Jiang Xiao...
She wasn't completely useless after all.
Cheng Yuan didn't want to dwell on the past with her. He asked, "Where is Jiang Xiao?"
Zhang Rong laughed again. "Jiang Xiao? She's dead."
Cheng Yuan's eyes flew wide open. The veins on the side of his neck bulged. He didn't even bother to hide the dangerous aura rolling in his eyes—a look he only showed when facing an opponent.
He was about to lay hands on Zhang Rong.
"Say that again."
Zhang Rong knew he wouldn't believe her. She laughed lightly. "What? Don't believe it? It's okay. The show is about to begin."
The unease grew stronger. Cheng Yuan wasn't sure what Zhang Rong was planning. "Jiang Xiao is the only daughter of the Jiang family. Her parents dote on her. If anything happens to her, the Jiang family won't let you off. I advise you to think before you act."
"My child is gone. Why should I care about someone else's child?" Zhang Rong said recklessly. "Besides, the Jiang family is not what it used to be. Even if they wanted to do something to me, they wouldn't have the energy."
Cheng Yuan realized he couldn't confront her head-on. He softened his tone. "Mom, where are you? Let's meet and talk."
"Mom, huh." Zhang Rong threw her head back and laughed. "Weren't you the one who scorned calling me 'Mom' the most? Why are you calling me that today?"
"You've always been my mom," Cheng Yuan said, trying to soften her heart with past memories. "I still remember the first time I got sick. You were the one who took care of me. You stayed up all night with me, made me good food, and fed me yourself."
"I thought you didn't remember."
"I remember everything about you," Cheng Yuan said. "So, Mom, can you let Jiang Xiao go?"
"Let her go?" Zhang Rong turned fierce again. "Why should I let her go? I'm not happy. Why should she be happy?"
"She's innocent," Cheng Yuan reasoned. "She doesn't know anything about what happened in the Cheng family. She wasn't involved."
"She doesn't know, but the Jiang family knows. Your in-laws know." Zhang Rong burst into manic laughter again. "There's something you might not know."
"What?"
"The one your father loved to the point of madness—his first love—is Jiang Xiao's mother. Your dear mother-in-law."
"..."
Cheng Yuan really didn't know that.
But it explained why Zhang Rong hated Jiang Xiao so much and had made things difficult for her many times. Zhang Rong was taking revenge.
"I didn't know, and I believe Jiang Xiao didn't either," Cheng Yuan said. "Dad is dead. The past doesn't matter anymore. You should let it go.""
"Impossible!" Zhang Rong said. "Unless Jiang Xiao dies too, I'll never forget!"
Cheng Yuan frowned. "Harming others is illegal. Don't do anything rash."
"Who said I'm going to harm anyone?" Zhang Rong glanced at the incoming call display and curled her lips. "An accident, you understand?"
Hearing this, Cheng Yuan was about to reason with her again, but Zhang Rong said, "The real show is starting. Listen."
The car window was half-lowered, letting in a cold wind. The convective wind was strong and noisy. Cheng Yuan couldn't hear anything except the wind.
"Listen to what?"
"Shh—"
Zhang Rong hung up first.
Cheng Yuan called back. No one answered.
Jiang Yu said, "President Cheng, we've located the car. We'll find Madam soon."
Cheng Yuan pressed his fingers against his jaw and urged, "Hurry."
The unease poured in with the wind. Cheng Yuan unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. The veins on the side of his neck were especially conspicuous in the night.
His chest felt tight, as if something was about to happen.
Suddenly.
Cheng Yuan heard Jiang Yu, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, say, "President Cheng, that's Madam's car."
Ahead, a Mercedes was speeding along. Only the flashing taillights were visible.
Cheng Yuan: "Catch up and force it to stop. If necessary, you can ram it."
Jiang Yu thought he had misheard. "What did you say?"
"Stop that car," Cheng Yuan said. He only had one thought now: he would not allow Jiang Xiao to leave. Not even a step.
"But..." Jiang Yu hesitated. "Madam will be in danger."
Cheng Yuan couldn't care about that anymore. "Watch the speed. It should be fine."
He said, "Hurry."
Jiang Yu: "Yes."
The car crashed without warning. The speeding Mercedes spun three times before skidding into the green belt and stopping.
White smoke immediately engulfed the car.
The front was badly deformed. The doors looked relatively okay.