The big house was bright in the cold light. No one was inside the house; only loneliness and coldness accompanied it. Fang Mu had grown up in such an atmosphere. At that time, Mu Chen often did not return home for a few days. She had paid for a nanny, but the nanny saw that Mu Chen did not care about Fang Mu, so naturally, she did not care about Fang Mu either.

  Fang Mu would often go hungry at that time.

  Hunger was not the worst thing; it was loneliness.

  At night, without the sunlight, the villa was especially lonely and cold.

  Fang Mu thought that he would move from here with Fang Shan someday and live in an apartment in the city. It was smaller there, and he might feel warmer.

  As he thought about this, he unknowingly finished a plate of noodles.

  Fang Mu sent the plate into the kitchen. Seeing the nanny cleaning the kitchen counter, he put down the plate and said, “The noodles were made very well. Your working attitude is not bad. In the future, your monthly salary will increase by another 1,000 yuan.” After Qiao Jiuyin had left, Fang Mu had changed all the servants in his family.

  He had hired this nanny.

  This nanny was very honest and hardworking. Although Fang Mu was in the company during the day, every action at his home was sent to his office computer via surveillance cameras. The nanny was very kind to Fang Shan. She would regularly change his diapers and clothes when he vomited milk. Fang Mu had a good impression of her, so he was not stingy with giving her more salary.

  The nanny had always been afraid of Fang Mu. His cold demeanor scared her

  Hearing Fang Mu’s words, the nanny got a little shocked. But soon, happiness surged in her heart.

  “Yes, Sir.”


  She honestly answered and picked up the plate to wash it.

  Fang Mu walked out of the kitchen and went to see Fang Shan. Seeing the boy sleeping soundly, he went upstairs.

  Since he had eaten noodles, a tomato fragrance lingered in his mouth. Fang Mu turned into the washroom to brush his teeth. Just as he squeezed the toothpaste onto his toothbrush, an ear-piercing alarm suddenly sounded. Fang Mu was first stunned, then his expression suddenly changed. After throwing away his toothbrush, he quickly walked to the bed, picked up his phone, turned off the alarm, and turned on the remote surveillance cameras.

  The surveillance camera was facing a basement with bulletproof glass.

  However, the imprisonment room was empty…


  Cheng Ke was missing!

  Fang Mu did not even change his clothes. He ran downstairs and drove to the forest villa in the middle of the night.

  He drove the car to the villa, quickly and violently. Before the car even stopped, Fang Mu opened the car door and jumped out, rushing into the villa. He went straight to the basement and turned on all the lights. When he saw that the basement was empty and there was a hole in the ground, a layer of frost instantly covered his handsome face.

  ***

  A pure music bell rang in the middle of the night.

  The first time, she did not wake the owner of the phone.

  The second time, Qiao Jiuyin opened her eyes halfway.

  She picked up the phone and was stunned to see that it was a familiar number. Then, excitement flashed across her heart.

  Qiao Jiuyin quickly picked up the phone and pressed the phone to her ear. Just as Qiao Jiuyin called out “Brother Mu,” she was interrupted by the man on the other end of the phone with a voice as cold as ice.

  “Qiao Jiuyin, you’re finished.” Fang Mu’s tone was gloomy.

  Qiao Jiuyin suddenly heard his words, which were filled with killing intent. Her blood seemed to turn cold.

  Fang Mu’s cold voice was like two ice knives that scraped along her bones. It was painful and cold.

  Fang Mu was almost certain that Qiao Jiuyin had taken Cheng Ke away.

  Ever since she had secretly come to the basement and met Cheng Ke, Fang Mu had installed remote surveillance cameras in the basement. He was certain that after Qiao Jiuyin came, no one else had come here. If someone had forced their way into the villa, his phone would’ve automatically called the police.

  In the end, the other party was so cunning as to dig a tunnel. When the tunnel entered the basement, the alarm system rang.

  When Fang Mu turned on his phone, he only had time to see a man in black with a black hood stealing Cheng Ke from the basement!

  The only person who knew Cheng Ke and had the ability to take him away was Qiao Jiuyin!

  Moreover, only Qiao Jiuyin seemed to have a motive for doing so.

  Qiao Jiuyin was confused. She tried her best to maintain her composure and clearly spoke. She asked Fang Mu calmly and blankly, “I’m in confinement. I have been at home these few days. Everyone in the Qiao family can testify to this.”


  On the other end, Fang Mu remained silent after hearing her explanation.

  Qiao Jiuyin had completely regained her composure and recovered her IQ. “Brother Mu, what happened?”


  Fang Mu did not think that Qiao Jiuyin was pretending to be stupid. At this time, there was no need for Qiao Jiuyin to continue acting with him.

  “Cheng Ke was taken away.”


  Qiao Jiuyin’s pupils shrank, and her mouth fell open in shock.

  Cheng Ke was her biggest reliance and Fang Mu’s biggest weakness, which she could make use of.

  As long as Cheng Ke was in Fang Mu’s hands, Qiao Jiuyin could use him to threaten Fang Mu. Once Cheng Ke escaped, Fang Mu would be furious. If he wanted to fight to the death, he would definitely tell others that Qiao Jiuyin had replaced Qiao Jiusheng!

  All kinds of terrible possibilities instantly gushed into Qiao Jiuyin’s mind.

  She was both afraid and flustered.

  Hearing Qiao Jiuyin’s increasingly chaotic breathing, Fang Mu asked in surprise, “It was really not you?”


  “Brother Mu, if I let Cheng Ke go, I’ll lose my greatest reliance.” Qiao Jiuyin bitterly smiled. “Do you think I’ll do that?”


  Fang Mu remained silent.

  Qiao Jiuyin wanted to say something, but Fang Mu hung up.

  Hearing the beeping sound, Qiao Jiuyin could not even bitterly smile anymore. She only felt afraid.

  “Cheng Ke was taken away.”


  Fang Mu’s call scared Qiao Jiuyin awake the entire night.

  The next day, she woke up with two dark circles under her eyes.

  Qiao Yunfan sat in the rose garden, bathing in the morning light and drinking black tea. Ji Qing had just woken up and was picking roses in the courtyard. She picked up a rose and asked Qiao Yunfan, “Grandpa, does this rose look good?”


  Qiao Yunfan looked at Ji Qing and nodded with a smile. “Yes, Piaopiao, it looks good.”


  He had once again recognized Ji Qing as his daughter-in-law, Shi Piaopiao.

  Ji Qing shook her head and said, “If it looks good, I’ll send it to your room, okay?”


  “Okay.”


  No matter what anyone said, Old Master Qiao agreed.

  Qiao Jiuyin walked over and greeted Ji Qing and Qiao Yunfan. “Sister-in-law, Grandfather, both of you are up?”


  Qiao Yunfan looked at Qiao Jiuyin and chuckled. He even handed her a cup of black tea.

  Qiao Jiuyin pushed the teacup back and said, “Grandpa, I drink milk.”


  “Nonsense! Xiao Sheng, don’t you like black tea?” Qiao Yunfan’s dementia had been increasing recently, and he could no longer differentiate people. When he looked at Qiao Jiuyin, he sometimes called her Xiao Sheng and sometimes Ah Yin. In short, he called her whoever he wanted.

  Qiao Jiuyin did not answer him. She took a sip of milk, and Ji Qing walked over with a bouquet of roses. She glanced at Qiao Jiuyin’s face and frowned. “You didn’t sleep well last night?”


  “I have insomnia.”


  Ji Qing said, “You haven’t had insomnia in years.”


  Qiao Jiuyin nodded. “It might be the aftereffects of postpartum.” When she heard Ji Qing talk about insomnia, Qiao Jiuyin vaguely remembered that in the two years between her thirteenth and fifteenth birthday, Xiao Sheng had indeed suffered from frequent insomnia. She would even scream like she had gone mad and was later sent to the hospital for treatment.

  Qiao Jiuyin had always been very concerned about that matter. She did not know what was wrong with Xiao Sheng, but every time she asked, her family tried their best to avoid answering.

  She knew Xiao Sheng very well and knew almost everything about her. Yet, she did not know anything about what happened to Xiao Sheng that year.

  Ji Qing cut the flowers and said, “I’m going to see a friend today. You have nothing to do too. Do you want to accompany me?”


  “Who is it?” Qiao Jiuyin did not care.

  “Fang Yusheng.”


  When Qiao Jiuyin heard this, her hand trembled as she held the cup.

  She had always kept a distance from Fang Yusheng.

  “I won’t be going.” Qiao Jiuyin quickly shook her head.

  Ji Qing thought of something and nodded. She sighed. “That’s true. It’s not too convenient for you to face the Fang family now.”


  Qiao Jiuyin did not speak and continued to drink milk and eat breakfast.

  After a while, Qiao Jiuyin unintentionally mentioned Fang Yusheng again. “Sister-in-law, why is Fang Yusheng looking for you?”


  Ji Qing said, “To borrow something from our Qiao family.”


  “What?”


  “It’s our company’s treasure.”


  Qiao Jiuyin was stunned. The company’s treasure store, a crown necklace and crown for love? Qiao Jiuyin asked in surprise, “Why does he want to borrow that?”


  “He and Sister Yunsheng are holding a wedding.”


  Upon hearing this, Qiao Jiuyin was extremely surprised. “A wedding now?” she asked again. “Which day?”


  “On the 29th. Your big brother and I will attend as well. Fang Yusheng has already invited us.” Ji Qing placed the rose in the vase and made a nice shape. Seeing Qiao Jiuyin’s thoughtful expression, she curled her lips and said, “What a coincidence! Their wedding is also at the Empire Hotel.”


  Qiao Jiuyin felt unhappy.

  “Oh, really?”


  “Yes, I heard from him that he has already rented the top floor of the Empire Hotel and is planning to hold a wedding there.” Ji Qing sighed. “Sister Yunsheng is so lucky. Fang Yusheng treats her really well. This wedding will be eye-catching.”


  When Qiao Jiuyin heard that Fang Yusheng and Qi Yunsheng were going to hold a wedding on the top floor of the Empire Hotel, she felt a little suffocated.

  Shaking his head, Ji Qing revealed an envious look. “It makes me want to hold a new wedding.”


  “Who are you going to have a wedding with?” Qiao Sen was about to go to the company and had just put on his tie. When he heard Ji Qing’s words, he could not help but frown. He was very unhappy. Ji Qing glanced at him and scolded him in her heart:?

  “Johansson proposed to me again a few days ago,” Ji Qing said, troubled.

  Qiao Sen’s expression suddenly turned ugly. “You and I have already been married for ten years, yet he still proposed to you!” Qiao Sen’s eyebrows jumped, wanting to kill that shameless person. “Redoing a marriage is a crime!”?

  Ji Qing snorted. “If you’re divorced, you’re not getting remarried.”


  Qiao Sen instantly felt danger.

  “You want to divorce me?” He tied his tie and walked toward Ji Qing.

  Qiao Sen was very tall, even taller than Fang Mu by a few centimeters. He was well-built and looked very threatening when he stood in front of Ji Qing.

  Ji Qing continued to cut her roses, not afraid of Qiao Sen at all.

  Qiao Sen gritted his teeth in hatred. He squatted down and placed his hand on Ji Qing’s leg. Lowering his voice, he tried to please her. “I was wrong. I really have nothing to do with that woman Li Yue. I don’t know when the lipstick mark was imprinted yesterday. Ah Qing, don’t be angry. Let’s make up, okay?”


  Qiao Sen, a 1.9-meter-tall man, squatted beside Ji Qing like a pug.

  The corners of Qiao Jiuyin’s eyes twitched.

  Old Master Qiao clapped and shouted, “Li, Li…”


  Qiao Sen turned around and glared at the old master. “Grandpa, drink tea!”


  Ji Qing sneered and used the rose branch to whip the back of Qiao Sen’s hand. A few red marks immediately appeared on the back of Qiao Sen’s hand. The rose had thorns and they hurt the back of his hand. Qiao Sen let her hit him and was not angry at all.

  When she was done, Ji Qing threw away the rose and said, “Get lost! You’re annoying.”


  How could Qiao Sen get lost? He secretly pinched Ji Qing’s fingers and said in a low voice, “Can’t you change your assistant?” A man, who proposed to his wife every few days, was his wife’s assistant. Qiao Sen had had a hard time all these years.

  Ji Qing mocked him. “Then can’t you change your secretary?”


  “Will you change if I change?”


  Ji Qing sneered. “No.” Johansson was her old friend, so she naturally could not change him. On the other hand, that woman called Li Yue was obviously a scheming woman.

  Qiao Sen’s expression darkened. He stood up and went to work with his briefcase.