Chapter 77: Trust Shattered

"Is he looking for death?" His anger was palpable, and his face showed displeasure.

Seeing Si Youlin's anger, Gu Nan's eyes flashed, and a trace of guilt appeared on her face.

"This is my fault; I failed to protect Ah Chen."

Hearing Gu Nan admit her mistake, a hint of apology flashed in Si Youlin's eyes. His emotions calmed down slightly, and he spoke softly in a gentle tone.

"Uncle Anan, that's not what I meant..."

Gu Nan waved her hand and said to herself, "If I hadn't left him, that person wouldn't have succeeded."

"But don't worry, Lu Ziyi has been brought to justice and sent to the police station. I'll take care of things and make sure he doesn't get away with it!"

I've disliked him for a long time, and now that he dares to set his sights on Si Zuochen, he shouldn't blame me for showing no mercy.

You can't do anything to a normal person outside, but once you're at the police station, how long you want to detain them is just a matter of a word.

How he conducts himself inside is his own business, after all, those "fellow inmates" are not to be trifled with.

Si Zuochen turned his head slightly to look at Gu Nan and said comfortingly, "Don't blame yourself. The reason this happened is because I insisted on doing things my own way and deliberately sent you away."

Seeing the two of them taking the blame for each other, Si Youlin glanced at Jiang Ran, who was sitting there motionless, as if she were completely detached from the situation.

A surge of anger welled up inside her, and any slight goodwill she had felt towards her earlier in the day vanished instantly.

He suddenly let out a cold laugh: "What are you arguing about? Isn't the root of the problem her?"

Upon hearing this, the two were taken aback. Jiang Ran looked up at Si Youlin, a scrutinizing glint in her eyes.

She knew he was saying that to her on purpose, so she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

A cold glint flashed across Si Youlin's face as he spoke sharply, "If it weren't for you, my brother wouldn't have secretly followed him. If it weren't for your constant indulgence, how dare he treat my brother so cruelly?"

"They found them this time, but what if they hadn't? Who knows what he wanted to do with them?!"

Hearing his stern questioning, Jiang Ran pursed her lips. So, she really was the "culprit".

She raised her eyes and looked at Si Youlin seriously, then slowly explained, "I knew nothing about this matter, and I never expected him to be so bold."

"Didn't expect that?" Si Youlin sneered. "Didn't you give him all that guts? You never stopped him from verbally abusing us, isn't that tantamount to making a statement?"

"This whole mess is because of you, and you're just going to say you knew nothing about it?"

Si Youlin suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, forced a smile, and sneered repeatedly.

Seeing the two locked in a stalemate, Gu Nan couldn't help but speak up, "Ah Lin, she really doesn't know anything. She's also very anxious. Besides, if it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't have been able to find Ah Chen so quickly today."

"In a hurry?" Si Youlin sneered. "Who knows if it's real or just an act?"

"She gave Lu Ziyi plenty of confidence, but who would have thought something like this would happen today?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Nan was taken aback. Indeed, the relationship between Jiang Ran and Lu Ziyi was self-evident. In their eyes, it was like a bound couple, where if one of them made a mistake, the other would naturally have to take responsibility.

Furthermore, Si Youlin was not wrong; all of this was due to her indulgence.

Jiang Ran's eyes darkened, and she pursed her lips but remained silent.

But to Si Youlin, her demeanor seemed completely indifferent and unrepentant, which deepened his resentment towards her.

Just as he was about to continue his condemnation, Si Zuochen suddenly let out a soft moan and then fell into a daze.

Upon seeing this, Gu Nan was startled and quickly prepared to go out to call a doctor for a check-up.

Jiang Ran spoke softly from behind, "No need to call a doctor. The effects of the ether haven't worn off yet; this is a normal reaction."

Hearing her words, Gu Nan paused, but didn't actually go out to call for help.

Jiang Ran glanced around and noticed Si Youlin staring at her menacingly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

She couldn't help but sigh softly, then instructed Gu Nan, "Take him back first, I'll stay at the hospital tonight to take care of him."

Before Gu Nan could speak, she heard Si Youlin directly refuse.

"No need, there's no need for your hypocritical act here."

"Who knows if you're staying here for some ulterior motive? What if taking care of me is just a pretense, and you actually want to harm me?"

Si Youlin's words were utterly merciless, implying that Jiang Ran was merely putting on an act.

"Ah Lin!" Gu Nan called out softly from the side. His words were a bit serious, and Jiang Ran would inevitably hold a grudge.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Ran simply shook her head and chuckled softly.

She had thought that only Si Zuochen would insist that she had ulterior motives, but she hadn't expected that, through constant exposure, Si Youlin had also come to see her as such.

Is this contagious?

Thinking of this, a hint of helplessness flashed across his face.

Seeing that Si Youlin was unyielding, Jiang Ran pursed her lips but did not insist.

She got up and walked to Si Zuochen's side, reaching out to gently touch and feel his body. After realizing that he was alright, she relaxed.

Just as he was about to stop, he was unexpectedly slapped away by Si Youlin.

A red mark instantly appeared on the back of my hand.

"Get away! Don't touch him!"

Seeing this, Gu Nan quickly stepped forward, worried that Jiang Ran might become angry and do something rash, so she shielded Si Youlin behind her.

Si Youlin's action was a conditioned reflex, and he felt a little regretful afterward.

At this point, all we could do was grit our teeth and bear it.

If all else fails, just let her fight back!

Jiang Ran gently rubbed the red marks on her hand, and seeing Gu Nan's tense expression, she couldn't help but chuckle, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

He scoffed, "What are you afraid of? Do you think I'm going to eat him?"

Gu Nan remained silent, while Si Youlin looked at her with a face full of resentment.

Jiang Ran lowered her eyes slightly, knowing that he was angry and it wasn't a good time to speak.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Suit yourself. Since you don't trust me, then you can stay here and take care of things."

After saying that, he picked up his handbag and turned to leave.

Gu Nan watched her retreating figure, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

She didn't mention what had just happened at all, as if it had never occurred. Is that just her personality?

Normally, wouldn't someone be vengeful and slap them back?

He had planned to reach out and stop them, but now he had no chance at all.

She then frowned, looking puzzled. Why did it seem like she didn't care at all about Si Youlin's action just now?

Si Youlin sat on the chair beside the bed, staring blankly at Si Zuochen, his mind racing with thoughts. The promise he made before leaving the villa seemed to still be vivid in his mind.

"Trust me, I will bring him back..."

"Since you don't trust me, then you can stay here and take care of things."

His mind was completely occupied by those words, and he could only picture the expression on her face as she spoke. Si Youlin felt a dull ache in his head.

He tried to clear his mind, but the words kept echoing in his ears, and a struggle flashed in Si Youlin's eyes.

After leaving the hospital, Jiang Ran went straight back to the villa, but she didn't expect to see an uninvited guest as soon as she entered the hall.

"What are you doing here?" Jiang Ran frowned slightly.

Upon hearing the sound, Song Yuqing quickly got up and walked towards her, her face full of anxiety: "Ranran, Ziyi has been arrested and taken to the police station for some reason..."

Based on her understanding of Jiang Ran, she knew Jiang Ran would panic and call to bail her out. But instead, she stood there quietly, watching her with a scrutinizing look in her eyes.

Song Yuqing was startled, but her expression remained unchanged. She hurriedly said, "Why are you looking at me like that? Hurry up and save Ziyi!"

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow, slowly walked to the sofa and sat down, her face showing no urgency. She then replied, "I know he was arrested."

"What?" Song Yuqing exclaimed in surprise, "You knew? Did you pull some strings?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran's face flashed with displeasure. Judging from her tone, it was as if she was obligated to save him.

"No," Jiang Ran replied coldly.

"Why? Aren't you worried at all in that place?" Song Yuqing's expression changed slightly, and she asked coldly.

"That place? What place? He didn't go into the underworld, shouldn't the police station be the safest place?" Jiang Ran retorted sharply.

Song Yuqing was speechless for a moment after hearing her words. Just as she was about to explain, Jiang Ranfu spoke again.

Do you know why he was arrested?