Chapter 150

Chapter 150: Good Thing You Never Married Into the Jiang Family Ruan Shaodong called the police, and they arrived quickly. After learning the situation, the police explained that since Ruan Jiaojiao had been kidnapped in Jiangcheng, they had the authority to file and investigate the case. They would cooperate with the Yuncheng police and the authorities of Country A to capture Fu Yuanzhou. However, the question they were arguing about—who exactly had leaked the information to Gu Zechuan—was not within the police's jurisdiction. The police told them to sort it out themselves. After the police left, Elder Mrs. Jiang, who had taken her medicine, had no intention of letting Ruan Chutang off the hook. The old lady insisted relentlessly that Ruan Chutang apologize to Xu Jingxuan. Ruan Chutang sneered. "Apologize? Is she worthy?" "You—" Elder Mrs. Jiang glared at Ruan Chutang. "Good thing we never let you marry into our Jiang family!" Lin Yueying and Jiang Shixu frowned simultaneously. Lin Yueying said, "Mom, please don't be like this. Tangtang just went through a kidnapping and nearly lost her life. And she only suffered this calamity because of our family. Her sister's life is still hanging in the balance. Yes, she struck Jingxuan, but that was just a momentary impulse..." Jiang Shixu frowned and said coldly, "It was I who asked Uncle Ruan for Tangtang's hand in marriage. It wasn't that she wanted to marry into our Jiang family. Please don't say such things again." Ruan Shaodong's eyes were filled with disdain. "We don't covet your Jiang family. Tangtang, come home with Dad." Ruan Chutang: "Alright." She looked Elder Mrs. Jiang straight in the eyes, icy cold. "I will get to the bottom of the leak. If I find evidence that Xu Jingxuan was the one who did it, I will not let her off." With that, Ruan Chutang turned to leave, but Jiang Shixu grabbed her wrist. "Tangtang..." Chutang lowered her gaze to the man's well-defined hand and said coldly, "Let go." Jiang Shixu pressed his lips together but didn't move. Ruan Chutang shook off Jiang Shixu's hand, her eyes flashing with ruthlessness. "If Xu Jingxuan leaked that information, even if it means making an enemy of you, even if it means making an enemy of your entire Jiang family, I will make her pay." Jiang Shixu was stunned, and a dense, aching pain suddenly spread through his chest. Why didn't she believe he would stand on her side? If Xu Jingxuan really had leaked information to Gu Zechuan, he would be the first to go after her. Why would Tangtang automatically assume he would protect Jingxuan and become her enemy? Jiang Shixu's Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't utter a single word. After saying her piece, Ruan Chutang left without a moment's hesitation. "Stop right there!" Elder Mrs. Jiang shouted angrily. "Since when does the Jiang family allow you to run wild here? You hit someone and think you can just walk away? What do you think this place is?" "Grandma!" Jiang Shixu had lost all patience, his cold voice laced with irritation. The words weren't loud, but they carried immense authority. Elder Mrs. Jiang suddenly fell silent. Xu Jingxuan, tears streaming down her face, gently bit her lower lip and reached out to tug at Jiang Shixu's sleeve. "Brother, I really..." Jiang Shixu shoved Xu Jingxuan away forcefully, then turned and walked upstairs while making a phone call. Xu Jingxuan was pushed so hard she nearly fell. She shot another look of hatred at Ruan Chutang's retreating figure. After the father and daughter from the Ruan family left, Elder Mrs. Jiang kept muttering without end. Lin Yueying cast a faint glance at Xu Jingxuan, said nothing, and turned to go upstairs as well. Jiang Yi listened to the old lady droning on like a chanting monk, his head throbbing painfully. He furrowed his brows and rubbed his temples wearily. "Mom, you're being a bit unreasonable. The Ruan family has gotten into trouble several times because of us. How can you still hold such a grudge against Tang?" Elder Mrs. Jiang was furious. "What do you mean I hold a grudge against her? She just slapped Xuanxuan right in front of us! Without a shred of evidence, she just came up and slapped her! What kind of father are you? Your own daughter was hit, and instead of backing her up, you're saying I'm being unreasonable? Who's the unreasonable one here?" Jiang Yi let out a long sigh. "It's true that she shouldn't have hit Jingxuan without cause, but you said some pretty harsh things too. Forget it—things have already escalated to this point. There's no use dwelling on it now." With that, Jiang Yi left as well. Xu Jingxuan sat down beside Elder Mrs. Jiang, sobbing pitifully. "Grandma, it's all Xuanxuan's fault. I've always known Sister Ruan doesn't like me. Getting slapped doesn't matter to me, but it made you so angry, and I'm really worried your health will suffer. Please calm down." Elder Mrs. Jiang looked at Xu Jingxuan with heartache, reaching out to gently stroke her face. "Good child, you've been wronged. Does it still hurt?" Xu Jingxuan shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "It doesn't hurt anymore, Grandma." Seeing the red, swollen mark on Xu Jingxuan's face, Elder Mrs. Jiang was deeply distressed and immediately ordered the servants to boil eggs to soothe her face. Jiang Shixu called Lu Ze and asked him to look into the recent movements of Xu Jingxuan and Gu Zechuan. ... Meanwhile, after leaving the Jiang residence, Ruan Chutang and Ruan Shaodong first went to the hospital to see Yang Xuelian. Yang Xuelian had woken up, but her emotions were still very unstable. The moment she saw Ruan Chutang, her eyes immediately turned red. "Tangtang, your sister... your sister..." Yang Xuelian sobbed, unable to speak through her tears. Ruan Chutang felt a pang of sadness watching her and said some words to comfort her. "Auntie, Fu Yuanzhou wants to use Jiaojiao as a hostage to negotiate terms with Jiang Shixu, so Jiaojiao shouldn't be in any immediate danger right now. Don't be too upset—please take care of yourself." There was sense to this reasoning. Although Fu Yuanzhou was a heartless madman, he was also a master schemer. Killing Ruan Jiaojiao would bring him no benefit. On the contrary, keeping her alive to use as leverage against Jiang Shixu was the smarter move. Ruan Chutang calmed herself down, desperately trying to convince herself that Ruan Jiaojiao still had value to Fu Yuanzhou, and that he would surely spare her life. ... After leaving the hospital, Ruan Chutang went to a nearby phone store, bought a new phone, and got a replacement SIM card. The moment she turned it on, a flood of missed calls and unread messages poured into her phone. Chu Tang skimmed through them—calls and texts from Jiang Shixu made up more than half, and the rest were from Ruan Shaodong, Yang Xuelian, and her friends and colleagues. After that terrifying night, she was finally safe. With her new phone in hand, Ruan Chutang immediately contacted Xiao Xiao. "Chutang-jie?" Xiao Xiao sounded incredulous, her voice thick with tears. "Are you okay? I couldn't reach you last night, and I was so worried. I was afraid something had happened to you, so in a panic, I called the police. How are you? Where are you now?" Ruan Chutang didn't want to drag unrelated people into this mess, nor did she want to worry her friend, so she didn't mention being kidnapped by Fu Yuanzhou. She replied softly, "I'm fine now. Sorry about that—something came up last night and I couldn't get to your call." Xiao Xiao let out a sigh of relief. "As long as you're okay." Chu Tang then asked, "Where are you now?" "I'm at the hotel." "Send me the address. I'll come find you." Xiao Xiao gave her the address. They had just left the Jiang residence, and the Ruan family driver had taken them to the hospital. When she left the hospital, she'd taken the car with her. Ruan Chutang checked the navigation—the hotel wasn't far, about a ten-minute drive away.