This problem stumped Ding Cheng.

Qin Nuan stared at him pitifully with her big eyes.

One second he was an all-powerful superhero brother, the next he couldn't even get food out of him...

Ding Cheng awkwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to distract her with conversation.

Are you very hungry?

"Mmm!" Qin Nuan's tears were about to fall again. She pouted and said aggrievedly, "I was just going to a restaurant with my mom... Mom even said she'd have the kitchen make me braised sea bass... Waaah..."

"Don't cry, don't cry! It's just a fish..."

I'm hungry!

Ding Cheng broke out in a cold sweat, realizing he really didn't know how to have a conversation.

He finally managed to calm Qin Nuan down. Once the little girl had calmed down, he thought for a moment, then rolled up his sleeves and offered his arm to her.

"If you're really starving, just take a bite to tide you over!"

Qin Nuan opened her eyes wide and looked at him in disbelief.

“My family was very poor and we often went hungry. When I was a child, when I was starving, I would bite into those things that could stave off hunger!”

Qin Nuan didn't understand, especially what could possibly "suppress hunger"?

Ding Cheng smiled and continued to explain to her, "For example, a rice jar. It used to be full of rice, but now it's empty. However, the taste of rice is still there. I would nibble on the edge of the rice jar and imagine that I'm eating white rice, and then I wouldn't be hungry!"

"Also, when my neighbors are cooking, I smell the food from the doorway and imagine myself eating the delicious meal, which makes me feel less hungry!"

Seeing Qin Nuan's stunned expression, Ding Cheng couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He can now recount these experiences with a laugh, but the time when Ding Daming nearly starved him to death at home because of gambling and drinking was not as funny as it is now.

A moment later, he noticed tears welling up in Qin Nuan's eyes again. He thought to himself, "Oh no, I've ruined the conversation again!"

"Brother..." Qin Nuan called him softly after a long while, "Is there no one at home who cooks delicious food for you?"

"Uh... basically none," Ding Cheng answered truthfully.

Actually, I did have it when I was a child.

When Pei Nian was still alive, she would always try her best to get food. Even if she had to beg from the neighbors, she would never let her younger brother go hungry.

"Brother." Qin Nuan called out to him again, grabbing his arm.

Ding Cheng thought she was going to bite him, so he quickly closed his eyes.

He was also afraid of pain, and he was also afraid that the little girl would bite off another piece of his flesh!

However, he still didn't pull his arm back. He had promised to let her bite, so he had to bite. Otherwise, how could he be a man?

"You..." However, after a while, the expected pain did not come. Instead, a small hand gently touched his arm.

He felt a tickle, opened his eyes to look at her, and was shocked: "What are you doing?"

"Brother, does it hurt?"

The spot Qin Nuan touched was the scar left from when Ding Daming beat him up.

Ding Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly withdrew his hand, but the little girl grabbed him and gently blew on the scar twice.

"When I scraped my leg, Mom blew on it and it stopped hurting. Brother, let me blow on it for you too, and it'll stop hurting then, right?"

Ding Cheng was at a loss for words. His body stiffened, and even his breathing became somewhat labored.

"Um... um... it's okay!" He smiled at Qin Nuan, determined to get her out of this place.

However, at that moment, the factory door slammed shut, followed by the sound of high heels clicking on the floor.

Ding Cheng immediately gave Qin Nuan a wink, and Qin Nuan, being quite clever, immediately lay down on the ground pretending to be unconscious.

Ding Cheng leaned against the wall and closed his eyes slightly.

"Is this the child?" Ning Meng's tone was arrogant.

Ding Daming glanced at her from behind and gave a muffled "hmm".

Ning Meng took two steps closer and examined the object carefully in the dim light, then her expression suddenly changed.

"This is... the young lady of the Qin family?"

Ding Daming was stunned. How could he have known whose child it was when he stole it!

“Ding Daming,” Ning Meng turned and sneered, “I told you to steal from the Huo family, but you stole from the Qin family! And you still say you’re not lying to me?”

“This…” Ding Daming scratched his head. “Miss Ning, your goal is to scheme against Pei Nian, right? So what difference does it make who you steal from! As long as you steal the child, then she’s a child trafficker!”

These words not only enlightened Ning Meng, but also clearly reached Ding Cheng's ears.

"Fine." Ning Meng took a deep breath and said fiercely, "You keep an eye on this girl, wait for my call!"

*

At this point, the Qin family was in complete chaos.

Qin Yu blamed Shao Xiaofei for not being able to take care of a child properly, while Shao Xiaofei cried and complained to him, saying that if she hadn't been having affairs with other women, would she have lost her daughter?

"Don't make false accusations! You know how others framed me for having affairs before! In all these years of marriage, have I ever done anything to betray you?"

"Flies don't land on eggs without cracks! If you truly have a clear conscience, why would others frame you?"

Just a few days ago, this couple was still playing the role of a harmonious family in front of everyone, but now they are hurting each other with the harshest words.

Pei Nian was also worried about Qin Nuan. Huo Jingnan secretly mobilized all his connections to track down Qin Nuan's whereabouts.

"Niannian, don't worry," Huo Jingnan comforted her. "The kidnapper kidnapped such a young child for money. I think he will call back."

"Tell Qin Yu not to call the police at this time, lest the kidnappers get wind of it and do something harmful to the child in a fit of anger!"

Pei Nian nodded. Although she was apprehensive, she was calmer than Qin Yu and his wife.

"That's what I told him too. And I think there are two possibilities for Nuannuan's disappearance: one is someone Qin Yu offended in the business world, and the other is a political enemy of the Shao family."

Huo Jingnan patted her head.

“I have friends in the police force, and I’ve already spoken to them. They will be keeping a close eye on things. I’ve also spoken to them about the port, the airport, and other major routes in and out of the city. We’ll be notified as soon as there’s any trouble. So the possibility of Nuannuan being moved out of the city is very small.”

"Hmm." Pei Nian bit her lip, then a layer of doubt appeared between her brows. After hesitating for a long time, she finally told Huo Jingnan the truth.

“Jingnan… Ding Cheng, he’s also gone.”

"What?" Huo Jingnan was taken aback. "You suspect there's some connection between these two things?"

Pei Nian lowered her eyelids and remained silent.

"But Ding Cheng, he's just a child!"

Pei Nian said in a deep voice, "Children may be controlled by adults."

Huo Jingnan's heart skipped a beat; he could tell there was something more to her words.

Ever since he was slapped by her that night, he felt that something was wrong with her.

He looked into her eyes and asked, slowly and deliberately, "Niannian, what exactly are you trying to say? Are you... hiding something from me?"