Lucy's expression shifted from mildly annoyed to intensely focused. "What the hell was that?"
Tòumíng ran his hand through his hair, stress building with every second. "Háo Héng just got kidnapped by Black Hawk too. They were asking him about some guy named Chesqo Dong—"
"CHESQO DONG?!?!"
Lucy's voice rose to a shout that made everyone in the cafeteria jump. Her split tongue flicked out rapidly, a nervous tic Tòumíng had noticed happened when she was processing something important.
She turned and sprinted back to her room without explanation.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
A minute later, Lucy returned holding a freshly printed article, the paper still warm from the printer. She slammed it on the cafeteria table.
The headline read: "SON OF MINING INVESTOR TYCOON LI DONG SPOTTED WITH MYSTERIOUS WOMAN"
Below it was a photo of a young man, mid-twenties, expensive suit, styled hair, the kind of face that screamed "wealth and privilege", walking beside a tall, stunning, curvy woman whose face was completely obscured by a large hat and designer sunglasses.
"THIS changes everything!" Lucy's voice carried genuine excitement, the first time Tòumíng had seen her show real emotion beyond annoyance.
"Why? Who is this guy?"
Lucy tapped the photo aggressively. "Chesqo Dong is the illegitimate son of Li Dong, one of the most powerful mining investors in Asia. Li Dong has a global investment portfolio valued at 15.6 BILLION yuan. He has stakes in mining operations across China, Mongolia, Australia, Africa, anywhere there are valuable minerals, Li Dong has money in it."
She pulled up more information on her phone, scrolling rapidly.
"Chesqo Dong inherited a substantial portion of that wealth despite being illegitimate. He's a multi-millionaire in his own right, estimated personal net worth around 400 million yuan. But nobody knows what he actually DOES. He doesn't work for his father's company. Doesn't have any official business ventures. Just... exists. Spends money. Lives extravagantly."
"So he's rich and useless," Marco said.
"He's rich and SUSPICIOUS," Lucy corrected. "There have been allegations over the years about how he spends his money. Prostitutes. Trophy girlfriends. High-end escorts. Private parties with questionable activities. Nothing concrete enough to stick legally, but enough smoke to suggest fire."
Tòumíng was trying to connect the dots and failing. "Okay, but what does this have to do with—"
"Everything," Lucy interrupted. "This changes EVERYTHING. We need to go back to my room. NOW."
She grabbed the printed article and practically ran back to her computer setup. Everyone followed—Tòumíng, Ghost Claw, Svetlana, Marco, Polo, even Think Tink The Tinkerer who'd been lurking in the background.
Lucy's room filled again, and she immediately started pulling up new searches, new databases, her fingers flying across keyboards as she compiled information.
"Okay. Listen carefully because this is complicated and I'm only explaining once."
She pulled up a photo on her main monitor, a professional headshot of a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. Stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. High cheekbones, full lips, perfect skin, eyes that could stop traffic.
"This is Xuě Bào. The Ice Queen. Taken about twenty years ago when she was legitimately twenty-five."
Tòumíng stared. "That's the Ice Queen? She looks..."
"Hot as fuck?" Svetlana offered helpfully.
"I was going to say 'normal,' but yeah, also that."
Lucy nodded. "The Ice Queen is notorious for being dangerously beautiful. She's forty-six years old now but reportedly looks like she's still in her twenties, combination of genetics, extremely expensive skincare, possible cosmetic procedures, and the kind of discipline that comes from being absolutely terrifying."
She pulled up news articles, forum posts, social media threads—all discussing the Ice Queen in hushed, almost reverent tones.
"Men have died for her. Literally died. Gang wars have been fought over the chance to be near her. Business deals have collapsed because someone couldn't focus during negotiations if she was in the room. She's that level of beautiful. But also that level of DEADLY."
"What does that mean?" Tòumíng asked, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
"It means," Lucy said, pulling up more photos, "that this is all for an anniversary gift."
"HUH?!?!"
Lucy's explanation became rapid-fire, information pouring out as she connected pieces.
"Recently, in the past three months, Chesqo Dong has been spotted multiple times with a tall, stunning, curvy woman who always covers her face. Always. Hat, sunglasses, scarves, masks—never a clear photo of her actual features. And this got MASSIVE attention online because it's internet drama gold."
She pulled up social media threads, gossip sites, celebrity news articles.
"Twenty-six-year-old multi-millionaire playboy suddenly seen with an unknown woman? That's content. That's theories. That's speculation running wild. People started guessing: Is she a princess? Is this a billionaire alliance marriage? Is she a prostitute he's trying to make legitimate? A foreign model? An actress? Every possibility was discussed."
Lucy's fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up comparison photos—the mystery woman next to old photos of the Ice Queen.
"But here's my working theory, based on height, body proportions, movement patterns, and the extreme measures taken to hide her identity: The unknown woman IS the Ice Queen. Chesqo Dong is dating Xuě Bào."
Tòumíng's brain struggled to process this. "You're saying a twenty-six-year-old playboy is dating a forty-six-year-old loan shark?"
"A forty-six-year-old loan shark who looks twenty-five and is so dangerous and beautiful that men literally kill for her attention? Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."
Lucy pulled up a timeline, marking dates and events.
"Three months ago, Chesqo and the mystery woman start appearing together. Two months ago, Háo Héng gets hired to use his mining connections to find jade deposits in Tibet—but specifically instructed to keep it confidential. One month ago, the Black Hawk starts making inquiries about ice jade and gemstone experts."
She connected the dots with literal lines on her screen.
"The new theory: Chesqo hired Black Hawk to acquire Xuān Láng, the best gemstone expert in the region, to help locate or authenticate the imperial ice jade. Why? To create jewelry as a present for the Ice Queen. Probably for an anniversary. Or a proposal. Or just because when you're dating someone THAT dangerous and THAT beautiful, you give VERY expensive gifts."
"But why kidnap him?" Marco asked. "Why not just... hire him?"
"Because the ice jade might be stolen property. Or historically significant enough that legitimate channels would ask questions. Or because Xuān Láng refused. Or because Black Hawk doesn't negotiate, they acquire targets. Kidnapping is cleaner for them than contracts."
Lucy pulled up more information, financial records, social media activity, forum discussions.
"But here's where it gets messy. Many, MANY people love the Ice Queen. Obsess over her. Want her. And the fact that she's suddenly in a relationship with Chesqo Dong has made some of those people... desperate."
She highlighted several names on her screen, wealthy individuals, gang leaders, business tycoons.
"There was a counter-bid. Someone ELSE hired Black Hawk, or a different team—to find out who the Ice Queen is dating. To get leverage. To interfere. To maybe eliminate the competition. So they tracked down Háo Héng because he was the closest lead to someone who knew Chesqo's business operations."
"So they kidnapped Háo Héng to hopefully learn who was fighting for the Ice Queen's love," Ghost Claw said, following the logic.
"Exactly. This is a very, very, VERY dangerous love triangle over a deadly, deadly woman. Chesqo wants the ice jade to impress her. Someone else wants to know who's dating her so they can interfere. Black Hawk is working multiple contracts simultaneously. And Xuān Láng and Háo Héng are caught in the middle as collateral damage."
Tòumíng stared at Lucy for several long seconds, his brain trying to accept this absolutely insane explanation.
People liked this woman so much they were kidnapping other people to appease her? Hiring international hitmen and traffickers? Starting gang conflicts? Over a WOMAN?
What type of black widow femme fatale was he about to go up against?
He sighed heavily, rubbing his face with both hands. "Ughhhhh. Shit."
This was so much more complicated than he'd thought. So much more dangerous. So much more STUPID.
"Now I have to save both of them," he muttered. "Xuān Láng AND Háo Héng."
He looked at Lucy. "Is Háo Héng most likely at the factory too? Same location?"
Lucy nodded. "Yes. Different teams, same employer, same target area. Black Hawk consolidates operations. They'll both be at the Jinwei Metal Components factory. Probably in separate holding areas, but same compound."
Tòumíng sighed again, even more heavily. "At least I know the full story now."
He stood up, already mentally preparing for what came next—infiltration, rescue, probably getting shot multiple times, the usual.
"Fucking bullshit love story," he muttered as he headed for the door.