Chapter 149: Investigating a Person

“Wait for me!”

Ruan Mianmian quickly dashed after him.

Jiang Ce entered Fang Xiaoyan’s hospital room without a word. She was lying on the bed, looking listless and pale, her frailty evident.

His steps abruptly halted, and his deep eyes held a chilling storm, cold to the bone.

Hearing the sound, Fang Xiaoyan slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze was weak and panicked, but upon seeing Jiang Ce, it instantly turned to joy.

“Brother Jiang?!”

Fang Xiaoyan struggled to sit up, nearly falling as her body couldn’t keep up with the motion.

“Brother Jiang!”

She rushed toward him, barely steady, and threw herself into his arms.

Ruan Mianmian stopped at the doorway, hesitating.

Inside, Jiang Ce stood quietly, his voice cold and detached.

“How are you feeling? Any better?”

Though caring words, Ruan Mianmian sensed no warmth in them.

Fang Xiaoyan’s voice cracked with tears. “Brother Jiang, please don’t leave me here. It’s so scary here. I want to go home with you.”

Jiang Ce remained silent.

She continued to sob, “Brother Jiang, they force me to take medicine every day. I don’t like taking medicine, and I don’t want to be locked in this room. Please take me away.”

Her pitiful tone and expression would evoke sympathy from anyone.

Ruan Mianmian watched everything silently. If Fang Xiaoyan was truly pretending to be insane, her acting was remarkably convincing.

She didn’t know what Jiang Ce would do next. But having seen the video footage, Ruan Mianmian believed he wouldn’t be indifferent.

“Brother Jiang? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

After a long silence, Fang Xiaoyan looked up at Jiang Ce.

That glance made her suddenly feel as if the person before her was a stranger.

His eyes were sharp and cold, sending chills down her spine.

Instinctively, she shrank back but then cautiously reached out to grasp his wrist, pleading, “Brother Jiang, please take me home. I promise I’ll be good.”

Jiang Ce’s eyes flickered, emotion unreadable. Slowly, he brushed her hand aside and nodded.

“All right, I’ll take you home.”

Ruan Mianmian glanced inside and felt no surprise.

Whatever Jiang Ce’s reasons, he must have his own plan—perhaps to keep Fang Xiaoyan steady and then investigate further.

Thus, Jiang Ce took Fang Xiaoyan back to Starfish Bay.

She was placed back in her old room. Jiang Ce didn’t return to his room but moved into Ruan Mianmian’s room instead.

This time, Fang Xiaoyan made no fuss about being near Jiang Ce and quietly settled in.

The sanatorium returned Fang Xiaoyan’s belongings. Besides the shovel, Ruan Mianmian unexpectedly found a mobile phone hidden in the hood of Fang Xiaoyan’s sweatshirt.

She secretly handed it to Jiang Ce and asked, “Want to see if there’s anything on it?”

Jiang Ce raised an eyebrow, smiling. “Since when did you learn to do sneaky things like this?”

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Ruan Mianmian smiled and teased, “Where’s the chicken? Where’s the dog?”

Jiang Ce chuckled, taking the phone. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to be so careful. Your husband’s skills aren’t that limited.”

Ruan Mianmian blushed. “What husband?”

As Jiang Ce brushed past her, he leaned in and whispered, “When did you not call me that?”

“...”

Ruan Mianmian immediately pushed him out of the room.

Jiang Ce calmly returned the phone and, along with the other items, placed them back in Fang Xiaoyan’s room.

Perhaps due to her escape attempt last night, Fang Xiaoyan seemed drowsy, sitting on the sofa.

But Jiang Ce’s arrival instantly revived her excitement.

“Brother Jiang, you came to see me? I’ve been very good since I got back!”

She blinked with eyes full of hope, seeking praise.

Jiang Ce silently approached, placing the shovel on the floor and holding the sweatshirt, glancing at it several times.

Fang Xiaoyan’s attention shifted from the shovel to the sweatshirt. She stood up excitedly but froze when she saw it.

A flicker of panic crossed her eyes but was quickly masked.

She rushed over, clutching the shovel tightly. “My shovel! Brother Jiang, you found it! That’s great! With it by my side, I’m not afraid of anything!”

The shovel was like a beloved pet, a treasure regained.

Jiang Ce’s gaze was calm as he handed her the sweatshirt. “And your clothes.”

“Thank you, Brother Jiang!”

Fang Xiaoyan hugged the sweatshirt and, out of Jiang Ce’s sight, secretly squeezed the hood.

Luckily, the phone was still there.

She breathed a sigh of relief, her smile softening.

Jiang Ce didn’t stay long and prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, Fang Xiaoyan hurriedly set aside the sweatshirt and shovel, chasing after him to grab his hand.

But Jiang Ce easily dodged.

He quietly said, “Ayan, remember what I said? We’re grown-ups now.”

Embarrassment flashed in Fang Xiaoyan’s eyes, then she smiled. “I remember. We’re grown up now. We can’t hold hands anymore. Brother Jiang’s hand can only be held by her.”

The “her” needed no explanation.

Jiang Ce didn’t deny it and asked, “Anything else?”

“I...” Fang Xiaoyan hesitated, then looked at him and said softly, “Brother Jiang, you won’t send me back to the sanatorium, right? You’ll keep me by your side?”

“You actually know that’s a sanatorium?” Jiang Ce suddenly asked.

Fang Xiaoyan was taken aback, then smiled awkwardly. “Of course.”

It wasn’t a hospital or a mental institution, but a sanatorium.

She knew that well.

Jiang Ce smiled and said, “Don’t worry. As long as your condition stabilizes, I’ll keep you here at Starfish Bay.”

“Yay!”

Fang Xiaoyan was as happy as a child, almost jumping in place.

Jiang Ce turned away, his smile vanishing in an instant.

After stepping outside, Jiang Ce took out his phone and dialed a number.

The call was answered quickly, and Jiang Ce said calmly, “Help me check on someone.”

After a brief exchange, he hung up.

Back in the bedroom, Ruan Mianmian had entered the bathroom but seemed to be on the phone as well.

Jiang Ce quietly returned to the sofa and closed his eyes to rest.

Inside the bathroom, Ruan Mianmian held the phone between her shoulder and ear, pausing her work on a washcloth. “What? Jiang Yao is going too?”