With nowhere to go, Liao Nanxing returned home in a sorry state.
As soon as they entered, Xu Xiuzhen, who was cooking in the kitchen, surrounded them.
Son, what happened? Where did you go all night?
Liao Nanxing didn't want to talk, but she still patiently said, "Mom, it's okay. I'm tired, I'm going upstairs to sleep for a while."
Xu Xiuzhen nodded with a worried expression and stepped aside.
Looking at Liao Nanxing's slightly hunched back, Xu Xiuzhen's eyes reddened.
She could tell that something serious had happened.
But her son didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't press him for details.
Back in his room, Liao Nanxing took out his phone and looked at the progress on the judicial auction website.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhou Chunhua was also keeping an eye on the developments of the judicial auction.
Gu Yao had told her before that properties with long-term leases wouldn't attract any bids... but Liao Nanxing would.
She glanced at Gu Yao and asked, "How is the percentage reduction in property prices calculated?"
Gu Yao drove and began to explain.
"There is no fixed discount standard for the price of foreclosed properties; the price is usually affected by a variety of factors. Generally speaking, the starting price of a foreclosed property may be discounted from the appraised value."
Generally, the starting price for the first auction cannot be lower than 70% of the appraised value. If the item fails to sell in the first auction, the starting price for the second auction will be reduced by 80% from the starting price of the first auction, which is 56% of the appraised value.
If the second auction fails to attract any bidders, a third auction will be held. However…
Gu Yao turned his head, a smile playing on his lips.
Sunlight streamed in through the car window, casting a halo around him that looked absolutely stunning.
If the property fails to sell in three auctions, it will be returned to the creditor of the judgment debtor. The creditor can then apply for another auction, which will initiate a new judicial auction process.
Another approach is to settle debts with real estate. This means that, without infringing on the rights of others, an agreement can be reached to settle debts with real estate, which can then be implemented after review and approval by the court.
After hearing this, Zhou Chunhua's eyes lit up.
"Does that mean if the property fails to sell in the third auction, I can acquire it without spending a single penny?"
“That’s one way to put it,” Gu Yao said with a smile. “However, the problem with this property lies in the lease agreement. But it’s alright, we can solve it step by step.”
As they talked, the car gradually slowed down.
Zhou Chunhua turned her head and saw that they had entered an urban village.
On both sides of the street, various self-built houses stand side by side.
Soon, Gu Yao drove the car into a three-story courtyard.
The car stopped, and she got out with Gu Yao.
A hunched-over old man walked out from the first floor of the small building.
"Attorney Gu is here."
Gu Yao emerged from the back of the car, his hands full of various gift boxes.
"Uncle Zhang, it's been so long since I last visited you. How are you doing?"
"Fine! Fine! You know, you can come all the time, but why do you always bring so much stuff?"
The old man looked as happy as if he had seen his own son return.
Gu Yao didn't hand the things to Uncle Zhang, but instead carried them directly into Uncle Zhang's house.
Zhou Chunhua quickly followed.
As soon as Gu Yao put the things on the table, two children surrounded him.
"Look, little Afu has grown so much. Tiantian has also grown taller." Gu Yao said, handing a can of White Rabbit candy to the two children.
The two children were so happy that they danced around, giggling as they took the candy and ran off.
How should I put it? This scene looks just like Gu Yao has returned home.
Everything felt so natural and expected.
Uncle Zhang brought over two small stools.
She and Gu Yao took over and sat down by the door.
"Uncle Zhang, her name is Zhou Chunhua, she is the mother of the little girl who went missing back then. Could you please tell me the story of what happened back then?"
Uncle Zhang, who was fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, sized her up a few times.
"That day... I was sitting at the door when I saw a pretty little girl leading a crying little girl to the door of my shop."
The girl was quite young, looked like a college student, and was very pretty with a pleasant voice. When she saw me at the door, she came up to me and asked for directions, saying she wanted to go to the long-distance bus station on Pujiang Road.
I asked her where she was going. The girl said they were going back to their hometown.
Upon hearing this, I didn't ask any further questions. I gave the crying little girl a lollipop to stop her crying. Sigh! If only I had asked a few more questions then, perhaps I could have helped you.
Uncle Zhang looked at her with eyes full of apology.
Zhou Chunhua fought back tears and shook her head: "It's not your fault. It's my fault as a mother for not taking good care of the child. Uncle Zhang, what happened next?"
"And then? Oh, right. I gave them directions, and they left. That security camera is the one in front of my little shop."
Zhou Chunhua sniffed and took out her phone.
"Uncle Zhang, look, is that her?"
The photo belongs to Su Mu; she had saved it from Su Mu's WeChat Moments to her phone.
Uncle Zhang examined it from all angles for a long time.
"It's somewhat similar, yet somewhat different. I remember that little girl had delicate features and fair skin, but her eyebrows and eyes do bear some resemblance."
At that moment, Zhou Chunhua seemed to have found the answer in her heart.
After that, she didn't ask anything else.
Gu Yao chatted with Uncle Zhang for a few minutes, then said he had to leave first.
Uncle Zhang wanted them to stay for dinner, but Gu Yao declined.
After leaving Uncle Zhang's house, Zhou Chunhua burst into tears.
Her emotions were complicated.
There was joy, but also a deep sense of loss.
It's like holding sand in your hand; you feel like you're holding it, but it slips through your fingers.
"There should be surveillance cameras at the Pujiang Road long-distance bus station, right? If Su Mu took Nini there, they would definitely have filmed it!" If they could get a video of Su Mu holding Nini's hand, then everything would be solved.
Gu Yao turned his head and looked at her for a long while.
“That bus station ceased to exist three years ago due to its demolition for expansion. Although I’ve asked around, the chances of finding the surveillance video are slim.”
In other words, their trip today seems somewhat unnecessary.
Zhou Chunhua couldn't help but look at Gu Yao.
But they couldn't glean anything from Gu Yao's expression.
Gu Yao didn't take her anywhere else after that, but instead sent her straight home.
After saying goodbye to Gu Yao, she couldn't wait to go find Old Chen as soon as she entered the house.
If, as Uncle Zhang said, Su Mu took Nini to the Pujiang Road Bus Station, then she and Lao Chen could check which destinations that bus station served back then.
If all else fails, we'll search one place at a time.
She didn't receive a response from Lao Chen.
When they got to the guest room, they discovered that Old Chen's baggage was gone.
That means Old Chen is gone!
He hurriedly took out his phone and made the call.
As soon as the call connected, she asked, "Where did you go?"
"I...I'm sorry, I left in a hurry and didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. It's like this..."
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