Jiang Yuxin was released.
As the four left the police station, the cries of Madam Chen could still be heard inside.
"You insolent girl! How dare you associate with such people! Do you know how close you were to falling into their trap?! If you were half as sensible as your sister, your mother and I could have lived a few more years!"
Jiang Yuchui scolded angrily as they stepped outside.
Yuan Xiuqin also shook her head and sighed; this child simply refused to give them peace of mind.
Jiang Yuxin responded defiantly, biting her lip as she glowered at Jiang Ruan, "Yes, yes, yes! She's your real daughter! I can't compare to her in any way! Are you satisfied now?!"
With that, she shoved past her elderly parents and ran off.
Stubborn, unreasonable, and beyond disciplining.
Jiang Ruan squinted at Jiang Yuxin's retreating figure, thinking that the girl needed some real discipline to make her behave.
She turned to her parents and said, "Mom, Dad, go home. She won't run far."
Jiang Yuchui sighed heavily, his face showing his age, "What about you, Ruanruan?"
"I still need to go to the shop and resign. I'll head home afterwards. Don't worry."
Saying so, she hailed a taxi and made sure her parents got in safely.
Yuan Xiuqin leaned out of the car and said lovingly, "Ruanruan, come back home early. It's not safe for a girl to be out alone late."
Jiang Ruan responded with a smile, "Okay."
Watching as the taxi pulled away with her parents inside, the smile on Jiang Ruan's face slowly faded.
She then took out her phone and sent a message.
[Keep an eye on the Chen Family. Make sure my parents are safe.]
An 'okay' symbol was sent back in response almost immediately.
She put her phone back in her pocket, only to notice...
She lifted her injured hand. The once clean handkerchief was now dyed red with blood.
The wound was exceptionally deep.
As she stared at the blood-soaked handkerchief, a man's cool voice echoed in her mind, and Jiang Ruan couldn't help but crack a smile.
She was thinking...
His whisper was quite sexy.
If he were to whimper, he'd probably sound sexier.
Her phone rang as she was lost in her amusing thoughts.
Pulling out her phone, she recognized the number and answered, "Thank you, Mr. Busy."
A cold voice came from the other end, "It's not often that I owe someone."
She laughed, "From the sound of it, are you planning to butcher me?"
"I won't be helping for free. The condition is you have to come to Beijing for studies."
Jiang Ruan replied with a sigh, "My teacher said I won't even make it to vocational school."
"Still not done messing around with those fools?" the man sneered.
Was she joking? Jiang Ruan failing an admission test?
All renowned schools across the globe would be begging for her to attend.
No one was good enough to be her teacher.
"I've arranged the apartment for you. You don't need to worry about a thing. You've spent enough time in Nanwan. My advice? It's better to keep some distance from your foster parents."
There was something more to his words.
Jiang Ruan looked down at her toes.
Her candy suddenly didn't taste as sweet.
"What about him? Have you found anything?"
She responded with a question of her own.
There was a momentary silence on the other end.
"He's dead."
"I don't believe it."
Her tone remained calm as she kicked her bicycle and moved to the roadside.
"Ten years and you still haven't given up."
Jiang Ruan ignored him. Her gaze, out of the blue, went to the willow trees across the road.
In the flickering shadows of the lamps, she spotted a figure standing there, blending into the dimly lit edge of the light.
She couldn't make out his face. He seemed to be absorbed into the soft moonlight, appearing snowy, appearing misty, both elusive and desolate.
She felt as if the man was looking at her.
Jiang Ruan squinted, trying to get a better look. Cars drove past, blocking her view. When she looked again, there was no one there.
It felt like a dream.
She awoke from her trance, her cheeks cold.
After a pause, she answered the man on the phone.
"He said he'd wait for me."
So, even if he hadn't asked, she would inevitably go to Beijing.