Wen Yan's eyes dimmed, then she quickly said, "Can you play it again?"
The young man complied.
The rhythmic ringtone echoed, much like Wen Yan's rapidly beating heart.
In the last second, just as it was about to hang up, someone finally answered.
A furious voice came from the other end: "Who is it?"
The young man didn't know how to ask and looked at Wen Yan. Wen Yan directly took the phone, "Hello."
The girl's voice was clear and pleasant, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.
The man's irritated voice softened instantly, "Who are you?"
"I stayed at the same hotel as you before and saw you carrying a black briefcase with the letter 'C' on it. Can I ask where you got it?"
The man seemed to have a clue, "Are you the owner of the briefcase?"
"Yes."
"Oh..." He sounded a bit guilty. "The briefcase isn't with me."
Wen Yan's heart sank heavily.
"Then where did it go?"
"I saw it by chance. I thought it looked nice and should be valuable. Who knew it was a combination lock briefcase, useless, so I just tossed it aside."
"Can you tell me where you threw it?" Wen Yan pressed on.
"Near the train station, but I don't remember the exact spot."
Wen Yan went directly.
Seeing her rummaging through trash cans, the young man couldn't bear it.
"That was two days ago. Maybe someone picked it up, or the trash was taken elsewhere?" the young man whispered, trying to persuade her. "Let's go to the police first."
"I'll look first."
Enduring the stench, Wen Yan saw the contents of the trash can and felt a wave of nausea.
Yet, she refused to give up any hope.
Because she remembered how Leng Xunze had gone incognito for it, even getting injured multiple times and searching all night.
This was something left by his father.
She immediately guessed it was likely a memento.
Later, a quick search online confirmed that his father had been missing for years without a trace.
"Tear..."
A stinging pain shot up her arm.
It turned out there was a knife left by someone in the trash can. The young man was furious upon seeing this, "These people are too much! How can they just throw such dangerous things around!"
"It's okay, let's keep looking," Wen Yan endured the pain.
She searched almost all the surrounding trash cans, exhausted, but found no trace.
"We can only go to the landfill," the young man said helplessly, standing by her side.
Wen Yan nodded.
Getting into the landfill still required relying on the young man's connections.
Looking at the mountains of garbage before her, Wen Yan's vision blurred.
"I've asked people to help us search. You don't need to look anymore. Get your wound treated," the young man said, seeing her covered in filth, the bloodstains on her fair arm particularly noticeable, along with numerous large and small injuries.
Besides the dirt from rummaging through trash, danger was everywhere.
After all, you never knew if someone might have thrown in razor blades, fruit knives, or sharp, worn-out objects.
"I'll help too, it'll be faster," Wen Yan still joined the search party.
Seeing the petite girl so stubborn, the young man's heart stirred.
She was truly filial.
Even with gloves on, Wen Yan couldn't avoid getting injured again. A discarded pencil sharpener pierced her leg. A dull, intense pain struck her. Trembling, she pulled it out and saw blood gushing out.
The young man noticed, his expression changed, and he immediately took her to a nearby medical room for bandaging.
Both of them smelled foul and dirty, and the staff were reluctant to let them in. It was only after the young man paid extra that they were able to clean up and wash.
After her wounds were bandaged and she changed into a patient gown, Wen Yan still ran out. The young man couldn't help but say, "I know this is very important to you, but your father is watching from heaven and surely wouldn't want you to go to such lengths for him. This garbage is too dangerous; who knows what knives or poisons might be hidden within."
However, these words did not sway Wen Yan in the slightest.
She went forward without hesitation.
The young man sighed but still followed.
As night deepened, the search became exceptionally difficult.
"We've searched everywhere here and still haven't found it. The only possibility is that someone else took it," the young man voiced the worst-case scenario.
Wen Yan's hands clenched, filled with unwillingness. She wanted to keep searching.
"You're crazy!" the young man grabbed her hand. "Look at yourself! You're covered in injuries, your hands are raw, and if you continue like this, your wounds will get infected, and you'll suffer even more!"
She ignored him, determined to search the last pile.
It was an almost desperate situation.
A black corner appeared before her.
Wen Yan's eyes lit up, and she immediately dug it out.
The young man walked over to her.
"Did you find it?"
Seeing the black combination lock briefcase, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Indeed, perseverance pays off!
They returned to the hotel. Wen Yan booked a room to wash up. After several washes, she finally got rid of the smell. She vowed she had never been so disheveled.
But having retrieved what Leng Xunze had been searching for, Wen Yan felt it was worth it!
He had helped her so much.
Now, she could finally help him a little.
At this moment, the pain returned, and Wen Yan realized her whole body ached terribly. Her exposed skin was almost entirely scratched by sharp objects.
After she finished showering, there was a knock on the door.
She opened it to find the young man standing outside.
"I brought a medical kit. You have many injuries; you should treat them, or they might get infected."
Given his kindness, Wen Yan couldn't refuse.
However, she didn't let him help and applied the medicine herself.
Seeing that his hands were also injured, Wen Yan felt guilty. "I'm sorry for getting you hurt. Thank you so much for your help today; I don't know how to thank you enough. My name is Wen Yan, and I'm a designer. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to find me."
The young man's ears turned slightly red. "My name is Zhang Chuan. It's nothing, just a small effort. Today was quite an unusual experience. You're a designer, that's amazing. If you ever come here to play, you can stay with me for free."
"That's too kind."
As Wen Yan spoke, her phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Wen Yan curved her lips.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the man's extremely oppressive voice instantly came through, laced with suppressed anger: "Where are you?"
She then realized it was late, and he must have been worried that she hadn't returned.
"I'm outside. I'll be back soon," Wen Yan said, then curved her lips again. "By the way, I have a surprise for you."
"Oh?"
"Yes!"
"Then your surprise is quite big, Wen Yan."
The moment he finished speaking, the door was suddenly kicked open, and the man strode in.
A mountain-like pressure descended upon them.
Wen Yan was surprised.
How could he be here?
Zhang Chuan was even more confused, then his expression turned grave. "Sir, who are you? How can you barge into someone else's room?"
The man didn't answer. His cold, ferocious black eyes fell upon the two of them sitting together. They were very close. Wen Yan was wearing a bathrobe, her exposed skin flushed, looking alluring.
"This time, how do you explain yourself?" the man said with a cold sneer.
Zhang Chuan looked at Wen Yan. "Do you know each other?"
"This is my husband."
"You're married?" Zhang Chuan's expression changed drastically.
And that expression fell into Leng Xunze's eyes, looking exceptionally ironic.
"Wen Yan, deceiving people while presenting yourself as single, how promiscuous are you?"