On the drinking table, because Liu Rui was the lively one, the atmosphere was somewhat cheerful. Due to Liu Rui, Lin Mu drank a bit too much, but the more Lin Mu drank, the more bitter the wine tasted. Because when Lin Mu got drunk, he thought of Tang Rong, and thinking of Tang Rong made his heart feel uneasy, which is why the wine grew increasingly bitter.

Liu Rui seemed to have noticed something. He quietly asked Lin Mu, "Hey, Lin Mu, if you have something on your mind, just say it, don't keep it to yourself. Let your brother share the burden." Hearing Liu Rui's words, Lin Mu sighed. Perhaps due to his personality, Lin Mu truly didn't want to share this matter with others.

So Lin Mu showed a bit of unwillingness. Seeing this, Liu Rui began to pester him endlessly, "Come on, Lin Mu, just tell me, okay?" As he spoke, Liu Rui drank another glass with Lin Mu. After the drink, Lin Mu sighed slowly. Unable to withstand Liu Rui's persistent nagging, Lin Mu slowly said to Liu Rui, "Come outside, I'll tell you."

When Liu Rui heard Lin Mu was willing to talk, he couldn't find any reason not to follow. So Liu Rui went outside the private room with Lin Mu. Nearby, Qian Xi noticed them whispering and then leaving to talk outside, which made her slightly suspicious. But eavesdropping seemed inappropriate, so Qian Xi didn't follow.

Hua Lao, who had been silent all this time, chuckled and said to Qian Xi, "Young people always have something of a secret, let them be." As he spoke, Hua Lao glanced at Qian Xi. Upon hearing this, Qian Xi also chuckled and teasingly said, "Well, Grandpa, do you have many secrets?"

Listening to Qian Xi's words, Hua Lao was so pleased that he couldn't stop smiling. Recently, Hua Lao clearly felt that since Qian Xi received treatment from Lin Mu, his whole personality had changed completely. If it were before, Qian Xi wouldn't speak like this to him at all.

That's why Hua Lao seemed rather happy. He swiftly picked up some food for Qian Xi. The current Qian Xi seemed to return to the time when Hua Lao first took care of him, gentle and cute.

Outside the private room, Liu Rui had drunk quite a lot, so he leaned on Lin Mu for support as they stepped out. Once outside, Liu Rui couldn't hold back and quickly asked, "Come on, Lin Mu, tell me, what's going on?" Upon hearing this, Lin Mu sighed and slowly replied, "Well, it's about a friend of mine."

"A girl or a guy?" Before Lin Mu could finish, Liu Rui jumped in with his question. Hearing Liu Rui insist, Lin Mu truthfully answered Liu Rui that she was a girl. Upon hearing that the person Lin Mu was talking about was a girl, Liu Rui's doubtful gaze immediately locked onto Lin Mu, "You like her!" Liu Rui said confidently.

Lin Mu was taken aback by Liu Rui's words and froze for a moment. Finally, he nodded slowly, confirming that he indeed liked Tang Rong. Seeing Lin Mu nod, Liu Rui couldn't help but smile happily and said, "Oh wow, our Lin Mu has also fallen in love! Is it because the girl is ignoring you that you're feeling so sad?"

Liu Rui said with a smile to Lin Mu. However, Lin Mu's face looked incredibly melancholy. Lin Mu merely shook his head and said slowly, "She was kidnapped!"

"What?" Liu Rui's drunkenness was immediately halved by shock. Hearing that the girl Lin Mu liked was kidnapped, Liu Rui quickly rolled up his sleeves and said, "Who could be so bold to kidnap Lin Mu's woman? I must teach him a lesson!"

Seeing Liu Rui in such a state, Lin Mu sighed, "If only we knew." Liu Rui was bewildered by Lin Mu's words. A kidnapping, whether they want money or something else, surely the kidnappers would give an address.

But Lin Mu's words implied that they had no idea where the kidnappers were. Liu Rui then asked what Lin Mu meant by this. Upon hearing the inquiry, Lin Mu explained the whole situation to Liu Rui. After hearing everything, Liu Rui realized the kidnappers hadn't given Lin Mu an address because the kidnappers wanted nothing.

After listening to everything Lin Mu said, Liu Rui felt equally troubled. "Do you know where the girl is now?" Liu Rui asked. Hearing this, Lin Mu frowned and thought for a moment before shaking his head.

Upon hearing that Lin Mu still didn't know the whereabouts, Liu Rui appeared very helpless. Lin Mu, witnessing all this, also remained silent. Regarding Tang Rong's location, even though Lin Mu drank quite a bit, he deliberately kept it hidden. Lin Mu understood well that if Liu Rui knew where Tang Rong was, even against death, he would go with Lin Mu.

But Lin Mu didn't want those around him to take such a risk, which is why Lin Mu didn't explain clearly to Liu Rui. "I've already asked Hua Xiangrong to send people to find her; we will find her, don't worry." Lin Mu patted Liu Rui's shoulder and slowly comforted him. As expected, only after hearing Lin Mu's reassurance did Liu Rui slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Alright, let's go back in. I've said everything there is to say." Lin Mu spoke while pulling Liu Rui back inside. Seeing the two return after their private talk, Qian Xi dismissively curled her lip and said, "What secrets could two men possibly have?"

Upon hearing Qian Xi's words, Lin Mu was momentarily stunned, then awkwardly smiled, as did Liu Rui beside him. The meal concluded promptly, and everyone returned together to the Hua Mansion. The car moved quickly along the way, and due to the wind, by the time they arrived home, Lin Mu had sobered up considerably.

As for Qian Xi and others, after dropping Lin Mu off at home, they went straight home themselves. Back in his room, Lin Mu began packing since he planned to leave the next day. So he started preparing his things tonight to ease the hassle for tomorrow.

After gathering all necessary items one by one, Lin Mu lay down to sleep. The next morning, Lin Mu left a note and departed, taking advantage of the early hour when no one was awake. He quietly left alone, and as he exited, Lin Mu glanced at the Hua Mansion, pondering whether this might be the last farewell.

But he comforted himself simultaneously, knowing he wouldn't fail to return because of this. After all, having roamed society for so many years, rescuing someone wouldn't cost him his life, so Lin Mu smiled and turned away, heading towards the destination Hua Xiangrong had previously mentioned—Cloud City!

None of the Hua Mansion's residents knew at that moment that someone had already left before they awoke.

"Lin Mu, wake up!" Even as noon neared, Hua Lao still hadn't seen Lin Mu arise, so he personally went to Lin Mu's room to wake him up. However, he found no response despite knocking, which made Hua Lao a bit anxious. He called the steward to open Lin Mu's room.

Following the steward's actions, when Hua Lao saw the empty room, he was a little stunned. Lin Mu was nowhere to be seen in the room, only an empty bed and a note placed on the table.

Seeing this, Hua Lao frowned, walked to the table, picked up the note, and began reading. The note clear stated: "Hua Lao, forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye, but something urgent came up, and I had to leave like this. I'm fine, get in touch if you need anything. Don't worry about me. Lin Mu."

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