Chapter 82 - We Can Help

Song Luli stepped forward.

"What's wrong?" she questioned.

But a moment after, she heard the front door open. Entering was Long Jie's mother, Xue Guangli.

When Long Jie's mother saw him, her eyes widened, and she bolted to him. She embraced him tightly, sobbing in his shoulder.

Long Jie froze. He observed his mother, wondering why she had some bruises on her face.

Qian Meigui, her mother, pulled her to the side, away from them.

"It's Long Jie's father," she told her gravely.

Song Luli stepped back from her mother, startled and shaken. She didn't know Long Huojin that well, but from what's she gathered from all the encounters with him was that he was a kind and sensible man, and Long Jie cared about him.

"You said everyone was fine...you said that it had to with our family," Song Luli told her.

Qian Meigui looked at her unwaveringly. Her eyes were hollow but defiant. Song Luli almost forgot who she was speaking to. Her mother was iron-hearted.

"Everyone is fine. And the Long's are part of the family," her mother reminded her.

"Then what is it?" Song Luli asked impatiently. Her emotions were spinning and perplexed, not for herself, but for Long Jie.

"Long Huojin is missing. Some people took him last night. The capturing was perfectly calculated and executed. But we're not sure why they took him," Qian Meigui continued. "We are all here to find ways to look for him. I told Xue Guangli that Long Jie would be here if he followed you. I was right."

Song Luli set her jaw. "We shouldn't waste any more time! Let's look for him," she snapped.

Qian Meigui faced her. "Your emotions are too unbalanced. Remember what I've taught you, Luli."

Song Luli took a deep breath and exhaled. She did it again and again until her heartbeat calmed and until her chest stopped hurting. When she settled her breathing, she asked her mother, "What can I do?"

Qian Meigui smiled grimly. "We are working on it already from our end. But we need to send you out to look for Long Huojin. Su Chen and Su Xiang are ready to provide medical assistance. Your father dispatched search parties with the help of his friends."

Song Luli nodded. She turned around to face Long Jie, who appeared to be in a state of shock.

Song Luli approached him carefully.

"Jie," she called out to him.

He didn't respond as his eyes looked at her distantly as if she wasn't there. She felt some part of her break, aching for him.

Song Luli grasped his hands, "Long Jie," she said sincerely.

Again no response from him.

"My love," she referred to him.

He looked at her with sad pale-blue eyes. But it caught his attention. "We're going to do everything we can," she assured him. Long Jie nodded slowly, responding to her.

Despair etched on his face. Long Jie cupped her face, giving her a small kiss on her lips, more for comfort than for passion. He seemed to get better as he straightened, recollecting himself.

Long Jie then stalked towards his mother. "I'm going to find him. I promise you."

Xue Guangli looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. "I don't want to send you," she began, "I wouldn't be able to handle both of you gone."

Long Jie faced his mother with determination. "I will help Mr. Song bring him home."

Xun Zichen then stepped in. "Mrs. Long. I will help your son."

"So will I," said Su Xiang.

Xue Guangli offered them a sad smile. "This has to do with me. We shouldn't send off our children to fix our mistakes."

"We're not children anymore," Song Luli said. "We can help."

Xue Guangli faced Qian Meigui and Song Ren, who both nodded at her, assuring her that it was okay to let them go.

Xue Guangli sighed deeply. "You will only locate him and report it to Mr. Song, that's all!"

The four of them nodded.

Qian Meigui then approached the four of them. "You need some materials," she told them. "Follow me."

Long Jie, Song Luli, Su Xiang, and Xun Zichen followed her mother to the basement. Qian Meigui entered a passcode, opening a door. There were blankets of dust everywhere on top of black cases.

Su Xiang collected some medical equipment, stocking up her bag.

Long Jie gravitated towards a tracking device and a computer. Xun Zichen approached some guns. He strapped one to the back of his pants, loading others and packing them away in a suitcase.

Song Luli arched a brow at Su Xiang, who told her, "It's better not to ask."

She then turned to her mother again. "Why do you have all this?"

Qian Meigui took a deep breath. "It's a long story," she told her.

Song Luli looked around the room until she found some radios and put them away. She also found some intimidating-looking knives, sharpening them quickly before putting them away.

When the four of them finished preparation, they went up the stairs, towards the foyer.

They were about to leave when Song Meiling stopped them. "I want to help, too!" she said.

They all paused. "Meiling," Song Luli began, "It's not that we think you aren't capable of being a help. But it may be too much of a crowd."

"I won't get in your way. I can be of service," she pleaded.

"How?" Long Jie questioned with narrow eyes,  genuinely curious.

"I study architecture. If you need help identifying a location through a drone, it will be faster if I do it," Song Meiling told him.

At that, Long Jie smiled.

"I will tag along as well," said Zhang Enyu.

"What?" questioned Song Meiling.

"You all appear shaken about this," he said to everyone. "If you need someone to drive, I can do so."

Song Meiling looked at him with appreciation, and something else, like admiration.

"All right," Long Jie answered. The six of them hopped into a van with Zhang Enyu driving. He set up the GPS, connected to Long Jie's computer.

Song Luli was in charge of communication, so she called her mother-in-law, asking her to recall any details of who might have taken her husband, or where he might be. She gave them only small and brief details.

So she contacted her father, who sent search parties, and asked him for any leads. He sent back a license plate and pictures of the tools the men used to capture Long Huojin.

"We have to be discreet," Long Jie said. "The police may be looking for him. But we have a better chance of finding him alive, and then Mr. Song can bring in his forces."

"Why?" asked Song Luli.

"Because they won't know we're coming. That's the difference. Police officers are like beacons. Once they sound their sirens, it's more likely he will lose his life."

Song Luli registered what he said, trying to calm her pounding heart. Nothing like this has happened to her before. And everyone else appeared to be so calm. So she sucked in a deep breath, determined to face this problem.