Chapter 284: Chapter 284: You’ll Never Get Rid of Me!
Bai Lu, also an actress, naturally saw through the insincere politeness behind Su Yinwan’s amiable facade.
As she watched her walk away with slight haughtiness, Bai Lu clenched her hands in secret, yet in the end, she could only exhale as if nothing had happened.
Jiang Yan, who had been in a coma for the whole day, finally awoke in the evening.
The first thing he saw was the pristine white ceiling, and a faint smell of disinfectant still lingered at the tip of his nose.
If not for the dull pain in his lower right abdomen, he would have believed everything that happened before he passed out was just a dream.
He couldn’t believe that he, Jiang Yan, had actually been shot one day.
However, what made him even more incredulous was the sudden voice that rang in his ears:
“Good boy, you’re finally awake. Mom was so worried sick.”
Jiang Yan turned his head in shock and actually saw his own mother.
“Mom?! What are you doing here?”
Lin Manru’s eyes were bloodshot, and she looked considerably worn out.
“Such a big incident happened with you and Lili, how could I not come?”
Perhaps because she brought up the distressing matter, Lin Manru’s voice choked up again.
Jiang Yan sensed something was amiss, hastily grabbed his mother’s hand, and struggled to sit up.
“What happened to my sister?!”
Lin Manru was startled and quickly supported him, “You’re not yet healed, don’t move around. Your sister… she…”
At that moment, Shen Lan, who had just finished a phone call, pushed the door and walked in.
“Sister-in-law, the police just contacted me again, they said—”
She suddenly saw Jiang Yan sitting up in bed, and her words abruptly stopped.
“Jiang Yan, you’re awake?”
Even Jiang Yan, who was usually slow to react, realized something was terribly wrong.
“Mom, Second Aunt, what exactly happened to Jiang Li? Where is she now?”
Lin Manru and Shen Lan exchanged glances and started to sob softly.
“Your sister… she’s gone missing, and there has been no news to this moment…”
Wen Jiaojiao and the others were also in a state of panic.
When the online public opinion erupted, they realized something was amiss and made several calls to confirm the situation.
Fortunately, He Yun had retained the village chief’s phone number before leaving, and after several inquiries, they received the shocking news.
It took him a while to relay the bad news to the others.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Qi Tianyu was especially incredulous, questioning through the screen several times, “Brother He, are you sure you heard it right? How could Sister Li just vanish without a trace?”
Wen Jiaojiao’s complexion had already turned pale.
She stood up anxiously and began pacing back and forth in the room.
“Yeah, how could such a thing suddenly happen?”
He Yun’s throat bobbed, and it was clear that the terrible news was hard for him to bear as well.
“I confirmed it with the village chief, and he said it’s because… the poacher who escaped earlier sought revenge, and even Jiang Yan got shot and is still in a coma.”
The group fell into silence.
“This won’t do,” Shu Yan said. “We can’t just sit idly by and passively wait for news, can we?”
“Yes!” Wen Jiaojiao was so anxious that she started to bite her nails.
Jiang Li had saved her life twice, and now that she was in trouble, how could Wen Jiaojiao stand by and do nothing?
“My dad knows people over there; I’ll ask him to inquire right away.”
Having said that, she hurriedly hung up the video call.
The other three also went their own ways to find a solution.
It wasn’t long before Du Qinglian pushed open the door of He Yun’s office.
She viciously slapped her phone onto the desk.
“What’s going on?! Why did you buy a plane ticket to the Southwest Mountain Area? What are you planning to do?”
He Yun pursed his lips, “Mom, a friend of mine had an accident; I need to go there.”
“What friend is more important than your job?!” Du Qinglian asked coldly, “You’ve just joined the team, how can you just leave ? I’ve told you before not to casually make such unreliable friends. Do those people have anything good? Aren’t they just trying to cozy up to you because of your fame? You—”
“Mom!” He Yun hardened his face, “She’s not that kind of person!”
“Hmph.” Du Qinglian stared at her son, sizing him up several times, “He Yun, you’ve really grown a backbone now, haven’t you? You never used to talk back to me before. Why? Just because you appeared on that variety show?”
After speaking, she took several deep breaths, her gaze turning stern.
“I’m telling you, unless I’m dead, you’re never going back to that place!”
With a loud “bang,” the door was shut forcefully.
Along with it closed was He Yun’s hope.
He slumped wearily into his chair, raised his arm to cover his eyes; the words Du Qinglian said before she left seemed to have taken on a different meaning.
“Unless I’m dead, you will never be free of me!”
Being a moth trying to fly over the flames was truly exhausting.
The progress on Shu Yan’s end was not smooth either.
Right after hanging up the call, her husband appeared behind her.
Fang Wenzhe was a clean-cut man, always wearing silver-rimmed glasses on his nose and primarily dressed in suits, giving off the air of a refined and decent high-ranking official.
But at the moment, a trace of displeasure was apparent in his eyes.
“Are you on the phone with those friends of yours again?”
Shu Yan was taken aback, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, “Yes, Ah Zhe, didn’t you also see the news online? The person who went missing is Jiang Li; everyone’s really worried. I want to help out too.”
The displeasure in Fang Wenzhe’s eyes deepened, “Help out? What help can you provide? I haven’t seen them helping you. Those ‘Jiang Li’ and ‘Wen Jiaojiao,’ aren’t they all white, rich, and beautiful? They have enough sycophants around them; is it useful for you to fawn over them?”
Shu Yan had not expected him to say such things, and her hand, wrapped around his, fell away.
“Fang Wenzhe, how can you say such things?”
Fang Wenzhe immediately switched his tone, gently pressing her shoulders as he cooed: “Ah, Yanyan, don’t be upset. I’m saying this for your own good. I’m just worried about you being bullied. After all, none of these rich people are good; you’ll be at a loss hanging out with them.”
As he spoke, he pulled her into his embrace, “I’ve looked into that Jiang Li; her family doesn’t just do small business, her second aunt is even involved in the entertainment industry—aren’t they more well-informed than we are? They’ll find a way on their own; why should we meddle? Better to mind our own business.”
Shu Yan wanted to argue more, but Fang Wenzhe interrupted her again.
“Yanyan, I’m finally off work these couple of days; don’t you want to spend more time with me? It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
It felt like a century had passed before Zhao Lang gradually regained consciousness from the chaos.
A thought flashed subconsciously in his mind:
Had he… started a new cycle of reincarnation?
But then the reality before his eyes denied this guess—