" have you guys seen Wan Wan?" asked Lin Chen as he barged inside the dining hall with a frustrated expression. Though the weather was still cold, sweat was dripping down his face, trickling down his chin and vanishing under his cotton-padded jacket " I mean, has anyone seen her from morning? I have looked for her in the house, I even went to the town to check every shop and I even circled around the village looking for her, but I haven't seen her anywhere. Do you know where she is? Or did she tell anyone if she was going somewhere, I would be quite thankful if one of you could just put an end to this big secret because I'm tired of running around while burning with anxiety"
" You didn't find Wan Wan?" Lin Yan put down the big bowl which was filled with mutton soup to the brim on the table and looked at him with a frown " what do you mean you can't find her? Didn't she just go to the town to check up on the shops ?"
Lin Chen brushed his hair back in frustration as he stopped himself from cursing at his second brother, " Didn't I just say that I checked every shop? She is not there, and no one from the staff saw her either which means she never went to the town… I even looked around the village and even asked Fang Xiaolin whether she saw Wan Wan, before returning home. She says she didn't, so where the fuck did she go!"
Lin Chen didn't want to curse nor did he want to snap at his family but he was really worried. With the Luo Xin's situation hovering over their heads, he couldn't help but jump on the worst possible outcome. They haven't dealt with Luo Xin yet, and if she got her hands on Su Wan then – Lin Chen bit his lips in frustration feeling even stupider than before, he should have started searching for Su Wan before. He just thought that she might have gone to check the shops, she sometimes did this sudden inspections, to see whether or not everyone in their newly hired staff worked properly in their absence.
Which was why he didn't think of her disappearance that much but then time ticked by and Su Wan didn't return home. She should have returned before lunch if she just went on a simple inspection, she always did. But then lunch hour came and went by, which triggered Lin Chen's anxiety. He immediately looked for Su Wan around the house, checking every nook and cranny. When he couldn't find her at home, he rushed to the town, and because the time he choose was lunch hour, there was no ox cart waiting for him, so Lin Chen had no other choice but to run all the way to the town. But he even did that, because he was worried about Su Wan -one by one he questioned the staff of their three shops and the answer he received from everyone was… Su Wan never came to the shop.
That was when Lin Chen's heart went on full-on alert. He could feel his heart thumping as he ran back as fast as he could and then he ran around the village, circling the village asking people whether or not they have seen Su Wan but no one gave him a proper answer. Some said that they did see her but when he asked where did they saw her, they said she was walking out of the village without taking the cart but where she went nobody knew.
Lin Chen was this close to ripping all his hair out of his scalp. Just where the hell was Su Wan?
" I thought – she went to town" Lin Yan couldn't help but get anxious as well when he saw how worried Lin Chen looked. It wasn't a usual sight for them to see Lin Chen worry like this, their third brother would smile even when threatened with a knife. So they understood the matter was serious.
" like for the third time, she isn't there!" snapped Lin Chen, running his hand through his hair and tugging on his locks in frustration " tell me something else – some other option where she could be so that I can check it up before ripping that old hag's throat!"
Everyone knew about Luo Xin, so no one was surprised at Lin Chen's outburst. They too were thinking of the same, what if Lin Chen's worries were right and Luo Xin really –
"No, I don't think that it's her," said Lin Jing, putting his left palm on the table and rubbing the rough surface " I have heard from my friend at the town, she is currently out of the town and is busy with some charges"
' of course, she is ' muttered Lin Yu inwardly, knowing fully well what charges, Luo Xin has been involved with, being the one who leaked out the news. Only he knows how hard it was for him to find the evidence of her having connections with the number one corrupted bar. But if she really did something to Su Wan – then, heh, he will not rest until her head was hanged on the front wall of the town!
Lin Yu was still planning what and how to take Luo Xin down when he noticed that everyone was looking at him with the same suspicious gazes " what?" what was with that look?
Lin Chen slammed his hands on the table as he glared at Lin Yu and shouted in dire accusation " out with it, Yu! What did you do ?"
Lin Yu felt irritation bubble in his heart, just because was involved in some questionable business, they are going to doubt him? Su Wan was his wife too! Damn you, third brother! However, no matter how pissed off he was, he still gritted his teeth and said unhappily " Just because the matter is shady does not mean that I did it! I mean – she is my wife too and I care for her as well! "
While the brothers glared at each other, no one noticed the unnatural expression of Mother Lin as she clenched her hands on her lap.
