"Brother Gu!" It was Wang Hu from the Hua Family on the other end of the phone, who exclaimed with delight, "You've come to Shangjing?"
"Okay." Gu Chen nodded and said, "I need your help."
"Please speak." Wang Hu's body stiffened, and he said, "If I can help, I will do my duty."
Although he had only known Wang Hu for a few days, this man who prioritized loyalty had already earned Gu Chen's approval. Hearing this, Gu Chen felt a warmth in his heart and said, "You should know Xiao Zhuxin from the Xiao Family, right?"
"I know," Wang Hu said. "I'm at his concert right now."
"What?" Gu Chen was taken aback, then asked, "Where?"
Dongdaemun.
"Wait for me."
Gu Chen hung up the phone and headed towards Dongdaemun.
Before long, two people came into view in the crowd.
A young girl, dressed in a long red dress, looked stunning. Her charming face seemed to show a mixture of joy and reproach as she looked up. It was Hua Yumo. Beside her stood Wang Hu, dressed in a suit and exuding an aura of authority.
"Brother Hu." Gu Chen paused slightly.
"Brother Gu!"
Wang Hu's face lit up with joy, but before he could speak, Hua Yumo rushed up to him, lifting her long skirt and running a few steps. Perhaps feeling that this wasn't elegant enough, she stopped, glaring fiercely at Gu Chen, and said, "You've arrived in Shangjing, why didn't you call me?"
"I don't have your phone number." Gu Chen glanced at Hua Yumo, his heart filled with anxiety, yet he couldn't help but be surprised.
Judging from her appearance, Hua Yumo was dressed up for the occasion today. Her clothes and makeup were perfect; she had not only drawn her eyebrows but also applied a light lipstick.
"What are you doing here?" Gu Chen asked again.
"I'm here to watch the concert," Hua Yumo said. "Xiao Zhuxin is my best friend. It's her first concert, so of course I had to come and support her."
"Xiao Zhuxin has been kidnapped." Gu Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "That's why I came here."
"What?" Hua Yumo was stunned upon hearing the news. "How is this possible? I just came out from backstage. How could this happen?"
"You and Zhuxin are best friends?" Gu Chen was slightly taken aback and said, "How come I've never heard her mention it before?"
"Zhuxin?" Hua Yumo's heart skipped a beat, then she pouted and said, "Are you very familiar with her?"
"We grew up together, don't you think?" Gu Chen said calmly, "Since you and she are good friends, then take me backstage."
"You."
Hua Yumo was furious. She had thought that Gu Chen would treat her differently when she saw him again, but she didn't expect him to be as arrogant as before, which made her very unhappy. But thinking that Xiao Zhuxin might really be in trouble, she could only nod and say angrily, "Fine, I'll take you backstage."
It was already past midnight, but the atmosphere backstage at the stadium was terrible, with every staff member looking worried.
There were also some police officers around.
After Hua Yumo led Gu Chen backstage, she saw the police and immediately realized something was wrong. She said nervously, "I was waiting for Zhuxin outside. I thought these police officers were just security personnel. I didn't expect they were here to investigate."
"I just entered the city, at the tollbooth not far from the stadium. If I hadn't received this news, I wouldn't have known either," Gu Chen said in a deep voice. "This news must be under wraps; after all, the Xiao Family is no small clan."
"And Zhuxin is a public figure too," Hua Yumo added, then saw someone backstage and immediately called out, "Sister Aimi, come here for a moment!"
She was a stylishly dressed middle-aged woman, adorned with jewels.
She was talking to one of the police officers when she heard Hua Yumo shouting. She immediately apologized and came over.
"Miss Hua." The middle-aged woman still looked worried, but forced a smile and said, "You haven't left yet?"
"Wasn't I Zhuxin outside?" Hua Yumo said, "Why didn't you tell me about something this big?"
"This..." Aimi said with a wry smile, "We still don't understand the situation. Those people came too suddenly, and it must have been planned. We're in complete chaos, as you can see. Sigh."
"And who is this?" Gu Chen asked.
"This is Zhuxin's manager." Hua Yumo said with an unfriendly expression, "Such a big incident has happened, your agency should bear the greatest responsibility! Whether it's security or anything else!"
"I know," Aimi said. "I'm cooperating with the police, and we're sure we can get Zhuxin out!"
"Let me tell you, Zhuxin is my best friend. If anything happens to her, not only will the Xiao Family not let you off the hook, but you also know the power of the Hua Family in the Shangjing. We won't stand idly by either!"
Hua Yumo's voice carried a hint of menace.
"I know..." Aimi's face was a little pale, and cold sweat poured down her forehead as she thought of the two powerful families.
"Let's check the surveillance footage," Gu Chen said, looking at Wang Hu. "Brother Hu, I'm counting on you."
"Okay." Wang Hu nodded, stepped forward to talk to the police, took out an ID, and entered the stadium's monitoring room.
Gu Chen sought out Wang Hu because of this connection; he knew Wang Hu's network of connections was extensive. Although Water Cloud Sect and Honghe Sect were also helping with the investigation, it certainly wasn't as extensive as the official network.
After watching for a few minutes in the monitoring room, Gu Chen frowned.
The surveillance footage from all angles revealed nothing; at most, it showed a masked man in black barging into the backstage studio, and that lasted only a few seconds.
Judging from that person's physique, he shouldn't be too tall, around 1.7 meters, but he was quite burly.
"He's a trained fighter."
Wang Hu said in a deep voice, "He should be a martial artist."
Gu Chen nodded; he thought so too.
Hua Yumo was also staring at the surveillance equipment. After watching the same scene several times, her temper finally flared up. She slammed her hand on the table, pointed at one of the exits, and shouted, "What kind of security work are you doing? How could this person have managed to sneak in? And with his appearance, didn't you have any suspicion at all?"
Faced with Hua Yumo's accusations, the security personnel, including Aimi, didn't dare to utter a sound and could only lower their heads and endure the scolding.
Just then, Gu Chen's phone rang.
Gu Chen walked out of the monitoring room and answered the call.
"Young Master Gu, we've found it." Yu Sheng's voice came through the microphone. "I specifically sent people to investigate the ticket purchase list for this concert. After screening them one by one, we found five people whose identities are extremely suspicious."
Some things require thorough investigation by the police, but for underground forces, many illegitimate methods can be used. Therefore, Gu Chen had no doubt about Yu Sheng's words and said, "Go on."