The camera had not captured any close-ups of the woman’s features, since she had her head dipped low the whole time. No matter how much they zoomed in, they couldn’t find a frontal view of her face.
The only characteristics they knew were:
And that was all.
“Switch to the entrance camera,” commanded Lu Yi, sitting with one leg crossed over the other. His dark eyes were fixed on the screen. For some reason, he felt a vague pain in his heart. Something…inexplicable was eating at him and gnawing at his nerves.
“I’m on it,” said Lei Qingyi as he immediately got to work. Gaining access to those footages was a piece of cake for him, since his status allowed him to bypass any time-consuming procedures.
Without a word, Lu Yi sat before the computer, contemplating the skinny and pathetic woman.
That was when his phone at the side of the table rang. He picked it up and glanced at it; it was from Ye Shuyun.
He answered the call and brought the phone to his ears.
“Is there something wrong, Mom?”
“Come back right now, Lu Yi!” There was a chaotic ensemble in the background, compounded by Ye Shuyun’s anxious voice, Xunxun’s heart-rending wails, along with Lu Qi and Lu Guang’s howling.
Lu Qi and Lu Guang were normally well-behaved, but the sight of their sister crying had inspired them. They didn’t know why she was crying, but that didn’t stop them from joining in.
“I’ll be right there,” said Lu Yi. He hung up with a contemplative look in his eye, before tossing one last glance at the blurry figure on the screen.
As he approached his house, he could hear Xunxun’s wails from afar. He hastened up. When he got closer, he saw Ye Shuyun coaxing Xunxun to stop crying, while Lu Jin and nannies dealt with Lu Qi and Lu Guang.
Lu Yi received his daughter from Ye Shuyun. Xunxun looked pitiful with her eyes and nose red from crying. Her dainty face was full of tears, and even her long lashes were wet.
She kept sniffing, and the tears kept falling.
“Is she hungry?” Lu Yi stroked her tummy. It felt flat; she must be hungry.
“She’s not drinking her milk,” said Ye Shuyun as she picked up the baby bottle. Most of the time, Xunxun cried because she was hungry, and would quieten as soon as she was given her milk.
This time, however, she refused to eat or drink anything and just kept crying. Under her lead, Lu Qi and Lu Guang bawled their eyes out as well.
“Let me do it,” said Lu Yi as he took the baby bottle from Ye Shuyun. He dropped a few drops onto his arm; it was still warm.
With his daughter in one hand and the baby bottle in the other, he walked to the French window and drew the curtains.
In her great sorrow, Xunxun had sniveled and whimpered until her voice turned hoarse. She settled a little in her father’s arms, her face still red from crying. The redness, exaggerated by her milky-complexion, made her look extremely pitiful.
“Here. Drink up,” cooed Lu Yi as he offered her the bottle.
Little Xunxun received it with both hands. She was obedient toward her father, and she wasn’t alone in that regard. The difference was, Xunxun’s obedience stemmed from her unconditional trust and love, while Lu Qi and Lu Guang’s acquiescence was driven by their groundless fear towards Lu Yi. They loved their father, but their love was outweighed by fear.
Xunxun drank her milk obediently enough, but her tears kept falling. A girl at her age should not even know what sadness is, and it was rare to see her cry with such vigor.
Since Yan Huan went missing, Xunxun often cried when she couldn’t find her mother, but never to this extent.
Even after finishing a bottle of milk, Xunxun wasn’t looking very spirited. Perhaps the crying tired her. She leaned her head against Lu Yi’s shoulders and continued sniffing.
Lu Yi rubbed her head.
“Don’t be afraid, baby. No matter what happens, Papa will always be here.”
Xunxun looked up and tugged at Lu Yi’s sleeves with her tiny finger.
“What’s wrong?” asked Lu Yi, touching her face gently.
Xunxun moved her lips, but no sound came out.
Lu Yi stood before the window with Xunxun in his arms. Xunxun liked to look at the scenery from there, and wouldn’t throw a tantrum as long as she was there.
“Papa…” The mellow voice came with another tug of his sleeves.
Lu Yi couldn’t believe his ears.
Did Xunxun just talk? Did Xunxun just call him Papa?
“Papa…” repeated Xunxun clearly, her eyes meeting his eyes.
Lu Yi touched her face with tremulous hands. He felt a warm sensation in his eyes, and had to blink back tears. To think a man like him nearly broke down at the two syllables uttered by her daughter.
His daughter, his Little Xunxun, had finally spoken.
Xunxun huddled up close to him and pouted indignantly.
“Papa…”
“Mhm,” answered Lu Yi.
“Want Mama.”
Lu Yi covered her head with a large palm.
“Papa will definitely find Mama for Xunxun. Okay?”
“Mhm,” agreed Little Xunxun. That gave Lu Yi another shock. He then reached for his phone.
“Hello, Yibin? Lu Yi here. Come to my house. Xunxun has learned how to speak.”
Soon, He Yibin arrived, puffing wildly as though he had ran there on foot. He was drenched in sweat, and the back of his shirt stuck to his back uncomfortably.
But there was no time to care about that. When Lu Yi first told him the news, he was beyond belief. How did it happen? He knew Xunxun wasn’t a mute, and was only reluctant to talk, but how did the change happen so quickly?
It usually takes a lot longer to overcome such hurdles.
