Shen Jiyuan was nearly going crazy.
He had just finished the work at hand when he received news from the butler that Shen Shu was missing — nowhere to be found.
When he got the call, he was still at the Shen building, and in ten minutes he had another meeting.
Yesterday he met Shi Qing, and endured such an awkward treatment… After resting overnight, he still pretended nothing was wrong and went to work as usual.
But at this moment, even this flawless facade was easily shattered.
Holding the phone, Shen Jiyuan felt as if his heart was being squeezed, his mind buzzing, as if submerged in cold water.
Shen Shu was missing…? What did missing mean?
By the time he fully realized it, he had already decisively canceled the following meeting, to the astonished looks of his secretary and assistant.
He tried hard to maintain a calm demeanor, but his mind was blank except for burning anxiety and pain; his body moved only on instinct to deal with the situation.
He canceled all his work for the day, didn’t wait for the driver, and drove straight home himself.
A child — a child barely over three years old — how could he just disappear from home without a trace?
Blood-related, flesh and blood — just thinking about what might have happened to Shen Shu made Shen Jiyuan feel like he was on a burning fire, unable to breathe.
This was the child he had fought so hard to bring into the world, almost losing his own life for — a piece of himself.
Shen Jiyuan rushed home as fast as possible.
At home, all the servants had gathered together. Outside Shen Shu’s room, the nanny and tutor waited anxiously.
Shen Jiyuan didn’t stop to talk to anyone and quickly entered Shen Shu’s room.
The afternoon light was bright; the pale blue walls looked like a small fairy tale house. The wind blew in through the open window, moving the curtains printed with elephants. The room was empty.
Shen Jiyuan took off his leather gloves and put them into his coat pocket, then went to the children’s desk and lowered his eyes to check the items on the desk.
Shen Shu’s toys, puzzles, and building blocks were all still there, neatly stored in the small box at the upper right of the desk.
Though young, Shen Shu was very sensible and never needed reminders to tidy up his things after playing.
Shen Jiyuan’s heart sank, forcing himself to stay calm. After checking the desk, he turned and went to the bed, where the blanket was neatly folded, and Shen Shu’s little nap hat and yellow socks were beside the pillow.
…The children’s computer was missing, and several pairs of socks were gone too.
Shen Jiyuan silently counted the things in the room.
He had raised Shen Shu by himself, taking care of every detail. He knew all of Shen Shu’s belongings by heart.
If it was a kidnapping, there wouldn’t have been time for Shen Shu to pack these things.
He summoned the old butler. While waiting, Shen Jiyuan, overwhelmed, took off his glasses, pressed his temples, and closed his eyes in silence.
When the old butler knocked and entered, Shen Jiyuan had put his glasses back on his nose.
The brief vulnerability leaked out only for a moment; behind the lenses, his long black eyelashes shielded his eyes, and he put back on his cold mask of indifference.
There was no emotion to be seen on his pale, handsome face.
“When was it discovered that Shen Shu was missing? What about the surveillance? Why didn’t the bodyguards notice?”
The old butler bowed slightly and replied one by one.
Shen Shu had finished his one-on-one early education class early today and didn’t want the nannies to accompany him. He played alone, and it was only near lunchtime that the servants noticed he wasn’t in the bedroom.
They initially thought Shen Shu was playing in the garden, but after searching, they found no trace.
The servants panicked and started searching everywhere. The Shen family villa was huge, so it took a long time to search, but they still couldn’t find him, so they notified Shen Jiyuan.
As for the surveillance, there was no suspicious person caught on camera.
But Shen Shu was caught on video.
At noon, the surveillance caught a small sneaky figure outside the grand villa gate — a tiny little bean bouncing quickly out of the gate.
Shen Jiyuan watched this footage several times himself. On the surveillance, Shen Shu with his backpack was visible, and even the overhead angle couldn’t hide the joy flashing across his face.
Just by looking at his back, one could tell he was happily going out, like to a spring outing.
Shen Shu had snuck out on his own.
He didn’t tell anyone, packed a small backpack, and deliberately avoided the servants and security at the gate.
Why would Shen Shu do this…? Where could he possibly go?
Shen Jiyuan was shocked speechless, staring blankly at the screen.
He had made countless guesses on the way but never thought Shen Shu would leave home by himself.
Run away from home? …No, no, no, impossible.
Shen Shu was very clingy, very dependent, and loved him deeply.
That morning, he still had breakfast with Shen Shu. At the table, Shen Shu secretly observed his expression, “Daddy, are you feeling better?”
After seeing Shi Qing last night, Shen Jiyuan’s mind was in chaos. He faked being unwell to deceive the child, but Shen Shu hadn’t forgotten by the next morning.
A child who cared so much about him — how could he leave home without saying anything?
Shen Shu had never done such a thing before.
Shen Jiyuan had been very busy. To avoid worrying him, Shen Shu could quietly sit beside him while he worked, holding a drawing board and drawing crayon pictures for hours without making a sound.
Could Shen Shu have been lured away by someone? Wanted to buy something and sneaked out? Where could he have gone?
His phone was unreachable, and the watch’s location was gone. Apart from this last footage, there were no clues.
The more Shen Jiyuan thought, the more chaotic his mind became. His chest twitched in pain. Unable to think further, he stood up and paced back and forth in the room.
He felt he hadn’t cared enough for the child…
No matter what, he had to find the child first! Contact police acquaintances and notify his men to search—
Shen Jiyuan mobilized almost all the power he could use and drove out to look himself.
In such a huge city like A City, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
He searched almost the entire afternoon, without any leads.
As the sun set, Shen Jiyuan grew more and more anxious and could hardly avoid thinking about the worst possible outcome.
He rested his forehead on his hands, his grip on the steering wheel trembling uncontrollably.
Shi Qing originally planned to send the child back.
But Shen Shu insisted he couldn’t remember Shen Jiyuan’s phone number and clung to her like a twisted candy.
Then he even said, “Mommy, Daddy, we’re a family. What’s wrong with me staying with Mommy?”—such an innocent but bold statement.
Shi Qing felt helpless and almost laughed but ultimately gave in.
Shen Shu was a very well-behaved child. Just being allowed inside the house seemed to satisfy him. He changed his shoes and sat properly on the sofa.
Shi Qing poured him a cup of warm milk, and he politely said, “Thank you, Mommy.”
He tilted his head back and gulped it down, leaving a ring of milk around his mouth. After finishing, he took a tissue and carefully wiped his mouth.
It seemed he had walked a long way and was extremely thirsty but hadn’t said a word until Shi Qing poured the milk.
He drank like a little calf, and the way he wiped his mouth was meticulous—just like Shen Jiyuan.
Shi Qing found it amusing; she had never seen such a good child—truly endearing.
Such an adorable kid—how did Shen Jiyuan raise him?
Speaking of Shen Jiyuan, he must be going crazy by now.
Shi Qing went to the kitchen and quickly made some food for the child. She rested her cheek on one hand, watching him eat greedily.
She couldn’t be blamed for not keeping her promise, right?
After watching Shen Shu finish, she called the nanny over and patted the child’s head. “I have to go out for a bit. An auntie will come to look after you later. Be good at home. You can watch TV.”
Shen Shu looked up at her with big eyes, obviously already used to adults working while he was alone. He nodded obediently, “I know. I’ll be good.”
So well-behaved.
Shi Qing stroked his shiny black, smooth short hair and sighed in her heart. Shen Jiyuan really knew how to teach a child—this adorable little bundle made her almost not want to return him to Shen Jiyuan.
At sunset, Shi Qing found Shen Jiyuan around the Shen family villa.
A sleek black Maybach fitting a CEO’s image was parked by the roadside. The windows were privacy-tinted, but Shi Qing was fairly certain Shen Jiyuan was inside.
She honked the horn once and waited a few seconds, but there was no reaction from the car.
She got out and walked up to the front of Shen Jiyuan’s car.
In fact, Shen Jiyuan had already seen Shi Qing’s car.
He had been driven home by this car just yesterday and hadn’t forgotten this expensive sports car. He also knew Shi Qing was inside, but he was too exhausted to respond.
He had spent the whole afternoon searching without any leads.
Right now, Shen Jiyuan’s mind was filled only with thoughts of Shen Shu.
The worry had lasted too long; the heartbreak was numbing. His panic and terror were at their limit. Like a puppet on strings, he could no longer react to anything else.
He just stared blankly out the window as Shi Qing’s car door opened.
In the blood-red sunset, Shi Qing’s shadow stretched long and long. A glow wrapped her, and her black hair swayed with her steps like a flowing ebony river.
This rich, painterly color from the car window looked like a movie frame or a surreal, bizarre dream.
He was deeply trapped in it, feeling everything that had happened today was unreal and his consciousness fuzzy.
Until Shi Qing knocked on his car window and, two seconds later, pulled open his car door.
When Shi Qing opened the door, Shen Jiyuan remained motionless, stiffly turning his head to look at her.
After knocking for so long, Shi Qing’s earlier impatience vanished when she saw Shen Jiyuan’s face.
He had come straight home from work without changing clothes. Still in a full suit, with glasses perched on his high, sharp nose, showing his elite aura.
But his eyes behind the glasses were moist and red-rimmed.
Wow, had he just been secretly crying alone in the car?
Shi Qing’s fingers tightened on the car window.
Feeling like if she didn’t save him now, he would completely fall apart—right now, he was fragile and broken in an endearing way.
Shi Qing grabbed his chin. He didn’t respond, and when she tried to pull him out of the car, he remained still.
“Shen Jiyuan, get in my car. Come with me.”
Shi Qing was strong, and though Shen Jiyuan didn’t want to move, she could pull him. Struggling, she said, “Your son is at my place.”
She recalled the well-behaved child’s name in her mind—he had called himself “Xiao Shu.”
That must be “Shen Shu.” What a tongue-twisting name.
She clearly said the name, “Shen Shu is at my house now. He’s safe. I’ll take you to get him.”
Shen Jiyuan immediately relaxed, his whole body went limp, and he almost fell out of the car.
Shi Qing caught his arm and half-held, half-supported him.
Shen Jiyuan looked up, his face behind the glasses showing vulnerability.
In the blink of an eye, tears gathered on his eyelashes, sparkling wetly. His breathing choked, and big tears rolled down his cheeks.
He grabbed Shi Qing’s collar, crying silently, his shoulders shaking nonstop.
Shi Qing patted his shoulders, embraced him, and comforted him softly in his ear, “It’s okay, it’s okay now. Don’t be afraid.”