I Deduce the Female Lead Likes Me [Transmigration into a book] - Chapter 15: Abducted
Sun Jiawen immediately turned back, a mix of surprise and joy on her face, and asked Lu Renjia: “Is that true?”
Lu Renjia glanced at Kou Shuang, clearly helpless, his unspoken message: Why are you pinning such a big accusation on me?
But he said aloud: “Of course, otherwise would I be here?”
A strange smile appeared on Sun Jiawen’s face. She looked incredibly happy, but there was always a subtle sense of incongruity.
Kou Shuang thought for a moment and then realized.
Her emotional state was off, overly mocking, completely different from her previous joyous, animated expression. It was like two different people.
Had Sun Jiawen learned face-changing (a Chinese dramatic art)? Such quick emotional shifts?
Unfortunately, this mocking smile didn’t last long. Sun Jiawen changed to an injured and frantic expression, stomping her foot, pulling at her hair, her voice sharply rising: “No! It’s not like that!”
“If you like me, why are you dating Kou Shuang? Lux told me; you’re Kou Shuang’s boyfriend! I can accept you breaking up with me and sleeping with other women, but why are you dating Kou Shuang?!”
Lu Renjia: “No, I didn’t…”
“If you loved me, why did you clear Kou Shuang’s name on the forum, saying everything was my doing?! I know it was you; you don’t need to quibble! I know the way you speak! I even know exactly what punctuation marks you use! Tell me, why?!”
Lu Renjia: “I…”
“When I asked you out, you were always busy, always busy. Besides picking me up at the gallery, what else have you done for me? This time, I said I had evidence about Kou Shuang, and you came right away?! Do you love me or not?!”
Sun Jiawen was hysterical, shaking her head wildly. Her smooth hair scattered everywhere, looking incredibly deranged.
“Just wishful thinking, why pretend to be deeply in love? A scumbag like you only knows s3x; where’s the love?”
Sun Jiawen tilted her head up, her hair obscuring most of her face, but Kou Shuang vaguely saw a look of disdain in her eyes.
Her state changed again? One second she was agonizing over whom Lu Renjia loved, and now she’s so lucid.
Kou Shuang took a step forward and said: “It was my one-sided wish.”
“Kou Shuang, don’t go near her; she’s crazy!” Lu Renjia interjected.
Sun Jiawen looked at Kou Shuang, her eyes filled with anger, hatred, and a trace of helplessness.
Kou Shuang swallowed the scolding and shared indignation that had reached her lips, and changed her narrative: “I liked Lu Renjia, that’s why I presumptuously told Lux that Lu Renjia was my boyfriend that day. The actual situation is, I confessed to him, and he said he had a girlfriend, and that he still loved you. After that, we didn’t contact each other anymore. You’ve been following Lu Renjia, so you should know. Since then, Lu Renjia hasn’t contacted me again.”
Kou Shuang spoke unhurriedly, and she actually managed to calm Sun Jiawen’s emotions.
“Really…?” Sun Jiawen’s eyes welled up with tears, looking pitifully at Kou Shuang.
Kou Shuang breathed a sigh of relief.
The difference between Sun Jiawen’s two states was too obvious, coupled with Lu Renjia’s remark about her being “crazy”…
Kou Shuang was eighty percent certain that Sun Jiawen suffered from schizophrenia or a similar mental illness.
Taking advantage of Sun Jiawen “still loving Lu Renjia,” Kou Shuang threw out a narrative that wasn’t entirely logically consistent but landed on “love,” which barely managed to appease the other party.
Lu Renjia opened his mouth, and just as he was about to refute Kou Shuang, Kou Shuang gave him a sharp glare, scaring him into shutting up.
It was his fault for being a philanderer.
Kou Shuang observed Sun Jiawen’s expression. The other party was fragile and dazed, so she struck while the iron was hot: “It’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask Lu Renjia.”
“Really?” Sun Jiawen looked at Lu Renjia, teary-eyed.
Under the pressure of both gazes, Lu Renjia could only nod and say: “Yes… yes.”
Sun Jiawen started crying.
Kou Shuang continued forward and actually hugged Sun Jiawen, saying: “Jiajia, you can’t be so insecure. You’re so cute; Lu Renjia likes you just the way you are. I know many boys secretly like you, but they don’t dare to confess. You’re very beautiful, really.”
Sun Jiawen didn’t resist. Kou Shuang continued to comfort her: “You’re more beautiful than me, and you’re better at painting. It’s not without reason that Wanxiang Magazine wanted you. I’m so envious of you.”
Sun Jiawen’s tears were all wiped onto Kou Shuang. Kou Shuang didn’t mind at all and continued to pat Sun Jiawen’s back. Lu Renjia watched the scene, dumbfounded. For some reason, he felt that his understanding of Kou Shuang might have been entirely wrong.
She can even handle a crazy Sun Jiawen? Amazing, truly amazing.
Sun Jiawen also hugged Kou Shuang and cried. Kou Shuang then said: “Even Lux praised you endlessly, saying I wasn’t as strong as you and wasn’t suitable for this job. When did you start working at the gallery?”
“…First year of university,” Sun Jiawen’s voice was muffled, but her crying had gradually subsided.
First year of university, so almost three years ago.
“At the gallery, did you do more than just sell paintings? I think I heard Old Chun say something about finding an opportunity to promote me to do your work.”
“…And painting.”
Fake paintings, then.
Kou Shuang patted Sun Jiawen again and said: “That’s really impressive. When Lu Renjia broke up with you, he must have felt he wasn’t good enough for you.”
Lu Renjia was about to refute, but Kou Shuang glared at him, and he didn’t dare to speak.
Sun Jiawen whispered: “R-really…? But many people say I’m ugly, say I’m poor… I painted desperately, I put on makeup desperately, all for Lu Renjia…”
Sun Jiawen looked up, her makeup completely smudged by tears, looking particularly eerie. Kou Shuang, however, kept a straight face and said: “You were very beautiful just the way you were.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Lu Renjia watched from the side, his feelings quite complex. He had never really liked Sun Jiawen, because Sun Jiawen lacked confidence and her makeup was always a mess. But her figure and natural features were good, and she was obedient, so he reluctantly dated Sun Jiawen for a few days. Later, he gradually found that Sun Jiawen’s mental state was unstable, so he casually found an excuse to break up.
In contrast, Kou Shuang was confident and aloof, treating him indifferently, which easily aroused a desire to conquer. At first, he thought she was playing hard to get and was smug because she mistakenly believed he was genuinely pursuing her. Now it seemed…
Maybe he was the one who misunderstood. This Kou Shuang… could she be gay?
Kou Shuang took Sun Jiawen’s hand again and said: “Then why did Old Chun and Lux move everything away? I checked a few days ago, and everything was gone.”
“Because… they thought you called the police. They saw the surveillance. You didn’t answer my calls, and you took leave… they were scared…” Sun Jiawen said.
“Did they go back to the city then? I checked later and found the paintings were all gone.”
Sun Jiawen said: “No… they’re all here.”
She pointed to the corner, and only then did Lu Renjia discover the small box. It turned out Sun Jiawen hadn’t come alone.
The next second, Lu Renjia understood a deeper mystery.
Kou Shuang isn’t flirting! She’s clearly extracting information! Sun Jiawen is completely falling for it!
Kou Shuang’s smile froze. She said: “You brought these paintings to meet Lu Renjia. What was that for? Were you… meeting Old Chun and them?”
At these words, cold sweat broke out on Lu Renjia’s back.
Although he often engaged in fickle behavior, he had never been involved in dangerous incidents. These people forge and sell fakes; who knows if they’ll be even more vicious!
“Yes,” Sun Jiawen even picked up the small box, smiling strangely.
“Be careful!” Lu Renjia shouted.
The next second, a small van quickly drove out from a hidden corner. Sun Jiawen, holding the box in one hand and Kou Shuang’s arm in the other, rushed straight towards the back of the van!
A hand reached out from the back of the van, pulled both of them in, and then the van sped away, leaving a trail of dust.
“Holy crap!” Lu Renjia didn’t even have time to react.
••••
“Click.”
The sound of a camera taking a picture came from beside him.
Lu Renjia was startled. He turned to look and saw Song Muxue, his classmate from the same department.
Song Muxue frowned, her presence commanding respect without anger.
Lu Renjia grabbed Song Muxue’s arm and said: “Kou Shuang! Kou Shuang was abducted! Sun Jiawen! She was tricking Sun Jiawen into talking!”
Lu Renjia was incoherent due to the sudden development, barely distinguishing between important and trivial matters.
Song Muxue pushed his hand away, her frown deepening. “I know.”
“You… how are you here?”
Only then did Lu Renjia have time to examine Song Muxue closely. Seeing the redness and wild grass branches on her knees, he realized something. “You followed me? Kou Shuang called you here? How long have you been here?”
Song Muxue paid no attention to his questions but made a phone call.
“Hello, Fenglin? Two minutes ago, Kou Shuang was abducted from National University by Sun Jiawen and her accomplices. I’ve taken a picture of the license plate; I’ll send it to you immediately. We’ll talk about the specifics later. For now, just help me track the license plate. Kou Shuang’s location, I leave it to you.”
When Song Muxue made the call, her words were rapid but without a single pause. Her speech was clear, and her logic was precise.
Lu Renjia was dumbfounded and said: “You… who are you talking to?”
His worldview was suddenly overturned.
The weak and insecure Sun Jiawen was actually a criminal; the beautiful and aloof Art Department goddess Kou Shuang was actually a decoy; a classmate he had known for so long could be so calm in this situation…
What’s wrong with the women in this world?! Am I the only normal person?!
Song Muxue hung up the phone and looked at Lu Renjia, saying: “Do you have any idea where Sun Jiawen might go now?”
“Huh?”
“The police investigated Old Chun and Lux. Their residences are under surveillance, their ID cards are linked to the network, and they’d be discovered if they stayed in a hotel. So these past few days, they must have stayed in places where ID cards aren’t needed. It’s highly likely to be a place provided by Sun Jiawen. Do you have any impression?”
“This…”
Song Muxue got angry looking at Lu Renjia’s foolish expression. She couldn’t help but raise her voice: “Do you want to watch Kou Shuang get hurt?”
Song Muxue couldn’t help but recall Sun Jiawen’s crying and laughing, manic state just now. A mentally ill person was like an unstable bomb… she wasn’t sure what would happen to Kou Shuang.
The more she thought, the more anxious she became. Song Muxue couldn’t help but turn around and kick a tree.
The tree trunk swayed, and a few leaves fell.
Kou Shuang could improvise; perhaps she could use her persuasive tongue to calm Sun Jiawen down?
But relying on others wasn’t Song Muxue’s style. Song Muxue took a deep breath, her expression already calm. She glanced at Lu Renjia and said: “Any clues?”
“Ah… ah!” Lu Renjia suddenly said: “The small art studio! Sun Jiawen took me to her rented small art studio!”
Song Muxue narrowed her eyes and said: “Take me there.”
No matter what, one more clue meant one more chance for Kou Shuang’s safety.
Song Muxue’s phone rang again; it was Zheng Fenglin calling.
“Xiaoxue, the license plate you took seems to be a fake. And the suspect has already changed the license plate. It will take some time to find their trace,” Zheng Fenglin said.