Сhарter 23: Why Hаvеn’t You Cоntactеd Ме? (Тwо-in-Оne)
“Тiрsу” wаs a music bаr.
At that moment, а rеsident singеr wаs реrfоrming a сlаssiс Cantоnеse оldie, “Thousаnds of Sоngs.”
As Shen Ciуing entеred, shе сasuallу gathered hеr lооsе long hair with а hаirрin shе had just bought оn the wаy.
Thе three сompаnions sat down аt thеir rеservеd tаble. Befоre lоng, Fu Yе unsurprisingly sрotted Fu Yuаn’s figure, fоllоwеd by а man aрproасhing thеm to drink.
Shen Ciying didn’t refuse and went аlоng with it, drinking two glasses. Onlу whеn the man askеd tо sit down and join them did she firmly decline.
As expected, this man was arranged by Fu Yuan to get them drunk.
Since he wanted them drunk, she would play along.
Jian Yao, with her simple and straightforward nature, had truly come to relax and drink. She claimed that if she didn’t get drunk tonight, she definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep, feeling stifled, angry, and unable to vent her emotions.
With every sip, she cursed Fu Yuan. The more she drank, the more worked up she became, and her cursing grew increasingly fervent.
Shen Ciying didn’t stop her; she even drank alongside her, though not as much.
Half an hour later, Jian Yao slumped over the table, unconscious, still muttering curses.
Shen Ciying called someone to pick up Jian Yao and take her to her villa, while also explaining the next steps to Fu Ye.
Fu Ye listened unhappily, “I’m not leaving. I can’t leave you alone.”
Shen Ciying replied, “If you don’t leave, Fu Yuan won’t have a chance. Besides, I’m not asking you to really leave. Just disappear for a little while.”
Fu Ye was still uneasy, “But there’s no need for you to take such a risk. I can discreetly castrate him in this chaotic setting without anyone noticing.”
“Castrate him, and then what?” Shen Ciying tilted her head with a light laugh, “We still need a proper charge. And those photos he took of the girls—we can’t just produce them directly, or we’d be accused of illegally obtaining others’ privacy.
After tonight’s commotion, he’ll think even the police can’t touch him. That fool must be feeling extremely triumphant and arrogant right now.
And besides…”
Shen Ciying narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, gently swirling the red wine glass in her hand, “Fu Yuan may be foolish, but Shen Rangchen isn’t stupid. If things are too fake or go too smoothly, he’ll see right through my little schemes.”
“Shen Rangchen?” Fu Ye was momentarily puzzled, “What does he have to do with this?”
Shen Ciying lowered her gaze to the wine in her glass, her eyes distant and unfocused, “He should make his stance clear to me. It can’t just be about physical intimacy. Tonight is a perfect opportunity.”
If Shen Rangchen had any genuine feelings for her, he should act tonight—not just in actions, but emotionally as well.
Fu Ye immediately understood, “Alright, go ahead boldly. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Just then, the person arranged to pick up Jian Yao arrived. Fu Ye helped Jian Yao out without delay.
Left alone, Shen Ciying leisurely picked up a glass of juice the same color as red wine and drank it. A few minutes later, she pretended to be drunk, slumping over the table and playing with her glass.
Sure enough, within minutes, someone approached to strike up a conversation, testing whether she was truly drunk.
Shen Ciying feigned drunkenness, and the man glanced in a certain direction.
The man then left, and a man in a black baseball cap approached—it was Fu Yuan.
Fu Yuan helped Shen Ciying up, intending to take her away.
Shen Ciying pretended to be drunk and resisted, pushing him away, “Who are you? Don’t touch me. My friend will be back soon.”Fu Yuan looked at the drunken Shen Ciying. She was reeking of alcohol, her cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes hazy and unfocused. She was truly beautiful—radiant and alluring, her gaze filled with a seductive, fox-like charm. No wonder he had wanted to sleep with her at first sight.
Fu Yuan’s eyes were full of wickedness. Women like her were born to be enjoyed by men.
Yet she had dared to scheme against him, making him and his aunt the laughingstock of everyone and causing the Fu family to lose half of its business connections overnight.
All of this was thanks to Shen Ciying!
Fu Yuan coaxed her, “Your friend asked me to pick you up.”
Shen Ciying mumbled in protest, pushing him away weakly, but she still allowed herself to be pulled along.
Not far away, Fu Ye followed them promptly.
Across from the bar was a hotel.
Shen Ciying knew she couldn’t let him take her too far in a car—she had to resolve this quickly.
As soon as they left the bar and reached the roadside, she began to fuss, “I’m so sleepy, I want to sleep.”
Muttering to herself, she started walking toward the hotel across the street.
Fu Yuan grabbed her arm to stop her, even taking off his own baseball cap and placing it on Shen Ciying’s head to hide her face.
Shen Ciying yanked the cap off and threw it on the ground, continuing to fuss, “I want to go to sleep, let go.”
She even deliberately called out to passersby for help, putting pressure on Fu Yuan: “I don’t know him…”
People nearby and those passing by looked over curiously.
Fu Yuan hurriedly explained to the onlookers, “We’re a couple having a breakup fight. We know each other.”
Seeing his agitation, Shen Ciying deliberately looked at him and whispered in a voice only they could hear, enticingly:
“I want to go to sleep, I’m so hot I need to take off my clothes, I need to shower…”
Her eyes shimmered, radiant and seductive, as she spoke of undressing and showering.
Fu Yuan immediately swallowed hard, his mind wandering.
To make matters worse, she kept struggling toward the hotel as she spoke. Afraid she might escape, and with passersby occasionally glancing their way, Fu Yuan just wanted to take her away quickly. He swiftly picked up the discarded baseball cap from the ground, put it on his own head, and hurriedly pulled Shen Ciying toward the hotel across the street.
After waiting two minutes, Fu Ye crossed the street and followed them. Seeing them check in and go upstairs, she anxiously rushed to the hotel front desk and immediately spotted the room number Shen Ciying had left on the countertop with a marker from the desk.
Pretending not to know, she reached out and grabbed the front desk clerk, using her sleeve to wipe away the still-wet ink. Grabbing the clerk, she demanded, “Did a man and a woman just check in? What’s the room number?”
The clerk, assuming it was a relationship dispute and someone catching an affair, simply adhered to professional ethics and said she couldn’t disclose guest privacy.
Fu Ye: “That man just threatened to kill someone. That girl is Shen Rangchen’s person. If something happens, can your hotel take responsibility? I’m calling the police right now.”
As she spoke, Fu Ye took out her phone and called the police, getting straight to the point: Shen Ciying had been abducted by Fu Yuan and taken into the hotel. After giving the hotel’s name, the front desk phone rang.
The clerk could be heard trembling as she said a string of “Okay. Okay. Okay. We’ll cooperate fully.”
After hanging up, she truthfully told Fu Ye the room number and even proactively handed over the room key.
Fu Ye took the key and rushed over immediately.
Security guards and nearby patrol officers also arrived quickly.
Before Fu Ye even reached the room, she could hear heart-wrenching screams from afar.
Terrified, she didn’t even have time to swipe the key card—she charged forward and kicked the door open, bursting inside.
“A Ying!”Bursting into the room, Fu Ye immediately spotted Shen Ciying crouched in the corner, her hands covered in blood. Her clothes were half undone, and she tightly clutched a blood-stained hairpin, her entire body coiled into a defensive posture.
Fu Yuan, howling in agony, had his chest exposed, with blood covering the lower half of his abdomen. It streamed down his pant legs, staining the floor crimson, and a fruit knife was embedded in his crotch.
Seeing the door open, he staggered, trying to flee.
Fu Ye urgently called out “A Ying” and rushed toward her. Midway, with swift reflexes, he kicked the fruit knife. The next moment, the knife clattered to the floor, and Fu Yuan’s “third leg” slid down his pant leg.
Amid Fu Yuan’s even more agonized screams, Fu Ye had already reached Shen Ciying and embraced her.
Sensing her concern, Shen Ciying didn’t wait for her to ask and immediately gave her a reassuring look.
Before she could speak, security guards and nearby patrol officers arrived one after another.
Shen Ciying immediately began screaming in terror, as if driven mad: “He tried to rape me, he wanted to kill me… He wanted to kill me, he was going to kill me, he tried to rape me…”
She repeated these two phrases over and over.
The patrol officer surveyed the bloody scene and calmly asked, “Miss Shen, don’t be afraid, stay calm. Tell me what happened here?”
Shen Ciying panicked, dropping the hairpin in her hand. She covered her ears in terror, muttering, “I don’t know, I don’t know anything. He tore off my clothes, threatened to kill me, and I was terrified.
He took out his phone to take photos, saying he had photographed many girls and that it would be an honor for me to be stored on his computer. He said he’d make me look beautiful and told me to behave, or else he’d kill me first and then rape me.
I was so scared, I don’t know how it ended up like this…”
Fu Ye promptly held Shen Ciying in her arms and said to the police, “Fu Yuan threatened us today with private photos, saying he would kidnap A Ying, run her over, and kill her.
The police had already warned him earlier, but it seems he doesn’t even fear you, disregarding the law and targeting A Ying again.
We don’t know if the private photos are real, but could you please check all his electronic devices…”
As she spoke, several more police officers arrived. The one leading them entered and anxiously looked at Shen Ciying: “Miss Shen, how are you now?”
Shen Ciying didn’t answer, only timidly shrinking further into Fu Ye’s embrace, as if overwhelmed by immense fear.
Seeing this, the officer didn’t press further. He arranged for the scene to be examined and directly ordered a search of all Fu Yuan’s electronic devices.
Then, everyone was taken to the station.
Shen Ciying deliberately did not contact Shen Rangchen, instead having Fu Ye reach out to a forensic science student friend, who recommended a lawyer to help her through the process.
By the time she returned home, it was already dawn the next day.
After such a harrowing night, Shen Ciying felt exhausted and went straight to bed upon arriving home.
She still did not contact Shen Rangchen.
In Shanghai.
When Zhuo Feng received the news, Shen Rangchen was in a meeting with partners and project managers.
The boss hated being disturbed during meetings, but since it concerned Shen Ciying, Zhuo Feng didn’t dare delay.
Although the boss hadn’t given her any official status, as his personal secretary, Zhuo Feng always felt Shen Ciying was special to him.
Otherwise, if anyone else had caused such a commotion for his boss, they would have long been thrown into the open sea to feed the sharks.Zhuo Feng stood at the conference room door, hesitating anxiously for a long while before mustering the courage to knock. After receiving permission, he quickly walked behind Shen Rangchen, leaned down, and whispered his report:
“Mr. Shen, Miss Ciying is in trouble.”
A flicker of panic suddenly flashed across Shen Rangchen’s previously calm and composed expression as he listened to the reports. His face instantly turned cold, and he swiftly raised a hand to signal everyone to be quiet.
Everyone fell silent and, as if by unspoken agreement, filed out in an orderly manner.
The vast conference room instantly grew quiet, leaving only Zhuo Feng and Shen Rangchen.
Shen Rangchen immediately asked, “What happened to A Ying?”
Zhuo Feng reported truthfully:
“She was retaliated against by Fu Yuan, who crashed into her car, and…”
Zhuo Feng nervously paused before continuing, “He also attempted to assault Miss Ciying. Miss Ciying was severely frightened.”
Bang!
The pen in Shen Rangchen’s hand slammed heavily onto the table with a sharp crack as he spoke coldly and angrily, “How dare Fu Yuan!”
He urgently asked, “Where is A Ying now?”
As he spoke, he instinctively took out his phone and dialed Shen Ciying’s number.
But the phone rang for a long time, eventually disconnecting automatically with no answer.
Shen Rangchen frowned tightly. “Book the earliest flight back to Beijing.”
Zhuo Feng replied, “Miss Ciying has already returned home safely. People have been arranged to handle the situation. I’ll book the flight now.”
He then urgently asked, “What about the afternoon meeting?”
Shen Rangchen looked at the chat window on his phone with Shen Ciying. He had been busy these past two days away, and they hadn’t exchanged a single word. She hadn’t reached out to him either.
His eyes suddenly grew deep and somber, his voice low. “You’ll attend the afternoon meeting on my behalf.”
Zhuo Feng replied, “Yes, Mr. Shen.”
The meeting concluded hastily before boarding time.
Shen Rangchen glanced down at his phone—still no return call from Shen Ciying.
What was she doing? Why wasn’t she answering the phone?
Why hadn’t she contacted him about such a serious matter?
His expression cold and grim, he frowned and asked Zhuo Feng, “Did A Ying contact you when the incident happened?”
Sometimes, when he was busy, many people would contact Zhuo Feng to relay messages.
Zhuo Feng nodded. “Miss Ciying did not contact me.”
Shen Rangchen asked again, “Did Fu Ye contact you?”
Zhuo Feng replied, “No, she didn’t.”
An inexplicable chill settled around Shen Rangchen, filled with an oppressive aura. “Which lawyer handled it? Was it Shen Jie?”
Shen Jie was his cousin and also the head of the company’s legal department.
Zhuo Feng felt a cold shiver run through him, clenched his palms tightly, and answered truthfully:
“It wasn’t Attorney Shen. It was a newly graduated junior lawyer, introduced by one of Miss Ciying’s friends.”
“A friend?” Shen Rangchen frowned with a complicated expression. “She contacted a friend?”
“Yes, Mr. Shen,” Zhuo Feng said. “She only contacted this friend. She didn’t reach out to anyone else.”
Shen Rangchen fell silent.
After a long while, he spoke again. “Call Fu Ye and ask her what A Ying is doing.”
Zhuo Feng took a deep breath. “Yes, Mr. Shen.”
Fu Ye’s phone also rang for several seconds before being answered.
Zhuo Feng immediately followed Shen Rangchen’s instructions and inquired. He only heard Fu Ye’s cold tone as she said:
“She’s sleeping. She didn’t sleep all night, and she was severely frightened. Her spirits aren’t good, so she went to bed as soon as she got back.”
Zhuo Feng replied, “Understood, thank you.”
Hearing Fu Ye’s words, Shen Rangchen suddenly recalled the image of her curled up into a small ball under the covers, fast asleep when he left.He’s usually so lively and loves to make a fuss, so why didn’t he even give him a call when something this big happened?
Was it because he bullied her too much that night before leaving?
Suddenly feeling a tightness in his chest, he casually loosened his tie and walked into the special passageway to board the flight back to Beijing.
Shen Ciying wasn’t asleep. She saw Shen Rangchen’s call but deliberately didn’t answer it. When she learned that Zhuo Feng had called Fu Ye, she had instructed in advance to respond that way if he asked about her.
Fu Ye asked Shen Ciying why she didn’t answer the phone herself, and she said:
“Unless I see Shen Rangchen in person, I won’t accept any phone comfort from him. It’s all just perfunctory.”