Chapter 132: The Fool of Crescent Town

That strange form of address drew everyone’s gaze to follow.

Ruan Mianmian’s eyes also shifted, tracking the girl’s movements.

Just then, a cold and noble figure appeared unexpectedly within Ruan Mianmian’s line of sight. Jiang Ce stood frozen, seemingly caught off guard, as he looked ahead in the direction of the voice.

In the next second, the girl who had been called a fool threw herself into Jiang Ce’s arms.

“Little Brother Jiang!”

The trembling voice, laced with sobs, rang out once more.

Ruan Mianmian’s eyes widened, and she froze in place.

“Damn it! What’s going on?”

A-Kuan looked on in shock, finding the incongruous scene before him absolutely unbelievable.

Ruan Mianmian remained rooted to the spot, her legs feeling as heavy as lead, silently watching the two figures clinging to each other.

Several dark, grimy handprints were already staining Jiang Ce’s white shirt. He instinctively tried to push the person away, only to find himself held in a tight, unyielding grip.

“Little Brother Jiang! You finally came, you finally waited for me—I thought you had forgotten all about me!”

Jiang Ce frowned in annoyance, appearing momentarily stunned by the strange endearment and the suddenness of it all.

“Little Brother Jiang? Why aren’t you answering me? Don’t you remember me? It’s A-Yan!”

“A-Yan?”

Hearing this name, Jiang Ce’s hands, which had been pushing her away, suddenly froze. He stared at the dirty face before him, scrutinizing it for a long moment before asking in utter astonishment:

“Fang Xiaoyan?”

“You remember me!”

Fang Xiaoyan let out a cry of joy and threw herself back into Jiang Ce’s arms, rubbing her cheek against him. “I knew it! I knew it! You finally came!”

Just then, Jiang Ce looked up hurriedly and locked eyes with Ruan Mianmian, who was standing behind the crowd in the distance. Her expression was filled with surprise and confusion, mingled with obscure emotions. It was not hard to read: it was a mixture of displeasure and resistance.

Jiang Ce used some force to grip Fang Xiaoyan’s shoulders and pushed her away.

“Ah—”

Jiang Ce’s force was significant, and Fang Xiaoyan nearly stumbled to the ground.

However, Jiang Ce did not hesitate; he walked straight through the crowd and arrived in front of Ruan Mianmian, his brow furrowed with displeasure.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay put? Why did you come out?”

The latter half of his sentence carried a tone of interrogation, and his gaze flickered toward A-Kuan, who was pretending to be oblivious.

Ruan Mianmian’s eyes kept wandering back to Fang Xiaoyan in the distance. She suddenly smiled. “If I hadn’t come out, wouldn’t I have missed such a spectacular scene?”

Jiang Ce gave her a heavy look and said, “I’ll explain this to you later.”

With that, he turned to A-Kuan and ordered, “Take her back.”

It was a command. Jiang Ce turned back to Ruan Mianmian and added, “Go home and wait for me. I’ll explain everything that happened here when I return.”

Ruan Mianmian bit her lip, then turned and left without a word.

Jiang Ce watched her retreating figure with a furrowed brow and sighed inwardly, but there were other matters that required his urgent attention—namely, Fang Xiaoyan.

Fang Xiaoyan was sitting on the ground, holding that piece of iron shovel again, as if it were her magical staff that could protect her. But her eyes were no longer vacant or babbling; they now held a trace of pathetic helplessness. Tears shimmered on her lashes and traced paths down her cheeks, clearly visible against her grimy face.

“Little Brother Jiang.”

“Why are you here?”

Jiang Ce was utterly bewildered; Fang Xiaoyan’s appearance today had completely caught him off guard.

Fang Xiaoyan squeezed the shovel, looking nervous, but she managed to force a smile. “I’ve always been here, waiting for you.”

Her voice was much softer on the last two words, but her gaze was unusually firm.

Jiang Ce rubbed his forehead in frustration and pulled her up from the ground. All of today’s plans had been disrupted by Fang Xiaoyan’s sudden arrival. He called Jin Jiu to handle the aftermath of the scene, then drove away with Fang Xiaoyan.

Fang Xiaoyan insisted on keeping that scrap of iron wherever she went, and Jiang Ce, having no choice, allowed her to bring it along as they sped toward a beauty salon.

“Get her cleaned up.”

On the way, Jiang Ce had briefly communicated with Fang Xiaoyan and found her fearful, prone to muttering to herself, and frequently showing signs of panic. He finally recalled the rumors about the “fool” in Crescent Town. He just hadn’t expected that person to be Fang Xiaoyan.

Jiang Ce felt a complicated mix of emotions.

The staff at the beauty salon led Fang Xiaoyan inside with trepidation. Because she refused to put down the iron shovel, no one dared to get too close. In the end, the most senior manager of the shop had to take her inside to bathe and clean her up.

When she finished, Fang Xiaoyan looked fresh and clean, revealing a delicate, pretty face hidden beneath the layers of grime. The manager was quite surprised, not expecting the girl to be so pretty—her features even bore a slight resemblance to the international superstar, Qiu Ling.

“You look so much like Qiu Ling! You know Qiu Ling, right? The big star?”

Fang Xiaoyan avoidantly dodged the manager’s gaze, her expression panicked and flustered. She didn’t care about the manager’s questions; instead, she asked anxiously, “Can I go now?”

The manager, a perceptive person, could see that the girl seemed to have some mental issues, so she didn’t waste any more breath and hurried out with her.

Jiang Ce sat in the nearby lounge area with his long legs crossed, his expression cold.

“Sir, she’s ready.”

Jiang Ce looked up. Fang Xiaoyan had changed her clothes, her face was scrubbed clean, and her hair had been cut to shoulder length, making her look fresh and elegant. Jiang Ce’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and he could vaguely recognize the familiar look of his childhood friend.

He had never expected that the person he had returned to search for so many times without success would reappear in his life in such a way.

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Ce stood up and strode toward the door. Fang Xiaoyan followed him with hurried steps, and in her haste, she slipped on the stairs, nearly falling. Fortunately, Jiang Ce reached out with quick reflexes to catch her.

“Be careful.”

As Jiang Ce steadied her and prepared to turn away, Fang Xiaoyan suddenly grabbed his hand, her smile brilliant.

“Little Brother Jiang, you used to hold my hand like this when we walked down the stairs when we were little. Do you remember?”

As she spoke, her eyes were filled with anticipation and longing.

To her surprise, Jiang Ce firmly pulled his hand away and said coldly, “We’re grown up now. We can’t hold hands like this anymore.”

“Okay.”

Fang Xiaoyan nodded, smiling with a look of pure innocence.

Jiang Ce turned away silently. The smile on Fang Xiaoyan’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sinister expression.