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In a dark, enclosed space, Qiao Nuo felt herself bound to a chair. Despite her desperate attempts to open her eyes, the darkness around her was impenetrable, leaving her unable to see anything.
"Help..." she called out, but all she could perceive was the sound of her own voice; she couldn't hear it echo back to her.
An overwhelming sense of panic surged within her, filling her with a foreboding feeling!
Suddenly, two beams of light pierced through the darkness, blinding her momentarily. She instinctively shut her eyes, and when she opened them again, she discovered that there were two people in this small space.
Another woman was also tied to a chair!
The woman looked at Qiao Nuo with a surprised expression, as if they recognized each other.
Should she know this woman? But she had lost her memory; even her name had been told to her by Jin Chengyan. How could she possibly remember anyone else?
The other woman began to speak, but Qiao Nuo couldn't hear her words.
In this place illuminated only by two beams of light, Qiao Nuo felt an intense unease. She wanted to escape!
She struggled against her bindings and, to her astonishment, the ropes around her wrists came loose!
She didn't know why she felt compelled to save the woman tied to the chair. Once she freed the other woman, a sudden opening appeared in the room, allowing sunlight to stream in from outside!
She could escape!
A wave of joy surged within her as she ran toward the bright light!
Just when she thought she was about to successfully break free from this place, a heavy blow struck her head!
She turned around in shock and saw the woman she had just saved holding a brick, swinging it towards her head! That woman!
It was Ruan Shengyu!
"Ah—" A scream escaped Qiao Nuo's lips, jolting her awake as she shot up from the bed!
The hospital in the early morning was eerily quiet, and Qiao Nuo's scream shattered the silence, leaving the entire ward in a tense stillness.
Jin Chengyan, who had been leaning against the bed, immediately woke up at the sound of Qiao Nuo's voice. He turned on the light and looked at her with concern.
"What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" Seeing the sweat on Qiao Nuo's face and her panicked reaction, Jin Chengyan guessed what might have occurred.
Qiao Nuo looked at Jin Chengyan with a dazed expression, instinctively nodding her head.
Jin Chengyan took a tissue to wipe the sweat from her forehead and then went to the bathroom to fetch a warm towel to help her clean her face.
By the time Jin Chengyan finished these tasks, Qiao Nuo still seemed to be in a daze, sitting on the bed with a blank stare.
"Are you feeling unwell? Should I call a doctor?" As he spoke, Jin Chengyan reached for the bell to summon medical help.
Since he had brought Qiao Nuo to this hospital last night, all doctors related to neurology were required to be on standby, just in case anything happened to her.
But Qiao Nuo grabbed Jin Chengyan's shirt. "No need..."
Her voice was faint, and her face was pale. How could she expect Jin Chengyan not to worry?
"Your face looks terrible. I won't feel at ease unless we call a doctor," Jin Chengyan expressed his concern for Qiao Nuo.
"I said it's unnecessary!" Qiao Nuo snapped back at Jin Chengyan, her tone firm. She lifted her gaze to meet his, showing no sign of weakness, even appearing somewhat assertive.
Jin Chengyan withdrew his hand, looking at Qiao Nuo as he placed his palm against her cheek. Her skin felt cool, despite the air conditioning running in the room.
"Are you angry with me for locking Qiao Chen in Jin Mansion and causing him to get hurt?" This was likely the reason for Qiao Nuo's anger. Even without memories, Qiao Chen was her younger brother. How could she not worry or be upset when he was injured?
Qiao Nuo remained silent, merely gazing at Jin Chengyan. The more she maintained that expression, the more perplexed he felt. What was she thinking?
"I brought Qiao Chen to Jin Mansion because you suddenly disappeared without a word. You know there was an issue at the Jin resort that day, and I had to rush over to handle it. Someone deliberately set me up, and by the time I got home, they told me you were missing."
That day, Qiao Nuo had indeed asked Ji Nuan Yang to help her leave Jin Mansion, but she had no idea that Ji Nuan Yang had set a trap for Jin Chengyan!
However, if Ji Nuan Yang hadn't interfered with Jin Chengyan, he wouldn't have returned to Jin Mansion so late in the afternoon and spent so much time searching for Qiao Nuo without success.
"Qiao Chen is your brother. I thought that even if you wanted to leave, you'd first look for him. So I found Qiao Chen and brought him home, thinking you would come back." But she didn't; instead, Qiao Nuo went directly to C City and even arrived with Yan Beiting.
Qiao Nuo surely didn't know how furious Jin Chengyan felt upon seeing her standing next to Yan Beiting. He wished those twenty-odd helicopters could transform into fighter jets to bomb Yan Beiting's private plane.
Perhaps in the past, he might have been annoyed with Yan Beiting due to personal grievances, but now Jin Chengyan understood that it was because he cared for Qiao Nuo and liked her; he didn't want to see her with Yan Beiting.
"I'm very sorry about Qiao Chen. I've already asked A Shan to find the best doctor for his treatment. He won't have any lasting effects, I promise you. I will never harm Qiao Chen again," Jin Chengyan earnestly explained, his sincere gaze affecting Qiao Nuo.
Qiao Nuo remained silent, not providing an answer to Jin Chengyan. This made him anxious; whether it was forgiveness or not, she needed to give him a response. What did this silence mean?
“Qiao Nuo?”
When Qiao Nuo came to her senses and looked at Jin Chengyan, there was a hint of unfamiliarity in her eyes.
“It’s nothing… I just… had a nightmare and I’m still… trying to recover,” Qiao Nuo's tone gradually softened. As she looked at Jin Chengyan, her expression became gentler, reminiscent of the times when she regarded him as her only family in this world.
Seeing Qiao Nuo like this eased Jin Chengyan's worries a bit.
“Should I call a doctor to check on you now?”
“I don’t want to. I’m a bit tired; let’s talk about it when the sun comes up.” Qiao Nuo slowly lay down, but in the warm blankets, she felt no warmth at all—only a chilling emptiness that pierced her heart.
With her back turned to Jin Chengyan, she didn’t close her eyes; her mind was in turmoil.
It wasn’t until Jin Chengyan lay down beside her, gently pulling her into his embrace, that she felt his warmth against her back, just like every other night when he held her as they fell asleep together.
But this time, it felt different.
The one who hit her was Ruan Shengyu, yet Jin Chengyan hadn’t done anything to her!
What kind of boundaries did he have regarding Ruan Shengyu? Did he think that as long as she didn’t commit murder or arson, he could indulge her without restraint?
…
Qiao Chen was at the hospital where Huo Yawen was located. When he was being loaded onto the ambulance, he insisted that the medical staff take him to Huo Yawen’s hospital; otherwise, he would rather jump out of the vehicle!
For a patient as stubborn as he was, the medical staff had no choice but to send Qiao Chen to that place.
However, the doctors treating Qiao Chen were all experts, and in the end, it was just a dislocated shoulder.
After being closely monitored for a day, Qiao Nuo changed into her own clothes and confidently walked out of the ward.
Two bodyguards from the Jin Family stood at the entrance, politely blocking Qiao Chen's way.
"Young Master Qiao Chen, please return to your room. Don't make things difficult for us!" They had arranged for Qiao Chen to stay in a room with iron bars on the windows; there was no way out except through the front door!
Qiao Chen didn’t understand why Jin Chengyan had trapped him, but he figured it must have something to do with his sister! The thought that Qiao Nuo couldn’t even remember him made him want to tear Jin Chengyan apart.
"The room is too stuffy; I need to go for a walk!" Qiao Chen insisted as he pushed forward.
The two bodyguards had already received instructions from A Shan not to physically restrain Qiao Chen. This young master had quite a temper, and if they forced him and something went wrong, their own young master would truly be furious!
So when Qiao Chen swaggered out, the two bodyguards could only quietly follow behind him.
He wandered around, first taking a stroll in the garden, then circling through the outpatient and emergency departments. Finally, he arrived at the neurosurgery department just as Huo Yawen was coming out of the operating room.
Qiao Chen desperately gestured at Huo Yawen. Seeing the two bodyguards behind him, Huo Yawen didn’t understand what was going on but realized that Qiao Chen was in a difficult situation.
He nodded slightly to show he understood.
Afterward, Qiao Chen returned to the garden and sat on a bench soaking up the sun like an old man in his seventies or eighties.
Before long, Huo Yawen emerged. As he approached Qiao Chen, the two bodyguards eyed him suspiciously. However, upon seeing him in a white lab coat, looking scholarly, and noticing that he merely sat down and smoked without any other actions, they allowed Huo Yawen to remain there.
Huo Yawen glanced at the two bodyguards, then pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Qiao Chen.
Qiao Chen was momentarily taken aback but accepted the cigarette without lighting it.
"Why is someone following you?" Huo Yawen also left his cigarette unlit. From a distance, they appeared as if one was borrowing a cigarette from the other, nothing unusual about it.
"Jin Chengyan sent someone to follow me. I suspect something has happened to my sister. I can't leave right now; can you help me look into it? I'm worried something might have happened to her," Qiao Chen said, a deep worry gnawing at him. He couldn't even reach his sister by phone and had no idea how to contact her!
Ever since Qiao Nuo mentioned she was with Jin Chengyan, she had become increasingly mysterious and reluctant to share her thoughts with him, which made Qiao Chen feel quite unsettled.
If it weren't for his studies, he would have followed his sister every day just to ensure her safety!
"I haven't contacted Qiao Nuo in a while either, but hearing you say this makes me want to find her." If Jin Chengyan dared to harm her, Huo Yawen would risk everything to rescue Qiao Nuo!
Of course, Huo Yawen kept this last thought to himself; there was no need for Qiao Chen or Qiao Nuo to know.
He was content just quietly caring for and protecting Qiao Nuo.
Qiao Chen handed the cigarette back to Huo Yawen. The two acted as if they were strangers and walked in opposite directions.
Qiao Chen was infuriated with Jin Chengyan. Being trapped in Jin Mansion without any explanation was one thing; now being stuck in the hospital only fueled his anger further.
He shouted at the two bodyguards, "Give me Jin Chengyan's phone number! What is this nonsense keeping me here?"
The two bodyguards exchanged glances, taken aback by the young master’s temper. One moment he was smoking with a doctor, and now he was demanding Jin Chengyan's phone number?
Yet, they couldn't ignore the young master's request. After one of them called A Shan, it wasn't long before Jin Chengyan's phone rang.
Before the bodyguards could say anything, Qiao Chen snatched the phone!
“Jin Chengyan, you bastard! Where have you taken my sister? If she loses even a single hair or gets hurt in any way, I swear I’ll make sure we both go down together!” Qiao Chen's voice was powerful and resolute, showing no sign of being a wounded person.
The two bodyguards were utterly stunned. No one had ever dared to speak to Jin Chengyan with such ferocity. This little brother-in-law of their young master was truly formidable!
However, Qiao Chen didn’t hear a response from the other end; there was only silence.
“Jin Chengyan, you coward! If you have the guts, come face me right now! Let’s see if I don’t take you down!”
The bodyguards were speechless.
“Qiao Chen, it’s me.” Qiao Nuo’s voice came through, slightly choked.
At eighteen years old, Qiao Chen had no social experience and was unaware of the world's dangers. Yet he had a heart full of innocence and determination to protect his sister, regardless of how powerful the opponent might be.
Hearing Qiao Nuo’s voice calmed him instantly. From his earlier rage to now feeling exhilarated—Qiao Nuo was safe!
“Sister, is that really you? Are you okay? Jin Chengyan hasn’t done anything to you, has he? Where are you? I’ll come find you right now!”
Qiao Chen’s transformation from furious to relieved left the two bodyguards utterly dumbfounded.
“I’m fine, but what about you? Why did you climb over the wall? Do you think you’re Sun Wukong, able to ride the clouds? If it gets any worse, your hand will be ruined! How are you going to take your exams?” Qiao Nuo felt both heartbroken and upset.
But she held back many of her thoughts because Jin Chengyan was beside her.
“Sis, I was wrong, but you have to tell me where you are. What exactly did that bastard Jin Chengyan do to you? Don’t think I don’t know that you were kidnapped before! I’m your brother; I have the right to know these things!” In this world of wealthy families, the socialites in his WeChat circle didn’t block him because they knew he was Jin Chengyan’s brother-in-law.
From their posts, he had caught glimpses of their opinions on the matter. At that time, Qiao Nuo had just been fine, and Qiao Chen didn’t want to upset her, so he kept quiet.
But now, Qiao Chen couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Just rest well. Once your hand is better, you can go back to school. I’m in C City for work; don’t worry about it. When winter break comes, we’ll move back to the small apartment together!”
Qiao Nuo didn’t continue discussing the kidnapping but instead changed the subject.
Qiao Chen wanted to say more, but Qiao Nuo didn’t give him a chance.
She didn’t hang up; instead, she turned to the person beside her and said, “I’m fine now and won’t be leaving. Shouldn’t you let Qiao Chen go back to school?”
Hearing Qiao Nuo’s words, Qiao Chen realized there was someone else with her—Jin Chengyan. Otherwise, why would Qiao Nuo say those things?
“Just handle it as you see fit,” Jin Chengyan spoke up, now fully supporting Qiao Nuo.
With Jin Chengyan’s approval, Qiao Nuo turned back to Qiao Chen on the phone and said, “Give the phone to the bodyguard. I’ll talk to them so they won’t follow you anymore. Once your hand is better, go back to school!”
After hanging up, Qiao Nuo placed her phone on the blanket, feeling somewhat downcast.
“What happened? What did Qiao Chen say to you?” Jin Chengyan was worried about Qiao Nuo. After A Shan called him, he asked Qiao Nuo to call Qiao Chen.
Unexpectedly, after the call, Qiao Nuo's mood worsened.
Just a moment ago, Jin Chengyan could hear Qiao Chen accusing him from two meters away.
“Qiao Chen…” Qiao Nuo thought for a moment. “He said you’re a jerk and asked why you didn’t tell him where I was.”
Jin Chengyan: “…” Qiao Chen, you really dare to say that. Do you think just because you're Qiao Chen's brother, I have no way to deal with you?
But the truth was, Jin Chengyan really couldn’t do anything about Qiao Chen!
The mere identity of being Qiao Nuo’s brother made him avoid confrontation.
The power of a brother-in-law was truly formidable!
…
“Um, Jin Chengyan, you really don’t need to stay with me in C City. I have my own work to do here,” Qiao Nuo said the next day after being discharged from the hospital. They didn’t find anything serious; it seemed she had just fainted from stress, but the blood clot in her head was showing signs of shrinking.
These past two days, busy as he was, Jin Chengyan stayed in C City with her. If Qiao Nuo didn’t go out, neither did he. He worked on his laptop in the hotel and would chat with Qiao Nuo whenever he had a moment.
At this rate, it felt more like Qiao Nuo was accompanying Jin Chengyan on a business trip!
In fact, it seemed that Jin Chengyan had even closed a deal with Nan Chen from C City and would be signing the contract after the New Year.
Qiao Nuo's collaboration with Ji Nuan Yang had only just begun, and Jin Chengyan's pace seemed a bit too fast.
"When do you plan to go back? We just got married, and now we're living apart. That's not good for our relationship," Jin Chengyan said earnestly, embodying the image of a perfect husband.
Qiao Nuo couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly in her heart, though she didn't let that expression show.
The main issue was that with Jin Chengyan around, Qiao Nuo truly couldn't focus on her own matters!
"I'll return before the New Year..." She had promised to celebrate the holiday with Qiao Chen.
"There's still over a month until the New Year. If you're only going back then, I'll have seven hundred twenty hours, forty-three thousand two hundred minutes, and two hundred fifty-nine million two thousand seconds without seeing you. Every moment I can't see you, I'll be thinking of you. Just thinking about it now makes me feel unbearable."
Qiao Nuo: "..." His romantic skills were truly at MAX level. Was this how he always treated someone he liked, or had he just learned it recently?
Her heart skipped a beat.
Did she really feel that Jin Chengyan liked her now? Was it simply because he was always by her side?
Wasn't that... guilt?
"Are you thinking about being with me, or do you really miss me?" Qiao Nuo asked directly, blinking her eyes.
Jin Chengyan raised an eyebrow; Qiao Nuo's question was too blunt.
"Is there really a fundamental difference between wanting to be with you and missing you?"
“Isn't a man's love separated from spirit and flesh? When we are together, do you really think of me? When you love someone, perhaps you are thinking of being with me…”
Before Qiao Nuo could finish, Jin Chengyan set down what he was holding and walked over to her. Her words were too provocative today, as if she were deliberately trying to drive him away.
“My soul and body are right here. How do you want to feel them?” He placed Qiao Nuo's hand on his left chest, where the powerful rhythm of his heartbeat thumped beneath her palm. Before her was Jin Chengyan's sincere face, the deep affection in his eyes evident to Qiao Nuo.
“Then how about we do everything we need to for the next month in advance? With you here, I can't focus on my work.”
Qiao Nuo leaned closer, their noses almost touching, both of their breaths becoming a bit erratic at that moment.
Jin Chengyan wrapped his arms around Qiao Nuo's waist, pulling her closer. His lips brushed against her earlobe.
“Is that enough? We do this every night.”
Without waiting for Jin Chengyan to respond, Qiao Nuo took action to show him just how serious she was!
She pushed him onto the sofa and sat on his lap, her long hair swept to one side, her bare face glowing with a natural blush.
Since she hadn’t gone out, she wore Jin Chengyan's white shirt, the top three buttons undone. As she leaned in, the black bra underneath was faintly visible, and Qiao Nuo's figure was stunning—her curves adding an air of mystery beneath the fabric.
Her long, fair legs wrapped around Jin Chengyan's waist!
This scene was practically an invitation to sin!
Jin Chengyan felt a dryness in his throat; he wanted water, but he knew that only Qiao Nuo could quench his thirst.
For two whole days, Qiao Nuo and Jin Chengyan had not left the hotel. In the presidential suite, every conceivable spot bore their traces, as if after these two days, the world was about to end and they would never have another chance to be together.
The bed in the bedroom was one thing, but the sofa in the living room, the dining table in the restaurant, the kitchen counter, the refrigerator door, and even the bathtub and shower in the bathroom—all of these places reminded Qiao Nuo of how she and Jin Chengyan had shared intimate moments together.
Finally, Qiao Nuo bid farewell to Jin Chengyan.
When he left that morning, Qiao Nuo was still sore and nestled under the covers, her back fully exposed. Jin Chengyan couldn’t resist pressing against her one last time; it seemed they could never get enough!
After a series of soft murmurs, their encounter ended. Before leaving, Jin Chengyan gave her a kiss filled with deep affection but devoid of any desire.
Qiao Nuo responded mechanically.
Once Jin Chengyan was gone, Qiao Nuo returned to sleep, not waking until three in the afternoon.
After soaking in a hot bath to ease her exhaustion from two days without rest, she packed her clothes into her suitcase. Dragging it along, she made her way to the front desk and requested to switch from the presidential suite to a standard room.
“Mrs. Jin, Mr. Jin has already paid for a month in the suite,” the receptionist said with a smile.
“Please change it to a standard room and refund me the excess amount. Thank you,” Qiao Nuo replied firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
The receptionist seemed taken aback; it was likely their first encounter with someone who would choose not to stay in a paid presidential suite in favor of a standard room.
However, the hotel’s standard rooms were well-equipped after all; it was a five-star establishment.
Soon, Qiao Nuo returned to the newly opened standard room with the difference in price she had refunded.
The standard room was indeed much inferior to the presidential suite; it lacked spaciousness, a panoramic city view, a kitchen, a gym, and so on.
However, coming out of that room meant that Qiao Nuo no longer had to think about the positions she had shared with Jin Chengyan every time she walked past.
She nestled into the single sofa and gazed out the window. Although there was no vast cityscape, it still offered a sense of emptiness and tranquility.
Half an hour later, Qiao Nuo called Ji Xining.
Twenty minutes later, Ji Xining rushed over.
“Qiao Nuo, are you really going to investigate the case of your kidnapping?” Ji Xining asked excitedly. With nothing else to do, she always loved to join in on the excitement.
Qiao Nuo forced a bitter smile.
Jin Chengyan, oh Jin Chengyan, even if you want to lie, you should at least have someone cooperate with you. Look at this—you told me I lost my memory due to a car accident, and I believed you.
Even when I heard you say with your own mouth that I lost my memory because of injuries sustained during the kidnapping, I began to doubt it.
But now Qiao Chen says one thing, Xi Ning says another, and you say the same; I can no longer trust you!
“This is what I found on Jin Chengyan's computer,” Qiao Nuo said as she turned her laptop towards Ji Xining.
It was when Jin Chengyan was taking a shower that she had secretly opened his computer and discovered something in a hidden encrypted file.
She tried the birthday of Ruan Shengyu as the password; those six digits lingered in Qiao Nuo's mind, but this time, it did not work!
Next, she used Jin Chengyan's birthday, but that didn't work either. Just when she was about to give up, she entered her own birthday, and to her surprise, it opened.
The encrypted file contained an identification report.
"Fingerprint report? What is this?" Ji Xining could understand the English on the document—it was a fingerprint report—but she didn't grasp the significance of Qiao Nuo showing it to her.
"The fingerprints belong to Ruan Shengyu, and they match the ones found on the brick that hit me in the factory."
Ji Xining paused for a moment before realizing, "The person who attacked you is Ruan Shengyu!"
Qiao Nuo nodded.
"But Jin Chengyan hid this report," Ji Xining said in shock.
This was precisely what made Qiao Nuo feel a chill in her heart.
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