Wen Ran was silent for a moment, then spoke with a cold edge in her voice. "If this was a carefully planned trap, then I'm certain the one behind it is Zhou Mingfu. He knows my schedule and can easily find out I'm staying in this hotel room. He also knows that the word 'car accident' is the quickest way to throw me into panic. If I had rushed back to F City, I would've walked right into their trap the moment I stepped out of the hotel."
Although Bai Xiaoxiao had suspected as much, hearing Wen Ran lay it out so clearly still sent a chill down her spine. After Wen Ran's parents died, Zhou Mingfu had repeatedly made life difficult for her, never bothering to hide his sinister intentions. Now that Wen Jin was awake, there was no telling how desperate he might become.
"Ranran, so what do we do now? We just let it go like this?" Bai Xiaoxiao glared furiously at the man standing on the street below—he kept glancing at the hotel entrance, then up toward their window. Another man had just gotten out of the van and was speaking to him.
The two of them cast another glance upward before climbing back into the vehicle. A moment later, the black van sped off into the night.
As the van vanished into the darkness, Wen Ran and Bai Xiaoxiao turned on the lights and returned to the bed. Wen Ran said calmly, "Xiaoxiao, you should go back to G City tomorrow."
Bai Xiaoxiao's expression changed instantly. Without hesitation, she snapped, "I'm not leaving. If Zhou Mingfu really intends to hurt you, and his first attempt failed, there will definitely be a second. I'd rather stay by your side than leave you alone."
Wen Ran was moved by her words. She bit her lip and said softly, "Xiaoxiao, Zhou Mingfu might very well be the one responsible for my parents' deaths—and for my brother being in a coma for half a month. But I have no proof. The police haven't found any leads either. Just a few days ago, my brother warned me to be careful. He was afraid Zhou Mingfu would target me. And you saw what happened tonight."
"Even if I can't be sure that van was waiting for me, that phone call was very real. You can't stay here anymore. You're going back to G City in the morning."
Bai Xiaoxiao stared at her angrily, her pretty face full of fury. "Wen Ran, what do you take me for? I'm not leaving unless you come with me. Whenever you go back, that's when I'll go back."
"Whatever you say won't change my mind. I'm not going."
With that, Bai Xiaoxiao threw herself onto the bed, yanked the blanket over her head, and turned her back to Wen Ran with a huff.
Seeing her act like that, Wen Ran felt both touched and helpless. She reached out to pull the blanket down and teased, "Xiaoxiao, show your face. You'll suffocate like that."
"I want to suffocate! Just let me!"
Wen Ran's lips twitched with amusement. She had no choice but to compromise. "Alright, alright. You can stay. But don't tell my brother about what happened tonight. He's still recovering, and I don't want him worrying about me."
A second later, Bai Xiaoxiao pulled the blanket off her head, beaming brightly. "Don't worry. I won't tell Jin-ge. But Mo Xiuchen already knows. Let's see how he handles it."
Meanwhile…
Luo Haofeng arrived at Wen Ran's hotel just ten minutes after the black van had left.
He lingered at the hotel entrance for a while before calling Wen Ran. When she told him she was already resting, he asked to see the security footage from the hotel manager. Then, he called Mo Xiuchen.
Mo Xiuchen had already returned home. Fresh out of the shower, he reclined on the sofa in nothing but shorts, his toned chest exposed, his chiseled features partially hidden behind a light cloud of smoke.
Holding his phone to his ear with one hand, a cigarette between his fingers in the other, he listened to Luo Haofeng's voice through the speaker.
"…By the time I got there, the vehicle was already gone. I reviewed the surveillance footage, and based on their timing and behavior, I'm certain their target was Miss Wen."
Gu Kai had already filled him in on the situation over the phone. Mo Xiuchen immediately sent Luo Haofeng to the hotel, though unfortunately, he was a few minutes too late.
"Did you get a good look at their faces?" Mo Xiuchen's voice dropped a degree colder, a hint of danger flashing in his eyes. Whoever dared lay a hand on his woman would pay dearly.
"The lighting was poor, but we should still be able to identify them."
"Send me the footage."
Mo Xiuchen stubbed out his cigarette and spoke with icy finality.
"Understood."
Luo Haofeng replied quickly. Mo Xiuchen rarely involved himself directly—usually, he and Mu handled matters. The fact that Mo Xiuchen was stepping in personally showed just how much Wen Ran meant to him.
At That Same Moment…
Inside a hospital ward at the People's Hospital, Zhou Mingfu sat on the edge of his bed, his face dark as he barked into his phone. "Since Wen Ran didn't fall for it, go with the second plan tomorrow. No delays. She's already getting suspicious."
He had known there was a chance Wen Ran wouldn't take the bait, but he had still hoped for an easy win. Now that she refused the toast, it was time for her to drink the forfeit.
The man on the other end of the line said something, and Zhou Mingfu snorted. "If you fail, you won't get a single cent from me. But if you succeed, I'll double your payment. Your visas are already arranged. Once the job is done, you'll be free to fly abroad and enjoy yourselves—no one will ever find you!"
There was a short silence, then a response: "We'll take care of it."
Money can make the devil dance. Especially for those thugs—useless, jobless scum who had been drooling over Wen Ran's photo ever since they saw her. Money and a beautiful woman? How could they resist?
And this wasn't G City—this was F City, where Wen Ran knew no one. Just a delicate little woman. If she wouldn't fall for the trap, they'd just abduct her.
Zhou Mingfu grunted in satisfaction. Thinking about how she had repeatedly thwarted his plans, he added grimly, "Wen Ran is sharp—you need to be very careful. There can't be any mistakes."
The man assured him again, and Zhou Mingfu finally hung up.
Just imagining Wen Ran being ruined tomorrow, turned from a pampered heiress into a plaything, made Zhou Mingfu burst into crazed laughter. Wen Jin would be furious, Mo Xiuchen would be humiliated—and he would finally have his revenge.
After he calmed down, he picked up the phone again and called his daughter, Zhou Lin, who had gone to F City with Mo Zixuan. He needed an update.
When she answered, he asked right away, "A'Lin, how's everything? Is Mo Zixuan treating you well?"
"He's still cold as ever. Even after finding out I'm pregnant, he just came home drunk and passed out after vomiting all over the floor… Dad, I can't take it anymore. He still loves Wen Ran. When are you going to get rid of her?"
"Very soon," Zhou Mingfu said with a dark, vicious gleam in his voice. "In two days, she'll be ruined."