Ye Yi took a detour to buy water, which took less than ten minutes.
He returned to the original spot with two bottles of water in hand but couldn't see Jiang Mian.
His memory was always good; they had parted ways right here. That was correct.
Ye Yi's brow furrowed slightly. He took out his phone from his pocket and called her.
After a long ring, no one answered.
A perfectly fine person, had she gone back already?
Ye Yi had a bad feeling. He casually grabbed a passerby, skillfully conversed in English, and asked if he had seen Jiang Mian.
The other person politely nodded, then said he hadn't seen her, with a tone of regret, "Sorry..."
He let go of the person and sat on the bench, continuing to dial.
The phone in the corner vibrated twice, appearing exceptionally faint on the bustling street.
Ye Yi stood up and kicked the bench.
Was she annoyed with him and had ditched him?
He had kicked with too much force and seemed to have hit something.
Ye Yi bent down to take a look.
It was a phone with a pink lucky money case on it, behind the leg of the long bench. If he hadn't kicked it in frustration, no one would have noticed.
Ye Yi recognized it; it was Jiang Mian's phone.
He picked up the phone. The screen had a slight crack.
Ye Yi rubbed it a couple of times. As far as he knew, Jiang Mian had just gotten a new phone.
This mark must have appeared recently.
The phone was dropped here, but the person was gone?
He pinched his temples, his expression turning serious.
Ye Yi tapped on the phone and called Li Zhu Yi. As soon as the call connected, he impatiently asked, "Has Jiang Mian returned to the hotel?"
"Aren't you guys together? I haven't seen Sister Mian. Mr. Ye, wait a moment, I'll go knock on her door to check."
Ye Yi let out a sigh and told himself to calm down, "Okay."
Although only a few seconds had passed, it felt like an eternity to Ye Yi.
Li Zhu Yi knocked for a long time and said into the microphone, "Sister Mian probably hasn't returned. I knocked, and there was no one there."
"Okay, I understand."
...
Eight o'clock in the evening.
The room was brightly lit.
Ye Yi leaned on the sofa, his eyes closed.
But Li Zhu Yi knew he wasn't asleep.
She rubbed her hands and stood up, "Mr. Ye, if it really doesn't work, shall we ask our partners to help us look?"
"Look for what? Tell them a grown person is missing? Who would believe that?" Ye Yi opened his eyes.
From noon until now, there had been no news of Jiang Mian.
Ye Yi was certain something had happened to her.
Feeling an unspeakable anxiety, Ye Yi thought for a long time, grabbed his phone, and made a call, "Ye San, help me find Ji Zhixiu's number."
"Now?" Ye San was surprised.
"Yes, Jiang Mian is in trouble." His voice carried a hint of regret.
He shouldn't have left Jiang Mian at that moment.
Ye San's expression became solemn, "Okay, please wait."
After hanging up, Ye Yi gripped his phone.
Li Zhu Yi timidly asked, "Mr. Ye, you want to find Mr. Ji? I have his number."
Ye Yi immediately said, "Send it to me!"
Ji Zhixiu had just finished a meeting. He came downstairs wearing a shirt.
Aunt Song looked up and saw him, unable to help but smile, "Does Young Master need any help?"
Ji Zhixiu raised an eyebrow, "No, I'm just getting myself a glass of water. Aunt Song seems to be in a good mood."
"Yes, isn't it Mid-Autumn Festival tomorrow? It's a holiday."
Yes, it was his birthday tomorrow. Jiang Mian would also return.
It was indeed something to be happy about.
A faint smile also appeared between his brows.
Just then, his phone rang. Ji Zhixiu glanced at the unknown number and answered.
"This is Ye Yi. Ji Zhixiu, no matter what, I think I have to tell you, Jiang Mian is missing." The voice on the other end was rapid and anxious.
The hand holding the phone tightened, and his expression instantly turned grim.
His entire face was covered in frost, and his voice was dangerous and chilling, "Say that again?"
"It's hard to explain in a few words. She went missing on the Champs-Élysées. If you have time, fly over tomorrow."
"No need, I'll be there tonight. Send me the address." He made the decision almost without hesitation.
After hanging up, Ji Zhixiu immediately made a call, instructing, "Sun Shu, prepare the plane, I'm going abroad."
Aunt Song didn't hear what was said on the other end, but she heard Ji Zhixiu say he was going abroad.
She wiped her hands and asked, "Young Master, are you going abroad now?"
Ji Zhixiu nodded, his face stern, "Yes."
"Will you be back tomorrow? If you're not back tomorrow, then what about the small cake in the refrigerator?" Aunt Song couldn't help but mutter, "It's been there for two days. If it's not eaten tomorrow, I'm afraid it will affect the taste."
"Cake?" The man asked in surprise.
"Yes, it was made the day the young madam left. She was afraid she'd be back late on the Mid-Autumn Festival, so she made one in advance, saying she'd make a new one when she returned if she had time." Aunt Song opened the refrigerator and took out the cake.
Ji Zhixiu's gaze froze. It was a single-layer small cake.
No fruit, just a formed cake covered in cream. On top were two three-dimensional chocolate figurines.
They were cartoon characters, very cute.
Ji Zhixiu had never felt so distressed.
For the first time, he wondered, what would happen to him without Jiang Mian?
He couldn't imagine it; he couldn't bear the consequences.
Ji Zhixiu quickly averted his gaze, looking at the polished floor, slightly blurred, "Just put it back in the refrigerator, I'll eat it when I get back."
"Okay, then we'll wait for Young Master and Young Madam to return together."
As he boarded the plane, Ji Zhixiu was still thinking.
How could a person suddenly disappear?
She had promised to come back to celebrate his birthday with him, and even made a cake for him in advance.
Or perhaps Ye Yi had ulterior motives and had taken Jiang Mian away.
He closed his eyes, allowing countless guesses to sprout in his mind, but found no anchor. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
...
This was the first formal meeting between the two men.
Neither of them had expected to meet under such circumstances.
One had a frosty demeanor and a powerful aura, appearing to lead an army alone.
The other was restless and filled with regret, his usually smiling face devoid of any mirth.
Ji Zhixiu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke first, "Hand over Jiang Mian."
Ye Yi looked incredulous, "Damn!"
He really couldn't hold back anymore! He never expected the old man's first words to be this!
Did Ji Zhixiu think he had hidden Jiang Mian to fight him for family assets?
For the first time, he experienced the feeling of having a mouth but being unable to explain.
Ye Yi gritted his teeth angrily, "Ji Zhixiu, if you're sick, go get treated! I asked you to come because you are her husband. It's more reasonable for you to step forward. Do you know that Paris is my territory? I have no less people here than you."
Compared to his excitement, Ji Zhixiu appeared much calmer.
He narrowed his long, slender eyes, looked Ye Yi up and down, and then said faintly, "What exactly happened?"
Ye Yi didn't care whether he believed him or not; the priority now was to find Jiang Mian.
He explained the situation in a few words and then sneered, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Li Zhu Yi. She's her assistant."
Li Zhu Yi quickly nodded, "Yes, Mr. Ji, that's how it happened."
"Where is her phone?" Ji Zhixiu asked.
"In the room upstairs."
The two were now in the hotel lobby. Because of their emotional agitation earlier, their voices had been too loud.
This caused the front desk staff to peek at them frequently.
Ji Zhixiu stood up, his voice calm, "Take me to get it."
The room.
Ye Yi handed the phone to him, "Here, I don't know the password."
Ji Zhixiu sneered, "Of course, you don't."
With that, he unlocked the phone in front of Ye Yi.
The screen stopped at the WeChat conversation window.
In the chat box was a line of text that had not yet been sent.
[Just finished work, should be able to go back tomorrow]
Ji Zhixiu's eyes ached. He could almost imagine the joyful mood she was in when she typed these words.
A suffocating feeling flooded his chest. Ji Zhixiu suppressed the unease in his heart.
Returning to WeChat, he then said, "No clues, all contacts are normal."
Ye Yi hadn't expected to see anything from this. He chuckled, "While waiting for you, I wasn't idle either. I've managed to get the surveillance footage from that street at the time. Let's watch it together."
"By the way, if you want to rest, I can watch it alone." He paused and added.
Ji Zhixiu didn't respond, "Watch."
First was the surveillance from the shop closest to Jiang Mian at the time, which was on the opposite side of the street.
It could clearly capture people's faces.
The two sat on the sofa, and the computer began to play the surveillance footage.
Ye Yi skipped to the time when he left to buy water.
The surveillance showed Jiang Mian sitting in a chair waiting for a while, then taking out her phone and looking down to send a message.
Immediately after, two men appeared in front of her, their backs to the surveillance.
Soon, in the frame, the two were about to turn their heads, but at that very moment, the crowd suddenly became larger.
It was as if a large group of people had suddenly surged from all directions, surrounding them.
The three merged into the crowd, completely obscured, and became indistinguishable.
When the crowd thinned, Jiang Mian's whereabouts could no longer be seen.
Ye Yi frowned as he watched, "Wait, let's look at the surveillance from the shop with its back to Jiang Mian now, we'll definitely be able to see their faces."
He moved the mouse to the timestamp.
In the frame, Jiang Mian was sitting on the bench with her back to the camera.
Two men appeared in the lens. Their features were ordinary, the kind of appearance that, once lost in a crowd, could never be distinguished again.
Ye Yi was certain, "This was premeditated!"
Ji Zhixiu stared at the screen, "The people who suddenly surrounded them were working with them."
The two looked at each other and said in unison, "This is a kidnapping targeting her."
Li Zhu Yi couldn't help but ask, "But if it's a kidnapping, why hasn't anyone called for ransom yet?"
Ye Yi: "The goal is not money, but her."
Ji Zhixiu had to admit that his possibility was correct.
He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve some of his fatigue, "I've already instructed people to investigate."
Li Zhu Yi's heart pounded, "Then should we call the police?"
Ye Yi rubbed his forehead, unusually serious, "No offense, but those police officers are not as effective as my people. And most importantly, Jiang Mian is a public figure. If this matter is exposed, it will be very detrimental to her."
He thought for a moment and instructed, "Keep this matter strictly confidential. Don't tell Sister Ning the truth either. Just tell her that I've arranged for Jiang Mian to go abroad to study. All work will be suspended during this period, and her social media accounts will operate normally."
Li Zhu Yi tearfully nodded, "Okay, I understand, Mr. Ye."
"Go back to your room and rest," Ye Yi waved his hand.
He hadn't slept, and this little girl had stayed up with him.
Li Zhu Yi wanted to say that she couldn't sleep at all.
Sister Mian was more than just a boss to her; they were like sisters.
She didn't know how she was doing now, and she was extremely worried, but she still nodded obediently, "Okay, if you need any help, you must tell me!"
After she left, Ye Yi took a deep breath, "You should go too."
Besides Jiang Mian, he had nothing else to say to Ji Zhixiu.
Ji Zhixiu stood up, his gaze falling on Ye Yi, and his thin lips parted, "I will handle her affairs. You don't need to worry about it."
Ye Yi suddenly stood up, anger burning within him, "Ji Zhixiu! The more you don't want me to get involved, the more I'll tell you, her affairs! I'm going to handle them!"