After an entire day and night, Shu Yu arrived at Uncle Qin’s hometown.
It was a small city, and Uncle Qin’s home was in the old district.
Nearby stood a row of old houses awaiting demolition—their blue bricks, black tiles, and flagstone pathways still intact, yet already abandoned.
Uncle Qin’s home sat right beside these soon-to-be-demolished old houses.
Seated in the tearoom on the second floor, Shu Yu had a perfect view of the waiting old houses and the street beside them.
On the narrow street, lush osmanthus trees grew on both sides, sunlight filtering through the leaves and spilling patches of fragmented gold onto the ground.
The wind blew, and the spots of light swayed.
The air carried the sweetness of osmanthus blossoms, mingling with the rich aroma of soy milk drifting from a nearby breakfast shop.
A trace of the warmth of bygone bustle still lingered here.
It didn’t feel lifeless, nor was it too noisy.
Everything exuded a just-right sense of leisure.
It was a perfect place to clear one’s mind.
Having just arrived, Shu Yu didn’t feel too uncomfortable, probably because Uncle Qin was taking care of her daily needs.
Shu Yu rested her chin in her hands, gazing at the blue bricks and black tiles in the distance, and asked Iron Egg, “What do you think Si Yiheng is doing right now?”
Iron Egg ventured cautiously: [He should be awake by now—the drug’s effect should be wearing off.]
Shu Yu blinked softly. “That’s good.”
She should have found the note she left, right?
After saying this, Shu Yu fell silent again, quietly staring at the street.
Not far from Shu Yu, Uncle Qin sat anxiously, sending messages to Song Wenzhao.
Uncle Qin: Miss hasn’t spoken for half an hour.
Uncle Qin: Young Master, Miss seems really sad.
Uncle Qin: Miss only ate two brown sugar pancakes, one fried egg, four crystal shrimp dumplings, six pan-fried buns, a bowl of wontons, and a glass of milk this morning. Could Miss be starving herself thin?
Song Wenzhao: “...”
His sister wasn’t a glutton!
That was a normal amount of food!
The older generation just had no sense of proportion when raising kids, always bent on fattening them up.
Uncle Qin: Young Master, when will the substitute arrive?
Song Wenzhao paused, his fingers hovering over the phone screen, before typing.
Song Wenzhao: Still looking.
Uncle Qin: Young Master, please hurry. It’s okay to make things hard for you, but don’t let Miss suffer.
Song Wenzhao: “...”
Song Wenzhao: Mm.
Elsewhere, Si Yiheng’s private plane landed in City B.
The moment Si Yiheng stepped off the plane, messages popped up one after another.
Golden Corn: Bro, did you bully Baby Yu?
Golden Corn: Bro, give Baby Yu back to me! I had my precious Baby Yu safe with you, and you managed to lose her!
Golden Corn: Si Yiheng, when you’re faced with a hard question, you just clam up.
Si Yiheng blocked Ye Ning.
When Ye Ning tried to send another message and saw the exclamation mark, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She had no idea why Shu Yu had run off, but couldn’t worry about that—first, throw the blame back, make Si Yiheng reflect on himself.
Otherwise, if Si Yiheng caught Shu Yu, things would definitely get rough for her.
Assistant Xiao Wang followed Si Yiheng, hardly daring to breathe.
Si Yiheng’s gaze swept over him, and Assistant Xiao Wang quickly spoke up, “I’ve already contacted Miss Shu Yu’s editor, but they can’t reach her either.”
“Miss Shu Yu had already proofread all the publication content before she left.”
Si Yiheng’s brows grew even colder and darker.
Before she left, Shu Yu had truly prepared everything she could.
Was she really so afraid of him? Afraid he wouldn’t let go?
Si Yiheng sent Shu Yu another message.
Si Yiheng: Baby Yu, can you reply to me?
Si Yiheng: If I’ve done anything wrong, we can talk face-to-face.
But just like before, there was no reply.
Si Yiheng: “Where is Song Wenzhao now?”
Assistant Xiao Wang hurriedly replied, “Song Wenzhao went straight back to his residence after arriving in City B.”
Si Yiheng suppressed the restless agitation in his heart and said coldly, “Let’s go find Song Wenzhao now.”
Shu Yu’s phone had been left in Song Wenzhao’s care, mainly to keep Si Yiheng from installing any trackers or the like.
Song Wenzhao heard the steady stream of incoming message alerts but didn’t bother checking.
He didn’t need to think twice to know it was Si Yiheng losing his mind again.
Song Wenzhao picked up Little Orange, “Little Orange, want to video call Baby Yu?”
Little Orange elegantly licked her paws and meowed twice.
Shu Yu was holding Butler Qin’s phone, and when she saw Little Orange, she was almost blinded by the necklace around the cat’s neck.
Little Orange lifted her head, showing it off to Shu Yu.
Human, look at meow’s emerald necklace.
Shu Yu was amused by Little Orange and started praising her, “Whose little cat is wearing such a beautiful necklace?”
Little Orange lifted her head even higher.
Baby Yu’s meow!
Shu Yu turned to Song Wenzhao, “Big Brother, Little Orange had a rough life with me before, but with you, she’s truly a heiress cat.”
Song Wenzhao smiled. “I bought you a lot of jewelry too.”
“Now that you’re back with Big Brother, you can wear a different set every day—or even layer them.”
Shu Yu recalled a photo of herself draped in clinking jewelry and stared at Song Wenzhao. “I used to wear them layered when I was little.”
“Mm, I put them on you,” Song Wenzhao said, his flat tone carrying a faint trace of pride.
“The safety lock, the little jade pendant, the little bells, the matching bracelets, and the anklets—I put them all on you.”
“The safety lock was from Mom.”
“The little jade pendant was blessed by a master Grandmother found.”
“The little bells were from Dad.”
Two little bells, each inscribed with the word “Joy.”
“The matching bracelets were from me, Little Treasure—do you like them?” Song Wenzhao specifically pointed out.
Shu Yu recalled the jade-inlaid, gold-trimmed bracelets and smiled. “I do.”
Song Wenzhao was in the middle of a video chat with Shu Yu when a crashing sound echoed from outside the door.
A single thud of splintering wood, and dozens of people burst into Song Wenzhao’s home.
Si Yiheng strode into the living room.
His face was icy, and his dark eyes radiated bitter cold as he locked gazes with Song Wenzhao from a height.
“Song Wenzhao, where is Baby Yu?”
On the other end of the video, Shu Yu heard Si Yiheng’s voice. Her hands trembled, and the phone slipped from her grip, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
The noise from the fallen phone carried through the call—
And instantly caught Si Yiheng’s attention.
