Since it's daytime, Ye Fan cannot travel by sword; he has to drive back to meet with Li Zhaojun and the other women.

While on the road, Ye Fan's phone suddenly rang. He initially thought it was Qin Mengyao bothering him again, but upon closer inspection, he realized the call was from Shen Yan.

Since Ye Fan last parted with Shen Yan at West Lake, he's missed her, but feared disturbing her life, considering she's a star-level singer with many social engagements.

"Hello..." Ye Fan slowed down and answered the phone.

"Is this Mr. Ye Fan?" A woman's voice came from the other end, but it wasn't Shen Yan or her manager.

Ye Fan frowned, "Who are you?"

"It seems you are Mr. Ye Fan. Let's cut to the chase; Miss Shen Yan is now in our hands. Please start a video call!"

Ye Fan felt a heavy weight in his heart. Since returning, he hadn't sought out Shen Yan, nor paid much attention to her whereabouts. He didn't even know her location, let alone started searching. Once he opened the video call, he saw a woman tied to a chair on the screen, surrounded by darkness.

"Mmm mmm..."

Even though the woman's mouth was tied and her body bound tightly, she still uttered cries for help. Ye Fan could clearly identify her — it was Shen Yan.

"Mr. Ye Fan, do you need us to approach her for verification?" The woman's voice came from behind the phone camera, so Ye Fan had no idea who she was.

Ye Fan parked the car by the roadside, asking, "What do you want?"

"We just want to make a deal with Mr. Ye Fan. If Mr. Ye Fan trades with us, Miss Shen Yan will be absolutely safe. But if Mr. Ye Fan does not follow our instructions... Miss Shen Yan's flesh will be sliced off bit by bit. Mr. Ye Fan should be aware of an ancient punishment called lingchi, right?"

Although the woman tried to conceal her identity, she slipped by saying "you Chinese people," indicating she was not Chinese.

These individuals are foreigners, yet Ye Fan could not discern anything different from the way Chinese nationals speak.

Ye Fan was quite troubled. If it involved international disputes, it might harm China's interests, and he would never betray the nation for personal glory. But he needed a way to stall these kidnappers and rescue Shen Yan.

"What are the conditions?" Ye Fan asked.

The other side canceled the video call, probably fearing Shen Yan might give hints or signals for Ye Fan to deduce her location. However, the voice chat continued, "We give Mr. Ye Fan three hours to return from Four Nine City to Hua Hai City. We will then contact Mr. Ye Fan and inform him of the specifics of where to go and what to do."

After speaking, the call was directly cut off.

Ye Fan was somewhat confused. The other party evidently didn't know he was back in Hua Hai City and assumed he was in Four Nine City. He had only been to Four Nine City last night when rescuing Tantai Wanrong, but apart from her, no one knew he was there. Could someone have tracked his movements?

But these people clearly didn't know he had returned, nor did they anticipate that he had cultivated, allowing him to travel without transportation and return quickly to Hua Hai City.

...

...

Meeting with Li Zhaojun, Ye Fan roughly explained Shen Yan's situation to her, mentioning only that Shen Yan was a friend he knew in the entertainment circle without elaborating further.

Li Zhaojun asked, "Are these kidnappers the same group that tried to assassinate Sister Wanrong?"

"I suspect they are the same group. They even know I know Shen Yan and use her to threaten me," Ye Fan replied.

Li Zhaojun glance at Ye Fan, as if saying, 'If there's nothing between you and the big star, why would they use Shen Yan to threaten you?'

Ye Fan also felt a bit embarrassed. After all, he couldn't explain Shen Yan's matters in detail to Li Zhaojun. In truth, nothing had happened between him and Shen Yan, except for her kissing him on the cheek when they last parted, which was more of a ceremonial nature.

"But these kidnappers don't know I'm back in Hua Hai City yet. Zhao Jun, you, Mingshang, and Blue can go out to help search, using Jade Talisman communication. Whoever finds a suspicious location, just send a message directly," Ye Fan said.

Lan Jing shook her head, "I don't know what to look for. Can I stay with you?"

Ye Fan initially wanted everyone to disperse and look, but Lan Jing and Qing Xu don't really understand human relations and can't act alone in such matters.

Li Zhaojun said, "Alright then, Ye Fan, let Miss Lan Jing stay with you. I'll take Sister Qing Xu and Shang along one path, and we'll split into two teams."

Besides Qing Xu and Lan Jing, even Lian Mingshang didn't quite comprehend what finding the mysterious person entailed, so the initial plan to disperse eventually turned into splitting into two teams.

"I want to be with Brother Qing Neng," Qing Xu complained a bit, shouting.

Ye Fan said, "Junior sister, don't be willful. I'll go with Lan Jing, and let your sister Zhao Jun teach you some Earth knowledge."

"Oh." Qing Xu glanced at Li Zhaojun, finally agreeing.

As they were about to leave, Han Qing'er arrived, asking, "Master, what should I do?"

"You bring your team, use all channels to find the person. They might not be in Hua Hai City, inform me upon hearing anything. We only have less than three hours."

The group began their action, as Ye Fan and Lan Jing set out with Ye Fan driving and Lan Jing in the passenger seat, heading in the direction of the city center. But the roads were clogged with morning rush traffic, and Ye Fan really wanted to just fly, though he feared disturbing public order and causing chaos.

In the midst of it, various parties used Jade Talisman for communication or talked on the phone, but after three hours, they still hadn't found any leads.

Just then, Shen Yan's call came again. Ye Fan had called twice before when the phone was off, but this time, it connected, with Han Qing'er tracking the signal source through the communications company.

"Mr. Ye Fan, have you returned to Hua Hai City?" The familiar woman's voice again.

Ye Fan replied, "I have returned. Where should we meet, or... what should I do?"

"But Mr. Ye Fan didn't get on a plane or any other transportation, how could he return from Four Nine City to Hua Hai City within three hours? Mr. Ye Fan, how can we believe you?" A voice expressing doubt came from the other end.

Ye Fan opened the video call again, showing the passing traffic and Hua Hai City's landmark buildings, "Do you believe me now?"

"Alright, perhaps Mr. Ye Fan returned by private jet, but that's not important. Now, Mr. Ye Fan, please go to Old Hua Hai Road No.17, someone will be there to meet you." With that, the call ended.

"Old Hua Hai Road No.17?" Ye Fan suddenly recalled it was a secret base of an intelligence organization under national security.

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