After Gu Zheng returned from Gu En's place, the child was still sleeping, while he was smoking in the yard.
This is probably the closest he's ever been to Xia Ran.
Who knows when the next time will be, or even if they will have a next time at all?
Gu Zheng couldn't help but think of Yu Chao again, and a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.
He had just sent someone to investigate Yu Chao. If Xia Ran really wanted to be with Yu Chao, he had to help Xia Ran find out the truth.
Xia Ran has already been hurt once, and he will never let Xia Ran experience the same hurt a second time.
As darkness fell, Dazhuang and Grandpa Xia grew restless because they couldn't get through to Xia Ran on the phone. In the end, Dazhuang decided to go to Yu Chao's house to find Xia Ran.
Logically speaking, Xia Ran wouldn't remain unresponsive indefinitely, so the only possibility is that something must have happened.
However, when Dazhuang went to ask at the entrance of Yu Chao's residential area, he was surprised to hear from the security guard that Yu Chao was already away on a business trip.
"Business trip? Did you see if he was alone or with someone?"
Security guard: "There are two of them, the other one is his friend."
Hearing this, Dazhuang was very puzzled. If he really went on a business trip, why didn't he answer the phone for so long?
Da Zhuang thanked the security guard and left. Only after Da Zhuang left did the security guard suddenly remember that there was another person who was asleep in a wheelchair.
Chapter 257 You'd better behave
The security guard quickly forgot about the incident, and Dazhuang went home and told Grandpa Xia about it.
Grandpa Xia was also puzzled after hearing this; it sounded very strange no matter how you looked at it.
It's not that Xia Ran's business trip is strange; what's strange is that Xia Ran didn't answer the phone or report to Grandpa Xia.
This doesn't seem like Xia Ran's style at all.
"Grandpa, do you know where Yu Chao's company is? I'll go look for it. I feel a little uneasy."
Dazhuang was really worried.
Grandpa Xia was also very worried. "I really don't know. I've never been there, and Xiao Ran never mentioned it."
This made Dazhuang even more distressed, completely unsure of what to do next.
Xia Ran on the other side was slowly waking up.
When he opened his eyes, he was in an unfamiliar environment, and his hands were tied behind his back, and his mouth was taped shut.
He immediately recalled what had happened earlier.
Thinking of Yu Chao's unusual behavior, his expression couldn't help but change.
He observed the surroundings and discovered that it was actually a sea-view room with a particularly nice environment; he could see the scenery outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows at a glance.
He tried to break free, but couldn't. Fortunately, he could still walk freely on his legs.
He wanted to go to the door to call for help because he had just checked and Yu Chao wasn't there, so he should be able to leave.
But just as he reached the door, it was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Xia Ran's face stiffened, and the person who came in next was indeed Yu Chao, who was carrying things.
When Yu Chao saw Xia Ran, he showed no panic. Instead, he smiled gently and said,
"Xiao Ran, why did you wake up so quickly? Are you hungry? I bought some food, all according to your taste."
His tone was as gentle as if he were talking to a lover in the throes of passion, but the tender smile in his eyes made Xia Ran feel extremely cold.
“Hmm…” Xia Ran glared at Yu Chao, but Yu Chao had already turned around and locked the door, completely ignoring his glare.
"Don't be afraid. As long as you behave, I won't do anything to you. But if you don't listen, I'll have to take some forceful measures."
Yu Chao pulled Xia Ran by the hand and walked her to the sofa. Although Xia Ran was very unwilling, she had no choice but to follow him.
"Xiao Ran, isn't this room beautiful?"
Xia Ran could only stare at Yu Chao, completely speechless.
Yu Chao sat down on the sofa with Xia Ran, and when he saw Xia Ran's glare, he seemed to understand immediately.
He put down what he was carrying and gently peeled off the tape from Xia Ran's mouth with his other hand.
No matter how gentle he was, in Xia Ran's eyes he was a terrifying demon.
"Yu Chao, what exactly do you want? You've brought me out here for too long. I need to go back, otherwise my grandfather will be unable to resist coming to find me."
Xia Ran dared not say anything else to anger Yu Chao, for he was afraid that he would say something wrong and make Yu Chao angry.
"Don't worry, your phone is with me. I have plenty of ways to let your grandfather know you're busy."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran's expression instantly changed. This was the only clue that could let her grandfather know something was wrong, and now it was gone.
Yu Chao didn't care at all about Xia Ran's change of expression; on the contrary, his smile became even gentler.
"Are you hungry? I bought your favorite pizza, I'll get it for you right away, okay?"
“No need, I just want to go home. Yu Chao, what you’re doing is illegal. If you let me go now, I can pretend I don’t know anything. But if my grandfather finds out later, things won’t be so simple.”
Xia Ran could only say this much, because he dared not say anything too harsh to provoke Yu Chao, nor could he say anything too nice.
"You're threatening me?" Yu Chao's face suddenly darkened. "Xia Ran, are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm just stating the facts," Xia Ran said, trying to appear calm.
"Yu Chao, I don't know why you've become like this. You weren't like this before. Have you encountered some setback? If so, you can tell me, and we can think of other ways together. Let's not do these extreme and illegal things, okay?"
Xia Ran couldn't figure out why Yu Chao had changed so quickly, so he could only conclude that Yu Chao had encountered a setback.
Yu Chao simply laughed off his words.
"Xia Ran, don't worry, I haven't encountered any setbacks. It's because I like you, because I love you, that I'm protecting you."
Yu Chao's face was full of longing, and the deep affection in his eyes made Xia Ran feel a chill.
"Do you think Gu Zheng likes you? Actually, no. He just hasn't gotten you, so he keeps chasing after you. He's only doing this for the child."
"So in order to prevent you from being deceived by Gu Zheng, and in order to allow you to live a good life, this is the only way I can protect you. As long as I keep you by my side, Gu Zheng will not be able to hurt you."
"There's a saying that familiarity breeds fondness, right? Don't worry, as long as we spend more time together, you'll naturally fall in love with me, and then we can live a happy life together."
Hearing Yu Chao's words, Xia Ran was stunned. He no longer felt that Yu Chao had suffered some kind of setback to become like this.
He felt that the Yu Chao in front of him was more like a pervert, a paranoid pervert. He never thought that Yu Chao's liking for him would turn into this.
If he had known earlier, he certainly wouldn't have had so much contact with Yu Chao; he would have kept as far away from him as possible.
Yu Chao didn't ask Xia Ran what she was saying. Instead, he opened the bag he had just brought back, took out a pizza, and was about to feed it to Xia Ran.
Xia Ran definitely wouldn't eat it, and Yu Chao was very angry about Xia Ran's refusal to eat.
"Open your mouth, Xia Ran. Don't force me, or I'll treat you badly. So eat quickly, or you'll face the consequences!"
Yu Chao pinched Xia Ran's chin with one hand and held the pizza to Xia Ran's mouth with the other.
After hearing his words, Xia Ran had no choice but to open her mouth and eat.
He was now bound hand and foot, and didn't know where he was. He could only obey Yu Chao for now, and then try to find an opportunity to escape.
Alternatively, he could only wait for his grandfather and Dazhuang to realize something was wrong before they could find him.
Xia Ran ate several pizzas in a row, which finally made her feel a little better, but her anxiety did not lessen at all.
"That's good, that's how you behave." Yu Chao gently took a tissue and wiped Xia Ran's mouth.
Chapter 258 Noticing Xia Ran's Absence
Faced with Chao's words and actions, Xia Ran felt utterly disgusted and even wanted to vomit up everything she had just eaten.
He never knew that Yu Chao could have this side to him, even though Yu Chao had always been such a good person.
"Senior, let's have a proper talk."
Xia Ran did not want to sit idly by and wait for her fate.
Yu Chao nodded. "Okay, what do you want to talk about? We have plenty of opportunities now to have a good talk. What do you want to talk about?"
Xia Ran: "I want to know why you suddenly became like this. You weren't like this before. Also, your new company has just been established. Won't it be a problem if you're not at the company?"
Yu Chao's expression gradually turned colder.
“I told you, I’m protecting you. I’m doing this for your own good. As long as Gu Zheng is no longer by your side, I will naturally take you back, and things will return to normal.”
Xia Ran frowned. "Gu Zheng was about to leave anyway, maybe he's already gone. So please take me back. We can talk about the rest properly."
"Keeping me locked up like this will only make me more and more resistant to you, senior. How can you face your parents like this? How heartbroken would they be if they knew what you did?"
"With your excellent education, you shouldn't have become like this. What makes me worthy of your affection? And even if you do like me, you should give me time to adjust, or at least take things slowly with me, right? The way you are now will only make our relationship more and more strained."
Xia Ran kept trying to persuade Yu Chao, hoping that Yu Chao would listen to him.
However, Yu Chao had completely gone mad and his mind was utterly twisted; he was completely unmoved by Xia Ran's persuasion.
"It's okay, you're already here with me now. No matter what, we'll develop feelings for each other over time, so why will things get more awkward?"
"Don't worry, I like you so much. As long as you behave well, I won't hurt you. Otherwise, I won't show you any mercy."
"Gu Zheng has touched your body before, hasn't he? It's okay, I don't mind, but you have to be obedient, otherwise I have plenty of ways to make you obey."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran's face turned pale instantly.
With those words, he dared not say anything more and could only hold back and remain obedient for the time being.
He could only pray that his grandfather and Dazhuang would realize something was wrong soon, otherwise he was afraid that Yu Chao might do something even more extreme in his current crazy state.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng had also received information from his subordinates about Yu Chao.
He took a serious look at it, and then his expression darkened.
Although this wasn't his territory, the saying "money makes the world go round" proved true. The people he hired not only found out about Yu Chao's life story, but also about Xia Ran's visit to Yu Chao today.
However, this was probably just a coincidence that led him to find it, but it was this coincidence that made him feel that something was wrong.
The child had been watching Xia Ran from the wall at the entrance. If Xia Ran came back, the child would definitely run to him and say something, but the child never came in.
Moreover, it's already past nine o'clock at night, and Xia Ran hasn't come back for so long. Something's definitely not right.