Chapter 29

Guess

“It’s okay,” Dai Wei waved his hand. “I believe you’re not that kind of person. As for that Du Juan, I think there’s something suspicious about her.”

Ye Ling nodded, her gaze deep and her tone resolute. “She wanted to frame me, but she’s not the mastermind.”

“Do you have any guesses? Is this incident related to the previous one with Wu De?” Dai Wei asked, referring to the previous incident where Ye Ling was raped by Wu De.

“We can’t be certain at the moment. It would be great if we can find something from Du Juan,” Ye Ling replied. She had a suspicion in her mind, but without evidence, she didn’t plan to share it directly with Dai Wei.

She noticed that the woman named Du Juan had sunken cheeks, pale lips, and loose skin. It was a clear sign of long-term malnutrition.

How could a malnourished woman possess a gold leaf? It didn’t belong to her.

“I’ve asked Officer Li to have someone follow Du Juan and observe if she exhibits any unusual behavior,” Dai Wei immediately said.

“Officer Dai, you think things through,” Ye Ling said with a hint of joy, her eyes shining brighter.

Dai Wei felt a bit uneasy and shifted his gaze away. Despite considering Ye Ling as his good brother’s woman, the gaze of a beautiful woman always made a man’s heart race.

He coughed twice to conceal his discomfort and then asked, “Why didn’t you ask Yun Jie to seek Min Nan’s help?”

Ye Ling pursed her lips and lowered her head, unsure how to explain.

Min Nan’s godmother and her brothers seemed to have misunderstood her relationship with Min Nan. At that time, she thought of two people who could help her. One was Dai Wei and the other was Min Nan.

Although she was more familiar with Min Nan, Ye Ling still didn’t want to trouble Min Nan to avoid confirming the misunderstanding.

Seeing that Ye Ling didn’t seem to want to answer, Dai Wei felt a little uneasy. Did Ye Ling and Min Nan quarrel?

He didn’t dare to ask again and hurriedly said, “Then I’ll send you back.”

When they reached the bridge by the river in Willow Village, the two of them waved goodbye.

However, neither of them noticed the tall and handsome figure under the willow tree not far away.

Seeing Ye Ling walking toward the production team’s dormitory, Min Nan’s calm heart stirred.

Ever since Ye Ling arrived at Sun Li’s house, Sun Li and her children had perceived that there was something more than friendship between Ye Ling and Min Nan. Consequently, Sun Li instructed them to pay more attention to Ye Ling’s activities.

Wan Xue, who often played with a group of children in the village, naturally observed the times when Ye Ling left and returned.

Today, Wan Xue noticed that Ye Ling, who typically returned to the village around six o’clock, hadn’t come back even after it got dark. He informed Sun Li about it, and later, Sun Li mentioned it to Min Nan when he returned home.

Hearing his godmother’s remark that Ye Ling hadn’t returned on time today, Min Nan felt a hint of unease.

He knew about Ye Ling’s previous experience in Stone Village. In his opinion, not only was someone secretly trying to harm Ye Ling, but Wu De’s mother was also a hidden threat. Could it be that something had happened to Ye Ling again?

Min Nan reassured Sun Li, who was worried and quickly finished his meal. First, he went to the production team to inquire about Ye Ling’s situation and discovered that she still hadn’t returned.

Min Nan grew even more uneasy. He initially thought about going to town to inquire about where Ye Ling had gone after her training. However, considering the long journey from Willow Village to town, he contemplated for a moment and decided to visit Stone Village to gather information. To his surprise, Wu De’s mother, Lin Fang, hadn’t left the house all day. This brought him some relief, and he decided to wait near the bridge in Willow Village.

If Ye Ling didn’t return after a while, he would report to the police and search for her together with Dai Wei.

However, what Min Nan didn’t expect was that Ye Ling returned with Dai Wei!

As the two of them went their separate ways at the bridge, they didn’t notice Min Nan, who was not far away.

Watching their figures, Min Nan’s mind filled with various speculations. He tried to convince himself that perhaps something had happened, which was why Dai Wei had accompanied Ye Ling back.

But he couldn’t suppress the sour feeling that rose in his heart, “Why didn’t he know if something had happened? Why did Ye Ling seek help from Dai Wei and not him?”

“Or maybe Ye Ling had developed some sort of romantic interest in Dai Wei, which was why they came back together today?”

At the thought of the second possibility, Min Nan initially believed that it wouldn’t affect him much.

After all, Dai Wei was his good friend, and he didn’t think he had romantic feelings for Ye Ling. If there were any potential for them to be together, he should be happy for his friend and Ye Ling.

However, Min Nan felt a sense of suffocation and discontent deep within his heart. It was as if there was a trapped breath in his chest that he couldn’t swallow or release.