Chapter 288 You said Mu Nanyan returned to the capital?
Lu Yiran's finger hovered above the screen, and he stubbornly pressed the dial button again.
The cold, mechanical female voice sounded again, like a slap in his face.
"Mu Nanyan changed her number?"
He turned to look at the butler standing in the corner, his voice suppressing the anger that was about to explode.
The housekeeper was confused, and only then did he react and said:
"No, this is the young lady's phone number. We usually use this number to contact each other."
Lu Yiran was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Call her."
Upon hearing this, the housekeeper hurriedly took out his cell phone. His fingers slid across the screen in a panic, clicked on the call record of yesterday's call with Mu Nanyan, and pressed the hands-free button.
"Hello, the number you dialed is not in service. Please check before redialing."
The cold, mechanical female voice echoed in the living room, and the housekeeper's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
He looked up and met Lu Yiran's sinister gaze, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat:
"Master, this... I was able to get through yesterday..."
Lu Yiran suddenly clenched his fists, and his knuckles made a crisp sound.
He looked at the housekeeper and asked again, "Has Mu Nanyan done anything unusual recently?"
The housekeeper felt a little guilty, but he had helped Mu Nanyan conceal the truth once before. If he suddenly said there was a problem this time, he might lose his job, so the housekeeper could only bite the bullet and continue:
"Young Madam has been doing fine lately, no different from before."
Lu Yiran was silent. If everything was normal, why did she suddenly change her phone number? Did she change it herself, or...
A terrifying thought suddenly occurred to Lu Yiran's mind: could she have encountered some danger, which is why...
He suddenly grabbed the phone, dialed a number, and said in a deep voice: "Help me find someone, I'll send her information to your phone."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Yiran went straight to the study on the second floor. He made several calls in a row, and the entire Lu family's security system was activated.
Lu Yiran stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching black cars driving out of the villa opposite, their headlights cutting through the night like arrows shot from a bow.
Time passed minute by minute, and with every minute that passed, Lu Yiran's jawline became tighter.
When the first wave of search teams reported back that "nothing was found", he suddenly smashed the whiskey glass in his hand against the wall.
The sound of the crystal glass shattering startled the butler. Lu Yiran looked at the amber wine sliding down the wall and suddenly realized that he had lost control. He was stunned for a second. When did he start to care so much about his wife in this contract marriage?
At three o'clock in the morning, Lu Yiran sat on the sofa in the study. The cigarette between his fingers had burned to the end, but he was unaware of the pain from the burns.
The tenth reporting call had just been hung up, and there were still no valuable clues.
He suddenly extinguished his cigarette, grabbed his suit jacket and strode towards the door. He was a little restless and was ready to go find Mu Nanyan himself.
Just as I passed the corner of the second floor, the door that was always closed suddenly came into view. It was Mu Nanyan's bedroom.
Lu Yiran's footsteps seemed to be nailed to the spot by an invisible force. They had been married for several months, but Lu Yiran had never been to Mu Nanyan's room once.
Lu Yiran hesitated for a moment, but finally walked towards the door.
His slender fingers hovered above the door handle, and the coolness of the metal came through his fingertips. He suddenly realized that his understanding of Mu Nanyan might not be as good as that of any subordinate in the office.
“Click—”
The sound of the door lock turning was particularly clear in the silent night. Lu Yiran took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The moment I opened the door, a faint and elegant scent of lilies wafted towards me.
Lu Yiran stood there in a daze. The room in front of him, with ivory white as the main color, was completely different from the girl's room he had imagined.
The moonlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a silver edge on the simple Nordic-style furniture.
Several design books are neatly placed on the bedside table, with the spines meticulously arranged according to color.
The wardrobe door was half open, and you could see the clothes inside, sorted by season, each piece ironed flat and smooth.
Lu Yiran's fingertips slid across the dressing table, on which were only a few bottles of basic skin care products.
He opened the drawer and found that there was not even a jewelry box inside, only a few half-used lipsticks and a sandalwood comb.
In the cloakroom, the clothes of the season were all hung neatly, and even the pair of beige flat shoes that she wore most often lay quietly in the shoe cabinet.
The entire space was so clean and tidy that it was almost deserted, lacking the atmosphere of life like a hotel suite.
Lu Yiran walked around the room and didn't find anything unusual. He became more convinced that something had happened to Mu Nanyan...
————
Lu Yiran's thoughts gradually returned to his senses, and there was only one thought left in his mind - to find Mu Nanyan.
This time, he would never let her escape from him again.
He walked quickly into the elevator and pressed the down button.
As soon as the elevator door opened, he went straight to the parking lot. The black Maybach shone with a cold luster under the light.
The car door was slammed open and then slammed shut, and the roar of the engine was particularly harsh in the empty underground parking lot.
The car sped through the night and finally stopped at Yuehu Yundi.
Lu Yiran rushed to Mu Nanyan's door in two steps, and his slender fingers kept pressing the doorbell.
The ding-dong sound echoed in the silent corridor, but no one answered.
"Not at home?"
He muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.
It was not until this moment that Lu Yiran realized how little he knew about Mu Nanyan. Apart from the company and home, he didn't know where else she would go, and he didn't even know her preferences.
Lu Yiran suddenly had an idea and thought of Chenchen. Chenchen was Mu Nanyan's biological son. She would definitely not abandon him if she left. Lu Yiran went directly to Chenchen's school.
But at this moment the school had already finished, the gates were closed, and the empty campus looked particularly deserted in the twilight.
Lu Yiran stood alone at the school gate, the night wind ruffling his hair. He turned around and returned to his car.
He, who always had a plan in his head, now looked like a lost child, his eyes filled with confusion and helplessness, not knowing where to go...
Just then, the phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated.
The ringtone was particularly harsh in the quiet street. After ringing for a long time, Lu Yiran finally heard the ringtone as if waking up from a dream. He mechanically took the phone out of his pocket and pressed the answer button.
"Hello?" His voice was unusually hoarse.
"Oh, my dear Master Lu, where are you cultivating yourself? It took you so long to answer the phone."
Chu Ci's signature teasing voice came from the receiver, with his usual cynicism.
"If you have something to say, please say it. If not, I'm hanging up."
Lu Yiran interrupted impatiently, his fingers tapping the steering wheel unconsciously. He was annoyed at the moment and had no time to chat with Chu Ci.
When Chu Ci heard the tone, he realized that something was wrong with Lu Yiran and teased:
"What's wrong with you? Are you unsatisfied?"
Before Lu Yiran could say anything, Chu Ci continued:
"That's right, Mu Nanyan has returned to the capital. You must be lonely and cold over there alone..."
"What did you say?"
Lu Yiran sat up straight abruptly, his voice rising sharply.
Chu Ci was stunned for a moment before he reacted:
"You're lonely and cold."
"Not this one, the previous one!"
Lu Yiran's voice was filled with anxiety.
Chu Ci thought about it. He had said so much, how could he remember what he had just said? He said casually:
"Unsatisfied?"
Lu Yiran: ...
"You said Mu Nanyan returned to the capital?"
"Yes, tomorrow is Yutong's birthday. As Yutong's best friend, she must come back."
Before he could finish his words, the call was hung up.
Lu Yiran clutched his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white. Chu Ci knew Mu Nanyan's whereabouts, but he knew nothing... A self-deprecating smile appeared on his handsome face.
Just as Lu Yiran was about to start the car and leave, his cell phone rang again.
He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Chu Ci again. His slender fingers slid across the screen and he impatiently put the phone to his ear.
"Hey." His low voice was filled with obvious displeasure.
"No, I haven't finished talking yet, why did you hang up on me!!!"
Chu Ci's voice came out of the receiver like thunder, his tone full of accusations.
The corner of Lu Yiran's mouth twitched, and he squeezed out a word from between his teeth: "Speak."
There was a cold snort from the other end of the phone, and Chu Ci spoke reluctantly:
"I just want to confirm, you haven't mentioned me in front of Mu Nanyan?"
"Why should I mention you to her?"
Lu Yiran frowned, feeling that this question was baffling. Chu Ci heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this:
"That's good. I've met Mu Nanyan before, and I'm afraid she'll recognize me."
Because of this, Chu Ci refused Tang Yutong's request to go pick up Mu Nanyan and the others, using work as an excuse. He was afraid that Mu Nanyan would recognize him.
Lu Yiran's grip on the steering wheel suddenly tightened: "When did you meet?"
His voice suddenly turned cold, and alarm bells rang in his mind. Why would Nan Yan meet Chu Ci in private?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. Lu Yiran narrowed his eyes and asked doubtfully:
"Wait, how did you know that tomorrow is Tang Yutong's birthday and that Nan Yan would be there?"
Chu Ci heard this and said with a hint of pride on his face:
"I'm Yutong's boyfriend now, and I arranged the hotel room for them."
Lu Yiran slammed the steering wheel, and the horn sounded particularly sharp on the silent road.
"Chu Ci! Did you ignore what I said before?"
"What did you say?" Chu Ci looked confused.
"Aren't there enough women in Beijing for you to play with? Why do you have to mess with Nan Yan's best friend?"
Lu Yiran gritted his teeth, his temples throbbing.
He had finally managed to soften Mu Nanyan's attitude. If Chu Ci, the playboy, hurt Tang Yutong...
Lu Yiran was really convinced. He was not afraid of god-like opponents, but he was afraid of pig-like teammates.
Chu Ci felt a little guilty after hearing this. After all, Lu Yiran had indeed reminded him before, but...
"Isn't this to help you get information?"
Chu Ci retorted unconvincedly, and Lu Yiran sneered:
"Oh? So what did you find out?"
"Well……"
Chu Ci was speechless. He suddenly realized that he had been busy dating Tang Yutong recently and had forgotten about this matter. There was an awkward silence on the phone.
Lu Yiran raised his lips in a sarcastic arc:
"Chu Ci, I don't care if you play with women, but don't use me as a pretext. If this delays me from getting Nan Yan back... don't blame me for not recognizing you as a brother."
"Ah, hello...what did you say? I...my signal is bad over here, I'll hang up first..."
Chu Ci suddenly stuttered and hung up the phone in a hurry before finishing his words.
Hearing the busy tone coming from the phone, Lu Yiran threw the phone on the passenger seat.
He rubbed his temples, took a deep breath and started the car again. It seemed that he had to go back to the capital in person.
——————
Beijing International Airport
At 7:30 in the evening, dusk gradually deepened and the plane that Mu Nanyan was on landed on time.
Mu Nanyan held Chenchen's hand and slowly walked out of the exit with the crowd. She looked up and around, searching for Tang Yutong among the crowd of people waiting to pick her up, but she still couldn't see that familiar figure.
"Strange, didn't Yutong say she would pick me up at the airport?"
Mu Nanyan whispered to herself and reached for the phone in her pocket, then she remembered that she hadn't turned it on since the plane landed.
Just as she lowered her head to turn on the phone, the corner of her clothes was gently tugged. Mu Nanyan was attracted by his action and looked down at Chenchen and asked:
"What's wrong, Chenchen."
Chenchen tilted his little face up, his eyes sparkling, and pointed his finger forward:
"Sister Yan, look over there!"
Following the direction of Chenchen's finger, Mu Nanyan's gaze passed through the bustling crowd and saw Cui Hao walking towards them with a bunch of white lilies in his hand.
His slender figure stood out in the crowd, his suit was neatly tailored, and a gentle smile hung on the corner of his mouth.
Mu Nanyan was stunned for a few seconds. Why was Cui Hao here? She remembered that she didn't tell Cui Hao that she was returning to the capital today.
Mu Nanyan composed herself and then walked over there with Chenchen.
"Godfather."
Chenchen shouted excitedly, broke free from her hand and ran towards Cui Hao.
Cui Hao squatted down, put the bouquet aside temporarily, and opened his arms to catch the little guy who rushed over:
"Let Godfather see, has our Chenchen grown taller again?"
He smiled and ruffled Chenchen's hair, his eyes gentle.
Mu Nanyan walked over slowly, smiled faintly and said:
"What a coincidence, are you here to pick up a client?"
Cui Hao stood up, shook his head helplessly, picked up the bouquet of flowers on the ground and handed it to her:
"I came all the way here to pick you up. I was worried I'd miss my flight, but luckily I made it."
Mu Nanyan looked at the bouquet of lilies with water droplets in front of her. There were so many people at the airport, and Mu Nanyan didn't want to offend Cui Hao, so she had to take it with a smile.
"Thank you. How did you know we were going back to the capital today? I was worried you had work to do and didn't want to delay you, but I didn't expect you to come anyway."
Cui Hao blinked at Chenchen, then said seriously:
"Chenchen told me before that you would be returning to Beijing. I called you this afternoon to ask about it, but your call didn't go through. I called Chenchen, but he didn't answer. I was worried that you were in danger, so I checked and found out that you had a flight this afternoon. I came straight here after get off work."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
