"Sorry, I got caught in traffic and lost a lot of time. You must have been waiting impatiently?" Liu Yifeng said apologetically.
Su Wanru smiled indifferently, "It's fine, I haven't waited long. On the contrary, you must have worked hard putting up missing person posters. Sit down quickly and rest. The food will be served soon."
"Miss Su, Yifeng mentioned you are treating, would you mind if I joined for a meal?" Xia Qianqian asked with a smile.
"Of course not. You are Yifeng's friend, so you are my friend too. Come, sit next to me!" Su Wanru deliberately moved her chair inward.
The four of them then sat down. Su Wanru looked at Tongtong and asked, "Tongtong, how was the competition this afternoon? Was it difficult?"
Before Tongtong could speak, Xia Qianqian's voice chimed in, "For Tongtong, it might have been a piece of cake, but for us, it was as difficult as climbing to heaven. He assembled a nearly one-meter-long model airplane in less than an hour and a half, with over a hundred parts, some of which were particularly heavy. None of the other contestants managed to assemble theirs. Tongtong is simply a god in my eyes." She spoke with a look of admiration.
Su Wanru listened and couldn't help but give Tongtong a thumbs-up, "Tongtong, you're truly amazing, you can even assemble model airplanes. What is there that you can't do in this world?"
Tongtong blushed a little at the praise, "Before assembly, the program group showed the assembly process, that's why I could do it!"
"You're being too modest. I watched it and I still couldn't do it. None of the other contestants succeeded either, which shows how difficult it is!" Xia Qianqian finished speaking just as the dishes arrived.
The first dish served was curry chicken wings, rich and fragrant, the smell of curry wafting from afar. It was followed by the second dish, spring rolls with shrimp, and the very famous Tom Yum Goong soup. The remaining dishes were all related to curry. After all, Thai cuisine is all about that curry flavor. A total of six dishes were ordered, all exquisitely presented.
"I don't know what you all like to eat, these were recommended by the staff. If you want anything else, just order it!" Su Wanru said, looking at the dishes on the table.
Liu Yifeng immediately replied, "There are more than enough dishes, we won't be able to finish if we order more."
After he spoke, Xia Qianqian chimed in, "These dishes look delicious, much more authentic than the Thai food I've had before. Thank you, Miss Su, for treating me to such wonderful Thai cuisine."
"I'm glad you like it, don't be so polite." Su Wanru then looked at Tongtong, "Tongtong, can you eat these dishes?"
Tongtong nodded while eating curry rice, "Yes, I can. Thank you, Auntie Su!"
"Look at you all, always thanking me. If you keep being so formal, I'll get angry." The group then focused on eating.
At this moment, Su Wanru remembered something, "Yifeng, you mentioned on the phone earlier that a little boy from your program group argued with his mother and ran off. He still hasn't been found. Was it because he lost the competition and didn't make it into the top three?"
"Yes, so his mother scolded him at the program site. They had an argument, and then the child ran off. His mother chased after him and scolded him again, and that's how the child disappeared without a trace. We don't know where he went."
After hearing Liu Yifeng's explanation, Su Wanru shook her head, "How can parents be like this? It's already remarkable for a child to be in this program, let alone to make it into the top four. It's something so many parents dream of. Instead of being satisfied, she scolds him for not making it into the top three. Isn't that negating the child's efforts?" Although she didn't have children, she wasn't an unreasonable person. Compared to a child's grades, she cared more about their physical and mental well-being.
"Who says not? But she doesn't understand these things, and she cares more about the results. If I were her child, I would have gone crazy long ago. The fact that he's persisted this far shows he's quite strong." In the past, Xia Qianqian quite disliked Song Yicheng, thinking he was immature and had a bad temper. But after hearing the boy's words this afternoon, she felt more pity, pity for his situation. His family wasn't lacking money; if he were nurtured spiritually, he would surely be a fine child. Instead, he was ruined like this by his biased mother. She hoped that after he was found, Song's mother would truly realize her mistake and stop forcing him to study.
"We outsiders can't get involved with people like that. What I'm worried about now is Song Yicheng's safety. He's alone in an unfamiliar place, without money or a phone. If he encounters any danger, it won't be good," Liu Yifeng said.
Su Wanru just took a deep breath and remained silent. Although she sympathized with Song Yicheng's plight, he wasn't her relative or friend's child. She could only offer sympathy; she couldn't worry about him or feel lost like his family members would. Her mind was filled with Yun Duo'er's matter. With Xia Qianqian present, it was difficult for her to speak up. After all, it wasn't even certain if Yun Duo'er was her sister, and even if she was, Yun Duo'er's identity would be different. It was better not to publicize such matters unless Yun Duo'er agreed.
"Wanru, are you preoccupied with something? You seem absent-minded. If there's anything, just say it," even the straightforward Liu Yifeng noticed her distraction.
"It's nothing, let's eat!" Su Wanru smiled.
By the time they finished eating, it was half-past eight. Throughout the entire meal, Su Wanru, without makeup, didn't get a chance to speak to Liu Yifeng alone. At nine o'clock, Liu Yifeng drove Tongtong and Xia Qianqian back to the hotel. Xia Qianqian did not go to Liu Yifeng's room. Liu Yifeng and Tongtong were about to play a puzzle game; they still had a part of the previous puzzle unfinished, and the competition was almost over, so they had to finish it quickly. As they had just placed a few pieces, Liu Yifeng's phone rang. He answered it with a hint of confusion, "Hello, Wanru, what's wrong?"
"Yifeng, I have something I need your help with. Is it convenient for me to come over?"
Liu Yifeng knew Su Wanru had something on her mind and immediately replied, "Yes, it's convenient. It's just me and Tongtong in the room. I'll send you the hotel and room number right away!" He sent her the location after hanging up. Less than twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Liu Yifeng put down the puzzle he was holding and went to open it. Without a doubt, he knew it was Su Wanru. When he opened the door, she was indeed standing there.
Su Wanru looked at Liu Yifeng and said apologetically, "Yifeng, I'm so sorry to bother you so late."
"During dinner, you said not to be so formal. How long has it been, and you're already being formal again? Come in quickly, let's talk inside." Su Wanru then walked in and saw Tongtong working on a large puzzle, already three-quarters complete.
"Auntie Su, you're here!" Tongtong greeted Su Wanru sweetly when he saw her, then went back to diligently working on the puzzle. Although he was young, he knew why Auntie Su was looking for Daddy. He could answer whether Auntie Su's suspicions were correct. However, he didn't intend to interfere and let the adults handle it themselves.