Chapter 380 - 248 Wanwan in trouble? That master in Hexi?

Chapter 380: 248 Wanwan in trouble? That master in Hexi?

It was noon with the warm sun hanging high, yet the mountain felt chillingly cold, and for a moment it seemed the only sound was the whisper of the pine woods.

A mountain breeze swept through, as if to scatter the last traces of color from one’s face.

Jiang Jinsang, naturally pale, clenched his lips tightly, his lips pale to the extreme, making him seem unapproachable to strangers.

"Did we possibly take a different path from Jiang Cuo and miss them?" Fan Mingyu also felt this possibility was too small, speaking with little confidence.

Moreover, after exiting the mountain, transportation was not well-developed here; not even public buses took these routes, and hailing a taxi was even harder.

If Tang Wan was without a car and relying on walking, it would be impossible for nobody to have seen her.

"Are you sure you didn’t encounter her?" Jiang Jinsang asked Jiang Jiu again.

Jiang Jiu nodded, she couldn’t possibly speak nonsense about such a matter.

"Could she have taken a smaller path down?" Jiang Chengsi clenched his lips. He came here several times a year and was naturally familiar with the terrain. Although there was only one main path up and down the mountain, the paths were made by people walking; if one wanted a shortcut and it was passable, it was a path.

Some parts of the mountain path were steep but not impassable.

"She wouldn’t have." Jiang Jinsang’s tone was certain. Tang Wan was careful in her actions; even if in a hurry, she would not risk her safety for the sake of saving a little time.

While speaking, he immediately called Ruan Mengxi. He was anxious, even though the possibility of Tang Wan having descended the mountain alone was very slim, he still needed to verify it with her.

"Hello, Fifth Master?" Ruan Mengxi had added Jiang Jinsang’s contact; although he was her best friend’s boyfriend and also a man, it wasn’t proper to get too close, so they had never contacted each other privately.

Ruan Mengxi was somewhat surprised by the sudden call.

"Has Wanwan arrived at your place?"

Ruan Mengxi had made several calls earlier; Jiang Jinsang was right by Tang Wan’s side when her phone kept showing the incoming calls clearly.

"Wanwan? Didn’t she say she couldn’t make it?" Ruan Mengxi had just finished handling her tasks, had just made herself a cup of coffee, and upon considering Jiang Jinsang’s words, immediately realized there was a problem, "Fifth Master, what do you mean by that?"

"She mentioned there was a problem at work, you called her several times."

"There indeed was a problem at that time, but she called me back afterward, saying she was at a memorial service and couldn’t explain the situation to me earlier. We resolved the work matter over the phone, so she didn’t need to come over."

A sharp pain stabbed through Jiang Jinsang’s temples. Tang Wan was a perceptive person; that day at the memorial service, the mood of the entire Jiang family was somber, yet her phone kept vibrating. Ruan Mengxi was urgent on the other end, and she couldn’t keep talking about work in front of everyone.

She might have said she was descending the mountain, but perhaps it was just an excuse to avoid everyone and handle the issue, and she might not have actually descended.

"She didn’t mention going to the cemetery; I didn’t know..." Ruan Mengxi mentioned this, still feeling somewhat apologetic, "It was really chaotic on my end at that time; I had no experience handling these situations, and I was completely flustered."

If she had known they were at a memorial service, how could she have possibly called them at that time?

Originally just an office worker, she was suddenly promoted to handle administrative tasks. Previously, with Xiaozhu, many issues could be shielded by him; now on her own, when problems arose, it was inevitable she lost composure.

Tang Wan’s items were all handcrafted, and she knew just how much heart and effort were poured into them. When she saw the damaged items, she became even more anxious.

Unprepared to handle such incidents, she was completely panic-stricken.

"Fifth Master? Has something happened to Wanwan?" Ruan Mengxi tentatively asked.

Jiang Jinsang pursed his lips, "No, nothing."

"Hello, hello—" Ruan Mengxi wanted to ask more, but the call was suddenly disconnected.

Meanwhile, several female stars clashing had already reached Qi Zeyan here; he personally came to ask Ruan Mengxi for the details, but found her phone continuously engaged, eventually finding her in the pantry.

"...You were to coordinate the work, and you turned it into this mess? How could this have happened..." Qi Zeyan approached to confront her, but Ruan Mengxi suddenly put down her coffee, turned around, and walked out, "Boss, I’m taking a day off today."

Qi Zeyan noticed her pallor wasn’t good; as she almost ran out of the pantry, he reached out to stop her, "What happened?"

"Seems like something happened to Wanwan?"

"My younger sister-in-law?" Qi Zeyan thought briefly, "She should have been with Xiaowu today; how could something have happened?"

"I’m not sure, I need to go and see!" Jiang Jinsang actually called to ask her, perhaps it was related to her, and Ruan Mengxi couldn’t care less, breaking free from his grasp and running outside.

Qi Zeyan pursed his lips and followed suit. Ruan Mengxi had just rushed to the elevator, slamming the down button twice hard, but the elevator hesitated and even stalled at the 15th floor. She clenched her teeth, not caring that she was over 20 floors up, and was about to take the stairs.

Just as she took a few steps, footsteps sounded from behind her, followed quickly by a hand grabbing her wrist.

She slightly turned her head and saw Qi Zeyan, "Boss..."

Qi Zeyan dragged her, took a card from his pocket, and swiped it to open the executive elevator on the other side, which normally was off-limits to employees. After entering the elevator, he released her hand. "Running down the stairs, weren’t you afraid of breaking your legs? You should’ve told me, what exactly happened?"

Ruan Mengxi had no evidence, just a guess, which she sincerely shared with him.

"Do you know where they are mourning? Do you know the exact location? Do you know how to get there?..." He bombarded her with several questions, which left Ruan Mengxi confused. She had forgotten in her rush.

"I don’t know."

"You know nothing, yet you ran out. They are not in the cemetery; they are on the mountain, on the Hexi side. Do you know how far that is from here?" Qi Zeyan poked her forehead. "You haven’t handled this situation well; it has even reached me. Don’t expect your bonus this month."

"Have you lost your mind!"

Ruan Mengxi felt doomed, wondering why every time he scolded her, she was hopelessly smitten.

"I think I know where it is. Ride with me in my car, and let’s take a look." Qi Zeyan exited the elevator and immediately called Jiang Jinsang. They spoke on the phone...

**

The Jiang family also realized that Tang Wan probably had an accident. Since her work was done and she didn’t come down the mountain, where could she have gone?

"Xiaowu, don’t panic. Wanwan should be fine," Jiang Zhenhuan frowned. "Mingyu, take mother and Jiangjiang down first. The rest of us will continue searching."

"How am I supposed to go down?" The old lady was also anxious. The person had suddenly disappeared; how could she not be worried?

"Having you and the child here, we would be distracted worrying about you."

"I..." The old lady wanted to object but the truth was undeniable. She was already exhausted just climbing up the mountain; indeed, she could be of no help and staying would only add to the chaos.

"Yanting, you make some calls. Chengsi, you’re more familiar with this area. Start from the top of the mountain and look carefully again. Xiaowu..." Jiang Zhenhuan knew that Jiang Jinsang’s health wasn’t good; searching required physical strength, which wasn’t suitable for him.

"I’ll go with my fourth brother." Jiang Jinsang spoke directly. With the person missing into thin air, how could he possibly stay put?

"Then let Jiang Jiu accompany you. If you feel unwell, you must speak up immediately!"

Jiang Zhenhuan, always decisive and swift, quickly arranged everything. "Now, we don’t have much time. I’m afraid even if we call the police, they won’t accept a case immediately. Let’s call more people to search. As long as she’s still on the mountain, we’re sure to find her."

Everyone began to move...

This mountain was not small, surrounded by dense shrubs. Searching for someone here was not an easy task. Jiang Chengsi walked and called out, observing the surroundings, but the only replies were the intermittent sounds of the wind through the pine trees.

...

Meanwhile, Jiang Jinsang was observing the surroundings while making a call.

**

Inside a mansion at Hexi

As soon as he answered the phone, a deep, hoarse voice came through, "Is there trouble?"

Being a close friend, he knew what day it was for the Jiang brothers. If there was no issue, they would definitely be with their family and not calling him. So, he asked immediately if something had gone wrong.

"Are you at home?"

"Yes."

"We came out today for a memorial, and Wanwan has disappeared on the mountain. We are quite close to your place."

"I’m coming right over with some people."

Jiang Cuo was originally lingering at the foot of the mountain. He hadn’t noticed the license plates of the multiple cars arriving when he saw a group of people in black, orderly stepping out of the vehicles, their demeanors solemn, exuding a powerful deterrent force.

Why is he here all of a sudden...