CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: HUO YAN IS IN DANGER IV

"How can it be him?" Ah Si frowned. "He drove all the way back just to tell you about her disappearance. If he’s involved, why would he risk that?"

"I’m certain he’s the one," Huo Feng said flatly.

"But that’s what I don’t get." Ah Si’s confusion deepened. "Why report it at all? It doesn’t add up."

Huo Feng’s gaze darkened. "If the driver hadn’t returned, we would not have followed his lead. That false trail was his way of buying them time. I have a feeling that Huo Yan wasn’t led to the outskirts." Huo Feng analyzed the situation with a deep look in his eyes.

Ah Si froze, the realization striking him cold. "Then... the driver—"

"Where is he now?" Huo Feng cut him off. His tone was sharp and dangerous.

They turned back toward the second car. It was empty.

The driver was gone. He had escaped.

Huo Feng’s expression sank into a stormy silence. His eyes swept the roadside, but he couldn’t find anything... or rather a human.

"He ran." Huo Feng’s voice was low, seething.

Ah Si clenched his fists. "Boss, do you want me to mobilize the men?"

"No." Huo Feng’s jaw tightened. "If he escaped, it means this was arranged in advance. They’ll have covered his tracks already." He crushed the necklace in his palm. "But now we know... the betrayal started from inside."

The night pressed heavier, the silence deafening. For the first time, the hunt no longer felt like chasing shadows.

Huo Feng’s gaze lingered on the empty van, evidence of him being outsmarted, and he sneered.

"We are leaving." He said, and Ah Si nodded. He couldn’t offer any word of protest, he was aware that a fire was burning within his boss, and he didn’t want to add fuel to that fire.

The person responsible had an intricate thought process. He had to admit, he was caught off guard. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t save his sister. He would save Huo Yan, and bring her back home.

The drive back home was silent. The only sound was the sound of engines.

Huo Feng’s thoughts were scattered all over the place. The more seconds were wasted—the deeper Huo Yan was in their hands.

He didn’t know their plans, and he wasn’t aware of what they would do to her.

Once they arrived at the villa, Huo Feng didn’t immediately enter. Dread slowly filled his heart. He didn’t know how to face Yue Ning. He had vowed that he would bring her back, but he was alone.

"Boss." There was a knock on the car’s window.

"Let’s go in."

Huo Feng exhaled, and exited the car.

They slowly walked into the living room, and as expected, Yue Ning was still seated where he had left her. Yun Li hadn’t left, instead, she kept her company to which Huo Feng was grateful for.

Yue Ning rose to her feet with Yun Li’s help when she saw him walk in. She looked behind him, but couldn’t find Huo Yan.

"Mr. Huo, where is Huo Yan? Were you able to find her?" Yue Ning asked with trembling lips.

Huo Feng was unable to give her a reply. There was only silence.

Yue Ning staggered. His silence was the answer she needed to know about tonight’s outcome.

"But how... Why didn’t you find her?" She murmured, almost falling back to the sofa.

Yun Li sighed, sensing her anxiety. She helped her take a seat while gesturing for one of the maids to bring a glass of water.

After the maid brought the water, Yun Li personally fed her.

"Ning Ning, you have to remain calm. You shouldn’t be anxious." She coaxed her while rubbing her back.

Yue Ning took a deep breath before glancing at Huo Feng whose expression was stormy. No matter what, this matter affected him a lot. Huo Yan was his little sister after all.

"Mr. Huo, what are you planning to do?" Yue Ning asked.

"No, that’s not the right question. What happened?" Yue Ning changed her question.

Huo Feng explained everything that happened, and she frowned.

"The driver? Why don’t you investigate him? You might find some clues if you do. People he has met in the past week, everything." Yue Ning blurted out.

Huo Feng fixated his gaze on her. He hadn’t thought about this. He wanted to check the surveillance system from Huo Yan’s school.

But Yue Ning’s suggestion was what he should also focus on.

"You need to rest. You are still injured, and if you overexert yourself, it will only slow down your recovery." He said to her.

Yue Ning shook her head stubbornly.

"How can I rest when I know Xiao Yan is in trouble. I don’t even know how she would be faring, and you want me to rest. I’m sorry I can’t do that." She rejected him without any hesitation.

Her trembling fingers clutched at Yun Li’s sleeve, and Yun Li quickly tightened her hold, silently trying to ease her tension.

Huo Feng’s jaw flexed. He understood her agitation. He also felt the same, only he had learned to bury it under layers of control.

"Leave it to me. I will handle this," he said, his voice low but was filled with certainty and determination.

"But promise me you’ll look into the driver," Yue Ning pressed, her eyes brimming with tears. "He’s the key."

Huo Feng didn’t answer immediately. His sharp and unreadable gaze lingered on her face. Then he gave the faintest nod. "I will."

Relief flickered across her features, but it was fleeting. Her body, already weakened, trembled as though her worry was eating her alive.

Yun Li guided her back to her room gently. "Enough for tonight. Ning Ning, you must rest. Don’t forget, you’re still healing. If something happens to you, what would Yan Yan think when she returns?"

The words struck home. Yue Ning closed her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek, and finally leaned into Yun Li’s support as they walked to her room.

Huo Feng stood silently for a moment longer, then turned and strode upstairs.

The door to his study shut with a sharp click. The room was dim, lit only by the glow of a desk lamp. On the desk laid an object: the jade hairpin—a grim reminder of his sister’s danger.

His phone buzzed in his hand. One by one, he began calling trusted contacts, issuing orders, pulling every string he could.

The driver thought he could vanish. Let him. No one escaped him for long.

Huo Feng’s eyes darkened, the cold glint within them sharp enough to cut.

Whoever had dared touch his sister... would learn what it meant to provoke him.