Chapter 84: Searching for Su Baibai

After the crowds had dispersed, Qianyin and Molan finally caught sight of each other. It turned out both had been searching for Su Bai in the throng, but had not managed to meet up yet. One look was enough for them to know it was time to regroup, discuss the situation, and then resume the search.

Lengxue and An Feng exchanged glances, unable to fathom what it was about this girl called Bai that weighed so heavily on the hearts of these two women. She wasn’t even their real sister. Were they perhaps meddling too much in other people’s affairs?

“What exactly happened? I haven’t heard a thing,” Qianyin asked anxiously, her heart sinking as she hurried over. Could it be that someone from the boss’s side had acted already? Did they find out so quickly? Was this girl truly that important to them?

“The headmaster personally went to the chief of police and notified us of the situation. That’s why I came. We don’t know the cause yet, or whether it’s a kidnapping. She disappeared last night. I heard she left the school alone,” Molan explained.

Qianyin listened, feeling utterly helpless. She glanced at the bustling street—where could a little girl possibly go if she got lost here?

“Let’s split up to search. You all have seen Bai before. I’ll take this road, Qianyin will go that way, and you two pick whichever street you like,” Molan said, and immediately dashed off in her chosen direction.

Qianyin glanced at the two men, then headed down another street, keeping a watchful eye on the passing pedestrians in hopes of spotting Bai among them. The street was teeming with cars and people, but there was no sign of the little girl.

On Molan’s side, there were many street vendors and even more adults—finding a small girl hidden among them seemed impossible, and she was growing frantic. Where could the child possibly have gone? What had happened? Why did she leave on her own?

Though An Feng and Lengxue couldn’t understand why Su Bai deserved such concern, since their girlfriends insisted on searching, they had no choice but to help. Having given their word, both men were diligent, scrutinizing every passerby, nearly stopping people to check one by one.

Yet even after walking far and wide, retracing their steps for most of the day, the four still found no trace of Su Bai. Where could she have gone?

After half a day of searching, hunger and thirst finally overcame them, and they found a restaurant to eat. But Molan and Qianyin had no appetite—their men had practically dragged them in, insisting that skipping meals was bad for their health.

Seeing the women disinterested in the food, An Feng and Lengxue took the initiative to order their favorites, then sat quietly by, pondering their next move.

Qianyin and Molan bowed their heads, uncertain what to do. Should they print Bai’s photo and distribute flyers everywhere?

At that moment, a young woman’s voice drifted over, “Little girl, how did you end up fainting there all by yourself?”

“Thank you, auntie, but could you please not ask about my business?” came the voice of a young girl, and all four were instantly shocked.

They turned in unison to see Su Bai, her face a little pale, sitting and sipping soup in small sips, occasionally glancing up at the woman before her.

Molan and Qianyin’s first instinct was to rush over and seize her. When Su Bai saw them, she hung her head low, not daring to speak. One on each side, they gently gripped her shoulders and crouched down, looking into her face.

“Ladies, what are you doing?” asked the beautiful woman in confusion, startled by the sudden appearance of the two young women. Was this some sort of attempted child abduction?

“Sorry to trouble you. She’s our little sister. She snuck out of the academy, and we’ve been searching everywhere for her. We were just a bit anxious when we saw her,” Molan quickly explained, sensing the woman’s suspicion.

The woman still seemed unconvinced, but An Feng and Lengxue walked over and stood by in silence.

When Su Bai heard Molan call her their sister, she suddenly burst into tears with a loud wail.

The five at the table were startled, and others in the restaurant turned to watch, as if witnessing some drama unfold.

“Bai, what’s wrong? Don’t cry,” Qianyin said, flustered, sensing some people around were casting unfriendly looks—were they being suspected of kidnapping?

“Big sister, I—” Su Bai turned and threw herself into Qianyin’s arms, her tears streaming down and soaking her.

Molan stood up and caught the eye of a waiter, signaling for their food to be brought over to this table. And so, all of them gathered around a single table.

Qianyin glanced at Su Bai, not pressing her for explanations just yet, deciding to wait until she’d calmed down. She simply held her in her lap at the table.

“Thank you, beautiful lady, for all your trouble,” Molan said to the woman, seeing that Su Bai clung so tightly to Qianyin.

“It’s nothing. I found her fainted by the roadside. Someone had given her two buns, and I brought her here to eat,” the beautiful woman replied, her tone much warmer now that she was sure they were family.

“We still owe you our thanks. Please allow us to treat you to this meal,” An Feng said, not wanting it to appear the two men were just sitting idly by.

The woman simply nodded.

Soon the table was filled with delicious food. Tempted by the aroma, Su Bai glanced at Qianyin, then slipped from her arms and returned to her seat to eat.

Qianyin and Molan each placed a chicken drumstick on her plate—it was hers alone. It was nearly evening now; she must have been starving.

Seeing Bai’s plate so full, the woman refrained from giving her more. Throughout the meal, the three women fussed over Su Bai, while the two men watched enviously.

Afterwards, they thanked the woman and watched her leave, Bai keeping her head bowed and silent.

“Let’s go find your mother now.”

“No, I don’t want to go home.” Su Bai tried to break free, but neither woman would let go; each took an arm and bundled her into the car.

As they had taken Lengxue’s car, An Feng followed in his own, a slow and solitary drive that left him feeling abandoned. He regretted bringing two cars, though in truth he was not familiar with the route to the headmaster’s house.

Once in the car, they did not question Su Bai further, allowing her to sit quietly between them, intending to bring her back to the headmaster’s wife for her to handle personally.

Since the headmaster’s wife had adopted Su Bai, it was her duty to act as a parent to her. But Bai—how mischievous she was, running away from home at such a young age! Who had taught her such things?

These past days, the headmaster’s wife had been beside herself with worry, her heart full of longing for Bai, waiting at the door for her return. When the headmaster came home and saw his wife pacing anxiously, he said, “My dear, Bai will be back soon. Don’t worry.”