"Why?"
Li Suhua didn't understand.
"You've found the child, so why can't you get her off the train? Why?"
Lin Jiajun also asked, "Yeah, officer, since you already know where the child is, why won't you let her off?"
"We can go pick her up right now."
The police officer explained patiently,
"Because the railway police have confirmed that the person who took her is her father.
"We have no authority to stop a guardian from taking away his own child."
It felt like a basin of cold water had been poured over Lin Wanyi's head.
She grabbed the officer, crying loudly,
"No, he's not Keke's father, he's a demon.
"Officer, they almost killed my daughter last time.
"He's not Keke's father, he's not."
No matter how much she cried and caused a scene, the officer maintained the same stance:
"It has been confirmed that he is the child's guardian. There's really nothing we can do."
Lin Jiajun still had some sense left. He immediately checked his phone for flights that day.
There were none; the only flight had already departed.
He checked the trains next.
"Sis, there's a slow train tonight. It leaves in two hours and arrives tomorrow morning.
"I'll book the tickets right now."
"Buy them, hurry up and buy them."
Lin Wanyi was burning with anxiety.
Terrified, she hugged Li Suhua tightly.
"Mom, Wang Hao is scum, and Liu Chunlan is even worse.
"Last year they dared to feed Keke peanuts and hide her away.
"Now they've secretly taken Keke away again. I don't know what they might do this time."
Li Suhua brushed the hair from her forehead.
"Wanyi, listen to me, you need to calm down.
"Think about it carefully. Wang Hao's purpose in coming this time was to take both you and Keke back with him.
"But he couldn't take you; neither of you would go with him.
"So what could he do? He could only use his old tricks against you.
"He knows Keke is your life, so as long as he takes Keke, you'll definitely go back.
"So don't worry. At least for now, they won't do anything to Keke."
Lin Wanyi's heart finally settled a little.
Lin Jiajun also chimed in, "The tickets are booked. Mom, my sister and I will go together."
"I'm going too."
Li Suhua said resolutely, "I'll just be worrying if I stay home alone.
"I'm going with you."
"But Mom, there are no seated tickets left, and it's not a high-speed train. It'll take over ten hours. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it."
"What's there to not handle? I suffered through life in the countryside too.
"Hurry up and buy me a ticket. I won't have peace of mind if just the two of you go."
While Lin Jiajun continued to buy the ticket, Li Suhua called Wang Hao.
A number that Lin Wanyi had tried dozens of times without success connected on Li Suhua's first attempt.
There was a rumbling sound on Wang Hao's end.
"Wang Hao, let Keke speak. Make Keke call for her mother."
Wang Hao glanced at the deeply sleeping Wang Keke.
"She's asleep, Mom. Keke is my daughter too; I would never harm her.
"If Lin Wanyi wants to see her daughter, she knows what to do."
"Wang Hao!"
Lin Wanyi snatched Li Suhua's phone.
"You bastard, Wang Hao, you absolute bastard."
She screamed, her voice tearing with heartbreak,
"If you treat Keke like you did last time, I swear I'll kill your whole family."
Wang Hao wasn't angry; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.
Because the more hysterical Lin Wanyi was, the more it meant she couldn't let go of Wang Keke.
The greater the possibility that she would return.
He smiled, hung up the phone, and sent Lin Wanyi a message:
Wife, I'll be waiting for you at home.
Seeing this message, Lin Wanyi clenched her teeth tightly.
She screamed in her heart, "Wang Hao! Wang Hao!"
The train was moving fast.
Liu Chunlan called again:
"Son, how is it going? Are you on the train?"
"Yes, everything went smoothly.
"Mom, have you figured out where to hide Keke?"
Liu Chunlan replied, "It's not easy to hide her.
"Your uncle isn't home, and your older sister isn't in Lijia Village either.
"Let me think."
After a moment, she said,
"Drop her off at your sister's rental house. Lin Wanyi definitely doesn't know about that place."
"Okay."
Wang Hao didn't hesitate at all.
He didn't actually like Wang Keke that much; it was purely to force Lin Wanyi's hand.
Similarly, Wang Keke didn't like him that much either.
So when he picked her up at noon, he was terrified he wouldn't be able to get her out.
At the time, he adopted the humblest posture and the friendliest smile of his life.
Fortunately, he still managed to pick her up.
At first, Wang Keke wouldn't go with him, so the teacher asked her,
"Keke, is that your dad?"
Wang Keke nodded, and Wang Hao explained,
"I'm usually busy with work, so I don't look after her much. She's close to her mom and isn't very attached to me."
As soon as they left the school gates, he immediately gave Wang Keke the milk he had prepared in advance.
A few minutes later, Wang Keke fell asleep and hadn't woken up since.
He looked out the window at the sprawling wheat fields and said softly,
"Lin Wanyi, let's be locked together for a lifetime.
"Forever and ever."
After buying the train tickets, Lin Jiajun hurried to drive home. They had left in such a rush that they hadn't brought their ID cards.
He had to go back to get them.
Chen Hui was waiting for him at home.
"Is Wang Hao really that shameless?"
Lin Jiajun took the IDs she handed him.
"He's absolute scum. Huihui, it'll be tough on you these next few days, but I'll have to leave the wedding preparations to you."
Chen Hui got into the car with him to head to the train station.
Along the way, she kept reminding Lin Jiajun,
"Stay calm. Call the police as soon as you get there.
"Whatever you do, don't just march into Wangjia Village like last time.
"No matter what, bring the police with you. They will always be intimidated by that."
Lin Jiajun agreed to everything.
"Don't worry, my mom is coming too. I won't be reckless again."
At the train station, Chen Hui saw Lin Wanyi, who looked like she had lost her soul.
Her heart ached for her, and she hugged her tightly. "Sis, don't worry.
"Wang Hao is Keke's father too. Keke will be fine."
Lin Wanyi used to think so too.
But ever since Liu Chunlan fed Keke peanuts, she realized she was wrong.
Dead wrong.
The Wang family would use any means necessary to achieve their goals.
They didn't care about Wang Keke at all.
She waited in agony, second by second, minute by minute, until ticket checking finally began.
Just as she started lining up, her phone rang. She hurriedly picked it up, thinking it was Wang Hao, but unexpectedly it was Liu Renzhi.
She didn't want to answer. At this moment, her heart was only filled with Wang Keke.
She couldn't spare even a fraction of her time for anyone else.
Liu Renzhi called twice with no answer. He thought for a moment, then sent Lin Wanyi a message:
Wanyi, everything I said last night was serious. I didn't drink too much.
Think about it carefully. I'll wait for you.
Lin Wanyi didn't even look at the message.
The train slowly started moving. She, Li Suhua, and Lin Jiajun were all standing in the vestibule between train cars.
The train jolted, and Li Suhua almost lost her balance.
Lin Jiajun thought for a moment. "Mom, I'll go ask if we can upgrade to sleeper tickets.
"We're already on the train, there's no use thinking about anything else now.
"You should get some good rest. Tomorrow won't be an easy day."
Lin Wanyi kept sending messages to Wang Hao:
Wang Hao, let me see Keke.
Send me a picture.
Call me on video.
Wang Hao! Wang Hao!
