleas.

Secondly, Shen Shaofeng had previously mentioned to him that if he wanted to climb the ranks in the police force, he would definitely need to build connections among the upper echelons of Hong Kong Island.

I hope that my decision to act on my own initiative will bring benefits to Shen Shaofeng.

Shen Shaofeng's first reaction:

Privately intervening in a wealthy person's kidnapping case is a huge pitfall. Success is fine, but what if it fails?

Second reaction: Why would Ye Xiaoli agree to contact me?

Given his rank, he should know quite a few senior police officers within the force.

After thinking for a while, still unable to figure it out, Shen Shaofeng looked at the tightly closed iron door: "Helen, is Ye Sheng inside?"

"Yes, Uncle and my mommy are waiting for you in the study."

Huo Xixian nodded and pressed the intercom button next to the door.

A few seconds later, the iron gate slid open silently.

Behind the gate was a winding driveway paved with gravel.

A bodyguard in a black suit and wearing headphones stood inside the door, bowing to Huo Xixian and saying, "Miss Huo, Mr. Ye and his wife are waiting in the study."

He then looked at Shen Shaofeng: "Is this Inspector Shen?"

"Um."

Shen Shaofeng simply nodded and did not show his appointment certificate.

"plz follow me."

Le Huizhen said in a low voice, "Junior brother, the fewer people involved in dealing with this kind of thing, the better. I'll go back first."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

"You be careful too. Call me anytime if anything happens."

OK.

Shen Shaofeng followed Huo Xixian and his bodyguard through the gate.

After walking about fifty meters along the driveway, we passed a garden full of flowers.

A three-story villa came into view.

The exterior walls are made of deep red brick and stone, covered with ivy. There are columns and a small fountain in front of the door, and soft light shines through the windows.

Those so-called thousand-square-foot mansions on Hong Kong Island are a joke compared to this kind of detached house with a garden and swimming pool.

The bodyguard led them in through a side door, across a thickly carpeted corridor, to the study.

"Mr. Ye, Inspector Shen has arrived."

"Please come in." A slightly hoarse male voice came from inside.

The bodyguard pushed open the door, and Shen Shaofeng and Huo Xixian entered one after the other.

The study is large, with solid wood bookshelves on all four walls, filled with beautifully bound books.

In the center was a huge mahogany desk, behind which sat a man in his early sixties with gray hair, which was neatly combed.

It was Ye Xiaoli, chairman of the Mingda Group.

He was wearing a dark blue bathrobe and sitting in his executive chair.

Although Ye Xiaoli tried his best to remain calm, Shen Shaofeng could still discern his anxiety from his subtle expressions.

Sitting at the desk was a woman in her fifties with an elegant demeanor; she was Ye Xiaoli's current wife, Fang Jianping.

Upon seeing Huo Xixian bring Shen Shaofeng in, Fang Jianping immediately stood up: "Helen, is this Inspector Shen?"

Her eyes were clear and her expression was calm, which contrasted sharply with Ye Xiaoli's slightly tense demeanor.

Shen Shaofeng could sense that this woman was actually the calmer one in the study at this moment.

"Mommy, Uncle, this is Inspector Shen Shaofeng."

"Sir Shen, this is my mother, and this is my uncle."

"Mr. Ye, Mrs. Ye."

Fang Jianping walked up to Shen Shaofeng and took the initiative to extend his hand to shake hands with Shen Shaofeng.

"Sir Shen, thank you so much. Please have a seat."

Ye Xiaoli also stood up, nodded slightly to Shen Shaofeng, and then sat down again.

Shen Shaofeng did not sit down, but instead spoke directly: "Mr. Ye, before you tell me the specifics, I have two questions."

I have a question.

Ye Xiaoli raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Shen Sir, you might as well speak frankly."

"First, why not just call the police?"

"Given your position and status, you should know many high-ranking officers in the police force. Why didn't you seek help through official channels?"

Ye Xiaoli gave a wry smile: "Sir Shen, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. I do know quite a few high-ranking officers in the police force. But precisely because of this, sometimes it's quite troublesome—"

He glanced at Fang Jianping beside him, who nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Ye Xiaoli considered his words for a moment: "Have you heard about the kidnapping of the Pan family's son-in-law, Inspector Shen? At the time, Pan Junheng contacted Xu Huaihan, the former top cop in the police force, and used all his connections. And what happened? Huang Jiahui disappeared without a trace, and the ransom of several hundred million dollars vanished without a trace—"

He frowned deeply: "Moreover, Pan Junheng himself is in London—"

At this point, Fang Jianping coughed lightly.

Ye Xiaoli understood and didn't bring up Pan Junheng again: "We businessmen all have interconnected networks. After the Pan family got into trouble, we all kept in touch privately."

"Hmph, the police force isn't necessarily clean. The kidnappers were able to track the kidnapper's movements so precisely and escape so easily; who would believe there wasn't someone helping them?"

He paused, then added, "Sir Shen, I'm not trying to discredit the entire police force, please don't misunderstand."

Shen Shaofeng probably knows more about the inside story of this matter than Ye Xiaoli does.

He nodded, signaling Ye Xiaoli to continue.

"Sir Shen, I, Yip Hau-lai, have worked my way up from a wooden shack in Sham Shui Po to where I am today."

Ye Xiaoli was clearly speaking from the heart: "Over the past few decades, I've met too many people and experienced too many things. Some people seem righteous and upright, but who knows what they're really thinking?"

He sighed, "I can't afford to gamble, and I don't dare to call the police directly. What if—Sir Shen, I mean, there's a mole in the police force? Joe's life would be over."

Shen Shaofeng was silent for a few seconds before asking his second question: "Mr. Ye, I'm just a junior inspector with zero demerit points, and I've only been in the police force for three years. What makes me worthy of your trust?"

In fact, Ye Xiaoli's answer had completely resolved his doubts, but since he had agreed to ask two questions, he might as well ask them casually.

"That's exactly why I'm looking for you, Mr. Shen."

"The police officers I know who are at the level of Constitutional Commissioners, once they start moving, it will have far-reaching consequences, and it may not be able to hide it from certain corrupt cops within the police force —"

At this point, Yip Hiu-lai finally reverted to his true colors as a business tycoon, waving his hand dismissively: "But you, Inspector Shen, are different. You're new, clean, and capable enough. In just two months as Inspector Zero, you've solved two major cases!"

"Besides, you were introduced by Helen's good friend. I trust the people she recommends."

He glanced at Huo Xixian and smiled.

"To put it bluntly, you're practically one of us, which makes you more reliable than those outsiders whose backgrounds I don't know."

By the end, Ye Xiaoli's tone had unconsciously become somewhat candid.

Fang Jianping then added, "Sir Shen, I know this request is difficult. But what we need now is someone who can solve problems, not bureaucrats who only follow procedures."

"If you're willing to help, the Ye family will remember this favor. Whether in the police force or in other areas, we won't hesitate to help you whenever you need it."

Shen Shaofeng's face showed a slightly touched expression at the right moment.

But deep down, he knew perfectly well that Ye Xiaoli's words were partly genuine and partly a calculated maneuver.

The so-called "half of our own" is nothing more than a rhetoric to win people's hearts.

How could a tycoon who has worked his way up from the bottom possibly consider someone he has just met as one of his own?

He could recite 100 of these phrases without repeating himself, even with his eyes closed.

But there's no need to spell it out. Ye Xiaoli needs him to save people, and he doesn't mind having the Ye family owe him a huge favor. Everyone gets what they need.

Shen Shaofeng remained silent for a moment before finally sitting down: "Mr. Ye, Mrs. Ye, let's get down to business: When did Mr. Ye Rongheng have his accident?"

Ye Xiaoli began his narration: "Around 3 p.m. this afternoon, Joe was kidnapped on his way back to the mansion from the Jockey Club."

Shen Shaofeng was somewhat surprised to hear this.

He thought it was the part where Ye Rongheng and his girlfriend Tina went out to sea and were kidnapped by bandits from Southeast Asia.

Could this unlucky fellow have been kidnapped more than once?

He remained calm and continued, "Have the kidnappers contacted you to pay the ransom?"

"Yes, they called about three hours ago, demanding a ransom of HK$800 million. They require it to be paid by 3 PM tomorrow."

Prepare old banknotes with non-consecutive serial numbers, and await their next instructions.

Eight hundred million.

This figure is higher than the ransoms in several famous kidnapping cases that Shen Shaofeng remembers.

It's almost on par with the case of the "tycoon" kidnapping Li Huanggua's son.

"What else did the kidnappers say on the phone? Did you let Mr. Ye Rongheng answer the phone?"