As his words sunk in, the two other children spun themselves around. Ye Shuyun was on the brink of tears as she watched the three pairs of large, naïve eyes blinking right back at her.
How was she going to explain to the young kids that their mother was missing, that she could not be found, and might not ever be found anymore? They were looking at the television – they might be able to see their mother, but they would never be able to touch her or feel her warmth.
“Mama?” Little Xunxun stood up abruptly and dashed forward. She stood before the television and reached out her little hand, touching the image of the woman displayed on the television.
“Mama, mama…” She pressed her little face against the television and let out a heart-wrenching wail. Large beads of tears rolled down her face. Xunxun was still tearful as before, but it was only when she longed for her dear mother that she would cry the hardest.
Witnessing their sister crying, the two boys followed suit as tears began streaming down their faces.
Ye Shuyun immediately scurried over, took hold of the remote control and switched off the television. However, as little Xunxun noticed that her mother on the television was gone, she began shrieking at the top of her lungs; her tears pouring.
“Mama, mama…”
She wanted mama. She wanted her mama, she wanted to see mama.
Ye Shuyun hoisted her into her arms and comforted her. She called for the two housekeepers to bring the crying boys out of the room. They were easier to calm down and would regain composure very soon, unlike Xunxun. Once she was in her usual screaming fit, she would not give up until she had cried herself to death.
This child had inherited her mother’s charm, yet her temper was exactly the same as Lu Yi’s when he was younger. Once he had his mind set on something, he would never forget it his entire life.
Xunxun might not be able to remember much but she definitely remembered her mother. She knew by heart of her mother’s appearance. At the same time, clouding the majority of her memory was the assumption that her mother had gone missing and had abandoned her.
Moreover, Xunxun still could not speak well. No, to put it this way, she was just unwilling to speak, rather than being unable to speak. Lu Qi and Lu Guang were already capable of having a basic conversation with the adults, but Xunxun could not.
Tears continued to spill from Xunxun’s eyes, pushing Ye Suyun to her limits as she began to weep along.
At the moment, Lu Yi was at work. Ever since Yan Huan’s disappearance, he had hardly displayed any emotion. It was as if his face was just frozen like this, the corners of his lips had never curved upward and his eyes held no warmth. While handling cases, he looked even more rigid and emotionless. He had put many people in prison this year, and Prosecutor Lu’s outstanding working capability had grown to be almost proportional to his intimidating face. His means were brutal, but his face was more aloof and his heart was even more ruthless.
At this moment, he emitted a repulsing aura. His coldness and apathy could be sensed even before approaching him.
He was notably impersonal now, and he was quite irritable as well.
One could tick the heaven and earth off, but never in their right mind should they vex Lu Yi. This was something every businessman in Sea City should take note of.
If he had caught someone red-handed, they would get skinned alive even if they managed to escape death. Furthermore, he would neither show any sentiment nor give face. He was cold, indifferent and did not show kindness to anyone. As he continued to step up the ladder at work, he had the final say, and no one in the entire procuratorate would ever dare object. He could even conceal the truth from everyone as he wished, but he would never do so.
He once said that this world was a reasonable realm. If the others were not amenable to the idea, he would do so on their behalf.
Yu Bo stood aside in silence. He dared not make a single sound, to the extent where he paid much attention to his breathing to keep it as quiet as possible. At this moment, he was cautious and solemn, and he dreaded getting under Lu Yi’s skin. Although Lu Yi would never wring his neck, nothing would change the fact that it was beyond torturing to be forced to stand under the air-conditioner in the winter.
However, why is it getting colder and colder here? Well, can I go out for a little sun? Chief Prosecutor Lu did not seem to be in a good mood today, with that sullen face of his.
No, that was not right. It was not merely a sullen face. In fact, this was just how Chief Prosecutor Lu looked like on a day-to-day basis.
Just as he felt he could no longer endure the cold, with his face and neck went red, Lu Yi’s phone rang on one side.
Lu Yi picked up his cell phone. Instantly, Yu Bo let out a sigh of relief, and it felt like something had been lifted off his shoulders. Large drops of cold sweat had formed on his forehead, and he stealthily wiped it off.
Lu Yi placed the phone near his ear.
“Yes, mom. It’s me.”
It was a call from Old Madam Lu. Yu Bo really wanted to cheer when he heard the appellation from Lu Yi. Is Chief Prosecutor Lu not coming tomorrow? Can I have a day off tomorrow?
Lu Yi frowned. His deeply furrowed brow almost formed the Chinese character ‘川’, which he had never shown before in his entire life. Throughout the year, many creases had begun to inhabit his face indefinitely.
“Mom, pass the phone to Xunxun.”
With his phone in hand, he rose to his feet and walked over to the window. He stared into the distance, gazing blankly.
Ye Shuyun dried her tears and placed the cell phone by Xunxun’s small, reddened ear.
“Baby, papa wants to talk to Xunxun.”
Xunxun sniffled as the large teardrops continued streaming down her face.
“Baby, this is papa,” Lu Yi spoke over the phone. He knew his daughter was listening. Although she could not speak yet, she was bright enough to understand what he was saying.
Xunxun bit her rosy little lips and sobbed loudly, giving away the fact that she had cried for a long time.
“Baby, papa knows that you’re a good and obedient baby. A good baby should listen to grandma, okay? The mommy you saw is at a place very far from us. But since Baby could see mommy, mommy can see us too. Mommy would be sad if Baby is crying. Haven’t papa said that mommy will return soon if Baby behaves?”
Dejected, Xunxun pursed her pouty little lips, her tears still falling unceasingly.
“Baby, did you hear papa?”
Lu Yi spoke to his daughter again. He could hear the little girl’s sobbing. He had taken care of Xunxun since young, and ever since Yan Huan went missing, he served as both a mother and father for her, so nobody understood Xunxun better than he did, and nobody was dearer to Xunxun than he was. At home, Xunxun would only listen to him; when Xunxun was in tears, only he could console her. Otherwise, she would cry herself to death like how she just attempted to.
Lu Yi waited for his daughter’s reply. Xunxun was one and a half years old. Although she was little and finicky, he knew that his daughter was, in fact, just an obedient little lamb.
Again, Xunxun sniffled as another tear fell to the ground with a splat.
She nodded her little head lightly, despite that, her tears still threatened to spill.
“Baby, papa is coming home soon. You must behave – don’t cry.”
