Madam Ning sighed worriedly, "Yuanyuan, it's eight o'clock now. Although it's still early, you've just woken up, and the wind is strong at the dock. What if..."
Ning Yuan interrupted her, her tone as calm as still water: "Mom, it's been a day and a night since Rong Zhaonan fell into the water, and the search and rescue team still hasn't found him. I have to go and check on the situation."
Madam Ning paused, her eyes flickering: "Search and rescue at sea takes time, let's not rush..."
“Mom,” Ning Yuan interrupted her, her tone calm but with an undeniable firmness.
"If we find the person, or even if there's the slightest clue, you wouldn't immediately give me the choice between 'keep the child' or 'abort the child,' right?"
Ning Yuan's tone revealed no emotional fluctuation, yet it was like a fine needle pricking Madam Ning's heart, causing a dull ache.
Madam Ning remained silent for a while before finally sighing, "My dear daughter, isn't it better to be a little oblivious sometimes?"
“I’ve lived my whole life in a daze.” Ning Yuan looked at her mother, a sharp glint in her eyes. “I don’t want to be in a daze anymore in this life.”
After saying that, she got up and put on her clothes.
Looking at her daughter's slender yet upright back, Madam Ning felt a mix of emotions.
She didn't understand why her daughter would say something like "live a muddled life," but she also knew that Ning Yuan's stubbornness meant she would never easily admit defeat.
"Alright." Madam Ning finally gave in.
Her daughter was absolutely determined. She shook her head helplessly, instructed her secretary to prepare the car, and decided to accompany Ning Yuan to the dock.
...
Ning Yuan stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor of the Treasure Pavilion, her hands tightly gripping the curtains, her knuckles turning white, yet she still couldn't suppress the slight trembling of her body.
Outside the window, in the distance, many fishing boats and even yachts were still searching back and forth, their searchlights shining on the sea and swaying back and forth.
The air at the dock was filled with the salty smell of cold seawater, and the distant waves rolled, just like the anxiety in Ning Yuan's heart.
Rong Zhaonan has been missing for more than 24 hours. The golden search and rescue time is 48 hours, but the search and rescue team has still found nothing. It is as if he has simply vanished into thin air in this sea area.
Rationally, Ning Yuan had already planned that even if Rong Zhaonan really had an accident, she could still live a good life with her child.
Emotionally, however, looking at the icy sea that had swallowed him made her feel breathless.
It was as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping her heart, suffocating her and making it hard to breathe, just like... she was also drowning in that cold, dark sea.
“Little sister-in-law…” A deep, hoarse voice sounded from behind. Ning Yuan turned around abruptly and saw Lao Xu leading several team members in.
Their faces bore undisguised exhaustion and frustration, their lips were chapped, their eyes were bloodshot, and their combat uniforms were soaked with seawater, clearly indicating that they had been fighting all night.
"How is it? Any news?" Ning Yuan's voice trembled slightly.
She tried hard to control herself and not let herself show excessive anxiety and unease.
Old Xu stood at attention and saluted, but kept his head down, not daring to look into Ning Yuan's eyes, for fear of seeing despair and sorrow there.
"I'm sorry, sister-in-law, there's no news about the captain or Cha Shenlou." Old Xu closed his eyes in anguish.
"It's all my fault. I made Chen Chen fly the helicopter back. I left the captain alone in that damned sea..."
A tough man, at this moment, looked like a child who had made a mistake, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"Old Xu!" Ning Yuan suddenly shouted sharply, interrupting Old Xu's self-blame, and she didn't want to hear what had happened back then.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down: "Now is not the time to talk about this. Go, get some rest, we have a lot to do. Your captain... he won't give up easily, and neither can we."
She walked up to Lao Xu, looked up at him, and said firmly, "Leave the logistics and supplies to me. We will do everything we can to support the search and rescue operation."
Old Xu's eyes were red: "Sister-in-law, don't worry, we've split into two groups. Chen Chen will lead the other group to continue the search! We must bring our captain back!"
"I'm sorry, sister-in-law! We will definitely find the captain!" The other team members echoed, their eyes also red with tears.
Looking at the group of men in front of her who were on the verge of collapse but were still holding on, Ning Yuan's eyes reddened: "I believe in you."
She understood that these team members had gone through thick and thin with Rong Zhaonan and were like brothers to him; they would never easily abandon him.
Moreover, he was so strong and powerful, how could he possibly die so easily?
Ning Yuan took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging emotions within her—
"No news is good news. I've already asked the manager of Treasure House to arrange for several private rooms to be vacated. They're fully equipped with food, drinks, and toiletries. Take a good rest. You can go and rest first, and we can talk about other things after you've rested."
Seeing Ning Yuan's composure, these seven-foot-tall men couldn't help but feel admiration and respect.
In this situation, Ning Yuan must be feeling even more distressed and tormented than they are.
But she persevered and arranged everything for them. Her strength and composure put even these grown men to shame.
The captain is a lucky man.
After the team members went to rest, Ning Yuan called over the manager of Zhenbaofang: "I want to see Shanji."
After Lao Xu and the others left, Ning Yuan called over the manager of Zhenbaofang, a shrewd and capable middle-aged man.
"Miss Ning, is there anything else you need?" the manager asked respectfully.
“I need to see the pheasant,” Ning Yuan said bluntly.
After Rong Zhaonan's accident, she immediately contacted her fourth uncle and asked him to use his connections in the martial arts world to find Rong Zhaonan's whereabouts.
Chicken is a member of the 14K triad and also an informant planted by Uncle Four near the docks. He knows a lot of information that the police don't.
The manager was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening and quickly said, "Brother Shanji and the others just got back to rest. I'll go and call him over right away."
"Mm," Ning Yuan responded, walked to the window, and her gaze fell once again on the calm sea.
The late autumn sea breeze carried a biting chill, whipping up waves that crashed against the rocks on the shore with a dull thud, much like her heavy and oppressive mood.
Shortly after, the manager of Treasure Shop led a few people in.
"Miss Ning, the pheasant has arrived," the manager said respectfully to Ning Yuan.
She turned around, and Shanji and several of his brothers walked in. They all looked like they had just been pulled out of the water, soaking wet and exhausted.
The pheasant's face was particularly pale, with a ring of bluish stubble on its chin, sunken eyes, and an overall air of dejection.
"I heard... you were among the first to arrive at the scene?" Ning Yuan's voice was a little hoarse, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.
She paused, not continuing, but the pheasant understood what she meant.
He rubbed his hands, which were purple from the cold, and shook his head with a heavy heart. "Miss Ning, we rushed over as soon as we heard the news. Our men searched the nearby waters for several hours, but found nothing..."
He paused, his tone tinged with apology and speculation: "The sea is very rough, and the currents are swift. So far, all we've seen is..."
Chicken hesitated for a moment, but still spoke: "All I saw was a bloodstained bulletproof vest floating on the sea. It looked like it belonged to the Flying Tigers, with their logo on it..."
He looked at the beautiful young female student in front of him, unsure if she was an adult or not, but her eyes were so calm and cold that he couldn't guess her age.
He gestured to his henchmen behind him to bring up the bulletproof vest.
Ning Yuan looked at the bulletproof vest. The damaged part of it had burst open, revealing the filling inside. The edges were charred black, as if it had been scorched by a raging fire.
The most shocking thing is the dark red bloodstain on it. Even after being washed away and diluted by the seawater, it is still clearly visible, as if silently telling the story of the tragedy that happened.
Ning Yuan reached out, her fingertips trembling as she touched the cold fabric, feeling the lingering dampness of the seawater and the stench of blood.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and everything around her became blurry, except for the bulletproof vest, which appeared so real before her eyes.
She clutched the bulletproof vest tightly to her chest, as if grasping at the last glimmer of hope.
The foul-smelling, cold fabric clung to her cheeks, bringing a chill to her bones and making her more acutely aware that this might be the last thing Rong Zhaonan left her.
Tears finally welled up and streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto her bulletproof vest and mingling with the dark red bloodstains.
She turned abruptly, her back to Shanji and the others, and tried her best to suppress her sobs.
"Sorry..."
The pheasant seemed flustered, and spoke in a low voice, as if talking to itself or comforting Ning Yuan.
She must be a relative or girlfriend of the officer who fell into the sea.
Although he wanted to say something comforting, the harsh reality left him speechless.
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