Chapter 22 The van carrying the briefcase collided with a taxi, flipped over, and started smoking. Suddenly, the door of the taxi opened, and a tall man in black stepped out, talking on the phone while checking on the van’s occupants. Seeing two unconscious and bloodied men inside, he struggled to pull them out and left them by the roadside. Jiang Baiyuan returned to the scene of the accident, got out of his car, and retrieved several briefcases from it. Feng Bin saw this, tried to intervene, but was kicked down by the man in black. The accident was not a coincidence. Zhou Linchuan had already arranged for someone to be there. He was ruthless, having ordered the car to be hit directly. “You—” Feng Bin realized what was happening, his face turning pale: “Baiyuan, don’t call the police, I was forced, they forced me, how could I kidnap Qiuyue and Mingzhu?” But the facts were undeniable. He had gambled and borrowed from loan sharks, owing a lot of money, leaving him no choice but to take desperate measures. Jiang Baiyuan might have ignored his words, but hearing them made him kick out in anger: “You scoundrel! My sister was so good to you, and this is how you treat her? Kidnapping your own daughter? Are you even human?” “I had no choice!” “I was wrong, Baiyuan, you can’t call the police.” “Mingzhu can’t have a criminal for a father!” He pleaded, tears mixing with blood, looking pitiful and wretched. Jiang Baiyuan was unmoved, and seeing Feng Bin trying to escape at the sound of approaching sirens, he grabbed him and pushed him towards the police: “They are suspected of kidnapping and extortion.” The police officer in charge of Jiang Baiyuan’s report about the disappearance of his sister and niece nodded when he heard this, and put handcuffs on him. Another man, who was unconscious, was not spared either; he was handcuffed and taken to the hospital. Jiang Baiyuan did not follow them; instead, he went to see his sister. The mother and daughter were at the police station, extremely hungry as they hadn’t eaten for a long time. Jiang Qiuyue was scarfing down a bowl of instant noodles, while Feng Mingzhu was eating bread, her eyes brimming with tears, her body still trembling. Jiang Qiuyue, while eating her noodles, patted Feng Mingzhu’s shoulder to comfort her. Zhou Linchuan was nearby taking notes. Beside him was the captured kidnapper, Sun Hu, who was responsible for watching over the mother and daughter. In short, this kidnapping by the trio was very unprofessional. Zhou Linchuan felt quite embarrassed, having brought eight people for what seemed like an overreaction. He briefly explained the situation to the police, and heard Sun Hu say from the side, “It was all Feng Bin’s idea, I’m just an honest man. I didn’t know anything. I just watched the people. I didn’t do anything.” It was quite laughable. He laughed for a while, then, after the police interrogated him, asked seriously, “How did you know Xu Xiangying had money?” “Feng Bin told me.” “How did he know?” “That, I don’t know.” “You dared to play kidnapper with him without knowing anything? Is your head filled with tofu?” He was quite anxious about their intelligence. Jiang Baiyuan comforted the mother and daughter, and as he approached, he overheard these words. It seemed that the key to the matter lay with Feng Bin. Feng Bin, whose injuries were not severe, had his wounds treated at the hospital before being brought to the police station. Jiang Baiyuan asked him, “How did you know Xiangying was rich?” “Someone told me.” “Who?” “A young man, looked quite scholarly…” “What’s his name?” “I don’t know.” “How did you meet him?” “…During a meal…” Actually, they met gambling at an underground casino, but how could he admit that in front of the police? It would add to his charges. Jiang Baiyuan sensed he was hiding something: “Do you still have contact with him? What did he tell you?” Zhou Linchuan, listening to the interrogation, lost patience, pulled out his phone, and showed a photo, “Is it him?” Feng Bin looked at the photo, squinted as if trying to recall, “Looks a bit like him. He was wearing sunglasses at the time. The demeanor is similar. Very young, quite scholarly.” That was Lin Jing’an’s photo. Jiang Baiyuan was incredulous, “What’s going on?” Zhou Linchuan explained, “I’ve suspected him for a while. Remember when you and Ruyi went to Lincheng? I said someone was following you, that was Lin Jing’an. He also knows Xu Xiangying, approached you with ulterior motives. Now, Feng Bin’s actions are largely instigated by him. Their target is Ruyi. Or rather, Lin Jing’an’s target is Ruyi.” “How could that be?” He still couldn’t believe it, Lin Jing’an was his student, very talented and polite… But if he liked Xiangying… he must be insane! Definitely insane! Jiang Baiyuan grabbed his hair in frustration, “Why would he do this…” Zhou Linchuan held his shoulders, “Calm down.” He pushed him into a seat and told the police, “I suspect Lin Jing’an is the mastermind behind this. I also suspect he’s involved in Xu Xiangying’s disappearance. He might have kidnapped and confined her.” The police were half-skeptical, “We will open an investigation.” Zhou Linchuan suggested, “Keep it confidential for now to avoid him harming the hostages.” “We will.” The police continued questioning Feng Bin. Jiang Baiyuan took Jiang Qiuyue and her daughter home and picked up his daughter on the way. Jiang Ruyi was temporarily cared for by her teacher. When she saw her father, she was about to ask why he was late, but then noticed her aunt’s bruised and swollen face and her cousin’s tear-streaked, dirty face. What happened? How did they end up like this? Jiang Ruyi guessed they had encountered danger and wisely kept quiet. Once home, after washing up, she called Zhou Linchuan and learned about Jiang Qiuyue’s kidnapping, which was orchestrated by Feng Bin. If she had gone with them last night, she would have been kidnapped too. She realized that her original body’s early death might be related to this incident. She felt a mix of relief and fear, “Why would he do this?” Zhou Linchuan didn’t hide the truth, “It’s very likely Lin Jing’an’s doing. His real target is you.” Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruyi understood: her original self was Jiang Baiyuan’s daughter; if his beloved wife disappeared and his only daughter was harmed, even the strongest person wouldn’t withstand such blows. So, he aimed to destroy Jiang Baiyuan. Everything made sense now. She chose her words carefully, “Mingzhu always envied me for having a good father. My dad is so outstanding, Lin Jing’an must be envious too.” Because of jealousy, he wanted to destroy. First the wife, then the daughter… Zhou Linchuan sorted it out, “Ruyi, I need to tell your dad about this.” “Yes. Tell him. He needs to be on guard against him; I’m afraid he might harm dad directly if his plan fails.” Her words were very mature. Zhou Linchuan tried to ignore these anomalies and said, “Little Ruyi—” “Hmm?” “Little genius—” “Of course! My dad is a genius, and my mom was a talented woman. I naturally surpass them.” “…Maybe.” He was already quite suspicious of little Ruyi. Although it seemed a bit fantastical, the world is vast, and anything can happen! Jiang Ruyi didn’t notice these suspicions, chatted a bit more, then hung up the phone. She closed her eyes, fell asleep, and had a nightmare. In her dream, she was staying at her aunt’s house where her aunt treated her poorly, and her dad didn’t visit. One day, missing her father terribly, she sneaked out to find him but was drugged and kidnapped halfway. When she woke up, she was bound. The kidnapper was Feng Bin, who used a voice changer to demand ransom from her aunt. Her aunt refused, called the police but didn’t contact her father. Then, she was killed… those dark hands strangling her throat, throwing her body into the river… Jiang Ruyi woke up in fright, sweating, gasping for breath: if she had been kidnapped last night, would she have met the same fate? She couldn’t sleep all night, and only managed to doze off when dawn broke. Jiang Baiyuan entered her room, intending to wake her up but seeing her sleeping so peacefully, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Then he remembered Zhou Linchuan’s words about Lin Jing’an’s ill intentions towards his daughter, and decided she shouldn’t go to kindergarten… He quietly left the room. He went to prepare breakfast in the kitchen, and before he was done, he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door to find three people standing outside; it was Zhou Linchuan with two bodyguards, one was the young man who had collided with the van, and the other was unfamiliar. “This is Yu Guan, and this is Yu Qing.” Zhou Linchuan introduced the two brothers: “Let them stay close to protect you these next couple of days.” Jiang Baiyuan expressed his gratitude and invited them for breakfast. Zhou Linchuan did not refuse, “Sure. Where’s Ruyi?” “She’s still sleeping.” “I’ll go check on her.” He entered Jiang Ruyi’s room with light steps. However, Jiang Ruyi still woke up and was pleasantly surprised to see him: “Brother, good morning~” Zhou Linchuan nodded, “Good morning, little Ruyi~” He noticed she still looked very tired and asked, “What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well?” Jiang Ruyi told him about the nightmare she had last night. Feeling sorry for her fright, Zhou Linchuan quickly embraced her, gently patting her shoulder, “Don’t be afraid, dreams are often the opposite; our little Ruyi will be safe. Brother will also protect you.” “Brother has already protected me.” If he hadn’t come to pick her up that day, she would have gone with Jiang Qiuyue, and then she would have been kidnapped too. Zhou Linchuan understood her thoughts and ruffled her hair, “Brother will always protect you.” He arranged for people to protect her in the following days. Jiang Baiyuan was also protecting his daughter, not going to the lab, fearing that seeing Lin Jingan would provoke him to beat him up. Zhou Linchuan’s men, along with the police, investigated Lin Jingan. Soon, they discovered that Lin Jingan was suspected of illegal research and establishing an illegal organization. This research involved blood, and the organization was related to cancer treatment. Lin Jingan was supplying the organization with unknown drugs in exchange for substantial wealth, and when arrested, he claimed to have cracked the genetic code for human longevity but refused to disclose the source of the blood. Upon hearing the news, Jiang Baiyuan rushed to the police station, grabbed Lin Jingan by the shoulders, and interrogated him, “Where is she!” Lin Jingan, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his handsome face devoid of any fear of imprisonment, replied calmly and indifferently, “You’ll never find her.” “Slap!” Jiang Baiyuan, in anger, punched him, “Bastard! I treated you like a brother, like my most promising student, and this is how you repay me!” Lin Jingan sneered, “Why can’t I do that to you! Jiang Baiyuan, who do you think you are? You’re just a bit luckier than me!” “You’re a madman!” “This is a mad world!” He laughed maniacally, “You’ll go mad too! Because you’ve lost her forever! The more you love her, the madder you’ll become!” Jiang Baiyuan threw another punch, but was stopped midway by the police, “Calm down! Jiang Baiyuan! This is intentional assault!” “He kidnapped my wife!” “There’s no evidence yet that he kidnapped your wife!” Indeed, there was no evidence. Lin Jingan’s villa had been searched twice without any trace of a woman. This made Jiang Baiyuan even more frantic, “Lin Jingan, tell me quickly, where is Yingying!” He was afraid he was too late, that he… had already harmed her.
Author’s Note: Thank you for your support. The heroine’s mother will be rescued soon!
