Chapter 76: The Third Brother’s Pitiful Expression

The call was cut off, and it was rare to see Fu Huaizhou in such a state of shock.

Why did Ruan Li leave on her own? Was it just a playful him, an attempt to scare him, or was there something bothering her recently that made her want to be alone?

“President Fu?” Assistant Qin asked softly. He had never seen this kind of behavior before. Although Miss Ruan could be a bit dramatic, most of the time, she was considerate like a little angel. Otherwise, the entire secretarial department wouldn’t unanimously support her as the future boss’s wife.

Fu Huaizhou’s heart hadn’t settled since the call ended. His phone still showed the chat log from earlier, and now he understood what had felt off.

Ruan Li’s attitude had been a bit too cold, and in the days leading up to her departure, she’d also seemed different. But he’d been too caught up in working late hours to notice the details.

So Ruan Li’s disappearance wasn’t due to something random it had to be related to him.

“Track her phone’s IP address,” Fu Huaizhou ordered, regaining his composure. The priority was to locate her quickly before she got any more ideas. Otherwise, things could get worse.

Assistant Qin, not daring to waste time, immediately made arrangements to trace her location. Meanwhile, Fu Huaizhou grabbed his coat, intending to check their house for any clues.

The employees of Fu Corporation were all stunned, watching their usually composed boss leave the office in such a hurry.

“Has President Fu ever left work early before?”

“Never… What could be so serious? Could it be that our company is going under?”

Someone nearby whispered, “Even if President Fu’s girlfriend broke up with him, Fu Corporation wouldn’t go bankrupt. I think it must be a family emergency.”

Assistant Qin, who followed Fu Huaizhou out, couldn’t help but glance at the last person who spoke and they were right.

When they arrived at Yuyuan Residence, everything was just as Ruan Li had left it. Fu Huaizhou questioned every servant and housekeeper in the house, but no one could pinpoint anything out of the ordinary.

Finally, the chef spoke up, “Miss Ruan’s routine and diet have been unusually healthy recently. Does that count as odd…?”

A servant agreed, “You’ve been home less frequently lately, sir, and Miss Ruan seemed a bit down.”

Assistant Qin reminded him, “President Fu, could it be that Miss Ruan saw some recent news and got the wrong idea?”

“What news?” Fu Huaizhou’s brow furrowed. He had been traveling, looking into matters at the old orphanage, and hadn’t paid attention to irrelevant news in Beijing.

Assistant Qin pulled out his phone, showing him a gossip article about an arranged marriage that had been circulating recently. “It’s been around for a while…”

“Why didn’t anyone get rid of this?” Fu Huaizhou scowled at the headlines. No wonder Ruan Li had suddenly asked him about his past with Miss Ming in England.

Assistant Qin hesitated, then answered honestly, “The old master mentioned it once at the Fu family home. When the news spread, everyone thought he’d tacitly approved, so no one dared to interfere.”

What he didn’t say was that everyone in the company assumed President Fu was in the know though Qin, who understood Fu’s devotion to Ruan Li, suspected the old master might have purposely let the rumors run wild to confuse the public.

Who would have guessed that Fu Huaizhou had been completely unaware?

“Did you trace the IP address?” Fu Huaizhou asked. Right now, explanations were pointless he needed to find her. “As soon as you find her location, book me a flight.”

Just as he was about to go upstairs to check if Ruan Li had left anything behind, Assistant Qin hesitated and held up his phone.

“President Fu… the IP shows she’s at… the Ye residence.”

Fu Huaizhou turned to confirm the information, his expression clouded with confusion but without hesitation. “To the Ye residence.”

Ye Ze had just returned from his company when he noticed a familiar black car parked in front of his home. He immediately knew who it was and greeted the visitor with a casual wave.

“Third Brother, what brings you here?”

Fu Huaizhou’s face was cold, tinged with unmistakable irritation. “Have you seen Ruan Li?”

“What do you mean?” Ye Ze looked genuinely puzzled. “I haven’t. Brother, don’t make wild accusations. Ever since I found out you were with Ruan Li, I haven’t had any inappropriate thoughts.”

Fu Huaizhou knew Ye Ze was telling the truth. Though cunning in the business world, Ye Ze was trustworthy in personal matters. He marched into the Ye family’s living room.

“Where’s your sister?”

“I’ll get her,” Ye Ze said, realizing this was serious.

Ye Mian came downstairs to find Fu Huaizhou sitting on their sofa, looking grim and radiating a dangerous aura. Even though she had mentally prepared, his presence was intimidating.

“Do you have Ruan Li’s phone?” he asked bluntly, not wasting time.

Ye Ze, also surprised, looked at his sister in shock.

“Yes, it’s with me,” Ye Mian admitted calmly. Since he had already tracked it down, there was no point in lying. “Ruan Li gave it to me before she went abroad.”

When he heard “before she went abroad,” Fu Huaizhou’s fists clenched. “So, you’ve been the one messaging me these past few days?”

No wonder she hadn’t answered calls or accepted video chats. He had thought it was because she was tired from sightseeing, but it turned out she hadn’t been the one messaging at all.

“It was me. Ruan Li asked me to,” Ye Mian said honestly, though she instinctively hid behind Ye Ze. She had never thought Fu Huaizhou was particularly scary before, but now she could feel the weight of his presence.

Ye Mian, feeling guilty, mumbled, “I don’t know anything else. Ruan Li only asked me to reply to your messages.”

Ye Ze shot her a knowing look. He had always known these two were close friends.

Fu Huaizhou, sensing he wouldn’t get any more information from Ye Mian, stared at her, but Ye Ze stood protectively in front of his sister.

“Tell Ruan Li if you contact her that there’s been a misunderstanding. Give me a chance to explain.”

Ye Ze nearly gaped at him in shock. Was this really the same aloof and dignified third brother he knew?

Fu Huaizhou leaned down, took Ruan Li’s phone from the table, and left the Ye residence.

“Keep an eye on everyone at the Ye residence, especially Ye Mian’s movements,” he ordered.

Back in the living room, Ye Mian glared furiously at her brother for his earlier look.

“You were pretty bold, helping Ruan Li disappear like that! Didn’t you see how scary Third Brother looked just now?”

“What’s the big deal? Men are all the same, and anyway, I honestly don’t know where Ruan Li went.”

“Really?” Ye Ze looked unconvinced.

“Really! If she told me, Fu Huaizhou would find out eventually. Do you have any idea how stressful these last few days have been? I had to pretend to be Ruan Li while not sounding too enthusiastic. Who would’ve thought Fu Huaizhou would be so clingy when in love, always calling and asking for video chats. I was terrified every day.”

Ye Ze’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Really? Do you have screenshots? Let me see Third Brother’s pitiful side I’ve never seen it before!”