"My husband sent me to check on you, doesn't that mean he's worried about you?"
There was still no sound from the room.
The housekeeper gradually felt something was wrong, so he cautiously pushed the door. To his surprise, the door, which he thought was locked, opened easily.
With a sense of unease, the housekeeper strode in, only to find the room empty. The chair where the child had placed his schoolbag was also vacant.
The schoolbag was gone from the chair.
The tablet, computer, and mobile phone that the husband had given to the child were still on the bedside table.
This was bad!
The housekeeper quickly turned and ran to the study.
"Sir, the child is gone!"
"Miss Ning, I apologize, but we'll have to discuss this business another day. The housekeeper will arrange for someone to see Miss Ning out."
Mr. He stood up abruptly, quickly instructed Ning Xin, and then went out to search.
This time, the housekeeper had learned his lesson and personally escorted Ning Xin out of the study and towards the main gate. Ning Xin suddenly said, "The child going missing is partly my fault. I want to help you search."
"This..."
"I'm worried something might happen to the child." Ning Xin's expression was sincere, her guilt and remorse seeming to come from the heart, appearing genuine.
The housekeeper was also worried about the child, so he agreed.
He led Ning Xin to Mr. He, who was by the main gate. Mr. He's expression was dark and terrifying. He had just asked the security guard at the gate, who confirmed he had indeed seen the child leave with his schoolbag.
He had also questioned the child.
The child had said he wanted to play hide-and-seek with Mr. He and had asked the guard not to tell. The guard believed him and, had Mr. He not appeared with such an unusual demeanor, would have genuinely tried to conceal the truth.
The housekeeper was furious. "You believed such an absurd lie?!"
The security guard looked very innocent and wronged. "I saw that Mr. He usually treats the child very well, and they've played games before..."
The housekeeper was rendered speechless.
For a moment, he didn't know whether to blame the childlike Mr. He for playing hide-and-seek with the child, or to admire the child's incredible ability to deceive.
Mr. He gathered all the security guards and gardeners in the house and, following the direction indicated by the security guard, pursued.
It had rained last night, and there were still some wet patches on the road, leaving behind footprints that aided their pursuit.
However, when they followed the tracks to the edge of a forest, they had to stop, staring at the trees, none daring to enter.
The housekeeper's face was anxious. "If the child really went in there, the situation is dire."
This forest was strictly prohibited by the state. It was vast, and filled with countless wild beasts and birds.
Mr. He's fingertips trembled. "No, this child wouldn't go in there. He must want to go home the most right now."
He wasn't the type to play truant and run off to a place like this.
The housekeeper, however, couldn't maintain his optimism. "But the tracks we followed lead here. All the evidence proves he definitely went in. Sir, please let me lead a team in to search. I guarantee I'll bring the child back!"
"No!"
Mr. He flatly refused.
The forest was too large, and besides national personnel, no one else had ever entered. Moreover, they had only returned from abroad less than six months ago.
They were also unfamiliar with this forest.
"The forest is muddy, and there are too many trees. It's easy to get lost. You're getting old; you shouldn't risk going in."
The housekeeper, however, sensed another meaning in Mr. He's words. "You're not thinking of going in yourself, are you?"
Mr. He neither confirmed nor denied.
The housekeeper had followed him for many years. If he couldn't understand what his silence meant at this moment, then those decades would have been in vain. "No, absolutely not. Your health has just recovered. There might be miasma in the forest, and miasma is often poisonous. What if something happens to you..."
He couldn't bear to imagine the scene of his employer meeting with an accident.
Ning Xin also disagreed. After a moment's hesitation, she stepped forward to persuade him. "Mr. He, I think the housekeeper is right. You haven't been in a forest like this before and don't know how dangerous it is. Not to mention the birds and beasts, even some of the poisonous creatures in this forest might be too much for you to handle."
"If it's so dangerous, I'm even less likely to let him go into the forest alone."
Ning Xin pursed her lips and said, "This child is very clever. I believe he'll be fine."
"Miss Ning, this is my family matter." Mr. He did not accept her concern at all. He was filled with a distant, unwelcoming aura, even feeling that she was speaking lightly because she wasn't involved.
Not concerned, therefore able to speak so casually.
"We'll discuss our cooperation later. As you can see, I have more important things to do right now and have no energy to entertain you. Housekeeper, see Miss Ning out."
Ning Xin froze.
The housekeeper stepped forward and said, "Miss Ning, you've heard Mr. He. Please."
Although Ning Xin had been on the same side as him just now, he simply didn't like her. If it weren't for her, this whole ordeal wouldn't have happened today.
Ning Xin gritted her teeth slightly, glanced at Mr. He, and finally said nothing, turning to leave.
Her car had been parked by the roadside, and her assistant was waiting inside. Seeing her get in, he had intended to ask how the cooperation talks had gone, but upon seeing her expression, he swallowed his words.
Better not to ask.
Ning Xin looked out the window, her side profile reflected on the glass, filled with coldness. "Immediately gather your people and go down to search."
"...Search for whom?"
"Shen Jinxi."
The assistant fell silent.
How could Shen Qingqing's child be here? Even if something happened to the child, why would his boss be the one to send people to search?
These questions swirled in his mind like a tangled ball of yarn. He couldn't unravel them, nor did he dare to ask further. He could only quickly gather his men to search.
Ning Xin lowered her gaze, contemplating inwardly.
If she had known things would escalate to this point, she shouldn't have made a move against Shen Jinxi.
She should have been calmer.
Police station.
The door of the interrogation room where Shen Qingqing was located was suddenly opened.
She looked up.
A young police officer stood there. "Evidence confirms the necklace was indeed transferred into your bag. You are suspected of theft. We will now notify your family."
After all, she had been detained. They would see if the case could be settled privately or if her family needed to negotiate with the victim.
Shen Qingqing hesitated for a moment and made a call to Fu Jingshu.
The elderly matriarch and her father were both inconvenient. One was too old, and the other needed to manage affairs at home. The only person she could think of now was Fu Jingshu.
The phone rang for a long time before it was finally answered.
Shen Qingqing let out a sigh of relief and was about to explain everything that had happened today when she suddenly heard a woman's voice on the other end.
"Hello, may I ask who is speaking?"
Shen Qingqing was silent for a long time, then asked softly, "And who are you?"
"Me..." The woman paused, her voice carrying a touch of clarity. "Are you looking for Brother Fu? He's unavailable to take calls right now. Would you like to leave your name, and I'll relay your message?"