Chapter 511 I Won't Let Little Nuomi Get into Trouble

After dropping her daughter off, Cui Xiao went straight to the company.

She's very busy today; she has to meet with several important clients and has a video conference in the morning. Her schedule is packed all day.

Including the evening, there was also a social engagement.

As soon as Cui Xiao entered the company, his assistant blocked him at the elevator entrance. "Vice President Cui, Raycus's president arrived early and is waiting for you in the meeting room. He also brought two technical consultants with him."

She immediately composed herself, and when she opened the door, she already had a professional smile on her face.

For the next few hours, she was like a wound-up top, clear-headed when dealing with clients, decisive and efficient when confronting unreasonable demands from the marketing department, and even had time to drink water.

It wasn't until evening that she finally sent the last document to her assistant, grabbed her coat from the back of her chair, and ran downstairs.

The traffic was completely jammed during the evening rush hour. Sitting in the car, Cui Xiao frowned as she looked at the glaringly red route on the navigation screen.

The restaurant where I was entertaining the client is a 40-minute drive from the company, and I've already received two messages from them inquiring about the situation.

Just as she was about to reply, her phone suddenly vibrated; it was a call from the nanny.

"What's wrong?"

Cui Xiao assumed her daughter had some minor issues, and her tone was still gentle despite her fatigue.

But the voice on the other end of the phone was that of the nanny, her voice trembling with tears and incoherent, "Ms. Cui, something terrible has happened! I just picked up Xiao Nuomi from the kindergarten gate, and before we even reached the car on the side of the road, a silver van suddenly sped up, without license plates. A man in a hoodie got out, grabbed Xiao Nuomi, and ran off. I chased after him for a couple of steps but couldn't catch up; the van disappeared in an instant. What should I do, Ms. Cui? Will Xiao Nuomi be alright? I'm so sorry!"

With a "buzz," Cui Xiao felt her mind go completely blank.

The phone slipped from the fingertip and landed with a "thud" on the documents in the passenger seat. The screen was lit, still showing the chat interface with President Wang.

She bent down abruptly to pick up her phone, her fingers as cold as if they had been immersed in ice water, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably, and she missed several times.

"How could this be... how could this happen?"

She shouted into the phone, her voice so shrill it sounded unlike her own, "Did you see that car clearly? What's the license plate number? What does that man look like?"

The nanny's sobs grew louder. "The car had no license plates, it was silver-white, and the man was wearing a mask and a hat. I could only see his eyes..."

Cui Xiao's heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating her, each beat feeling like it was about to shatter her ribs.

She was always calm, even when the company's cash flow dried up, she could still negotiate with investors with a smile. But at this moment, the thought that her daughter might be in danger made her rationality collapse like a dam breached by a flood.

"Wait for me at the kindergarten gate, I'll call the police right away."

Cui Xiao hung up the phone, her fingers trembling so much that she couldn't even press the three digits 110 correctly. She dialed it twice before finally getting through.

The moment the call connected, her voice was already choked with sobs, "Officer, my daughter has been kidnapped, she's..."

She spoke incoherently, repeatedly confirming the address, until the police said, "We'll send officers over immediately," before hanging up the phone.

After putting down her phone, Cui Xiao finally couldn't hold back her tears and they fell.

She leaned back in her chair, her mind racing.

Who should I ask for help?

A name suddenly popped into her mind.

Cui Xiao hesitated for a second, but her finger dialed the number she knew by heart before her reason could even register it.

The phone was answered after two rings. Cui Xiao's voice came through the receiver, carrying a hint of weariness from just emerging from a meeting, "Cui Xiao, what's wrong?"

The moment Cui Xiao heard his voice, her throat felt like it was blocked by something, tight and painful.

She opened her mouth, "Little Nuomi... Little Nuomi has been taken away, she's gone..."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

Cui Xiao could picture Zhou Mubin's expression right now. "What did you say?"

Zhou Mubin's voice changed instantly, all previous fatigue vanished, leaving only extreme tension. "Where were you taken away? When did this happen? Did you call the police?"

"It's right at the kindergarten gate. I've already called the police, and they said they'll be there soon..."

Cui Xiao's voice trembled uncontrollably, "Zhou Mubin, I don't know what to do..."

Zhou Mubin's tone carried a strangely reassuring power, although Cui Xiao could hear the tremor in his voice, "If you want to go home and wait for me, I'll go back right now."

"Hmm..." Cui Xiao sniffed and hung up the phone.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened, and the light from the streetlights shone through the car window onto her face, highlighting her pale complexion.

She started the car and drove towards the kindergarten.

No matter who took Xiao Nuomi away, she was determined to find her daughter.

——

The night wind in Shanghai is so strong it hurts your bones.

Zhou Mubin had just stepped out of the airport arrival gate, his coat still damp with the chill of the outside world, when his phone rang.

He answered the phone almost immediately, "Nanzhi, how is it? Any news?"

Xie Nanzhi's voice came through the receiver, sounding somewhat urgent, "We've found them. They're a group of habitual criminals who specialize in stealing children in this area. The police have been chasing them for the past two years, but they have strong counter-surveillance capabilities and always manage to escape. Mu Lin just got the information that they're going to leave the country by smuggling boat from Nangang at six o'clock tomorrow morning, heading to Southeast Asia. Little Nuomi... should be among these abducted children."

"Six o'clock tomorrow morning?"

Zhou Mubin abruptly stopped in his tracks, the bustling crowd in the airport terminal seemingly blurring into the background. "Less than eight hours left?"

“Yes, there’s not much time.” Xie Nanzhi’s voice deepened. “Don’t panic. I’ve already sent Tie Tou to keep watch. Mu Lin has sent his private plane to pick you up. Judging by the time, he should be arriving soon. He will take you directly to meet up with Tie Tou.”

Zhou Mubin gripped his phone tightly. He knew Xie Nanzhi meant well, but the thought of his daughter possibly being locked in some dark corner, crying for her mother, made his heart ache as if it were being cut by a dull knife.

This kind of anxiety is something that no amount of comforting from others can truly understand.

That was his daughter, the daughter he hadn't been able to spend much time with for five years.

Zhou Mubin's voice was terribly hoarse, "Okay."

Xie Nanzhi said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Xiao Nuomi."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Mubin turned around and ran out of the airport.

He hailed a taxi and headed straight for Cui Xiao's house.

Forty minutes later, the taxi stopped downstairs at Cui Xiao's house.

The door opened as soon as Zhou Mubin's finger touched the doorbell.

Cui Xiao had clearly been waiting for him; her eyes were red and swollen, her face was still wet with tears, and she was still wearing the coat she wore to kindergarten that afternoon, without even changing her shoes.

Cui Xiao grabbed his arm, her voice filled with anticipation and fear, "How is it? Any news about Xiao Nuomi?"