Chapter Eighty-Five: They Truly Became Family Friends

Jiang Hong looked at his son’s calm demeanor. Thinking back to his previous encounter with Qin Shu and what he’d learned about her character, he could more or less guess what had happened at Zhang Ya’s home. After considering for a moment, he said, “Xiwen, how about this—you go out and look for her first, and I’ll stay here and wait for a call from their family…”

Wang Yanan, who had been silent until now, interjected, “Let me stay home and wait for the call. Old Jiang, you and your son should split up and search. The girl is probably just acting out in a moment of anger. It’s so late; she might have gone somewhere lively. The more people there are, the better chance we have of finding her.”

As a teacher, Wang Yanan had studied adolescent psychology before; it was finally coming in handy.

“Alright,” Jiang Xiwen nodded and, together with his father, put on his coat and left the house. One headed west, the other east, each going their separate way.

Yangjiang’s public security was decent enough, and Jiang Xiwen knew Zhang Ya’s temperament well. Her anger usually faded quickly, so nothing terrible was likely to happen. Jiang Xiwen wandered through several bustling areas in the east of the city, circling around for hours, but still saw no sign of Zhang Ya.

Life without cell phones was truly inconvenient—he didn’t even have a pager. Growing anxious, Jiang Xiwen reflected that while he hadn’t been worried at first, and even thought this might be a good thing, as time dragged on he realized he might have been too careless. After all, Zhang Ya was just a young girl, running out in the middle of the night. No matter how safe the city, there was always a risk. He was about to head home to see if there had been any calls—or maybe Zhang Ya had already been found—when he spotted Li Xuan, the man in sunglasses, also searching anxiously. Clearly, Zhang Ya still hadn’t gone home, and this guy was out looking for her too. There was no need to ask; Old Master Zhang must have sent him.

As for Li Xuan, Jiang Xiwen regarded him as all brawn and no brains—otherwise, why would he still be struggling with the kidnapping case after so long? Even though Liu Dashan had already been caught, Li Xuan was still clueless. But, for all his shortcomings, he was at least earnest.

“Xiwen, you’re here too?” Li Xuan’s face was full of worry. Clearly, he and Old Master Zhang didn’t know that the mastermind Liu Dashan had already been arrested.

This guy’s brain really wasn’t the sharpest—Old Qi was already in custody, yet he was still doggedly investigating.

“All right, you keep searching. I’m going to check the school,” Jiang Xiwen said, ignoring Li Xuan and hurrying off toward Yangjiang No. 2 High School. It was the early morning of the first day of the new year, so there was hardly any public transport, making the search even more difficult.

The entire night passed as both families scoured every corner of Yangjiang, but there was still no trace of Zhang Ya. Zhang Yong, hoping to minimize the impact, had decided not to involve anyone else. His reasoning was simple—he was about to be appointed executive deputy mayor, and plenty of eyes were watching him. News of his daughter running away could be twisted into anything.

Old Master Zhang, unaware that the kidnapping case had already been resolved, was the most anxious of all. He even called up his old subordinates in the army and dispatched a company to secretly conduct a citywide search in Yangjiang.

Such a commotion, Jiang Xiwen thought, was like something out of a fantastical novel. But he wasn’t in the mood to dwell on it now. He had just left Zhang Yong’s house and was heading back home.

When he recalled how Old Master Zhang had insisted he stay and rest after seeing his arm in a cast, Jiang Xiwen felt a warmth in his heart. Compared to Qin Shu, who still gave him the cold shoulder, this was a hundred times better.

His mother was dozing on the couch with her eyes closed. Jiang Xiwen lowered his voice, careful not to wake her. His father still hadn’t returned.

Damn, the Zhang and Jiang families really were close. The Zhangs had lost their daughter, and instead of calling the police, both families were searching privately. They were practically lifelong friends.

Jiang Xiwen was uncomfortable with Zhang Yong’s approach. This time, there were no undercover officers protecting them—what did he have to fear? Why not call the police, worrying about the consequences? Who could say whether he had ever truly accepted the chief of police’s request out of a sense of duty, without considering the impact on his own career?

Suddenly, the phone rang, startling Jiang Xiwen out of his thoughts. He quickly picked up, “Hello?” but there was only silence on the other end.

“Damn prank calls!” Jiang Xiwen cursed, slamming the receiver down.

“Xiwen, when did you get back? Don’t be too anxious…” Wang Yanan was woken by the ringing. Seeing her son’s expression, she knew Zhang Ya still hadn’t been found and gently tried to comfort him.

“Yeah.” Jiang Xiwen glanced at his mother’s bloodshot eyes and nodded slowly. “Mom, you should get some rest…”

“I’ll go instead. You haven’t slept all night—wait here in case the phone rings.” As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Yanan rushed out. She didn’t want her son to be too exhausted.

She was also a little annoyed by Zhang Ya’s willfulness, but this wasn’t the time to say so. Ever since Jiang Xiwen had become desk mates with Zhang Ya, she’d heard plenty from her son about the class monitor’s personality. In the past two months, their relationship seemed to be improving, and recalling how Jiang Hong had taken him to see the dean, combined with her son’s current state of anxiety, she worried that he might really be in an early relationship with Zhang Ya. Even Zhang Ya’s father had come to Jiang Xiwen first after his daughter’s disappearance.

This deputy mayor really was a bit strange—wasn’t he worried his daughter might be falling in love? Wang Yanan pondered as she walked out.

After his mother left, Jiang Xiwen grew increasingly frustrated.

Zhang Ya, could you just show yourself? No matter how big the issue, your mother should be regretting it by now. Even my family can’t enjoy the new year because of you. Damn it, it’s not like you’re my wife—why are we going to all this trouble for you?

Wait! Suddenly, Jiang Xiwen remembered something. Back in middle school, Zhang Ya had run away from home once before. At the time, he thought it was just a rumor, but the story went that she’d taken some money and gone alone to the provincial capital, Modu. He couldn’t recall exactly when it happened—could it be now? Or maybe she was in Modu right now?

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, the phone rang again. Jiang Xiwen swore that if it was another prank call, the caller should slip on a banana peel the moment they left their house.

“Hello…”

“Jiang Xiwen, is that you?” The voice was choked with emotion.

“Zhang Ya? Where are you?” The moment he recognized her voice, Jiang Xiwen nearly cheered, quickly saying, “You finally called! I was so worried about you!”

Hearing how anxious he was, Zhang Ya felt both touched and happy. “Jiang Xiwen, you’re so kind. If only my family were like you.”

“Your family is frantic with worry. Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

At these words, Zhang Ya suddenly grew wary. “Shh, don’t be so loud. Is there anyone else with you?”

“My mom and dad are out looking for you too. You’ve got both families worried—”

“What?” Zhang Ya couldn’t quite believe it, but after a moment, she sounded delighted. “Jiang Xiwen, are you serious?”

“Of course. Even your grandpa is arguing with your dad. If you don’t come back soon…”

So, does that mean from now on I’ll be… with Jiang Xiwen… and why are his parents involved too? Zhang Ya’s mind wandered, her cheeks flushing with confusion.

“And your mom—she’s really worried. She must have realized something. If you come back and talk to her properly, I think things will get much better between you two.” Jiang Xiwen could hear nothing but heavy breathing on the other end, so he quickly got to the point.

“My mom?!” Zhang Ya’s voice was almost frantic. “She, she actually… Well, anyway, I… I don’t want a mother like that anymore…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Xiwen interrupted, “Where are you now? Enough talking—just come back, and I promise your mom won’t treat you that way again.”

“Really?” Zhang Ya’s voice grew bright with hope, but after a few seconds, it dropped again. “You always like to tease people. Don’t tell my mom, or I won’t speak to you anymore. It’s so cold here…” Her voice quivered, and she nearly broke down in tears.

“Don’t be afraid. Tell me where you are—I swear I won’t tell anyone else. I’ll come find you right away.” Jiang Xiwen softened his tone, sensing her unstable mood.

“I’m…” Zhang Ya hesitated, then suddenly changed her mind. “I’ll give you four days. If you can find me, I’ll go back with you. If not, I’ll call you again in four days.”

Before he could reply, the line went dead. But just before she hung up, Jiang Xiwen clearly heard the noisy background chatter—it was unmistakably the dialect of Modu.