The next day, as soon as Chen Lishu woke up, she received a call from Wu Hua. He anxiously said, "Something terrible has happened, the news of An An's kidnapping yesterday has spread."
Listening to Wu Hua's words, Chen Lishu didn't realize the seriousness of the matter yet. She just felt inexplicably puzzled and said, "Isn't it normal for such things to spread? What did the police say? Are there any leads?"
"It's normal for it to spread, but there are already many unfavorable comments about you. The police don't have much information either, after all, only An An's mother was at the scene at the time. However, she stammered a lot but didn't get to the key points.
Another thing that I find very strange is that despite her son having such a major incident, the mother chooses to attend various events and push all the blame onto you," Wu Hua said, his brows furrowed.
Chen Lishu's consciousness slowly returned. She stared ahead blankly, pursed her lips, and quickly came to a conclusion: "It seems we've been manipulated again! I really didn't expect Qin Lan and her group to use this method to attract public opinion and put me into disrepute. But then again, when I asked you to release the news about the dangerous 'sick pig,' I should have known they wouldn't just sit idly by!"
Seeing that Chen Lishu had some clues about the people behind this incident, Wu Hua was somewhat relieved. He then calmly analyzed, "Now is not the time to discuss these things. We need to consider how to resolve this matter. Otherwise, if the rumors continue to ferment, I fear it will lead to irreversible consequences!"
"I'll get ready and prepare to visit An An's home. There's no rush, as this matter wasn't entirely caused by us. If An An's mother slanders us publicly, we can just hold a press conference and completely shift all responsibility."
Hearing Chen Lishu's plan, Wu Hua felt it made sense. So, he nodded and said, "I'll go with you to An An's house to avoid any danger for you as a young woman," before hanging up the phone.
After a simple wash, Chen Lishu and Su Nian went out.
The visit to An An's home was a last-minute decision, so when they knocked on the door, there was a loud commotion from inside. After about three minutes, the door was slowly opened.
An An's mother pushed the door open and her eyes flashed with panic when she saw Chen Lishu and a group of police officers in uniform standing at the door. But she quickly masked it.
"It's you?"
Chen Lishu took in every expression on An An's mother's face. Her every move revealed guilt. Even though she knew this woman was suspicious, she could do nothing about it! She had no evidence at all.
Suppressing her thoughts, Chen Lishu's lips curved upwards slightly, a gentle smile appearing on her face. She then said, "An An's mother, I apologize for disturbing you so early in the morning. There are some details we need to understand from you. Would it be convenient for us to come in and explain in detail?"
An An's mother slowly pushed the door open and said with a stiff smile, "If you don't mind my house being dirty, then please come in!"
"Okay!" Chen Lishu nodded and then gave a signal to the people behind her, indicating for them to go in and sit down.
As the door slowly closed, one of the police officers walked up to An An's mother with a stern expression and asked, "Let me ask you again, did you really not see the license plate number of the car that abducted your child? Or can you describe the model of the car? That way, we can narrow down our search!"
An An's mother showed a look of distress and regret when she heard the police officer's question. She clenched her fists tightly and said, "The situation was too chaotic at the time. I was only focused on grabbing An An and didn't pay attention to the car!"
A suspicion arose. If someone hadn't been robbed by those human traffickers, wouldn't they have noted down the traffickers' characteristics and called the police? This An An's mother was really too strange. However, it was her son who was abducted, and she was understandably distressed. Despite his inner complaints, the police officer still dutifully asked, "Have you had any arguments with anyone recently? Perhaps it was an inside job."
"Our family has never offended anyone. You could say we are known for being good-tempered in this neighborhood!" As An An's mother spoke, she covered her face and began to cry.
The police officers present felt a pang of sympathy and stepped forward to comfort An An's mother, assuring her that they would do their best to find An An.
Looking at An An's mother crying, Chen Lishu inexplicably felt something was odd, though she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. She glanced around the room and her gaze fell on the rice bowls on the table. With her son missing, how could a mother still have the appetite to eat? However, this spilled congee on the table... An idea flashed through Chen Lishu's mind. Just as she was about to mention the congee, An An's mother's wailing reached her ears.
She immediately turned in the direction of the sound and saw a tall, burly middle-aged man appear behind An An's mother. He supported her frail body and said to the police officers, "My wife is already heartbroken enough. Can you please stop rubbing salt in her wounds? We can talk about these things in a couple of days. Your mother has been sleepless all night because of this. Can you let her rest and recuperate? Perhaps when her mind is clearer, she can provide you with useful information?"
That made it even stranger! The police officers exchanged glances. One of them stepped forward and said sternly to An An's father, "We must understand the true situation within twenty-four hours! After twenty-four hours, the child's condition will become increasingly dangerous. I believe you parents do not want this to happen, do you?"
An An's father nodded and said, "Officer, what you're saying makes a lot of sense. So, how about this: let my wife rest for a few hours first. Once she's rested, I'll take her to the police station to give her statement."
With the conversation reaching this point, the officers couldn't find a reason to refuse. They could only reluctantly nod. Before leaving, they reminded him, "Then, after she wakes up, please remember to report to the police station. Every minute delayed puts the child in greater danger!"