Chapter 80: I Am Her Husband

On the other side, Fu Huaizhou had just gotten off the plane and rushed to the small apartment where Ruan Li used to live. The landlord hadn’t had time to find a new tenant yet, so there were still traces suggesting that a young woman had lived there.

“Mr. Fu, we can’t trace where Miss Ruan went afterward,” Assistant Qin said cautiously. It was unusual before, they were always just a step behind her, still able to pick up some clues. But this time, it was as if she had vanished without a trace.

Fu Huaizhou stood in the doorway, deep in thought. Ever since he had seen that pregnancy test result, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer. Ruan Li being pregnant and seeking medical care abroad was too inconvenient and risky.

He had rushed here as quickly as possible, only to be late once more. This time, he couldn’t even find any way to contact her or track her bank transactions, as if someone had deliberately erased all traces. But Ruan Li wouldn’t have had the capability to cover her tracks like this; there had to be someone else involved.

“Are you looking for the young lady who lived here?” An elderly neighbor, noticing his familiar Asian appearance, guessed the reason for his presence.

In fluent German, Fu Huaizhou responded, “Yes, do you know where she went?”

“I’m not sure. Her German wasn’t very good, and she said she’d only be staying for a few days. I paid extra attention to her because she seemed to be expecting a child,” the old lady explained, noticing his anxious demeanor. Then, she asked tentatively, “Sir, are you her husband?”

Without hesitation, Fu Huaizhou replied, “Yes, I am her husband.”

The old woman’s expression turned hesitant, as if she didn’t want to hurt him. “Then I’m afraid it’s bad news for you. I saw a tall, handsome Chinese man visit her. They seemed like they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. They talked for a long while and left happily together.”

Fu Huaizhou’s eyes grew cold. “Can you tell me roughly how old he looked? Were they very close?”

The old woman thought he looked like someone tracking down an ex-wife, but she still answered honestly, “Quite young, perhaps around your age. They seemed very close. When I went out, I saw the man hugging her, and they left together.”

“Thank you,” Fu Huaizhou said politely, bowing slightly. But as he turned away, his expression hardened.

Assistant Qin shivered, feeling the temperature drop around them, and waited for Fu Huaizhou’s instructions. He spoke German fluently and had understood the conversation.

“Where is Jiang Yixing?” Fu Huaizhou asked coldly.

“He’s reportedly abroad for a business deal,” Assistant Qin responded immediately.

“Follow him,” Fu Huaizhou ordered, his whole demeanor heavy and tense. He refused to believe Ruan Li would willingly elope with Jiang Yixing unless Jiang had deceived her with some sweet words.

Without wasting any time, Fu Huaizhou’s next flight took him to Washington. He headed directly to the hotel where Jiang Yixing was conducting business.

Booking a suite next to Jiang’s, Fu Huaizhou didn’t rest. Instead, he went straight to the adjoining door.

“Should I knock for you?” Assistant Qin asked nervously.

Since Ruan Li’s disappearance, Fu had been like a ticking bomb, exuding a dangerous aura that made his subordinates act with extreme caution.

Fu Huaizhou hesitated, raising his hand but not knocking. If Jiang Yixing really had taken Ruan Li, and she had gone with him willingly, what could he say? Should he forcibly bring her back? Especially since she was pregnant, she couldn’t face too much stress.

Was he himself a source of stress for her?

For the first time, Fu Huaizhou felt a rare emotion fear. It was an emotion he had almost never experienced.

After a moment’s hesitation, he finally knocked twice.

The door opened from the inside, revealing Jiang Yixing’s familiar face.

“Mr. Fu? What brings you here?” Jiang Yixing asked, clearly bewildered. Outside of necessary business interactions, he and Fu Huaizhou had never had personal contact. Especially after the incident at the manor, their relationship had only grown colder. Later, he had seen news that Fu and Ruan Li were together, and he had distanced himself even further.

Fu Huaizhou, staring at him, couldn’t tell if he was faking it or genuinely clueless. The atmosphere between them became awkward.

“I’m looking for someone,” Fu Huaizhou finally broke the silence.

Jiang Yixing looked puzzled. He had been abroad for work and hadn’t kept up with the news from home. But if Fu Huaizhou was here, looking for someone, there was only one possibility he was searching for Ruan Li.

“Mr. Fu, you’ve come all the way to find someone here?” Jiang Yixing’s voice carried a rare hint of sarcasm, a bitterness tinging his words. “Did you lose track of your own girlfriend? Coming to others to find her?”

He couldn’t help but scoff, remembering how Fu had deliberately kissed Ruan Li in front of him in the car last time. His voice turned colder. “If she were my girlfriend, I certainly wouldn’t have made her upset.”

The way Jiang Yixing was acting, Fu Huaizhou knew for sure that Ruan Li wasn’t with him. If she were, Jiang wouldn’t be so clueless or trying to provoke him. There was no benefit to angering him.

Their eyes met, neither backing down, but Fu Huaizhou’s tone was indifferent as he said, “That’s assuming you have a girlfriend, Mr. Jiang.”

“Sorry to disturb you,” he added, turning to leave.

Assistant Qin followed him back to their suite, shocked after witnessing the tension-filled encounter. He had always known about the arranged engagement between Miss Ruan and Mr. Fu, but he hadn’t expected a hidden admirer to be involved. For the first time, he felt a bit concerned for his boss.

“Continue the investigation,” Fu Huaizhou instructed after a long moment of contemplation. Since the elderly woman had mentioned a Chinese man, and Ruan Li rarely left Beijing except for work, the man must be from there.

“Check who from Beijing has recently gone abroad.”

Assistant Qin nodded immediately, about to leave when Fu Huaizhou called him back.

“Where is Ye Ze right now?”

Assistant Qin was momentarily taken aback before quickly responding, “Mr. Ye has been in Beijing and hasn’t traveled abroad.”

Fu Huaizhou nodded. He was running out of possible connections to Ruan Li. He knew that Shi Xun had left the country earlier, but well before Ruan Li. Besides, Shi Xun had feelings for Ye Mian, so it was unlikely he’d have any reason to seek out Ruan Li.

With no other leads, Assistant Qin quickly gathered a list of all prominent figures who had recently left Beijing, complete with their travel dates, and handed it over to Fu Huaizhou. “Mr. Fu, here’s the list.”

Scanning the names, most seemed to have no connection to Ruan Li. Only one name stood out, with a tenuous link.

“Shi Mu? Why did he go abroad?”