After settling the bill, Zhu Qianying called Yan Shao twice more, but the calls were still busy.
So she simply put the phone on the table and tried to calm herself down to wait for Young Master Yan's call.
About ten minutes later, the phone on the table rang. Zhu Qianying immediately picked it up. "Hello, Young Master Yan?"
"I'm outside the restaurant. Come out right now!"
Yan Shao's tone was very serious. Zhu Qianying didn't ask any more questions. After responding, she immediately hung up the phone, said goodbye to Wang Chunsi, grabbed her backpack, and ran outside.
As soon as she stepped out of the restaurant, she saw the Yan family's car parked there. Zhu Qianying ran over, opened the car door, and got in.
Just now on the phone, Yan Shao's tone was just like when she first met him a few years ago—cold and aloof.
This tone made her vaguely feel that an ominous cloud was slowly gathering overhead.
Of course, she didn't think that Yan Shao's coldness and aloofness were directed at her; rather, she felt that he was trying to hide something.
When she opened the car door, she immediately saw Yan Shao, who was usually calm and composed, covering his lips with a serious expression.
His expression softened slightly when he saw her.
“Ying’er…”
Yan Shao reached out to her, pulled her into the car, and gently embraced her.
Zhu Qianying felt that the dark clouds above her head were growing darker and thicker, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed, making her feel suffocated.
"Young Master Yan, what happened?"
Zhu Qianying turned her head to look at him, her heart sinking lower and lower.
Young Master Yan raised his large hand and gently rubbed her head a few times. He then licked his lips and finally managed to speak with difficulty.
"Ying'er, Zizai... he's gone..."
Zhu Qianying's mind went blank for a moment, and a large flash of dazzling light stung her eyes, making her sway a few times.
Yan Shao was startled by her reaction, tightened his grip, and held her firmly in his arms.
"Ying'er, don't scare me..."
Zhu Qianying composed herself, raised her hand to cover her chest, which was throbbing with pain as if her heart had been ripped out, took a deep breath, stared at Yan Shao, and asked.
"You're saying Zizai is missing?"
Yan Shao hesitated for a moment, but ultimately had no choice but to nod.
Zhu Qianying covered her chest with one hand and grabbed Yan Shao's arm with the other, her fingers digging deep into Yan Shao's firm arm muscles.
"Why did they disappear? Weren't they all playing together as a group?" Zhu Qianying's consciousness gradually returned, and she asked with a furrowed brow and a sharp voice.
"Yes, but after arriving at the scenic area, each class divided its members into several groups. Zizai and his group members seemed to have crossed the restricted area of the scenic area. Moreover, Zizai somehow got separated from them. The other group members thought he had walked back to the meeting point on his own. It wasn't until lunchtime, when they couldn't find him, that they realized he hadn't returned to the meeting point at all..."
Yan Shao tried his best to calm himself down. Although he was also extremely anxious, he knew that he had to stay calm in order to find Zizai more quickly.
Zhu Qianying took a deep breath, stared at Yan Shao, and asked, "You mean Zizai walked through the restricted area?"
Yan Shao nodded. "The principal personally asked those group members, and they all got the same answer."
Zhu Qianying shook her head and said with absolute certainty, "Impossible! Under normal circumstances, Zizai would never step into a restricted area without tools and prior reconnaissance. He knows this much better than his classmates!"
When Zizai was two or three years old, he went hiking in the wild with Zhu Qianying. He naturally knew how to recognize signs and remembered all kinds of common knowledge. He would never make such a basic mistake.
"Unless, he encountered some unforeseen circumstances that forced him to enter the restricted area!"
The so-called restricted area is an extremely dangerous place, or a place with treacherous terrain, or a place where ferocious wild animals roam.
With her exceptional common sense, Zhu Qianying quickly took out her computer, opened it, and searched for the scenic spots that Zizai and his friends had visited on their trip.
This scenic area is a national 5A-level forest park. This forest park spans two provinces and covers a huge area. To this day, there are still many undeveloped and uninhabited areas.
Therefore, the restricted areas listed in this scenic area not only represent dangerous terrain, but also wild animals and deserted places.
"Young Master Yan, take a look at this..."
Zhu Qianying handed the relevant information she had found to Yan Shao, who quickly glanced at it and said, "Yes, the scenic area has already arranged for search and rescue personnel, and we will head over there immediately."
Zhu Qianying felt very sad, but she knew that this was not the time to show weakness or distress.
"Shall we take a car?" Zhu Qianying questioned this.
Yan Shao shook his head. "No, we'll take a helicopter. I've already had the pilot prepare everything, and he'll meet us at the park ahead in a bit."
Zhu Qianying nodded, then suddenly reminded him, "Have the pilot bring Xingxing along!"
In those treacherous primeval forests, dogs might be better at search and rescue than humans.
Moreover, Xingxing is inseparable from Zai Zai and is very familiar with Zai Zai's scent and smell. She should be more useful than a police dog in finding Zai Zai.
After Zhu Qianying mentioned it, Yan Shao remembered this matter and quickly called the pilot, asking him to bring Xingxing along as well, and also to bring a few pieces of Zizai's clothing.
"My mom and the others don't know about this, do they?"
"I didn't tell her, but I did tell Ji Yu and Ji Huan, because in situations like this, the greater the search and rescue effort, the better!"
Zhu Qianying agreed with Yan Shao's words. Moreover, she believed that the Ji brothers would act without Xiaoyu and Ji Sihan's knowledge.
On their way to meet the pilot, Zhu Qianying and Yan Shao discussed their next move, while the scenic area sent back two messages, both of which came back with no clues.
After listening to Yan Shao's instructions, Zhu Qianying carefully recalled the situation of Zizai going out today.
After thinking it over carefully, she was certain that although the little guy had been a bit down lately, he wouldn't be so down that he would do something stupid.
After all, he was previously very excited about saving money to buy a plane ticket to see Bai Xiaolu.
In Yan Shao's words, he now has a hope in his heart, so there is no need to worry that he will be sad and depressed because of Bai Xiaolu's problem.
In other words, Vic Zhou's act of trespassing into the restricted area was definitely not his own doing; there must have been other external factors that led him to do so.
Zhu Qianying explained her analysis to Yan Shao in detail, and Yan Shao agreed that what she said made sense.
So, he took out his phone and called the police officer in charge who was currently involved in the search and rescue operation at the scenic area, asking them to isolate the group members who were with Zizai and then patiently guide and question them.
Ten minutes later, Yan Shao and Zhu Qianying boarded the helicopter, accompanied by Ke Kai and several capable assistants from Tongjia Village.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
