The two pairs of eyes met, a silent standoff.
Ji Zhixiu was neither rushed nor angered. He simply asked indifferently, "In what capacity are you interfering in her affairs?"
Night Wing narrowed his eyes, presenting his reasoning, "On the grounds that she was taken when she was with me, I have a responsibility to find her. Moreover, she is also a member of our company."
Both parties knew each other well and had never truly held each other in high regard.
Now, being brought together over the same person, neither found the other pleasing.
Ji Zhixiu pondered for a moment. With Night Wing's help, it was indeed a good thing.
After all, he was the last person to have been in contact with Jiang Mian.
He frowned as he looked at him and conceded, "If there's any news, I want to know immediately."
Night Wing, unwilling to be outdone, replied, "Me too."
The two parted ways.
Ji Zhixiu did not book a new room, opting to stay in Jiang Mian's.
In the room, all her luggage remained unpacked.
In the bathroom, there was still her frequently used hair clip.
Every item served as a reminder of Jiang Mian's presence.
Ji Zhixiu sat on the edge of the bed, forcing himself to calm down.
Who, precisely, had meticulously planned to abduct Jiang Mian?
Countless speculations flashed through his mind. In reality, he hadn't slept for forty-eight hours.
Yet, at this moment, he felt not a trace of drowsiness.
Ji Zhixiu found the charger and plugged in Jiang Mian's phone.
How good it would be if the phone were still with her. In this passive situation, Ji Zhixiu closed his eyes.
On the other side, Night Wing was not faring any better.
He had already contacted all his contacts in Paris. He would be notified immediately if there was any news of Jiang Mian.
But so far, there was nothing.
This was definitely not a good sign. A grown person had simply vanished.
Had she already left Paris?
That would broaden the search area, making it even more difficult to find her.
That night, neither of them slept.
...
When Jiang Mian woke up, her head was still a little hazy.
The bumpy sensation beneath her made her instantly realize she was likely in a sealed vehicle.
Everything was dark. Her hands and feet were bound.
Her mouth, however, was not taped shut like the hostages in the dramas she had acted in.
But Jiang Mian did not think this was an oversight on the part of her captors. Instead, she believed they were confident that even if she cried for help, it would be useless.
Thinking of the handgun she saw just before she lost consciousness made her scalp tingle.
It was a real gun; Jiang Mian was certain.
She had once filmed a television series where she played a war correspondent.
The director, to help the actors immerse themselves, had specially brought a real gun for them to feel.
Jiang Mian remembered it vividly.
That was why she didn't cry for help at the time, unsure of who the people were.
If she had caused a panic on the street, the situation would have been difficult to manage.
But Jiang Mian had never imagined she would find herself in such a predicament. She let out a bitter laugh and instinctively reached for her phone.
Then she remembered she had accidentally dropped it on the ground when she was being taken away.
Jiang Mian sighed and began to feel around.
The inside of the vehicle was clean, with nothing there.
She reached for the vehicle door and, with her back against it, pulled hard with her hands. Something outside the door likely made a noise.
It produced a clatter, which quickly alerted her captors.
"The woman in the back is awake," a male voice said first.
His voice was rough but he made no effort to conceal it from Jiang Mian.
Jiang Mian immediately held her breath, released her hands, and slowly slid to the floor.
"So she's awake. It's fine. We'll be taking her out soon, and the mission will be complete," another male voice said.
"That's true, haha. I didn't expect this job to be so simple. We'll get paid once it's done."
"Just a young woman, how difficult can it be?"
"I heard this woman is quite a famous actress in China. I was just afraid of causing trouble for the boss."
"You kid, you're always so timid."
Soon, the two began to chat and laugh again, discussing topics that Jiang Mian couldn't understand.
Jiang Mian's mind raced. Judging by their accents, they were likely Chinese.
Taking her out? Where would they take her, out of Paris?
Night Wing should know she was missing and would be looking for her now.
Jiang Mian couldn't help but hug her knees. She didn't know how long she had slept or what time it was.
She had promised Ji Zhixiu that she would return for his birthday.
This time, she would likely have to break her promise.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she suppressed the panic in her heart. Ji Zhixiu would find her, he definitely would.
After an unknown period, the vehicle suddenly stopped.
Jiang Mian looked up as the vehicle door was opened, and the two men pulled her out.
Before Jiang Mian could even look around, her eyes were covered with a black cloth.
The leader said, "You take her inside."
"Aren't you coming too?"
"I'll smoke a cigarette outside and be right there."
"Alright, I'll take her inside first."
The man pulled the rope in Jiang Mian's hand and walked forward.
Jiang Mian couldn't see, so she could only follow his steps instinctively.
Perhaps the darkness amplified her other senses. Jiang Mian smelled something of smoke and alcohol.
She could also hear the sounds of lively conversations in various languages.
The man led her in a straight line, like a long secret passage.
Within it, she felt isolated from everything.
Jiang Mian guessed that this must be a public place.
Soon, the man pushed her into a room. "You stay here."
"Wait," Jiang Mian called out to him, "Can I ask where you are taking me?"
The man sneered and stopped. "You're quite pretty. To tell you the truth, I don't know where you're being taken either."
As he finished speaking, he untied the rope on Jiang Mian's hands and said with a hint of warning, "You just stay put. I'm not afraid to tell you, you can't escape from here."
After he left, Jiang Mian understood what he meant by "can't escape."
It was a completely sealed room, without even a window.
There was only a bed.
The door was firmly locked from the outside.
Jiang Mian untied the ropes on her feet and tried to open the door, but it was useless.
Unwilling to give up, she searched the entire room, not even sparing the space under the bed.
Unfortunately, she found nothing.
Jiang Mian felt somewhat dejected. Judging by the men's behavior, they didn't seem to intend to harm her.
Nor did they seem to be after money.
Had she offended someone without realizing it?
She bit her lip, thinking hard, but still couldn't recall any useful information.
There was also nothing in the room.
She forced herself to calm down. No matter what, she had to conserve her energy. If she needed to run later, she would have the strength to do so.
...
At seven in the morning, the two met in the hotel lobby.
Ji Zhixiu carried Jiang Mian's pink suitcase and sternly informed Night Wing of his decision, "I'm going back to China today."
Night Wing scoffed, "You're going back to China before the person is even found?"
He had his own matters to attend to, but he wouldn't explain himself to Night Wing.
Ji Zhixiu glanced at his watch, "I've left someone in Paris, and he will contact you. If you want to return to China, I won't stop you."
His calm instructions only further enraged Night Wing.
Night Wing lunged forward, grabbing his collar, each word as if squeezed through clenched teeth, "Do you know how long Jiang Mian has been missing? You've only been here a short while and you're leaving again? Ji Zhixiu, do you even have her in your heart?!"
Whether he had her in his heart was not something he needed to prove to anyone.
Ji Zhixiu did not answer. His voice was extremely cold, "Let go."
Getting closer, Night Wing finally noticed the bloodshot veins in his eyes.
He paused for a second, instinctively loosening his grip. "You can go. I'll stay in Paris."
"As you wish."
Ji Zhixiu dropped the three words and left the hotel.
Xiushui Villa.
Lu Cong sat on the living room sofa, bellowing, "Aunt Song! Where has Xiu Ge gone? Why haven't we seen him yet?"
He had arrived early in the morning and had been waiting for a long time.
Aunt Song came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands, and said with some difficulty, "This... I don't know. The young master went abroad after taking a phone call that day."
"Oh? There's such a thing?" Lu Cong sat up straight. "Whose call was it?"
"How would I know? Third Young Master, you're making things difficult for me."
Lu Cong waved his hand, "True. To go abroad so suddenly after a phone call, what could have happened?"
He then quickly spat, "It's a holiday today, let's not say anything inauspicious."
Lu Cong didn't wait long before Shen Muyuan and Chang Qin arrived.
Shen Muyuan looked around, "Why is it just us? Where is the protagonist of today's event?"
With companions present, Lu Cong immediately poured out his troubles, "I want to know too! I came without eating breakfast this morning, and Xiu Ge isn't home."
Shen Muyuan asked, "What about Jiang Mian?"
"Right," this reminded Lu Cong. He loudly called out again, "Aunt Song! Where is your mistress—"
"The young madam is working and not at home."
Not at home? Lu Cong frowned. "That's not right. Today is Xiu Ge's birthday, and it was Little Sister-in-law who asked me to come. Why wouldn't she be home?"
Chang Qing said softly, "Perhaps she hasn't finished working yet. She hasn't rushed back, and besides, it's still early, no need to rush."
Lu Cong nodded, "Qingqing is right. We're idle anyway, shall we play a few hands of mahjong?"
Chang Qin replied, "That's fine, it'll pass the time."
As they were talking, Aunt Song came out again and said, "Gentlemen, I called the young master. He said he's flying back from Paris right away."
Lu Cong clicked his tongue, "By the time he gets back from Paris, the birthday will be over."
Wouldn't that be a waste of Little Sister-in-law's good intentions?
Chang Qing's brow furrowed slightly. "Did something happen between them?"
"Forget it, forget it. What else can we do? We can only wait." Lu Cong shook his head. "Okay, Aunt Song, can you get us something to eat?"
"Alright, Third Young Master, please wait a moment."
Aunt Song opened the refrigerator and took out the cake from the outer packaging.
Lu Cong's peripheral vision caught it, and he raised his eyebrows, amused. "Aunt Song, what is this ugly thing? Does Xiu Ge's refrigerator have this kind of stuff?"
Aunt Song was a little embarrassed. "This is a cake made by the young madam for the young master."
Lu Cong's interest was immediately piqued. "I take back what I just said. Can I have a taste?"
Shen Muyuan also looked over.
Aunt Song hesitated, "This... the young master isn't back yet. Isn't it inappropriate?"
"What's wrong with that? It's just a cake, Xiu Ge won't be that stingy." Lu Cong turned to the others, "Don't you want to try it?"
Shen Muyuan paused. "I am indeed curious to try her cooking."
Chang Qing shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
Chang Qin shot Lu Cong a look. "Are you really that desperate for a bite? It's a cake made by someone's wife for Xiu Ge, have some shame."
"Fine," Lu Cong muttered, "I just wanted to see if it tasted as bad as it looked. I won't eat it then."
He called out, "Put it away, Aunt Song. I won't eat it!"
Aunt Song breathed a sigh of relief and put the cake back.
She took out a plate of fruit from the refrigerator and brought it out. "Third Young Master, please order whatever you'd like to eat. Aunt Song will make it for you."
"I knew Aunt Song was the best. She pities me for not having breakfast this morning. Just give me some dessert, Aunt Song's cooking is always delicious. Our maid is nowhere near as good as Aunt Song. I really envy Xiu Ge."
Aunt Song was flattered and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes. I just learned a new dessert recently, I'll make it for Third Young Master right away."
Shen Muyuan smiled and shook his head. "Lu Cong, your mouth..."
"What about my mouth?" Lu Cong got up from the sofa. "Stop chattering and come play mahjong."
"Coming."