TLDMDTBS Chapter 56

Chapter 56:

Ji Ruan first went to the studio with Cheng Zizhang.

As soon as they opened the door, they saw Cheng Yunxiu waiting inside. She wore a light blue qipao, her long hair styled up, looking particularly gentle and intellectual in the studio filled with Han embroidery works.

She must have just brewed some tea; upon hearing the door open, she turned around and walked over gracefully, “Xiao Ruan, come in quickly! Oh, you finally made it.”

“How is it? Your health is fine now, right?” Cheng Yunxiu asked with a smile.

Ji Ruan took the tea cup and squinted his eyes, “I’m fine, walking normally is no problem, I just can’t do any strenuous activities yet.”

“Alright, that’s fine. We don’t need you to do anything strenuous here,” Cheng Yunxiu said as she led Ji Ruan inside, calling Cheng Zizhang to put things down properly.

She directly took Ji Ruan to see her workspace.

Just like in the photos, it was simple yet cozy. The sofa by the window was a small bean bag chair. Ji Ruan tried sitting in it, and when he looked up, he could see the overlapping tree shadows outside and some butterflies flitting around the small flowers.

It would be really pleasant to rest here and snack after work.

Ji Ruan stood up, supported himself against the windowsill, and looked back at Cheng Yunxiu, “Thank you, Teacher. I really love it… And thank you, Senior.”

As he spoke, his eyes were filled with surprise, and clusters of golden sunlight fell on his eyelids, giving him an innocent and carefree appearance.

Cheng Yunxiu couldn’t help but step forward, supporting herself against the windowsill to see what scenery made him so happy.

Cheng Zizhang didn’t come in but leaned against the doorframe, “I knew you would like this sort of thing.”

Ji Ruan tilted his head, “What?”

“My mom! She originally said she wanted to make it an ancient style,” Cheng Zizhang said, “but I thought you’d definitely prefer something warmer and cuter, we even had a quarrel over it; in the end, we did it my way.”

Ji Ruan laughed, “Both are good.”

He then walked over to a small cabinet where a whole wall of small shelves was filled with various silk threads, glowing softly in the natural light.

Ji Ruan was entranced for a moment.

Seeing the expression on Ji Ruan’s face, Cheng Yunxiu thought for a moment and said, “Since we have nothing else to do in the afternoon, how about we embroider something for fun?”

“Oh, that sounds good!” Cheng Zizhang immediately agreed, “We’ll use the same semi-finished sample, but each will stitch according to their own ideas, and then we’ll see how different they turn out. Maybe it won’t even look like it’s the same thing!”

This way of playing was interesting; Ji Ruan often did similar things with his mom and sister in the past. Even though they used the same picture, the final products they stitched were all different, clearly showing their personalities and thoughts.

“Great!”

Ji Ruan replied with a smile. May was unusually warm, and since he was wearing two layers of clothes, it felt a bit too much, so he took off his outer jacket and casually placed it on the table, walking out with Cheng Zizhang and her mother to the larger workspace.

And his phone was left, together with his jacket, on the small table.

·

West Side Villa.

“Ding!”

The sound of the door opening was followed by it being closed again softly.

Gu Xiuyi casually placed a small cake onto the dining table, removed his suit jacket, and headed upstairs.

The villa was quiet, revealing an oddly empty atmosphere.

Gu Xiuyi glanced at his watch. Zhao Ayi had taken a day off today, so he had come home early for a bit; it was just past four fifteen in the afternoon.

At this time, Ji Ruan should have already taken a nap; he would either be lying in bed watching TV and eating cherries or studying important points for his exams.

But it was so quiet now.

The whole villa felt cold and empty, which was unusual; even if Ji Ruan was watching TV without sound, it wouldn’t feel this way.

And if Ji Ruan was studying, it was even less likely; every time he memorized something, he liked to read it out loud, shaking his head as he recited.

Gu Xiuyi paused for a moment, then quickly walked upstairs.

Ji Ruan’s room door was wide open, and the sheer curtain by the window was pulled halfway, fluttering with the breeze.

The TV was off, the lucky cat on the bedside table raised its paw in a half-unwrapped state, smiling alone, and the candy jar that was originally in the most prominent spot on the desk was gone.

Gu Xiuyi’s nerves began to tighten.

He took a few steps forward and pushed open the door to Ji Ruan’s bathroom—no one was there. He then quickly turned to the wardrobe; the clothes for all seasons hung in a dazzling array, yet there was no trace of Ji Ruan.

Gu Xiuyi took a moment to observe and keenly noticed that in the luggage area on the left wall, a row of suitcases was neatly lined up from large to small, but the smallest white one was missing.

The absence of the suitcase didn’t need further explanation; at that moment, Gu Xiuyi’s head felt like it was bursting.

He took out his phone and dialed Ji Ruan’s number, using all his patience to wait through an entire ring—no one picked up.

A second later, without a second thought, he dialed again, striding out of the room, clinging to the last bit of hope, and searched the villa up and down.

Ji Ruan was indeed missing.

He left, dragging the suitcase without a sound!

And it was the smallest suitcase!

Gu Xiuyi sank into the sofa, pressing his hands against his temples, finding himself in the awkward situation of returning home yet finding Ji Ruan nowhere to be seen a second time.

But this time was far different from the last.

Last time, Ji Ruan had clearly told Zhao Ayi that he was going out to play with his classmates, obediently reporting all his plans, and that he would answer the phone and wait for him to pick him up.

This time, however, he had disappeared!

Ji Ruan vanished with the smallest suitcase?!

Logically, that size of suitcase could only hold two or three days’ worth of belongings, meaning Ji Ruan probably wasn’t planning to be gone for long or far, which suggested he intended to return.

But if he planned to come back, why didn’t he say a word to him?

Wasn’t leaving without saying anything just like running away from home?

The more Gu Xiuyi thought, the more absurd it became, forcing himself to calm down and think about where Ji Ruan could have gone.

Was it school? Or was he out playing again?… How much stuff could fit in a tiny suitcase? Once a candy jar went in, not much else would fit; he still had to bring all that medicine.

How stupid; he should have taken a bigger one.

Gu Xiuyi’s brows furrowed tightly as he searched through his text records for Han Xiaolin’s number. He had previously asked Song Ling for it, but didn’t save it in his contacts at that time.

Fortunately, he rarely initiated messages, and after a short while, he found it and immediately pressed the dial button.

“Hello? Who is it?” Han Xiaolin’s loud voice came through.

Gu Xiuyi’s fingers rhythmically tapped on the coffee table, trying to keep calm, “Hello, I’m Gu Xiuyi.”

On the other end, there was a sudden clattering, like something had been knocked over, before Han Xiaolin continued, sounding noticeably anxious, “Gu, Gu General, is there something you need?”

Gu Xiuyi: “…”

Gu Xiuyi was almost used to the subservient attitude others had towards him.

But this was Ji Ruan’s friend after all, so he took a deep breath and tried to slow his tone, “You don’t need to be nervous. I want to ask if Ji Ruan is with you now? Did he move back to the dormitory?”

Han Xiaolin said, “Ah? No, he’s not with me! I haven’t seen him for several days.”

As he spoke, there was a rustling sound on the other end; Han Xiaolin seemed to be muttering to someone:

“Hey, Gu General, just now we confirmed among ourselves that Ji Ruan didn’t say he was coming back today, he always said he’d come back next Monday, and nobody has seen him either.”

“—So, uh, is something wrong with him?”

Gu Xiuyi’s tapping stopped, his five fingers tightening and after a moment’s hesitation, he said, “… I got home from work and found he was not at home, and now I can’t get in touch with him.”

“Ah?!”

The phone on the other end erupted into chaos; it seemed the group of roommates had gathered together, clamoring about looking for him or calling the police.

Gu Xiuyi pinched his brow to silence them, “Alright, everyone calm down for now, I’ll keep searching, but if he contacts you later, please make sure to let me know.”

“Okay!” Han Xiaolin hurriedly replied, “We’ll look for him on our end too, see if we can find any clues! If we do, we’ll let you know right away!”

“Thank you.”

After ending the call, Gu Xiuyi thought for a moment and then called Cheng Zizhang.

The situation was exactly the same as with Ji Ruan; the phone was neither off nor busy nor out of service, it just rang until it disconnected, with no one answering.

Gu Xiuyi put away his phone, realizing something.

·

“Wait, what’s going on? Ji Ruan has run away from home?” Qin Shan muttered in disbelief as he picked up the spilled soda from the floor.

Han Xiaolin frowned, searching through his phone, “That’s impossible! Where could that fragile body of his go? If he was running away, he would definitely come to us.”

Qin Shan’s eyes turned as he realized the truth, “You’re still clever.”

Li Yu came out with a mop, gesturing for Qin Shan to move aside, “Besides, Ji Ruan has a good relationship with Gu General. Why would he run away? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Got it!” Han Xiaolin suddenly straightened up.

“What’s the matter?”

“Let me check?”

The two rushed over to Han Xiaolin’s side, where they saw Cheng Zizhang’s moments on his phone—

Several indoor photos captioned: The new workspace is ready, waiting for the owner to come test it~

The posting time was eleven thirty in the morning.

Li Yu thought for a moment, “This must be prepared for Ji Ruan, so he definitely went to find the senior.”

Han Xiaolin: “Right. I remember the senior had posted several photos of her workspace before, but at that time, it wasn’t fully arranged yet.”

Qin Shan could only nod, “You guys are right.”

Suddenly, he looked sharply at Han Xiaolin, “When did you get the senior’s WeChat?!”

·

Gu Xiuyi soon received a call from Han Xiaolin, who was still restless and speaking rapidly, not waiting for him to say anything before spilling his discoveries:

“Hey, Gu General! There’s a situation! Ji Ruan must have gone to find Senior Cheng, to check out his new workspace! I helped you look up the address; it’s at 465 Bai Guo Road, Second Avenue…”

Gu Xiuyi: “… Thank you, I’m heading over there now.”

“Ah?” Han Xiaolin was stunned for a second, “You found it out too?”

“Yeah,” Gu Xiuyi’s gaze was fixed ahead, “But thanks for helping with the address; sorry to trouble you today.”

“No trouble at all… um, you busy now?”

The monitoring room was eerily quiet, with four or five staff members around Gu Xiuyi, silently accompanying his gaze on the screen in front of him.

It was monitoring footage from one thirty-eight in the afternoon, at the southeast gate exit of the villa area.

A playful white sedan drove out from the entrance, and upon magnifying the screenshot, two faces were clearly visible in the front windshield.

The girl driving was beautiful, while the passenger—

The passenger was holding a candy jar, laughing so hard that her eyes were nearly closed, her mouth twisted upwards, and her dimples looked like they were filled with honey.

Honestly, the pure joy she radiated made her seem a bit silly.

As soon as the technical staff magnified the image, one couldn’t resist but sigh, “How long has it been since she could get out and be so happy like this…”

Gu Xiuyi: “…”

Subsequently, the technical staff received an unrelenting backhand from the duty manager.

The manager smiled apologetically, “Gu General, look, is this your child? Do you recognize this lady next to him? Do you need us to call the police?”

Although the child’s expression had already made the situation abundantly clear, the manager still maintained a professional attitude in asking Gu Xiuyi.

Gu Xiuyi crossed his arms, his expression unreadable: “No need.”

After pausing for a moment, his gaze lingered on the manager’s face for a second, “He is my spouse.”

The manager’s expression froze for a moment under that gaze, then he worked hard to maintain a smile, “Right, right, right, spouse! Look at my mouth!”

Though today turned out to be merely a false alarm, it didn’t prevent the manager from breaking into a cold sweat.

Don’t let Gu Xiuyi appear so calm; when he entered the monitoring room, his expression had terrified the manager, leaving his legs trembling until now.

The manager quietly wiped sweat from his brow, not daring to think—what if Gu General’s child… oh no, spouse, what if his spouse truly went missing within his jurisdiction and he couldn’t find him, then he would have to walk off this manager position.

·

The studio entrance was a large glass door, with a wind chime hanging in front; whenever a guest pushed the door open, it would jingle.

Gu Xiuyi stood outside, catching a glimpse of the inside through the gaps between a few folding screens.

Ji Ruan and Cheng Zizhang were seated by the window, all three of them with embroidery frames in front of them, stitching and chatting happily.

Whatever they were discussing made Ji Ruan smile exceedingly sweetly.

Gu Xiuyi stood quietly outside the door watching Ji Ruan for a long time, until he gradually managed to calm the swirling emotions within him before pushing the door open.

The sound of the wind chime attracted the attention of those inside; when Ji Ruan turned his head and made eye contact with Gu Xiuyi, his beautiful eyes widened slightly, reflecting the moving light and shadows of the trees outside the window.

“What brought you here?” he looked up at Gu Xiuyi, who had walked just a few steps to his side.

Gu Xiuyi first politely greeted Cheng Zizhang and her mother before slightly bending down, placing a restrained hand on Ji Ruan’s shoulder:

“I need to talk to you about something, can you step outside?”

Ji Ruan exchanged a puzzled look with him, nodding, “Sure…”

Gu Xiuyi’s lips curled up ever so slightly, giving a highly restrained smile as he pulled Ji Ruan outside.

Ji Ruan felt something was off about Gu Xiuyi today, but the short seconds weren’t enough for him to piece together what was going on; he could only sense that Gu Xiuyi’s grip was strong enough to make his shoulders ache.

Once outside, Ji Ruan glanced back inside to confirm that Cheng Zizhang and her mother couldn’t hear them before asking, “What is it—”

Before he could finish, Gu Xiuyi forcibly pulled him into his embrace, which startled him into inhaling sharply; Gu Xiuyi’s unique aura instantly enveloped him entirely.

Gu Xiuyi had never held him with such force before, his hands tightly gripping Ji Ruan’s shoulders and back, leaving no room for even the slightest movement.

As summer approached, both of them were only wearing thin clothes, and Gu Xiuyi’s body temperature was very high, making Ji Ruan feel as if he was about to melt into him.

Ji Ruan’s mind was in turmoil, and in the face of surprise and confusion, he momentarily didn’t know how to respond.

In his haze, he seemed to hear his heart pounding loudly, strong, vigorous, beating at an unimaginable speed.

Wait… the remaining rationality told Ji Ruan that his heart had never been so forceful and healthy.

Whose was it?

Something clicked in Ji Ruan’s mind.

“You…”

He struggled to reach his palm in between their tightly embracing figures, pressing against Gu Xiuyi’s chest through the shirt, feeling the frantic pulse inside, he began to worry:

“… Are you okay?”

Then Gu Xiuyi froze.