Chapter 194

Chapter 194

© Parting and a Car Accident. ©

After the Spring Festival, the people who had briefly gathered at the seaside villa began to leave one by one, heading off to their own lives.

The first to leave was Wang Boyuan. He only stayed until the third day of the lunar new year before his agent called him back. He left in a hurry and unwillingly, also taking Ren Suiwu with him. The seaside villa suddenly felt two people lighter.

After seeing off Wang Boyuan and Ren Suiwu, Meng Qi was down in the dumps for days. But before he could pull himself together, Liang Wenkai, Jiang Baixi, and Meng Kaize were also leaving—three people at once!

The graduating class of Xiangyanghua Elementary School was set to start on the tenth day of the lunar new year. Liang Wenkai had long planned to head back on the eighth. As the new principal, he needed to return early to tidy up the school and welcome the children back.

Since Old Man Gu decided to stay with Meng Qi for a while, Liang Wenkai also had to go back to recruit a new chef to replace Old Man Gu, who was responsible for cooking three meals a day for the boarding teachers and nutritious lunches for the kids. The new chef's cooking skills couldn't be too poor—at least half as good as Old Man Gu's. With that requirement, it would take some time to find the right person.

As for Jiang Baixi, a rising star and new luminary in the legal world, his phone had been ringing nonstop since he arrived at the seaside villa. All the calls were from people seeking legal advice or asking him to handle lawsuits. Those he could, he declined on the spot, but some he couldn't turn down due to face or obligation, so he had to rush back to the capital to deal with them.

As for Meng Kaize, after the new year, Li Jintong had been calling him almost every day, urging him to come home. Her excuse was that his grandmother missed him so much she couldn't eat or sleep and had already lost several pounds. If he didn't return soon, she might really fall ill from longing. When she heard that Jiang Baixi was leaving on the eighth, she directly booked Meng Kaize a plane ticket for that day and repeatedly insisted he must fly back to the capital with Jiang Baixi.

Li Qingjiang and Ren Suiyi had just connected with the medical team they arranged. Both sides were deeply engaged in heated discussions about the issues surrounding male pregnancy and childbirth, so they were reluctant to leave. Plus, like Old Man Gu, they were worried about Meng Qi. Ultimately, they decided to stay together and accompany Meng Qi.

With these three gone—especially Meng Kaize, who was always as lively and chirpy as a little bird—Meng Qi felt a big void in his heart. He even wanted to recklessly go with them to the airport, cherishing those last two hours together. But in the end, rationality prevailed. He only stood outside the villa gate, waving at them for a long time.

"I wonder when they'll come again?" Meng Qi asked in a low voice after lowering his hand. Feeling the cold, he tightened his coat collar, his sadness deepening. "As soon as they left, even the air temperature dropped. It's really cold."

Ren Suiyi opened his coat and wrapped Meng Qi in his arms, holding him as they walked forward. He quietly asked Meng Qi if he was still cold.

Meng Qi shook his head. "Much better."

He wasn't as cold anymore, but his spirits were still down.

Ren Suiyi didn't say much more. He didn't go out again either, staying glued to Meng Qi, using his silent companionship to gradually warm the suddenly cold and quiet villa.

Two hours later, Ren Suiyi received a call from Jiang Baixi. Meng Qi was asleep, curled up in his arms at the time, but he opened his eyes the moment he heard the sound.

Ren Suiyi pinched Meng Qi's earlobe and said softly, "It's Baixi. Probably letting us know they've arrived home."

"Put it on speaker, Bro," Meng Qi said, sitting up and looking at the phone screen with Ren Suiyi.

The time showed 15:58, exactly when Jiang Baixi and Meng Kaize should have landed at the Capital Airport.

Ren Suiyi pressed the answer button, a slight smile on his lips, and asked in a light tone, "You guys get there okay?"

But Jiang Baixi dropped a bombshell instead. "Bro, I made it, but Xiaoze didn't."

"What do you mean?" Meng Qi blurted out. At that moment, his heart felt like it would explode. He had a strong premonition that something terrible was about to happen.

Jiang Baixi explained rapidly, "Xiaoze and I boarded the plane together two hours ago. But ten minutes before takeoff, he suddenly said he needed to go to the restroom. I wanted to go with him, but he insisted he could go alone and told me to wait for him. Well, when the plane took off, he still hadn't come back. I asked the flight attendants, and they told me that more than two hours ago, Xiaoze had voluntarily gone to them and requested to cancel his ticket..."

"They just let him cancel like that? Didn't they see he's just a kid?" Meng Qi's voice shot up an octave.

Jiang Baixi sighed. "I asked the same thing. The flight attendant said a man was with Xiaoze when he did it, so they had no reason to stop him."

Ren Suiyi asked, "Li Jinqiu?"

Jiang Baixi said, "Not sure, but I think it's him. Who else could make Xiaoze cooperate like that?"

Meng Qi agreed. "Definitely him, no doubt about it."

Jiang Baixi regretted letting his guard down, shouldn't have let Meng Kaize go to the restroom alone. After a pause, he asked Ren Suiyi and Meng Qi again, "Has Xiaoze really not contacted you? Maybe you both should double-check your phones. See if you missed any calls."

Just now, Ren Suiyi had been working, his phone right in front of him. Meng Qi's phone was right next to his. And although Meng Qi had been sleeping, he was half-awake and could say for certain that neither phone had rung.

Jiang Baixi's voice carried a hint of irritation bordering on the threshold. "Xiaoze's phone isn't turned off, but no one's answering... It's been under three hours since he went missing. If I report him missing, the cops probably won't even file a missing person report, right?"

Ren Suiyi reassured him. "I'll get some people to start searching. I'll notify you as soon as we have any news. Don't freak out. It's not the worst-case scenario yet."

After hanging up, Ren Suiyi immediately began organizing people to look for Meng Kaize, starting from the airport and expanding outward. He also had Gangzi pull the airport's surveillance footage to confirm whether it was really Li Jinqiu who took Meng Kaize. If it was confirmed, then there was no need to be too anxious, at least Meng Kaize's safety was guaranteed.

After making the calls, Ren Suiyi waved over Qu Liang and Zhao Zheyuan, asking them to go with him to the neighborhood where Li Jinqiu was renting to see if they could find any clues.

Meng Qi stood up and followed Ren Suiyi to the yard. He wanted to tag along too, but after everyone ganged up on him, he finally gave up.

After Ren Suiyi left, Meng Qi's heart wouldn't stop pounding, making it impossible to sit or stand still. Finally, he dragged a chair over to the foot of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and leaned against it to wait. Only then did his heart calm down a little.

Old Man Gu brought Meng Qi a bowl of chicken soup. The layer of fat on top had been skimmed off cleanly, and the soup had refreshing cucumber slices and cilantro added, along with a little vinegar. It looked clear, smelled fragrant, and tasted refreshing. Normally, Meng Qi could polish off three bowls in one go, but today, because he was so worried about Meng Kaize, he only managed half a bowl before losing his appetite. He sat there holding the bowl, head tilted back against the statue, staring into space.

Old Man Gu's heart ached seeing him like that. He kept murmuring words of comfort to Meng Qi. To keep Old Man Gu from worrying, Meng Qi just grunted in response, but the weight on his heart didn't ease much.

Ever since Jiang Baixi had said "Xiaoze didn't make it," a voice in Meng Qi's head kept repeating two words: "Butterfly effect." This forced him to think about a question: If his survival came at the cost of Meng Kaize's life—or anyone else's—could he live with himself?

Sure, Li Jinqiu was Meng Kaize's uncle, widely known as the doting uncle. But that was the facade maintained only as long as Li Jinqiu's interests weren't being relentlessly pursued by Ren Suiyi. Now that Li Jinqiu was backed into a corner, was he still sane? Would he still care for Meng Kaize as before?

Had Li Jintong called Meng Kaize back so urgently because she knew something in advance?

Thinking of this, Meng Qi whipped out his phone and called Li Jintong. The moment she picked up, he cut to the chase. "Was Xiaoze taken away by his uncle?"

Li Jintong was totally clueless. She was stunned by Meng Qi's question, paused for a long time, then shot back, "Wasn't he with you?"

"Today he was supposed to fly back to the capital with Baixi. Their tickets were for a little after one in the afternoon, landing in the capital around 3:40. But Baixi just called to say Xiaoze didn't come back with him. He canceled his ticket before takeoff. The flight attendant said there was a middle-aged man with Xiaoze when he handled the cancellation." Meng Qi, swallowing his fear, laid out the facts clearly for Li Jintong.

Worry crept into Li Jintong's voice. "Let me hang up first. I'll call Jinqiu and ask."

As Li Jintong finished speaking, Meng Qi hastily added, "If you hear anything about Xiaoze, please tell me. I..." We're all worried sick about him.

Li Jintong didn't respond. Meng Qi wasn't sure if she heard him.

Then Meng Qi settled in for another agonizing wait.

Luckily, ten minutes later, Ren Suiyi called with good news: They'd gotten the airport surveillance footage, and it was confirmed that Li Jinqiu had taken Meng Kaize away. That meant Meng Kaize wasn't in immediate danger.

Meng Qi let out a long sigh. Then he told Ren Suiyi he'd called Li Jintong and was still waiting to hear back.

Ren Suiyi told Meng Qi not to wait and to go rest instead, leaving everything else to him. He suspected Li Jintong wouldn't easily share Meng Kaize's whereabouts with them, so waiting was pointless. He also said he would call his mother and have her talk to Li Jintong.

At that point, Meng Qi glanced at the time on his phone. It was way past his usual naptime. Normally, he'd start feeling sleepy around this hour, but today he wasn't sleepy at all. In fact, he was unusually alert. So he didn't follow Ren Suiyi's advice to go rest. Instead, he leaned against the Great Sage, closed his eyes, and waited for more news.

Twenty minutes later, the sound of a text message alert nearly made Meng Qi jump.

He had a feeling this message was about Meng Kaize. So he quickly sat up, took out his phone, and checked. Sure enough, he was right! It was a text from Meng Kaize's number: "Ge, I'm eating steak on the fifth floor of Jasmine Mall. Their steak is really good. You should come too. I'll wait for you on the fifth floor."

But the person waiting for him probably wasn't Meng Kaize.

The simple message felt seriously off. It didn't sound like an invitation at all, more like a threat: If he didn't go, Meng Kaize would be in danger.

Meng Qi tried calling Meng Kaize's number. It rang for a long time but no one answered. This only confirmed his suspicion.

But aware it was a trap, he had no choice but to walk into it for Meng Kaize's sake. So he quickly replied to Meng Kaize's number saying he was on his way, then jumped up, shot out of the villa like a rocket, and hailed a taxi straight for Jasmine Mall.

Li Qingjiang was still at the hospital learning about the local pregnancy and childbirth facilities, so he hadn't returned yet. Only Old Man Gu, over sixty, was left at the seaside villa. Meng Qi couldn't find anyone to help him. Before leaving, he didn't spot any of the people Ren Suiyi had stationed nearby. So he had to go alone.

Fortunately, he wasn't playing the lone hero. On his way, he told Ren Suiyi how Li Jinqiu had used Meng Kaize's phone to invite him to the fifth floor of Jasmine Mall for steak.

Ren Suiyi cursed angrily, then steadied himself and gently reassured Meng Qi not to panic or be afraid, saying he was now heading to Jasmine Mall with Qu Liang and Zhao Zheyuan.

But Jasmine Mall was in the far east, the neighborhood where Li Jinqiu's rental was located was in the far west, and the riverside villa was in the southeast corner. So, Meng Qi would arrive at least half an hour earlier than Ren Suiyi and the others.

Realizing this, Ren Suiyi told Meng Qi to get out of the car midway and wait until they all gathered before going to Jasmine Mall together. But then Zhao Zheyuan said something that made Ren Suiyi come to his senses. He urged Meng Qi not to get off partway, but instead to go to a crowded area first inside Jasmine Mall and wait for them, and not to go to the fifth floor.

What Zhao Zheyuan said was, "Li Jinqiu is so cunning. Even the place he rented seems premeditated. Could he have already calculated that Young Master Meng would go to Jasmine Mall alone, and set up an ambush somewhere, waiting for Young Master Meng to be alone? If that's the case, Young Master Meng must not get off halfway. The intermediate areas are desolate, more suitable..."

More suitable for that twisted Li Jinqiu to harm Meng Qi.

As expected, Meng Qi arrived at Jasmine Mall before Ren Suiyi and the other two. He kept Ren Suiyi on the phone. When he arrived, Ren Suiyi told him at the other end to wait just another twenty minutes, and again urged him not to go to the fifth floor, but first to wait in a crowded area.

This was Meng Qi's first time at Jasmine Mall, so he wasn't familiar with it at all. He didn't know where the most crowded area was, but he knew that in most malls, the basement floor was an indoor walking street with game centers, snack shops, and small department stores, where many young people hung out. It would definitely be fine to wait for Ren Suiyi there.

But just as he was about to step into the entrance of Jasmine Mall, he suddenly heard Meng Kaize calling his name. He quickly turned around and saw Meng Kaize, who was supposed to be eating steak on the fifth floor, standing across the street, happily waving at him and laughing, "Brother, why are you here?"

You little brat, it was all because of you...

At the first sight of Meng Kaize, Meng Qi was overjoyed. He waved back, but the more he looked at Meng Kaize's carefree smile, the angrier he got. He really wanted to grab the little rascal and give him a good scolding.

"Brother, wait for me! I'm buying a roasted sweet potato here. I'll come over to you once I get it," Meng Kaize was still laughing.

His laughter made Meng Qi both angry, heartbroken, and speechless. So he huffed and yelled at Meng Kaize, "You stay right there and don't move! I'll come over to you!"

"Okay, brother! I'll find the biggest, sweetest roasted sweet potato for you. We'll eat it together later," Meng Kaize shouted back cheerfully.

Meng Qi didn't want to be angry anymore, so he stopped acknowledging Meng Kaize and walked quietly to the crosswalk and waited for the light.

The accident happened at that moment.

A black SUV approached from a distance, running red lights as it bore down on Meng Qi.

Meng Qi was looking down at his phone, intending to call Ren Suiyi and tell him that he had found Meng Kaize and would take him home soon.

"Brother!" A piercing scream that seemed to tear through the sky exploded in Meng Qi's ears, startling him so much that his heart raced, his breath caught, and his hands trembled. The phone slipped from his hand and crashed to the ground.

But he had no time to care about the phone. He quickly looked up at Meng Kaize and saw that the boy who had just been smiling and waving, promising to buy him the biggest, sweetest roasted sweet potato, was now rushing toward him in terror. Just as Meng Qi realized the danger was almost upon him, Meng Kaize pushed him aside with all his might...

Then Meng Qi slammed hard into the steps behind him. The intense pain immediately shot through his back, quickly spreading to his waist and abdomen. It hurt so much that he was drenched in sweat, and every breath felt like a knife cutting through his muscles.

But what broke his heart and took his breath away was that he had to watch as Meng Kaize was knocked flying several meters by the SUV, like a kite with a broken string, soaring into the air and then slowly falling back to the ground, completely powerless to stop it.

That horrifying image made Meng Qi instantly forget the pain ripping through his body. He struggled to crawl over to Meng Kaize.

But someone else had reached him first, kneeling beside Meng Kaize and crying loudly, "Xiaoze! Xiaoze..."

As long as someone was there, to save Xiaoze, it didn't matter who it was.

With that thought, Meng Qi's vision went black. He crashed to the ground with a loud thud...