Guan Xuxu noticed Song Yongming's darkening expression and offered another reminder. "Miss Song was only missing for about ten minutes. It is almost certain that the culprit made their move within the villa complex. That person likely lives in this very area."
This immediately narrowed the search area to the smallest possible scope.
Song Yongming, however, found himself in a difficult position. They had lived in this villa district for five or six years, and because it was a high-end development, there weren't many residents. He had essentially met everyone, but as far as he knew, the Song family hadn't offended any of them.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a line of patrol cars pulled up in front of the Song villa. A man stepped out of the lead car and walked straight toward them.
"I already conducted a sweep of the suspicious households in the complex after Xiao Li'er went missing. It shouldn't be anyone with a grudge against the Song family."
The man's voice was gentle yet carried a distinct chill. Under the lights, his handsome features clearly resembled Song Yongming's. He had a tall, upright stature and stood quietly, his gaze fixed on Guan Xuxu.
This was clearly the other Song son and Xiao Li'er's older brother, Song Yuli.
Song Yuli had been busy outside since his sister's disappearance. Though he hadn't held much hope when he heard his parents had invited a girl from the Jiang Family, he had stayed in constant contact with the house and knew everything that had transpired.
However, the moment he saw Guan Xuxu, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of surprise. He knew she was Jiang Huai's sister, but he hadn't expected her to look so young.
Jiang Huai, who had been standing by Guan Xuxu's side, also noticed Song Yuli. Although their families were acquainted, the two weren't particularly close, so they simply nodded to one another in greeting.
Xiao Li'er was visibly delighted to see her brother return. She wanted to rush over and hug him, but she was worried about breaking the magic on her hands. Instead, she just watched him with wide, longing eyes while cautiously shuffling toward him with tiny steps.
Seeing that Xiao Li'er was safe, Song Yuli's expression softened slightly. However, he knew the matter wasn't over yet, so he gestured for everyone to get into the vehicles.
With a line of seven patrol cars nearly every vehicle borrowed from the property management office the convoy drove through the villa district with great momentum.
Guided by the red string, the group finally came to a halt in front of a four-story villa. The moment she saw the house, Mrs. Song looked on in utter disbelief.
"How could it be here?"
Guan Xuxu saw that Mrs. Song recognized the place and looked at her expectantly.
Mrs. Song grit her teeth. "This is the Pei Family. Our families didn't have much to do with each other originally, but the Pei child was one of the few around here willing to play with Xiao Li'er..."
Despite her adult appearance, Xiao Li'er's mental state was that of a child. Other children shunned her for being "stupid" and refused to play with her, but the Pei boy never seemed to mind. He had come to their door several times specifically to ask Xiao Li'er to go out and play.
Because of this, the two families had grown close. As a gesture of gratitude, the Song family had even introduced several business deals to the Pei Family.
Mrs. Song never could have imagined that this was the family that wanted to take her daughter's life! It was enough to make one's heart turn cold.
"Has an elderly person or someone else in the Pei house fallen ill recently?" Guan Xuxu asked suddenly, adding, "The kind of illness where they are near death."
"The Pei grandmother has always been in good health," Mrs. Song murmured, then suddenly paused. "But that child who played with Xiao Li'er... they said he caught some illness and was sent to the hospital a while ago."
Hearing this, Guan Xuxu understood. If the Pei family was borrowing a life, it was almost certainly for that child.
The rest of the Song family realized the truth as well. Without a second thought, they marched forward and pounded on the Pei Family's front door.
It was already late, and seeing such a large group of people arriving in a frenzy, the mistress of the house, Mrs. Pei, couldn't help but ask, "Yuehua, what's going on? Why did you bring so many people?"
Mrs. Song was now certain that the Pei family had harmed her daughter. She was in no mood for pleasantries. She sneered, "You don't know what's going on? Your family found someone to harm my Xiao Li'er. You wanted to use her life to extend your Haohao's. Did you really think no one would find out?"
A flash of panic flickered in Mrs. Pei's eyes, but she quickly masked it, feigning confusion and indignation.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand a word of it! Borrowing a life? How could I possibly harm your Xiao Li'er? How can you bring people to my home based on nothing but baseless speculation?! This is simply too much!"
Mrs. Song saw right through her reaction and didn't bother wasting any more words. The most important thing now was to destroy the Life-Borrowing Contract her daughter had signed.
"Xiao Li'er, let's go inside and find it!"
Xiao Li'er was familiar with the Pei house. Hearing her mother's command, she excitedly raised her hand and led the way inside.
Mrs. Pei finally noticed the eerie red string standing vertically on Xiao Li'er's hand. Her face paled as a realization struck her. She shrieked, "What are you doing?! Are you planning to break and enter?!"
"Today, that is exactly what we are doing!" Mrs. Song declared. She raised a hand, and the prepared Song family bodyguards moved with disciplined efficiency, blocking anyone else in the house from interfering.
Mrs. Song, Xiao Li'er, and the others followed the red string at a brisk pace. Guided by its direction, they went straight to a room on the second floor.
Mrs. Song pulled open a drawer and, sure enough, found a Life-Borrowing Contract written on red paper hidden inside. She grabbed it and left immediately.
Mrs. Pei, who had been held downstairs while trying to make a phone call, saw the group descending the stairs with the item in hand. Her face transformed instantly. She hadn't believed they could actually find it. Screaming, she lunged forward to snatch it back.
"Give that back to me!"
Song Yuli wasn't about to let her get close. He blocked her path with a single stride, grabbing her and shoving her back until she fell to the ground.
Afraid that the document might be snatched away, Mrs. Song ducked into the kitchen. She twisted the knob on the gas stove and held the Life-Borrowing Contract over the flame.
Watching her actions, Mrs. Pei's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Ignoring all decorum, she wailed and tried to rush forward again to stop her.
However, the paper had already caught fire. Mrs. Song tossed the half-burnt Life-Borrowing Contract into the sink. Then, just as Mrs. Pei reached her, Mrs. Song turned and delivered a vicious backhanded slap.
A crisp crack rang out. Before Mrs. Pei could even react, she was struck again. Mrs. Song didn't stop there; she grabbed the other woman by the hair and delivered two more rapid-fire slaps.
At this moment, not a trace of the elegant, high-society lady remained. Thinking about how the Pei family had calculated against her daughter, Mrs. Song felt like she could tear the woman apart.
"You dared to scheme against my daughter! You dared to use maleficent arts to harm people! How did my Xiao Li'er ever wrong you that you would harm her like this?! She is still just a child! Waaaah!"
The years of grievances endured because of Xiao Li'er's condition, combined with the sheer terror of this day, seemed to explode all at once. Mrs. Song wept as she pummeled Mrs. Pei, completely disregarding her upbringing and her standing in the upper class. She looked every bit the part of a common shrew.
To a mother, her child was her greatest point of vulnerability.
If you dare touch my child, I will show you exactly what a noble shrew looks like!
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