Chapter 257: Pai Gow Poker Mastery
"Speak!"
"Miss Bai, you better be prepared mentally. The mastermind behind it all is Bai Jiaming!" Lin Tian finally spoke with a certain tone. He had been avoiding this issue, fearing Bai Shishi wouldn’t be able to accept it.
But now that Qingchuan has fled, everything has become unknown.
Who knows if this Mr. Long, mentioned by Qingchuan, is real or not.
Silence, the office was enveloped in silence.
Half of Bai Shishi’s face was obscured by her black hair, and no one knew what she was thinking at that moment.
Her indifferent expression gave no clue about her mood.
But the silence spoke volumes about her bad mood.
Lin Tian understood the psychological pressure of the words he had just said; her own younger brother kidnapped his sister.
It’s hard for anyone to accept.
But eventually, you must face reality, prompting Lin Tian to bring up the issue with Bai Shishi once again.
Bai Shishi smoothed her hair and, after a long silence, spoke: "I understand. But until the facts are clear, let’s not jump to conclusions!"
Lin Tian nodded, saying nothing, but he knew deep down that Bai Shishi was avoiding facing reality.
Squeaky.
The office door opened again, and Mei Ruyan rushed in: "I’ve found... found the phone!"
"Take it slow, take it slow!" Lin Tian hurriedly fetched a cup of water: "Sit down and drink a cup first!"
Mei Ruyan took the cup: "There’s word from the Ferris wheel that a worker found a phone this morning. I think it’s the phone belonging to that person from Sakula Country!"
"That’s great!" Lin Tian happily slammed the table with his fist.
If they could find Qingchuan’s phone, the mastermind would soon be exposed.
"Where is the phone now?" Bai Shishi asked.
"It’s being brought over right away!" Mei Ruyan replied.
Speak of the devil, the office door opened, and a young man entered, humbly delivering a phone.
Mei Ruyan took the phone and promptly handed it to Lin Tian.
Lin Tian examined it carefully; it wasn’t a smartphone but an old-style phone.
Others might think someone using such an old phone must be poor, given the times.
But Lin Tian’s first thought was that Qingchuan was indeed cautious in his actions.
Old-style phones lack camera and game features, only offering the ability to make calls.
The advantage is that no virus can be implanted to view messages, nor can the phone be tracked.
In other words, while the phone has limited features, it eliminates many unnecessary troubles in some aspects.
This also signified Qingchuan’s meticulous nature.
Despite all these praises, old-style phones aren’t all good, of course.
The major flaw is that it lacks a lock; anyone with access can simply press the asterisk key to unlock it.
After unlocking, Lin Tian began browsing Qingchuan’s phone contents; the messages were mostly empty with no information.
The call records seemed abundant, primarily involving calls with Wang Quan and Wang Ba.
To Lin Tian, Wang Quan and Wang Ba were no longer of concern.
After all, it’s history now. Wang Quan is in prison, and Wang Ba probably won’t stir up trouble anymore.
He certainly wouldn’t join forces with Qingchuan; Wang Quan’s words that one night confirmed this for Lin Tian.
Wang Ba simply followed Wang Quan’s instructions.
So, Lin Tian’s attention focused on the recent call records.
There was only one number without a saved name, and the call history showed two occasions.
One was at noon yesterday, and the other on the night Bai Shishi disappeared.
"I think this number might be the issue!" Lin Tian scratched his head, contemplating calling but fearing the person would suspect him since he wasn’t Qingchuan.
Thinking this, Lin Tian didn’t call directly but used his own phone to dial the number.
Beep... beep... beep...
After three rings, a lazy voice answered from the other end: "Hello, who are you?"
Lin Tian realized the voice wasn’t Bai Jiaming, guessing it might be a middleman.
"Hello, speak up!" The voice turned noticeably unfriendly.
"Hi, my friend gave me this number; did I dial wrong?" Lin Tian feigned dialing the wrong number and casually asked.
"Oh, do you need help? We specialize in Pai Gow poker tricks and teach various things. What are you interested in?"
The other side responded unexpectedly, puzzling Lin Tian.
Did I dial the wrong number?
Could this be a number from a roadside flyer?
No, if the number is on Qingchuan’s phone, it’s definitely not that simple.
"I have an enemy, can you help?" Lin Tian tentatively asked.
"Sure, but we’re short-staffed lately, so you’ll have to wait a week!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Tian knew what kind of person he was dealing with: "How much would it cost you to resolve the issue?"
"Breaking hands and feet cost half a million, and making someone disappear starts at a million. If the person is of status, the price goes up!"
"Alright, can we meet?" Lin Tian attempted to draw him out.
"We’re short-handed, so let’s meet in a week!"
"Okay, suggest a location!"
The other end hesitated for a moment: "Jinluan Palace Hotel, bring the money!"
With that, the call was disconnected before Lin Tian could say anything else.
As the call ended, Bai Shishi urgently asked: "How was it? Who was on the other end?"
Lin Tian organized his thoughts and spoke: "I suspect this individual is a broker, probably hired to arrange Qingchuan’s kidnapping of Miss Bai for a high price!"
"To identify the mastermind, we need to catch this person to interrogate them!"
"What are we waiting for? Where’s this person? Let’s catch them now!" Mei Ruyan said anxiously.
"He scheduled to meet me in a week. Even if I wanted to meet now, he wouldn’t see me!" Lin Tian shrugged helplessly.
Their business must be busy, like being in a queue scheduled for a week later.
"Alright then...!" Bai Shishi sighed.
"Perfect, we’ll use this week to gather our strength. Mei, take this week off and stay with Miss Bai to ensure her safety!"
Lin Tian advised, glancing at his cane: "During this week, I need to heal my leg!"
Following this, Mei Ruyan and Bai Shishi resumed work at Xianglong Tea House, while Lin Tian was sent home by a person Bai Shishi found...