Chapter 53: Shen Ting? Shen Qing?

“She’s right here! Right here in River City, and she’s been my colleague for such a long time!”

A chill glimmered in Ruan Mianmian’s eyes.

Suddenly, she recalled something Shen Ting had once said to her over the phone. Shen Ting had told her to stay away from people she shouldn’t get close to. At the time, Ruan Mianmian had instinctively thought that person was Jian Yanzhi, but given how things stood now, it was clear the person wasn’t Jian Yanzhi at all.

It was Jiang Ce.

Only then did everything start to make sense.

That entire setup to frame her, it was Shen Ting’s way of forcing her to leave Jiang Ce’s side.

No wonder. No wonder when Ruan Mianmian had previously checked Jian Yanzhi’s email and found the anonymous messages from Shen Ting, the content was so scant.

So that was it—Shen Ting only wanted to use this as a pretext to frame Ruan Mianmian. She’d never intended for Jiang Ce to lose everything.

“Leave!”

Ruan Mianmian’s expression shifted abruptly, and she pushed A Kuan straight out the door.

A Kuan looked utterly bewildered, standing at the threshold in a panic. “Ruan—what’s wrong? You’re scaring me!”

Just as A Kuan, at a loss, was about to report the situation to Jiang Ce, Ruan Mianmian’s door opened again. This time, she was fully dressed.

Her face was cold and impassive as she brushed right past A Kuan, running downstairs without a word.

Seeing her so disturbed, A Kuan hurried after her, trying to block her way. “Ruan, it’s so late—where are you going?”

“I’m going out.”

“Out? For what? If there’s something you need, just let me handle it! It’s dangerous to go out alone at this hour!”

A Kuan did his best to stand in her path, but dared not take any drastic measures, so all he could do was keep pace with her. He was essentially useless to stop her.

Hearing the commotion, a bodyguard came to investigate. A Kuan gestured urgently. “What are you standing there for? Go call the boss!”

“Oh, right! I’ll go now!” The bodyguard dashed upstairs in a panic.

In that brief window, Ruan Mianmian had already entered the garage. Before A Kuan could react, the car engine roared to life—she was poised to speed off at any moment.

A Kuan panicked, rushing forward to stand in front of the vehicle, shouting, “Ruan, what’s happened? At least tell your brother! Whatever it is, the boss is still here. Do you think he’d let you go out driving alone in the middle of the night? Please, come out!”

He called out to her, glancing anxiously over his shoulder, praying the boss would hurry up and appear.

“Move!” Ruan Mianmian’s face was icy, her gaze glacial. She seemed so unfamiliar—almost frightening.

A Kuan didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he knew he absolutely couldn’t let her leave like this. Who knew what might happen if she did?

“Ruan, I’m begging you—please, just come out and talk to me. We can discuss whatever it is, calmly,” A Kuan pleaded, trying to stall her.

But Ruan Mianmian had no patience left. She floored the accelerator, swerved sharply to throw A Kuan off, and with a thunderous roar, the car shot out of the garage.

A Kuan had no choice but to jump aside, tumbling onto the empty ground.

Jiang Ce arrived late, his face already dark with rage when he saw the empty parking spot. He forced himself to remain calm and asked in a low voice, “Where is she?”

A Kuan clutched his arm, his brows knitted in pain. “I’m sorry, boss. I couldn’t stop her.”

Jiang Ce forced himself to steady his temper, then wordlessly strode toward another car in the garage.

“Boss, what happened? Where’s Ruan?” A Kuan hurried after him, intending to go with him, but Jiang Ce looked up and said, “Call Shen Qing.”

The men behind him immediately pulled out their phones.

As if recalling something, Jiang Ce abruptly opened the car door again, snatched the phone, and asked sternly, “Where is Shen Ting?”

Shen Qing, caught off guard, chuckled awkwardly and replied, “Boss, what are you talking about? She’s obviously in Lan City!”

“I’ll ask one more time—where does she live?”

Sensing something was wrong, Shen Qing’s tone grew serious. “What’s happened?”

Jiang Ce’s face was grim, like a specter risen from hell—so intimidating that no one dared make a sound.

“Shen Qing, you’ve really outdone yourself,” Jiang Ce said coolly, then tossed the phone to a bodyguard.

He climbed back into the car, took a phone, and switched the screen to the surveillance feed of the Range Rover Ruan Mianmian was driving.

Because she usually sat in the back seat, the footage only showed the nightscape sliding past the rear window. There was nothing else to see.

Fueled by anger, Ruan Mianmian sped off. She wanted to confront Shen Ting and demand answers.

At first, she’d planned to deal with Shen Ting at the company, but now, that was no longer necessary.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. It was quickly answered.

“Mianmian? What is it?” Jian Yanzhi’s voice came through the speaker, tinged with exhaustion and impatience.

Ruan Mianmian didn’t mince words. “Jian Yanzhi, where does Shen Ting live?”

“Shen Ting? Why are you looking for her at this hour?” Jian Yanzhi sounded puzzled.

“Don’t worry about that—just tell me her address.”

Jian Yanzhi snorted. “How would I know where she lives? Come on, you think there’s something improper between us? Aren’t you being a little too sensitive?”

He misunderstood her intent, but Ruan Mianmian didn’t bother to explain.

“Jian Yanzhi, can you not waste time? If you don’t know, have someone look it up. Is that so difficult?” Her tone was sharp.

Jian Yanzhi picked up on her mood. “What’s going on? Did Shen Ting offend you? Is it really worth causing trouble in the middle of the night?”

“Jian. Yan. Zhi.” Ruan Mianmian’s impatience was unmistakable.

“All right, all right!” Jian Yanzhi gave in. “I’ll find out her address, but wait for me—I’ll come pick you up.”

“What, are you afraid?” Ruan Mianmian sneered.

He sighed. “With the way you’re talking, I’m only afraid you’ll go commit murder. I’ll have to sacrifice myself to save you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Where are you?”

He leaned back. “Obviously at the office. Where else would I be?”

Still at the office?

Ruan Mianmian glanced at the clock—it was nearly eleven. He was still at work.

“I’ll come get you,” she said coldly. “By the time I arrive, I expect you to have found Shen Ting’s address.”

With that, she hung up.