Chapter 59: The Mysterious Disappearance

Hu Wenyi’s reclusive streak did not last long, because Xiaoli suddenly sensed that something was amiss.

She had pinned almost all her hopes on Hu Wenyi, yet she did not see him constantly. Xiaoli was not only busy with the follow-up filming of *The Perfect Lamb* but also tasked with scouting beautiful actresses for Hu, keeping her schedule packed. Their meetings were mostly restricted to evenings at home.

However, for two consecutive nights, Hu Wenyi had not returned home!

Xiaoli went to the office to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found, and there was no sign of him on location either. When she asked Director Zhang, the reply she received was: "He’s a major shareholder; he’s busy. Since when does he have time to sit in the office all day?"

This situation persisted until the third day, and Xiaoli began to panic.

It wasn’t that she was genuinely worried something had happened to Hu Wenyi; rather, as she spent more time at the company, rumors inevitably reached her ears. Had this Hu Wenyi gone off to do something illicit? Ever since their relationship had been confirmed, her mindset had shifted, and her possessiveness had become unprecedentedly intense. Strangely enough, at this moment, she recalled Wan Yongkun’s warning.

Was it true that this man had a questionable reputation? Was it really true? It is only when things happen to oneself that one truly feels the sting! She had not yet fully awakened to the reality of the situation—nor was she likely to, blinded as she was by her preconceived notions.

Hu Wenyi’s phone went unanswered, he couldn’t be found, and messages left on social media remained unread. Was he playing a game of disappearance? How could a major shareholder, producer, and director of the prestigious Dynasty Films simply vanish so completely?

Yet the situation was truly bizarre. Most of her colleagues remained tight-lipped; they seemed to know something, yet acted as if they knew nothing. When Xiaoli asked, their answers were uniform: "Mr. Hu is busy."

Even Director Zhang, who was usually obsessed with his work, held to the same narrative and even warned her to focus all her energy on the filming. How could Xiaoli not be distressed? She was a young, debutant actress suddenly faced with so many complications, none of which seemed to align with her original intentions. She had finally found a "kind-hearted" mentor, and now, it seemed, disaster was looming again.

The thought of catastrophe made her tremble from time to time. After all, her previous nightmarish experiences were not so far in the past; lingering fear was inevitable.

Xiaoli began to grow paranoid: Could it be that someone who envied her success was plotting against her mentor from the shadows, with the ultimate goal of destroying her? The more she thought, the more terrified she became.

It was only then that she realized her isolation remained absolute. Once she lost her protector, she was alone again—no matter how glamorous her surface appeared, she could not withstand any storm.

Hu Wenyi never appeared in the little nest Xiaoli had set up, as if he had evaporated into thin air. Then, one day, *The Perfect Lamb* wrapped production without any celebrations. Director Zhang Jun then approached her with a somber expression, and their colleagues gathered around.

The first thing he said was: "You should call the police. Something must have happened to Mr. Hu! The senior management notified us."

This news shattered Xiaoli instantly. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the floor. Only days ago, rumors had swirled that Hu Wenyi was seeing other women, leaving her both heartbroken and hopeful for a different explanation. But in an instant, the nightmare was confirmed, leaving her completely unable to process it.

The colleagues all knew that Hu Wenyi’s womanizing was nothing out of the ordinary, but Director Zhang would not lie, and an accident report from senior management was certainly no joke (Hu might play hide-and-seek with anyone else, but never with the company; being a shareholder was not exactly a high-level position).

What was meant to happen had finally arrived.

***

Hu Wenyi’s disappearance was simultaneously detected by several factions: the security department of Dynasty Films, the local police, the plainclothes officers dispatched by Guan Shaoxing, Beiting, and the Divine Eagle detective agency.

Because, by now, it was no longer a secret.

But how exactly Hu Wenyi had disappeared, no one could say. The man himself was a mystery; saying he was as cunning as a fox with three burrows would not be an exaggeration. Where he had disappeared from was also a mystery.

Xiaoli was the first to report him missing, but she was even more confused, knowing nothing when questioned. The police conducted a surprise search of her residence but found no valuable clues.

Several personnel from Dynasty Films were also questioned, with equally fruitless results.

However, they did have the specific time of his disappearance: the Thursday one week before Xiaoli reported it. In other words, eight days had passed since Hu Wenyi lost contact. Even though he was a shareholder, he was only a minor one; while he didn't need to report in person, a phone call was expected. He could not possibly be ignorant of such basic protocol.

The police searched the entire Dynasty Building as a matter of procedure, focusing on Hu Wenyi’s office. This time, the company’s security department, as a key internal management force, participated in the operation, but they still came up empty-handed. The security department had two theories: either he had an accident, or he had been kidnapped.

They had grounds for these speculations; Hu Wenyi lived a reckless life, had made many enemies over the years, and had countless verbal conflicts and disputes with others. Furthermore, his personal net worth was significant, so they could not rule out the possibility of criminals acting out of greed.

The police, however, immediately dismissed the kidnapping theory. What kidnapper would wait seven or eight days without demanding a ransom? That possibility was far too low—unless they were just waiting for the police to come to them? Unless, of course, they had already killed him.

Did the kidnappers really have the leisure to keep him alive?

The police were more inclined to believe he had gone into hiding voluntarily or had been targeted for revenge. Of course, this required a series of investigations and evidence gathering; for now, there were no leads at all.

The local police had dealt with Hu Wenyi many times before, mostly regarding domestic, romantic, or debt disputes, which had given them massive headaches. Though they didn't say it openly, many believed he had simply gone into hiding. If he were truly hiding, spending this much effort and police resources to investigate would be a massive waste. Everyone was busy and didn't want to engage in futile work.

One colleague even joked in private: "The world of the rich—we just don't understand it."

The local police and security departments were at their wit's end. It was unclear what the Divine Eagle detective agency was doing, but the pressure on Beiting had suddenly spiked. Hu Wenyi was the only lead they were currently following; his mysterious disappearance—could it be too coincidental? With no breakthroughs in the peripheral investigation, would the loss of this lead mean the entire front would be infinitely protracted?

Unbidden, the image of a master of counter-surveillance surfaced in Chen Tianyu’s mind. It wasn't as if he hadn't encountered masters before, but one who could operate so calmly and openly to orchestrate a plan under the very noses of Beiting was rare; even Qiu Xi, back in the day, couldn't have pulled it off with such effortless composure.

He urgently called Guan Shaoxing (the Bureau Chief had already returned to the provincial capital). Guan’s answer was within expectations but still disappointing: "The situation is unclear; we are currently verifying."

Chen Tianyu did not believe that a living, breathing person could disappear without a trace, nor did he believe Hu Wenyi had the ability to evaporate under the near-constant surveillance of the public. What had gone wrong?

He tried a long shot and briefed the detective group on the situation, waiting quietly for replies from all sides.

The first to respond was actually Li Yiting, the deep-cover mole who usually never said a word in the group.

The reply was brief: "The crew here is going crazy with rumors, too. There are all sorts of stories."

Chen Tianyu’s heart stirred: "What kind of stories?"

Li Yiting replied: "They say he did too much evil and encountered a female ghost. People are talking about it as if they’ve seen it themselves..."

Chen Tianyu’s face darkened instantly. He could understand normal speculations—revenge killings, crimes of passion, hiding, or kidnapping. Yiting certainly knew there was no need to mention those. But for such a sinister wind to blow through the set was truly beyond his expectations—

There is no smoke without fire!

He issued a strict order in the group: "Compile all surveillance footage immediately. No matter what methods you have to use, you must capture this 'female ghost'!"