The dim and cramped room was filled with green smoke. The doors and windows had been nailed shut. The rising sun in the early morning shone into the room through the gaps in the window frames nailed with wooden bars.
The house had been in disrepair for many years and had a peculiar smell of corroded and moldy wood. The floor was littered with cigarette butts. Jiang Zhiyuan's face was hidden in the darkness. Only when he inhaled the smoke into his lungs could one vaguely see the expression on his face through the little red light that was burning.
It was a call from Jiang Se. He knew the number by heart and would never forget it.
Before he was ready to do this, he couldn't control himself and called Jiang Se. He didn't want to disturb her life, nor did he want to try to ask for anything from her.
He just had been alone for too long and really wanted to hear his daughter's voice.
Not through TV, not through the Internet, not listening to her talk to others, not through the cameras of those reporters' interviews, but letting her speak purely to him. Even if she just asked, "Excuse me, who are you?", it was enough for Jiang Zhiyuan.
That was the only time he acted impulsively and revealed his number and whereabouts. He thought at the time that he didn't say anything and Jiang Se quickly hung up the phone vigilantly. She must have guessed that someone had called the wrong number. He didn't expect that she would remember it, save the number, and call him at such a critical moment.
Jiang Zhiyuan spat out the cigarette butts in his mouth, let the phone ring, and turned to look at the corner.
There was a man tied up, with his simple bag piled next to him, filled with all his life's luggage: two old clothes, some cheap fast food, a few cartons of cigarettes, and nothing else.
He came into this world naked, and he could take nothing with him after his death.
From the moment he was about to take action against Feng Nan and decided to get rid of this scourge for his daughter, he never thought about living again.
Feng Nan hid in the corner, looking dazed and mentally broken.
When she was kidnapped, she threatened him and said she would deal with Jiang Se. After he dealt with her, she became much more honest and talked nonsense, saying that Jiang Se was not Jiang Se, not his daughter, but Feng Nan, who he had kidnapped in his early years. She spoke very convincingly.
Since hearing what Feng Nan said, Jiang Zhiyuan has been sitting here without moving.
He had opened most of the cigarettes that he had originally planned to smoke for a week.
He kept thinking about Feng Nan's words and whether Jiang Se was his daughter. He had been sitting there since yesterday without moving until Jiang Se called.
He has always been cautious. He managed to get the mobile phone number when he was in prison in Hong Kong. No one else knew about it. He only started using it after he resigned. The only person he contacted with this mobile phone number was Jiang Se.
She only made that one phone call and made a note of it.
She is a star, and she has friends, colleagues, relatives, and a husband around her. With so many people contacting her, she can still remember the number and save it. If this isn't the natural sensitivity of the father-daughter relationship, then what else could it be
He shouldn't have answered the call, but he could refuse warmth, refuse sunshine, refuse the whole world, but he couldn't refuse his daughter Jiang Se.
Jiang Zhiyuan stretched out his hand and pressed the answer button of the cell phone which had been ringing several times. The speakerphone was turned on and he smoked more quickly. In the dark space, there was a molecule called silence that was active in the air.
The person on the other end of the phone didn't speak, and he was silent too, and the atmosphere was almost frozen.
He recalled the only time he had spent with his daughter. She was still in swaddling clothes then and couldn't even speak, but she could smile at him as sweetly as honey. Even if she greeted him with "waaaaa" in words he couldn't understand, it would make him feel completely softened.
At that time, the father and daughter could still communicate, but I didn't expect that today, even through the phone, they are worse than strangers to each other and can't even say much.
Those memories were invaluable to Jiang Zhiyuan. He pulled the corners of his mouth, trying to show a smile like he did back then.
But I don’t know if it’s because time has passed too quickly and he has changed too much, but now it’s not as easy as it was back then to move the corners of his mouth.
He learned from Feng Nan about the honors she had obtained in this year, and that she had married into the Pei family, which was quite prominent.
She said that Jiang Se was actually Feng Nan, and her new husband was Feng Nan's childhood sweetheart. She said a lot and begged him to let her go.
But he didn't want to listen. Was she his daughter Jiang Se, or the girl 'Feng Nan' whom he had kidnapped before? Feng Nan's words didn't count now. Jiang Se had to speak for herself!
He didn't speak, as if he was waiting for something. The girl on the other end of the phone finally spoke first, and her voice was a little nervous:
"I'm Jiang Se."
She said she was Jiang Se.
She said she was Jiang Se!
Jiang Zhiyuan's stiff mouth corners lifted up. He raised his hand and pinched the cigarette butt in his mouth. He took a deep breath, and finally slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, then extinguished the cigarette butt on the muddy ground at his feet.
She is still his little princess, his flesh and blood, his bloodline, and the piece of flesh in his heart.
She was his, Jiang Zhiyuan's daughter. She didn't say she was Feng Nan. Jiang Zhiyuan's hands began to tremble. The smile on his face grew deeper and deeper, and the look in his eyes grew softer and softer.
"I know it's you."
Her voice sounded a little panicky at first, and he could also hear that she was trying hard to be calm and composed. The fear that she was trying to hide was betrayed by her slightly trembling voice. Jiang Zhiyuan stretched out his hand, trying to comfort his daughter with this action.
He wanted to tell her, what is there to be afraid of? Even if he hurt himself, he would never hurt her.
Even if one day he loses all his sanity and forgets himself, he will never forget his own flesh and blood.
"You were the one who took Feng Nan away, right?"
She is so smart.
Jiang Zhiyuan nodded with a smile. He remembered that his daughter was just born and had to be held in someone's arms all night before she could fall asleep. She would cry as soon as she was put on the bed.
At that time, Zhou Hui thought the little girl was annoying and he couldn't bear to scold her.
If Zhou Hui refused to hold her, he would hold her tightly and would not let go, coaxing and rocking her left and right, watching her fall asleep with her fists clenched. Even though Zhou Hui sometimes said that he doted on her too much, he would still tell her that their daughter was very smart and would have a great future.
"Where are you?"
She asked again, "Are you still in Hong Kong?"
He didn't say anything, but stood up from his chair, almost greedily putting his ear to the phone screen, listening to her talk and remembering her voice firmly in his heart.
Unfortunately, after she asked this question, perhaps because Jiang Zhiyuan did not answer, she remained silent for a long time.
She stopped talking, and he became a little anxious and opened his mouth.
On the other end of the phone, Jiang Se was a little uneasy. She had said so much before, but didn't get any response at all. Fortunately, the call was not hung up, which made her feel more confident that the person on the other end of the phone was Jiang Zhiyuan.
She was in great doubt. If this was Jiang Zhiyuan, if he kidnapped Feng Nan, if, as her grandfather said, he knew from Feng Nan that she was not Jiang Se, then what was he thinking about when he remained silent at this moment
"I'm still abroad now and will book a flight back to Hong Kong as soon as possible. If you're still in Hong Kong, I'd like to see you then."
Jiang Se took a deep breath, and while his inner reason was still able to overcome the fear, he said what he wanted to say:
"Before that, if Feng Nan is really with you, please don't hurt her for now, okay?"
She begged softly, but in fact she had no confidence at all whether he would agree.
If he knew that he was not Jiang Se, what kind of request would he make to her? She was still thinking wildly, and was still guessing that if the person on the other end of the phone was really Jiang Zhiyuan, he might sneer, just like the impression of Jiang Zhiyuan in her memory, with an indifferent expression and cold eyes.
She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists to cheer herself up, and was about to say something else. After a long time, the person on the other end of the phone, who had been silent, finally responded obediently:
"good."
His voice was a little hoarse, as if he hadn't communicated with anyone for a long time, and there was a sense of unfamiliarity and awkwardness when he spoke.
It was Jiang Zhiyuan’s voice.
His voice has taken root in Jiang Se's heart and the memory of it is quite vivid.
But his voice at this moment was a little different from what she remembered. It was no longer the cold and ruthless tone, as if he regarded human life as worthless. It had a chilling feeling, as if he had no emotions at all. Although he didn't say many words at this moment, his tone was gentle and full of obedience, as if he would not refuse any of her requests.
She felt a little frightened again, thinking that maybe she had heard wrongly. How could this man be so docile? Her grandfather had said that he was more dangerous than a tiger.
After confirming that the owner of the phone was Jiang Zhiyuan, Jiang Se was certain that he had agreed to meet with her and would not harm Feng Nan for the time being. Although he agreed easily, for some reason, Jiang Se vaguely felt that he would not go back on his word.
"Then I'll hang up first. I'll contact you after I return to Hong Kong."
She held the phone and waited for a while. When she didn't hear Jiang Zhiyuan say anything else, she tried to speak again. As soon as she finished speaking, he responded after a long pause:
"good."
This time he spoke much more fluently than before.
Jiang Se held her breath and pressed the hang-up button. Her heart only started beating wildly after the call was disconnected.
It felt like there was a rabbit living in her chest, jumping around and making her dizzy.
She panted for a long time before she recovered.
After hesitating for a long time, he called Feng Zhongliang again and told him Jiang Zhiyuan's cell phone number, asking him to check according to this cell phone number, which should be able to find out Jiang Zhiyuan's whereabouts.
She didn't dare to say anything about Pei Yi. No matter how well he hid, she could feel what he would do after he found out about Jiang Zhiyuan's whereabouts.
But it’s different for Feng Zhongliang. He found out Jiang Zhiyuan’s whereabouts. Even if it’s for his own sake, his grandfather would keep the matter secret and not let anyone make it public.
For his own sake, he would not execute Jiang Zhiyuan, nor would he make a big deal out of the matter. If Jiang Zhiyuan had not done anything to Feng Nan, Grandpa would find a way to settle the matter, Feng Nan would be able to live, Feng Zhongliang would not be sad, and Jiang Zhiyuan would be fine. This result was the best.
"Have you contacted him?"
On the phone, Feng Zhongliang was furious when he heard Jiang Se's words:
"When did you contact him?"
He asked repeatedly, "Didn't Grandpa tell you to be more careful? How did you get his phone number? How did you contact him? Do you know how dangerous he is? We don't know what Feng Nan will say when he is in his hands. Why don't you listen to me?"
Jiang Se didn't dare tell him that she had decided to meet Jiang Zhiyuan, for fear that his blood pressure would be high.
He cursed for a long time, and finally when his saliva had dried up, he warned Jiang Se with a sour face not to interfere in this matter anymore and not to have any private contact with a dangerous person like Jiang Zhiyuan.
In order to ease his mind, Jiang Se agreed to everything. The two talked for a while, and Feng Zhongliang looked at the time before hurriedly preparing to hang up.
With Jiang Zhiyuan's cell phone number, it would not be difficult to find him. It was just a matter of time. He was also afraid that the longer the delay, the more unexpected events would occur.
If Feng Nan had an accident, it would be difficult to cover up the matter, and a small matter would become a big one. He was anxious to go down and arrange people.
Many people couldn't sleep that night, and Jiang Se also suffered from insomnia, which was a rare occurrence.
She clicked on Xia Chaoqun's profile picture in the address book. It was late at night, but Xia Chaoqun had not yet gone to bed and was still working overtime.
Jiang Se proposed to rush back to Hong Kong temporarily. This request was quite abrupt. Some of the originally scheduled activities might have to be rescheduled or postponed. All of this preliminary work was contacted by Xia Chaoqun. Jiang Se also felt guilty for having to change his itinerary temporarily due to personal reasons.
"Why?"
Xia Chaoqun's message came back quickly. Her message was as calm as the impression she gave people. It seemed that she was not annoyed by Jiang Se's temporary change of schedule, but was just asking her for a reason.
“I have to go back to Hong Kong.”
Jiang Se sent this message, and Xia Chaoqun replied: "What time are you ready?"
She got the answer and didn't ask any more questions. This was one of the things Jiang Se liked most about her. She always knew her limits and knew when to stop asking and not to dig any further.
"The sooner the better."
After Jiang Se finished speaking, he paused for a moment and took the initiative to share his own affairs with her. At this moment, Xia Chaoqun was not only a partner who worked hand in hand with her, but also a friend she could rely on and a sister she could share her thoughts with:
"My father kidnapped Feng Nan."
When she typed the word "father", she felt a little awkward and hesitated for a long time. In the end, she didn't know how to explain to Xia Chaoqun the messy relationship between herself and Jiang Zhiyuan, so she sent the message anyway:
"I suspected he was in Hong Kong, so I contacted him and asked him to wait for me in Hong Kong."
"Can I help you?"
Xia Chaoqun's reply was beyond Jiang Se's expectation. She originally thought that Xia Chaoqun should clearly separate personal and professional matters and would not bring personal emotions into the working relationship. Her willingness to say these words at this time proved that in Xia Chaoqun's heart, she might not only be a partner and an artist.
"No thanks." Jiang Se refused her help. About half an hour later, Jiang Se received a ticket to Hong Kong. Xia Chaoqun called:
"The plane takes off at 5:30. I've notified Angie and booked a car to take you to the airport. Change your clothes and she will pick you up." She paused for a moment, her voice still calm: "Be careful. Remember, your contract with Century Galaxy will take many years to complete!"
Her awkward concern was hidden under her cold tone. Jiang Se couldn't help but pursed his lips:
"I know." She responded, "Sister Chaoqun, have I ever told you that I like you so much?"
"Yeah." She said calmly, "Hang up, I still have work to do."
She always acts so efficiently. Jiang Se smiled and changed her clothes. Mo Anqi came over quickly. She didn't know why Jiang Se suddenly wanted to return to Hong Kong, but she could see that Jiang Se seemed to be in a bad mood, so she tactfully didn't ask any more questions.
Xia Chaoqun booked a direct flight. It was obvious that she had gone through a lot of trouble to get such a ticket at this time. When Jiang Se returned to Hong Kong and came out of the airport, it was almost four in the morning. (To be continued)