Night fell slowly over the city.
Inside Xiamen's house, the lights were dim, and the silence felt heavier than usual.
Haoyu was gone.
Not taken.
Not kidnapped.
But sent away by Xiamen herself
Earlier that night…
Anna stood by the door, wearing a simple coat, her hands gripping a small bag.
"Are you sure?" Anna whispered. "Once we leave… there's no turning back."
Xiamen knelt in front of Haoyu, smoothing his hair with trembling fingers.
"Take him to Aunt Lin's seaside town," she said softly. "Don't let anyone follow you. Don't stop unless it's absolutely safe."
Haoyu held onto Xiamen's sleeve.
"Mama…?"
Xiamen kissed his forehead, forcing her tears back.
"You're going to have a tiny adventure with Auntie Anna, okay?"
Anna lifted Haoyu into her arms.
"I'll protect him with my life."
The back door opened quietly.
They disappeared into the fog..
---
The Shadow Watching — Not Emma, but Her Maid
Across the street, hidden inside a parked car, sat someone else.
A woman.
Emma's maid.
Her name was Lily.
Young. Quiet. But dangerously observant.
She saw everything.
The back door. The woman carrying the child. The hurried steps. The car vanishing.
Her eyes narrowed.
"That… child is gone."
Her phone lit up.
Emma.
She answered immediately.
"Yes?"
Lily whispered, urgent, "Miss… the child. Haoyu. He's gone."
Silence.
Then—
"He was kidnapped?" Emma asked.
"No," Lily replied. "He left willingly. The maid took him. Xiamen let him go."
Emma's fingers tightened around her cup.
A slow smile formed.
"So… she made the first move."
Emma rose from her chair, walked toward the window.
"Good work," she said softly. "Keep watching. Don't lose her."
She hung up.
Then she dialed another number.
A number she had memorized.
Lin Chengwei.
The call connected.
Her voice was sweet.
"Chairman Lin… your daughter has done something interesting."
---
Lin Chengwei Gets the News
In a grand, silent mansion—
Lin Chengwei sat reading documents.
He answered calmly.
"Speak."
"She sent the child away," Emma said. "Not with guards. Not with Hong Yi. With a maid."
There was a long pause.
Then the sound of a cup being placed down.
Hard.
"…Where?"
Emma smiled.
"Already sent the direction."
---
The Trap Is Set
Somewhere on a quiet highway…
Anna held Haoyu tightly.
"Don't be scared, okay? Auntie's here."
Haoyu nodded, clutching his bunny doll.
Outside the window…
A black car followed at a distance.
Unseen.
Back at Xiamen's house, she stood alone in Haoyu's empt
Her hands clenched the edge of the bed.
She whispered into the silence:
"Please… be safe…" my son .
She didn't know…
Eyes were already watching.
Cars were already moving.
And danger was already speeding toward the child she loved more than life.
She wanted to keep him safe but did not know that this mistake would cost her dearly.
She did not know that the danger was outside, not inside. She had sent Him away, hoping he would be safe, but her heart was still troubled.
What happens next, read in the next episode