Chapter 166 Standoff
The butler then tentatively asked over the phone, "Could you please ask what's wrong with the gentleman? We haven't heard from him for so long, and we're very worried."
Tan Shen did not answer, but only said, "Don't worry, I will stay by President Fu's side. You just need to take care of things at the villa."
The butler couldn't ask anything more: "Alright, I'll leave the sir in your care."
"You're welcome." Tan Shen hung up the phone and walked to the single sofa.
The strong smell of alcohol hit him directly, almost making Tan Shen cough, but his professionalism made him hold it in.
He bent down respectfully and called to the person on the sofa: "President Fu, it's morning, time to wake up."
Fu Shenyuan barely opened his eyes, but all he could see was darkness.
The room was completely darkened by heavy blackout curtains, making it almost impossible to tell whether it was day or night.
"Have you found them?" he asked, his voice hoarse and strained, carrying a long, dry pain.
Tan Shen replied, "Not found."
Fu Shenyuan closed his eyes again in frustration: "Where is she...?"
Tan Shen didn't know how to answer.
During this time, he watched as President Fu did nothing but obsessively search for Jiang Ranxing, yet he couldn't find any trace of her.
The hopeless search made Fu Shenyuan increasingly depressed, and he, who used to drink very little, began to drown his sorrows in alcohol every day.
Seeing Fu Shenyuan like this, Tan Shen felt helpless and could do nothing to help. He could only try his best to find Jiang Ranxing's whereabouts.
However, he also knew that no matter what connections he used, if someone tried their best to stop him, he would never be able to find it.
He now regrets that if he hadn't immediately told Fu Shenyuan the news, but instead went to see Old Master Fu first, would things have been different?
At least it wouldn't be like this now...
-
A month ago, after a long flight, the plane finally landed slowly on the vast land. The weather in this foreign land was different from that in China, and it was noticeably hotter.
The sweltering heat swept over everyone, but Fu Shenyuan, Lin Xuesha, and Fu Xingyi were ushered into a private car and were not subjected to the intense heat.
The driver took them to a private hotel villa that had been specially arranged for them to rest. This was the closest place to the castle where they would get married.
As soon as Lin Xuesha got out of the car, she was pulled to try on makeup, and Fu Xingyi also went along for the fun.
Fu Shenyuan sat down by the villa's pool, his unease still lingering.
Tan Shen walked over, and Fu Shenyuan instructed, "Go and find out what's going on in the country right now, anything related to us, whether it's the Fu family or the group, investigate everything."
He was still worried, so he sent Tan Shen to check.
Upon hearing this, Tan Shen walked away and took out his phone to contact his subordinates back home to investigate.
After a while, Tan Shen returned and reported to Fu Shenyuan: "There's no movement on the surface, and the vice president is fine. We'll investigate the others. Don't worry too much, Mr. Fu. Our people in China are keeping a close eye on things."
Fu Shenyuan nodded, his gaze fixed on the distance, without making any further comment.
He couldn't explain why he felt uneasy and anxious.
Even the next morning, as the wedding was approaching, Fu Shenyuan couldn't relax; he still felt like a sharp knife was hanging over his head.
The makeup artist who was specifically doing Fu Shenyuan's hair joked, "Mr. Fu, are you a little nervous about getting married? Actually, many couples feel this way before their wedding. It's a kind of pre-wedding syndrome. Some are excited, some are anxious, it's normal. We've arranged everything for the wedding today. You just need to welcome your beautiful bride."
A wedding carriage with a distinctly European classical style was parked at the hotel entrance, waiting for Fu Shenyuan to get on so they could go to the castle together to welcome Lin Xuesha.
The makeup artist said, "Please, Mr. Fu, we're about to go over."
Fu Shenyuan hummed in agreement and stood up, just then Tan Shen's phone rang.
At first, Fu Shenyuan didn't pay attention and had already started to walk away, but then he heard Tan Shen's tone suddenly become surprised.
"What did you say!"
The exclamation made Fu Shenyuan stop in his tracks. He turned to look at Tan Shen, who subconsciously lowered his head, said a few words, and then hung up the phone.
Tan Shen didn't plan to tell Fu Shenyuan at this time, but how could his unusual behavior escape Fu Shenyuan's notice?
Fu Shenyuan walked back and asked him in a low voice, "What happened?"
Tan Shen was already sweating profusely, but he firmly said, "It's nothing, President Fu."
Fu Shenyuan stood there, his gaze probing like a ray of light. He asked with certainty, "What happened in the country? What exactly is it?"
Tan Shen remained silent and shook his head.
Fu Shenyuan added, "This is the first time you've disobeyed me. You need to consider whether you can bear the consequences. If you can, I won't ask any more questions. Otherwise, you'd better think it over."
Tan Shen hesitated for a long time before finally taking a few steps forward and whispering something to Fu Shenyuan.
The makeup artist was still waiting on the side, but she saw that Fu Shenyuan's expression had changed. His calm face was now full of anxiety and tension.
The makeup artist, thinking she had made a mistake, quickly ran over: "Mr. Fu, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong? We can make changes at the last minute, guaranteeing you a perfect wedding and—"
But before the makeup artist could finish speaking, Fu Shenyuan had already walked past her and strode away. Tan Shen followed closely behind Fu Shenyuan, and together they walked towards the parking lot.
-
Inside the magnificent chapel of the ancient castle, Lin Xuesha, dressed in a dazzling wedding gown and veiled in white, stood smiling at the entrance.
"Miss Lin, no, I should call you Mrs. Fu now, you look absolutely stunning today. You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen." The attendant holding the bouquet beside her kept praising her, and then handed the gorgeous bouquet to Lin Xuesha.
"We'll open the door in a moment, and your groom will be waiting for you there."
The ceremonial guards gestured for the guards on both sides to open the heavy, luxurious doors, and a flurry of camera flashes went off.
Lin Xuesha smiled smugly and slowly raised her eyes, preparing to receive everyone's praise and envious gazes.
But when she looked up, the corners of her mouth instantly fell down.
The emcee panicked upon seeing this and quickly pressed the Bluetooth intercom to ask, "What's going on? Where's the groom? It's time! Did you get the time wrong?"
A frantic voice came from the Bluetooth intercom: "We don't know where the groom is! The hotel said he didn't come at all, and we haven't seen him at the wedding venue either! What should we do!"
The wedding organizers were all in a panic. They had never encountered such a situation before. The groom had disappeared. What were they going to do about the wedding?
After waiting for a long time, even the media taking photos realized something was wrong and began to discuss it:
"Where did President Fu go? I haven't seen him."
"Yes, why is it just Miss Lin alone? What's the meaning of this wedding?"
"I don't know, let's wait and see..."
Everyone started discussing it, one after another.
Lin Xuesha's face grew increasingly stiff, and her smile was about to crumble.
She was also wondering where Fu Shenyuan had gone, how could he leave her here alone in such an awkward situation for so long!
She stood there for a full twenty minutes, but still didn't see Fu Shenyuan appear.
The guests' chatter grew louder, and even the band's music stopped at that moment.
Lin Xuesha had no face to stand there any longer. Dragging her heavy wedding dress, she turned around and left, quickly returning to the bride's dressing room.
She ripped off the white veil from her head and asked her assistant, Xiao Yu, "What exactly happened! Where is Fu Shenyuan?"
Seeing that Lin Xuesha's expression was far from pleasant, Xiao Yu answered hesitantly, "I'm not sure. Apparently, she drove off with Assistant Tan, but nobody knows where they went..."
"ah!!!!"
Lin Xuesha could no longer stand this insult. She swept all the expensive jewelry and cosmetics off the dressing table and onto the floor. Still not satisfied, she grabbed a perfume bottle and smashed it against the mirror. The mirror shattered into pieces, and Lin Xuesha's angry face was reflected in the broken pieces, looking extremely distorted and terrifying.
Xiao Yu, the assistant, was terrified as he watched from the side. He understood very well that Lin Xuesha was deeply upset by the humiliation she had suffered that day, which was why she was so angry.
But he didn't dare say anything unless Fu Shenyuan appeared and helped Lin Xuesha up again to calm her down.
But at this moment, Fu Shenyuan had already boarded a private plane to return to China—a private plane that had been temporarily and urgently borrowed.
Fu Shenyuan sat uneasily at an altitude of 10,000 meters, his eyes filled with fear and apprehension.
Tan Shen tried to say a few comforting words to calm him down.
“Mr. Fu, perhaps people in China are exaggerating. Madam... Miss Jiang may not be in such serious condition. It may be a misinformation.”
But this did not convince Fu Shenyuan, so he asked again, "Repeat what they said."
After thinking for a while, Tan Shen still told the truth: "Our people said that Miss Jiang may have encountered an accident, was in a car accident, was rescued and treated, and is now under observation in the ICU. As for her condition, the hospital has not yet given a definite answer."
Fu Shenyuan heard those heart-wrenching words again.
Everyone knows that if the situation weren't so urgent, there would be no need to lie in the ICU.
If it's inside, it means the situation is unstable and unexpected events could happen at any time.
Everyone knows what this unexpected event will be.
What exactly did Jiang Ranxing do, and where did this accident happen?
They had only met not long ago, when Jiang Ranxing was still perfectly fine.
He didn't believe Jiang Ranxing was seriously injured. Even if he was injured, he thought Jiang Ranxing wouldn't be in any critical condition. Fu Shenyuan could only be so certain, but the way he kept clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white betrayed his panic.
All he wants now is to fly back quickly, straight to a hospital in China on the other side of the ocean.
-
Outside the ICU, Wen Qingrang's hands were covered in blood, and his body was also smeared with blood. He looked extremely disheveled, which was very different from his refined and gentle demeanor.
He stood outside the ICU, only able to see what was happening inside through several layers of glass.
In the intensive care unit, Jiang Ranxing lay on the bed with his eyes closed and his expression unchanged. If it weren't for the many tubes and oxygen mask attached to his body, the monitoring equipment around him, and the doctors and nurses surrounding him, Wen Qing would have really thought that Jiang Ranxing was just asleep.
His gaze was fixed on the pale and thin woman on the bed, his heart filled with self-reproach and pity.
If he could be with Jiang Ranxing, Jiang Ranxing might not be the way she is now.
Just as Wen Qingrang closed his eyes and sighed, an urgent voice suddenly came from beside him.
"Mr. Fu, please slow down. Miss Jiang should be here."
Tan Shen's urgent voice, along with Fu Shenyuan's hurried figure running over, was received by Wen Qingrang.
Wen Qingrang glanced sideways and saw Fu Shenyuan anxiously running over and standing outside the glass window looking at the intensive care unit.
Fu Shenyuan's eyes were filled with panic. When he saw Jiang Ranxing lying there like that, he simply couldn't believe it.
He roared hoarsely, "Where's the doctor! What's going on?!"
Fu Shenyuan even went to the door of the intensive care unit, trying to open the tightly locked door and rush in, but Wen Qing grabbed his collar and shoved him hard against the opposite wall.
Wen Qingrang could no longer control his emotions and roared back, "Get out of my way! Don't interfere with Burning Star's treatment!"
Fu Shenyuan's back slammed violently against the cold wall, a dull pain spreading from his back to every part of his body, so intense that even his fingertips ached.
But no pain could be more intense than the heartache I feel right now.
He no longer cared about Wen Qingrang's disrespectful words; he only wanted to know Jiang Ranxing's current situation and how he ended up in this state.
Fu Shenyuan's eyes were bloodshot, a sign of prolonged lack of rest. He glared at Wen Qingrang and asked:
"How could she have become like this!" Fu Shenyuan looked around at Wen Qingrang and their surroundings. "Were you in a car accident together?"
How could it be such a tragic scene!
Wen Qingrang's eyes were also filled with pain: "I wish I were with her, so she wouldn't have to wait until she was on her deathbed and about to stop breathing!"
When Wen Qingrang recalled the moment he received the call from the police, he felt completely dizzy.
When he arrived at the scene in the pouring rain, Jiang Ranxing was lying in a shocking pool of blood. The rain had been blocked by the police, but when he went over to touch her, her whole body was soaked by the rain and had no warmth that a living person should have. She was so cold that it made his heart tingle and he wondered if she was still breathing.
"Mr. Wen, the ambulance is on its way. Please do not move Ms. Jiang's body to avoid causing unnecessary secondary injury," the police officer said.
So Wen Qingrang tried to warm Jiang Ranxing's cold hands with his own. When he touched her wrist and found a faint throbbing, he felt a little relieved. At least there was still hope, and he hadn't completely given up hope.
The ambulance arrived quickly, and Wen Qingrang and the paramedics carried Jiang Ranxing onto the ambulance on a stretcher.
The ambulance sped off, and the sirens of emergency services instantly echoed throughout the mountains and forests.
What followed was the endless waiting in the emergency room, and now the long, agonizing wait in the intensive care unit with no end in sight and no known outcome.
During the long wait, the police arrived at the hospital and described the scene and Wen Qingrang's account of everything.
"After Ms. Jiang's accident, the car's intelligent system showed that it attempted to call her emergency contact. The call went through for a few minutes before being disconnected. Our police car then passed by and discovered the accident. We did not see any trace of the emergency contact attempting to help Ms. Jiang."
Wen Qingrang already had doubts, but still asked, "Who is that emergency contact?"
The police officer glanced at his phone and replied, "It's Ms. Jiang's husband, Fu Shenyuan."
Faced with Fu Shenyuan's questioning, Wen Qingrang sneered and said with extreme disdain, "Fu Shenyuan, I didn't expect you to be so heartless. Even if you don't like Ranxing, you actually stood by and watched him die when he cried for help. You really make me look at you in a new light!"
Wen Qingrang's words made Fu Shenyuan suddenly raise his head. He said in disbelief, "Wen Qingrang, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Wen Qingrang approached him step by step, his eyes filled with undisguised hostility.
"I'm lying? The police told me that when Ranxing was isolated and on the verge of death, she called you, but after you answered the phone, you had no intention of coming to save her! You say I'm lying? You should go ask the police if the evidence they have is true!"
Wen Qingrang's words sounded like cold, unfeeling frost to Fu Shenyuan.
Fu Shenyuan took out his phone and scrolled through the call history, but couldn't find Jiang Ranxing's call at all.
"When did I answer her call..."
There was no evidence on the phone to prove that call, but Wen Qingrang's words didn't seem fake either; the police wouldn't joke about something like that.
That means Jiang Ranxing did call him, and the call was answered, but it disappeared without him noticing when he saw it, so he knew nothing about it.
Fu Shenyuan seemed to have lost his soul.
If that's really the case, then when Jiang Ranxing was in such a critical situation and called for help, he didn't receive the call at all. Instead, he was told something by someone else, and that person didn't even tell him or have any intention of saving Jiang Ranxing.
Who exactly is this person...?
Fu Shenyuan thought of someone he didn't want to believe.
He simply couldn't believe it; could it really be that person?
Regardless, he refused to believe it and was determined to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Fu Shenyuan asked Wen Qingrang in disbelief, "When did she call me?"
Wen Qingrang had no interest in answering Fu Shenyuan's questions.
"Keep those questions to the police! I have no obligation to answer them for you!"
After speaking, Wen Qingrang turned around and continued to look at the situation in the intensive care unit, his eyes full of worry and heartache.
He so wished he could take Jiang Ranxing's place and suffer such pain; the pain she felt was also on him.
Suddenly, the monitoring equipment in the intensive care unit, which had been relatively stable just moments before, started beeping. The doctors and nurses inside immediately surrounded Jiang Ranxing.
A nurse walked to the window, drew the curtains, and shut out everything from the outside.
Wen Qingrang and Fu Shenyuan both noticed this sudden change and gathered around the door, asking:
How is she?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com