Hearing Qiao Yu's threat, Wang Guan could only manage a wry smile. "I'm dealing with serious business here, and Beiye knows the context. You don't need to stick up for her."

"Really?"

Seeing Beiye nod in confirmation, Qiao Yu giggled. "That’s right. You should know how formidable our class monitor is; she could subdue you with just one hand. You wouldn't dare harbor any improper thoughts."

"Nonsense," Beiye replied, her pretty face flushing slightly, firmly refusing to admit it.

Wang Guan smiled and continued, "This matter is quite important. If you happen to know Meng Jian's whereabouts, please tell me... or even just a contact number would suffice."

"A contact number?" Qiao Yu didn't press for details. After a slight pause, she turned to her younger brother. "Zhi Shu, don't you have the phone number for his cousin? Try calling it."

"Why should I?" Qiao Zhi Shu was clearly reluctant, but under Qiao Yu's forceful pressure, he reluctantly pulled out his phone.

"There's no need to call."

However, Wang Guan shook his head. "It's a dead line; it won't connect at all."

After all, Yao Jing had left that number when she wanted to buy his Black Ding Tea Caddy. But once Wang Guan learned that Meng Jian might be connected to the Great Master Zhu, he had tried calling her mobile, only to find it completely unreachable.

Meanwhile, Qiao Zhi Shu had already initiated the dialing sequence and sneered as the signal went through, "Tsk, you say it's a dead line, so it must be..."

Halfway through his sentence, Qiao Zhi Shu's face changed drastically, and he jumped up. "How can it be a dead line?"

"Huh, it really is a dead line," Qiao Yu murmured, stunned for a moment before consoling him. "Little brother, don't be discouraged. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You should be glad you haven't given up the whole ocean by focusing on just one tree."

"Uh..."

What a man might say in that situation would be normal, but coming from a beautiful woman's mouth, it sounded utterly bizarre. Wang Guan simply lowered his head to sip his coffee, pretending he hadn't heard anything.

However, Qiao Yu had underestimated Qiao Zhi Shu's infatuation. In this state, he looked deeply worried. "Sis, do you think Xiao Jing might have had some kind of accident..."

"Sigh, you are a lost cause," Qiao Yu sighed helplessly, then turned to Wang Guan. "Wang Guan, tell him honestly so he can give up. Are those two some kind of dangerous international thieves? Could they be the Fanged Duo..."

As she spoke, Qiao Yu's beautiful eyes flickered—not flirtatiously, but in a blatant, suggestive manner.

"I'm not entirely clear on that," Wang Guan replied with a smile. "After all, the investigation and evidence collection are still ongoing."

"Nonsense! Don't you dare slander Xiao Jing!" Qiao Zhi Shu glared, his face clearly angry.

"You hopeless idiot, you really are beyond saving," Qiao Yu exclaimed, holding her forehead in exasperation. "The facts are laid bare. She's clearly taking you for a fool to amuse herself, and you're stubbornly refusing to see it. You are truly the densest person alive."

"Impossible! Xiao Jing would never lie to me!" Qiao Zhi Shu insisted stubbornly, then hastily pleaded, "Sis, something must have happened to her. Will you help me find her...?"

"How can we search without any clues?" Qiao Yu retorted sharply. "Besides, you need to understand one thing. The phone number isn't 'unreachable'; it's a 'dead line.' Do you need me to explain the difference between the two?"

Qiao Yu was cutting and direct, mercilessly shattering Qiao Zhi Shu's fragile hope.

"Ah... Sis, not again," Qiao Zhi Shu lamented instantly, and then his entire body seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, slumping limply into his chair.

"Ignore him."

Qiao Yu was unfazed by the drama. She turned back to Beiye, continuing her conversation more like she was venting. "You wouldn't believe it, the food in America is terribly bland and greasy, and the Chinese restaurants there have such strange flavors—not authentic at all... After several years, I feel like I've gained so much weight, and my pores have even coarsened..."

"No, you haven't. Your skin is still so delicate..." Beiye quickly offered a comforting word, then asked curiously, "By rights, you should have graduated a long time ago. Why are you still in the States?"

"Don't even mention it. As soon as I graduated and came home, my parents started nagging me about getting married, so I conveniently ran off again."

Qiao Yu explained, "Across the Pacific, they can't reach me. But after only two years of freedom, the Old Man wouldn't stand for it. He sent an ultimatum: if I didn't come home, he'd come and drag me back himself. I had no choice but to obediently crawl back."

As she spoke, Qiao Yu turned back. "Little brother, why is Grandpa in such a rush for me to come home? Has he arranged another batch of promising young men for me to choose from?"

"Yes..." Qiao Zhi Shu replied weakly. "Grandpa said this year is your zodiac year, the peak of your romance luck—the Red Luan star is moving, so you're bound to marry off."

"Hmph, the older they get, the more superstitious they become," Qiao Yu pouted slightly, then beamed playfully. "Little Bei, Wang Guan, are you free in the next few days? How about accompanying me home for a visit?"

"We have a friend's wedding to attend in a couple of days," Beiye replied with some hesitation.

"Then I'll stay and attend that too," Qiao Yu smiled. "Since I'm in China, the elders won't be in a huge hurry. But afterward, you must accompany me. That way, I'll have a legitimate reason to travel around scenic spots with you and escape the Old Man's net."

"Wang Guan..." Beiye glanced at the man beside her.

"Fine," Wang Guan agreed readily after a moment's thought. After all, Jinyang wasn't that far from the capital; a few days of sightseeing there wouldn't delay their return to Beijing.

"Wonderful..." Qiao Yu's face lit up with excitement. "Let me tell you, Jinyang actually has many fascinating places to visit, and even more delicious food..."

When talking about her hometown, she had endless topics. Of course, they also exchanged updates on what they had been up to over the last few years. Soon, it was noon, and they casually headed out for a meal. After lunch, Wang Guan took some time to send Gao Dequan back to the Porcelain Capital. When he returned to the hotel, he saw Beiye rushing toward him with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" Wang Guan asked, startled. "What happened?"

"Gao Zhuang is missing," Beiye said urgently.

"What?" Wang Guan froze, then quickly inquired, "How did he go missing?"

Beiye shook her head lightly, frowning. "I'm not sure. I just got a call from Gao Wen, asking you to help her find him."

Wang Guan frowned upon hearing this. After a brief thought, he immediately suggested, "Let's go check his place first..."

Beiye naturally had no objection, and they quickly got into the car with Wang Guan, heading toward Gao Zhuang's home. Qiao Yu also tagged along out of curiosity, leaving a heartbroken Qiao Zhi Shu alone in the hotel.

Not long after, the three arrived at Gao Zhuang's house. Yu Jie was already there, comforting Gao Wen. Seeing the newcomers, he immediately stood up to greet them. "Brother Wang, sorry to trouble you again..."

In truth, both Yu Jie and Gao Wen knew Wang Guan was a very capable man. That was why, when faced with trouble, their first thought wasn't to call the police but to seek Wang Guan's assistance.

"It's nothing," Wang Guan waved his hand dismissively and got straight to the point. "Brother Gao is missing? What exactly happened? Have you called the police?"

"Not yet," Yu Jie shook his head. "It hasn't been forty-eight hours yet; if we call, they won't take it seriously."

"Then how are you certain he's missing?" Wang Guan asked the crucial question.

"This is what happened..."

Gao Wen spoke with a trace of tears in her voice. "Yesterday morning, Big Brother took a charter boat job. He actually didn't want to take it because Ah Jie and I had our wedding photos scheduled for today, and we planned to go together, so he didn't want to sail. But the client insisted, saying it was just a one-day trip—out in the morning, back in the evening. The client was very generous, paying for the entire charter upfront. Big Brother thought it was a good deal and agreed without much thought."

She paused here, her heart consumed by anxiety. "But the boat that should have returned last night hasn't been seen at all, and we can't get through on the emergency communication phone installed on the vessel. Something must have happened."

Wang Guan understood immediately that Gao Zhuang had most likely encountered trouble. Otherwise, given his deep affection for his sister, there was no way he would miss her wedding photoshoot. Moreover, if he were fine, he would have called to explain the situation instead of leaving them in this agonizing silence.

Keeping this in mind, Wang Guan pressed further. "Who was the client? Where were they going?"

"I don't know," Gao Wen shook her head blankly. "I was at work then. He just called me to let me know, and then he took two or three people out on the boat. They haven't come back yet..."

"It's not just Big Brother; I specifically checked. Those two or three people who went with him are also gone," Yu Jie frowned. "And we didn't hear about any catastrophic weather yesterday. Plus, a round trip in one day means the destination couldn't have been very far. It's even less likely they ran into pirates or foreign cruisers..."

Wang Guan nodded slightly. If that was the case, there were even fewer leads. The sea was vast, and without a specific direction, finding Gao Zhuang was akin to searching for a needle in the ocean. Even with special abilities, he was still human, not an immortal. Without the capacity for instant calculation, how could he find anyone he wished?

Evidently, Yu Jie understood this principle too. After explaining the situation, he didn't ask Wang Guan if he had any solutions but continued to comfort Gao Wen, urging her to calm down, suggesting Gao Zhuang might return any moment.

As they spoke, the house's landline rang. Gao Wen instantly lunged for it and picked up the receiver. After hearing just one sentence, she erupted in delirious joy, weeping with relief. "Big Brother, is that really you... I was so worried... What?"

Whatever Gao Zhuang said next caused Gao Wen to cry out in alarm.

"Wait... Hello... Big Brother... Hey..." Gao Wen called out several times, but the signal cut off. She reluctantly placed the receiver down, her face a mixture of elation and dread.

"Xiao Wen, what's the situation?" Yu Jie urgently asked. "How is Big Brother now?"

Gao Wen answered with anguish and fury. "He's fine, but his boat was robbed, and now he's trapped on a deserted island..."

"How could this happen..."

Yu Jie was momentarily stunned, then quickly asked, "Which deserted island? We'll go rescue him right now."