191 Kidnapping

Vanessa Zhou and the rest of the search party stopped by a café in the mountains near the port they arrived at after the boat ride.

"Was that not really Young Master Zhou?! Did we really burn his ashes during his funeral? But he looks so much like him!" The young man in a black suit uttered the words in disbelief.

"He is my brother." declared Vanessa Zhou. "But we need to prove it to him."

"What if he really is another person? We can get sued for breaching his privacy."

"The man you cremated is definitely not Verdan Zhou." A smirking Lu Shaoting suddenly appeared near their table.

He surveyed the table and frowned. "His wife did not join the search party?"

"Director Lu, Midori had gone through a lot today. What are you saying? You did not even see the man we saw today, how can you be certain that my brother was not the man burned in his car?" Vanessa Zhou was skeptical. Lu Shaoting did not even show up to pay respects when they held the funeral. Now, he is suddenly declaring things with such certainty.

"Because I have a witness who saw how your brother fell from a cliff to the sea...and he was definitely not inside a car."

"And who is that?! Why only tell us now?!" Vanessa Zhou slammed her palms on the table. Cups and cutlery jumped with the force.

"Why would I let someone under my protection get wind up in the troubles of your family?" Lu Shaoting had a serious face.

.

Two hours ago, Lu Shaoting visited Romina Ta who is currently living in their villa by the sea.

She looked like she was scared and had not slept for ages.

"What's bothering you? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You didn't need to bother yourself with my concerns, Cousin." Romina Ta weakly smiled.

Lu Shaoting heaved a sigh. "I'm here anyway. Tell me what's going on."

"Well, I kept having nightmares about the day I saw CEO Zhou being pushed off from a cliff."

"What?! But they said that he was burnt in his car! Are you certain that it was him that you saw?"

"Yes! He was even speaking before the person who pushed him off. I am certain that it was him."

"Why did you not tell the authorities about this?"

"ZFC had covered up his death. You think the police would believe my story?"

"Then you should have called for me sooner."

In reality, she did not even call him for help. He just found her unusual self when he video called her once to check on her.

Lu Shaoting just came back from Country F after shooting a film. His stubborn self only focused on work and never contacted his family. However, he remained in touch with Romina Ta, whom he treats as his sister. He had always felt that he owed this girl a family, because of what his father did to his aunt.

Romina Ta remained silent as she pondered over her actions.

"Alright. Let me fix this mess for you. You just relax here, alright?" Lu Shaoting gave her a pat on the head, then he left.

.

And so, when he found Vanessa Zhou and some bodyguards discussing their search, he decided to jump into the conversation.

"You're really certain that my brother is still alive?" Vanessa Zhou had hope and uncertainty in her voice and expression.

"Hey, I am only certain that he was not burnt alive inside his car. Whether or not he survived his cliff fall is beyond me."

"Tsk. So what are you trying to get at?"

"You wanna prove that he is really Verdan Zhou? Why don't you take that man you saw back in City S for testing?"

"That's kidnapping! If he really is a different person, we can get convicted!"

"Would you rather defend yourself for a case of mistaken identity, or pass on the opportunity of retrieving your brother and saving your company?"

Vanessa Zhou eyed Director Lu as she thought about her answer.