Chapter 142

Chapter 142: The Jiang Family Learns of Chu Tang's Kidnapping The night before. Ruan Shaodong's call came through to the Jiang residence. "Is Tangtang's disappearance connected to that illegitimate son of yours?" Ruan Shaodong demanded, barely suppressing his fury. Jiang Yi's expression stiffened. "What? Tang has gone missing? Have you called the police?" "The police are the ones who called me to confirm Tangtang's missing status. We've tried calling her dozens of times—it just goes straight to voicemail. Her aunt and I checked both her apartment and her law firm, but there's no sign of her." Ruan Shaodong's voice was laced with anger. "What about Jiang Shixu? What is he doing right now? Tangtang is missing and he's not out looking for her?" "We just found out that Tang has gone missing. Shixu is still at the company busy with work—he probably doesn't know about this yet. Let me notify him first. Don't worry too much—Tang should be fine. Maybe her phone just died. Once she charges it, she'll probably reach out to you on her own." Jiang Yi tried to reassure him. "Phone died? Impossible. Her aunt and I have been looking for her all night and haven't caught a single glimpse of her. Easy for you to say—you're not the ones whose child is missing, so you don't care at all!" Jiang Yi: "Shaodong, calm down." "Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down!" Ruan Shaodong grew angrier with each word, raising his voice to a roar. "If your Jiang Shixu suddenly went missing, would you be able to stay calm?" Jiang Yi's head was starting to ache from Ruan Shaodong's shouting. "Let's see what the police have to say first." Lin Yueying was sitting right beside Jiang Yi. Ruan Shaodong's voice on the phone was loud enough that she caught most of the conversation and roughly understood what had happened. She was very fond of Ruan Chutang—she treated her like a half-daughter. Upon learning that Ruan Chutang had gone missing, Lin Yueying couldn't help but feel anxious and worried. "What's going on? Tangtang is missing?" Lin Yueying couldn't help asking. Jiang Yi said a few more words to Ruan Shaodong before hanging up. "Yes. Shaodong says they can't reach Tang. He and Xiao Yang have been looking for her all night." Lin Yueying's brows knitted together with worry. "Have they called the police?" Jiang Yi replied, "They already have. In fact, it was the police who called them to confirm." "Does Shixu know? Hurry and notify him—let him help look for her too." "I'll call him right now." Just as Jiang Yi was about to call Jiang Shixu, Jiang Shixu called him first. Jiang Shixu got straight to the point: "Dad, you already know about Tangtang going missing. She's been kidnapped." Jiang Yi was shocked. "What! Kidnapped? What happened?" Jiang Shixu's eyes were dark and heavy, his tone laced with exhaustion. "It's Fu Yuanzhou. I'm on my way home now. Don't panic—wait for me to get back. And whatever you do, don't call the police." "Fu Yuanzhou?" Jiang Yi's face immediately darkened. "But Shaodong said they've already called the police." "What!" Jiang Shixu's fingers tightened, his knuckles turning white. He spoke sharply, "We can't involve the police! Fu Yuanzhou just called me. I was about to come home to discuss our options with you. If we recklessly involve the police, Fu Yuanzhou could kill the hostage at any moment—Tangtang's life would be in danger!" "Then what do we do now? The police already know Tang has gone missing." Jiang Yi frowned. "Wait for me at home. I'll be there soon." With that, Jiang Shixu hung up. Lin Yueying asked with deep concern, "What happened? Is there any news about Tangtang?" "It was Shixu on the phone." Jiang Yi's expression was grave. He hesitated for a long moment before speaking. "Tang has been kidnapped. The person who took her is... Fu Yuanzhou." "Fu Yuanzhou?" Lin Yueying's face changed instantly. "Him again? What grudge does he have against Tangtang? Why would he kidnap her out of nowhere? If it's because Tangtang was engaged to Shixu and he's kidnapping her to get revenge on Shixu—well, Shixu and Tangtang already broke off their engagement long ago!" Lin Yueying's brows furrowed deeply. "Shixu's scandal with Lanxi is all over the news, and hardly anyone outside knows about Lanxi's background—Fu Yuanzhou would have even less chance of knowing. The Ruan family has been peaceful for a while now. Why would Fu Yuanzhou suddenly kidnap Tangtang again?" Lin Yueying let out this long string of words in one breath, and Jiang Yi listened with a pounding headache. The man rubbed his temples. "If you're asking me, I don't know either. Shixu said he's on his way back. Let's discuss our options with him first. Oh, right—let me call Ruan Shaodong again and have him come over so we can all figure this out together." Lin Yueying was genuinely worried about Chutang's safety. The moment she thought about Fu Yuanzhou having kidnapped Chutang, she glared at Jiang Yi and muttered under her breath, "Fu Yuanzhou, Fu Yuanzhou—why is it Fu Yuanzhou again! Jiang Yi, look at what you've done. If you hadn't originally..." The moment Jiang Yi heard her about to dredge up old grievances, irritation flooded him and his patience ran out completely. Jiang Yi's tone was harsh: "Enough, enough! Drop it! How many years has it been now? What's the point of bringing this up? You'd be better off calming down and waiting for Shixu to come back so we can discuss a plan to rescue Tang." Seeing Jiang Yi snap at her, Lin Yueying's temper flared, and her voice rose another two notches. "I'm dredging up the past? What do you mean I'm dredging up the past! Jiang Yi, put your hand on your heart and ask yourself—have I, Lin Yueying, ever wronged you in any way? Ever since I married into the Jiang Family, I've given my all to every member of your family..." "Enough!" Jiang Yi cut her off sharply. "This is not the time to argue!" With that, he rose furiously, shook his sleeves, and stormed off upstairs by himself. Down in the main hall, Lin Yueying sat on the sofa, her eyes red with anger. Jiang Yi always said she liked to dredge up the past, but after all these years, that matter had never truly been resolved. It was a thorn in her heart, a hurdle she could never get over. After the anger subsided, a wave of grievance washed over her. Tears welled in Lin Yueying's eyes as she sat alone on the living room sofa, crying silently until her eyes turned red. The heated argument from the living room had reached the ears of one of the maids who happened to be working nearby. This maid was one of Elder Mrs. Jiang's trusted attendants, having served her for over twenty years. Whenever anything stirred in the household, she would promptly report it to Elder Mrs. Jiang. Sure enough, no sooner had Jiang Yi and his wife finished arguing than Elder Mrs. Jiang got wind of it. The maid relayed everything she had heard to Elder Mrs. Jiang in full detail. Elder Mrs. Jiang was taken aback, hardly able to believe it. "You're saying Fu Yuanzhou kidnapped Ruan Chutang?" The maid nodded gently. "Yes, Elder Mrs. Jiang." Elder Mrs. Jiang's expression darkened, a hint of anger rising in her eyes. "This is absolutely lawless!" Although Elder Mrs. Jiang of the Jiang Family greatly disliked Ruan Chutang, dislike was dislike—kidnapping was a criminal offense, a matter of life and death, and something she certainly could not tolerate. Besides, even though Fu Yuanzhou had never been acknowledged into the family, he was still her grandson, carrying the blood of the Jiang Family in his veins. She could not bear to see her own grandson commit such a crime. Elder Mrs. Jiang immediately called Jiang Shixu, telling him to come home at once. Jiang Shixu answered the phone and said he would be home shortly. After hanging up, Elder Mrs. Jiang asked the maid, "Where's Xuanxuan? Where is she?"