<h4>Chapter 1033: Chapter 1040: Xiaozhu in Trouble</h4>


    "You’re looking for me?" Ling Chen looked at the young people and asked, "I don’t think I know you."


    As his words fell, one girl quickly stood up and said, "Mr. Ling, we’ve met once before, at the hospital, remember?"


    "Hospital?" Ling Chen paused slightly, trying hard to recall.


    "We were Doctor Zhu’s interns. That night, you brought someone to the hospital for treatment, and we met you there."


    When the girl said this, Ling Chen immediately remembered. That night, Qiu Yong was poisoned by Song Mingzhe’s snake venom and was in critical condition. Ling Chen and the others rushed Qiu Yong to the City People’s Hospital. There, Ling Chen met Zhu Xiaozhu. At that time, Zhu Xiaozhu was surrounded by a group of young men and women, all freshly graduated interns.


    In an instant, Ling Chen immediately remembered.


    "I remember now. But, why are you looking for me? Also, how did you know I live here?"


    "When your friend was hospitalized, a rtive’s phone number was left on the patient’s resume. We called and found out you live here," the girl replied. "Mr. Ling, we came to you this time hoping you could help us rescue Doctor Zhu."


    "You mean... Xiaozhu?" Ling Chen was stunned and quickly asked, "What’s wrong with Xiaozhu?"


    "Doctor Zhu went missingst night. We went to her dorm, but she wasn’t there, and her phone can’t be reached."


    "Could she have gone home?" Ling Chen suggested.


    "Impossible," the girl said urgently. "Doctor Zhu has an important surgery today. She never misses such serious matters, especially life-and-death situations. She must be in trouble, which is why she didn’t go to the hospital. Mr. Ling, I know you’re her friend. Please help us find Doctor Zhu and make sure nothing happens to her."


    "Yes! Mr. Ling, you’re the only friend of Doctor Zhu we know in East Sea City, and besides you, we don’t know who else to turn to."


    Yang Qingling chimed in, "If that Doctor Zhu went missing, why didn’t you report it to the police immediately? The police should handle such matters."


    The girl said helplessly, "We did go to the police, but without direct evidence, they can’t file a case until forty-eight hours have passed. It’s only been over ten hours now; we can’t wait that long. Mr. Ling, please help us," the girl pleaded earnestly.


    Ling Chen thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, I’ll help you look for her. But without any clues, the chance of finding her is very slim, so you better not get your hopes too high."


    "Thank you, Mr. Ling!" the girl and others expressed their gratitude.


    Ling Chen waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me. Xiaozhu is my friend. If anything happened to her, I would also be responsible. Alright! You can go back and wait for news."


    "Okay, then we’ll leave now."


    After seeing the young people out, Ling Chen returned to the living room and rubbed his forehead.


    "Ling Chen, what’s wrong?"


    "Xiaozhu seems to be in trouble," Ling Chen said gravely.


    "You mean that Doctor Zhu?" Yang Qingling asked suspiciously. "Didn’t you just say you weren’t sure if anything happened to her? Why are you so certain now?"


    "They’re just some young people with no experience in such matters. If they knew, they would only worry. It’s better to keep it from them," Ling Chen replied.


    When taking Qiu Yong to the hospital, Ling Chen saw Zhu Xiaozhu being taken by several people. If it hadn’t been for his timely intervention, Zhu Xiaozhu’s situation might have been very dangerous.


    At that time, Ling Chen had warned Zhu Xiaozhu to be more careful and to report to the police to prevent simr urrences.


    So now that Zhu Xiaozhu was missing again, it was highly likely rted to the people who kidnapped herst time.


    Ling Chen immediately took out his phone and dialed Hu Fei’s number. With no clue on hand, the only one he could rely on was Hu Fei. The Secret Society’s intelligencework spanned the entire East Sea City, and they might find some useful clues.


    After the call, Yang Qingling looked at Ling Chen and asked, "Son, what kind of friend is that Doctor Zhu to you? Her name sounds like a girl’s."


    "Mom, Xiaozhu is just an ordinary friend; don’t overthink it."


    "Fine, fine, I won’t ask if that’s okay? By the way! How’s Wanqing doing? It’s been several days, and she hasn’te to see me. Haven’t you two made up yet?"


    Ling Chen scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "Mom, please don’t ask. As you can see, I have a lot of things to deal with right now." To be honest, whenever Nanrong Wanqing was mentioned, he felt troubled, so he simply didn’t think about it.


    Seeing Ling Chen’s impatience, Yang Qingling, as an experienced person, could understand her son’s feelings.


    "Alright, I won’t ask too much anymore. You handle your matters on your own." Saying that, Yang Qingling checked the time, picked up her handbag from the sofa, and said, "I’m heading out."


    "Mom, where are you going?"


    "Shiyun asked me out for a meal and to go shopping. You don’t have time to apany me, and it’s rare for that little girl to have the heart, so I’ll take the opportunity to go out. Okay, I won’t talk to you more, take care of yourself outside."


    With that, Yang Qingling turned and walked out of the vi.


    Watching his mother leave, Ling Chen touched his nose. That girl Tang Shiyun sure has her ways, actually managing to win his mother’s favor. But it’s good, since he doesn’t have time to apany Yang Qingling, having Tang Shiyun with her is not bad either.


    ...


    The efficiency on Hu Fei’s side was fast; in less than an hour, news came back.


    "Hello! Ling Chen, we’ve checked, and Zhu Xiaozhu has indeed been kidnapped."


    "Where is she?" Ling Chen asked urgently.


    "It’s still unclear for now. We checked the surveince cameras near the hospital. Latest night, a van was spotted around the hospital. The van was careful, avoiding the nearby surveince area, so we couldn’t see who’s inside. Additionally, I checked the van’s license te, and it’s a fake. We can’t track the vehicle’s location."


    "What should we do then?"


    "Don’t worry. We’re retrieving surveince footage from various routes to see where the van appeared at the same timest night. Once we determine the general direction, we can estimate their approximate location."


    "Okay, hurry up. It’s about Xiaozhu’s safety; I don’t want anything to happen to her."


    "Don’t worry, I’m already on it. I’ll notify you as soon as there are updates."


    ...


    At this moment, in a dark basement, a series of footsteps approached, apanied by a light appearing at the basement doorway.


    When the person entered the basement, several youths inside stood up and called, "Haozi!"


    "Where’s the person you captured?"


    "Haozi, she’s inside."


    "You didn’t harm her, did you?"


    "Haozi, you specifically instructed us not to harm a single hair on her head, so we didn’t dare disobey."