Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 968: Lost (4)

Han Bingjiang wasn’t someone unfamiliar with the world.

But the scene before him was so horrifying that his thoughts seemed to freeze entirely.

His nerves became hypersensitive, with his hairs standing on end, and a chill rising from the soles of his feet.

All he could recall was being knocked unconscious by Joan with a blunt object… but when he woke up, why was there now a dead woman beside him?

And her face had been skinned—what kind of hatred could provoke such cruel methods?

In an instant, Han Bingjiang realized this was a murder staged to frame him. He was certain he didn’t suffer from sleepwalking or mental illness, so it was impossible for him to commit murder while unconscious.

Who was framing him?

Joan?

But he had no personal grudge with Joan—at least not yet. The worst would have been later, if and when he exposed the fact that she was hiding her relationship status.

But he hadn’t gathered any dirt on her yet. Oh, wait—he had learned from Joan’s own words that she had an illegitimate child, one old enough to run errands.That was a bombshell story—but he hadn’t reported it yet!

So what reason would Joan have to frame him?

Han Bingjiang was utterly perplexed, except for one thing: if he stayed here and someone discovered him, there’d be no way to clear his name.

This was a restroom, and even in a highly monitored place like an airport, there wouldn’t be cameras installed inside. No one would know what had transpired here!

This place… was probably covered in his fingerprints.

Who knew what kind of staging the murderer had done while he was unconscious?

The weapon!

Han Bingjiang shuddered, quickly picking up the blood-stained dining fork he had dropped earlier. He rushed to the sink, turned on the faucet, and began washing the utensil—the apparent murder weapon.

But it wasn’t just the weapon. The restroom was probably littered with his fingerprints and shoe prints… and then there was his clothing!

His clothes were also covered in blood.

Han Bingjiang no longer cared about cleaning other potential evidence.

He quickly removed his blood-stained clothes, wrapping them around the dining fork—the murder weapon. He had to get out of here fast!

And he needed to avoid the surveillance cameras in the hallway. Damn it! Had he already been caught on camera on his way here?

Han Bingjiang believed he was staying calm. With years of experience as a paparazzo, he had dealt with many unexpected situations, honing his ability to remain composed under pressure.

He had no choice but to force himself to calm down now. Silently telling himself, “It’ll be okay,” Han Bingjiang hurried out of the restroom.

Perhaps calling the police was the right thing to do.

As he stepped out, a struggle went through his mind—if he cooperated with the police and helped them investigate, they might find the evidence to prove his innocence.

Realizing this, Han Bingjiang smacked his forehead—cleaning the murder weapon’s fingerprints had been a stupid decision!

But before he could think further, his world spun. The moment he stepped out of the restroom, he was confronted by several airport SWAT officers.

The officers were momentarily stunned to see Han Bingjiang, pale-faced, emerging from the men’s restroom holding a bundle of clothing with a panicked expression.

But they were professionals. In an instant, they raised their guns and aimed at him.

“Don’t move! Hands up!”

Startled by the shouts, Han Bingjiang’s hand trembled, and he dropped the blood-stained clothing bundle.

The dining fork—the murder weapon—fell out, along with the blood-stained clothing.

It’s over.

Han Bingjiang’s lips quivered.

One of the SWAT officers immediately reported into a shoulder-mounted radio, “This is Team Three! We’ve arrived at the suspected explosion site and found a suspicious individual!”

So they had only just arrived and hadn’t entered the restroom yet.

“Explosion… what explosion?”

Han Bingjiang was stunned and instinctively looked toward the women’s restroom opposite him. Smoke was billowing out. “Why is there…”

He instinctively took a step toward the smoke-filled women’s restroom, but before he could move further, two SWAT officers pinned him to the ground.

Han Bingjiang struggled briefly but to no avail.

“Captain! There’s a woman’s body in the restroom!”

Hearing this, Han Bingjiang’s strength left him. He nearly fainted on the spot.

“It wasn’t me… it wasn’t me! I’m being framed! I’m innocent!!” Han Bingjiang shouted.

The SWAT captain barked orders, “Take this suspect into custody for investigation! Secure the scene, identify the victim, and call in the bomb squad to check the building for any other explosives!”

Han Bingjiang’s legs gave out completely. The SWAT officers dragged him away by his arms.

“It wasn’t me… it wasn’t me… It was Joan! Joan! It’s her! It’s her!!”

I’m… innocent.

---

Following the crowd, Luo Qiu and Song Ying quickly arrived at the designated airport hotel and joined the rest of the Song family.

Song Tianyou was delighted to see his two grandchildren safe and sound.

Meanwhile, guests originally resting in the hotel were also being evacuated by airport staff to safer areas.

It wasn’t feasible to gather everyone in one place. After the explosion, people were directed to open spaces.

The airport’s boarding gate hallways were opened, and late-night passengers who had passed security were moved to the outdoor tarmac.

“Do we know what happened? Ah Qi?” Song Tianyou asked the family’s liaison, Mr. Qi.

“I’m terribly sorry, sir,” Qi apologized. “I’ll look into it immediately and make sure you’re safe.”

With that, Mr. Qi stepped aside to make a phone call.

Song Haoran, however, smirked. “Someone’s going to be terrified. A bomb threat on their home turf?”

Song Ying rolled her eyes at him. “Be grateful they arranged a safe route back for us. Stop complaining. Let’s see if they can dig up anything useful.”

Song Haoran chuckled. “You don’t know, do you? The airline we flew on this time is owned by the Zhang family. You really think Mr. Qi won’t get answers?”

Hearing this, Luo Qiu glanced at Song Haoran in surprise.

The Zhang family they had mentioned was likely the same Zhang family of Luo Qiu’s former classmate, Zhang Qingrui.

Luo Qiu had known that Zhang Qingrui’s family was wealthy, but he hadn’t realized their influence extended to owning an airline.

No wonder the flight back from South America had been so smooth.

“By the way, who’s that kid?” Song Haoran curiously looked at the child following Luo Qiu.

Song Ying quickly explained Paul’s situation. Song Haoran, hearing it was just a lost child, paid no further attention and strolled away with a smile.

As Song Haoran walked, his pace suddenly slowed, and he crouched down to tie his shoelaces. After finishing, he quickly stood up and returned to his group. However, he whispered to the two bodyguards beside him, "Someone is following us."

The bodyguards nodded slightly. When the Song family turned a corner in the corridor, they quickly concealed themselves.

Ahead was the boarding gate, where passengers were queuing to walk onto the airport runway. It seemed impossible to cut in line under these circumstances—any disruption could lead to chaos. The Song family, intending to remain low-key, had no desire to attract attention.

At this moment, Ah Qi, who had gathered information, rushed over and whispered to the group, "Please don’t worry. This incident is not targeted at you. From what I’ve learned, airport special police have apprehended a suspect and are interrogating him. Additionally, they found a female corpse with its face skinned at the scene."

"Skinned...?" The group was shocked by the brutality of the act.

"And the explosion?" Song Haoran seemed more concerned about the bomb.

Ah Qi quickly explained, "It wasn’t a high-powered explosive. The bomb squad found remnants of glass bottles, burnt cotton threads, cigarette boxes, and matchboxes at the explosion site. It appears to be a makeshift incendiary device."

"A female corpse and a homemade incendiary?" Song Haoran frowned. "This doesn’t seem like a typical murder."

"It likely wasn’t aimed at you," Ah Qi reassured them. "The police are investigating. If there’s nothing further, the alert should be lifted soon. Please rest assured."

"Thank you for your efforts," the elder Song said.

"It's my duty," Ah Qi replied respectfully.

Just then, the two bodyguards returned, dragging a struggling woman.

"Young master, this seems to be the person who was following us," one of the bodyguards reported. "When we noticed her, she tried to escape."

Everyone turned to look.

"Joan?" Song Ying immediately recognized the woman. It was the same celebrity they had encountered earlier in the security office. However, Joan was no longer wearing her hoodie and jeans; she was now dressed in a black trench coat. When had she changed?

Song Ying found it odd and noticed Joan now wore a jade-green ring on her right hand. This reminded her of the lost item list she had glanced at in the security office, further arousing her curiosity.

"Little Ying, you know her?" Song Haoran asked in surprise.

Song Ying nodded absentmindedly. "This is the celebrity I mentioned from the security office."

Song Haoran whistled and looked Joan up and down, only to receive a sharp stomp on his foot from Song Ying.

"Stop staring! She has a boyfriend!" Song Ying tugged at his ear.

Song Haoran shrugged innocently, motioning for the bodyguards to release Joan before asking directly, "So, miss, why were you sneakily following us?"

"Paul!"

Joan ignored his question and ran straight to Paul, who was beside Luo Qiu. To everyone’s confusion, she hugged Paul tightly, her expression filled with anguish. "Paul, don’t be scared. Mommy is here. Mommy is here."

"Mommy!"

Mommy?

"What’s going on?" Song Ying exclaimed in disbelief. Didn’t this woman refuse to acknowledge Paul back at the security office?

"Are you Paul’s real mother?"

As Joan held Paul tightly, she heard this calm question and instinctively looked at the young man who had spoken. Luo Qiu’s serene gaze made her feel inexplicably uneasy.

Avoiding his eyes, she muttered, "Paul… he is my child. I’m sorry…" Without finishing her sentence, she lowered her head, clutching Paul, and rushed into the crowd.

"Hey—" Song Ying was about to call out but hesitated. Paul had already called this woman “mommy” twice, and she felt she had no right to stop a mother from taking her child. Even though this mother’s initial denial of Paul in public seemed despicable.

"These entertainment circles..." Song Ying shook her head. "Is it worth it?"

Song Haoran suddenly remarked, "Little Ying, are you sure you recognized the right person?"

"Of course!" Song Ying glared at him.

"Then who’s that?" Song Haoran pointed ahead.

In front of them, Joan, still in her hoodie and jeans, was walking hurriedly with a foreign man among the evacuees.

"This…" Song Ying’s lips parted as she stared at the Joan walking away with Agu Moss. She then glanced back at where the trench-coated Joan had disappeared.

"Two Joans?"