Lu Nan nodded thoughtfully.
“If that’s the case, you knew about Xia Zhengyun’s hospitalization and all the subsequent events?”
“Yes.” Mo Zhiting continued, “Aside from some privacy issues, I knew everything else.”
“Then why did you only want to save her now?” Lu Nan didn’t quite believe that Xia Yubing hadn’t taken action like this before. She knew everything, yet only now wanted to break free.
“I couldn’t save her.”
“Fine.”
Lu Nan had no more questions. She tilted her head back, signaling Mo Zhiting to continue. She had a rough idea now.
“Go ahead. What’s your plan? If possible, tell me everything clearly.”
For example, why had Xia Yubing suddenly kidnapped Xia Zhengyun right after the variety show ended? The two had been far apart during the show—could it really be because of that? Unrequited love? Probably not…
Mo Zhiting nodded.
“I grew up with Xia Zhengyun. Right after our senior year of high school, she started acting off. I didn’t know what was wrong with her.
Uncle Xia said she had a hereditary mental illness, so he locked her up at home. One night, I saw Xia Yubing bring her up from the basement. After that, Xia Zhengyun started smashing things.
She became extremely volatile, didn’t recognize anyone, and her personality was completely different from before. I watched her during her hospitalization, crying her heart out every day like she was going mad. Our two families were at each other’s throats back then, so I couldn’t even enter her hospital room.
Eventually, I finally got to talk to her, and she told me she wasn’t sick…”
“So, was she sick or not?” Lu Nan set down her chopsticks. “It couldn’t be that the family elders were completely unaware of Xia Zhengyun’s hospitalization.”
“I don’t know if she was actually sick.” Mo Zhiting sighed. “I hope she wasn’t, so she wouldn’t be locked up again.”
Lu Nan frowned upon hearing this. Locking up a normal person and telling the world she was ill—such plots were a dime a dozen online. She asked, “Power? Isn’t the Xia Family left with just the two of them as heirs? If Xia Zhengyun went mad, only Xia Yubing would remain.”
“No.” Mo Zhiting shook his head. “A stunt like that wouldn’t fool the shareholders.”
Mo Zhiting continued—
“I originally planned to help her escape, but when the time came, she didn’t show. I waited a whole day before she appeared. I didn’t dare make any moves—any action would let Xia Yubing trace the clues and find her again.
Xia Yubing definitely knew someone had lent her a hand, but she didn’t know it was me. All these years, she’s been searching for the person secretly helping Xia Zhengyun. As soon as I kidnap you, she’ll immediately know whose handiwork it is.
Once I show up, she’ll definitely make a move—most likely coming here to find us. I’ve arranged several teams near where Xia Yubing is holding her. Any gap, and we can rescue Xia Zhengyun.”
“You’re a hundred percent sure?” Lu Nan said. “What if she doesn’t come personally? Won’t the plan fall through?”
Mo Zhiting looked up, his gaze meeting Lu Nan’s. In his eyes lingered the fatigue from recounting the story, along with a hint of apology.
What was there to apologize for…?
Lu Nan tried to probe again, but he had already composed himself. That earlier gaze seemed like something she’d imagined.
Lu Nan looked at the two’s faces—no, not the food.
What else could the apology be about?
Mo Zhiting pressed his lips together, his peripheral vision on his watch. The hands pointed to 9—7:45. There was still some time before Song Wenwei arrived. It wasn’t the right moment to reveal everything.
He said, “It won’t fall through—as long as you don’t run away. An unfamiliar person helping Xia Zhengyun is a thorn in Xia Yubing’s side. She’ll come see me personally.
Once she does, Xia Zhengyun can escape. If she hasn’t shown up by noon tomorrow, we can’t just sit around. Xia Zhengyun will die if she stays there.”
“Why do you say that?” Lu Nan asked again. “What would Xia Yubing do to her? Kill her?”
That idea didn’t seem realistic. Given Xia Yubing’s possessiveness toward her in the variety show, how could she possibly kill her?
Kidnapping her probably counted as confinement—no, imprisonment.
If that was the case, why had she even asked Song Wenwei about relationship matters, learning how to date?
Who dates by crashing into someone with a car when they’re unhappy, dragging them away? Besides, no one but masochists would like being imprisoned—they’d run at the first chance, not fall in love.
“No, it’s not that. Xia Yubing won’t kill her. What will kill her is fear and illness.”
“Xia Zhengyun stayed in the hospital for over a year—that’s enough to create psychological trauma. You probably knew she was in the psych ward back then. I was there too.”
Lu Nan fell silent. Her mind suddenly recalled that she’d learned about Xia Zhengyun’s hospitalization during the days Song Wenwei had gone missing.
Which meant Mo Zhiting had known back then too…
“Not only that, but I also saw the videos of Xia Yubing surveilling you two…” Mo Zhiting looked at Lu Nan apologetically as he said this. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Don’t worry—the video only caught you two entering the hospital room before it cut off. I was wondering back then who was unlucky enough to piss off Xia Yubing. I didn’t expect it to be you.”
Lu Nan tugged at the corner of her mouth. “It’s fine.”
Good thing the surveillance had been discovered in time, or they might have veered into new territory.
What a small world—going in circles, it was still the same few people they knew. Did she and Song Wenwei have no personal privacy at all? Everyone had witnessed their romance.
This felt maddening, like standing naked in front of others, everything laid bare.
“By the way, did you send the safety notice earlier?” Lu Nan asked him. Now that she knew the plan and the full story, she could rest easy working with him to save Xia Zhengyun.
In that case, Song Wenwei wouldn’t need to worry too much. Later, she could yell or curse all she wanted—it was better than letting her fret blindly.
Mo Zhiting answered irrelevantly—
“Time’s almost up.”
Selling another cliffhanger. Just how many people were waiting for her?
Lu Nan asked, “What time? Has Xia Yubing found out?”
Mo Zhiting shook his head. Lu Nan clearly saw the apology in his eyes, unmasked this time unlike before.
He stood up, the chair scraping out a sharp, urgent noise. A faint sound came from the distance.
Lu Nan’s ears twitched.
She seemed to hear a car horn.
“There’s about one more minute before Song Wenwei and Li Erning arrive.”
