Over the years, she and Zhizhou have spent countless sleepless nights searching for their child.
How desperate I feel every time my hopes are dashed.
Xu Ruoling was still able to smile and comfort them, saying that everything would be alright and that the child would be found.
Will the child be found? What a cruel irony!
Wu Wanying found it disgusting, ridiculous, and chilling.
Among all the emotions he felt, the strongest was guilt and self-blame towards his child.
"It's all my fault for misjudging people, which gave Xu Ruoling an opportunity. If Mom and Dad had noticed something was wrong with Xu Ruoling sooner, maybe our family wouldn't have been separated for twenty years."
Overwhelmed with emotion, she gasped for breath, tears streamed down her face, and she sobbed.
Yu Yao understood Wu Wanying's feelings, so she put her arm around Wu Wanying and patted her shoulder.
"This is not your fault. Since Xu Ruoling is still a spy, she must have had her reasons for taking the child. She may have been watching you for a long time."
These words gave Lu Ze a clue.
He connected the different timelines in his mind and quickly discovered many coincidences.
Perhaps this is why Xu Ruoling took the child away.
Yu Yao winked at Lu Ze, asking her to help comfort Wu Wanying.
Lu Ze wasn't good at it either, but since his lover had spoken, he had to learn it even if he didn't know how.
"Perhaps I know why."
Lu Ze tried to get Wu Wanying's attention, and this tactic was indeed very effective.
Yu Yao and Wu Wanying both looked at him, wanting to hear his thoughts.
Lu Ze did not directly answer their questions, but instead asked, "Mom, do you remember how you and Xu Ruoling met in Qin Province?"
Wu Wanying didn't understand why he asked that, but she still tried hard to recall.
"It was 1951. That year, the ship was in Lop Nur. I was pregnant and at home alone. Xu Ruoling happened to be recruited by a textile factory, and we became neighbors. Gradually, we started to see each other more often."
Lu Ze understood and continued, "Before the child went missing, did you mention being invited to the island to Xu Ruoling?"
Wu Wanying paused for a moment, "Yes, it was mentioned. The island invited Zhizhou and Song Guoqiang, and Wan Guihua bragged about it for a long time. Xu Ruoling came to ask me about it, and she implied that she was reluctant to part with such good neighbors as us."
We declined the offer because our child was premature and the island's climate was unsuitable for him.
When Xu Ruoling asked, we also said we weren't leaving.
At this point, Wu Wanying seemed to understand something: "Could it be that Xu Ruoling took the child away because we didn't go to the island?"
Lu Ze hummed in agreement.
"If I'm not mistaken, Xu Ruoling's real purpose is to get you into the island's military factory and then extract secret information about the factory or the island from you."
After listening to Lu Ze's deduction, Wu Wanying tried hard to recall her interactions with Xu Ruoling over the years.
At the time, I didn't think there was a problem, but now that I think about it, Xu Ruoling did indeed use various excuses, both overt and covert, to inquire about Cui Zhizhou's research progress.
Fortunately, she was aware of the seriousness of the situation and never revealed any details of Zhizhou's research to anyone.
He once warned Xu Ruoling about this, and Xu Ruoling laughed and said that she was just curious and joking, and that she would not ask again. And she really did not ask again after that.
However, she came less often after that.
On the contrary, her daughter Mo Ruqing often came, always bringing things with her, and she always showed concern for her and Zhizhou.
Xu Ruoling once jokingly said, "Since you like Ruqing so much, why don't you let her be your goddaughter?"
She and Zhizhou sternly rejected this offer.
They made a vow ever since the child was lost.
Whether they find the child or not, they only have Yu Yao as their child.
As the three were talking, they heard Song Yufeng talking to a strange woman outside.
"Excuse me, is this Professor Cui's daughter's home? I'm a friend of her mother. I heard that her mother lives here, so I came to visit her."
"This is Yu Yao's home, and they seem to be at home."
As she spoke, Song Yufeng stood in the courtyard and called out towards the main room, "Yu Yao, are you home? We have guests!"
Inside the house.
Wu Wanying nervously grasped Yu Yao's hand, "What should we do? It's Xu Ruoling."
Yu Yao looked at Lu Ze: "Does Xu Ruoling know we're investigating her since she came to our door at this time?"
Lu Ze told them not to panic.
"Perhaps Wan Guihua was arrested and she came to gather information. Let's just pretend we don't know anything about what happened back then."
"Mom, just treat her the same way you always have. Don't let her suspect anything. I'll contact my superiors right away."
After saying that, Lu Ze hurriedly left through the back door of the courtyard.
Yu Yao held Wu Wanying's hand. "Mom, don't panic. I'm here with you. Calm yourself down first, and I'll go out and take a look."
Wu Wanying patted her hand and said, "Mom is just having a hard time accepting this right now. Don't worry, all those years of counter-espionage training weren't for nothing. I will never let Xu Ruoling find out anything."
Yu Yao nodded, composed herself, and went out.
"Coming, coming!" Yu Yao yawned as she walked out of the main room. "I was resting in the room for a while. What happened?"
Song Yufeng smiled and said to her, "Yu Yao, this woman says she's Aunt Wu's friend. She heard she was here and came to see her."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law Yufeng. You go ahead with your work, I'll take care of things."
After speaking, Yu Yao looked at Xu Ruoling and asked, "Who are you?"
Xu Ruoling has an oval face, delicate features, and a gentle temperament.
It's not ugly, but it's not exactly beautiful either; it's not particularly distinctive.
She looked at Yu Yao with admiration and joy in her eyes, her smile radiant.
"You must be Yu Yao. You and Wan Ying look exactly alike, both top-notch beauties. I'm your mother's friend, Xu Ruoling. You can call me Aunt Xu. My daughter is Dr. Mo Ruqing from the military hospital."
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