By the time they left the police station and returned to the guesthouse, it was already past 11 p.m.
The guesthouse was quiet. As the two of them walked along the corridor, the echo of their footsteps combined with the dim lighting created an eerie, hollow atmosphere.
Yuan Zheng accompanied her, first seeing her back to her room, then inspecting the surroundings to ensure everything was safe before urging her to get some rest.
Nan Jin thanked him. Only after he left did she bolt the door from the inside. After hanging her clothes by the window, she sat back on the bed and fell into silence.
Although the two assailants had vehemently denied any intent to kill her, her instincts told her otherwise.
Who exactly wanted her dead? Could it really be Liang Yourou? But she had already divorced, giving Gu Shaoxuan up to her.
There was no deep-seated grudge between them, so why would it come to this—wanting her life?
Or was there someone else behind it all?
She wanted her jade pendant—what kind of secret was hidden within that half-piece of jade?
Was she currently living in a period novel, or was she in a parallel universe?
If this were a period novel, shouldn’t there be a storyline to follow?
Logically speaking, given her current status and position, she should only be a cannon-fodder supporting character. Was she really worth the female lead targeting like this?
No.
Since she was a cannon-fodder supporting character, they usually had short lifespans.
The original host had already died. Because of her transmigration, had the plot direction changed, triggering a series of butterfly effects?
So, were the original host’s miscarriage and death orchestrated by Liang Yourou, or by someone behind her?
She was starting to feel confused.
Early the next morning, Yuan Zheng knocked on her door. The sky was already bright.
Nan Jin got up, washed up quickly, and followed him out.
“How about a bowl of millet porridge for breakfast?”
Yuan Zheng led her to a breakfast shop across from the bus station. There was bread, noodles, rice noodles, and porridge.
These weren’t entirely private businesses yet—individual entrepreneurs still didn’t dare to open shops openly, operating mostly as mobile vendors at most.
“A bowl of porridge is fine,” Nan Jin said, having little appetite. She’d just eat something simple.
Besides, she now felt as if everyone was watching her, as if they all wanted to snatch her belongings. She was becoming jumpy, like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow.
Yuan Zheng bought her porridge and asked her to sit and watch their luggage while he went to purchase bus tickets.
Meanwhile, Gu Shaoxuan returned to the university as usual. Remembering what his father had said the previous night, he detoured to the faculty residential area.
When he arrived at his apartment, he found the door locked from the outside, and an inexplicable panic surged within him.
He quickly took out his key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. His eyes immediately fell on the key lying on the table.
Only he and she had keys to this place, so this key must be hers, right?
He hurried into the bedroom and saw that all of Nan Zhu’s belongings were gone.
His face darkened, and his heart grew even more unsettled.
“Xiao Zhu, you’ve really grown some backbone, haven’t you? You actually moved out?”
He had thought that after these few days, her anger would have subsided enough for them to have a proper talk.
But instead, she had moved out?
Where could she have gone?
Thinking of her job at the textile factory, had she managed to get a dormitory room?
He shouldn’t have agreed to give her that 1,500 yuan in compensation!
Striding out, he locked the door and prepared to go to class, planning to look for her at the textile factory in the afternoon.
As he stepped out, an aunt who had just returned from grocery shopping spotted him and approached, eager for gossip.
“Teacher Gu, what trouble has that girl Nanzhu gotten into this time? Why was she taken away by a police car so late at night?”
Gu Shaoxuan froze. A police car took her away?
“When did this happen?”
As far as he knew, the police officers in this area had already withdrawn. Her suspicion had been cleared too, so why would a police car come to take her away?
The aunt had been watching his expression closely. Seeing his genuine surprise, her curiosity grew, itching like a cat’s scratch.
“You don’t know either? Last night, around eight o’clock, just after it got dark.”
“A man came to take her away. Judging by his posture, he seemed to be a police officer.”
“There was a police car waiting outside. They got in and drove off.”
“We thought she must have gotten into trouble again and you had sent her back in.”
Gu Shaoxuan’s heart trembled slightly. Her words reminded him of the time he had sent Nanzhu to the police station.
But this time, he had done nothing.
Could it be that the theft at home was really connected to her, and she had been detained?
But why hadn’t they received any notification?
Thinking this, he quickly thanked the aunt and returned to the school in a daze.
Sitting at his desk, he couldn’t calm his mind. He decided to take leave and go to the police station himself to get to the bottom of it.
He had made up his mind: if this matter was truly related to her, he would not forgive her easily this time. She would have to be locked up for at least two or three years.
Rushing to the police station, he grabbed an officer. “Comrade, where is Nanzhu being held? I want to see her.”
The officer he stopped eyed him suspiciously and recognized him.
“Teacher Gu? What are you doing here? Who is Nanzhu?”
Gu Shaoxuan frowned. “Yes, it’s me. Nanzhu is my ex-wife, the one who was released not long ago.”
The officer looked even more puzzled. After a moment, he said, “What trouble has your ex-wife gotten into now? When was she brought in?”
Seeing that the officer didn’t know, Gu Shaoxuan added, “They said she was brought in last night. Could you check for me?”
The officer, now curious himself, went to ask his colleagues but found no record of such an incident.
Gu Shaoxuan’s heart sank. So, who had taken Nanzhu away?
“Comrade, please investigate thoroughly. My ex-wife was taken away last night by two men claiming to be police officers. I suspect someone impersonated officers to abduct her.”
Just then, Chu Lingfeng walked in from outside. When he saw Gu Shaoxuan, his expression darkened.
Due to the theft at the Gu residence, Chu Lingfeng had learned about Gu Shaoxuan’s scandalous affair—how he had driven his ex-wife to divorce and caused the death of his own child for the sake of his mistress.
Naturally, he had no goodwill toward Gu Shaoxuan.
However, bound by his duty, he asked coldly, “Teacher Gu, what brings you here?”
Gu Shaoxuan hurried over to him. “Deputy Director Chu, I’m here to report a case. My ex-wife was taken away last night by someone impersonating a police officer.”
Chu Lingfeng immediately grew serious and asked in a low voice, “When? Where? Where was she taken?”
“Last night, around eight o’clock, at the teachers’ residential compound of the school. I don’t know where she was taken.”
Chu Lingfeng paused. Last night, around eight o’clock, at the teachers’ residential compound?
“Your ex-wife is Nanzhu?”
He remembered now. That kid Yuan Zheng had asked him to give them a ride yesterday and had specifically introduced him to Nan Zhu.
So, that kid had taken away his nephew’s ex-wife? What was he trying to do?