Chapter 18: Drag Him Out and Beat Him to Death!

“Is it possible that the little girl and her mother were taken away by the people spreading rumors?” Su Daoan speculated.

Lu Feng found the idea far-fetched. “That seems unlikely. I don’t have such bitter enemies. To smear me, would they really go so far as to kidnap the mother and daughter? Isn’t that overkill?”

“In theory, yes,” Su Daoan admitted, still harboring doubts.

At that moment, Su Muqing emerged from the bathroom, having finished brushing her teeth. Hearing their conversation, she grew excited and raised her fist: “Wonderful! I’m about to solve my very first kidnapping case!”

“You crazy girl, what kidnapping case? There’s no kidnapping!” Su Daoan was used to his youngest daughter jumping to conclusions.

“Didn’t you just say it’s a kidnapping?”

“No! No kidnapping! You stick to your internship, finish it, and return to school for your classes,” Su Daoan said sternly.

“I won’t! I heard everything you said. That little girl who was harassed by that rogue senior has been kidnapped. I’m a police officer now—I have to investigate,” Su Muqing declared with vigor.

“When did I—what? Hey, hey, hey… you’re making things up!” Lu Feng tried to correct her, but couldn’t get a word in.

“You wild girl, listen carefully: the little girl was just taken away by her family, not kidnapped. Do you understand?” Su Daoan emphasized once more.

“It doesn’t matter. To be an excellent detective, you have to find clues in the tiniest details,” Su Muqing was already weaving her detective dream.

“Have you been reading too many detective novels?” Lu Feng sighed helplessly.

…

Despite Su Daoan’s repeated insistence that there was no kidnapping, Su Muqing paid no attention to this matter, which had been clarified three times, and submitted a report to her mentor, veteran officer Chen Deyong, saying she wanted to investigate a missing persons case at the hospital.

Chen Deyong, worn out by Su Muqing’s antics these days, was delighted to hear she wouldn’t be coming to work, and agreed readily, without hesitation.

…

Actually, becoming a police officer had originally been Su Muyu’s wish, and her overflowing compassion made her eager to visit the little girl Lu Feng had rescued. She decided to go to the hospital with her sister.

Su Daoan, worried about his daughters’ safety, asked Lu Feng to accompany them.

After all, Lu Feng was the main party involved. The little girl had fractured a rib, and when he listened to her heartbeat, he’d heard some irregular sounds, so he was anxious to know how she was doing now.

…

At the First Hospital of Yangcheng, Su Muqing strode through the halls in her police uniform, hands on her hips, wielding her temporary police badge, interrogating everyone she met.

Who knows how many doctors and nurses she questioned—she certainly didn’t remember, nor did she recall what she’d asked. She was simply lost in the thrill of taking statements.

Fortunately, Su Muyu kept a notebook, recording every nurse’s answer. She had a habit of taking notes at school, always feeling more secure when things were written down.

The truth was, it was simple: the mother and daughter had been brought to the hospital by ambulance for their wounds to be bandaged.

Because the young woman had lost too much blood and remained unconscious, the duty nurse found her phone on her, called her family, and asked them to come pay the bills and look after the patient.

Later that evening, around seven o’clock, three men came to the hospital and took the mother and daughter away. The men looked fierce. One carried the little girl, who kept crying; the young woman, worried for her daughter, followed them.

A nurse tried to intervene but was rudely pushed aside by one of the men.

The duty nurse saw that the young woman didn’t resist aggressively, so didn’t call the police, thinking it was a family dispute. After all, a woman with a child involved in a car accident—her husband getting angry seemed normal.

…

“That’s what happened. According to the nurses, it’s possible the three men took the mother and daughter by force, but it’s also possible they didn’t,” Su Muyu summarized from her notes, ending with a rather redundant conclusion.

“Wait, we haven’t checked the surveillance footage yet,” Su Muqing suddenly remembered, and hurried off to find the head nurse to request access.

Her temporary police status worked well, and she was able to view the footage.

The surveillance camera was angled from above at forty-five degrees, so faces weren’t clear, but from their clothing, the three men hardly seemed respectable.

All three wore jeans riddled with holes; one had dyed hair, another had tattoos.

“No need to look further—this is definitely a kidnapping case!” Su Muqing declared confidently after viewing the footage.

“Why?” Lu Feng asked.

“Because seeing those three thugs makes me want to punch them,” Su Muqing said seriously.

“That’s your reason?” Lu Feng rolled his eyes.

Su Muyu, meanwhile, watched carefully and pointed to the footage. “The little girl is crying so sadly. She’s clearly terrified of the man carrying her, reaching out for her mother.”

Lu Feng also felt the three men were suspicious. He pondered aloud, “It’s definitely worth investigating.”

“But there are no clues at all,” Su Muqing strained her not-so-brilliant mind.

Lu Feng kept thinking: Was the little girl’s abduction somehow connected to the online smear campaign against him? If it was, then whoever was targeting him was really going overboard. To blacken someone’s name, was it necessary to take an innocent child? If they wanted to target someone, they should just come after him.

“Even though we can’t be sure the two incidents are related, investigating the people slandering Yun’an Group online might turn up clues.”

“Exactly! Whether they’re connected or not, we have to track down this scoundrel. Daring to smear my family’s company—once I find him, I’ll beat him to a pulp!” Su Muqing clenched her fists.

Hiring online trolls to smear a group company could never stay hidden for long.

By afternoon, Su Daoan had already discovered the culprit: their competitor, Kanglong Pharmaceuticals.

Over ten years ago, when Su Daoan first started his business, the owner of Kanglong Pharmaceuticals heard he possessed a valuable recipe, offered five million for it, and was refused.

The reason Su Daoan switched from pharmaceuticals to running a wellness center was, in part, due to Kanglong’s interference.

Later, Su Daoan spent several years building up Yun’an Group.

Kanglong Pharmaceuticals became interested again, offering fifty million to buy the rising Yun’an Group, and again Su Daoan refused.

Since then, the two companies had become rivals. At first, Kanglong held the upper hand—its resources and power were formidable—but as competition intensified and Yun’an Group flourished, Kanglong was gradually surpassed.

As it happened, Ye Wuhua was Kanglong’s heir.

Initially, Ye Wuhua posted the video online just to disgust Lu Feng.

But when his father learned of it, he launched a deeper smear campaign, targeting the wellness centers run by Yun’an Group.

With the pharmaceutical market fiercely competitive, Kanglong Pharmaceuticals also ventured into traditional wellness products. Given the chance to smear a rival, they never hesitated.

Once Su Daoan discovered who was stirring up trouble behind the scenes, he was no longer worried. He focused on handling public relations, strengthening defenses, and waiting for the right moment to strike back.