Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Qiu Ziyu wanted to mobilize police officers immediately, but Nan Mu stopped him.
“Before you arrest Wen Tangtang, let me meet with her first.”
Qiu Ziyu frowned. He knew what Nan Mu wanted to discuss with Wen Tangtang. Most subjects would be fine; they could at least explain those away. But anything involving the Time Machine truly could not be discussed at a police station.
He lowered his phone from his ear. “But there are only two of us. What if they split up and run? Why don’t I call Fang Yue over to help?”
Nan Mu hesitated. He was afraid that if Fang Yue encountered Wen Tangtang and learned Qiu Ziyu had failed to report a fugitive the moment he found her, Qiu Ziyu would be dragged into trouble.
Qiu Ziyu heard his concern and waved it away. “Oh, he’ll be fine. I know that kid. He’s straightforward and a little slow-he’s not clever enough to think that far. Besides, I might not vouch for everything else, but I can guarantee he’s loyal. Don’t worry.”
===
By now, it had been ten years since they last met, so Cheng Jiamin was quite surprised to see Nan Mu in person.
In truth, she and Nan Mu had never been close.
At first, she had only dared to follow Wen Miao around. She knew that a quiet young man was always beside Wen Miao, but because he constantly wore a mask and a cap, Cheng Jiamin had crossed paths with him several times without ever knowing what he actually looked like.
It was only later, when Wen Tangtang happened to mention the young man following Wen Miao, that Cheng Jiamin learned the mysterious figure was their classmate Nan Mu.
Nan Mu might have known very little about her despite their being classmates, but Cheng Jiamin knew plenty about him. He had always been the center of attention whenever the women talked.
Yet this young man, whom every woman complained was impossible to pursue and suspected was oblivious to romance altogether, had long been chasing the university’s brilliant prodigy everywhere when no one was looking.
Memories of the past brought a genuine smile to Cheng Jiamin’s face. “It’s been a long time.”
Nan Mu, Wen Miao, Wen Tangtang, Wen Xin…
All of them had extended a helping hand in one way or another when she had been trapped in misery. She would always be grateful to them.
Back then, she had sincerely wanted to thank them, but she had possessed nothing. Later, once she began working and had the means to repay their kindness, the opportunity was gone…
The next time she heard about Nan Mu, for example, was in a financial magazine’s interview with him.
Founder of Nan Huan Group. A new enterprise valued in the tens of billions. Expanding overseas. Leading the industry…
The media had exhausted every possible word of praise to celebrate his ability and achievements.
Those accolades had tied her hands. She feared that if she approached him without anything meaningful to offer, people would assume she was ingratiating herself with the powerful. So despite wanting to repay him, she had never contacted Nan Mu in all these years.
She had never expected to meet him again ten years later-much less have him seek her out personally.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Thank you. Anything is fine.”
Cheng Jiamin surveyed the assortment of floral teas on her desk and decided Nan Mu probably would not like them. She went to a colleague’s desk and found a packet of instant coffee.
“We don’t have anything good here.”
She placed the freshly prepared coffee in front of Nan Mu, then came straight to the point. “President Nan, did you come today because there’s something I can help you with?”
No one visited without a reason. Cheng Jiamin had spent enough years in the working world to understand such things.
Given Nan Mu’s status, even if he had suddenly wanted to visit an old friend for no particular reason, Cheng Jiamin would never have been the person who came to mind.
Nan Mu took a sip of coffee and set the cup down unhurriedly. Then his narrow eyes lifted calmly to settle on her.
“There is something I’d like your help with.”
Cheng Jiamin had always wanted to repay him. “Tell me. If it’s within my power, I’ll do everything I can.”
“I want to see Wen Tangtang. I’m hoping you’ll contact her for me.”
Cheng Jiamin’s breath caught, and the smile on her face abruptly froze.
Her breathing quickened beyond her control. Her gaze shifted uneasily as she looked at the perfectly composed Nan Mu. “You must be joking, President Nan… Wasn’t Wen Tangtang… wasn’t she arrested? How could I possibly contact her for you?”
Cheng Jiamin was not someone who could lie without showing it.
At least, one glance was enough for Nan Mu to see the panic she could not conceal.
He gave a quiet laugh and abandoned the pretense of testing her. Straightening, he looked at her and spoke with certainty. “Yes, she was arrested. But didn’t she escape a few days ago? And weren’t you the one who picked her up at Xiangsheng Gardens?”
Xiangsheng Gardens.
At the name, Cheng Jiamin’s mind went blank, and she shot to her feet.
Panic overwhelmed her. She had no idea how to argue her way out of this, but for Wen Tangtang’s sake, she forced her trembling legs to hold and managed a strained smile. “What Xiangsheng Gardens? I don’t understand what you’re talking about, President Nan.”
Cheng Jiamin forced herself to look at Nan Mu, only for her gaze to collide with his.
A faint smile rested on his face, but his deep eyes were so sharp they seemed capable of seeing straight into a person’s heart.
Nan Mu rose slowly and lowered his gaze to smooth his sleeves. “That’s all right. If you don’t understand now, you can go back and ask Wen Tangtang tonight.”
Cheng Jiamin was about to insist that she truly had no way to contact Wen Tangtang when Nan Mu silenced her with a gesture.
“I’m not a police officer. I want to find Wen Tangtang to help her, not arrest her. I hope you understand that. I also know that, given her current situation, it must be difficult for her to trust anyone. So…”
Nan Mu placed a flash drive containing audio copied from the recorder onto the desk and pushed it toward Cheng Jiamin.
“This contains something Wen Tangtang cares about. Please pass it on to her. Once she has it, she can decide for herself whether she’s willing to meet me.”
Cheng Jiamin pressed her lips together and stared at the flash drive. She could not bring herself to tell Nan Mu to take it away.
All she could do was remain silent.
Nan Mu knew that people like Wen Tangtang and Cheng Jiamin found it difficult to trust others or open their hearts.
For Wen Tangtang, it was because of her circumstances. She was wanted by the police. Even friends and classmates she normally got along with could not be trusted not to report her.
As for Cheng Jiamin, Director Wu’s abuse must have left its scars. A person who had endured something like that would struggle to trust anyone completely. For both women, wariness had become second nature.
That was why Nan Mu had deliberately copied only half of Wen Miao’s recording onto the flash drive. If Wen Tangtang wanted to hear the rest, she would have to meet him.
After leaving the drive behind, Nan Mu turned to go.
At the doorway, he seemed to remember something and looked back. “I almost forgot. I’m busy, so I can only give you one day. Also, while I’m quite confident Wen Tangtang will agree to meet me, this is something I intend to accomplish no matter what. So, just in case…”
Just in case?
What had he done as a precaution?
Cheng Jiamin’s already taut nerves stretched to the breaking point. She stared intensely at Nan Mu.
But Nan Mu changed tack. “A word of advice: don’t do anything reckless, like trying to run. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee the police won’t be alerted.”