The Song family of Yanjing was undoubtedly one of the most powerful and influential clans in China. In fact, the Song family was among the five great families of the nation.
However, at this moment, the atmosphere in the Song family's mansion was far from relaxed. It wasn't because there was anything they couldn't handle—after all, the Song family could solve almost any problem—but because the only son of the family head, Song Qiming, named Song Shaowen, was dead. The official reason given was that he died in a late-night speeding accident.
Yet everyone in the Song family understood that Song Shaowen's death had nothing to do with reckless driving. Even if he were to speed, he wouldn't have driven to that godforsaken place called Qilong Cliff. Why would he drive onto the Fengjin Expressway in the middle of the night?
Moreover, anyone unfamiliar with Song Shaowen might not know this, but the Song family did. Song Shaowen was a typical person who disliked trouble. If he had business on the Fengjin Expressway, he would have gone during the day, never at three or four in the morning.
"How's the investigation going?" With the patriarch absent, Song Qiming's word was the ultimate authority in the room. Though his face appeared calm, the bulging veins on his hands revealed his fury and unwillingness to accept the situation. His only son had been assassinated—who would be so bold as to provoke the Song family?
A middle-aged man stood and reported, "Family head, the investigation is complete. A week ago, Shaowen went to Hefeng, but only stayed there a day before leaving. Then he took Afa and Wang Chuan, likely to Ninghai. However, the surveillance cameras along the Ningfeng Expressway in Ninghai were all shut off during the time when Shaowen's car should have passed. We investigated and confirmed that Shaowen himself ordered the cameras turned off. Aside from Ninghai, the rest of the route's footage shows normal driving."
"He went to Ninghai only because of Ning Qingxue. But Qingxue didn't leave Ninghai; she went to Yuzhou two days later. Yet the man she married, Ye Mo, disappeared that very night without a trace."
"We thoroughly checked the car wreckage and found no sign of Ye Mo's body, meaning he was never in the car or got off midway. According to the Qilong Cliff cameras, Shaowen's BMW was driving fine before suddenly veering off the road and falling down the cliff."
"Could someone have forced the driver to drink drugs?" a man in his fifties asked.
The middle-aged man shook his head, "No. The footage shows no abnormalities except for the missing segment near Ninghai. Shaowen's driving was normal until the sudden accident."
"Any clues on Ye Mo's whereabouts?" Song Qiming asked again.
The man shook his head, "None yet. But we found a surveillance computer in the courtyard where Ye Mo and Ning Qingxue lived. Its data was deleted but we are recovering it now."
Just then, a man in his twenties rushed in holding a USB drive and handed it to the middle-aged man, "Uncle Hai, the data's been restored."
"Check it immediately." Before the man could speak, Song Qiming snorted coldly.
The USB was plugged in, and the large screen showed footage of Ye Mo's daily life and the moments before he and Song Shaowen left together.
"So he's involved," the man in his fifties said angrily after watching the fast-forwarded footage. He didn't care who had gone to whose house at midnight; his only concern was that Shaowen died after leaving here.
"It seems Ning Qingxue didn't know about this at the time. The footage must have been deleted later by her," a lean man seated near Song Qiming said.
"Even if she didn't know, this matter involves her. There's no way the Song family will let her off lightly," Uncle Hai, the investigator, added.
Song Qiming's face darkened but he waved his hand, "I won't spare the Ning family, but this isn't just about Ning Qingxue. I'll make sure the Ning family never recovers. For now, don't touch them. First, capture that useless Ye Mo. Bring him back to Yanjing secretly. I want him to know the Song family's people aren't so easy to kill."
He took a breath and continued, "Song Hai, you're in charge of tracking Ye Mo's whereabouts. Bring him back to Yanjing as soon as possible. If you can't, bring his head to honor Shaowen. Also, investigate how Ye Mo caused Shaowen's car to drive off the cliff."
"Yes, family head," Song Hai answered promptly.
The man in his fifties frowned and said, "But Ye Mo is strange. He married Ning Qingxue, yet he often sits quietly under a tree. Could he be practicing qigong? Some ancient martial clans like to cultivate energy this way. If he really has a master from one of those clans, this will be troublesome."
"Uncle Zhan, that's unlikely. Ye Mo is a nobody—even the Ye family abandoned him. Why would a legendary martial arts master take such a person? Even if he had such a master, there's no sign of that person in a month of footage. Uncle Zhan, you're overthinking," Song Hai said quickly.
The man called Uncle Zhan nodded, "I hope you're right. If he really has the backing of a martial arts master, even we, one of the five great families, might not be able to avenge this."
The day the Song family took the surveillance computer from Ninghai, Ning Qingxue knew immediately. Panic filled her heart. She regretted not destroying the hard drive; she hadn't expected the Song family to retrieve the data. Hoping the Song family would fail to restore the files was unrealistic. Her only choice was to warn Ye Mo that the Song family knew he had killed Song Shaowen.
But she had no way to contact Ye Mo, nor did anyone else.
Ning Qingxue thought she should tell her parents. After much deliberation, she confided in her mother and said she wanted to go look for Ye Mo.
Her mother was shocked. She hadn't expected so many complications, and that Song Shaowen's death might involve the Ning family.
"Qingxue, now isn't the time for you to look for Ye Mo. It's about how our family faces the Song family's revenge. Knowing Song Qiming's personality, there's no way he'll let the Ning family off, especially not you," her mother said with clear understanding.
Ning Qingxue shook her head, "I've let Ye Mo down and now I'm dragging you all into this. I'm useless. I was too willful, too naive. I'm sorry, Mom."
Her mother sighed softly, "Though our family separated from the Ning family, it won't be so easy for the Song family to deal with us. Qingxue, don't worry now. First, tell me everything about you and Ye Mo."