After taking care of Rong Jingyang’s morning routine, Du Ruoxin said, "I'm leaving," and departed the hotel.
Rong Jingyang didn't stop her, nor did he say anything more.
It was as if her presence or absence was of no consequence to him.
Only after the woman disappeared behind the door did the icy depths of the man's eyes gradually deepen, as if he were calculating something.
"Tsk—"
Qin Yunxi sighed and looked at Rong Jingyang playfully, "Are you really at ease leaving your little white rabbit wife with that hungry wolf, Christino?"
In his opinion, it would be much simpler to keep such a pure, easily deceived, and kind wife confined at home. That way, she wouldn't be coveted by others or constantly worry about being cheated on.
Rong Jingyang shot Qin Yunxi a glare.
—
Exiting the room, Du Ruoxin saw Trevor waiting anxiously.
"Miss!" Trevor rushed forward.
Du Ruoxin's heart sank with a premonition. As she walked, she asked, "How is it?"
Trevor's expression was grave, as if the sky had fallen. "Our people arrived too late; the victim's family has all been controlled by Rong Jingyang."
Du Ruoxin's steps faltered: "—"
Trevor continued, "We can't even get into the detention center. I don't know how Mr. is doing."
Du Ruoxin glanced in the direction of the room door, then turned and said, "Mm."
Taking out her phone, she called Grace. Upon learning Grace was at a bookstore near the hotel, Du Ruoxin asked Trevor to drive there.
Grace was already waiting downstairs. Seeing the Rolls-Royce pull up, she got into the back seat.
Du Ruoxin immediately noticed a rash on her friend's neck and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
Grace subtly dodged, "Nothing, an allergy."
"Ah? This is the first time I've seen you allergic. Did you go to the hospital? What's the allergen?"
Grace: ...Scumbag.
Ever since Christino stripped her and almost got her gang-raped, she had become allergic to scumbags.
"They couldn't find out. The doctor prescribed some medicine, and I'm almost better." Grace didn't want her sister to worry about her affairs and changed the subject, "How are you? I called you last night, but you didn't pick up."
Standing naked in the bathroom, she had been mortified.
Unable to go out or call Qin Yunxi, Grace had called Du Ruoxin.
However, the call was hung up after only two rings.
Helpless, Grace had to wash her clothes and wait for them to dry before leaving the bathroom.
"You called me? When?" Du Ruoxin hadn't heard any ringing.
It must have been Rong Jingyang who hung up.
She and Rong Jingyang were the only ones in the room; if not him, then who else?
Seeing Du Ruoxin's rosy complexion, plump and tender like dewdrops, Grace couldn't help but tease, "Uh-huh, it looks like your talk went smoothly?"
Du Ruoxin knew Grace was hinting that she had a pleasant night with Rong Jingyang, and her face flushed.
But considering Trevor would relay the message to her elder brother, she sighed mournfully, "Alas—"
"Rong Jingyang's legs have lost all sensation."
Du Ruoxin leaned against Grace, looking dejected, "I originally thought I could leave without any worries or debts."
"But seeing him like this—"
Grace gently stroked Du Ruoxin's head. She wanted to comfort her but, with Trevor present, some words couldn't be spoken.
She also sighed deeply and said, "He'll probably get better, right?"
Du Ruoxin: "Mm."
When she returned to E City, she would ask Rong Jingyang's attending physician about the severity of his condition and whether he could recover.
But the most important matter at hand was to rescue her elder brother first.
Du Ruoxin looked at the driver's seat, "Trevor, has the heat been suppressed?"
Trevor's tone was heavy, "Someone wants to keep the heat on, preventing us from settling this privately."
It went without saying that this person must be Rong Jingyang.
Du Ruoxin felt a headache coming on.
Her elder brother and Rong Jingyang... their relationship had become so strained, fighting to the death, all because of her.
Now, how to ease the situation?
Du Ruoxin's head ached even more.
Christino and Rong Jingyang together were a dead end, impossible to break.
She had initially been determined to divorce Rong Jingyang and decided not to revolve her life around him anymore. But after seeing him, she couldn't pretend not to see him, nor could she resolutely file for divorce.
At least, not until Rong Jingyang recovered, she couldn't say the words.
"Have you hired a lawyer? Have you seen my elder brother?" Du Ruoxin asked.
Trevor's expression became even more somber, "We've tried many methods, but they won't let us see him."
They were only short of resorting to extreme measures like kidnapping high-ranking officials or acts of terrorism.
If things truly reached a point of no negotiation, they wouldn't hesitate to turn France into a battlefield of smoke and fire.
Du Ruoxin: "..."
Trevor paused for a moment and asked for instructions, "Miss, should we inform the Duke and Duchess?"
Upon hearing the names of her father and stepmother, Du Ruoxin instinctively replied, "No, I'll try to find a way first."
If her stepmother saw her, there would be even more trouble!
Trevor knew Du Ruoxin's precarious position within the family, so he didn't say any more. "Yes."
Du Ruoxin looked out the window, her face twisted like a rope.
She wasn't without crooked methods to rescue her elder brother, but—
She couldn't overcome this hurdle in her heart.
Over a dozen lives, killed so casually.
How was her elder brother, who disregarded human life so easily, any different from a terrorist who massacred innocents and harmed civilians at will?
Du Ruoxin felt a pang of distress in her heart.
"Trevor, is there a temple nearby?" she asked.
Trevor choked slightly. They were discussing ways to save her brother, so why did Miss suddenly want to go to a temple?
After a moment of silence, he said, "Xiao I, navigate to the nearest temple."
The artificial intelligence system Xiao I replied, "Okay, Master."
The group arrived at a temple located on a small island.
Du Ruoxin lit incense and knelt devoutly before the Bodhisattva, remaining there for several hours until the sun set and night fell.
Grace and Trevor exchanged glances, both utterly bewildered.
Since when did Ruoxin start praying to gods and worshipping Buddha?
Did she think that if her heart was sincere enough and she offered enough incense money, she could move heaven and earth to save Christino?
Besides, the Rothschild family resided in Europe; shouldn't they believe in Jesus?
What use was it to come to this temple of Bodhisattvas?
Seeing that it was dark, Grace wondered how long Du Ruoxin would continue kneeling. She moved closer and whispered, "Sister Xin, it's time for dinner."
Du Ruoxin clasped her hands together in front of her chest and said with her eyes closed, "I'm not hungry."
Grace: ...Is she planning to keep kneeling?
Fine, she would kneel with her.
Time ticked by. Grace couldn't fathom what Du Ruoxin was thinking, but suddenly, a chilling voice came from behind them.
"Xin'er, what wish did you make?"
Christino approached Du Ruoxin, lifted her up, and with a smile on his lips, asked, "I heard you've been kneeling for five hours. Is it for me?"