The entire building of Li ZiChen’s underdog n were in shambles. They have been in contact with the police to locate the car and found out that Manager Gou had lied about all his past to Xiao MuChen for more than the last four years since they have worked together. Once peeled away from all the lies, they found out that Manager Gou had a history of debts. Not only did he have the history of debts but also thieving and aiding robbery.
The last few years Manager Gou had laid low, perhaps even attempting to rectify his mistake by starting fresh with lies but around three months ago he had re entered the casino. Since then, he had owed more than sixteen million yuan and had to pay it. The man being a manager of a famous actor was paid well but he couldn’t simply afford sixteen million yuan as if it was nothing.
Having no choice, Manager Gou had done the worse choice he could which was keeping LiAi a hostage.
Manager Gou had planned for his face not to be seen by anyone except LiAi and could form a lie about how the two of them were kidnapped while he divided his money with the other robbers. But he had made a mistake by eting Tsuki who had gotten to the school and stood beside LiAi, uncovering that sothing was fishy from the way Manager Gou was acting.
Now, Tsuki who was wounded around his chin and arms from the car speeding up, was sitting with bandaged covering his hands. He looked down with his eyes full of guilt as he retold what had happened to Li ZiChen, AiLin, and Xiao MuChen.
Xiao MuChen who was standing suddenly swayed as he reached toward the wall. He was still wearing the suit for the award, looking polished when suddenly he heard the news of LiAi being kidnapped from AiLin.
He couldn’t believe that Manager Gou was behind everything, not when Manager Gou had always showed himself to be a harmless kind man who he could trust with LiAi.
anwhile AiLin felt an indescribable worry grasping her heart like a vice. She bite down her lips, nervously looking at Li ZiChen, "Then what should we do?"
Li ZiChen held her hand and gently patted it lightly, "For now I have contacted the police and we have gathered all the road caras to locate the said car. They are moving toward the mountain area which would make it difficult for them to track however I have sent my n there," he then stood up, "I will also go there."
"Then I’ll co with you."
"No," Li ZiChen bent his knees, holding to her cheeks as he showed her an assured smile. "Don’t worry I will bring her back soon, I know you are worried but if not only the girl is missing but also you, I don’t think I can keep my cool."
AiLin grabbed her hands in prayers, her eyes closing as she felt the sharp prick in her heart for not being able to do anything in such an important ti. She held his arm, speaking firmly, "Please, please be careful."
"I will co back without as much as a scratch," Li ZiChen bent down before kissing her forehead. He then gestured Tsuki with his chin and both of them left the building in a snap of a finger.
AiLin prayed that everything would go well but trusting Li ZiChen, she knew the only thing she could do now was find out. Find out the secret that had been hid for so long. She then turned toward Xiao MuChen who had beca devastated. He would have ca if he could but he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to do anything in face of the kidnappers especially when Li ZiChen told him that coming could instead worsen the situation.
"Xiao Mu Chen," AiLin called his na and his brown exhausted eyes moved to her, showing its sorrow. "I need you to answer honestly. LiAi, is she," she sucked her breaths that ca shaky to her lungs, "Was she adopted by your late brother and his wife?"
Xiao MuChen’s eyes blinked. He closed it before shaking his head.
"No. LiAi is their daughter," Xiao MuChen answered firmly but AiLin who could see through his acts could also tell that he was lying through his teeth.
She pursed her lips, "If by any chance that LiAi is related to -"
"AiLin stop it," the harsh words left Xiao MuChen’s mouth and it startled her but she could also tell it startled him even more as he had flinched upon his own words.
Being in a disarray he couldn’t control his own words and knew he would co to regret it. But he couldn’t held himself back any longer. Lying wasn’t sothing he liked or used to do, this now that he had to lie it was burdening him a lot more than he could handle.
Especially when he had found out that AiLin was never soone bad or dangerous.
She wasn’t also a bad mother.
"I can’t tell you," Xiao MuChen scrunched his eyebrows, looking at her face with a horrendous pain written across it. "Things that happened to you, they were heinous. But can you really take care of another weakness around you?"
AiLin’s breath hitched, her chest tightening at Xiao MuChen’s words. A storm of emotions swirled in her eyes, confusion, anxiety, but most of all, a fear she couldn’t quite tell what it was.
"What do you an by weakness? That if I do take care of LiAi she would be a weakness of mine?" Her voice was trained not to yell but she was far too emotional to control her tone, especially when Xiao MuChen had shown his aggressive nature first.
Xiao MuChen exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair and roughly rubbed his head around. His exhaustion was evident and it was not just a physical tiredness, but emotional, as if he had been carrying the weight of this secret for far too long. He couldn’t handle it any longer but he couldn’t let LiAi be with the rest of the family mbers when they were all still in chaos, trying to survive.
A child wouldn’t survive there for long and he knew as he had heard about all the thirty eight cases of kidnappings and attacks that had surrounded Li ZiChen and his brother when they were still young.
The attacks still occurred even now when there was a news around four weeks ago how soone had tried an acid attack toward Li ZiChen and he would have remained disfigured for life if not for his quick thinking and bodyguards.
But who could say that money would eternally allow you to escape death?
Especially for a young, small, little girl.
"You know exactly what I an, AiLin," he said, his voice softer this ti, yet laced with unspoken sorrow. "You barely survived from Elder Hua’s relentless attack. Li ZiChen himself had been attacked so many ti the past two months because of her—" he hesitated, swallowing hard, "—if LiAi is connected to you, do you really think you can protect her?"
AiLin clenched her fists. She knew what he was implying. That she was too broken, too scarred and too weak to shield anyone else. That she would only bring more harm than good.
"You have no right to decide that for ," she said, her voice steadier now, her nails digging into her palms. AiLin stared back at him and pointed with a scoff, "Then look at yourself. You don’t hav an Elder Hua who would try to attack or kill you. You don’t have a family na that would cause you to be attacked but how many tis have you put LiAi in danger?"
"Don’t you dare," Xiao MuChen hissed. he glared back at her, "You can say that I am incapable but I was the one who took care of her since her childhood. I’m not incapable when it cos to protecting her but you?"
Xiao MuChen chose the words he knew would hurt her the most. He hesitated but that hesitation didn’t last more than ten seconds as he added, "You were in prison for six years, AiLin. The only thing you could barely protect is yourself. You have no right to say that I cannot protect LiAi when you have done nothing."
AiLin’s breath caught in her throat. She felt the sharp sting of his words like a blade slicing through her chest. He knew it would hurt, he knew it and though for a brief while he looked as though he was truly regretting it, he still said those words with the intention to hurt her.
"If I could exchange my life to protect her, I would MuChen," she answered as tears hung around her eyes but it didn’t fell as she looked straight back to his eyes, "I was wrong to tell you that you aren’t incapable of protecting LiAi. You are, you are, but all I want to know is the truth."
Xiao MuChen closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
His words hung,
"She isn’t related to you."
Reviews
All reviews (0)