Chapter Seventy-Eight: Afraid to Frighten Her

"What are you doing?" Someone continued to feign ignorance, and Ruan Mianmian wished she could slap his handsome face twice on the spot.

Serves you right for pretending!

Fuming, Ruan Mianmian sat on a nearby chair, staring at her empty phone screen and sighed.

Jiang Ce's eyes held a hidden amusement, and the curve of his lips grew more pronounced.

"Alright, we'll do as you say and let Shen Qing stay."

"..."

Ruan Mianmian was speechless, but Jiang Ce was evidently quite pleased with himself.

Just like that, thinking the storm had passed and she could return to her bed in peace, Ruan Mianmian received shocking news the next day.

"Shen Ting has been kidnapped?"

When she heard this, Ruan Mianmian was utterly astonished.

She never imagined that, barely two months after she herself had been abducted, Shen Ting would face the same calamity.

"What happened?" Ruan Mianmian asked A Kuan, who had come to report the news.

She'd found it odd that Jiang Ce and Shen Qing had rushed out early in the morning and hadn't returned yet—now she knew Shen Ting was in trouble.

A Kuan shook his head. "I’m not entirely sure, but since you mentioned seeing your kidnappers last time, the boss has been investigating in secret. Last night he got word that someone spotted the kidnappers."

Someone saw the kidnappers? And Shen Ting was kidnapped the very next day?

With her keen mind, Ruan Mianmian quickly surmised, "Shen Ting's kidnapping must be connected to those kidnappers from before?"

A Kuan nodded. "It seems so. The informant said they noticed traces of them near Shen Ting's neighborhood, but the boss instructed us not to alert them, so no one showed themselves."

After hearing A Kuan’s explanation, Ruan Mianmian grasped the general situation.

But she didn’t understand—why would those kidnappers target Shen Ting?

Moreover, Jiang Ce had said before that the kidnappers could move about unscathed; someone powerful must be backing them.

Ruan Mianmian couldn't figure out who had such influence, who could release people right under Jiang Ce's nose.

But that wasn't the main concern now.

Though she had no fondness for Shen Ting, the kidnappers were vicious criminals.

Ruan Mianmian had witnessed their methods; hearing such news, she couldn’t help but worry for Shen Ting.

"Is there still no word from Jiang Ce and the others?"

Ruan Mianmian looked at A Kuan and asked.

A Kuan shook his head, his face filled with worry. "They haven’t returned since they left this morning. I really don’t know how things are going."

Ruan Mianmian was uneasy, but she didn’t want to disturb them with a phone call. She decided to send Jiang Ce a message instead.

[How’s the situation? Have the kidnappers made contact?]

The message was sent, and after a dozen minutes, she finally received a reply.

[You don’t need to worry.]

The concise, forceful words struck straight at Ruan Mianmian’s heart. She felt both reassured and faintly uneasy.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, her phone rang sharply, the sound particularly jarring in the quiet hall.

Ruan Mianmian glanced at the screen, and her pupils contracted.

The name ‘Shen Ting’ flashed abruptly on the display, and Ruan Mianmian’s heart began to race.

A Kuan saw her freeze and looked at the screen as well, his expression instantly changing.

"Ruan!"

Ruan Mianmian raised her hand, signaling him to be silent. She took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

As she switched to speakerphone, she shot A Kuan a look; he understood, quickly turned and headed outside, pulling out his phone as he went.

"Hello?"

Ruan Mianmian steadied her breathing, trying to sound as natural as possible.

There was a faint wind on the other end, brisk and sharp through the receiver, mixed with weak, hurried breathing.

"Ruan Mianmian..."

The voice sounded normal, but Ruan Mianmian heard tremors and fear in it.

It was Shen Ting’s voice.

"Well, what a surprise. What made you decide to call me today?"

Nervously gripping her phone, Ruan Mianmian sat down on the sofa in the hall, and quietly activated the recording function.

"Mianmian..."

Shen Ting’s voice trembled more fiercely, lowered to a whisper, "I want to see you. Do you have time?"

See her?

What was going on?

Wasn’t Shen Ting supposed to be kidnapped?

From her words, Ruan Mianmian sensed a clue.

Was Shen Ting trying to reveal her location, or was she attempting to lure her over as well?

Ruan Mianmian hoped it was the former.

"I might have time, but I don’t really want to see you."

"No, it’s urgent!"

Shen Ting’s voice suddenly grew anxious, tinged with the sound of tears.

At the moment, Ruan Mianmian didn’t know what was happening on the other end, so she dared not ask directly, fearing it would alert the kidnappers.

So she feigned a casual laugh, "Urgent, is it? Then come find me. There’s a new café downstairs from the company, let’s go try it."

Ruan Mianmian wanted to test their intentions, to see if Shen Ting could move locations.

If Shen Ting agreed to meet, then perhaps today’s kidnapping had hidden motives.

"The company? That’s too far. I don’t have a car and can’t get there quickly. Why don’t you come to me?"

Shen Ting’s voice was impatient, almost desperate.

"Is that so?"

Ruan Mianmian dragged out her reply, not answering immediately. On the other end, Shen Ting suddenly let out a muffled groan, as if she’d been struck. Her breathing became rapid, and she urged,

"Mianmian? Will you?"

Ruan Mianmian even heard a hint of pleading in her tone.

"Where are you? I’ll think about whether it’s convenient for me to come."

Ruan Mianmian tried to probe for the address, but the other side fell silent, and her own breath paused. Then, the dial tone sounded in her ear.

"Beep—"

The sound echoed in her heart, sending a chill down her spine.

Just then, noisy footsteps sounded outside, chaotic and hurried.

Ruan Mianmian looked up, and Jiang Ce pushed open the door, standing at the entrance in a rush.

His tousled bangs were messy, but his obsidian eyes were filled with deep worry.

Jiang Ce strode quickly to Ruan Mianmian’s side, scanning her up and down.

Worried, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Why would I be? I just answered a phone call."

The next moment, Ruan Mianmian’s nose was pressed against his solid chest. Jiang Ce was breathing heavily, and all she could hear was the pounding of his heart.

She could picture how he must have looked, rushing to find her.

"Jiang Ce, I’m fine."

"Good."

Jiang Ce nodded, lowering his head to place a gentle kiss in her hair.

When he heard from A Kuan that she might have received a call from the kidnappers, his heart instantly went wild. He hadn’t thought of anything else, just rushed back—and thankfully, she was unharmed.

He was terrified she’d be frightened, or that it might trigger painful memories.