CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 176: ASKING HIM FOR HELP

Going down the mountain, my mom kept grumbling, "This place isn’t accurate, and the feng shui is bad. Even asking for a fortune stick I ran into an unlucky person!"

"Mom, what was the result of the fortune stick? Don’t tell me I’m destined to be alone forever?" I wrapped my arm around hers, laughing as I asked.

Mom had a strange look on her face as she answered, "My daughter is so wonderful, how could she be single forever? We don’t believe in this stuff! Huh? Where’s my phone?"

Suddenly, my mom realized she didn’t have her phone with her. She fumbled around but couldn’t find a trace of it,

Her heart isn’t great, and climbing up here was a struggle. Going back would be tough for her. Worried she couldn’t handle it, I volunteered to go back and retrieve it for her.

When I returned to the temple, just as I got to the door, I heard the monk’s voice, "Young lady, don’t push it. You don’t have a predestined relationship with him."

As soon as the words left his mouth, I walked in. Azure was standing in front of the monk, biting her lip, holding a fortune stick in her hand, full of resentment and unwillingness as if she was very dissatisfied with that stick. Suddenly she pointed at me, "What about her fortune stick?"

"Miss, that’s her privacy. We can’t reveal it." The monk answered calmly.

Azure’s expression became even more unpleasant, looking at me as if she wanted to devour me. I guessed her fortune result wasn’t good.

Whatever fortune she asked for, whether the result was good or bad, had nothing to do with me. I wasn’t interested in knowing. I grabbed the phone and turned to leave, while Azure and Fern followed silently behind me. It felt like being followed by two female ghosts, filled with resentment, making me quicken my pace.

Fortunately, we hadn’t walked far before Azure received a call.

"Really? Joy, you’re amazing!" This lifted Azure’s bad mood a bit, and she started sounding excited, "Okay, when are you guys arriving? Let’s grab a meal together and ask Brother Julian to treat us."

Hmm? Judging by her response, I concluded that Joy and Julian are together?

I have only two words for this: Amazing.

The Matchmaker God’s red string really gets tangled up messily.

"Are Joy and Julian back? Let’s go pick them up and have a meal together," Fern suggested, sounding pleasantly surprised.

"Okay!" Azure sighed heavily, and it seemed she was staring at me, but I didn’t turn around.

The two of them hurried down the mountain to meet Joy and Julian, quickening their pace so much that they overtook my mom and me, rushing downhill. When they moved farther away from me, I immediately felt the air clearer.

On the way back, I noticed my mom’s mood wasn’t right, constantly frowning. I asked her, but she wouldn’t say, just then I received a call from Crystal Dawson.

"Zoe, I need your help!" Crystal Dawson’s tone was urgent, coming straight to the point, "Do you remember Ryan Rhodes? He’s in trouble!"

Of course, I remember. I once asked Ryan to write an article about Azure for me. In a way, he helped me out with that.

"Don’t worry, what’s wrong?" I was afraid Crystal would stress out and affect her pregnancy. Having twins is already more worrisome.

"He somehow heard that Henry Preston’s father has an illegitimate child and published an article without any evidence. Although he withdrew it in time, some rumors still got out. After Henry found out, Ryan went missing!" Crystal was both angry and helpless. "He’s really gone mad for the hype. This isn’t gossip news you can just make up!"

I was shocked. The news I saw yesterday was written by Ryan?

He truly is bold, continually provoking Henry, and now he even dared to write about Henry’s family affairs.

"Ryan is a pretty good friend of mine. Zoe, can you help contact Henry? He’s not answering our calls. If Ryan is with him, can you ask him not to go too hard?" Crystal requested.

Actually, no one can be sure where Ryan is. What if he’s not with Henry? Then what?

But based on the current situation, it’s likely that he angered Henry and was taken by him. Afraid Crystal would get too anxious and something might happen, I agreed without thinking, "Okay, I’ll try."

Ryan helped me out before, and now Crystal is asking me for help. I can’t refuse.

After hanging up, I hesitated for a moment before instructing Lane, "Lane, drop me off at the next intersection. Just take my mom home."

"Zoe, you..." My mom’s face looked worse, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Mom, Crystal is nearby and wants me to come over for something." I explained without changing my expression, feeling very tense inside, "Isn’t she pregnant? Maybe she’s not in a good mood and wants me to keep her company for a bit. I’m afraid she might have prenatal depression."

Sorry, Crystal.

"That serious? Then you really should go. Women can be quite emotionally unstable during pregnancy. You better go check, in case something happens." My mom was taken aback and had no reason to stop me. Once Lane stopped the car, I quickly got out.

Watching Lane drive off, I took a deep breath and braced myself to call Henry, but no one answered.

Could it be he’s already dealing with Ryan? A chill ran through me. Just as I was about to hang up, Henry’s cool voice came through, "What is it?"

"Henry, where are you?" My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately asked.

"At the office. Do you need something?" He responded concisely, clearly disinterested in idle chatter.

Considering my words carefully, knowing Henry disliked confrontational talk from me, I softened my tone, "Uh, do you know Ryan Rhodes? A journalist."

There was a brief silence on Henry’s side, followed by a light chuckle. He replied, "Yes, I know him. Are you looking for him?"

"I heard from Crystal that he accidentally offended you and now he’s missing. Is he with you?" I asked thick-skinned, feeling my face flush with embarrassment. Given my past attitude toward him, now I had to seek his help.

"He’s not with me." Henry’s answer left me at a loss. If he’s not with him, then who has him?

Henry quickly reminded me, "Ryan has offended more than just me. I wouldn’t capture him over a piece of gossip."

Ryan certainly hadn’t only offended Henry; I was well aware. But for someone powerful enough to make Ryan disappear so quickly, I couldn’t think of anyone else.

"Alright, I got it." After contemplating for a moment and realizing Henry hadn’t hung up, I said a line and ended the call myself.

Then, as quickly as possible, I relayed the information to Crystal. After hearing what I said, she sighed deeply, troubled, "Ugh, finding someone takes time; I just fear something might happen to him before we do."

"Alright, I’ll try to think of a way to help find him too." I had no better plan, just doing what I could.

"Okay, I’ve asked Silas Lockwood to find Henry. Henry should have some means." Crystal’s words were filled with helplessness. If the situation wasn’t this serious, she definitely wouldn’t want to ask Henry for help. I know her personality well.

But Ryan used to be Henry’s major whistleblower, with two-thirds of those messy rumors about Henry coming from Ryan.

Whether Henry is willing to help is a big question.