She wanted to go home.
Since arriving in this world within the book, this was the first time she wanted to go home.
But where could she even return to? Back to that shattered, broken "home"? That place probably couldn't even be called a home anymore. After all, not all parents were like Zhu Jianjun and Zhao Jing.
Suddenly, a sense of loneliness surfaced. She felt as if she had returned to that nightmare. Her biological parents, each having their own affairs, fought violently over the division of property and graciously deferred to each other over the custody of Zhu Yaya. Little her hid in a corner, watching her parents with tear-filled eyes.
She was an unwanted existence by her parents.
After her parents remarried, Zhu Yaya had secretly gone to see them. They each had new children of their own, both daughters, both cherished like precious pearls, while completely forgetting the eldest daughter they had together.
She was an existence unworthy of expectation.
Tears kept falling. She suddenly felt like a drifting duckweed, forever without a safe place to rest.
On the other side, a worried-looking Murong Beichen waited for Xu Chun. She hurried out of the Duxing Building, her expression somewhat strange.
Murong Beichen went up to her: "Chun'er, I told you, if you left something behind, I could go back and look for it. But you just wouldn't listen, insisting on going yourself, and you wouldn't even let me accompany you."
Xu Chun replied softly: "It's something for girls. It wouldn't be convenient for a boy to fetch it."
Murong Beichen's ears turned red at the tips, and he deliberately spoke in a gruff voice: "Let's hurry back! You should get some proper rest!"
"Mhm." Xu Chun nodded in agreement.
After they had walked a distance, Yan Heng actually came running towards them, looking uncharacteristically flustered: "Have you seen Zhu Yaya? A girl wearing a black down jacket, with a red backpack."
Murong Beichen, still holding a grudge from before, snorted dismissively: "No, no, haven't seen her."
Yan Heng frowned, giving him a glance, then fixed his gaze on Xu Chun: "She's about this tall, only up to my chest. She has two little dimples when she smiles."
Xu Chun lowered her head, her eyes half-lidded, softening her voice: "I don't think I've seen the person you described around here. Maybe you should go look over there?" She pointed in the direction opposite the Duxing Building.
Yan Heng thanked her, called Zhu Jianjun on the spot, then turned and ran in the direction Xu Chun had pointed.
Murong Beichen muttered beside her: "Rare to see that lunatic so panicked. Seems that girl 'Zhu Yaya' is very important to him."
He didn't forget to profess his feelings: "Chun'er, you are also very important in my heart. No matter what happens, Brother Chen will be the first to lend a hand."
Xu Chun ignored him, silently thinking to herself, Is she really that important?
When he received Zhu Yaya's QQ message this afternoon, Yan Heng was already at the school gate. He looked at the darkening sky, feeling inexplicably worried for some reason. Thinking that cleaning shouldn't take too long, he decided to wait for Zhu Yaya at the school gate. He thought today he wouldn't let her follow him back to the West District first; he'd take her directly to the South District. Coincidentally, he had some business in the South District.
But he waited for a long time, and Zhu Yaya still didn't come out. He saw the girl who usually hung out with Zhu Yaya come out, arm in arm with another girl.
He stopped the two girls and asked where Zhu Yaya was.
They both pointed behind them, saying Zhu Yaya was still back there.
Yan Heng thanked them and continued standing there waiting for Zhu Yaya, but after waiting quite a while longer, he still didn't see that familiar figure.
Later, he saw the sports committee member from Zhu Yaya's class, the one who seemed to have a bit of a crush on her, come out as well.
An inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in him. He stopped the boy: "Where's Zhu Yaya?"
Gu Tao was startled to see Yan Heng. After hearing the question clearly, he looked puzzled: "Didn't Minister Zhu leave a long time ago? I was cleaning with them today. After we finished, I let them leave first and went to take out the trash myself. When I came back from dumping the trash, there was no one left in the classroom."
Yan Heng's brows furrowed tightly. He said to Gu Tao in a low voice, "I've been waiting for her at the school gate the whole time. I never saw her come out."
The two boys looked at each other tensely and immediately realized—Zhu Yaya was missing!
Yan Heng called Zhu Jianjun, who said he would come immediately. After hanging up, Yan Heng wanted to check the surveillance footage but was told he couldn't access the security camera recordings without permission or authorization. Yan Heng was so anxious his eyes turned red. So, he discussed with Gu Tao to split up and search for Zhu Yaya.
Gu Tao went to search nearby teaching buildings and other places, while Yan Heng went to look in places further away. But neither of them found a single trace of Zhu Yaya.
After searching the distant areas, Yan Heng ran to this spot and encountered Murong Beichen and Xu Chun.
Yan Heng searched other places again. At that moment, Gu Tao called: "Hey, Senior Yan, I went to the sports field, the Diligence Study Building area, but still couldn't find Zhu Yaya."
Yan Heng narrowed his eyes slightly, looking towards the old teaching building, the Duxing Building: "Have you been to the Duxing Building?"
"Seems not."
"I'll go search there. You go check other places."
Yan Heng hung up and ran towards the Duxing Building. As soon as he entered the first floor, he heard faint sobbing. The closer he got to the left side, the louder the sobbing became.
"Zhu Yaya?" he called out tentatively, raising his voice.
Zhu Yaya, originally immersed in her sorrow, heard Yan Heng's voice. She wiped her tears fiercely with her hand, her voice trembling: "Brother Yan?"
As soon as Zhu Yaya spoke, Yan Heng immediately pinpointed her exact location. He found the classroom she was trapped in and swiftly pulled open the metal latch locking the door.
Hearing the door open, Zhu Yaya picked up her backpack and stood up.
As the door opened, Yan Heng shone the weak light from his phone forward and saw Zhu Yaya's tear-streaked, dust-smeared face. He felt a sudden pang in his heart. He stepped forward, hugged Zhu Yaya, pulling her completely into his embrace.
"I'm sorry, I came too late."
Zhu Yaya dropped her backpack, buried her face against his chest, her tears falling plop plop, soaking the front of his clothes: "Brother Yan, why... why did you take so long to come?"
She pressed her face hard into Yan Heng's chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. Only then did that feeling of loneliness and drifting instability dissipate. This was the sense of security Yan Heng gave her.
After comforting Zhu Yaya, Yan Heng called both Zhu Jianjun and Gu Tao, telling them Zhu Yaya had been found and to meet at the school gate.
Then, carrying Zhu Yaya's backpack in one hand and holding her hand tightly in the other, he led her out of the Duxing Building.
Having calmed down, Zhu Yaya regained her composure. On the way, omitting the part about her intentionally staying longer for her gossip-gathering mission, she told Yan Heng about her experience of being maliciously locked in the Duxing Building.
A dense darkness surged in Yan Heng's eyes.
He thought he knew who did it.
