There's Something Wrong With My Little White Flower - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Elder Sister of a Brother-Obsessed Family X University Professor

Jiang Peifeng realized something was wrong almost immediately that night.

The little white flower never failed to reply to her WeChat messages. Even if she was tied up with something, she would always get back to her right away, enthusiastically sharing what she had seen and done that day.

But until midnight, their chat log was stuck on the “02 days left until I come home” countdown from the morning. Ruan Jiyun was incommunicado for the entire day.

The more Jiang Peifeng thought about it, the more worried she became. After the second phone call also went unanswered, she couldn’t sit still any longer. She stood up and grabbed her car keys.

After knocking on the door, there was a long silence. Just as Jiang Peifeng was becoming anxious, footsteps finally sounded inside.

Ruan Jiabao felt immense pressure facing the travel-worn Jiang Peifeng. He lowered his eyes in hesitation: “My sister isn’t here.”

“She hasn’t been answering my calls,” Jiang Peifeng noticed his unusual expression and patiently continued, “I’m a little worried, so I wanted to come and check…”

“Sister…” Ruan Jiabao was still a child and couldn’t keep a secret. He called her name hesitantly, saying with a touch of fear, “You really shouldn’t come to my house.”

The moment he said that, Jiang Peifeng immediately understood something.

She quietly let out a breath and unconsciously softened her voice: “Since you said that, how can I not come? Jiabao, please tell me, where did they take her…”

In Ruan Jiabao’s mind, this incident was actually less impactful on the family than Ruan Jiyun failing an exam would have been.

In today’s connected world, he understood far more about the “homosexual” community than his parents. Although he was a bit surprised that his usually quiet sister would commit such a great act of rebellion without a word, his parents’ extreme reaction was what truly astonished him.

That night, Ruan Jiyun’s phone was confiscated, and Ruan’s parents personally escorted her, sending her to the countryside overnight.

Looking at Jiang Peifeng’s expression now, Ruan Jiabao lowered his head and stammered: “I dare not tell you…”

He was afraid of this Miss Jiang, yet he also knew this sister was rich and very capable. His classmate’s sister had married a wealthy second-generation man, and that rich brother-in-law was quite good to his classmate, making Ruan Jiabao very envious.

But thinking of his mother’s slaps, Ruan Jiabao shuddered, bravely resisting the pressure.

Jiang Peifeng was only concerned about Ruan Jiyun’s safety. Seeing Ruan Jiabao hesitate, she spoke decisively: “I heard the school you enrolled in is Nottingham International. The overseas segment of that school is very difficult to apply for. How about this: if you tell me where your sister is, I’ll help you resolve your schooling issue?”

She didn’t care whether such a transaction was appropriate. She only regretted her carelessness. As long as she could safely rescue the little white flower, whether it was blood-sucking parents or an incompetent brother, she truly didn’t care about giving them some benefits.

Her feelings for Ruan Jiyun were so real that she almost forgot that the mission world originally allowed for easier ways to achieve the goal.

Ruan Jiabao was indeed swayed by her offer. After thinking for a few minutes, he said: “I only heard my parents discussing it. I guess the most likely place they went is…”

Jiang Peifeng did not delay once she got the address. She immediately went downstairs and got back into her car.

Ruan’s father and mother had already arrived in the countryside. The place where they were holding Ruan Jiyun captive was the home of a relative where Cheng Nuoe had secretly hidden when she was pregnant with Ruan Jiabao. The two locked Ruan Jiyun in the relative’s rice storage warehouse and sat in the main room discussing their next steps.

“She definitely won’t be going to graduate school. The more she studies, the wilder she gets!” Cheng Nuoe was still furious, slapping her thigh angrily. “We need to quickly find her a husband. Once a person gets married, their mind straightens out.”

Who would seek a person of the same sex? It must be because she was misled. Cheng Nuoe mentally reviewed the families who had explicitly or implicitly mentioned having eligible young men and planned to get started as soon as possible.

Ruan’s father disagreed: “Xiao Yun is a graduate of a prestigious university, after all. Those riff-raff who want to marry my daughter are dreaming. We finally raised her, so we must pick a suitable one.”

“You’ve seen what your daughter is like now,” Ruan’s mother argued. “With her unyielding attitude, what kind of good match do you expect to find?”

Ruan’s father glared at his wife: “Nonsense! Between two girls… being a little close, if you don’t say anything and I don’t mention it, how would the in-laws know? She has a high degree and is good-looking. Plenty of good families are looking for daughters-in-law to improve their genes. Xiao Yun is perfectly qualified. Besides, finding a good in-law will allow her to subsidize Jiabao in the future.”

This phrase hit the mark for Ruan’s mother. Even with her favoritism, she knew Ruan Jiabao wouldn’t achieve much for at least five or six more years. And Ruan Jiyun, this “commodity,” despite its “flaw,” was still considered excellent quality.

More importantly, a marriage arranged by her meant continuing to firmly hold her daughter in her grasp, ensuring she could continue to create value for the family.

While the couple was basking in their pleasant thoughts, Ruan Jiyun in the warehouse was unaware that she had already managed to saw through the ropes binding her wrists using a shoelace. She stumbled to her feet, discovering that the barn was about two stories high. The main door was tightly locked from the outside, and the only window, a skylight, was situated at the top of the loft.

She looked around and spotted several hay bales in the corner, immediately running towards them.

Struggling, she dragged the hay bales onto the loft. The skylight was now within reach. It was locked, as expected, but that didn’t deter Ruan Jiyun. Tying a bamboo stick to her shoe, she stood precariously on the hay bales, striving to pick at the window lock piece by piece…

After much difficulty, she successfully climbed out of the skylight and discovered that the warehouse was surrounded by paddy fields. It was late at night, and there was no light around, only a few scattered stars in the sky.

She carefully navigated the top of the barn, finding the distance to the ground was a daunting five or six meters. Getting down would be extremely difficult.

The night wind was cold, drying the sweat that had broken out from her exertion. Ruan Jiyun stood on the roof, gazing around, and suddenly felt a sense of exhilaration.

She had actually forgotten that she wasn’t delicate at all. It was only when she was with Jiang Peifeng that she couldn’t help but want to act spoiled, wanting to be gently coaxed and doted on, because Jiang Peifeng indulged and protected her unconditionally.

She had become reliant on that feeling, almost believing she was a weak person.

She looked down again to estimate the distance to the ground, bit her lower lip, and slowly bent her body into a buffering posture.

She jumped directly off the roof.

The moment she landed, despite her efforts to protect herself, an inevitable sharp pain shot through her right ankle. Ruan Jiyun fell onto the muddy ground, desperately holding back any cries of pain. She sat on the ground, slowly catching her breath for a few minutes, then stood up again.

Her phone had been confiscated, so she didn’t know the time, but the night was undoubtedly the best time to escape. She had to leave here as quickly as possible.

Under the night sky, the disheveled girl forcefully supported her body, limping forward.

She didn’t know how long she had been walking. There were few landmarks to guide her in the darkness. Alertly, she crossed the farmland step by step, gradually approaching a dirt road. Sweat streamed down her body in layers, and her ankle was slowly starting to lose sensation, but she didn’t stop for a second.

She had to leave this place. She had come so far with so much effort. No one could drag her back to where she started.

After walking for a long time, Ruan Jiyun vaguely heard the sound of a car approaching. In the silent night, the sound was extraordinarily clear. She cleverly did not walk out immediately, instead hiding in a nearby bush. It wasn’t until the headlights appeared in her line of sight that she clearly saw the vehicle and suddenly burst into tears.

When Jiang Peifeng picked up Ruan Jiyun, she almost didn’t recognize the girl, covered in mud and with an ankle swollen like a bun, as her little white flower.

Jiang Peifeng’s heart was trembling with pain. After driving to the hospital and wheeling Ruan Jiyun into the treatment room, she realized her own hands were shaking.

Because of her careless oversight, this girl, whom she had personally seen off at the train station, dressed beautifully, was now unrecognizable and had a broken leg after just a few days.

Jumping from such a height and walking so far on that leg, Jiang Peifeng took a few deep breaths, trying hard not to think in the worst direction.

If anything serious happened to Ruan Jiyun because of this, she would never forgive herself.

Not long after Jiang Peifeng picked up Ruan Jiyun, Ruan’s father and mother discovered their daughter was gone.

Ruan’s father, being more experienced, knew that even if their daughter escaped, the only place she could possibly go was to Jiang Peifeng. They immediately agreed to take the train together to A City.

Jiang Peifeng met with them.

However, this meeting was entirely different from the scenario she had previously envisioned. With a pair of parents who would use force to try and imprison their adult daughter, she had no intention of engaging in polite negotiations anymore.

She received them in her research institute office.

It was Ruan’s father and mother’s first time visiting the Jiang family’s company. As soon as they entered, they were stunned by the modern artistic ambiance of the building. When they reached the office, they found two middle-aged men in suits sitting at the long table besides Jiang Peifeng.

Their prepared methods of acting belligerent and making a scene were somewhat inappropriate.

The couple exchanged a look, and Ruan’s father spoke first, putting on a pained expression: “Xiao Jiang, we always considered you a good person. We never expected all your care for Xiao Yun these years to be malicious scheming! You seduced a student with incentives. If this behavior were to be publicized, it would surely affect you…”

“Uncle and Auntie, allow me to correct a viewpoint,” Jiang Peifeng knew they would smear her, and she said calmly, “I love Xiao Yun, respect and cherish her. This is not the so-called ‘seduction’ you speak of, but an honest and open romantic relationship.”

“How dare you say that!” Ruan’s mother couldn’t help but sneer, “Two girls in a relationship, where is your shame?”

Jiang Peifeng smiled faintly: “No law stipulates that two people of the same sex cannot be in a relationship. Furthermore, Xiao Yun is well over eighteen years old. She has the right to freely choose her life. On the contrary, you used violent means to coerce your daughter because her actions did not suit your wishes. That, I’m afraid, is somewhat unreasonable.”

Ruan’s father was silent for a moment, then hesitated: “She is our daughter. It is only right for parents to discipline their children. Don’t lecture me.”

Before coming, he and Ruan’s mother had agreed that since they couldn’t control their daughter, they should at least gain more benefits from Jiang Peifeng. After all, the Jiang family was so rich, and they believed that with such an explosive scandal, they wouldn’t dare refuse to comply.

However, Jiang Peifeng’s attitude was much firmer than they expected. She continued calmly: “I apologize for forgetting to introduce them earlier. This is Mr. Gu, the lawyer from our Yuzhi Cooperative Law Firm, and this gentleman is the head of our Public Relations Department. What happened to Xiao Yun, at its most severe, is illegal restriction of personal freedom, which carries legal responsibility. Xiao Yun is currently in the hospital receiving treatment for her injuries, and she reserves the legal right to pursue the matter.”

“As for the scandal you mentioned? Are you referring to exposing my relationship with her? I have already resigned from the university, and Xiao Yun attends my alma mater. I believe a university with the motto of ‘Inclusiveness and Tolerance’ would not discriminate against any student based on sexual orientation… On the contrary, can you really bear the consequences of what you are suggesting?”

She slowly stood up, looking sternly at the couple: “I respect your status as Xiao Yun’s parents, which is why I am negotiating conditions with you here. However, I will only accept a few reasonable demands, because you are not fit to set her price.”

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