Chapter 170 – Madman (1)
"Lan Jinyao-"
The man's heartrending voice resounded in Lan Jinyao's ears, and she could feel that he was near, but she was unable to get in touch with him.
She was having a very long dream. In her dream, Fu Bainian was getting farther and farther away from her.
"Fu Bainian!"
Lan Jinyao, who was fast asleep, abruptly opened her eyes.
"So, it was just a dream!" she murmured.
However, soon Lan Jinyao realised that all that had happened wasn't a dream. She was really pushed into the water by that waiter, and then, a pair of hands had tightly tugged at her, continuously pulling her deeper underwater. In the end, everything turned blank in front of her as she lost consciousness.
Lan Jinyao lay in bed and looked around at the furnishings. This place looked like a magnificent cage. It felt extremely foreign; foreign to the point of terrifying her.
She subconsciously tried to get out of bed, but as soon as she did, she noticed that she couldn't because her hands and feet were tied up; even her mouth was sealed with duct tape.
"Mmm, mmm…"
She tried her best to make a sound, but a minute later, she realised that it was futile. She didn’t know where she was. If she rashly made a sound, then the man who'd kidnapped her would know that she was awake.
Thinking up to here, Lan Jinyao instantly became clear-headed.
Back then, not long after she'd taken over Chen Meimei's body, she'd been kidnapped by a crazy fan. At that time, Fu Bainian was the one who'd saved her. This time, however, she wasn't sure if Fu Bainian could rush here on time to save her.
He'd come for sure! She had faith in him.
After a while, Lan Jinyao heard faint footsteps coming from the door; someone must've come to check on her. She subconsciously closed her eyes in an instant and pretended to be asleep. She tried to breathe evenly. In fact, this was an easy task for her because she'd played this kind of role in her previous life. Her act was so realistic that no one could discern that she was just pretending to be asleep.
The person who entered was a tall man. Although Lan Jinyao had her eyes closed, she could sense that his height was about the same as that of Fu Bainian.
The man was checking to see whether she'd awakened or not. Lan Jinyao's breathing was very light at this moment. She'd previously observed people's sleeping behaviour and saw that the sound of their breathing was actually very light, except for those who snore.
Soon after, the shadow hovering above her disappeared, but she knew that he was still there because she didn't hear him leave the room yet.
Lan Jinyao just lay there and didn't dare to move. She wasn't sure what he was doing at this moment.
Then, her stomach suddenly grumbled; even she herself was startled.
"Haha, you're pretending to be asleep!" The man tore the duct tape off her mouth.
When she heard the familiar voice, she was so shocked that she broke out in a cold sweat. This incomparably familiar voice belonged to Jiang Cheng. She subconsciously opened her eyes and looked in his direction. This didn't matter as she practically nearly fainted again when she saw the person in front of her.
The person standing in front of her looked like Jiang Cheng, but was seemingly also not him. That man wore an unsightly mask that made Lan Jinyao shudder in fear.
In the previous kidnapping incident, that madman had worn the same mask. However, in the end, he was killed in the fire, while Fu Bainian rescued her.
This must be a coincidence. That other man had clearly died, so how could he still be alive? Besides, she'd seen his face, and his looks were ordinary. That person wasn't Jiang Cheng.
"What are you thinking about? You look anxious!" Jiang Cheng sat down by the bedside, his pitch-black eyes staring at her through his mask as he continued, "No, you're not anxious, you're scared, aren't you? What are you afraid of? Of me or…this mask?"
"Jiang Cheng!" Lan Jinyao couldn't help but scream. "What on earth do you want?!"
Seeing her reaction, Jiang Cheng burst into laughter and removed his mask. For a moment, Lan Jinyao actually thought that she would see a burnt face, but no, Jiang Cheng's face didn't change at all; it was the same face she was used to.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Cheng observed her expression carefully and became even more delighted. He pretended to be enlightened and said, "I see, you were afraid that the face behind this mask was ruined, right? You know who I am, isn't that so?"
A dreadful feeling suddenly spread from her heart to her limbs. At this moment, her
hands and feet felt frozen.
"You're the man from that previous kidnapping incident, aren't you? You're, in fact, not Jiang Cheng, and also not the heir to the Jiang family, am I right?"
Jiang Cheng smiled and answered, "You're wrong!"
How could she be wrong? He clearly knew everything; who else knew about that incident so well besides her and the man who'd kidnapped her?
"You're lying. You're definitely that person," Lan Jinyao firmly said; she was confident that they were the same person.
The smile on Jiang Cheng's face instantly grew larger as he explained, "Your first sentence is correct; I am indeed the one who kidnapped you. But, the latter part you said was wrong. I'm the only heir to the Jiang family, and my name is Jiang Cheng."
No, this didn't make any sense!
Lan Jinyao shook her head and questioned, "If you were really that person, then you're already a…"
"A dead man, right? But, I'm still alive and well." Jiang Cheng suddenly interrupted and finished her words for her.
"What's with this situation?" If this man was really the one who'd kidnapped her, then who was the man on the deathbed?
"There's still a lot of time for us to catch up, so I'll explain things to you tomorrow. Let me prepare a delicious meal for you first, aren't you hungry?"
His fingertips fell on her cheek and caressed it gently. "Does Fu Bainian cook for you? I don't think so. Look, you've lost so much weight. The last time you stayed with you, you were still a fatty."
Before Jiang Cheng walked out, he turned to her and said, "Don't try to escape, because you won't be able to run away anyway."
Upon hearing this, Jinyao was so angry that she started shouting at him. "You clearly know that I'm not Chen Meimei! I'm not the Chen Meimei that you love!"
"No, you are the one I love!" Jiang Cheng turned around, stared at her with a gloomy expression, and added, "I like the current you more, so, you better behave and stay here with me!"
Lan Jinyao wanted to cry, but there were no tears.
Fu Bainian, quickly come and save me!
Yuna’s Note: Oh my… this chap gave me goosebumps! O_O Did you guys and girls foresee this?
Chapter 171- Madman (2)
Jiang Cheng walked away but left behind that spooky mask on the table. Lan Jinyao's eyes locked on the mask, her heart distraught with anxiety.
Jiang Cheng had kidnapped her, but what did he want to do later? Could it be that he wanted to drag her to hell with him again? If the person who'd kidnapped her was Jiang Cheng all along, then who was the one who'd died in the sea of fire?
All these questions were circling her mind, tangling themselves into a complete mess.
As she lay in bed, she gradually calmed down.
When Lan Jinyao quieted down, she suddenly noticed that the sound echoing in her ears became louder and clearer. It was the sound of waves crashing against rocks!
Lan Jinyao's eyes lit up at this thought. Did this mean that Jiang Cheng had brought her back to the island where the filming crew was located? It was daybreak now, so the crew must still be on the island. They shouldn't have left yet.
She briefly checked her surroundings. This room was brightly lit and decorated in almost the same way as the room she'd previously stayed in on the island, just a bit more luxurious.
As she thought to this point, she began to shout at the top of her lungs, "Jiang Cheng!"
She couldn't call anyone else's name. Otherwise, her real intentions would've been exposed. Besides, even if the crew really hadn't left yet and came to her rescue, Jiang Cheng would surely rush here one step ahead of them. In that case, her life would be at risk.
"Jiang Cheng!"
She shouted his name several times. Soon after, hurried footsteps could be heard coming from the door, and Jiang Cheng entered the room.
On the other hand, Lan Jinyao felt disappointed because no one else came to save her.
Jiang Cheng nervously asked, "What's wrong?"
The nervous look on his face…it didn't seem like he was faking it. At least, that was what Lan Jinyao had thought.
Soon, however, she realised that her guess was incorrect. This man's train of thought had always been undecipherable, so she wouldn't be able to guess it so easily.
She looked at Jiang Cheng and justifiably said, "I'm hungry, extremely hungry!"
She'd thought that her acting skills were impeccable, but in fact, her act was easily seen through by Jiang Cheng.
"You're hungry? I think you just wanted to call someone over, right? I've really seen too much of your acting skills, so I can tell whether you're truly hungry or just putting on an act."
While talking, the corners of Jiang Cheng's lips slightly curled up, revealing a sinister smile that made Lan Jinyao's hair stand on end.
Lan Jinyao's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained expressionless as she spoke, "You're saying I'm putting on an act? Are you sure that you can tell what's real and what's not? I was hungry to begin with!"
"Okay, fine. You're hungry all right; you weren't trying to make use of this opportunity to call someone over. Food will be ready in a minute, and those are all your favourite dishes-" Jiang Cheng paused for a second before adding, "Don't try to escape, and you can stop shouting…I'm afraid that you'll hurt your throat in the process. No one's coming to save you, because everyone already left the island an hour ago."
As expected, Lan Jinyao's last glimmer of hope was extinguished; her eyelids slightly drooped, concealing the disappointment contained within her eyes.
"Don't be sad. One day, when I'm in a happy mood, I'll take you away from here provided that you behave in the meantime."
One of his hands was about to touch her hair, but Lan Jinyao instantly tilted her head, making him touch air instead. She'd initially thought that he'd become angry, but he was still all smiles and it didn't seem like he'd get mad at all.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door. Upon hearing that person's subtle voice, Lan Jinyao's eyes suddenly lit up again, and she intently stared at the door.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Cheng's smile grew wider as he said, "Tsk, look at you. Who do you think that person standing out there is?"
Upon hearing him say this, that little bit of excitement in Lan Jinyao's heart completely vanquished.
That was right; this was Jiang Cheng's territory. He wouldn't let just anyone in. Even that person who'd knocked earlier was one of his people. There was no way they would help her escape from here.
Jiang Cheng then indifferently said, "Come in!"
The person who came in was an aunt in her work uniform, somewhere in her fifties. She held a tray in her hands, and on it was a bowl of soup or something. Lan Jinyao noticed that from the moment this aunt stepped in, her head was hung low and she didn't dare to look around.
The moment the aunt opened the lid, a strong smell of medicine infiltrated Lan Jinyao's nostrils. For a moment, her heart leapt into her throat. In fact, Jiang Cheng shouldn't know that she was pregnant, so, what was this medicine for?
Her hands and feet were bound; the rope used was also very short, so if Jiang Cheng wanted to force the medicine down her throat, she wouldn't be able to escape.
At this thought, the panic she felt in her heart inexplicably increased by tenfold.
"What do you want to do?" Lan Jinyao asked with a slightly trembling voice. She looked like a pointy hedgehog, and even her gaze was extremely ferocious; as if she'd bite Jiang Cheng if he made a move.
The smile tugging at the corner of Jiang Cheng's lips gradually disappeared. He then coldly asked, "What are you afraid of? You think I'm gonna hurt you?"
Lan Jinyao repeatedly shook her head. She was never worried that Jiang Cheng would hurt her. The thing that she was worried about was that he'd not let the child in her stomach off the hook. This body was Chen Meimei's; the child also carried Chen Meimei's blood.
"No, I'd never hurt you. I'd acted stupidly before!" Jiang Cheng took the bowl and placed it on the table. Then, with a voice filled with regret, he said, "I was really about to swallow the sleeping pills back then, but I was saved by the man my father sent. That person, who went in afterwards and lay down next to you, was actually not me. At that time, I thought; fortunately, I haven't died. If I'd died while you were still alive, I'd be crossing the river to the afterlife all alone. How sad would that be! Besides, I'd feel lonely."
Lan Jinyao intently stared at that bowl of soup. When she ascertained that it was chicken soup with some unknown medicinal herbs, her heart tensed up a bit.
"The person you like is obviously Chen Meimei, but you clearly also know that I'm not her. So, why are you doing this to me?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng suddenly laughed, his eerie laughter reverberating around the room.
"No, you are Chen Meimei; you're the same person. At that time, you refused to die alongside me, so I was despondent. But, you left me a message afterwards. Upon reading that, I overcame my depression and thought: If you want to keep on living, then I'll keep you company!"
Lan Jinyao's eyes widened in shock when she heard this. At this moment, she was feeling utterly remorseful.
She kept scolding herself inwardly: Who told you to be so stupid? Now, you're stuck with this madman! This time, how are you going to get yourself out of this mess?