Muchuan and Xiang Wan - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: More Intense Than Imagined
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Bai Muchuan looked toward the window without moving.
He had been silent ever since they got out of the house this morning.
Bai Lu scratched her palm with a finger and decided to say something.
“Little Uncle, people are waiting. It’s time to board the plane, let’s go.”
“Hm,” replied Bai Muchuan, showing more cooperation than what Bai Lu had expected.
There were not much changes in his expression as he left his seat.
Nanny Li felt relieved.
Once they left Jin City to go back to the capital, she need not be so worried about him.
Staying here for one more day would mean she was gonna fret over Young Master Bai. Not only that, her eyelids tend to twitch as well…
It twitched! It twitched again!
Things happen where you dread most! she thought.
Nanny Li rubbed her eyes when she received a message.
It was from her son.
“Mom, a kidnapping case happened this morning in Jin City. It seems like it took place in the street just across Young Master Bai’s place in an alley. Are all of you alright?”
Nanny Li’s eyelid twitched once again as she read the message and stopped in her tracks reflexively.
Bai Muchuan was a shrewd person. The moment she hesitated, his gaze landed on her.
“What’s the matter?”
Nanny Li faltered for a moment. Then she put on a smile as she didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble.
“Young Master Bai, it’s nothing. It’s Dongzi, he’s asking when we’ll be arriving…”
Bai Muchuan grunted a laugh and looked at her coldly. “Tell me the truth!”
Nanny Li was startled. She shuddered at the thought that Bai Muchuan seemed to be able to see through her lies.
However, the lie she told was not a smart one to begin with.
The Bai Family over at the capital have already gotten the flight details.
Nanny Li’s son worked as the chauffeur for the Bai Family. He was also the one who would be coming to pick them up at the airport when they touched down over there.
It was already this hour, so why would he be asking for such information again?
Nanny Li knew that the more she explained, the more suspicious he would get. Moreover, Young Master Bai had already handover his work, so he couldn’t go back there even if there was a kidnapping case, right?
Nanny Li smiled after a short pause, “Dongzi told me that a kidnapping case happened across our street, inside an alley, and he’s worried about us. After all, this is a big city, incidents happen every day, right? Young Master Bai, let’s go.”
Bai Muchuan looked as if he was nailed on the spot.
Across their street, an alley—Xiang Wan.
These three things formed a logic chain in his brain.
Bai Muchuan walked over to the window and dialed the number to the Criminal Investigation Unit. Detective Tang was the one on duty.
“Yo, Captain Bai? You’ve reached the capital or… is there anything you need?”
Bai Muchuan’s dark eyes, when matched together with his black-colored shirt, seemed even more unrelenting and cold.
“The kidnapping at the alley of Green Garden Estate, what happened?”
“You… you also know about this?” Detective Tang sounded rather stunned. “Geez, this is the era of everyone holding a news device on hand, where rumors through the grapevine are faster than the official channels…”
Bai Muchuan said, “Get to the point!”
“Captain Bai,” replied Detective Tang, “the one who reported the kidnapping is a woman who was on her way sending her kid to school. There isn’t any surveillance camera installed at the alley, so we don’t know who are the kidnappers. We are sending people out to understand more about the situation from the public. So far, we have not gotten any information about the victim nor received a case report from the victim’s family…”
When a kidnapping took place, there must be something the kidnappers want.
Be it blackmail or revenge, the criminals must have a purpose for doing so.
The police did not even know who the victim was, so that was all the police could disclose.
Bai Muchuan hung up the call and dialed another set of phone number without searching through the contacts list.
The number was not saved to his contacts, but without a doubt, it was Xiang Wan’s number.
“The number that you’ve just dialed is currently unavailable, please try again later—”
Bai Muchuan dialed Huang He’s number the next. “Give me your girlfriend’s mobile number!”
Huang He was busy at the moment and could not quite grasp the situation.
“Huh? My girlfriend? Captain Bai, why are you looking for my girlfriend?”
“Hurry! I suspect Xiang Wan’s in trouble!”
“Oh, oh, oh! Right away!”
Fang Yuanyuan received Bai Muchuan’s call after one minute.
“Ah, it’s Captain Bai? You’re looking for me? Me? Oh, I’m in my office. Xiang Wan? I didn’t see her when I woke up this morning. She could have gone out. What happened? Heheh, I know you’re reluctant to leave and wanted to stay because of Xiang Wan? Hello, hello? Captain Bai?”
Bai Muchuan had directly disconnected the call.
He’s got character! Fang Yuanyuan thought.
Fang Yuanyuan was stunned for a few seconds and directly went to the Chief Editor’s office to apply for time off.
Nobody knew where Xiang Wan was, and no one managed to get through to her phone.
At the very least, there was a possibility that she was in danger.
Bai Muchuan looked at the enormous airplanes that were parked on the ramp. While he was pondering, he seemed to emit a chilly aura.
“Little Uncle?” Bai Lu’s heart was clenched. “We… better get going now? Or it’ll be too late.”
Bai Lu was urging him to leave. She wished that she could drag him away!
Nanny Li and the flight attendant did not speak but was wondering what was happening.
Bai Muchuan contemplated for a moment before looking up.
“Both of you go back to the capital first. I’ll go back once I settled this matter!”
It’s Xiang Wan again! Bai Lu had overheard her name earlier when he was making the phone calls. She got angry like a hedgehog whose territory had been invaded. “Little Uncle, the one being kidnapped might not be Xiang Wan? Even if it’s her, the police force in Jin City will save her. You’ve already handover your work. People will laugh at you if you go back like this.”
Bai Muchuan did not utter a word.
He took a glance at Nanny Li quietly before turning away and strode out of the VIP waiting room.
That glance contained a lot of meanings.
It comprised of warnings and his stance, as well as his resolution and determination.
Nanny Li had been taking care of him for a long period of time, so she knew his character and temperament well.
Basically, he would not resist the decisions made by the Bai Family. However, when he did, he would be like a bull, unyielding and defiant right to the bone.
Bai Muchuan strode away, and in no time, he reached the exit of the VIP room.
“Little Uncle!”
Bai Lu shouted behind him, unwilling to give up.
“Do you know what kind of consequences there will be if you leave? Do you really have such deep feelings for her? Is it worth it?”
She asked a couple of questions.
The girl’s angry howl broke the silence of the VIP room.
Bai Muchuan stopped in his tracks.
“My feelings toward her are not what you have assumed,” his tone was cold and calm, and he did not turn around. “Perhaps, it’s more intense than you’ve imagined!” 2
Under the quiet environment, his words resounded through the area.
Every word he said had clearly gone into Bai Lu’s ears.
Watching his back view quickly diminishing in the distance, Bai Lu grasped her phone tightly.
“Nanny Li, that bad woman, she’s going to take my Little Uncle away…”
…
Fang Yuanyuan returned to Green Garden Estate in a haste.
The moment she got out of the cab, she met Bai Muchuan who also reached there at the same time.
He got down from a cab without any luggage with him, holding just a mobile phone. The collar of his shirt was wide, revealing some of his fine muscles as well as a charming sheen.
That seemed like perspiration!
It was clear that he was in a hurry. He stopped in front of her with a few steps away.
“You have the keys, right?”
“Yes, I have them.” Fang Yuanyuan became more nervous as she saw the beads of perspiration on his forehead. “Captain Bai, aren’t you supposed to be on the plane to the capital? How come…”
“Yes,” Bai Muchuan did not explain. “When was the last time you saw Xiang Wan?”
Fang Yuanyuan saw that he took really big steps as he walked into the alley. She clutched the strap of her bag and followed Bai Muchuan by running along, otherwise, she would not be able to catch up. She was panting when she replied to his question.
“I… the last time I saw her was last night…”
“?” There was a questioning look in his eyes, and he walked even faster.
“Last night, we slept together.” Fang Yuanyuan was out of breath. “After I fell asleep, I did not see her again.
“When you last saw her, did you notice anything unusual?”
“Unusual?” Fang Yuanyuan mulled over for a while. “Does brooding over the strange book review count?”
Bai Muchuan furrowed his eyebrows. “Yes.”
…
The door of the rented apartment was locked.
Everything stayed exactly the same when Fang Yuanyuan left for work.
It was obvious that Xiang Wan did not come back to her apartment.
Bai Muchuan walked around the apartment with Fang Yuanyuan following behind. She did not know what he was looking at, and she started to get more anxious.
“Captain Bai, what are you looking at? I feel that she shouldn’t be kidnapped? Why would one want to kidnap Xiang Wan at daybreak? She’s got no money, and her family’s not rich. Could it be that they’re after her looks…”
Bai Muchuan’s sharp line of vision landed on her face. Fang Yuanyuan got so scared that she quickly shut her mouth.
“… I’m just joking. Don’t mind me.”
It’s weird!
Why was she apologizing to him?
Xiang Wan was her cousin, not his!
Fang Yuanyuan wanted to take back that sentence, yet Bai Muchuan took it in without saying anything.
He looked at the laptop on Xiang Wan’s computer table with a serious gaze.
It was the brand new laptop by Apple.
The MacBookPro that Fang Yuanyuan salivated.
A glint of light flashed past Bai Muchuan’s eyes. “She did not carry her bag and laptop. For a web novelist, do you think it’s normal to leave home without a laptop and go without leaving a message for a few hours?”
Eh?!
It’s definitely not normal.
Unless she would come home in a short while, otherwise, wherever a web novelist went, she would carry her laptop with her.
As a web novelist, she needed to update her story daily!
Bai Muchuan said in a resolute and decisive manner, “The one who got kidnapped must be Xiang Wan.”
Fang Yuanyuan’s hairs stood on end. “So Captain Bai… what should we do now? Do I report to the police? No, you’re the police!”
Bai Muchuan pursed his lips tightly. The arc of his cold, thin lips portrayed his indifference perfectly.
“I’m going back to the office. You stay at home and wait! If there’s any news, call me immediately!”
“Oh, okay.”
Fang Yuanyuan heard his departing footsteps and closed the door quickly.
She felt slightly nervous being alone at the apartment.
She was restless. She waited till noon, but there wasn’t any news.
She didn’t know if she should tell her second aunt about it. Fang Yuanyuan was at a loss of what to do that her head hurt from thinking about all these. As there was nothing she could do, she simply put her hands together and sat on the bed. 1
“Bodhisattva, please let Xiang Wan be safe, please bless her!”