Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Afraid He'd Come to Die Meanwhile. After receiving Chen Yuanyuan's call and learning that Chu Tang had gone missing, Jiang Shixu's first thought was of Fu Yuanzhou. Since returning to China, Fu Yuanzhou's whereabouts had been erratic, his identity information pre-forged, and the phone card registered under someone else's name. Jiang Shixu had no way to contact Fu Yuanzhou directly—he could only passively wait for Fu Yuanzhou to reach out to him. But he couldn't wait. Not even a single second. The moment he thought of Chu Tang being in mortal danger, Jiang Shixu felt his vision darken in waves, a dull ache gripping his heart, his breathing turning labored. Forcing himself to stay calm, Jiang Shixu pulled out his phone and made a call. "I need to see Sun Licheng." The moment he hung up, an unfamiliar number came through. His sixth sense told him it was Fu Yuanzhou calling. Jiang Shixu answered immediately. "Good evening." The man on the other end spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice, drawling out a playful "Brother." Jiang Shixu's heart clenched. "Did you kidnap Tangtang?" Fu Yuanzhou chuckled. "Tangtang." After a brief, subtle pause, Fu Yuanzhou continued in his lazy tone, "Looks like I grabbed the right person. You really do still love her." Jiang Shixu's voice was sharp and stern. "If you have a problem with me, come at me directly! Don't you dare hurt Tangtang!" On the other end, Fu Yuanzhou seemed to let out a soft laugh. "Don't rush. I grabbed her precisely because of you." "Where are you?" Jiang Shixu pressed immediately. Fu Yuanzhou gave an address, then added, "Tomorrow morning at eight. Come alone. If you dare call the police, I'll make her disappear from this world forever." ... The next day. At an abandoned half-finished building in the outskirts of a border province. It was originally meant to be an entertainment complex, but when the funding chain broke, the developer was forced to pull out midway and halt construction, turning it into a locally famous abandoned site. It was famous because many film crews later came here to shoot scenes. After Chu Tang was bound and thrown into that car last night, the vehicle drove for about half an hour before stopping in an empty lot. Her mouth was gagged, and a black hood was pulled over her head. Then Chu Tang felt herself being escorted up a few steps. The sudden roar of helicopter rotors told her she'd just boarded a helicopter. She had no idea how long passed before the helicopter finally landed. Chu Tang couldn't see anything—she didn't know where she was. After getting off the helicopter, she was shoved into another vehicle. Chu Tang could feel the car speeding along, and when it took sharp turns, she nearly flew out of her seat if not for the seatbelt. The car raced for a while, then came to an abrupt stop. The moment it stopped, the door was yanked open. Chu Tang was roughly dragged out of the car, the hood still over her head. Everything was pitch black before her eyes, and she nearly stumbled and fell. "Brother Zhou, she's here." Chu Tang recognized this voice—it was the man with the impressive fighting skills who'd gotten out of the car last night. Hearing the words "Brother Zhou," Chu Tang's scalp went numb. The man who had nearly taken her life. Jiang Shixu had said he was a madman—no feelings, no humanity. Before Fu Yuanzhou even spoke, Chu Tang's heart tightened, fear spreading uncontrollably. Would she die here today? Suddenly, the hood was pulled off her head. Having been in darkness for an entire long night, being suddenly exposed to sunlight made Chu Tang feel dizzy and unsteady on her feet. Her body swayed, but she fought to steady herself, refusing to fall. "Miss Ruan, we meet again." Fu Yuanzhou looked at Chu Tang with a half-smile. Chu Tang recovered her senses and looked up to meet the man's gaze—then paused. She had seen this man before. That day when Yu Jiaojiao was in a bad mood, Chu Tang had been eating at a restaurant with her. After paying the bill, she'd run into a strange man and woman. The man had greeted her. At the time, Chu Tang had assumed he was a friend of a friend and hadn't thought much of it. She never expected that man to appear here. Chu Tang's gaze swept the area quickly. The two men who had kidnapped her last night were now standing before this stranger with their heads bowed in a reverent posture. Behind the man followed a group of subordinates. He was clearly the boss here. Could that "Brother Zhou" someone had called out have been referring to him? He was Fu Yuanzhou! Out of fear, Chu Tang instinctively took two steps back, her face paling slightly. This man before her was the one who had tried to take her life multiple times! The murderer who had nearly killed her father! Faced with a madman like this, she couldn't remain composed. "Afraid of me?" Fu Yuanzhou's beautiful peach-blossom eyes held a smile. Fu Yuanzhou's mother, Fu Nian, had once been a stunning beauty in the entertainment industry, and Jiang Yi, in his youth, had been a renowned young scion of a wealthy Jiangcheng family. Fu Yuanzhou had perfectly inherited his parents' looks—he took after his mother more than his father, his features so delicately refined they could only be described as "bewitching." Before Chu Tang met Fu Yuanzhou in person, she had always imagined him as a fierce-looking, burly brute of a man. She never expected him to look like this—when he smiled, he somehow gave off a harmless, almost innocent impression. Chu Tang swallowed nervously. "Capturing me is useless. I've already become a stranger to Jiang Shixu. You can't threaten him with me." "Ha." Seeing her step back, Fu Yuanzhou stepped forward, his eyes fixed on hers. "Whether it's useful or not, you'll find out soon enough." Fu Yuanzhou gazed into Chu Tang's eyes, a faint smile curving at the corners of his lips. "Miss Ruan truly is a rare beauty. No wonder both Jiang Shixu and Gu Zechuan can't seem to forget you." Chu Tang took another step back, a flicker of alarm passing through her eyes. "You know Gu Zechuan too?" Fu Yuanzhou shrugged nonchalantly, saying with mockery, "He's just a dog I keep. When I'm bored, I take him out for a walk—it's quite entertaining." Chu Tang frowned. From what he was saying, Gu Zechuan was his man. No wonder the Gu Corporation, on the verge of bankruptcy, had miraculously turned around overnight—so Fu Yuanzhou was pulling the strings behind the scenes. How did they even meet? Hadn't Fu Yuanzhou been abroad all this time? Chu Tang lowered her gaze, pondering the relationship between Fu Yuanzhou and Gu Zechuan, and stopped paying attention to what the man before her was saying. Seeing Chu Tang distracted, a flicker of impatience crossed Fu Yuanzhou's eyes, and his tone turned icy. "I'm talking to you." Chu Tang snapped back to reality. Remembering what Fu Yuanzhou had just said about her finding out soon enough, worry filled her eyes, and she immediately asked, "You've already notified Jiang Shixu?" "What? Worried about him?" Fu Yuanzhou glanced at her sideways with an unhurried air. "Didn't you say you've become strangers with no connection? Why are you still so concerned about him?" Fu Yuanzhou shoved his hands into his pockets and asked with a smile, "Afraid he'll come here to die?" Chu Tang feigned composure. "I just don't want to be responsible for someone's death. Even if it weren't him—if it were anyone else—I wouldn't want them to come risk their lives." "You think I'd believe that?" Fu Yuanzhou looked at Chu Tang with amusement. "You two really do love putting on a show. Since you love acting so much, put on a good, heartfelt performance right in front of me later. If I'm pleased, I might consider letting Jiang Shixu keep his body intact." Chu Tang couldn't bear to hear such cruel words. A chill ran through her, and her fear grew even stronger. Although Jiang Shixu had hurt her, and she had made up her mind to completely walk out of his world, she couldn't accept him coming here to lose his life. She only wanted Jiang Shixu to be safe and sound—even if they never contacted each other again, that would be fine. But if he truly lost his life trying to save her, she would live in the shadows for the rest of her days.