chapter 23 Reason for kidnapping ===

In the evening, when Alexander returned home, Andrew had already arrived at the Xu's Villa. Upon seeing Alexander, Andrew immediately stood up from the sofa and hurriedly pulled him to the backyard. "Did you orchestrate the warehouse shooting?" There was a hint of sternness in Andrew's eyes, mixed with helplessness. He had been confidently speculating in front of cameras all afternoon. Only after arriving at the Xu's Villa did his wife inform him that their daughter was kidnapped in the morning, and it was his brother-in-law, Alexander, who had rescued her! Was the criminal he had been desperately searching for his own brother-in-law? This revelation left him bewildered and unsure of how to proceed next. Arrest Alexander? Impossible! Alexander did it to save his own daughter. But not arresting Alexander? How could he justify wearing his police uniform? Andrew was also curiously baffled. When did his good-for-nothing brother-in-law acquire such formidable power? His wife mentioned that he even knew martial arts? Unperturbed, Alexander nodded casually, "They kidnapped Little Evelyn. I was just teaching them a lesson!" He spoke lightly, but Andrew was somewhat angry, "Couldn't you have called the police? Why take matters into your own hands? What am I supposed to do now?" "Do you want to arrest me?" Alexander smiled faintly, "If you think I should be arrested, you're welcome to report this and claim credit." Andrew could only bitterly smile. Report this? Would his wife and daughter forgive him? And could he live with that decision? "If you don't arrest me, then pretend you know nothing," Alexander saw Andrew's inner struggle and suggested, "Actually, you shouldn't be pondering whether to arrest me but should investigate Jason Li. I don't know why he kidnapped Little Evelyn, but it must have something to do with you! Think carefully, do you have any connection with the Blood Wolf Squad? Or is anyone you recently arrested related to them?" "The Blood Wolf Squad?" Andrew frowned, shaking his head, "Their matters are handled by the city bureau's special task force. Our criminal investigation unit doesn't get involved. How could I possibly have any conflict with them?" "That's odd!" Alexander expressed his confusion, "Jason Li isn't crazy. Why kidnap Little Evelyn for no reason? Think again, did you arrest anyone recently, and did you thoroughly investigate their backgrounds?" "Other than the warehouse case, there haven't been any major cases recently," Andrew thought hard and then added, "The biggest case was arresting a drug-using celebrity." "A drug-using celebrity? Sofia Li?" Alexander remembered Hannah mentioning this and suddenly had a thought, "Have you checked Sofia Li's background thoroughly?" Sofia Li, Jason Li? Same surname, could there be some connection? "Right, how did I not think of that!" Andrew slapped his head and made a call, "Wayne, send me Sofia Li's information!" Soon, all the information about Sofia Li was sent to Andrew's phone. They sat down and went through it carefully. But they were still baffled after reading. Sofia came from a rural family; her parents' detailed information was available, with no ties to the Lis of Tianhai City. After going through Sofia's information, they still found no leads. Unwilling to give up, Alexander took the phone and re-examined it, his attention caught by Sofia's talent agency. New Era Celebrity Management Company? Sofia Li, a top domestic star, was signed with such an obscure agency, insignificant compared to major ones. The agency had many artists, but only Sofia was noteworthy. Without her, it would be practically unknown. Yet, since her debut, Sofia had never changed agencies. Alexander sensed something fishy and quickly called Joseph You, "Joseph, can you check the New Era Celebrity Management Company, especially its earliest investors?" "Alright, don't hang up, let me check... oh..." Joseph was serious at first, but then sultry sounds and a woman's voice could be faintly heard in the background. Damn, that guy is definitely up to no good again! And he wants me to stay on the line, to listen to his escapades? Alexander couldn't help but smile wryly. "You suspect the boss behind New Era is from the Li family?" Hearing Alexander's request to check the agency's first investors, Andrew also realized it, "If your guess is correct, everything makes sense." Alexander nodded, "Just a guess. If I'm right, then Jason Li's motive for kidnapping Little Evelyn is clear!" Shortly after, Joseph's voice returned, "Ha, Boss, guess what I found?" "Quit the nonsense, just tell me!" Alexander said impatiently. Joseph chuckled, "The earliest investor of New Era is Justin Huang, aka Justin the Tiger ." Justin the Tiger? Alexander Xu knew him well, but he was just a bar owner. Why would he venture into a money-burning business like talent management? With his modest funds, it seemed fishy. "Is that all?" Alexander asked, expecting more from Joseph. "Of course not, there's more explosive info!" Joseph said, "I checked Joseph the Tiger's bank account and found a ten-million transfer ten years ago, exactly the initial capital of New Era. Guess who sent the money?" "Brian Li?" Alexander Xu guessed. "Ha, Boss, you got it in one!" Joseph laughed, "That's not even the most explosive part. I followed this lead and hacked into Brian Li's computer, and found lots of juicy stuff. I'll send it to you right away!" "Be careful not to get caught," Alexander advised. He knew that the people above had been investigating the hackers who had invaded the missile control center. If Joseph was caught for this, he would be in trouble! "Don't worry, they've stopped looking into me," Joseph reassured. After ending the call, Alexander Xu's phone buzzed with multiple photos from Joseph. Even Alexander, a playboy, blushed at the explicitness of these photos. Andrew, more accustomed to such scenes, still looked shocked. The photos featured two naked individuals in various explicit acts, some only seen in adult films. The subjects were Brian Li and Sofia Li, but Sofia looked younger in the photos, suggesting they were taken years ago. Indeed, explosive! Who would have thought Sofia Li, adored by many, was Brian Li's mistress? Even in his sixties, Brian had such tastes. The phone kept buzzing with more photos and even videos. Alexander lost interest in viewing more and looked at Andrew, "It's clear now! The root is Sofia Li. Brian Li might not be interested in her anymore, but undoubtedly, she became a tool for them to make money. You arresting Sofia Li cut off their income source, so the Li family kidnapped Little Evelyn and demanded a billion ransom!" Sofia's ability to draw in money was evident, but even she couldn't earn a billion for the Li family. It was a hefty demand! Andrew looked troubled, realizing his actions had inadvertently led to his daughter's kidnapping, and felt a deep hatred towards the Li family. "What do you plan to do? Expose these?" Andrew asked. "If these are released, the Li family's Bowen Group, a public company, would suffer a huge stock price drop," he imagined. "Let's see," Alexander smiled. "Okay, you decide," Andrew sighed, "If you leave survivors, maybe you'll get evidence. The task force might use this to root out the Blood Wolf Squad." "You're too naïve," Alexander scoffed, "If a kidnapping could topple the Blood Wolf Squad, the authorities would've acted already. They maintain this balance intentionally. If the Li family falls, the Chen family becomes Tianhai's underground ruler." Alexander understood these tactics well. The authorities kept the Li and Chen families in check for balance, letting them weaken each other in constant strife, as long as it didn't cause public panic. Andrew looked surprised at Alexander's far-sightedness. The butler then called them for dinner. The Xu family, typically quiet, enjoyed a lively dinner, especially with sweet-talking Little Evelyn. "Look at your cousin and her husband, married for five years and still so respectful to each other," Graces said, watching Hannah and her husband, "If you're half as good after marriage, I'll be grateful!" "Just eat, Mom," Alexander served his mother beef, chuckling, "My brother-in-law is a police captain. I'm just a small-time thug..."