Chapter 49: The First Merit

"Brother Dong, you're really a god!" Wang Bo, upon seeing Chen Wanli, looked at Zhu Daodong with eyes full of admiration.

"How about it, did you find him?" Hou Yong handcuffed the man and woman outside and pulled them into the room.

"Chief Hou, look, the little guy is sleeping soundly." Wang Bo said with a smile. Finding Chen Wanli, his heart was finally at ease, and he was enveloped by immense joy. This was Secretary Chen's only son, his beloved child. Although he wasn't the one who made the first move, he knew he had a share in the credit.

"Daodong, you've got it. You could become a detective." Hou Yong lightly patted Zhu Daodong on the shoulder, beaming with joy.

At first, he had some doubts about Zhu Daodong's intuition, but when he saw the man's nervous expression inside, he knew something was off. Now, seeing Chen Wanli, he couldn't help but admire Zhu Daodong's intuition; it was truly sharp.

"I just guessed." Zhu Daodong smiled, gently picking up Chen Wanli, removing the cloth from his mouth, and untying the ropes.

Unexpectedly, this woke up little Chen Wanli. The moment he opened his eyes, he started crying loudly. The sound was incredibly piercing, no wonder the two kidnappers had gagged him.

"Wanli, don't be afraid, look who I am?" Zhu Daodong held Chen Wanli and spoke gently.

"You... you're Uncle Zhu." Chen Wanli, hearing a familiar voice, wiped his tears with his small hand and sobbed.

"Yes, I'm Uncle Zhu. Look, what's this?" Zhu Daodong picked up a toy car and waved it in front of him.

"Car!" Chen Wanli's tears turned to a smile as he was immediately attracted to the new electric car.

"This is a gift from Uncle. Take it." Zhu Daodong smiled and handed the car to him, then turned to Hou Yong and said, "Brother Hou, let's split up. You stay behind with the others, and I'll go back with Wang Bo. These two should never appear in front of Wanli again."

"Alright, you're thoughtful." Hou Yong was taken aback but quickly understood Zhu Daodong's intention—to avoid adding any more darkness to Chen Wanli's young heart.

Zhu Daodong, holding Chen Wanli, deliberately covered his eyes as they passed the two kidnappers, preventing him from seeing the handcuffed men.

Once outside, Zhu Daodong, carrying Chen Wanli, walked briskly toward the main street. Wang Bo, following behind, found a public phone and called Chen Shuli to share the good news.

Hearing that his son was found, Chen Shuli hung up the phone and ran out. "Shuli, what's wrong?" Lu Qiulan shouted from behind, seeing his panicked look.

"My son is found, I'm going to pick him up!" Chen Shuli didn't look back, shouting as he ran out of sight.

"Found your son?" Lu Qiulan was overjoyed and ran out after him. But after just a few steps, her legs gave out. In the few hours since Chen Wanli's disappearance, she had been emotionally drained. The sudden shift from deep sorrow to immense joy was too much for her body to handle.

Chen Shuli had already run far ahead. His home wasn't far from Yuhua Avenue, and it usually took about ten minutes to walk to Yuhua Central Road. But today, Chen Shuli felt the distance was incredibly long. He ran as fast as he could, and when he finally reached Yuhua Central Road, he saw Zhu Daodong holding his son. He didn't know where he got the strength, but he sprinted like a hundred-meter dash and reached Zhu Daodong, snatching Chen Wanli from his arms.

"Son, my dear son, are you okay?" Chen Shuli, ignoring his heavy breathing, immediately examined Chen Wanli from head to toe.

"Secretary Chen, Wanli has no injuries, he's completely fine." Zhu Daodong, standing nearby, was deeply moved. He had never seen Chen Shuli so out of control, showing that anyone would do anything for their family.

"Daodong, Wang Bo, thank you, I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life!" Chen Shuli, tightly hugging his son, couldn't hold back his tears. Although his son had been missing for only a few hours, it felt like a lifetime. He had considered the worst, but he couldn't accept it. Zhu Daodong not only saved his son but also saved himself and his family. Zhu Daodong was his benefactor, the benefactor of his entire family!

"Anyone would have done the same in this situation. I just did what I could." Zhu Daodong remained calm and didn't take credit for saving Chen Wanli. This was his genuine feeling; he had simply done his best.

Zhu Daodong could remain calm, but Chen Shuli would never forget his kindness. He looked deeply at Zhu Daodong but didn't say any more words of gratitude.

"Dad, let's go home. I want to play with the car." Chen Wanli's innocent voice broke the slight awkwardness between Chen Shuli and Zhu Daodong.

"Alright, let's go home!" Chen Shuli lifted his son higher to hold him better and walked along, looking at his son with deep affection. "Where did you get this car?"

"Uncle Zhu bought it for me." Chen Wanli smiled, looking back at Zhu Daodong.

"Did you thank Uncle Zhu?"

"I... forgot." Chen Wanli's face turned red, and he said softly, but then he shouted, "Thank you, Uncle Zhu."

"Wanli, good boy. Uncle will buy you more toys, okay?" Zhu Daodong patted his head, smiling.

Halfway through their walk, a group of people, led by Yuan Ping and Chen Shijie, along with Chen Shuli's family and relatives and several government staff who had heard the news, approached.

They surrounded Chen Shuli and his son, exchanging pleasantries. Chen Shuli had calmed down and smiled as he talked to everyone. Of course, the main topic was his son. Everyone wanted to know the key point: how was Chen Wanli saved? This stumped Chen Shuli, as he only knew the general idea. Wang Bo had called him, saying that under Zhu Daodong's lead, they found Chen Wanli. As for how and where they found him, he had no idea.

Wang Bo finally had his chance to speak. He vividly described how Zhu Daodong had a strong intuition, leading him and Hou Yong to the kidnappers' hideout and ultimately rescuing Chen Wanli.

Only then did everyone realize that saving Chen Wanli was almost entirely Zhu Daodong's doing.