Zhiyue and Zhijian couldn't have gotten very far. Because his conversation with Wenjie hadn't lasted that long, but who knew what they were up to? Nothing good in any case. Damn. He shouldn't have said anything. These guys probably just wanted to make sure, they didn't get in the way of whatever they were planning in Qingcheng. At least he hoped so.

His gaze slid around the room. Had those guys been in here too? Had they left something behind, to monitor their movements and conversations? 

"There's nothing in here," Wenjie said at that moment, as if he had guessed his thoughts. "They probably just tapped into the cameras on the premises."

That didn't really sound reassuring, because it didn't stop them from being on the premises anyway. They could have rented one of the other bungalows. That would allow them to get in and out unnoticed, since everyone would think, they were tourists. Such an approach would suit his father. But he was in prison, just like his accomplices of the Water Lily case.  

"Let's go," said Ding Wei. He watched discontentedly as his friend wrote something on a piece of paper. "Your father will see that we're out for a bit."

He felt uneasy at the thought of wasting even a second. His instinct told him that something was very wrong. 

Halfway to the main building, they spotted Zhijian. He was squatting under a tree by the side of the path, rubbing his neck. There was no sign of Zhiyue. Wenjie immediately ran to Zhijian.

"Zhijian, are you all right? What has happened? Where is Zhiyue?" the questions poured out of him. 

"There were two guys. They approached us and wanted Zhiyue to come with them. I stood in between them. They just knocked me down. My head ..." He leaned against the tree and closed his eyes briefly. 

"Do you need a doctor?" Wenjie asked. From a distance, Ding Wei could see his friend's hands trembling. Despite this, he reached out his hand to the young man on the ground 

"No. I'm fine." Zhijian grabbed his hand and stood up. "Don't think it's a concussion."

Wenjie supported him, helping his friend to stand more securely on his feet. 

Ding Wei's mind went into overdrive. They were too late and it was indirectly his fault. He had to do something. "Do you remember what they looked like and which way they were going, or where they came from?"

Zhijian looked at him in irritation. 

Wenjie just looked right through him. 

"They came from the main building. But I don't think they got out of there either. There are far too many people there. They were wearing sportswear, black jackets with white stripes and hoods. Both about your size." Zhijian shrugged his shoulders. He probably didn't know what else to say.

"Okay, okay ... They probably took the side exit to the northwest. That's where the main road is. To the south is just the beach," Xiao Dao speculated. "Wenjie, take Zhijian to the bungalow. You'll be safe there. I'll try to catch them. It was my fault. I'll fix it." They weren't supposed to split up. But they couldn't be in two places at once. Wenjie and Zhijian were safe. The bungalow was only a few meters away from them. 

Ding Wei ran off without waiting for an answer from Wenjie. He knew roughly where the side exit was. Two meters away, he spotted something in the grass. It was Zhiyue's cell phone. He recognized it by the ribbons attached to it. Xiao Dao had given her one of them. So they had passed by here. He quickly pocketed it and hurried out to the street. 

It was busy at this time of day. But Zhiyue and her kidnappers were nowhere to be seen. Instead, his cell phone vibrated. He had a new message from the unknown number. 

"You have 24 hours to bring Wenjie to the harbor, Dock 3, no police. Otherwise your little friend will die."

Those damned ... Ding Wei angrily kicked a lamppost. Why were they so fast? And why did they kidnap Zhiyue if they were after Wenjie? The criminals' complicated approach reminded him of his father again. He would think of something like that. He'd rather have triple security. But why? 

Xiao Dao had believed, that Zhuang Yaobai's visits had had some kind of influence on him. Old times and all that. Did Ding Shenghuo still want to kill Wenjie? Somehow he couldn't believe it. There was something else behind it. Only what? 

"What do you want from Wenjie?" he dared to ask. 

There was no answer. Instead, the stranger sent him a second request for action. "Make sure Yaobai flies back to Qingcheng tomorrow." Ding Wei swallowed as he read it. Then he put his cell phone in his jacket pocket and returned to the bungalow. 

Resigned and worried, Ding Wei returned to the bungalow. Wenjie, Zhijian and Zhuang Yaobai were already waiting for him there. 

Zhijian was lying on the sofa with a washcloth on his forehead. Xiao Dao feared, that he might have suffered a concussion after all. 

Yaobai just put his phone away. Ding Wei suspected, that he had called a doctor. 

Wenjie paced restlessly around the room and immediately approached him as he quietly closed the door behind him. Xiao Dao shook his head dejectedly and handed his friend Zhiyue's cell phone. 

"I only found this." He felt miserable. 

Wenjie didn't say anything. He was just pale as a sheet. He probably felt like he had been transported back half a year. Ding Wei would like to do something to help him. But the situation was just as overwhelming for him. 

Zhuang Yaobai stepped behind Wenjie and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "I won't leave you alone now. My boss understands. We should keep calm."

That was so easy to say, especially after the second task he had to take on. Great, really. Zhuang Yaobai was supposed to disappear from the resort and had obviously already done everything he could to avoid this. Under other circumstances, Xiao Dao would have been relieved. "How are we supposed to stay calm if Zhiyue's life is in danger?", he blurted out.  

Wenjie flinched as if he had been hit hard. Ding Wei bit his lower lip. Of course, he had said the wrong thing. But he would probably have to show them the message too. At least the guys hadn't written, that he wasn't allowed to warn his friend. 

Yaobai took his son to an armchair next to the sofa. Shortly afterwards, Wenjie sat there like a heap of misery. "What do they want?" His voice sounded weak and feeble. 

Xiao Dao sat down on the armchair next to him and took his phone out of his jacket pocket. "No police." But Wenjie and his father had certainly expected that. After all, that was always what kidnappers wanted, for the police not to get involved. Without hesitation, he unlocked his display. 

Then he handed the phone directly to Yaobai, who read the messages with a serious face.

to be continued ...