Zhou Xing's car had circled the nearby streets for a long time, and both of them had strained their eyes, but they still hadn't seen the two children.
"Hanhan, don't leave me. You are my hope in this life. Without you, how can I go on living? It would have been better if I had left in the first place." Qin Xiaoyu murmured to herself, her heart breaking.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhou Xing frowned.
Zhou Xing slammed on the brakes, and Qin Xiaoyu jumped in surprise. She quickly looked out the window, but there was no sign of Hanhan. Instead, Zhou Yue walked over, carrying a vegetable basket and swaying unsteadily.
"Why aren't you home from get off work? What are you doing out there?" Zhou Yue started scolding Zhou Xing as soon as she saw him. When she saw Qin Xiaoyu in the passenger seat, she asked in surprise, "What are you two doing together?"
"Sister, please help us find the children! Hanhan and Xiaomei are missing." Zhou Xing stopped the car just to say this.
"Where did it go? It was at our house," Zhou Yue said, puzzled.
"At our house?" Zhou Xing was about to start the car when he heard this and jumped out of the car.
"Yes, they're waiting for us at our house for dinner. Dad insists that kids need to eat more shrimp to grow, so he made me go pick out some big shrimp to buy. Oh, and Little Fish, Mom and Dad just got back today. They said you can come over for dinner tonight, and after you eat, just take those two guys home."
Zhou Yue was still rambling on when Qin Xiaoyu jumped out of the car and ran towards the military region.
"What's going on?" Zhou Yue looked at Zhou Xing in confusion. Zhou Xing abandoned the car and ran after Qin Xiaoyu.
"What's wrong with me?" Zhou Yue stood there dumbfounded, scratching her head.
Qin Xiaoyu was stopped at the guard post, but fortunately Zhou Xing ran fast and the guard immediately let her through.
She rushed to the Zhou family's door and banged on it twice. Zhou Xing came over, pushed her aside, and took out his keys.
At this moment, Zhou Xing's mother came to open the door, and she looked very surprised when she saw them.
Qin Xiaoyu didn't even have time to say hello before squeezing past her and immediately spotted Hanhan and her younger sister sitting on the sofa, surrounded by a mountain of toys.
Qin Xiaoyu was momentarily stunned, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.
Zhou Xing had already followed, and seeing that her legs were weak, he had no choice but to help her sit on the sofa.
Seeing their behavior, Zhou Xing's mother was a little displeased. She frowned and was about to ask a question when Qin Xiaoyu had already shaken off Zhou Xing, rushed to Hanhan, grabbed him, and roared, "You ran off without telling your mother! Why! Why!"
Hanhan was quite happy to see Qin Xiaoyu, but before she could even finish her smile, she was suddenly yelled at. Her big eyes widened in shock, and she didn't know how to respond.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Xing's mother asked, frowning.
“She thought the child was lost, and everyone from her school came out to look for him; they were all frantic,” Zhou Xing had to explain.
“Your father and I just got back and saw them playing in the military compound, so we invited them over. Hanhan told his mother, how come she didn’t know?” Zhou Xing’s mother looked at Qin Xiaoyu.
"Mom, I told you I was going to come to Grandma Zhou's house to play," Hanhan said, pouting her little lips in grievance.
"Alright, you've scared the child. Why are you shouting like that?" Commander Zhou, who had also heard the commotion, came downstairs, his tone quite displeased.
"You greeted me? You still dare to lie!" Qin Xiaoyu was so angry that she was trembling all over. She never expected that Hanhan would develop so many bad habits in just one day, and now she had even learned to lie.
"I'm not lying!" Hanhan cried out anxiously, her voice trembling with tears.
"You're still being stubborn!" Qin Xiaoyu said, her face turning red with anger.
"Dinner's almost ready, don't scold the child. This is my home, and I'm in charge!" Commander Zhou came over, snatched Hanhan from his arms, and held her protectively in his embrace.
"Mind your own business! I'm disciplining my own child. Please don't interfere. He's not your pet, not a cat or dog. If we don't discipline him properly, we'll have to bear the consequences ourselves. Who do you think you are!" Qin Xiaoyu, with a strength she didn't know she possessed, grabbed Hanhan and pulled her over.
Commander Zhou had never been contradicted like this before. He was so angry that his face turned red, and he pointed at Qin Xiaoyu, almost ready to pull out his gun. Zhou Xing's mother was also frightened when she saw this. She and Zhou Yue, who had just entered the house, dragged Commander Zhou into the inner room on either side.
"No way! I'm taking charge of this today. No one is allowed to interfere with Hanhan in my house! I'll see who dares to touch Hanhan!" Commander Zhou lost his temper, pushed aside the two women, and strode out.
In a fit of anger, Qin Xiaoyu raised her hand and slapped Hanhan. Hanhan turned her head away, and Qin Xiaoyu, unable to bear it any longer, slowed down her hand and hit Hanhan's shoulder instead. Hanhan stumbled and almost fell.
Zhou Xing went up and picked up Hanhan, holding her protectively in his arms.
"Alright, that's enough. Don't go too far."
"Give me the child!" Qin Xiaoyu coldly stretched out her hand.
"I don't want you, you're not my mom!" Hanhan suddenly shouted and burst into tears.
Qin Xiaoyu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her from head to toe, her heart turning cold. She stared at Hanhan for a long time before saying slowly and deliberately, "Fine, I'm not your mother. I'm leaving. You stay and live a good life."
This time, no one stopped her; she left resolutely.
Back at school, everyone was relieved to hear that the child had been found.
"Why didn't you bring it back?" Master Wang asked cautiously, noticing Qin Xiaoyu's strange expression.
"It's alright, you can arrange the rest. I'm tired, I'll rest for a bit." After saying that, Qin Xiaoyu climbed upstairs, went into her office, locked the door, threw herself on the table, and burst into tears.
Hanhan's words broke her heart. Everything she had done had vanished in vain. Even in the most difficult times since her rebirth, she had never felt such despair.
After some time, footsteps sounded outside the door. It must have been Master Wang. He knocked for a while, but when there was no response, he left reluctantly, and the world went quiet again.
Qin Xiaoyu stood up, sobbing, and walked to the north window. From there, she could see the brightly lit military villa area across the street, with the brightest lights belonging to Zhou Xingjia.
Hanhan should be eating prawns and being pampered like a star. Such an outstanding child deserves to be loved by everyone.
Perhaps their bond as mother and son has come to an end.
Qin Xiaoyu sadly pressed her head against the glass window, letting the cool air slowly seep in, which eased her headache a little.
"You're not their mother yet..." Suddenly, those words echoed in her ears. A thought flashed through her mind; she remembered what had happened on the platform—Hanhan's mother saying she wanted to use her body to say goodbye to her child. Could it be that Hanhan had really greeted her back then, but the person using that body was Hanhan's biological mother?
So, does that mean she misunderstood Hanhan?
The thought of hitting Hanhan filled Qin Xiaoyu with intense regret; she wished she could break her fingers off. What should she do? She wanted to go to the Zhou family right now, apologize to Hanhan, and bring him back.
But will Hanhan still believe her?
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