Disappeared
As they emerged from the bookstore, the setting sun cast long shadows of the two men. Qi Shuo carried a bag of books, while Tan Huaiyu walked half a step to his side, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, like an invisible yet tacitly understood boundary.
Just as Qi Shuo was about to say "Let's go eat," his phone rang abruptly, breaking the silence.
It's Sister Jin.
Qi Shuo felt a sudden tightness in his chest and answered the phone: "Sister Jin?"
“Qi Shuo! Qi Shuo…” On the other end of the phone, Sister Jin’s voice trembled with uncontrollable sobs, as if she had used all her strength to call out his name, followed by an uncontrollable sob, “Qing Ran… Qing Ran is missing! I can’t find her anywhere! What should I do, Qi Shuo…”
Qi Shuo's mind went completely blank with a "boom." The book bag in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud." The surrounding noise of the city, traffic, and people faded away in an instant, leaving only Sister Jin's desperate sobs and the roar of his own blood rushing and his heart pounding wildly.
"What...did you say?" He heard his own voice, so dry it was unbearable, each word sounding like it was being forced out of his throat.
"Qingran... is lost..." Sister Jin sobbed, explaining intermittently.
To make it easier to take care of her, and also because she was worried about Qingran's safety being home alone, Sister Jin has been bringing Qingran to the school office these days. The teachers in the office all like this quiet and pretty little girl very much, and they play puzzles with her and tell her stories during their breaks.
This afternoon, Sister Jin had a class and specifically asked a young female teacher in the office to look after Qingran. The teacher received a phone call and left for a while. When she returned, Qingran was gone. She assumed another teacher had taken Qingran for a walk, but when Sister Jin came back from class, she asked all the teachers in the office, and no one had seen Qingran.
The school is only so big. They searched every classroom, playground, garden, and even every toilet, but they couldn't find that small figure.
“She…she wouldn’t run away, she’s a very good girl…” Sister Jin’s voice was broken and fragmented. “The school gatekeeper said he didn’t see her leave, but we’ve searched the whole school…She’s timid, where could she go by herself…Qi Shuo, what should we do…”
Qi Shuo gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force. He felt all the blood in his body rush to his head in an instant, only to freeze into ice the next second.
A chilling, bone-chilling fear coiled around his heart like a venomous snake, tightening its grip until he could barely breathe.
The slight annoyance caused by Ning Wan's appearance in the bookstore has now been completely crushed and replaced by this overwhelming panic.
"Sister Jin, don't worry..." He heard himself speak, his voice hoarse and trembling uncontrollably. It was less about comforting Sister Jin and more about trying to convince himself, "We'll find her. Qingran is a good girl, she won't run away... She's definitely nearby... Call the police first, I'll be right there..."
He spoke incoherently, every word trembling. After hanging up, he stood frozen, his face deathly pale, his eyes vacant, like a statue that had suddenly lost all support.
The newly established, seemingly solid routine proved incredibly fragile in the face of this phone call. Thoughts about peace, about habits, about "maybe this is fine" were instantly overwhelmed by immense panic and overwhelming regret.
Tan Huaiyu stood right beside him. He couldn't hear exactly what Sister Jin said, but Qi Shuo's sudden change in expression, the book bag that slipped from his hand, and the face that instantly lost all color and his voice that trembled to the point of being almost incoherent, were enough to say it all. He could even see a kind of devastating panic on the verge of collapse in Qi Shuo's violently heaving chest and his momentarily unfocused eyes.
Qingran has disappeared.
To Tan Huaiyu, Qingran is Qi Shuo's younger sister, a pitiful yet adorable girl who needs protection.
But at this moment, looking at Qi Shuo like this, he realized with absolute clarity that Qing Ran was not just Qi Shuo's sister—she was Qi Shuo's life, the only bloodline Qi Shuo had rediscovered after experiencing hell, and the last faint spark that had sustained Qi Shuo until now.
If this fire goes out...
Tan Huaiyu dared not think any further. He picked up the schoolbag from the ground, gripped Qi Shuo's cold, still slightly trembling arm tightly with his other hand, and said in a resolute voice with an undeniable force, "Let's go! We're going to school!"
Before Qi Shuo could even react, he quickly flagged down a passing taxi, almost forcibly shoved the stiff Qi Shuo into the back seat, and then gave the driver the school's address.
The car weaved through the congested traffic. Qi Shuo leaned back in his seat, his eyes fixed on the street scenes rushing past the window, his lips pressed into a pale line, saying nothing. His hands, resting on his knees, continued to tremble uncontrollably.
Tan Huaiyu could sense the almost desperate, icy aura emanating from him.
Tan Huaiyu didn't speak, but simply took out his phone and quickly contacted Xiao Jue. Soon, Qin Zhou, Song Yungui, Xiao Jue, and Lin Ye all arrived at the school.
Sister Jin had already called the police and was now slumped in her office chair, covering her face, her shoulders heaving violently, letting out suppressed sobs. Song Yungui was beside her, quietly comforting her, but his face was also full of anxiety and worry.
Several school leaders and teachers, along with police officers who rushed to the scene, were all anxiously discussing, questioning, and reviewing the surveillance footage.
However, the initial investigation results were disheartening. Surveillance footage showed that Qingran did indeed leave the office on her own, wandered around the corridor for a while, and then exited through an inconspicuous side door that was rarely used. The surveillance camera outside the side door had been broken for a long time and did not capture the subsequent events.
Everyone went crazy, searching outwards from the school. Qi Shuo, like a cornered beast, cried out Qing Ran's name with red eyes and a hoarse voice, leaving no corner unchecked.
Tan Huaiyu stayed close to him, keeping an eye on their surroundings and constantly monitoring Qi Shuo's condition. He had no doubt that if anything really happened to Qing Ran, Qi Shuo would immediately go insane, or... completely collapse.
Time ticked by, and darkness gradually fell. Every minute felt like an eternity. The police expanded their search area, but still found nothing. Sister Jin was on the verge of fainting from grief, Qin Zhou was stamping his feet in desperation, and even the usually composed Lin Ye had a terribly grave expression.
Tan Huaiyu was panting heavily; he had run through almost every alley around the school. Sweat soaked his T-shirt, and his hair was plastered messily to his forehead.
Despair, like an icy tide, began to erode everyone's heart.
Unwilling to give up, he glanced across the street at the relatively bustling pedestrian street lined with shops. Clinging to the last glimmer of hope, he crossed the street and went in.
The pedestrian street was lined with various small shops—milk tea shops, snack stalls, boutiques—bustling with people. Tan Huaiyu's sharp gaze swept over every possible figure.
Suddenly, his gaze settled on a public bench not far away.
There sat a petite figure in a red and white winter dress, munching on something. That dress… it was the one he had given to Qing Ran that day. Tan Huaiyu's heart skipped a beat, and he almost ran over.
It was indeed Qingran. She sat there peacefully, her small face showing a calm expression, even a hint of satisfaction.
What made Tan Huaiyu's blood boil the most was that a young man wearing a light-colored hoodie and a baseball cap was squatting in front of Qing Ran.
With his back to Tan Huaiyu, the man took out a new skewer from a transparent box on a nearby bench—not the common kind covered in thick syrup, but delicate little ones skewered on bamboo sticks—candied hawthorn skewers in various fruit flavors such as Sunshine Rose, orange segments, hawthorn, and grape.
He gently handed it to Qingran, occasionally reaching out to lightly wipe away a trace of sugar from the corner of her mouth with his fingertips. Qingran not only did not resist, but naturally accepted his feeding, even tilting her little face slightly when he reached out his hand, her eyes filled with complete trust.
Tan Huaiyu's mind went blank. The anxiety and worry of the past few days, coupled with the scene before him that resembled a kidnapping, instantly ignited all his anger.
"Fuck your grandpa, you're taking advantage of my sister, aren't you?!" With a low growl filled with suppressed rage, Tan Huaiyu charged forward like a cheetah, and before the man could react, he delivered a powerful punch to the man's cheek!
With a muffled thud, the man, caught off guard, staggered several steps and fell to the ground from the sudden punch. The string of candied oranges he had just taken out flew out of his hand and rolled into the dust along with several other strings scattered on the ground.
"Ah—!" Qingran was startled by the sudden turn of events, and the half-bundle of hawthorns in her hand fell to the ground.
She stared wide-eyed in horror at Tan Huaiyu, who had suddenly appeared with an angry expression, and then at the unfamiliar older brother who had fallen to the ground, covering his mouth and with his hat askew. Her lips trembled, and large tears welled up instantly.
"Waaah... Brother Huaiyu! Don't hit me!" she cried, jumping off the bench and lunging forward to grab Tan Huaiyu's still trembling arm, trying to pull him back. "Don't hit him! He's a good person! He gave me candied hawthorns! Waaah..."
Hearing Qingran's cries, Tan Huaiyu regained some of his composure, but his anger remained.
He was panting heavily, looking at the "human trafficker" on the ground who was covering his face, looking completely bewildered and obviously not yet understanding the situation, and then looking at Qingran who was crying her eyes out and still desperately defending the "bad guy," and he was speechless with anger.
"Qingran, come here!" He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and bent down, trying to pull Qingran away from the man. Qingran struggled, crying even harder, her little hands tightly gripping the man's clothes.
"Bad guy! Brother Huaiyu is a bad guy! He hit me!" She sobbed, accusing Tan Huaiyu, who had just "saved" her, in the most childish language.
Tan Huaiyu was stunned.
Looking into Qingran's eyes, brimming with tears, filled with grievance and accusation, and listening to her repeatedly call him a "bad person," the nameless anger in his heart was instantly replaced by a feeling of absurdity and powerlessness.
Did he hit the wrong person?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he forcefully suppressed it. Impossible! This complete stranger had bought Qingran candied hawthorns for no reason, and was even feeding her and touching her face so intimately—what else could it be but ill intent?!
But Qingran's tears and accusations felt so real...
Just as Tan Huaiyu stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do, the man on the ground finally recovered. He leaned on the edge of the bench, slowly stood up, took off his crooked baseball cap, revealing a handsome face with a bruise on the corner of his mouth and an indescribable complex expression.
He first glanced at Qing Ran, who was sobbing uncontrollably, a hint of helplessness and heartache flashing in his eyes, before raising his head to look at the furious Tan Huaiyu, and...
Qi Shuo, who had rushed over from the street corner upon hearing the news, was followed by a group of people.
Qi Shuo immediately saw Qing Ran, who was unharmed but crying. Overwhelming joy instantly overwhelmed all his fear and despair, making him almost unable to stand.
He rushed over and pulled Qingran into a tight embrace, so strong that he almost wanted to meld the girl into his very bones.
"Ranran! Ranran..." His voice was hoarse as he called his sister's name over and over again, his body trembling slightly from fear and excitement.
In the familiar embrace, Qingran's crying gradually subsided, turning into a plaintive sob. Her little hands tightly clung to Qi Shuo's neck: "Brother... Brother Huaiyu hit someone... He hit the brother who treated me to candied hawthorns... He's bad..."
Qi Shuo then noticed the chaos at the scene—candied hawthorns scattered all over the ground, an unfamiliar young man with a cut on his lip and an awkward expression, and... standing aside, Tan Huaiyu with a livid face, clenched fists, and eyes full of regret and not yet completely dissipated anger.
Qi Shuo's heart sank. He gently patted Qing Ran's back, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the unfamiliar young man, his voice turning cold: "Who are you? Why did you take my sister away?"
The young man rubbed his aching lips, sighed with a wry smile, and was about to explain when a teacher from the school, who had rushed over breathlessly, suddenly exclaimed:
"Teacher Shen?! What are you doing here? Your face... what happened to it?"
Everyone was stunned.
Teacher Shen?
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