Chapter 169 – Kidnapped Again (6)

The last scene was about Chun Xiang and the explorer’s encounter.

The white-haired Chun Xiang could no longer see the beauty of this world. She wore a pair of presbyopia glasses and sat in front of her house mending broken fishing nets. Her chapped hands quivered, so the sharp silver needles often pierced her hands as she stitched. Even so, she didn’t stop mending.

And, it was at this time that the explorer, who resembled Chun Xiang’s lover, arrived on a cruise ship. He looked exactly like his father’s young self; extremely handsome and vigorous. Chun Xiang, on the other hand, had aged and become white-haired. She was already nearing the end of her time.

“Auntie, is there anyone else on this island?”

Chun Xiang looked up at him and answered with a hoarse voice, “No, there’s no one else.”

In fact, she was the only one left on the island. Those young’uns had left to pursue their dreams, while the elders had already left this world. So, only Chun Xiang remained.

When Chun Xiang raised her head and stared at the young man in front of her, she instantly froze.

“Oh…Ye Lin, you’re back!”

The explorer was stunned when he heard that name.

Under the camera lens, Lan Jinyao looked as if she’d aged a lot; her hair had turned white, and her hands were trembling. There were wrinkles all over her face, and her eyes looked muddy.

Fu Bainian stared at the camera in a trance. At this moment, he seemed to have witnessed an actress with innate talent using her acting skills to prove herself to everyone.

He suddenly recalled a saying that he’d heard before. Older actors could act adolescent roles well because experience taught them how to act. Young actors, on the other hand, couldn’t always act elderly roles well, because they hadn’t experienced old age yet. With no experience, their performance wouldn’t turn out well.

However, Lan Jinyao was different. Through the camera lens, who could tell that she was, in actual fact, a very young actress? In her eyes, one could see seniority and exhaustion, as well as persistence.

When the explorer faced Chun Xiang and said the two words ‘I’m sorry’, the latter slowly closed her eyes. In that instant, everyone present subconsciously held in their breath and watched her performance. This scene didn’t seem like an act at all; it felt real.

Upon seeing this scene unfold, Fu Bainian suddenly clenched his hands into fists. She was a born actress; she belonged on-screen for the audience. Yet, he had to selfishly keep her by his side to bear his children.

His heart suddenly felt heavy.

At the same time, someone approached him from behind, but Fu Bainian didn’t turn around because he already knew who was standing behind him.

“Look, she’s a born actress, but you selfishly imprisoned her and kept her by your side. If it were me, I’d let her have her freedom and fly as high as she wants. If this was what she wanted, I’d support her unconditionally. Fu Bainian, I’m fundamentally different from you, even though we both love her dearly.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian clenched his hands into fists.

“We’re indeed different because…she doesn’t love you!”

The next second, Jiang Cheng’s expression sank.

Fu Bainian didn’t turn around. Instead, his gaze landed on the person sitting by the sea, and the corners of his lips slightly raised.

Yes, no matter how outstanding Jiang Cheng was, he couldn’t compare to him because the person Lan Jinyao loved was him, not that man.

Today’s scene was nearing its end, so they could wrap up soon and return home.

In the afternoon, Fu Bainian was packing back in the room when Lan Jinyao suddenly came in and asked, “What are you doing? Aren’t we staying one more night? There’s still the wrap-up party tonight. Don’t you want to attend?”

“No, let’s just go back!” he dully said and continued packing.

Lan Jinyao sat down in the chair next to him and stared at him eagerly. “You’re this movie’s biggest investor. It won’t look good if you don’t attend, right?”

Fu Bainian also sat down and stared at her intensely as he asked, “What’s wrong with that? I don’t want to stay at this hateful place any longer. Everyone’s eyeing you covetously, and…”

“And what?” asked Lan Jinyao.

He shook his head and remained silent.

While staying here, there’d been a constant feeling of restlessness in his heart, which had gradually increased as time passed. He felt that his behaviour was becoming all the more abnormal with each passing minute.

Lan Jinyao looked at the sky outside and tried to persuade him to stay. “Look, it’s getting late and the weather forecast says that it’s going to rain tonight. Let’s wait until early tomorrow morning to leave, alright? It’s our last day anyway. Pretty please?”

Fu Bainian firmly shook his head. “No, we’re leaving tonight! Besides, a ship happens to be going back tonight.”

When Lan Jinyao saw that she was unable to persuade him, she compromised and said, “Okay, fine. Let’s go back tonight.”

Fu Bainian seemed unwilling to stay here for another second. As soon as Lan Jinyao had agreed to leave tonight, he immediately started to pack up the rest of their belongings. His movements were swift. Seeing this, Lan Jinyao, who was sitting beside him, couldn’t help but laugh. “Why do I feel like you’re in a hurry? Could it be that you’re sensing a bad premonition?”

Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian paused and said, “No, I‘m not!”

Lan Jinyao nodded and then, after a while, she said, “In fact, I do have a premonition, and it’s a very bad one at that.”

“My heart is filled with uneasiness; as if something is about to happen. Especially tonight, as that feeling has gotten more intense.”

So, that was why she’d insisted on staying.

“Don’t worry, it’ll only take us half an hour to get home.”

Lan Jinyao leaned against Fu Bainian’s chest and listened to his steady heartbeat, which helped to gradually reassure her. She looked out the window at the hazy sky. She reckoned that by the time they boarded the ship, the sky would’ve darkened already and heavy rain would start to pour. The weather forecast had stated that there would be a rainstorm tonight.

However, there shouldn’t be any problems once they boarded the ship.

Unfortunately, contrary to what Lan Jinyao had expected, the game had only begun when she boarded the ship.

At seven in the evening, she stood on the deck, looking at the distant sky. It was dark, and rain could start pouring down any time soon.

The waiter brought over a glass of wine and said, “Mr Fu asked me to bring this over to you.”

Lan Jinyao didn’t doubt him. However, the moment she picked up the red wine from the tray, she suddenly recalled that she hadn’t touched alcohol for a long time because she was pregnant. Fu Bainian was also aware of this, so why would he give her a glass of wine?

At this moment, when she noticed that something was wrong, the waiter was already revealing a sinister smile. And, before Lan Jinyao could react, she’d already lost consciousness.

Late in the night, amidst the icy seawater, she felt her body turn cold.

She tried to swim upwards, but a pair of hands grabbed her and dragged her deeper underwater