Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Someone Among You Leaked the Information Chutang followed Jiang Shixu in a daze to the local police station to give a statement. At the station, once the police learned of Jiang Shixu's identity, their attitude toward them improved significantly. Jiang Shixu learned from the police that the person who reported the incident was a man, and the police had used technical means to trace the man's identity information. It was Gu Zechuan. One officer said, "The caller reported that his girlfriend had been kidnapped to Yuncheng, and also mentioned that the kidnappers might be in possession of firearms. After receiving the report, we immediately launched a search, and by the time we confirmed the destination and arrived..." These words were said to Jiang Shixu alone, and Ruan Chutang did not know about them. Soon, their statements were completed. Chutang walked out of the statement room. "You may go now," an officer said. "Officer, my little sister has been kidnapped—please, you have to save her... The person who took her... he's a madman. My sister is only eight years old. If she falls into that man's hands... I..." Ruan Chutang was extremely agitated, speaking in broken, tearful fragments. Although Ruan Jiaojiao was the daughter of Ruan Chutang's stepmother, they had spent so much time together that Ruan Chutang genuinely adored this half-sister. She never said it out loud, but in her heart she had long accepted Yang Xuelian and her daughter, treating them as her own family. If her little sister really never came back, she didn't dare to think about it... The police officer said, "The suspect crossed the national border by helicopter. We are currently attempting to contact the police of Country A to request their assistance in apprehending the suspect. We will notify you as soon as we have any news." Yuncheng was already near the border, and the abandoned building Fu Yuanzhou had chosen was not far from the border. The helicopter quickly crossed the border into Country A's territory, and the police could no longer pursue them. The Chinese police could only contact Country A's police and request that they arrest Fu Yuanzhou. Fu Yuanzhou and Zhou Yu had escaped by helicopter, while all of Fu Yuanzhou's other subordinates were arrested. Faced with Ruan Chutang's sobbing, Jiang Shixu knew that anything he said would be hollow and powerless, so he remained silent, simply standing by her side and gently holding her hand in silent companionship. Just then, Jiang Shixu's phone rang. He opened his phone and saw that the caller ID showed Uncle Ruan. Jiang Shixu instinctively glanced toward Chutang. Chutang was still talking to the officer about Ruan Jiaojiao and hadn't noticed Jiang Shixu's movements. "I'll take this call," Jiang Shixu said softly, squeezing Ruan Chutang's palm. He walked a little farther away and answered the phone. "Shixu, Jiaojiao has gone missing too. Where are you? Have you reached Yuncheng? Have you seen Fu Yuanzhou? Are both Tangtang and Jiaojiao in his hands? How's the situation? Is there any chance of getting them out..." The moment the call connected, Ruan Shaodong fired off a barrage of questions like a string of firecrackers. Jiang Shixu recounted the current situation to Ruan Shaodong in full detail. When Ruan Shaodong learned that his youngest daughter had been kidnapped to Country A by Fu Yuanzhou, his hand trembled, and his phone dropped to the ground. A burst of static came through the line. Soon, Yang Xuelian's voice appeared on the other end, sounding as though she had completely lost control of her emotions. ... After leaving the police station, Ruan Chutang followed Jiang Shixu onto a private plane and flew back to Jiangcheng. Jiang Shixu told Ruan Chutang about Fu Yuanzhou's conditions and also about the rescue plan he had originally devised. "So if no one had reported it, even though Fu Yuanzhou kidnapped Jiaojiao, you could still have saved her, right?" Chutang asked, a flash of resentment in her eyes after hearing everything. "Yes." Jiang Shixu lowered his gaze. "Just now at the police station, I asked the officers. The person who reported it was Gu Zechuan." "Gu Zechuan?" Chutang frowned deeply. "It's only been one night since I went missing. I normally have no contact with him at all. How did he know I was kidnapped?" "That's what puzzles me too. At first, it was your friend who couldn't reach you and called the police out of fear that something had happened to you. Later, I made a point of going home and telling both your family and mine to inform the police that you'd been found and that no more reports should be made. Logically, Gu Zechuan shouldn't have known you were unreachable, let alone that you'd been kidnapped." After more than three hours on the plane, Chutang's emotions had stabilized. What was done was done. Ruan Jiaojiao had already been kidnapped to Country A by Fu Yuanzhou. After the initial breakdown and loss of control, she had begun to calm down. "And he also knew I was taken to Yuncheng..." Ruan Chutang analyzed coolly. "Someone must have told him I was kidnapped by Fu Yuanzhou. Otherwise, he'd have to be in contact with Fu Yuanzhou's people—there's no other way he could know so much." Jiang Shixu's expression turned sharp. "The only people who knew you were taken to Yuncheng were..." ... At the Jiang family's old residence. Ruan Shaodong sat on the sofa with a furious expression, waiting for Jiang Shixu to return with Chutang. Three hours ago, when Yang Xuelian learned that Ruan Jiaojiao had been kidnapped by Fu Yuanzhou to Country A, she immediately fainted from anxiety. Now Yang Xuelian was in the hospital, and Ruan Shaodong was left alone at the Jiang residence waiting for Jiang Shixu to return. The Jiang family members all breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Jiang Shixu was safe and sound. As for Ruan Jiaojiao, the Jiang family was still quite worried after learning she had been taken, especially Lin Yueying. But after all, Ruan Jiaojiao wasn't a member of the Jiang family, so they couldn't possibly be as frantic as Ruan Shaodong and Yang Xuelian. Seeing Jiang Shixu return with Ruan Chutang, everyone rose to their feet. Ruan Shaodong was the first to rush up and ask about the situation. Jiang Shixu comforted Ruan Shaodong with a few words, then narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across everyone's faces one by one, a cold light gleaming in his eyes. "Which of you leaked the news that Tangtang was kidnapped by Fu Yuanzhou?" The Jiang family members exchanged bewildered looks. The old matriarch was the first to speak: "What do you mean?" A chilling aura emanated from Jiang Shixu's surroundings. He clenched his jaw with a stern expression. "Only you all knew about my plan, knew that Chutang had been taken by Fu Yuanzhou to Yuncheng. Before I left, I repeatedly stressed that no one should call the police. So why did someone still call the police?" "What! Someone called the police?" Xu Jingxuan's eyes widened in shock. "Could it be one of Sister Ruan's friends who called the police?" "No." Jiang Shixu spoke coldly. "Last night I already called Qin Yan and Zhengan. I asked them to help contact and notify Tangtang's other friends, including the one who initially called the police. They were all in the know, so it couldn't have been them." Jiang Shixu's gaze carried scrutiny as he swept it across everyone present one by one. "Brother, don't you trust us? Do you really think we called the police?" Xu Jingxuan looked aggrieved. "You repeatedly told us not to call the police before you left. How could we possibly have called them?" Lin Yueying said, "That's right, Shixu. Although I was worried about your safety as your mother, I ultimately agreed to your rescue plan. There's no way I would call the police and hinder you from saving her." Jiang Shixu remained unmoved, his expression still cold. "Of course I know it wasn't any of you who called the police—it was Gu Zechuan. But one of you must have leaked the information."