Luo Huimei had been extremely worried ever since Yan and Li Sihan left, and she began to regret being such a useless mother to her daughter. She had discussed with Yan once about how she felt that Li Sihan was so unremarkable and unassuming that it was strange. So, why did I still let Yan leave with him? As time ticked by, her anxiety grew stronger and stronger. It reached a point where she wanted to close the shop for the day and go out to search for her daughter.
Mr. Zhou saw her fidgeting anxiously, so he said, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been anxious since our daughter left. Did something happen?”
Hearing those words, her worry grew. Then, she sat down in front of him. “Don’t you think that there is something strange about that Li Sihan?”
“He seems fine. Why are you being suspicious of him? What’s the problem? Isn’t he getting along well with Yan?” he replied.
“It’s suspicious precisely because there’s not a single thing wrong with him! Think about it; when Mrs. Zhang introduced potential suitors to the others, has she ever introduced a good man to them? There was always one problem or another with them. Originally, I was against this. Anyway, it’s not like we are desperate to find a partner for our daughter, right? I don’t know what Yan was thinking when she accepted the blind date!”
“What else would she be thinking about? Doesn’t she just want to get married? If she doesn’t want to get married, why would she go on a blind date?” he retorted.
She kept silent. A straight man’s way of thinking could really drive a person nuts.
“It’s fine if a young man couldn’t figure this out, but you’ve lived out half your life! How can the mind of such an old man be so narrow? Can’t you think out of the box for once? Yan is your daughter! How can you be so dismissive toward her?”
Mr. Zhou, who had been insulted for some unknown reason, said nothing in response. What did he say wrong? If it wasn’t for marriage, then why would she agree to the date? If she didn’t want to get married, then she could have simply rejected it.
Luo Huimei couldn’t be bothered to explain further. Instead, she picked up her phone. “I can’t wait any longer; I’m going to give her a call and see how things are.”
“I say; our daughter is a grown-up now. She has her own way of thinking. You should stop bothering her so that she doesn’t find us annoying.”
“I’m not trying to create an issue out of nothing. I’m worried about her. I’m worried that Li Sihan might do something unsavory to Yan. Can you understand that?”
Hearing that, he finally seemed to understand what she was worried about. T-To think that it was something like that! “Wait a minute; are you trying to say that Li Sihan will do something to Yan? What do you mean by that? Why would he do something bad to her when they’re getting along so well?”
“Did you not see the expression on Yan’s face when she left? I think she has decided to come clean with Li Sihan and break off their relationship tonight. Although Li Sihan seems like a polite gentleman on the surface, there are too many beasts wearing masks in this day and age. I’m just thinking of her safety.” While talking, she had already hit the call button. However, the phone rang for a long time, but nobody answered. She frowned. “What’s going on? Why isn’t she answering?”
Thus, she called again, but there was still no answer. Accordingly, Mr. Zhou started to get anxious. “Did something actually happen?”
Luo Huimei’s face turned solemn as she continued to call again and again, yet all her calls went unanswered.
“Quickly, call the police!” Mr. Zhou got up to walk outside, but Luo Huimei pulled him back. “What are you going to say to the police? We don’t know anything yet. Besides, they can’t have gone far. We need to close up the shop first. Then, let’s go to the nearby restaurants to look for them.”
“Alright.”
Due to the special circumstances, the husband and wife closed the shop early and let their employees leave work ahead of time. As they were preparing to leave, her phone finally rang.
“Is it Yan?”
“Yes, it is!” She answered the phone agitatedly. “Yan, are you alright? Did anything happen to you? Where are you? I called you so many times but you never answered the phone!”
Yan had expected this barrage of questions when she saw the many missed calls on her phone. After listening to all her mother’s questions, she slowly replied, “Mom, I’m fine…”
When they heard that their daughter’s voice was relatively normal, they were finally released from being on tenterhooks. “It’s good that you’re fine. You nearly scared us to death. What is the situation now? Where are you?”
Where am I? Looking around at her surroundings, she chewed on her lower lip. “I’m… at a friend’s house.”
“A friend’s house?”
“Yeah.”
“Which friend?”
“Dad, Mom, I won’t be going home today. I’ll go back tomorrow.”
Mr. Zhou and Luo Huimei exchanged a glance and saw a dangerous expression in each other’s eyes. Their daughter sounded relatively fine, but she mentioned being at a friend’s house. Furthermore, she wasn’t coming home tonight, and will only return tomorrow. No matter how they put it, something was amiss.
Luo Huimei was tempted to tell her daughter to blink her eyes if she had been kidnapped. However, they were on the phone right now, so that kind of communication was not suitable for this situation. Mulling over it, she asked, “Yan, didn’t you promise me that we’ll go back to our hometown together tomorrow? Why are you coming back so late? I can’t help but worry like this. What if we miss the train tomorrow?”
Yan was a little confused. “Mom, when have I ever agreed to go back to our hometown with you? Besides… when did we have a hometown to go back to anyway?”
Luo Huimei was speechless. This silly child! What kind of situation is she in right now?
“Silly child, you must have forgotten. Last night, we discussed this when we were sleeping together. Who says we don’t have a hometown? It’s at your grandmother’s place. Her legs aren’t working too well due to her old age. Two days ago, she fell again. So, we need to go and visit her.”
The more Yan heard, the more confused she became. It had been a long time since she had slept together with her mother, and they did not have a hometown. More importantly, her grandmother had passed away a few years ago. Why is Mom saying all this weird stuff today? After thinking it over, she had a sudden realization and finally understood the underlying meaning behind her mother’s words. Feeling exasperated, she explained softly, “Mom, don’t worry. I’m okay. You don’t have to come up with all that weird stuff anymore; I did not get kidnapped, nor am I being threatened. Li Sihan… is not a good person, but he should be in a hospital by now.”
“What? So, something did happen?”
“Yes.” She nodded. Taking a deep breath, her nose was filled with Han Qing’s scent. This fresh scent calmed her frightened nerves slowly, then she softly explained, “It’s not easy to explain over the phone right now, so I’ll explain everything when I get home tomorrow.”
“What are you thinking? Why aren’t you coming home after something has happened to you? How are we going to sleep tonight? Where are you right now? Quickly tell us the address. Your dad and I will go and pick you up.”
Yan was silent for a bit, then she said, “Mom, Dad, it’s fine. I-I’m at Little Bean’s uncle’s house.”
