One person said: The essence of Wuhou Qimen lies not in Qimen, but in Wuhou.

Xu San's voice grew louder and faster, as if he had finally found an outlet to vent all his dissatisfaction: "How did you raise Bao Bao? Now Zhang Chulan feels his dignity has been insulted by Bao Bao! He's a college student in the prime of his youth, his self-esteem is higher than the sky! After suffering such a great injustice, it's no wonder he ran away! He has legs—besides, is he an ordinary college student? If he wanted to run away, who could find him without anyone noticing?"

He took a deep breath, his tone slightly toned, but still carrying an air of certainty that "you can't escape this": "For now, it's alright, we've found him—he's with the World Society. You'd better come back quickly. Since Zhang Chulan is so important right now, we have to bring him back to the company as soon as possible. Otherwise, things will fall apart, and you really won't be able to explain yourself. Don't blame me for not warning you when the higher-ups ask."

"Nonsense—you've finally gotten to the point!"

Xu Si took the phone away from his ear and yelled at the screen, "Wait for me! Wait for me! I'm flying back right now!"

He hung up the phone and began frantically putting on his coat.

I put the sleeves on the jacket inside out twice, and it took three tries to zip it up.

As he packed his things, he quickly told Dou Le, "Brother! I'm so sorry! It's an emergency! You eat and drink first—I'll pay the bill!"

Dou Le raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling him not to bother with paying the bill.

The flush on his face had mostly faded, and his eyes regained their clarity and composure. His tone carried the advice of someone with experience: "No need—I heard everything. You should go back quickly. This is a serious matter; don't lose him. Feng Zhenghao, one of the Ten Elders of the Tianxia Society, is no small figure. Handle this properly. Be careful not to escalate the situation."

Xu Si buckled his belt as he ran out, nearly knocking over a chair. Turning back, he shouted to Dou Le, "Thanks, brother! I'm outta here! Next time, I'll treat you to a big meal at the Beijing Hotel—it's on me!"

"Xu Si!"

Dou Le stood up and yelled at his retreating back, "Don't drink and drive! These are special times—we can't afford to make any mistakes at this critical juncture!"

Xu Si waved his hand without turning his head and rushed out of the hot pot restaurant.

As night falls in Beijing, the city lights come on, and the traffic on the road forms a long red line, with horns blaring incessantly.

Xu Si stood by the roadside, his eyes anxiously scanning the traffic. Seeing a taxi approaching, he jumped in before it even came to a complete stop: "Driver! To Tianjin! The sooner the better!"

The driver, a man in his fifties, slowly turned his head to look at him, chewing a betel nut: "Going to Tianjin? At this hour—everything within the Fifth Ring Road is jammed. If you can't get on the highway, you'll have to take the national road, and it'll take at least—"

"Driver, please go first! Hurry up!"

Xu Si was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet in the back seat.

After driving less than two hundred meters and turning a corner, the scene before Xu Si made his heart sink to the bottom.

The entire road was completely jammed, with red taillights stretching from the front of my eyes to the end of the road, densely packed and motionless.

Horns blared incessantly. Some people rolled down their windows and peered out, while others impatiently scrolled through their phones inside their cars, and still others simply turned off their engines and got out to smoke.

The traffic map on the navigation screen was a deep, dark red, and the estimated travel time had jumped to a despairing number.

"Heaven is going to kill me!"

Xu Si slammed his hand on the back of the passenger seat, nearly knocking the betel nut out of the driver's mouth.

He pressed his face against the car window, gazing at the sky, his expression as tragic as a martyr about to be led to the execution ground. "God! You must be joking with me!"

He made a quick decision, took out his phone, scanned the payment code, opened the car door, and ran to the side of the road.

A row of shared bicycles was parked on the side of the road, yellow, blue and green ones lined up in a row.

He swept up a bike, stepped on the pedal with his left foot, pushed off the ground twice with his right foot for power, and wobbled into the non-motorized vehicle lane.

He pedaled his bike while talking on his cell phone, panting heavily as he yelled into the other end, "Hello! Dispatch center! This is Xu Si! Send me a vehicle to the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway entrance! Now! Immediately!"

He bent over and pedaled hard on his bicycle. The evening wind blew his hair into a tangled mess, and the back of his shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his skin.

His phone was tucked between his ear and shoulder as he pedaled, giving instructions over the phone while interspersing his calls with self-consoling remarks: "Beijing to Tianjin isn't far—not far—it'll only take an hour on the highway—once we get past this damn Fifth Ring Road—San'er, you wait for me—Zhang Chulan, you've got guts—wait until I get there and see what I'm going to do—"

The bicycle wheel rolled over a manhole cover, making him bounce up and down, and his phone almost slipped between his shoulder and ear.

He frantically grabbed his phone, then continued bending over and kicking wildly, his legs spinning so fast they seemed to be shooting sparks.

The shared bicycle's chain creaked under the strain, and a half-empty bottle of mineral water, left behind by someone, rattled loudly in the basket.

The evening breeze whispered past his ears, carrying with it the faint sound of his intermittent curses, which faded into the bustling traffic of the capital city at night...

The Lu Family Compound is located in an old alleyway in Beijing's Second Ring Road. It features gray bricks and blue tiles, and a plaque with the words "Lu Mansion" hanging above the gate. The characters are simple and elegant, and the paint is somewhat mottled, but it still exudes an understated confidence.

An old locust tree in the courtyard provides shade, and the stone table and benches under it have been worn smooth as a mirror by the years.

This courtyard is located within Beijing's Second Ring Road, and the land alone would be worth an astronomical sum, but the Lu family never mentions it—it's their ancestral home, passed down through generations, and talking about money is considered vulgar.

Lu Jin strode into the hall, his leather shoes clicking on the bluestone floor tiles, causing the pendulum of the old clock on the altar to wobble.

He was still wearing the dark gray cardigan he wore to the company during the day, with a slight sweat stain on the collar, but his energy and spirit were still so strong that he didn't look like a centenarian.

He plopped down in the armchair in the center, picked up the iced tea on the table and took a big gulp, then slammed the teacup down on the table and let out a long sigh.

Just then, the light at the doorway dimmed, and a graceful figure stepped in.

The person who came was slender, with long light pink hair casually gathered at the back of her head, and a wisp of unruly hair sticking up on the top of her head, swaying gently with the rhythm of her walk.

Her clear, gray-blue eyes were bright and lively, and her features were so exquisite that she looked like she had stepped out of a painting.

She wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a brown bear head printed on it, the hem casually tucked into her jeans, exuding a youthful energy that was somewhere between a girl and an adult.