Chapter 6: Zhou Wanfeng Is Missing
The two came downstairs one after the other.
Yun Lan’s expression was unnatural. She looked at her mother, Yang Yijun, with a sense of urgency, and upon hearing the footsteps behind her, she subconsciously quickened her pace.
Zhou Wanfeng was still wearing the pea-green school uniform. Yun Jingya’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment; she had actually picked out the new clothes, thinking this younger sister would come downstairs wearing them.
Yun Lan sat down next to her mother, her palms cold. She lowered her head, pretending to talk to the little fatty.
Seeing Zhou Wanfeng come downstairs, Yang Yijun smiled. “Why didn’t you try on the new clothes? Don’t you like them?”
Zhou Wanfeng glanced at Yun Lan, who was talking with her head down, then at the hypocritically smiling Yang Yijun. She couldn’t help but smirk, a sound full of sarcasm.
In her past life, the tactics she had encountered were all forceful and aggressive, usually ending in a fight.
Now, they were using soft knives. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t be the first to strike.
Just as Granny Zhang was about to step forward, Yang Yijun stopped her with a look and smoothed things over herself. “It’s alright if you don’t like them. We can go to the mall and buy a couple of outfits another day.”
Zhou Wanfeng ignored them and pushed the door open to leave.
As soon as she was gone, Granny Zhang pointed at her retreating back and exclaimed angrily, “She has no manners at all, ignoring her elders when they speak. Who does that? Country bumpkins are just crude.”
The little fatty, Yun Chengbin, stood up and ran to the door to look outside. He actually wanted to see the knife trick again.
“Jingya, take your brother upstairs to play,” Yang Yijun said, noticing her daughter’s flustered state and fearing the children would sense something was wrong.
Once the two children had gone upstairs, Yun Lan clasped her hands over her chest and frowned. “Mom, my heart is in a turmoil. I said all those things you told me to say, but I feel terrible. After saying those harsh words, I looked at her and remembered she’s even younger than my Jingya. Her grandmother just passed away not long ago, and when she came looking for her father, I drove her away. I feel so malicious.”
Yun Lan’s eyelashes trembled, and she pouted, her heart softening with regret. “If Zhiru finds out I said those harsh things to his child, will he think I’m wicked and cruel?”
Yang Yijun patted her shoulder to soothe her. “You have to think of it this way: everyone is selfish, right? You only have to be cruel this one time. Or are you saying you can be her stepmother and guarantee you won’t treat them differently? Over time, she’ll resent you for being unfair. To be blunt, I’m happy to have you all living here. I’m happy when I see you happy. But what is she? Going back to her hometown is the best thing for her. Don’t feel bad. Give her more money in the future, buy her more clothes and stationery and mail them to her. You can even have her over for a few days during the winter and summer breaks. How many good stepmothers like you can be found in the whole country? Which stepmother pays out of her own pocket to support her stepchild?”
Yun Lan’s mood did not improve. Her eyelashes fluttered, her face still filled with unease.
Yang Yijun stroked her daughter’s face and sighed inwardly. A woman in her thirties, still like a child who hadn’t grown up.
At six o’clock, standing by the attic window, she could see the glow of the sunset in the west.
Zhou Wanfeng changed into her white lace-up sneakers. The clothes she had washed in the morning were dry. She packed them in her backpack, closed the door, and went down the same stairs she had come up yesterday.
Her expression was calm, her eyes cold. She strode forward without hesitation.
In the courtyard, Old Dong was holding a dish, feeding the few koi. Seeing her approach, he subconsciously stood up and bowed his head.
He knew this was President Zhou’s child from his hometown.
Zhou Wanfeng walked past without a glance.
Old Dong stood behind her, seeing the backpack she was carrying. He looked at the sky, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times before letting out a soft “hey.” He watched her walk out the main gate. He glanced back at the main house, where nothing seemed amiss, and thought she might just be out for a walk. But she was carrying a backpack, which felt wrong.
The kitchen was particularly busy today. Auntie Fang and Xiao Ling were also helping out. Granny Zhang came in from time to time to check on their progress. Seeing Old Dong standing by the fishpond for a long time and now heading towards the main gate, she walked out with a sullen face.
“Old Dong, what are you doing? I asked you to feed the fish, and you’re taking forever. It’s getting dark, why haven’t you turned on the courtyard lights? You do this every day, must I remind you over and over?” Granny Zhang grumbled, but saw Old Dong walking towards her.
Old Dong wiped his hands on his smock, his thick brows furrowed. “Auntie Zhang, I saw that child from the family leave just now. It’s getting dark, should we go look for her?”
Hearing that Zhou Wanfeng had gone out, Granny Zhang was unconcerned. “She’s not a three-year-old, what’s there to look for? She’s the one who’s clinging to us, is she going to leave on her own? She’ll come back obediently when it’s time for dinner.”
“But I saw her leave with a backpack. You don’t need a backpack for a walk nearby,” Old Dong said, feeling uneasy. It had been half an hour since she left, and she hadn’t returned. He grew more and more anxious.
“She’s from the countryside, small-minded. She has to keep her few belongings under her nose. She’s probably afraid someone in the house will covet them,” Granny Zhang sneered. She came here so shamelessly, she won’t leave that easily.
Completely unconcerned, she waved her hand and told Old Dong to hurry up and turn on the courtyard lights. As soon as it got dark, the whole yard would be plunged into blackness.
At a little past seven, dishes were brought from the kitchen to the dining table one by one. A few time-consuming dishes were still simmering on the stove.
Yun Lan came downstairs in a different outfit, a light pink, flowing dress, and her hairstyle had also been changed. Yang Yijun looked her up and down and praised with a smile, “Beautiful.”
“Is it? I saw it in a mall abroad. Jingya said it looked good on me, so I bought it, along with these diamond-studded sandals.” Yun Lan lifted the hem of her skirt in a theatrical curtsy, then sat down next to Yang Yijun, smiling. “Zhiru also said I look good in pink.”
After speaking, she glanced around the first-floor hall and whispered, “Mom, she hasn’t come down?”
“Dinner hasn’t started yet. Why would she come down so early to chat with us?” Yang Yijun disliked Yun Lan’s indecisive nature. She had already said the harsh words, and now she was getting soft-hearted again.
The kitchen auntie brought a few main dishes to the table.
Yun Lan glanced at the time. “Auntie Zhang, it’s seven-thirty. Zhiru should be home soon. Go and call the children down for dinner.”
Granny Zhang acknowledged and went up to the third floor. After calling Miss Jingya and Young Master Chengbin, she continued up the stairs to the attic.
Yun Jingya tilted her head and pulled Chengbin to wait at the top of the stairs, wanting to go down together.
Granny Zhang started calling from the stairs, but there was no answer. The attic was dark, with no lights on. She pouted, thinking to herself that she was probably sleeping again. With a look of disgust, she walked to the attic door and called out, “Hello? Time for dinner. What’s wrong with you, sleeping at this hour?”
She reached out to knock, but the door swung open.
The quilt on the bed was neatly folded. There was no one there.
She turned on the light. The toiletries were in a basin, a pair of slippers were under the bed, but her shoes and bag were all gone.
Only then did Granny Zhang remember what Old Dong had told her earlier. What time had he said it was?
She started to panic, and her mind went blank. She couldn’t remember.
Despite her tough talk with Old Dong, it was all a front. She had never imagined that the girl would leave without a word. She had never seen anything like it.
She lifted her skirt and clattered down the stairs, ignoring the two children, and ran all the way to the first floor, almost out of breath.
She raised her arm and pointed towards the attic, panting, “Old Mistress… huff, huff, that child is gone… she… she’s gone.”
Yang Yijun didn’t hear clearly. “Slow down. What did you say happened to Zhou Wanfeng?”
“Huff, huff… gone. She’s not in the attic. She left a while ago,” Granny Zhang said, catching her breath. “Old Dong saw her leave. I thought she was just out for a walk, but I didn’t expect her to be gone for good.”
Hearing that Zhou Wanfeng had left on her own, Yun Lan was stunned for a moment, then her eyes turned red. She was too anxious to sit still and grabbed Yang Yijun’s hand. “Mom, let’s send someone to look for her. I’m scared.”
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became.
“What are you panicking for? What time did she leave?”
Granny Zhang thought for a moment. “Around six o’clock.”
Everyone looked at the clock on the wall. It had been an hour and a half. Even if she had gone out for a walk, she should have been back by now.
Yun Lan was filled with anxiety and panic. “Let’s call the police. What if something happens? Zhiru will blame me to death.” She was terrified of the aftermath.
Yun Jingya went over and hugged her, comforting her.
“What’s there to panic about? She’s twelve and of sound mind. She managed to come to Yunhai City from Dongshan all by herself. Don’t underestimate her.” Yang Yijun didn’t think anything would happen to Zhou Wanfeng on her own.
That child had a pair of calm and steady eyes. It was just that she was a little surprised that she had left just like that.
The hall was in a state of chaos. Old Dong was called in and questioned repeatedly, until the sound of a car pulling up at the gate was heard.
Zhou Zhiru was back.
The little fatty, Yun Chengbin, was the first to run and open the door. “Dad, the sister who was staying with us left on her own.”
Zhou Zhiru frowned subconsciously. He scanned the room but didn’t see Zhou Wanfeng. He noticed that his wife, Yun Lan, had red-rimmed eyes and was timidly avoiding his gaze.
Yang Yijun sighed and explained, “When it was time for dinner, Auntie Zhang went up to call her and found that she was gone. It’s my fault for being careless. I’m not familiar with the child, and I was afraid she would feel constrained and uncomfortable if I talked to her too much. When Yun Lan came back this afternoon, they were together for a while. I never thought she would leave on her own with her backpack.”
She was glossing over the important details.
Zhou Zhiru took a deep breath. Yun Lan personally took his briefcase and said in a small voice, “It’s all my fault for telling her to go back to her hometown.”
Zhou Zhiru took off his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt cuffs, and rolled them up. He called for the kitchen auntie to pour him a glass of water. He showed no signs of panic. Seeing the food on the dining table, he told Auntie Fang to take Jingya and Chengbin to eat first.
“Master, I saw her leave at six o’clock. Should we go to the train station to look for her?” Old Dong said with a guilty look. He should have stopped her then.
Zhou Zhiru gestured for everyone to calm down. His expression was composed, with no trace of anxiety in his eyes.
His calmness struck Yang Yijun as strangely cold-blooded.
Seeing that the two children had been taken to the dining room by Auntie Fang, Zhou Zhiru turned to speak to Yang Yijun. “Mom, I had no choice but to send Zhou Wanfeng to you. To be honest, I didn’t bring her here, nor did I call her to come. She really did buy a ticket and come on her own without telling anyone.
“The train station police station called me, and I sent Old Chen to pick her up. The plan was to put her in a hotel for one night and buy her a ticket back tomorrow. But she first asked Old Chen to take her to the factory to find me.”
Zhou Zhiru recounted the conversation they had in his office.
Yang Yijun frowned, her eyes filled with doubt, unsure if he was telling the truth.
Yun Lan covered her mouth in surprise and whispered, “Did that child really say that?”
Zhou Zhiru nodded and sighed helplessly. “We’ve been strangers for so many years, I didn’t know she had such a personality. There’s something else you won’t believe, but Manager Xiao from our factory’s sales department was a witness. When she got off the train in Yunhai City, she was targeted by a male and female human trafficker. They saw she was a child and wanted to lure her to a deserted place.”
Yun Lan frowned. “What happened then?”
“She snatched Manager Xiao’s bag, which was full of payment for goods, and threw it into their arms. They were stopped by the crowd and taken to the police station together. She knew the woman had anesthetic and the man had a knife hidden on him, but she wasn’t afraid at all. The police officer told me to discipline her more when I got home. When I said I would send her back to Dongshan, she threatened to ruin my reputation. With a personality like that, I have no way of dealing with her. I’m afraid she’ll rebel if I push her too hard.”
Yang Yijun had no idea about any of this. After hearing it, she rested her chin on her hand, a little dazed.
Now it seemed that this child was a hot potato.
Reckless, and immune to both hard and soft tactics.
Now she had left without a word. Back to Dongshan?
Yang Yijun thought of her conversations with Zhou Wanfeng, the way she had looked at her, and was strangely certain that she would not go back.
“Then where could she have gone?”
Now it seemed she wasn’t a child at all, but a bomb that couldn’t be touched or spoken to.
Yun Lan looked at Yang Yijun with a hint of resentment. Zhiru manages such a large factory. What if his subordinates find out he doesn’t take care of his own child? What authority would he have left? And what about her? How would people look at her when she went out?
Granny Zhang was chanting “Amitabha” in her heart.
Thinking back now, from the moment they met, that child had a wicked air about her. She had never seen a child like that in all her life.
The hall fell into a dead silence.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Ring, ring, ring.
Yun Lan was closest and picked it up. “Hello.”
A few seconds later, Yun Lan shot up, her voice excited as she shouted to Yang Yijun and Zhou Zhiru, “She’s been found! She’s been found! Yun Lang is asking if I know a girl named Zhou Wanfeng.”
Yun Lang? Yang Yijun didn’t understand how Yun Lang had gotten involved.
“Where is she now?”
“Qiantang Road Public Security Bureau…” Yun Lan listened to her cousin Yun Lang’s frantic shouting on the phone and understood the gist of it. “Yun Lang said he was at the Public Security Bureau for something, and around seven o’clock, a girl came to report that she had been abandoned…”
“Qiantang Road?” Hearing the street name, Yang Yijun’s heart suddenly tightened, and a cold sweat broke out on her palms. Her brow furrowed. “I remember the Press and Media Group is in that area, as well as the Yunhai City Daily News and the Radio and Television Media…”
“Yun Lan, tell Yun Lang to stop her first, tell her not to go anywhere.” Yang Yijun lost her composure, pointing at Zhou Zhiru and telling him to hurry out and bring her back.