The Huo family was in chaos. The little young master had been missing for three days now, and there hasn't been any news. It was as if the earth had simply swallowed him whole.
Inside the main hall of the Huo Estate, the air was so heavy that no one dared to even breathe heavily. The servants kept their heads down and did their work in silence, praying they wouldn't be the one to draw attention.
On the sofa sat a young man in a suit. He had his chin resting on the palm of his hand, revealing a strand of black Buddhist prayer beads around his wrist. His hair was neatly combed back, revealing deep, sculpted features. His eyes were dark and dangerous, the kind of eyes. Anyone who met his gaze for too long would feel as though they were standing at the edge of a cliff. Right now, those eyes were fixed on the man kneeling in front of him.
"Is the Huo family paying you just so you can tell me you've found nothing?" Huo Ziyan's voice was low. There was no anger in his tone, but it made Bo Xuan shudder as if a grim reaper was standing over him with a scythe
"All the cameras in the little Young Master's school had been damaged two days before he went missing, and the school had not fixed them. So there's no footage from inside the building that can help us. We checked every camera on the roads near the school, but they didn't capture anything unusual." He hesitated, his throat tightening.
Then, he took a long breath, preparing his own death, and finally uttered, "No matter how good our men are, they can't do anything if they don't know where to begin."
The moment the words left his mouth, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Several servants nearby stiffened. Those who had no reason to be there quietly ran away. Bo Xuan might have a death wish, but they certainly didn't.
"Heh,"
Bo Xuan squeezed his eyes shut, fists clenched so tight his knuckles went white. Just as he was preparing himself for whatever punishment was coming, a phone rang.
Huo Ziyan kept his eyes on Bo Xuan for another long moment before finally reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his phone without looking at the screen and answered. This was his personal number. Only a handful of people knew it.
"Hello, am I talking to the family of Huo Mingzhe?" It was a voice of a young woman.
Huo Ziyan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes. Who is this?"
"Oh, it's like this. I found this boy alone on a highway. I was wondering if someone could come pick him up."
Huo Ziyan's eyebrow raised. "Send me the location."
.
.
After ending the call, Shen Yelan looked at Huo Mingzhe, who was sitting quietly in the passenger seat. The boy looked exhausted, his head leaning against the window, but his eyes were open and alert.
Shen Yelan didn't linger at the gas station. She wasn't stupid. Who knew if the people who had taken the boy would suddenly show up again? She had no problem dealing with a bunch of idiots if they showed up, but she was tired and didn't feel like getting into a fight today.
She drove down the highway for a few minutes, then took an exit onto a smaller road. Then an even smaller road. Twenty minutes later, she pulled into the village where she'd been living for the past year.
The village was small with three or four dozen houses total. Most of the buildings were old, with gardens out front and laundry hanging on lines in the yards. A few chickens wandered freely, pecking at the ground. An elderly man sat on a bench outside one house, smoking a pipe. He raised a hand in greeting when he saw Shen Yelan's car.
There were rarely any cars seen in the village, but everyone recognized the black car owned by Shen Yelan. They even sometimes borrowed it from her.
Most of the people living here were older folks. Their children had all moved to the cities for a better life. In fact, Shen Yelan was probably the youngest person in the entire village right now. Because of that, the villagers treated her like one of their own children. They knew she came from a wealthy family and had been abandoned her here. When she had first come here, they had seen the state she was in. Because of this, the villagers were even more caring towards her. They would often bring her food, help fix things around her house, and check in on her.
Shen Yelan parked the car at its usual spot and went to the house she was living in. Even from the outside, you could see the huge maple tree in the courtyard.
"Young Miss! You're back!" Aunt Li hurried over when Shen Yelan entered through the doors. But stopped when she noticed the small, dirty boy holding Shen Yelan's hand. "This is..."
"This is Huo Mingzhe," Shen Yelan said. "Can you help him get cleaned up, Aunt Li? His family will be here in a few hours to pick him up."
Aunt Li took one look at the boy's torn clothes, muddy face, and scraped knees, and her motherly instincts kicked in immediately.
"Of course, Young Miss. Come here, little one. Let's get you all cleaned up and into some fresh clothes."
Huo Mingzhe looked at Shen Yelan, who gave him a small nod.
"Go on. Aunt Li will take care of you. I'll be right here."
Reassured, he let Aunt Li lead him inside.
Shen Yelan watched them go, then let out a long breath. She rubbed her temples. She headed to her own room, kicked off her shoes, and collapsed onto her bed. For a moment, she just lay there, staring at the ceiling.