"I have money too, can you let me go?" Jiang Mian asked tentatively.
Ren Fei chuckled, "How much money can a little star like you have?"
Did that mean there was room for negotiation?
Jiang Mian mused that her relationship with Ji Zhixiu had long been public. Had the news not reached this side yet? Did these people not know?
She steadied herself and said, "But my husband is rich, and he loves me very much!"
Ren Fei raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You're married? Who is your husband?"
"Ji Zhixiu."
"Ji Zhixiu?!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, don't you follow entertainment news? You can check. Everyone knows about our relationship," Jiang Mian said earnestly.
Ren Fei raised his hand to interrupt her, his expression grave, "I understand. Get some rest."
If this person was truly connected to Ji Zhixiu, it would be a bit troublesome.
After all, he had no reason to cross Ji Zhixiu for this deal.
He turned and left the room.
On the yacht's observation deck, Ren Fei glanced over, and a subordinate understandingly brought him his phone.
Ren Fei made a call, and the other end quickly answered, "Didn't I tell you not to contact me unless it's important?"
Ren Fei's face darkened, and he accused, "You lied to me! You said she was just a celebrity with no background!"
The voice on the other end was calm, "Of course. Would I harm you? You're doing work for me, and I'm paying you handsomely."
Ren Fei narrowed his eyes, "Then why didn't you tell me she was Ji Zhixiu's wife?"
If he kidnapped his wife, would Ji Zhixiu let him off the hook?
Just thinking about it made Ren Fei regret taking the job.
The other party hadn't expected Ren Fei to find out so quickly, but he didn't panic. Instead, he said, "Does it matter whose wife she is? What matters is that she's in your hands now."
"You deceived me," he repeated.
"How is that deceiving you? You didn't ask, so I didn't say," the voice replied.
Ren Fei cursed him mentally for being cunning, "I'm not taking this job anymore. I'll send her back immediately."
"No!" the other party immediately became anxious, "That's against the rules of our business. Who backs out after accepting a job? You've already taken my money!"
"I'll return your money. If we're talking about rules, then you deceived me first. You know yourself, if people had known she was Ji Zhixiu's wife, would anyone have taken this job?" Ren Fei countered.
He could be on good terms with Ji Zhixiu, but he absolutely could not be on bad terms.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Ren Fei didn't rush, waiting patiently for a reply.
After a long while, the voice said, "Are there no other options?"
Ren Fei sneered, "Can you guarantee Ji Zhixiu won't come after me? If you can, I'll continue."
"Alright," this time, the other party agreed quickly, "Don't worry about returning the money. I'll handle sending her back myself. That way, you'll have nothing to do with it. Send her to Kolon Island first, and I'll arrange for someone to pick her up and send her back."
The other party's arrangement also served to distance him from the situation.
Ren Fei nodded, "Okay, that's the plan. I'll notify you when we reach Kolon Island."
After hanging up, Ren Fei turned and ordered, "Treat this woman well, provide her with good food and drink. Try to satisfy any reasonable requests she has."
The subordinate replied respectfully, "Yes."
Jiang Mian waited in the room for a long time, guessing that Ren Fei must be investigating her background.
When she mentioned Ji Zhixiu, the other party's reaction suggested some apprehension.
If that was the case, could she use Ren Fei to her advantage? As long as Ren Fei sent her back, everything would be fine.
As she was thinking, she saw one of Ren Fei's subordinates enter.
The man was carrying food and said respectfully, "My master said that Madam Ji's requests will be met as much as possible. I imagine Miss Ji must be hungry, so please eat."
Jiang Mian looked at him, "I want to make a phone call to reassure my husband."
"No," Ren Fei walked out from behind him, refusing.
If she reassured him, what if she let something slip? He couldn't bear that responsibility.
Jiang Mian was displeased, "You just said you would try to satisfy any requests, and now you've changed your mind?"
"Anything else is fine, but this is absolutely not possible."
Jiang Mian was furious and then said, "Then tell me, where is this? What's the date today?"
"It's September first today, and we are at sea," Ren Fei answered without a flaw.
Jiang Mian was shocked. It was already September first? Had she been missing for so many days?
Ji Zhixiu must be frantic.
"This is my only request, let me make a call. Don't worry, I promise not to say anything I shouldn't," Jiang Mian knew what he was worried about and quickly promised.
Ren Fei shook his head, "Madam Ji, we will send you back soon. You don't need to do anything unnecessary."
Jiang Mian almost thought she misheard, "What did you say? You're going to send me back?"
"Of course. You are Ji Zhixiu's wife, someone we should not have touched. I've decided to send you back. Madam Ji, can you rest assured now?"
Jiang Mian looked at him suspiciously. Although it was hard to believe, Ren Fei clearly had no reason to lie to her.
But Jiang Mian wasn't foolish, "Will the person behind you agree to you sending me back?"
Upon hearing this, Ren Fei became somewhat angry, "He deceived me in the first place. He hid your identity despite the high risk of this job. What if I don't do it now? What can he do to me? The mistake isn't mine. His agreement to send you back is him being pragmatic."
Jiang Mian was stunned. Sensing his anger, she couldn't help but ask, "Is the 'he' you're referring to male or female?"
Ren Fei sized her up with a half-smile, "Madam Ji doesn't need to know that."
He knew very well what he should and shouldn't say.
Not getting an answer, Jiang Mian shrugged, "In that case, thank you."
"You're welcome," Ren Fei personally handed her the food, "If you need anything, just tell my subordinates. Enjoy your meal, and I'll take my leave now."
As he spoke, silence returned to the room.
Jiang Mian didn't rush to eat. She realized she had overlooked something.
There was a window in the room. Jiang Mian moved a stool, climbed onto it, and saw the churning sea outside, stretching to the horizon.
The surroundings were vast and blue, with no discernible landmarks.
She couldn't even see the shore clearly.
Jiang Mian felt a sense of deflation. Although Ren Fei said he would send her back, she still felt uneasy.
Without knowing who the person behind all this was, Jiang Mian found it hard to relax.
But since things had come to this... Jiang Mian looked down at the sumptuous meal and decided to eat first.
...
Jiang Mian had been missing for half a month, vanishing without a trace, as if evaporated by the sea.
Night Wing was fully focused on searching for her until Night Three reminded him that perhaps he should investigate the mastermind.
It was obvious who had the motive to do this.
Night Wing's first thought was Luo Fei; such a despicable tactic would be in line with his style.
However, after Night Three investigated thoroughly, it was discovered that Luo Fei had been swamped with problems.
The Luo family's newly acknowledged illegitimate son was both brave and resourceful, not inferior to Luo Fei.
He was highly favored by Old Master Luo and was currently quite influential within the Luo family.
Behind the scenes, he had been constantly hindering Luo Fei, who had been busy trying to regain Old Master Luo's favor and truly had no time to bother with Jiang Mian.
Thus, Night Wing shifted his focus to Shen Tingyu.
Upon seeing the information Night Three provided, Night Wing was surprised, "She's blind?"
Night Three nodded, "Absolutely true. Can we rule her out as a suspect then?"
"No. Who commits a crime and does it personally? Being blind only means she can't see, not that she hasn't done anything wrong," Night Wing stroked his chin, "Besides, she hasn't exactly seen eye to eye with Jiang Mian for a day or two. Investigate her for me."
Night Three said, "Shen Tingyu is not in the country right now. She has gone abroad for eye treatment."
"Which country? Which hospital? What's the procedure?"
Night Three rubbed his nose, "Do we need to be this detailed?"
"Of course." For some reason, Night Wing had a hunch that this matter was related to Shen Tingyu.
If she was truly involved, it was hard to imagine what insane things she might do given her personality.
"Then I'll go investigate."
Night Three took a step, then paused as if remembering something and said, "Jing Yiyi found me and asked you to call her back."
"No," Night Wing replied without hesitation.
Night Three twitched his lips, "You're quite heartless towards such a beautiful young lady."
In his opinion, Jing Yiyi was quite suitable.
Why pine for Jiang Mian, someone with no prospects?
Night Wing curved his lips, "Do you like her?"
His demeanor didn't seem like he had Jing Yiyi in his heart.
Night Three shook his head, "I shouldn't have spoken."
He withdrew from the office.
Night Wing leaned back in his office chair, spun around, his mind in a jumble.
Jing Yiyi was good, there was no need for her to waste her time on him.
A person's heart is very small, so small that once it holds one person, it can no longer make room for anyone else.
Jing Yiyi was so angry she wanted to throw her phone. Night Wing hadn't answered her call!
He must think she was going to pester him again!
But this time, it really wasn't like that!
She had something to tell Night Wing!
She angrily got up, but then her steps faltered, and she went upstairs to change.
When Jing Yiyi arrived at the company building, she saw Night Wing walking out.
She quickly waved and shouted, "Night Wing! Night Wing!"
Seeing that the man not only didn't stop but walked faster, about to get into a car, Jing Yiyi became anxious.
She ran forward a few steps, panting, and blocked him, "I called you... didn't you hear me?"
Night Wing's lips curved into a smile, and he looked at her in surprise, "Miss Jing, what a coincidence. I really didn't see you."
Jing Yiyi didn't have time to correct his address or ponder if he truly hadn't heard her. She gasped for breath and said, "I have something to tell you, really!"
Night Wing's smile remained unchanged, "But I'm very busy right now."
Seeing that he didn't seem inclined to listen, Jing Yiyi became anxious, "I promise I'm not here to say anything else. Can you please listen to me? If you don't listen to this, I guarantee you'll regret it!"
The urgency on her face seemed genuine.
Night Wing slowly narrowed his beautiful phoenix eyes, "What do you want to say?"
Jing Yiyi licked her lips, glanced around to ensure no one was near, stood on tiptoe, reached his shoulder, and whispered quickly, "I might have news about Jiang Mian!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jing Yiyi, fearing he might be displeased, immediately stepped back.
The woman's faint fragrance was close and then fleeting.
Night Wing froze for a second, then said incredulously, "How do you know?"
"It's a long story. When Night Three told me, I started paying attention to her news. Last week, the young master of the Lin family in Kyoto returned to the country and held a party, and I was there. During the party, he got drunk and bragged that he saw a Chinese beauty in a bar in Italy. Based on the description, I thought she resembled Jiang Mian. I found a photo of Jiang Mian online and showed it to him. He privately told me it was this woman," Jing Yiyi said earnestly.
After listening, Night Wing's smile disappeared, and his expression became serious.
Jing Yiyi felt a bit flustered. Was he angry? She shouldn't have interfered in Jiang Mian's affairs, but she just wanted to help him.
"Thank you, Jing Yiyi. This information is very useful. Do you know the bar?" Night Wing asked very seriously.
Unexpectedly, this was what he wanted to know, and Jing Yiyi breathed a sigh of relief.
She quickly nodded, "Yes, I do. I asked him to send me the name. Are you going?"
"Send it to me first. I'll go take a look..." Night Wing was speaking when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.