Chapter 34: Searching for Someone

Perhaps it was because they had lived together for three years, but although Mo Ran knew nothing about Su Qingxue running away from home, he inexplicably woke up very early that morning.

He dressed and stepped outside to take in the view—a gray, misty sky, everything steeped in tranquility.

"Strange, why do I feel so uncomfortable today? The weather forecast didn’t mention rain, and the air pressure is fine," Mo Ran muttered in surprise, checking the forecast on his phone. His right eyelid kept twitching, and a sense of unease settled in his chest, as if something bad was about to happen.

He stood at the door for a while, pondering, but found no answers. Deciding not to dwell on it, he opted to tidy up and head early to the market for lamb.

Without further ado, Mo Ran washed up and set out on his three-wheeler. Having frequented the lamb stall for several days and always paying in cash, the butcher had already prepared his usual order. Mo Ran didn't waste any time—he picked up the meat, paid, and left.

After making a round in the market to buy ingredients for the spice blend he planned to prepare later, he headed home. It was only six-thirty in the morning.

He washed and cut the meat, then skewered and marinated it—all in one seamless routine. By then, daylight had fully broken. Stretching his body, Mo Ran picked up a plain white steamed bun and some boiled water to satisfy his hunger.

Just then, in the silence of the small courtyard, his phone rang, startlingly loud.

"Who is it at this hour?" Annoyed by the intrusion into his quiet morning, Mo Ran grumbled, set his things on the three-wheeler seat, and fished his phone from his pocket.

“Su Qingcheng?” He frowned at the caller ID. Had the little vixen lost her mind? Calling him at dawn? Without hesitation, he hung up—he had no interest in exchanging words with his high-and-mighty ex-wife.

The moment his finger touched the screen, the world seemed to return to peace. He was about to resume eating when the phone rang again.

“Is this woman crazy? We’re already divorced,” he muttered in irritation as Su Qingcheng’s name flashed once more. He ended the call without a second thought. Had he not already heard about her petty affairs from Su Qingxue, he might have answered. Now, he couldn’t be bothered.

But to his surprise, the very next second, Su Qingcheng called again. Mo Ran’s patience snapped—what was wrong with this woman? This time, instead of hanging up, he answered.

“Su Qingcheng, are you out of your mind? We’re divorced. Why are you calling me so early to pester me? Don’t tell me you need a favor. Qingxue already told me, and I’m not interested.”

“You sure talk a lot of nonsense, Mo Ran. Are you done?” After being hung up on twice, Su Qingcheng was furious. She had barely connected the third time when Mo Ran unleashed a tirade into the receiver, leaving her too stunned to lash out. It took a moment for her to recover, and when she spoke, her tone was so icy it could have frozen Mo Ran solid.

“I’m done. What do you want?” Mo Ran felt a rare sense of satisfaction when Su Qingcheng, uncharacteristically, didn’t immediately retort.

“Where did you take Qingxue? I don’t care what you’re up to—bring her back right now, and I’ll let the past go,” Su Qingcheng said through gritted teeth, barely containing her anger for her sister’s sake.

“What do you mean, where did I take her? When did I ever do that? Watch your words,” Mo Ran shot back without hesitation.

“Who else could it be? Last night, Qingxue said she chatted with you. Then this morning, she was gone. Who else could have taken her away?” Su Qingcheng was beside herself.

“Wait, how do you know Qingxue told me about your nonsense yesterday? And I went to bed early last night. What does her not being at home have to do with me?” Mo Ran was even more puzzled. He’d done nothing—how had he become the suspect?

“You didn’t lure her out? Then where could she have gone? She’s just a girl…” Su Qingcheng’s heart skipped a beat, panic rising. Where could a young woman go alone at night? She dared not imagine further.

“You’re family, living together. If you don’t know, how would I? Enough with the nonsense—call the police now. I’ll go look for her.” Mo Ran was done with her rambling. How could she miss the point at a time like this? He said a few curt words and hung up.

“That foolish girl, already an adult and still running away from home,” he muttered, grabbing his phone to check for messages from Su Qingxue. Judging by Su Qingcheng’s suspicion, there was a good chance Qingxue might have reached out to him.

Sure enough, opening WeChat, he found several messages from her.

“Brother-in-law, I’ve left home.”

“Brother-in-law, send me your location. I’ll come find you.”

“Brother-in-law, why aren’t you replying? It’s so cold and dark outside. I’m scared.”

There were also four missed voice call attempts—he hadn’t heard a single one.

Without hesitation, Mo Ran called back, hoping to reach her immediately. Unfortunately, the call went unanswered until the system automatically disconnected.

He decided to check University Town. It was the only place he could think of. Without wasting a second, he wheeled the three-wheeler outside, locked the door, and sped off toward University Town.

Thankfully, it was Sunday and the roads were clear, without the weekday traffic rush. With the throttle wide open, the three-wheeler’s motor roared as he ran every red light on the way, reaching his usual night market spot in less than half an hour.

But the place was deserted. Staring at the empty street, Mo Ran felt his anxiety rise. What was that silly girl thinking, leaving her warm bed to wander outside?

He caught his breath and pulled out his phone to call Su Qingxue again, but before he could, Su Qingcheng’s call came through.

“Mo Ran, I just left the police station, but since it hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet, all they can do is keep an eye on the surveillance footage,” she reported as soon as he answered.

“Can they access the cameras?” Mo Ran asked. He remembered that there were many security cameras outside the villa—at the very least, they could see which direction Qingxue had gone.

“They have to follow procedures. It’ll take time,” Su Qingcheng replied quickly—clearly, she’d already asked about it.

“Let’s keep looking, then,” Mo Ran said at once.

“Actually… Mo Ran, could you ask Miss Xiao for help? She’s Secretary Xiao’s daughter. If she speaks up…” Su Qingcheng’s voice was tentative and hesitant—so soft that Mo Ran could barely make it out even with the volume turned up.

“Let’s search a bit more first,” Mo Ran replied, his tone low. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t considered it. He knew Miss Xiao would likely help if he asked, but unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to open that door. Power was intoxicating, and once tasted, it was like Pandora’s box: one could easily grow accustomed to wielding it. Whatever benefits or honors power brought would ultimately be claimed by greater powers yet to come.

“All right, I’ll keep searching,” Su Qingcheng replied, hearing his gentle but unmistakable refusal. The line went quiet as both held their phones in silence for about thirty seconds before she spoke again and hung up.

Mo Ran put away his phone, trying to put himself in Su Qingxue’s shoes, to simulate her thinking and search for clues.

But after racking his brains, he gave up. He was no Sherlock Holmes and had no talent for reconstructing cases.

He took out his phone and tried calling Su Qingxue again. The ringtone droned on for nearly a minute, just as it was about to disconnect—at the very last moment—the call connected…