Seeing how pale he was, Mrs. He poured him a cup of hot water.

Now that it was deep into winter, the weather had turned frigid. Mr. He had been out all night and was now shivering.

He sat down and drank the cup of water, then stood up again. "I’m going back out to look."

Mrs. He said to him, "Why don’t you wait at home for news from He Lang? Maybe he’s found him."

Mr. He paused for only a few seconds. "I can’t rest easy at home. I have to go out and look."

With no other choice, Mrs. He gave him another layer of clothing, and Mr. He left again.

A little after five in the morning, He Lang and Xue Xingzhou arrived at the police station to file a report.

At this hour, there were only two officers on duty; the others hadn’t started their shifts yet.

They heard that the men were reporting a missing child.

"Is it possible he went to a relative’s, a friend’s, or a classmate’s house on his own?"

He Lang shook his head. "That’s not possible. We’re from out of town and don’t have any friends in Beijing City. A classmate’s house is even more unlikely. My mother had already picked him up."

The officers at the station took the matter seriously. After hearing their story, they began taking a statement.

They described the situation, as well as the child’s age, appearance, and what he was wearing. Xue Xingzhou also analyzed several possible scenarios for them.

He then drew a sketch of Shiyi for them on the spot.

Seeing this, one of the officers asked him, "You seem very familiar with this process. You’re not in the same line of work, are you?"

Xue Xingzhou nodded. "I used to be with the police department. Now I’m in a classified unit."

When the officers heard this, they instantly took the case even more seriously.

"So you suspect the traffickers have already left Beijing City and are heading to Yu Province."

Xue Xingzhou said, "I’m saying it’s a possibility. That train stopped in Beijing City for twenty minutes, which is enough time. I asked the staff at the train station. There are no stops between Beijing City and Yu Province. The train arrives directly at the Yu Province station a little after eight this morning."

"I was hoping you could call the station staff in Yu Province and ask them to pay close attention to anyone carrying a seven or eight-year-old child. The boy must have been drugged."

"We can do that. We’ll contact the staff at the train station first."

This was just one possibility. The officers also said that once the other staff arrived for their shift, they would dispatch officers to conduct searches and spread the word.

After leaving the police station, He Lang stood at the entrance, completely drained of spirit.

Xue Xingzhou clapped him on the shoulder. "Don’t lose hope. We’ll definitely find him."

He Lang gave Xue Xingzhou a bitter smile.

’He never thought something like this would happen to him. Shiyi was still so young. He had no idea who could have taken him. Before Xue Yue left, she had repeatedly told him to look after their son. But Xue Yue had only been gone for half a month, and now Shiyi was lost.’

"Let’s go back and change your clothes. We’ll wait until the other officers start their shifts before we decide what to do next."

He Lang had rushed out last night and wasn’t wearing thick enough clothes. He had been running around and broken a sweat, soaking his inner layers. In the cold night air, the wind was especially biting.

Xue Xingzhou noticed his lips were turning purple.

"It’s still the middle of the night. Let’s go back and wait for daylight."

Hearing a noise in the courtyard, Mrs. He got up and came out to see He Lang had returned.

He was alone, a chill coming off him, his shoulders slumped.

Mrs. He knew this meant he hadn’t been found yet. Her heart tightened. She walked over and said cautiously, "He Lang, you’re not dressed warmly enough. Go inside and put on more clothes. I’ll make you a bowl of noodles. Eat something to warm up, and then we can look again."

"Is Dad not back yet?"

"He came back once, but when he saw you weren’t here, he put on more clothes and left again."

He Lang went back to his room. Staring into the darkness, he clenched his fists.

He sat on a stool, staring blankly into space, his mind filled with images of Shiyi. He stood up, feeling he couldn’t rest. He changed his clothes and went out again. Just then, Mrs. He came out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles and saw He Lang open the main gate and leave.

Mrs. He wanted to call He Lang back and make him eat something before going, but he was already too far away. She could only take the bowl of noodles back into the kitchen. Staring at the bowl, she remained motionless for a long time as tears streamed down her face. ’If Shiyi can’t be found,’ she thought, ’I don’t want to live anymore.’

On the train to Yu Province, Gu Kai Zhi was sleeping with his eyes closed when he suddenly heard a noise. It sounded like a child, but after a few whimpers, it fell silent.

He opened his eyes. It was a little after five in the morning on the train, and everyone was dozing off. There was snoring, teeth grinding, and sleep talking. It was already quite noisy, but Gu Kai Zhi was sure he had just heard a child cry out, as if right next to him. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He looked around and finally spotted a middle-aged couple in the row behind him, on the other side of the aisle. He knew they were a couple because he had been there when they boarded and had heard the woman call the man her husband.

Gu Kai Zhi glanced at the child in the man’s arms. It was a little girl, her face buried in the man’s chest, making it hard to see clearly. However, the child was very well-dressed in a down jacket and a pair of small black leather boots—clearly the attire of a child from a wealthy family. He then looked at the couple. They wore old, dusty, cotton-padded jackets. The woman would periodically wipe her runny nose with her sleeve, her eyes darting toward the child in the man’s arms.

’At first, Gu Kai Zhi was just curious. But as he watched, he remembered that the child seemed to have been asleep even when they boarded. The man had carried the child over his shoulder. This child had actually slept for the entire journey.’

Gu Kai Zhi’s sharp senses told him something was off. He was a soldier. He had enlisted at sixteen and was already a platoon leader at just twenty-one. His hometown was in Yu Province. He had left home at sixteen and hadn’t been back in the five years since. He had recently performed a meritorious service, and his regimental commander had rewarded him with a leave to visit his family.

For the next few hours, Gu Kai Zhi kept his attention fixed on the couple.

When the train finally arrived at the station, Gu Kai Zhi stood up and turned to look at the couple behind him. The woman was carrying a small bundle, and the man picked up the little girl, getting ready to disembark.

As they passed Gu Kai Zhi, he suddenly bumped into the man.

The man immediately shot Gu Kai Zhi a ferocious look.

"You got a death wish?"

Gu Kai Zhi smiled at the man. "Sorry about that. My leg fell asleep, and I lost my balance."

The man was about to lose his temper, but the woman behind him gave him a nudge. He hesitated, shot Gu Kai Zhi a glare, and prepared to leave.

Gu Kai Zhi suddenly grabbed the man’s arm.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Gu Kai Zhi said with a smile, "Brother, I’m really sorry about that. I saw you’ve been holding the kid this whole way. Why don’t I help you carry her? I’ll give her back to you after we get off the train."

Hearing this, something flickered in the man’s eyes. He looked Gu Kai Zhi up and down. "No need. I’m strong enough. Move it, don’t block the way."

Gu Kai Zhi reached for the child. "Brother, don’t refuse. I’m young and strong. Let me help you."