Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Her words caused Si Zhengting’s hand to freeze in mid-air.
She wouldn’t forgive her… and then?
And then she would… divorce him?
He had always known that Mother Zhuang was extremely important to her. In the past, he had misunderstood her and thought that she had broken up with him because of Mother Zhuang. Hence, he had always compared the treatment that Zhuang Nainai gave to him and to her mother.
But now, he suddenly could understand her very well.
Placing himself in her position, he thought, how well could he possibly do?
However, there was still a piercing pain in his heart.
After a moment, he nodded, then reached out and patted her shoulder. “Nainai, I’m not saying that we should let her off the hook completely. As to what really happened, let’s look for my mother first before reaching a conclusion. The most important thing is to look for my mother first, right?”
This was the first time that they were resolving their issues through words and not through an argument. Thus, Nainai raised her head, dazed. She stared at Si Zhengting for a moment before nodding.
Si Zhengting helped Zhuang Nainai up, then spoke to the director in English. Later, he told Zhuang Nainai, “The director says that they’ve already notified the police. However, she hasn’t been missing for 24 hours yet, so the police are unable to start searching for her. In any case, Kentucky’s rather large and many people live in the rural areas. Thus, even if the police take on this missing persons report, the probability of them managing to find her is very low. The convalescent home has already uploaded some notices on the Internet and on television. Any person who has seen the notices and spots Mother Zhuang will give the convalescent home a call.”
He added, “I’ve asked him to include a reward in the missing persons notice. Whoever provides us with information will receive US$10,000 as a reward.”
They could only do so much for now.
Zhuang Nainai nodded after listening to him.
The director arranged for the trio to wait in a room in the convalescent home for updates on the situation. None of them were willing to leave the home. If they had been more familiar with Kentucky, they would’ve immediately left to search for Mother Zhuang in person.
Si Zhengting made a few calls. The police eventually accepted the case earlier than they were supposed to, and the local gang also recruited a few people to search for Mother Zhuang.
As he was in a foreign land, Si Zhengting’s power was limited. He could only do so much. All that was left for them to do was wait anxiously.
But…
Nothing.
There was no news.
Even though a few people called in saying that they had spotted her, the information they provided was very insignificant. Mother Zhuang seemed to have avoided people after leaving the home and, thus, very few people had actually seen her.
They waited until late in the night, but there was still no news.
Zhuang Nainai was terrified.
She stared into space, not knowing what to do.
Si Zhengting observed her, thinking to himself that she was in a terrible condition. However, he was the worst possible person to counsel her in this situation.
He couldn’t help but look at Gu Deshou.
Gu Deshou had been sitting in a daze by his side for the past ten odd hours. If Si Zhengting hadn’t passed him a bottle of water, he probably wouldn’t have remembered that he had to eat and drink.
In that moment, Gu Deshou’s brows were furrowed in displeasure. How did he look like a competent father in such a situation?
His daughter was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Shouldn’t he be consoling her instead?
Si Zhengting was about to say something when he saw a tear rolling down Gu Deshou’s cheek. Gu Deshou suddenly wrapped his hands around his head and sighed deeply before saying, “It’s all my fault. She hadn’t been living well all these years, and it’s my fault! But I couldn’t find her back then. When I finally managed to find her, this happened…”
