Ruan Su rushed into the room upon hearing this, but Uncle Liu was too busy to help.
The bodyguards quickly converged on the door, attempting to block Ruan Su.
"Protect the young master!" Uncle Liu shouted anxiously, while Ling Xiao showed no intention of letting him pass.
Ruan Su had already reached the door of the inner room. The bodyguards retreated, and the people Ruan Su brought forward. Another group of people arrived outside the door, sent by Huo Rou to assist Ling Xiao.
As the situation grew tense, the inner door suddenly opened.
"Young master! Hurry inside! It's dangerous!" Uncle Liu shouted in alarm.
The door opened, and Ruan Su anxiously looked inside.
Inside, a man with a resolute demeanor stood holding a soft, adorable little girl.
"Ruan Ruan!" Ruan Su immediately saw her daughter and felt half of her day's worry dissipate.
Ruan Ruan, who had experienced two days of terror, was also very excited to see Ruan Su. The tears she had finally managed to stop began to fall again.
"Mommy, Mommy! Wuwuwu, Mommy!" She reached out to Ruan Su, wanting to be held.
Ruan Su cautiously eyed the man holding her, while Qiao Yushan smiled and asked, "Child, is this your mother?"
Ruan Ruan looked at him with teary eyes and nodded, her voice choked, "Uncle Xiao Shan, this is my mommy."
Hearing Ruan Ruan's words, Qiao Yushan then handed her to Ruan Su. "I found her by accident. Ah Rou asked me to take her back to Yuchang City..."
He looked up with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I was entrusted to do this. What I promised Ah Rou, I will definitely do."
"So, are you all coming back to Yuchang City with me, or shall I take Ruan Ruan back first?"
Ruan Ruan hadn't expected Qiao Yushan to pose such a question. She suddenly stopped crying and stared blankly at Ruan Su.
Ling Xiao, upon hearing Qiao Yu Shan mention "Ah Rou," felt a flicker of recognition and stepped forward to ask, "The Ah Rou you mentioned is Huo Rou, right?"
Qiao Yu Shan's eyes lit up with a hint of a smile at the mention of Huo Rou. "Yes, it's Huo Rou. Are you her friend too?"
"Yes," Ling Xiao nodded.
So all this commotion was between allies.
Everyone present stopped fighting and exchanged somewhat helpless glances.
Ling Xiao felt a fervent gaze and looked towards its source.
Ruan Ruan's curious eyes had been fixed on him since he approached. When Ling Xiao looked at her, the light in her eyes intensified.
Ling Xiao offered her a smile. His usual roguish demeanor was replaced by a sincere and affectionate smile, which was surprisingly captivating.
Ruan Ruan, a true admirer of cuteness, was immediately captivated. She tilted her head again and uttered a startling word, "Daddy?"
No one expected Ruan Ruan to say that.
Qiao Yu Shan watched them with amusement. He also thought Ruan Ruan bore a resemblance to this man.
Ruan Su looked embarrassed. Her usually well-behaved and introverted daughter suddenly calling a man she had just met "Daddy"?
"Ruan Ruan, don't just blurt things out. This is Uncle Ling."
"Eh!" Ling Xiao's voice coincided with her words.
Ruan Su felt her head spin. She shot him a glare. She hadn't settled the score with him for charming her, and now he was eagerly stepping up to be Ruan Ruan's father?
Hearing Ling Xiao agree with her, Ruan Ruan's earlier sadness and distress vanished. Her round eyes blinked at Ling Xiao, "Are you really my daddy? I have a daddy!"
"Yes, Ruan Ruan has a daddy now. May I hold you?" Ling Xiao asked with a smile, hooking his lips.
Ruan Ruan nodded and extended her small arms towards Ling Xiao.
Ruan Su had intended to correct the misunderstanding, but seeing how happy Ruan Ruan was, she found it difficult to speak.
She let Ling Xiao take Ruan Ruan from her embrace. The faces of the adult and child were close together, and looking at them, they were indeed very alike.
Qiao Yu Shan, not particularly interested in the unfolding drama, felt he had seen enough. He calmly brought the conversation back to its previous topic. "So, are you all returning to Yuchang City?"
Ruan Su had already accomplished what she came for and had intended to return. She nodded, "Of course."
"Thank you for finding my daughter."
With the misunderstanding cleared, Ruan Su's attitude softened, and she thanked him.
"By the way, the kidnappers gave her a large dose of anesthetic. It was quite dangerous, but she woke up on her own," Qiao Yu Shan said, inviting them to the lounge and recounting the events of their first encounter with Ruan Ruan.
"A large dose?" Ling Xiao's eyes narrowed like swords.
Qiao Yu Shan gestured for Uncle Liu to come over and explain the situation to the two parents.
After listening to Uncle Liu's account, Ruan Su breathed a sigh of relief. She gently stroked Ruan Ruan's small face. "She must take after me. She has a natural resistance to certain drugs."
Hearing this, Ling Xiao's confusion was resolved. He had wondered how Ruan Su had woken up so quickly and even reached the place before him, given that he had seen her drink the drug.
It turned out to be due to drug resistance? What a strange constitution.
"We should still take her to the hospital for a check-up," Ling Xiao said, smiling at Ruan Ruan. "Alright, Ruan Ruan? Let's go to the hospital. Daddy is very worried."
Ruan Su raised an eyebrow. He seemed quite accustomed to assuming the role of father.
"Let's go!"
Their respective entourages dispersed, attending to their own matters.
After a thorough check-up revealed no issues, they took Ruan Ruan onto a plane back to Yuchang City.
The people sent by Wang Haozhu followed behind, escorting a woman. They received special clearance when passing through security.
Ruan Su noticed these two people constantly trailing them and glanced back worriedly. Ling Xiao reassured her, "These are people from Ah You. The one they captured is likely the one who kidnapped Ruan Ruan."
"Ah You?" Ruan Su sounded puzzled at his mention of the name.
"It's Huo Rou. If Ruan Ruan and An An are friends, you should know her," Ling Xiao explained.
Ruan Su nodded. "Why do you call her Ah You?"
For some reason, she felt a strange sensation. She recalled Ling Xiao mentioning this "Ah You" before, referring to her as "Ah You, my little darling." She had assumed it was one of Ling Xiao's close male friends, only to find out it was Huo Rou.
She had heard Ruan Ruan talk about An An's family situation. Huo Rou and Qin Ning Yi were not yet married.
So...
Ling Xiao, oblivious to the strange undertone in her voice, answered her questions readily. "Her online alias is Chiyou, so I've always called her that."
Chiyou?
Huo Rou, a woman so demure and gentle, would use such a domineering name?
The plane took off.
Yuchang City.
Based on the information provided by Ruan Ruan, Huo Rou and Qin Ning Yi narrowed down their search to three locations.
The addresses were quite far from the one mentioned in Giles's letter, suggesting his words were meant to lure Huo Rou into a trap.
Huo Rou looked at the marked locations on the map and instinctively began to make arrangements.