0069 069 Moon sets and stars align
Qi Yu's phone, lying on the table, silently lit up. He didn't have time to turn around, but Zhou Cheng, seeing the number from behind, quietly handed it to him.
Qi Yu finally looked up from the endless files and answered the phone.
Where are you now?
"Yaoyao? I'm in my office, what's up?"
"Then stay there and don't move. I'll come find you right now."
"Where are you? Aren't you at home?"
"I'm in Jingyang."
"You are……"
She hung up the phone decisively, and Qi Yu lost interest in looking at the documents. He immediately called home.
"Butler Yan? When did Yao Yao leave home?"
"This morning, the young lady said that the final exams are coming up soon and she has to go back to school."
Why didn't you tell me?
"Sir, you haven't replied to any calls or messages."
"……knew."
"Zhou Cheng, go downstairs now and take a few people to the various intersections to see if Qi Shuyao is coming."
"Okay, boss."
After everyone had left, Qi Yu sat back down, feeling utterly exhausted. The documents in front of him seemed even more glaring, so he pushed them away.
His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, as if it were about to burst through his flesh. He had never felt this panicked before, and his thoughts, which he could not grasp, flew away from his fingertips.
Soon, the sound of running could be heard in the corridor. Qi Shuyao slipped in and shut the door on Zhou Cheng, who was chasing after her.
"Yaoyao, why did you run out?"
She didn't answer, but took steps forward and stopped in front of him.
Do you like me? Do you love me?
"What's wrong?"
Do you like me or not?
What triggered you?
Do you like me?
"Who said anything to you?"
Do you like me or not?
"Don't believe what others say."
"Then tell me, is my mother Xu Mei?"
"Did Guan Xiang's second wife tell you?"
Are you my dad?
"I raised you to this age, don't you think so?"
"Then tell me, do you love me?"
"like."
Why didn't you just answer me directly?
"I need to know why you suddenly asked that question."
"But shouldn't this be a definite answer, the same answer no matter when? It's an impulsive, subconscious answer in an instant, not something you come up with after sitting down and thinking it through. It's not rational. Love has no rationality. You're just cowardly, afraid. You don't love me that much."
"Because love is selfish, and I am selfish too. I want you to stay by my side forever, and I never thought that this day would come so soon."
Zhou Cheng stood outside the door all night. At first, a shout came from the office, but then it was completely quiet. He waited quietly until dawn.
It was a sunny day, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, melting the snow on the floor and making Qi Shuyao on the sofa squint.
She gently removed Qi Yu's head from her lap, placed it on her scarf, touched his dark circles under his eyes, put on her clothes, and went out.
Zhou Chengli stood straight outside the door.
"Miss, what's wrong?"
"Nothing much, I'm just tired, I'm going for a walk."
"I'll stay with you..."
"No need, no need. Is there anything else in your unit? I'll just take a walk around the yard."
Zhou Cheng watched her stagger downstairs and lean against the wall, finding it all very strange.
Qi Shuyao walked to the door. It was still too early, and no one had come to work yet. Only the security guard came to hand over his shift, yawning. He saw her and gave her a perfunctory bow.
"Miss Qi was here last night too. Secretary Qi has been too busy these days and hasn't come out at all."
"You've got a lot going on, Uncle. Do you know where I can buy breakfast around here?"
"The cafeteria should be open by now."
"I'm just tired of it."
"Haha, that's true. Then go out down this street and see if the steamed bun shops outside are open."
"Thank you, Uncle."
She slipped out of the small door and ran towards the street corner across the street. After turning the corner, Qin Zhuohan was waiting for her there.
"What's up so early?" he said, stuffing a hand warmer into her hand.
Did you bring what I asked you to bring?
“I brought it, but…”
"No buts, hurry up."
They turned into a small alley, and Qin Zhuohan took out the syringes she had asked him to prepare. He watched as she pushed up the sleeves of her sweater, revealing her fair, white arms.
The needle pierced her skin and drew a vial of blood. Last night, she had watched the man draw a vial of blood from his own vein and hand it to her.
Now she has handed both vials of blood to Qin Zhuohan.
"Get your DNA tested, the sooner the better."
"Who are you with?"
"Don't ask any more questions, just test me first, and then I'll tell you."
"good."
They squeezed out of the alley, and Qi Shuyao watched him drive away. Her pounding heart gradually calmed down, and she then walked towards the steamed bun shop.
Unfortunately, the shops were not open, and the whole street was closed, looking dilapidated.
The government building was right across the street, but the street was in such a dilapidated state that some of the slogans and policies seemed particularly ridiculous. She didn't want to look any longer, so she turned around abruptly and met the gaze of several people who were quietly rushing towards her from behind.
Qi Shuyao, realizing what was happening, tried to run away, but was quickly grabbed by several people and lifted into a large van.
Qi Yu was jolted awake from the sofa. He pulled out her scarf from behind his head, hugged it to his chest, and called her name in the office.
Upon hearing the sound, Zhou Cheng immediately pushed open the door and came in.
"The young lady said she was going downstairs for a walk."
"How long have they been gone? Where are they?!"
He bumped past Zhou Cheng's shoulder and ran downstairs. It was still early, and only the cleaning uncle was sweeping the remaining snow in the yard.
When the security guard in the security room saw him stand up straight and salute, Qi Yu quickly ran over.
"Has Xiao Han seen my daughter?"
"I saw it. Miss Qi said she was going out to buy some breakfast and went that way."
Qi Yu immediately ran out and headed across the street. Less than ten minutes later, the road was much busier. The old lady at the grocery store next to the steamed bun shop yawned as she opened the door. Seeing him, she kindly offered a reminder…
"Young man, slow down. The road is frozen and very slippery."
"Auntie, do you see a little girl around here? She's a little over 1.7 meters tall and wearing a beige coat."
“Young lady, didn’t you see? There was no one on this road when I came. But young man, are you from the government office across the street? Let me tell you, the cars on this road drive terribly without following traffic rules. I was coming from over there on my little electric scooter when a van sped past, running a red light. It was going so fast and the road was so slippery. If I hadn’t stopped, I would have been hit and thrown into the air…”
Qi Yu listened to the old woman's words, looked towards the road, then turned back to look at the security camera hanging next to the steamed bun shop's signboard, and called Zhou Cheng.
"Check the surveillance footage at the end of Lantian Street immediately, and start checking forward from now."
He then went to the old woman's side and asked her.
"Auntie, may I ask if this camera was installed by a private individual?"
"Isn't that all set up by your government? They say it's to cooperate with public security, but it does work. When the steamed bun shop was still open, they used it to catch a few people who didn't pay. But they stopped operating a long time ago, and they haven't been able to sell the shop for so long."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie."
He contacted the urban management team again and anxiously returned to his office. Zhou Cheng also circled the courtyard again and again, but still couldn't find Qi Shuyao.
"Boss, no one is answering the phone."
"Have you sent the surveillance footage?"
"Not yet, they're still looking for someone to handle it."
Why didn't you stop them at all?
"I... Boss, don't worry. Maybe Miss just went for a stroll somewhere else and will be back soon."
Qi Yu waved him away, not wanting to hear a single extra word. He wrapped his hands in a soft scarf, which was filled with her scent.
There were constant footsteps coming and going outside the door, but none of them were the kind he was most familiar with. He wished that the footsteps would rush towards him the next second, burst open the office door, and then rush towards him with a smile.
The surveillance video and a phone call came in at the same time. He opened the surveillance video first, and then answered the phone.
"Secretary Qi, it's been all night, has my daughter explained things to you clearly?"
"Twenty years have passed, has the young master finally gained his own freedom?"
"It's really kind of Secretary Qi to still remember me. But I really want to thank you for raising my daughter so well. Don't worry, I will transfer all the money you've done to me."
Qi Yu could no longer hear what he was saying; all he could see was Qi Shuyao being restrained and lifted into the car by three or four women. The car sped off, nearly hitting the convenience store lady on her electric scooter at the traffic light at the end of the road.
"This is the idea you came up with—to rob her like a robbery?"
“You took my daughter out to do such dangerous things, and you even shot her in front of her. You’re such a cold-blooded person. Will you shoot her next time? But I’m not as bad as you say. Sooner or later, I’ll make her obediently come back to my side.”
The phone was abruptly hung up by Qi Yu. It wasn't him, it wasn't him who took Yao Yao away, then who could it be? Who else could it be? Could it be Guan Xiang again, or someone from the Yang family?
That morning, everyone on that floor heard the sound of something being smashed in the secretary's office.
Qi Shuyao slumped in her chair, not completely out of her mind, but utterly powerless. She heard her phone ringing incessantly, being pulled from her pocket and patiently waiting for the caller to hang up repeatedly. With her last ounce of strength, she reached out and placed her hand on her waist before losing consciousness completely and plunging into darkness.
When Tu Mi returned to the abandoned city building in the old town, it was just the time for the dance hall to open. She went around to the back and stood behind a tree to observe.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour passed, and her feet were numb with cold, but no one came to help.
With some skepticism, I walked down from the exit. Everything was still familiar. When I got to the third floor, the familiar lobby was still so cold.
She stood at the door and saw that Jiulixiang, who had grown taller, was still holding that small, lint-shedding broom, sweeping the floor with difficulty.
A woman sitting on the sofa smoking turned around and saw her; almost instantly, tears streamed down her face.
She went in, came out, and her phone rang. It was a number saved as "Yaoyao" calling.
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