Chapter 130: Searching for Someone

As soon as Lu Qi'an walked into the living room, he saw two people in the dining area—a man and a woman. The tall man was Louis, and the petite woman in his arms was already half-undressed.

Lu Qi'an rushed over and pulled the woman away, only to hear an unfamiliar voice.

"What are you doing?"

Lu Qi'an immediately let go and looked at her, realizing with a start that it was not Qin Miaoyu!

"Lu, it’s been so long. You come in and interrupt my... what is that word? 'The joy of fish and water'?"

Knowing this woman wasn't Qin Miaoyu did not bring Lu Qi'an any relief; it meant they had absolutely no idea where she might have gone.

Recalling that Louis’s car had entered the villa compound shortly after Qin Miaoyu had left the entrance, Lu Qi'an took out his phone and pulled up her photo.

"Louis, did you see her outside?"

Louis squinted at the screen and laughed. "Oh, the little sweetheart? I saw her outside when I was coming in. I offered her a ride, but she refused, so I told my driver to proceed. Why? Is this little sweetheart your woman?"

Lu Qi'an nodded. "Yes. Louis, if you see her, notify me immediately. Whatever influence you may wield abroad, this is domestic territory. Even if you have a thousand tricks, I can make sure you can't use a single one. If you want to return home smoothly, you’d best not hide anything from me!"

The smile vanished from Louis's face. "Lu, are you threatening me?"

Lu Qi'an’s expression was icy. "Louis, if you are behind this, you will find out whether it’s a threat or not."

"Lu, I did see this girl. Someone had mentioned introducing her to me, but her disappearance has absolutely nothing to do with me. I only just arrived here today!"

"Who told you they wanted to introduce her to you? The Liang family?"

"Yes. They want investment from the E Group and said they would have this little sweetheart talk to me about it. You know how it is—people like us are often offered women to facilitate certain goals. She happened to be to my taste, so I said I would consider it."

Lu Qi'an’s smile grew increasingly mocking. The Liang family was willing to push Qin Miaoyu out for a deal that wasn't even guaranteed.

"Fine. I hope what you’re saying is true. If you hear anything about her, contact me as soon as possible."

Louis chuckled. "Lu, I used to think you had no interest in women. I never expected that one day... alright, alright, I'll stop. If I find this little sweetheart, I’ll be sure to tell you!"

Lu Qi'an didn't stay any longer and headed straight for the Liang residence. Only Mrs. Liang was home, and she looked displeased as Lu Qi'an burst in.

"Housekeeper, why did you let him in without announcing him?"

"Where is Miaoyu?"

Xi Ruofen set down her teacup. "What are you talking about? She’s a grown woman and not close to us. How would we know where she went?"

"Playing dumb? You wanted to use Miaoyu to climb up to the lecherous Louis. Now that she’s unreachable, are you going to tell me you didn’t take her?" Lu Qi'an glared at Mrs. Liang.

Xi Ruofen’s expression remained unchanged; there was no sign of worry for Qin Miaoyu, nor any panic from being exposed.

"We did have thoughts of using Qin Miaoyu to get close to Louis—after all, it’s a good opportunity for the Liang family. But we intended for her to be willing. We were worried she wouldn't accept, so we hadn't even mentioned it to her yet. Now that she’s missing, the Liang family is even more wronged. No matter what, we wouldn't stoop to kidnapping her, would we?"

Seeing that Lu Qi'an still didn't believe her, Xi Ruofen added, "If we truly wanted to force Qin Miaoyu into this, wouldn't it have been better to lure her to the Liang house? Why risk making her disappear?"

Xi Ruofen spoke with complete composure. Their initial plan had been to coax Qin Miaoyu; if things worked out, they would give her a few tokens of appreciation later—perhaps once she was with Louis, she wouldn't even care about what they had to give!

Lu Qi'an remained silent. The room fell into a heavy quiet, broken only by the vibration of his phone.

Lu Qi'an answered the call from Liang Siyuan. "Second Brother, any news?"

"We tracked Miaoyu’s phone to the Sanhuai River area. Su Ning and I are already on our way there. What’s the situation with Louis?"

"Louis saw Miaoyu today. She was likely trying to get to the airport then. He offered her a ride, she refused, and he drove directly into the East Mountain villa area."

"Is his word reliable?"

"Louis is generally reliable. If we were abroad, he might have his ways, but this isn't a place where he can act recklessly. If he tries to play games, I have plenty of ways to ensure he stays here and never returns!"

Hearing the name Louis, Xi Ruofen’s ears pricked up.

So, Qin Miaoyu’s husband had actually gone to see Louis? Louis always lived and worked abroad and had only visited the country a few times. Qin Miaoyu’s husband was just an ordinary person—why did it sound like they were quite familiar with each other?

And what was he saying? That he had ways to ensure Louis couldn't leave?

Xi Ruofen couldn't help but study Lu Qi'an closely. She had only seen him a few times before and never paid much attention, remembering him only as handsome and refined.

This was the first time she had looked at him this carefully. The more she looked, the more alarmed she became. No wonder he had looked familiar—he looked exactly like the Mr. Lu from the Lu family in Jing City!

What did Qin Miaoyu say her husband’s name was? Something like Lu or...

After Lu Qi'an hung up, Xi Ruofen asked in shock, "You... what is your name?"

Lu Qi'an sneered. "Lu Qi'an."

"Which 'Lu'?" Xi Ruofen asked, trembling.

"The 'Lu' from 'Lu' (Six) in capital letters, the 'Qi' from Qilian Mountains, and the 'An' from peace."

Upon hearing the name, Xi Ruofen couldn't stop herself from sinking back against the sofa. "You... you are from the Lu family of Jing City..."

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Lu Qi'an of the Jing City Lu family. I hope Miaoyu’s disappearance has nothing to do with you. Otherwise, I don't think you would want to know the consequences!"

"Mr. Lu, this really has nothing to do with us! No matter what, we wouldn't hide Qin Miaoyu away!"

"We'll see about that once I find her. It had better have nothing to do with you!"

With that, Lu Qi'an left. Xi Ruofen immediately called Liang Huiyi.

"Huiyi, Qin Miaoyu is missing. This isn't something you or Siquan did, is it?"

Liang Huiyi replied from the other end, "Missing? It wasn't me or Siquan. Haven't we not even spoken to her yet?"