Chapter 56 Published
Ji Ruan went to the studio with Cheng Zizhan first.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Cheng Yunxiu who had been waiting inside. She was wearing a light green cheongsam and had her long hair tied up behind her head. She looked particularly gentle and intellectual standing in the studio filled with Han embroidery products.
She must have just made some tea. When she heard the door open, she turned around and walked over to him. "Xiao Ruan, come in quickly. You're finally here."
"How are you? Are you okay?" Cheng Yunxiu asked with a smile.
Ji Ruan took the teacup and curled his eyes: "It's okay, there's no problem walking normally, but you can't do strenuous exercise yet."
"Okay, okay, that's okay. We don't need you to do strenuous exercise here." Cheng Yunxiu took Ji Ruan inside and asked Cheng Zizhang to put the things away.
She took Ji Ruan directly to see her workshop.
Just like in the photo, it was simple and cozy. The sofa in front of the window was a small lazy sofa. Ji Ruan tried to sit on it. When he looked up, he could see the layered shadows of the trees outside the window and some butterflies flying around the flowers.
It would be really pleasant to take a break and have a snack here after a hard day's work.
Ji Ruan stood up, leaned against the windowsill and looked back at Cheng Yunxiu: "Thank you, teacher, I really like it... and thank you, senior sister."
His eyes were full of surprise as he spoke, with a few clusters of golden sunlight falling on his eyelids, giving him a look of innocence.
Cheng Yunxiu couldn't help but walk forward and lean on the windowsill to see what scenery made him so happy.
Cheng Zizhang didn't come in, but leaned against the door frame: "I knew you liked this."
Ji Ruan tilted his head: "What?"
"My mom originally wanted to make you an antique one," Cheng Zizhang said, "but I thought you would prefer this warm and lovely one. We even had a fight, but in the end she still did what I asked."
Ji Ruan smiled: "They are all good."
He walked to the small cupboard again. An entire wall of small shelves was filled with various silk threads, emitting a soft luster under natural light.
Ji Ruan was stunned for a moment.
Cheng Yunxiu looked at Ji Ruan's expression, thought for a moment and said, "Since we have nothing to do this afternoon, why don't we just embroider something for fun?"
"Hey, this is good, this is good," Cheng Zizhang immediately agreed, "We can use the same semi-finished sample, but embroider it according to our own ideas. In the end, we'll see how big the difference is. Maybe we won't even be able to tell it's the same thing!"
This way of playing is very interesting. Ji Ruan and her mother and sister used to play it often. Although they used the same picture, the finished products they embroidered were different, which showed the differences in their personalities and ways of thinking.
"OK."
Ji Ruan responded with a smile. The weather in May was unusually warm, and two layers of clothing were a bit too thick for him, so he took off his coat and put it on the table, then went to the large workshop outside with Cheng Zizhan and his daughter.
The cell phone in his pocket was left on the small table along with his coat.
·
West City Villa.
"drop!"
There was a sound of the door opening, and then it was closed neither lightly nor heavily.
Gu Xiuyi casually placed the small cake in his hand on the dining table, took off his suit jacket and walked upstairs.
The villa was very quiet, revealing an eerie emptiness.
Gu Xiuyi looked at his watch. Aunt Zhao had asked for leave today, so he came back a little earlier. It was just past 4:15 in the afternoon.
By this time Ji Ruan should have already had his nap, and now he would either be lying in bed watching TV and eating cherries, or reading the secretary's exam key points.
But now it's too quiet.
The whole villa was deserted and lifeless, which was very unusual. Even if Ji Ruan watched TV without turning on the sound, he would not have felt this way.
And if Ji Ruan was memorizing, that would be even more inappropriate. Every time he memorized a knowledge point, he liked to read it out loud, muttering to himself and shaking his head while memorizing.
Gu Xiuyi even teased him, saying that he looked like the elementary school students in ancient schools who shook their heads while reading "zhihuzheya".
Gu Xiuyi paused for a moment, then quickly walked upstairs.
The door of Ji Ruan's room was wide open, and the gauze curtain in front of the window was half drawn, with the corners swaying in the breeze.
The TV was turned off. The lucky cat on the bedside table was smiling alone with its half-broken paw raised up. The candy jar that was originally placed in the most conspicuous place on the desk was gone.
The nerves in Gu Xiuyi's brain began to tense up.
He took a few steps forward and pushed open the door of the bathroom in Ji Ruan's room, but no one was there. He quickly turned to the cloakroom, where clothes of all seasons were hung, but there was no sign of Ji Ruan.
Gu Xiuyi took a quick look and keenly noticed that there was a row of suitcases on the left wall where they were stored. The suitcases were neatly arranged from large to small, but the smallest white one was missing.
Needless to say, what the missing suitcase meant, Gu Xiuyi's head suddenly became congested.
He took out his cell phone and called Ji Ruan. He waited with all his patience for the long ring to ring through, but no one answered.
A second later, he dialed the number a second time without saying a word, and strode out of the room, holding on to the last glimmer of hope and checking the villa from top to bottom.
Ji Ruan was indeed missing.
He dragged his suitcase and ran away without saying a word!
It’s the smallest suitcase!
Gu Xiuyi sank into the sofa with his hands supporting his forehead. For the second time, he was in the embarrassing situation of returning home and looking for Ji Ruan but couldn't find him.
But this time is far different from last time.
Last time, Ji Ruan clearly told Aunt Zhao that he was going out to play with his classmates. He also reported all his itinerary very well. He also answered the phone and waited for him to pick him up.
This time it disappeared directly!
Ji Ruan disappeared with the smallest suitcase? !
Normally, a suitcase of that size might only be enough to hold two or three days' worth of luggage, which meant that Ji Ruan was not planning to be away for too long or too far, and that meant he was planning to come back.
But since you're coming back, why don't you tell him?
Now, isn't leaving without saying goodbye tantamount to running away from home?
The more Gu Xiuyi thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed. He forced himself to calm down and think about where Ji Ruan could have gone.
Is it school? Or is he going out to play again? ... How much stuff can be packed into such a small box? There won't be much left after taking a sugar jar, and he still has to bring so many medicines.
So stupid, he doesn’t even know to take the bigger one.
Gu Xiuyi frowned and kept searching for Han Xiaolin's number in the text message records. He had asked Song Ling for it once, but it was not saved in his address book at that time.
Fortunately, he seldom actively sends text messages to others, so he found it after a while and immediately pressed the dial button.
"Hello? Who is this?" Han Xiaolin's voice rang out loudly.
Gu Xiuyi tapped the coffee table with his fingers, trying to remain calm: "Hello, I'm Gu Xiuyi."
There was a burst of ping-pong noises from the other side, as if something had been knocked over, and then Han Xiaolin continued to speak, but his voice was obviously much more awkward: "Gu, Mr. Gu, what can I do for you?"
Gu Xiuyi: “…”
Gu Xiuyi was almost accustomed to other people's submissive attitude towards him.
But this is Ji Ruan's friend after all. He took a deep breath and tried to slow down his tone: "Don't be nervous. I want to ask if Ji Ruan is with you now? Has he moved back to the dormitory?"
Han Xiaolin said: "Ah? No, he is not with me. I haven't seen him for several days."
As he spoke, there was a rustling sound from the other side. Han Xiaolin was holding his phone and mumbling, as if he was communicating with someone:
"Hey, Mr. Gu, we just confirmed that Ji Ruan didn't say he would move back today. He always said he would come next Monday, and no one has seen him."
"——Well, what happened to him?"
Gu Xiuyi stopped tapping on the table, tightened his fingers, hesitated for a moment and said, "...I came home from get off work and found that he was not at home. Now I can't contact him."
"ah?!"
There was a sudden clamor on the other end of the phone. I guess all the roommates had gathered together, talking at once about looking for someone and calling the police.
Gu Xiuyi pinched his brows to stop him: "Okay, don't worry, I'll continue looking, but if he contacts you later, please be sure to tell me."
"Hey, hey, hey, okay, I know, Mr. Gu!" Han Xiaolin said repeatedly: "Let's look for it ourselves and see if there are any clues! If there are any, let you know as soon as possible!"
"It's troublesome."
After hanging up the phone, Gu Xiuyi thought carefully for a moment and called Cheng Zizhang again.
It was exactly the same as Ji Ruan's situation. The phone was not turned off, the line was not busy, and it was not out of service area. It just kept ringing and no one answered.
Gu Xiuyi put away his phone, perhaps realizing something.
·
"No, what happened? Ji Ruan ran away from home?" Qin Shan felt unbelievable while cleaning up the spilled Coke on the ground.
Han Xiaolin frowned and searched on his phone: "That's impossible. Where can his body of Lin Daiyu go? Even if he wanted to run away, he would definitely come to us for help."
Qin Shan rolled his eyes and thought it made sense: "You are smart."
Li Yu came out with a mop and motioned Qin Shan to go aside: "Besides, Ji Ruan and Mr. Gu have a good relationship, why would he run away? It doesn't make sense."
"Got it!" Han Xiaolin suddenly sat up straight.
"What's the matter?"
"Can I see it?"
The two of them rushed over to Han Xiaolin and saw Cheng Zizhang's circle of friends on the phone screen -
A few interior photos, with the caption: The new workshop is ready, waiting for the owner to come and inspect it~
The release time is 11:30 am.
Li Yu seemed to be thinking: "This is probably prepared for Ji Ruan, so he must have gone to find the senior."
Han Xiaolin: "Yes, I remember that my senior sister also posted photos of the workshop on WeChat Moments several times before, but it was not yet fully decorated at that time."
Qin Shan could only nod: "You are all right."
Suddenly he looked at Han Xiaolin: "When did you get the senior sister's WeChat?!"
·
Gu Xiuyi received a call from Han Xiaolin not long after. The other party was still very noisy and spoke very fast. Before he could open his mouth, he told him his findings all at once:
"Hey, Mr. Gu! Something's happening! Ji Ruan must have gone to see Senior Sister Cheng Zizhang to see his new workshop! I've also found out the address for you: No. 465, Second Avenue, Baiguo Road..."
Gu Xiuyi: "...Thank you, I was just about to rush over."
"Ah?" Han Xiaolin was stunned for a second: "You found it out too?"
"Well," Gu Xiuyi stared straight ahead: "Thank you for the address, though. Sorry to bother you today."
"Don't bother me, don't bother me... Then, then you can get busy first?"
The monitoring room was unusually quiet. Four or five staff members surrounded Gu Xiuyi in front and behind. They all looked at the screen in front of them without saying a word, following his gaze.
That was the surveillance footage from the southeast gate exit of the villa area at 1:38 p.m.
A playful white sedan drove out of the door. After being enlarged in the screenshot, two faces appeared clearly in the front windshield.
The girl driving the car was pretty, and the passenger seat was——
The guy in the co-pilot seat was holding a candy jar and laughing so hard that his eyes could not be seen. The corners of his mouth were raised high, and his dimples looked like they were filled with honey.
To be honest, I looked a little silly because I was laughing so happily.
When the technician enlarged the picture and took the first look, he couldn't help but sigh: "How many years must it be since you went out to have fun to be this happy..."
Gu Xiuyi: “…”
The technician was then ruthlessly hit on the back of the head with a hammer by the duty manager.
The manager smiled apologetically: "Mr. Gu, look, this is your child, right? Do you know the lady next to him? Do you need me to call the police for you?"
Although the child's expression had already revealed the nature of the matter, the manager still asked Gu Xiuyi in a professional manner.
Gu Xiuyi crossed his arms, his expression showing nothing unusual: "No need."
He paused, his eyes lingering on the manager's face for a second: "He is my lover."
The manager was stared at so hard that his expression froze for a moment, and then he tried to keep smiling: "Yes, yes, my love, it's my love, look at my mouth."
Although it was just a false alarm today, it did not stop the manager from breaking out in a cold sweat.
Even though Gu Xiuyi seems calm now, his expression when he first entered the monitoring room scared the manager so much that his legs are still weak.
The manager quietly wiped his sweat, not daring to think about it. What if Mr. Gu’s child... Oh, no, his lover, what if his lover really disappeared from the area under his jurisdiction and he couldn’t find her, then his position as manager would be over.
·
The entrance to the studio is a glass door with a wind chime hanging in front of it, which will jingle when a guest pushes the door open.
Gu Xiuyi stood outside the door and saw what was inside through the gaps between several screens.
Ji Ruan and Cheng Zizhan, mother and daughter, sat together by the window. In front of the three of them were embroidery frames. They talked and laughed while they embroidered.
I don’t know what they talked about, but Ji Ruan smiled very sweetly.
Gu Xiuyi stood outside the door and looked at Ji Ruan quietly for a long time, until he managed to calm his chaotic mood, then he pushed open the door.
The sound of wind chimes attracted the people inside. Ji Ruan turned her head, and when her eyes met Gu Xiuyi's, her beautiful eyes widened slightly, and the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window were reflected in her eyes.
"Why are you here?" He raised his head and looked at Gu Xiuyi who came to his side in just three or two steps.
Gu Xiuyi first greeted Cheng Zizhang and her daughter politely, then leaned forward slightly and placed his hand on Ji Ruan's shoulder with restrained strength:
"I have something to do, can you come out for a moment?"
Ji Ruan looked at him inexplicably and nodded: "Okay..."
Gu Xiuyi raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing an extremely restrained smile, and walked out with Ji Ruan in his arm.
Ji Ruan felt that Gu Xiuyi was a little strange today, but a few seconds were not enough for him to figure out the whole story. He only knew that the man was so strong that he pinched his shoulder so hard that it hurt.
When he got to the door, Ji Ruan looked inside and made sure that Cheng Zizhang and the others couldn't hear him before asking, "What on earth is going on—"
Before he could finish his words, Gu Xiuyi pulled him into his arms. He gasped in surprise, and Gu Xiuyi's unique aura instantly enveloped him completely.
Gu Xiuyi had never hugged him with such great strength before. His hands held his shoulders, spine and back tightly, leaving him no room to move.
Summer was approaching, and both of them were only wearing thin clothes. Gu Xiuyi's body temperature was so high that Ji Ruan felt as if she was about to melt into him.
Ji Ruan was confused and at a loss as to what to do.
In a trance, he seemed to hear his own deafening heartbeat again, strong and powerful, beating at an unimaginable speed.
Wait... The remaining rationality told Ji Ruan that his own heartbeat had never been so strong and healthy.
Whose is that?
A flash of lightning flashed through Ji Ruan’s mind.
"you……"
He tried to put his palm between the two tightly embraced bodies, and pressed it against Gu Xiuyi's chest through his shirt, feeling the mad movement of his heart, and felt a little worried:
"……How are you?"
Then Gu Xiuyi froze.
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