Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

"Sir, look at this water source..." Ah Lian was speaking softly when she caught a glimpse of the shop door being pushed open, and two distinguished-looking men walked in one after the other. The man in front was tall and straight, with deep-set, cold features, exuding a kind of oppressive aura that kept strangers at bay, which was completely out of place with the relaxed atmosphere of the shop.

A-Lian's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm. She deftly handed the elderly couple over to a nearby shop assistant, tidied a stray hair behind her ear, and greeted them with an impeccable, sweet smile: "What would you gentlemen like to see? We can recommend something for you."

Zhou Chenyu didn't even spare her a glance, as if she were nothing more than air. He indifferently swept his gaze over the dazzling array of goods on the counter, walked straight past her, and headed towards the darkest, most secluded raw stone display area in the back of the store.

A-Lian's smile faltered slightly, a fleeting hint of panic flashing in her eyes. She immediately realized these two were definitely not casual customers looking to buy jade. She took a deep breath, suppressing her pounding heart, and cautiously followed them, her voice lowered and tentative: "Sir, would you like to see some raw jade? We have a few newly arrived pieces..."

Zhou Chenyu stopped in front of a dusty, gray stone. He didn't turn around, but looked at his reflection in the glass case, his tone as calm as if he were having a casual conversation: "A-Lian, right?"

Ah Lian stopped abruptly, her face turning pale instantly: "You..."

"Don't be nervous, there are a lot of people here, we're just looking around." Zhou Chenyu turned around, his gaze lightly landing on her face, a faint smile even playing on his lips. "But, shouldn't you tell us where Brother Kuan is staying?"

Ah Lian's breath hitched, and she instinctively took a half-step back. She bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes darting around: "What are you talking about? I don't know any Brother Kuan..."

"Really?" Zhou Chenyu leaned forward slightly, taking half a step closer to her, his voice extremely low, so that only the three of them could hear. "Just now in the basement, that person broke three fingers before crying and saying that only you are the person Brother Kuan trusts the most. How many fingers are you planning to break before saying that?"

Ah Lian's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. She gripped the edge of the counter tightly, her knuckles white, her voice trembling and incoherent: "I...I really didn't know...Mr. Kuan, he...he's just a gambler..."

Zhou Chenyu didn't even lift his eyelids, only glancing indifferently at Zhao Chuan beside him.

Zhao Chuan immediately stepped forward, subtly blocking A-Lian's view from the customers outside, using his body to shield her from prying eyes. He toyed with a metal lighter in his hand, his thumb gently pushing the cap, which made a crisp "click, click" sound that sounded particularly jarring in the quiet corner.

"No...don't do it..." Ah Lian finally broke down, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "I'll tell you! I really don't know where he is now...a big boss like him has plenty of properties outside. But...but once he came to see me, when he went to take a shower, I saw a map in his bag...a place circled in red on it, roughly by the Cangjiang River in Xicheng."

Zhou Chenyu snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.

"Really! He always said he wanted to find a place to retire, a place with a pleasant climate, you can try it..." Ah Lian trembled all over, her face as pale as paper.

Zhou Chenyu didn't even glance at her again, his cold gaze sweeping over her delicate shoulders, leaving behind a light yet weighty sentence: "You'd better not try anything funny. What if the address is fake..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the lingering murderous intent had already caused Ah Lian to completely collapse by the counter.

"Let's go." Zhou Chenyu turned around and strode towards the store exit.

Zhao Chuan glanced one last time at A-Lian, who was trembling behind him, put the lighter back in his pocket, and quickly followed the boss.

Zhou Chenyu went to great lengths this time, and with the help of the police, they finally apprehended Brother Kuan the day before New Year's Eve. Brother Kuan was hosting a dinner party at his villa by the Canghai Sea, but the scene was utterly appalling—a chaotic mess of gambling, prostitution, and drugs. Everyone involved was taken away.

Outside the interrogation room, Zhou Chenyu, as a family member of the victim, was granted special permission by the police to conduct a remote conversation. Brother Kuan was held alone on an iron chair opposite him. The harsh white light of the incandescent bulb shone directly on Brother Kuan's face. Zhou Chenyu watched this scene from the monitoring room, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He pressed the call button, his tone icy, without uttering a single word of preamble, and went straight to the point: "You were the one who kidnapped Xie Siya fifteen years ago, weren't you? Why did you kidnap her? Who ordered you to do it?"

These words exploded like a thunderclap in the confined space. Brother Kuan abruptly raised his head, his previously composed face contorting in agony, his pupils contracting sharply, his voice trembling with extreme terror: "Who are you? Few people know what happened fifteen years ago. How do you know?"

"Where I know this is unimportant." Zhou Chenyu placed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and spoke in a highly authoritative voice. "What matters is whether you admit it now. Who ordered you to do this?"

Kuan Ge's Adam's apple bobbed laboredly, and a fine layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He stared intently at the direction of the monitor, trying to glean a trace of human weakness from the cold speaker. But there was only suffocating silence from the microphone; Zhou Chenyu simply waited quietly.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about..." Kuan-ge gritted his teeth, still making a last-ditch effort, but the trembling at the end of his voice had already betrayed his inner collapse.

Zhou Chenyu snorted coldly, his deep voice piercing through the speaker again: "Do you know who Pan Qianlian is?"

Kuan Ge's pupils suddenly contracted, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he clenched his teeth tightly and refused to utter another word.

"It's okay if you don't tell me." Zhou Chenyu's tone was casual yet confident. "The man surnamed Pan will be here to keep you company soon. I'm sure you old friends will have a lot to talk about when you meet again."

Kuan Ge finally took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and suddenly squeezed out a soft laugh through his teeth: "Hahaha... I know who you are. The Xie family, utterly foolish..."

He thought he had seen through Zhou Chenyu's hand, so he simply adopted a "what's the worst that can happen?" attitude and kept his mouth tightly shut. No matter how much pressure Zhou Chenyu applied through the microphone, he wouldn't utter a single word.

The air in the monitoring room gradually thickened. Looking at this stubborn, unyielding man before him, a flicker of impatience finally crossed Zhou Chenyu's eyes. He slammed his hand on the table, making a dull thud.

"Mr. Zhou, calm down!"

The police officer next to him immediately stepped forward, grabbed his tense arm, and whispered reassured him, "Don't worry, we have experience dealing with this kind of person. We'll definitely make him talk."

Under the gentle persuasion of the police, Zhou Chenyu took a deep breath, suppressed the surging anxiety in his heart, and turned to walk out of the monitoring room.