The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 79

Chapter 79: This Grudge is Now Settled

Jincheng was originally a small city, but it became lively due to the large-scale film studio, leading to a developed tourism and numerous film crews, which in turn boosted the catering industry.

Even at ten o’clock at night, the commercial street was still bustling and vibrant.

In the restaurant’s private room, about twenty people were seated merrily—all staff and actors from the Wild Rose crew.

Since some people didn’t have a call for the night, Director Cheng was treating them to dinner.

After eating, someone enthusiastically suggested playing Truth or Dare.

The wine bottle on the glass turntable spun around several times, finally pointing to Zhou Xintong, who was sitting next to Song Xiangwan.

“Ah?” Zhou Xintong’s eyes widened. “Why is it me again?”

It was her for the third time in a row. Now, she no longer suspected bad luck; she suspected the table must be uneven.

“What? Are you going to renege?” The actress on her other side had already taken down the drawing tube and placed it in front of Zhou Xintong. “Come on, a bet is a bet.”

The dare was: “Wall-pin any person present for ten seconds. Any gender is fine.”

Zhou Xintong: “…” She didn’t have the guts for that. She still needed to sign with Rongxing and had a great future ahead. Wall-pinning the boss’s wife meant she truly didn’t want to be in the industry anymore.

Her eyes darted to Cheng Yu, and she smiled sweetly: “Director Cheng…”

Everyone present started cheering.

The director held the highest authority within the crew. Cheng Yu was strict in filming and commanded respect without anger, so everyone was eager to see the show.

“No,” Zhou Xintong quickly explained. “I meant for Director Cheng to assign me someone.”

“That won’t do. You already said Director Cheng.”

“Exactly, no takebacks.”

Cheng Yu propped her chin with one hand, watching Zhou Xintong with interest. She raised an eyebrow: “What? You don’t want to play with an old lady like me?”

The atmosphere in the Wild Rose crew was excellent. They weren’t lacking funds, it was an all-female cast, and there were no messy scandals or power abuses. Everyone had long since become friends.

In the midst of the lively atmosphere, Song Xiangwan felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

She discreetly got up to answer the call. When she returned, her steps were hurried. She leaned in and said a few words into the director’s ear.

Then, she apologized to everyone: “Sorry, I have to leave for an emergency. I’ll treat everyone next time.”

As she walked out, she checked for flights from Jincheng to Haicheng. Fortunately, there was one leaving in fifty minutes.

It took about half an hour from here to the airport… Since she didn’t have time to go back and pack, Song Xiangwan rushed straight to the airport.

At the Haicheng Hospital, Ming Jin hung up the phone and casually placed it on the bedside table. She leaned against the pillow and gently closed her eyes.

Hearing footsteps coming and going beside her, she didn’t open her eyes. She only felt utterly powerless due to the aches all over her body.

With the change of seasons in autumn, Haicheng had been raining for two days, and the temperature had suddenly dropped to ten degrees Celsius.

Initially, she thought it was just the discomfort caused by the seasonal change and didn’t pay attention. After finishing a meeting this afternoon, she felt as if it had suddenly worsened.

By the evening, she had started running a fever.

She didn’t dare hide it from Song Xiangwan this time, but she repeatedly instructed her not to rush and to be careful on the road.

Song Xiangwan lowered her head as she went through the security check, looking at the message on her phone, and couldn’t help but slightly frown.

She, of course, knew what Ming Jin meant.

This illness was related to the change of seasons, but it was also inextricably linked to her continuous work during this period.

She took on all the work, wanting to give Xu Zhiyan time to calm down and relax.

She was a wonderful older sister and a wonderful lover, but she was always overly strict with herself.

By the time the plane landed, it was late at night. When she entered the ward, Song Xiangwan softened her steps, but the person on the bed was still startled awake and looked over.

With the small bedside lamp on, Ming Jin saw the travel-worn Song Xiangwan. Her eyes held a hint of fatigue, even a slight redness.

“Are you feeling better?” The first thing Song Xiangwan did was lower her head and place her forehead against Ming Jin’s forehead to check her temperature.

“Didn’t I tell you to take it slow?” Ming Jin calculated the time in her mind. From landing to the hospital, she must have sped along the edge of the speed limit to rush here.

“Yes, I was slow. I didn’t speed, and there were no cars on the road tonight, so no traffic,” Song Xiangwan said gently, kissing her lips. “Don’t worry.”

The temperature seemed to have dropped a little, no longer a scorching high fever, but a persistent low-grade fever.

Ming Jin’s lips were slightly dry. Song Xiangwan’s lips pressed against them, and she gently licked them: “Do you want some water?”

Shaking her head, Ming Jin leaned back against the side of the hospital bed and said: “Come up and sleep for a while. It will be dawn soon.”

Not wanting to waste too much of Ming Jin’s resting time, Song Xiangwan quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, took off her coat, lay down beside Ming Jin, and held her.

She felt as if she were holding a slightly warm piece of charcoal, hot enough to make her heart ache slightly.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Song Xiangwan whispered softly.

“Mhm,” Ming Jin replied softly. She didn’t pretend to be strong. Since she had already called the person back, she allowed herself to indulge a little. “Very uncomfortable…”

“But, seeing you makes it better.”

“You were very well-behaved this time, so I won’t punish you,” Song Xiangwan lightly kissed Ming Jin’s brow, pulling her into her arms. “Sleep. You’ll feel better when you’re asleep.”

Song Xiangwan’s embrace gave her a sense of peace. Ming Jin closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.

It was strange. She hadn’t been this fragile before, needing someone to accompany her when sick…

In fact, this time, she didn’t just call because she was afraid Song Xiangwan would be angry. Part of the reason was that she genuinely wanted Song Xiangwan by her side.

Humans are truly strange creatures, sometimes inexplicably shedding their steel armor.

Song Xiangwan barely slept that night. Only when she felt Ming Jin’s temperature drop in the latter half of the night did her heart finally settle slightly.

The assessment that she was “very well-behaved” only lasted for half a day because, on the second day after the fever broke, she insisted on dealing with work.

Song Xiangwan was so angry she wanted to argue with her, but seeing her pale and weak expression, she couldn’t utter a harsh word.

“This project is very important… I was working on it when I went to Longcheng a while ago…” Ming Jin knew she was in the wrong and explained softly.

The secretary next to her was stunned, lowering her head and pretending to be a piece of furniture, wanting to crawl into a crack in the floor.

How could the decisive CEO Ming, who was a formidable presence in the company, look like a bullied young wife just to review a document?

“Just two hours,” Song Xiangwan stood up angrily, her tone containing a threat. “I’m going back to take a shower. I expect to see you still working when I return…”

“Got it,” Ming Jin nodded, her eyes gentle.

Secretary: “…” She was being threatened but still maintained such a good temper. Could this CEO Ming be an imposter?

Watching the person leave, Ming Jin said: “Get ready. Let’s start the online meeting.”

“Yes…” The secretary snapped out of it and hurriedly prepared the computer.

It was a young nurse.

Song Xiangwan stopped her steps: “What is it?”

“Are you Ming Jin’s family member? The doctor needs to speak with you. Please follow me to the consultation room.”

“Someone needs to see me?” Song Xiangwan’s heart immediately seized up. “Has her condition changed? Does he need to tell me privately…”

Song Xiangwan’s mind was almost blank. Her brain, which hadn’t slept all night, was foggy and now in chaos.

She had seen the doctor during the morning rounds.

The doctor told her it was nothing major, just a viral flu.

But Ming Jin’s physical condition was special, especially with the recent overwork. Her heart, which was already weaker than a normal person’s, faced an increased burden when combined with the flu.

So, they recommended a few days of hospitalization to monitor the situation.

But currently, the problem wasn’t big. As long as she rested well, watched her diet, and maintained a peaceful state of mind, there shouldn’t be major issues.

While recalling this, Song Xiangwan had already followed the little nurse to the door of the consultation room. Her steps paused. Something was wrong… The doctor could have told her this in the morning…

The little nurse had already pushed open the consultation room door. Song Xiangwan instantly felt a dangerous premonition and took a step back to turn around.

However, the corridor behind her was already blocked by people dressed in black. A soft voice came from the consultation room: “Miss Song, long time no see.”

The crazy woman.

Song Xiangwan’s first thought was to run, but her mouth was immediately covered, and she smelled a pungent scent of disinfectant.

What does this crazy woman want to do? Didn’t Lin Rong go back with her? Song Xiangwan’s mind only had time for this thought… then it broke off, plunging her into a gloomy darkness…

It seemed like a very short time before she woke up. She heard sounds around her, people talking, indistinctly, and footsteps walking back and forth.

Her consciousness returned little by little.

Song Xiangwan opened her eyes and saw Lin Shan facing her.

Lin Shan was casually leaning back in a chair, her left leg crossed over her right knee. The neat, straight-cut trousers outlined her long legs. Her red-soled high heel was slightly raised.

Song Xiangwan realized she was completely bound. Both her hands were tied behind the chair’s back, tightly secured to the chair. She felt a numb sensation from the constricted blood flow. Both her feet were also bound. The chair beneath her was heavy, and she couldn’t move at all.

Lin Shan seemed to hear the sound of struggling. She looked at her wristwatch: “Two hours. The anesthetic time is quite precise.”

She didn’t even lift her eyelashes. She held a phone, slowly scrolling upwards, her eyes fixed on the information on the screen.

She stood up, walked over to Song Xiangwan, tore off the tape over Song Xiangwan’s mouth, crouched down, and looked at her: “Which one is Xu Zhiyan’s contact information?”

Song Xiangwan noticed that the phone in her hand was her own.

“What do you want to do?” Song Xiangwan said in a deep voice, ignoring Lin Shan’s question.

“Why are you looking at me so fiercely?” Lin Shan chuckled, adjusted the glasses on her nose, and said softly, “I haven’t settled the score with you yet.”

“She seduced my daughter.”

“She had malicious intentions.”

“Why, even though I took Rongrong back, does she still refuse to let Rongrong go?”

Song Xiangwan was a little confused by what she was saying. Xu Zhiyan harassing Lin Rong? Didn’t Xu Zhiyan go abroad? And Lin Rong went back home with her.

After Xu Zhiyan went abroad, she changed her contact information. Song Xiangwan didn’t save the new one in her phone. The old contact information in her phone wouldn’t reach Xu Zhiyan.

Song Xiangwan took two deep breaths to calm herself down: “This is illegal confinement. It’s against the law.”

“Is it?” Lin Shan’s tone was disdainful. “I’m not ignorant of the law. Of course, I know.”

“Compared to Rongrong, this is nothing,” she said, seemingly unconcerned.

Song Xiangwan’s heart sank: “What exactly do you want by contacting Ah Yan?”

“To make her realize her place. To let her know that she doesn’t deserve Rongrong.”

“To make her personally tell Rongrong to sever this relationship completely,” Lin Shan’s voice carried a chilling coldness.

“Even if she doesn’t say it, it’s fine,” Lin Shan pinched the phone with her fingertips, turning it once in her palm. “I will force her to come back. I will force her to show herself.”

“What did you do?” Song Xiangwan suddenly felt a bad premonition.

Lin Shan turned the phone around and placed it in front of Song Xiangwan: “Tell me, if I send this message, won’t Xu Zhiyan have to come back?”

“You…” Before Song Xiangwan could speak, her mouth was covered again. She struggled desperately, trying to wrench her hands free from the restraints.

The rough hemp rope was tied tightly. The abrasive friction felt like it instantly tore her wrists, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.

Lin Shan tapped the screen once, then picked up the phone, pressed the power button to turn it off, looked at Song Xiangwan, and smiled slightly: “Miss Song, I will let you out when Xu Zhiyan returns.”

Lin Shan walked to the door. The door opened, then closed heavily.

She heard the sound of a lock clicking, followed by the clanking of chains. The door was locked, and a chain was added.

Song Xiangwan twisted her wrists, trying to struggle free. The scraped area burned with intense pain. The hemp rope instantly stained with blood.

No, she had to get out.

The last thing Lin Shan had shown her was her chat screen with Ming Jin.

I’m sorry, let’s break up. I don’t like being monitored. I can’t accept your possessiveness over me. I want freedom. Let’s break up.

Song Xiangwan didn’t know if Ming Jin would believe that message.

She was still sick. If she believed such words, the emotional fluctuation… who knew what the consequences would be.

Lin Shan had truly conducted an exhaustive investigation into them. She even clearly understood the issues that had once stood between them.

She was a desperate, crazy woman.

She wanted to force Ming Jin into a crisis, and then Xu Zhiyan would have no choice but to return.

The burning, stinging pain intensified with every struggle, but Song Xiangwan didn’t stop struggling and trying for a second. She had to find a way out, now, immediately.

Song Xiangwan took a breath, her gaze scouring the surroundings. This was a dark, dilapidated warehouse with a few broken shelves and nothing else.

Her eyes caught sight of the rusty break in one of the shelves. The height… It seemed possible…

Her mind was clearer than ever before. With every struggle, she moved the chair toward the position of the shelf, shifting, shifting…

In the dark environment, she didn’t know how much time had passed or how long she had tried, but she finally got close to the old shelf.

Her hands, tied behind her back, tried to reach the broken edge. It took an unknown amount of time to adjust.

After what felt like ages, there was a snap, and the hemp rope on her wrist broke. The subsequent process was fast. She untied the tape on her mouth and the ropes on her body.

The iron door was tightly locked. She pulled it, hearing only the sound of chains scraping. Through the tiny gap, she saw the external scene.

It was also pitch black… She wasn’t sure if it was because the outside area led indoors, or if it was already nighttime.

Crazy woman… Song Xiangwan cursed under her breath, angrily kicking the main door.

When she got out, she would definitely make this crazy woman pay the price.

The door was impossible to exit through.

She circled the warehouse and finally saw a small ventilation port high up near the ceiling.

The height… A normal person couldn’t reach it…

But Song Xiangwan was not a normal person. She acted quickly, dragging the discarded shelves and leaning them against the wall.

The rickety shelves felt incredibly unstable when moved, but she couldn’t afford to care. She found a foothold, gripped the shelf with both hands, and climbed up.

The bloody scratches on her wrists made her feel like crying.

When had Song Xiangwan ever suffered such humiliation…

But that thought only lasted for a moment, then was suppressed by a surge of willpower from somewhere deep inside.

She cautiously selected climbing points, gripped tightly, then pulled herself up with a burst of strength, finding a foothold and steadying herself.

The shelf was high, and the warehouse was tall. The distance she climbed was nearly ten meters. She almost fell several times but finally reached the top.

But… there was still a distance to the ventilation port…

Song Xiangwan tried jumping twice, but couldn’t reach it. Instead, the shelf wobbled dangerously, and she nearly fell.

Finally, on the last attempt, she firmly grabbed the edge of the ventilation port and pulled hard, climbing inside.

The pitch-black ventilation duct…

Song Xiangwan was terrified of the dark and needed a nightlight to sleep.

It was completely dark in here, where she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face.

Biting her tongue, she crawled into the ventilation duct. She couldn’t sit and wait. She had to find Ming Jin. She had to get to Ming Jin as soon as possible.

After crawling for an unknown amount of time, the sight before her suddenly opened up. She pushed open the rusted iron grille of the duct and poked her head out.

It was indeed night outside.

She didn’t know where she was, but it seemed to be a high place. Looking out, she could see a road about five hundred meters to the right, with a fair amount of traffic.

A celebrity’s transformation into a wilderness survivor… Song Xiangwan didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself. She quickly looked for a way down, then headed to that road to flag down a car for help.

This was a national highway, and there were many vehicles coming and going. Song Xiangwan, with her disheveled appearance, looked clearly abnormal.

After only three to five minutes on the side of the road, someone pulled over in front of her.

“I’ve been kidnapped. Can you help me call the police?” Song Xiangwan pleaded.

“Ah…” The driver was stunned, looking her up and down, seemingly surprised. “Are you…”

She had been recognized.

Song Xiangwan didn’t care about the embarrassment anymore: “I’m Song Xiangwan.”

“Also, can I borrow your phone? I need to make a call.” Song Xiangwan took the phone.

The familiar sequence of numbers, known by heart, took a long time to dial with her trembling hand. Finally, she connected and heard the ringing on the other end.

Song Xiangwan’s heart was still pounding. She had checked earlier; it was eleven o’clock at night. Twelve hours had passed since she disappeared.

The other side answered. When Song Xiangwan heard the voice, she immediately burst into tears: “Ah Jin…”

At the police station, Song Xiangwan was wrapped in a blanket, the hot water she held trembling slightly. She couldn’t hear the noisy sounds around her.

Until a wheelchair stopped in front of her.

She was crying uncontrollably, but she still maintained her reason.

Forcefully suppressing her sobs, she looked up at Ming Jin, shaking her head: “I didn’t. I didn’t. That message wasn’t sent by me.”

“I don’t want to break up with you.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“I like you the most.”

“I like you monitoring me.”

“I like you wanting to possess me.”

“I like you loving me so much.”

“How could I break up with you?”

Sentence by sentence, every word was the obsession that had been circling in her mind during her desperate escape.

She had fought tooth and nail to get out, to rush to her side as quickly as possible, to tell her: I don’t hate you, no, I will never say anything that hurts you again.

The argument three years ago would never be repeated.

Only after losing her did she know how to cherish her. This time, she would never allow herself to lose her a second time.

“I know, I know…” Ming Jin’s hand pressed against Song Xiangwan’s cheek, gently wiping away the tears.

Her fingers were trembling slightly, and her breathing was quickening slightly, uncontrollably. Seeing Song Xiangwan’s distressed state, she couldn’t contain her anger.

When she received that message, she was indeed momentarily panicked.

It was an automatic stress response, immediately reminding her of three years ago—similar reasons, similar tone…

She couldn’t control her emotions, and that broken heart nearly dragged her into the abyss in an instant.

But she endured it and then realized that the tone of the message was completely different from Song Xiangwan’s.

But what did this mean?

It made her heart clench even harder. She couldn’t contact Song Xiangwan. Song Xiangwan’s phone was in someone else’s hands, and her safety was unknown.

She held on by a thread, mobilizing all resources, practically turning the entire Haicheng upside down to find Song Xiangwan’s whereabouts.

Finally, she had found her…

But she was a bloody, dusty, and distressed cat.

Realizing the tight grip of Ming Jin’s fingers, Song Xiangwan instantly panicked and quickly grabbed Ming Jin’s hand, saying softly: “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“Nothing happened to me.”

“Ah Jin, Ah Jin, I’m right here. Don’t worry.”

Lin Shan, this grudge is now settled, Ming Jin told herself inwardly.