When he called Ruan Chen, the girl on the other end of the phone was holding back her tears, and Nan Jing knew that.
He belatedly realized that Ruan Chen must have been very disappointed when she quietly took the photos and left.
She trusted herself, which is why she agreed to meet.
But he brought someone she didn't want to see.
"Sorry," he replied.
Putting everything else aside, you should at least apologize first.
Ruan Chen stared at the apology for a few seconds without expression, then turned off her phone and continued looking out the window.
It must have been Fu Jianzhi who specifically instructed the driver to get out halfway and buy Ruan Chen's favorite beef burger, without salad dressing, and gently place the paper bag on the back seat.
Ruan Chen then felt a little better.
The syringe was ice-cold, but Nan Jing felt a burning pain in her fingers.
He judged it to be an anesthetic simply by looking at the liquid's color and viscosity, and then carefully smelling it.
Now he is finding it hard to convince himself that Duan Jingfu did it for Ruan Chen's sake.
Even if Ruan Chen is disobedient and says things she shouldn't have, she's just a child, so she should be properly educated. Is it necessary to use such extreme methods?
When Duan Jingfu returned, his face was very grim. "She ran away."
Nan Jing pondered the tone and wording of those words—"He ran away."
The word "ran away" is only used when dealing with prisoners and prey. When dealing with disobedient students and children, more tactful and humane terms should be used, such as "she secretly slipped away" or "she's not here."
“The young lady is very thoughtful. I’ll let you know if I have any more news. Let’s go back first.” Nan Jing’s own heart was also a little cold. He needed to figure out what had happened between Duan Jingfu and Ruan Chen as soon as possible, and what he really meant by “he wants to kill me.”
Could it be that Ruan Chen found out something, and Lao Duan actually wanted to kill a child to silence him?
Nan Jing and Duan Jingfu have no personal relationship. Their recent close contact is all because of Ruan Chen. Nan Jing only knows Duan Jingfu in his work and academic life, and doesn't know his true personality.
“Call her now. Going back on your word isn’t good. I need to see her as soon as possible.”
Nan Jing looked at him through the rearview mirror and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Aren't you afraid of triggering the child's rebellious tendencies again?"
Duan Jingfu sneered, "What she knows is dangerous. I'm protecting her. The later we find her, the greater the chance she'll be in danger."
Nan Jing thought to herself, Old Duan is really getting a little anxious.
“If you don’t want to help, just sign the arrest warrant quickly so I can find other help,” Duan Jingfu added.
"What do you plan to do after finding Ruan Chen?" Nan Jing asked leisurely.
Duan Jingfu frowned, unsure how to interpret the statement. "Did Ruan Chen say something to you?"
“What I mean is, you can’t protect her forever. Even if she finds out something she shouldn’t know, you can’t keep her locked up at the Martial Arts Research Institute forever—don’t forget she’s also my student.”
Duan Jingfu sneered, "Nan Suo is really capable. First there was Su Ze, and now there's Ruan Chen. They've produced two wanted criminals."
Nan Jing thought to herself, "That's really harsh."
"What did Ruan Chen steal?"
"It's classified, the South Institute knows that too. Our Martial Arts Research Institute has a lot of secrets."
Perhaps because of Nan Jing's protectiveness towards Ruan Chen, Duan Jingfu's tone gradually became tense.
Nan Jing didn't want a direct confrontation with him at the moment, so she simply took a step back. "I asked too many questions. I'll go back and check the wanted notice procedure. If it meets the requirements, I'll report it to the research institute. Don't forget to let me know if you find Ruan Chen."
-------------------------------------
Ruan Chen entered the Fu Family Ancestral Hall.
The sky above the gray-blue buildings always seemed gloomy, shrouded in a thin veil.
It is against the rules for outsiders to enter the ancestral hall, but Fu Jianzhi must have made arrangements in advance, so no one stopped Ruan Chen.
She bypassed the memorial tablets in front and went straight to the small house.
The door wasn't closed tightly, and faint sunlight shone through the cracks. Before even entering, Ruan Chen could smell the scent of sandalwood.
The Fu family hasn't used sandalwood for almost five years.
There was a slight noise in the room. Ruan Chen took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
She lowered her eyes and met the gaze of the little boy sitting on the ground, hugging his knees.
He didn't cry this time. When he saw Ruan Chen, he smiled happily, "Sister, you've come to see me again... Wait, are you really my sister? Why have you shrunk again today?"
His timeline seemed to be continuous. Ruan Chen understood what he meant. In his timeline, the last time she met him was when she was twenty-six years old and came from Crescent Bay. She met him here and gave him a strawberry-flavored protein bar.
“It’s me,” Ruan Chen walked over and sat down beside him in the sunlight. “Jian Zhi, tell me our story, okay?”
Eight-year-old Fu Jianzhi's language skills seemed somewhat lacking. He opened his mouth, his eyes filled with a thousand words, but he was too anxious to utter a single one.
Ruan Chen smiled knowingly, "When was the last time I came to give you something delicious?"
"Just now." Fu Jianzhi blinked her bright black eyes. "Sister, why are you sometimes big and sometimes small?"
"You said you often dream of a beautiful older sister who gave you the name Jianzhi. Is that older sister me?"
"yes."
"When did that happen... I mean, when did you have that dream?"
“Just now.” Fu Jianzhi’s tone was light.
Ruan Chen realized that the timeline of this eight-year-old Fu Jianzhi seemed to be not continuous, but stagnant.
Tell me about your dream.
Eight-year-old Fu Jianzhi pouted, "I dreamt that my brother and I were kidnapped, and then the bad guys dumped me far away from home. Sister, you picked me up and brought me home, and even gave me a name..."
Ruan Chen listened silently. For Fu Jianzhi in front of her, this was a dream, but for Ruan Chen at this moment, it was her real life.
Just like Ruan Chen's life in Les Misérables, when it appears in the current Ruan Chen's timeline, it is just like an absurd dream.
Fu Jianzhi's dream ends with Ruan Chen being bullied by bad guys who want to stuff her into a terrifying glass jar.
Ruan Chen guessed that it must be because what happened next hadn't happened yet, so naturally it wouldn't exist in Fu Jianzhi's dream.
The sky outside suddenly darkened, and a howling wind picked up.
Ruan Chen's heart skipped a beat.
When I arrived here at the age of twenty-six, the weather was just like this, and the wind was just like this.
She reached out and took young Fu Jianzhi's hand. "Could you take your sister out for a look around?"
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