“I’m sure that the one who called me was my mommy.” Lin Xinyan said confidently.
When Shen Peichuan looked at Zong Jinghao, their eyes met. Zong Jinghao asked, “Can you identify the location?”
“As the phone call was too short, we can’t get the exact location. But we can still find out the area of the number.” Shen Peichuan said.
“If I call her again using the number, will we be able to identify the exact location? Lin Xichen couldn’t conceal her excitement as he wished to find his mommy as soon as possible.
Zong Jinghao pulled his little hand and took him in his arms. He wanted to move, yet Zong Jinghao held him by his shoulders and said, “If your mommy is not held captive, she will surely contact you.
Considering that when you managed to get through, she didn’t say a word and you even heard a stranger talking, that indicates that she’s held captive. If you call her now rashly, the bad guy might even transfer her to another place.”
Lin Xichen agreed to it. If mommy is not held captive, she will definitely contact him. She must be put under surveillance since she hasn’t contacted him now.
“What should we do now?” Lin Xichen asked nervously.
“As long as I’m here, we will be able to find her. Don’t worry.” Zong Jinghaho successfully shifted Lin Xichen’s focus away. He was too focused on finding mommy and forgot that he was in Zong Jinghao’s arms.
Shen Peichuan looked at them silently, and then said, “I will tell the driver where we should be heading to.”
Based on Lin Xinyan’s phone number, he found out the area of which the number belonged. Even though the area was huge, they would be closer to where Lin Xinyan was hidden, and it would be very helpful for them to locate her.
“Hum.”
Zong Jinghao said calmly.
“Will we be able to find mommy?” Lin Xichen asked.
“We will.” Zong Jinghao answered affirmatively.
He firmly believed so.
He will find her and get her back!
Shen Peichuan came in and said, “We’ll be entering a rest area soon to fill up the car. You can bring Xichen and Ruixi out to get some fresh air.”
It’s boring to keep staying in the car. Even though the car had everything that they had in the house, it was still a vehicle that lacked space.
Lin Xichen stood up and said, “I’ll get out of the car with you first.”
“Alright.” Shen Peichuan held out his hand and said, “Let me hold your hand.”
Lin Xichen was obedient and held out his hand.
“Look after him.” Zong Jinghao instructed him.
The rest area was very crowded with all walks of life.
“Understood.” Shen Peichuan looked at him. Why is he so wordy now ever since he became a father?
Can’t an adult like him look after a child?
But he didn’t say anything, as he knew that Zong Jinghao said it because he loved his son.
“Let’s see if there’s a place for us to rest.”
Shen Peichuan brought Lin Xichen out of the car, whereas Zong Jinghao went to the back of the car to carry his daughter.
The little girl was still sleeping soundly, and her face looked red. When he bends over to carry her daughter, she is awake at the moment when she’s touched. Opened her sleepy big eyes, she realized that it was Zong Jinghao, and said softly, “Daddy.”
Zong Jinghao’s heart melted when she called her daddy. He kissed her on her forehead and said, “Let’s get out of the car and have some fresh air.”
The girl felt refreshed as soon as she heard that they could get out of the car, and said, “Is there something to buy?”
Zong Jinghao poked his daughter’s nose and said fondly, “Yes.”
Hehe.
The little girl grinned cheerfully.
Since Lin Ruixi’s hair was a bit messy, Zong Jinghao wanted to help her comb her hair. However, as soon as he started combing, the little girl’s facial expression changed as she said, “It hurts.”
Zong Jinghao hadn’t done such a thing before.
He immediately withdrew his hand, put down the comb and said, “Daddy never combed hair for others before.”
Lin Ruixi looked into the mirror. Even though her hair was a little messy, she didn’t want his father to comb her hair for her. She said with her pouting lips, “Daddy, did you comb my hair for me because you think that I’m ugly?”
Zhong Jinghao was stunned for a while before he said, “No. My daughter is the most beautiful girl, and no one can match her.
Zong Jinghao picked his daughter up and said, “I won’t comb your hair.”
The little girl lay on his shoulder and said, “I want to buy some delicious food.”
Zong Jinghao looked at his daughter and recalled something. Lin Xichen once said that she’s an avid foodie, and now it seems to be true.
But he likes her.
Since he had seen too many intrigues and hypocrites in the past, he felt that his life wasn’t boring anymore after such an innocent and lively girl came into his life.
“Daddy, over there, over there.” Lin Xichen pointed at the supermarket that wasn’t far from them with her index finger.
Zong Jinghao said patiently, “I saw it.”
He felt compelled to do it but liked it very much at the same time. After entering the supermarket, Lin Ruixi asked him to put her down so that she could pick her favorite food by herself.
Perhaps due to the fact that groceries in the rest area were more expensive, there weren’t many people inside. Once Zong Jinghao put her down, she ran happily.
Frowned slightly, Zong Jinghao followed her quickly and said, “Slow down.”
“I want this.” Lin Ruixi took a box of chocolates from the shelf, held it in her arms and said, “I want potato chips too, and this, this…” Soon, she grabbed too many things and couldn’t carry them. She yelled at Zong Jinghao and said, “Dad, I can’t take that.”
There’s a snack that she wanted on the shelf, yet she couldn’t reach it because the shelf was too high for her.
Zong Jinghao who was standing behind her reached out his arm, grabbed the snack that she wanted effortlessly and said, “I’ll hold it for you.”
“No.” Lin Ruixi shook her head. She would feel secure only if she’s the one holding the snacks.
“You can’t have this. This is too expensive.” A mother in front of them said to her son.
The little boy was staring at that bottle of fruit juice. He seemed to be salivating at it, yet didn’t ask for it anymore. His mother took a bottle of mineral water and said, “Drink this if you’re thirsty.”
The mother handed the bottle of mineral water to her son and went to the cashier to pay for her goods.
Lin Ruixi looked at the things in her arms and looked at the little boy and his mother again. Then, she looked up at Zong Jinghao and said, “Daddy, did I take too much? Is this very expensive? Do we have to spend a lot of money?”
Zong Jinghao kneeled down before his daughter, caressed her hair that covered her forehead, and put them behind her ears. He then said gently, “No. Daddy will work harder to earn more money, so that my daughter can buy whatever she wants.”
“Daddy, I love you.” Lin Ruixi leaned closer to Zong Jinghao, kissed on his face and said, “Can I get that bottle of fruit juice?”
Zong Jinghao hadn’t recollected himself after being kissed by his daughter. There was still some of her saliva when he touched his face.
He didn’t think that it was dirty, but rather felt that it was proof that his daughter loved him. Felt cheerful, he stood up and handed the bottle of fruit juice over to her.
After taking the bottle of fruit juice from him, Lin Ruixi ran towards the cashier, handed it over to the little boy and said, “Take this as a present.”
“We didn’t buy this.” The mother of the little boy said awkwardly.
“My daddy will pay for it,” said Lin Ruixi as she reached out her hand determinedly and looked at the little boy with her big sparkling eyes. He was slightly skinny and was wearing a black and white striped sweater. The sweater wasn’t branded nor new but looked rather clean.
The little boy looked at her but didn’t reach out his hands. Even though she looked a little ‘disheveled’, he could still tell that this little girl probably came from a wealthy family.
Considering that she seemed to be innocent and knew nothing about how the world worked, she could be a child who was loved and cared for ever since she was born.
Only those who had never experienced any suffering in life won’t know how difficult life is and how wicked a human can be, and perhaps that’s the reason that she still has the pair of eyes that was as clear as crystal.
He said courteously, “Thank you, but it’s fine.”
“Don’t you want it very much?” Lin Ruixi blinked her eyes when she asked.
“I want it, but I will strive by myself to get it.” After finished speaking, the little boy held his mother’s hand and said, “Mommy, let’s go.”
The mother paid for the bottle of mineral water and left with her son.
Lin Ruixi was standing still and felt lost when she looked at the boy.
Did she do something wrong?
Was she wrong?
Since Lin Ruixi was being rejected, she started to question herself whether she really did something wrong.
She asked herself again and again.
Zong Jinghao picked his daughter up, caressed her hair and said comfortingly, “Ruixi, are you upset?”
Lin Ruixi nodded and replied, “I wanted to give it to him as a present because I thought he really wanted it, but why would he refuse?”
Zong Jinghao squinted when he looked out the window and saw the pair of mother and son standing in front of the bus. He could sense that the boy was rather proud and had the strength of character to be a capable man when he grew up.
“Ruixi, sincerity is not always reciprocal, and so does our kindness.” He knew that his daughter was kind and sympathized with the little boy who wanted something but couldn’t get it.
But in the eyes of the little boy, her kindness was seen as pity towards him.
Therefore, he didn’t want to accept her pity.
He caressed his daughter’s head and said, “Your mommy protected you very well.”
