Standing at the edge of the pedestrian crossing, the streetlights by his side emitted a slow ticking sound.
Di Mingjue gazed forward. In his peripheral vision, he felt Ye Shaoting’s gaze on him. Driven by curiosity, he turned his head.
Whether by coincidence or design, their eyes met.
“Thank you for your trouble today. If you and Ziyu hadn’t discovered the children’s predicament in time, I might not have known what was happening until things got worse,” Ye Shaoting said with a wry smile, expressing his gratitude to Di Mingjue.
While offering apologies, Di Mingjue detected guilt in his words. Was it for Xingxing?
“Everything happened by chance. Ziyu also missed the children around that time, so she decided to go to the venue of the Math Olympiad class to check on them,” Di Mingjue replied politely.
He rarely communicated with Ye Shaoting and was too formal, unsure how to interact.
Just then, the signal light by the roadside changed its tone. Amidst the hurried sound, people around them surged onto the pedestrian crossing. They followed the crowd to the other side of the road.
Facing restaurants of various styles, Di Mingjue chose a Chinese restaurant based on Xiaoran’s preference. Ye Shaoting followed him inside.
“Order from the list. They’ve all just experienced fear; avoid overly greasy or spicy food,” Ye Shaoting said.
Before he could speak, Di Mingjue had already begun selecting dishes according to the list and their tastes.
While waiting, Ye Shaoting openly watched Di Mingjue on the chair opposite him.
“Something you want to say?” Di Mingjue asked curiously.
He had sensed something amiss with Ye Shaoting from the moment they started their journey. After waiting for a long time, Ye Shaoting still hadn’t spoken.
Prompted by Di Mingjue’s inquiry, Ye Shaoting began to speak, “How did you find them then?”
So that’s what he wanted to ask!
Before Ye Shaoting spoke, Di Mingjue had thought it was something serious. He recalled the scene of finding Xiaoran and Xingxing and recounted it.
“Did you not see any suspects?” Ye Shaoting asked, confused.
Speaking of this, Di Mingjue also found it surprising. Since the perpetrators had gone to such lengths to kidnap them, why didn’t they demand money for ransom? They only held them for a while before releasing them.
Was it all to experience the thrill of kidnapping?
Seeing Di Mingjue fall silent, Ye Shaoting continued, “What are your thoughts on this matter?”
“The kidnapping was not a spur-of-the-moment act. Since they were captured and then released, there must have been a conflict among the accomplices. As for the nature of the conflict, only the parties involved would know,” Di Mingjue said, but he didn't reveal all his inner thoughts.
Upon seeing Xiaoran and Xingxing, he had silently speculated about the perpetrator’s actions. There was only one possibility: someone behind the scenes wouldn't allow him to harm Xiaoran and Xingxing. As to which of them was not to be harmed, he couldn’t draw a conclusion without concrete evidence at the moment.
Ye Shaoting observed Di Mingjue’s expression, a sense of foreboding growing in his heart.
“Sir, your food is ready to be packed,” a restaurant server approached with specially prepared takeaway boxes.
Taking the food, the two left the restaurant.
The journey back was similar to the journey there. The two walked side-by-side, yet like strangers, with no eye contact or verbal communication.
Upon returning to the hospital, Di Mingjue encountered a doctor from the laboratory in the hospital lobby. Just as the doctor was about to greet him, his gaze fell upon Ye Shaoting, and the mouth that had opened to speak closed again.
Seeing the laboratory doctor, Di Mingjue recalled what Ye Ziyu had said. It seemed he would need to visit the laboratory department before leaving the hospital.
With that thought, he unknowingly followed Ye Shaoting into the elevator.
“Mingjue, there are some urgent matters at the company. I’ll trouble you to take Xingxing back with you after the test results are out,” Ye Shaoting said.
An opportunity presented itself!
Without any hesitation, Di Mingjue immediately agreed, “Okay.”