Tears welled up in Mrs. Xu's eyes again. Although she hadn't met Xu Yiyi yet, seeing how cute and well - behaved An'an was, she thought her grandson must be the same.
She knew her daughter's temper. If she hadn't said something harsh to the child, how could the child have run away from home?
"I... I don't know how this happened," Xu Qingqing said, bursting into tears.
Yes, Yiyi was still so young. What if he met a bad guy?
"Mommy, don't cry," Xu An'an reached out her little hand to wipe away Xu Qingqing's tears. "Don't worry. Big brother is very smart. No bad guys can abduct him."
Mr. Xu was silent for a long time. Since the thing had already happened, even if he beat Xu Qingqing to death now, it wouldn't help. "Have you called the police?"
Xu Qingqing shook her head. How could she call the police? She had come from abroad to China, and she didn't even know which police station to turn to.
Mr. Xu sighed helplessly. Then he walked into the room, took out his phone, and dialed a number. "Lao Zhong, it's me. I need to trouble you with something. My grandson is Xu Yiyi. He ran back from abroad by himself. Could you please ask someone to look for him? I'll send you his photo later."
Xu Qingqing's eyes filled with tears. Her father had always been a proud man and never asked for favors from others. She never thought that he would go to his old friend for her sake.
"Dad, thank you," Xu Qingqing said, not knowing what else to say.
...
Lu Chuanbai stood in front of the floor - to - ceiling window on the 19th floor, lost in thought as he looked at the pile of fragments in front of him.
As soon as Xu Qingqing left, he immediately went to the antique research institute. The final conclusion was that it was indeed a fake.
Compared with the lost money, he was now more interested in that woman.
Who on earth was she? How could she tell it was a fake just by taking a glance?
Lu Chuanbai considered himself not the best but still well - known in the antique field. He had seen countless rare treasures and had a certain ability to identify antiques. The fake that could deceive him must not be an ordinary one.
Just as he was lost in thought, the phone rang. It was his grandfather.
"Lu Chuanbai, a Yuan - Dynasty blue - and - white porcelain has been newly unearthed recently. There will be an auction at Chenxi Hotel in two days. No matter how much it costs, you must get it," came the deep voice of the old man on the other end of the phone.
The old man had built the Lu Group from scratch. Besides work, his greatest hobby was collecting antique calligraphy and paintings. He cherished the good ones as if they were his own life.
"Okay, grandfather, I know," Lu Chuanbai hung up the phone. His gaze was attracted by several certificates on the desk.
Looking at Xu Qingqing's information, he dialed his assistant's phone number. "In three minutes, send me Xu Qingqing's phone number."
Soon, a series of numbers came. Lu Chuanbai looked at them for a long time and finally dialed.
...
Xu Qingqing had just taken a shower and applied a facial mask. She was about to go to bed with An'an in her arms.
Normally, An'an slept by herself, but since they had just come to a strange place, Xu Qingqing was afraid that she would not be used to the new bed, so she took her to sleep with her.
Seeing an unfamiliar number, Xu Qingqing originally planned to ignore it, but An'an took the phone and pressed the answer button.
"Ms. Xu, hello. I'm Lu Chuanbai. We met during the day," Lu Chuanbai said.
After he finished speaking, there was no sound from the other end of the phone. He thought Xu Qingqing was still angry about what had happened during the day.
"I'm sorry for what happened during the day. That vase is indeed a fake," he said.
"Mommy, it's the uncle from the day," Xu An'an handed the phone to Xu Qingqing.
Hearing her words, Xu Qingqing frowned in confusion. What could he want from her so late at night?
"Hello, this is Xu Qingqing. What's the matter?" Xu Qingqing took the phone and asked coldly.
"There will be an auction of a Yuan - Dynasty blue - and - white porcelain vase the day after tomorrow. I wonder if Ms. Xu would be interested in going with me," Lu Chuanbai said.
He, Lu Chuanbai, never apologized. What he had just done was a first for him. He even began to doubt himself. But if the woman hadn't heard it, it didn't matter.
As soon as Xu Qingqing heard it was a Yuan - Dynasty blue - and - white porcelain, she became interested immediately. She had several blue - and - white porcelain vases, but she had only seen a Yuan - Dynasty one at an auction when she was a child.
Hearing his invitation, Xu Qingqing looked at An'an and hesitated for a while.
Although antiques were rare, she'd better not have too much contact with Lu Chuanbai, or she might get into trouble.
"Sorry, I'll be..."
"Ms. Xu, don't be in a hurry to refuse. I can tell that you like antiques. A Yuan - Dynasty blue - and - white porcelain is a rare sight. Aren't you really tempted?" Lu Chuanbai interrupted her.
Yes, his words hit Xu Qingqing right in the heart. She was really tempted.
Thinking that it would be just this once, just to take a look, and there would be no more contact after that.
"Okay, then send me the address. See you the day after tomorrow."
Seeing that Xu Qingqing agreed so readily, the corner of Lu Chuanbai's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
If it had been before, he would have been very confident in himself and never needed anyone's help. But after what had happened today and looking at Xu Qingqing's performance, although she was young, she must be very capable.
The next day, Xu Qingqing found a classmate who worked at a TV station to see if he could help find Yiyi. Then she took An'an to the mall and bought some daily necessities.
In a blink of an eye, it was the time for the auction. Xu Qingqing put on a black evening dress, coiled her hair into a bun, and put on a light makeup.
She had delicate features. With just a little dressing up, she could look stunning.
Xu Qingqing originally wanted to leave An'an at home with the two elders, but she refused firmly and insisted on going with them. In the end, there was nothing she could do but take her, because this little girl was really good at pouting and acting cute.
She thought she didn't have such a cute side at all. She didn't know who An'an had learned it from.
Xu Qingqing glanced at the location. As soon as she went out, a stretched Maybach stopped at the door. The window rolled down, and it was Lu Chuanbai.
Xu Qingqing's heart skipped a beat. Although she knew it wasn't difficult for him to find her place, she didn't expect that Lu Chuanbai would really investigate her.
"Get in the car," Lu Chuanbai said.
"Uncle," as soon as Xu An'an saw Lu Chuanbai, she happily skipped over and opened the passenger - side door and sat in, as if she had known him for a long time.
Xu Qingqing was stunned by her actions.
"Sorry, kids don't know any better. An'an, come and sit in the back row with mommy," Xu Qingqing said and was about to go and pick her up.
"It's okay. Let her sit here," Lu Chuanbai was also charmed by Xu An'an.
Just like that, the three of them arrived at Chenxi Hotel. As soon as the car stopped, Gu Anrou immediately ran over.