Fu Jianzhi discovered Ruan Chen's disappearance half a month after she moved to the Fu family's old house.
Nan Jing called the Fu family to ask if Ruan Chen was sick. She hadn't gone to school for two days and hadn't asked her teachers for leave. Ruan Chen's phone was always switched off.
Fu Jianzhi sternly questioned the servants at the old family mansion, "Where was the last time you saw Miss Ruan?"
He had considered checking the surveillance footage, but Ruan Chen had somehow managed to create a device that interfered with surveillance cameras within a 500-meter radius wherever she was, making it impossible to see anything.
“It’s the ancestral hall. Miss Ruan has been going there almost every day lately. She has the patriarch’s order from you, so we don’t dare to stop her.”
When Ruan Chen stepped into the small hut of the ancestral hall for the thirty-second time, and led the eight-year-old Fu Jianzhi, who was curled up there, up the steps leading to the Little White Building, she finally saw the scene she had been looking forward to.
Of the first thirty-one times, Ruan Chen only saw nothingness thirteen times—that was before Crescent Bay was even born.
Seven more times, Ruan Chen saw Crescent Bay engulfed in war, a world in ruins, which was not what Ruan Chen wanted to see.
Then there's a scene of a group of unfamiliar teenagers training, and professors planning how to build this set in the desolate open space of Crescent Bay...
Once, Ruan Chen even saw Su Ze as a teenager. He was leaning against a low wall, drinking and grinning foolishly at a one-inch photo in his wallet. Ruan Chen stood behind the low wall and, through the crumbling red bricks, saw that the photo in Su Ze's hand was a family portrait, in which Cong Rao was still young but stunningly beautiful.
Ruan Chen discovered that every time he brought eight-year-old Fu Jianzhi here, he would become lighter and his physical condition would become more unstable. Ruan Chen knew that if he could not find a suitable time, this unknown entity, Fu Jianzhi, would completely dissipate, and he would never be able to come to this timeline again.
Fortunately, on the thirty-second attempt, Ruan Chen saw someone familiar.
That was Fu Jianzhi, who was twenty-two years old, the person Ruan Chen had come here time and time again to find.
In the secondary timeline, Ruan Chen didn't believe a word of Fu Jianzhi's words about pets and masters. She wanted to come to this world herself and see just how far Fu Jianzhi would go for the woman he had picked up.
Her emotions were complex and contradictory. She wanted to see Fu Jianzhi truly discard Ruan Chen, whom he had picked up, as if she were worthless, so that it would prove him wrong. But she knew that if she actually saw this scene, she would be unable to bear it.
Ruan Chen carried the almost weightless Fu Jianzhi towards the group of people. The moment the twenty-two-year-old Fu Jianzhi looked up, the small figure in her arms completely disappeared.
A streak of light flashed and disappeared around Ruan Chen.
The sudden change startled Ruan Chen for a moment, causing her to miss Fu Jianzhi, who had been sitting cross-legged among a group of people, standing up a few steps away. His eyes were first confused for a moment, then clear and understanding, even with a hint of a smile, before returning to calm indifference and a little surprise.
He stepped forward and leaned closer, "Sister, is training over so soon today? You've already changed your clothes, is there no other training planned for today?"
Ruan Chen frowned slightly.
Even if she and Ruan Chen from the main timeline have the exact same face, there should be some difference between seventeen and twenty-six years old. How could Fu Jianzhi mistake her?
The group of people who had been sitting with Fu Jianzhi earlier recognized him and started whistling and teasing him from behind.
"Commander Fu, your little wildcat is here to see you again."
"Commander Fu, let's talk about this another day. Why don't you spend some time with your husband and help him relax?"
Fu Jianzhi waved at the group with slight annoyance, signaling them to disperse, and then hurriedly explained to Ruan Chen, "They were just joking around and had no sense of propriety."
Ruan Chen didn't know why Fu Jianzhi would mistake someone for someone else, nor did she know how the two usually interacted at this timeline, so she could only remain silent and meet Fu Jianzhi's burning gaze.
With just one glance, she sighed deeply in her heart.
He loves her.
That kind of careful, ingratiating gesture, a hidden yet insidious expression of cherishing.
“Ruan Chen,” Fu Jianzhi reached out to hook Ruan Chen’s hand. His hand was dry and strong, covered with thin calluses. “They’ve sent Chi Xiao over. Do you want to go take a look?”
Ruan Chen nodded.
Chixiao belongs to her, and that will never be wrong.
Seeing that she was not speaking, Fu Jianzhi seemed a little anxious, so he racked his brains to find small talk to talk to Ruan Chen, hoping to get her to answer a few words.
"Ruan Chen, I went to Crescent Bay a while ago and inquired about your Ruan family. Would you like to hear about it?"
Without waiting for Ruan Chen's reply, he continued, "Your father... Ruan Zhengde and his mistress who took his place are currently embroiled in a dispute over the division of assets, and numerous scandals have surfaced. The Ruan Group's stock price has dropped by thirty percent. There's also his illegitimate son and daughter."
At this point, Fu Jianzhi glanced at Ruan Chen's expression and, seeing that she was indeed listening attentively, breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Ruan Qin, relying on the support of several professors from the First Military Academy and the power of the Ruan family, actually killed the third young master of the Yu family over his sister Ruan Yunhan's petty jealousy with someone else."
“The Yu family and our Fu family have some personal ties. My dad is now considering whether to take this opportunity to join forces with the Yu family and give the Ruan Group a hard time.”
Ruan Chen could sense the people around her trying too hard to please her, but she had no intention of responding. She just found these things absurd and boring.
What connection could this timeline have with her?
"Ruan Chen, do you think I should tell my dad and ask the Fu family to help, or should I save it for you and wait for you to come in person later?"
As the two chatted, they arrived at the place where the Ten Famous Swords were kept. Ruan Chen broke free from his hand and still ignored Fu Jianzhi's words, only looking at the dull dagger on the control panel in front of her.
That is Chixiao.
The moment she saw Chi Xiao, she connected with his mental network.
"Ruan Chen, you still came looking for me."
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