mtlumby2d Chapter 138 The Cat Returns 22
Chapter 138 The Cat Returns 22
Shen Chumo ignored them and turned to leave. The cats wanted to chase after her, but seeing Shen Chumo's resolute back, they hesitated.
They circled around Blade, meowing, "What do we do? The boss doesn't want to take us in."
Blade straightened his back and said with a determined look in his eyes, "I will definitely make the boss see my value and then accept me."
...
It was already past midnight, but the Yi family home was still brightly lit. Shen Chumo's tracking device was placed on the table, and Yi Zeyu's face was frighteningly gloomy.
All the servants, cooks, drivers, and gardeners of the Yi family gathered in the living room. Yi Zeyu's gaze swept over everyone present like a cold, sharp arrow.
Yi Changfan paced back and forth, rubbing his hands together incessantly, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.
"Where did Mo Mo go?" he muttered to himself, his voice filled with anxiety and worry.
Yi Zeyu slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups on it to shake.
"From noon until now, such a long time, has none of you noticed that Mo Mo is missing?" His voice was low and angry, like a volcano about to erupt.
The servants kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.
Yi Changfan looked at the butler, a glimmer of hope in his eyes: "Think carefully again, is there anything unusual?"
The butler answered tremblingly, "Second Young Master, I really didn't notice anything amiss. Everyone was taking their afternoon nap at the time... We thought she was playing somewhere by herself, so we didn't pay attention..."
Yi Zeyu gritted his teeth and looked at Zhou Mengqi: "What about you? Did you see Momo today?"
Zhou Mengqi feigned innocence and anxiety, even squeezing out a few tears: "I didn't see her either. I was out playing all day, and I just got back when I heard that Momo was missing. I'm very worried about her."
Yi Zeyu sneered, "What a coincidence! The entire Yi family lost power at noon today, which meant the surveillance cameras didn't capture how Momo disappeared. Who else besides the Yi family would know about the power room in the Yi family? This matter must be related to the Yi family."
His gaze was fixed on Zhou Mengqi, as if trying to glean some clues from her expression.
Zhou Mengqi's heart skipped a beat, but she still tried to remain calm and said angrily, "Zeyu, do you doubt me? I've been with Anna all day. If you don't believe me, go ask her."
Zhou Mengqi straightened her back and looked directly into Yi Zeyu's eyes, trying to make herself appear righteous.
Yi Zeyu was not intimidated by her imposing manner. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze scrutinizing her: "Is that so? Then I will naturally ask. But before that, you'd better think carefully about whether there is anything you haven't said."
Yi Zeyu remained unmoved, his eyes still fixed on Zhou Mengqi.
Yi Changfan rubbed his temples, feeling conflicted. On one hand, he didn't want Zhou Mengqi to be the one who hurt Shen Chumo; on the other hand, the current signs made him suspicious.
He frowned as he looked at Zhou Mengqi, his usually aloof and handsome face now filled with deep worry.
He spoke slowly, his voice weary, "Mengqi, think carefully again. Have you noticed anything unusual? Even the smallest thing could be a crucial clue."
Yi Changfan looked at Zhou Mengqi with pleading eyes, but Zhou Mengqi felt guilty and dared not look him in the eye.
She tried to maintain her composure. "Brother Changfan, I really don't know anything. Why do you all suspect me? Momo is just a cat. Would I need to lay a hand on her?"
She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Yi Zeyu snorted coldly: "It had better be that way. If I find out that you're involved, you know what will happen."
Zhou Mengqi's eyes widened, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Zeyu, I'm your girlfriend, don't you trust me at all?"
Zhou Mengqi emphasized the word "girlfriend" very much.
Yi Zeyu glanced at her, his eyes expressionless. Zhou Mengqi felt a chill run down her spine. Then Yi Zeyu looked away again.
He stood up and said, "Post a missing cat notice directly. Anyone who provides clues will be rewarded with 100,000 gold coins. If Momo is found directly, the reward will be 1 million gold coins!"
His voice echoed in the quiet living room. Everyone was taken aback by Yi Zeyu's extravagant spending. Yi Zeyu's assistant immediately sprang into action, making phone calls to the media, printing flyers, and so on.
Zhou Mengqi gritted her teeth inwardly. She hadn’t expected Yi Zeyu to go to such lengths to find Shen Chumo. Was a broken cat really worth a million?
"What a pity, she'll never come back," Zhou Mengqi hummed smugly to herself.
After everyone left, Yi Zeyu and Yi Changfan went to the study alone. Yi Zeyu went directly to a private investigator and asked him to investigate Zhou Mengqi's movements yesterday.
Yi Zeyu had a strong intuition that Zhou Mengqi was responsible for this, and he didn't believe a single word she said.
Yi Changfan did not stop Yi Zeyu. He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring his pupils.
"Yi Zeyu, thank you. When Momo comes back, you can be her real master."
His voice carried a hint of loneliness and helplessness. Yi Changfan was filled with guilt, feeling that he had not fulfilled his responsibility as a master. Yi Zeyu had given far more to Momo than he had.
Yi Zeyu was slightly taken aback, then sneered: "Yi Changfan, you've fallen back into your old ways again."
Would you dare say that to Momo's face? Don't forget, Momo isn't just an ordinary cat; her fate isn't something you can decide."
Yi Changfan's face paled slightly; he knew Yi Zeyu was right.
Momo is indeed not an ordinary cat; she has her own thoughts and feelings.
“I know,” Yi Changfan said in a low voice, “but I really feel that I haven’t done enough. If Momo can come back safely, I will make it up to her.”
Seeing Yi Changfan's guilty expression, Yi Zeyu's anger subsided somewhat. He sighed and said, "Now is not the time to blame ourselves. We need to find Momo as soon as possible. We can talk about other things later."
Yi Changfan nodded; he knew Yi Zeyu was right.
The most important thing now is to find Momo; everything else can wait until later.
Yi Zeyu tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "If it turns out that Zhou Mengqi was the one who did this, what do you plan to do?"
Yi Changfan's eyes narrowed. "If it really is her, I will seek justice for Momo. But you, Mengqi is your girlfriend, yet your attitude towards her has been getting worse and worse lately. Do you want to break up with her?"
Yi Zeyu raised an eyebrow, not saying anything explicitly, but simply saying, "Perhaps."
The two were silent for a while, then began to discuss the next steps in their search.
They decided to expand their search area, not only looking in the nearby neighborhoods, but also contacting other pet rescue organizations and volunteers to help find Momo.