"If they're not at your place, where could my kids be!"
Thinking about the two kids being taken away by the stepmother to God knows where, Xu Qingqing grew increasingly anxious.
"Don't worry." While soothing Xu Qingqing in a soft voice, Lu Chuanbai coldly questioned his father.
"Where's your wife? Call her out!"
"She's been in the hospital taking care of Feng Lin these days and hasn't been home."
Realizing something was amiss, Lu's father called the stepmother on his other phone.
The phone rang a few times and then got hung up. When he called again, it was turned off.
"Where did this woman take the two kids!"
Lu's father was getting impatient. If anything happened to the two kids, Lu Chuanbai's family would never forgive him.
He then called Lu Fenglin. Lu Fenglin was at a bar. He raised his hand, signaling the DJ on stage to turn the volume down.
"Dad, what's up?"
"Where's your mom? Where did she take Yiyi and An'an?"
"I have no idea... I was discharged from the hospital ages ago, and mom stopped taking care of me."
Hearing his father's urgent tone, Lu Fenglin asked, "Dad, what happened?"
"Your mom took the two kids away out of the blue! And she still hasn't brought them back!"
"I don't know. I'll call and ask her."
Lu Fenglin frowned. Why would his mom take the two kids away for no reason?
When Lu Fenglin called, someone answered. The stepmother on the other end sounded panicked and tearful.
"Son... I accidentally lost Lu Chuanbai's two kids!"
"What? Mom, what were you doing with them?"
Lu Fenglin asked in shock.
Although he didn't like Lu Chuanbai, he genuinely adored those two kids.
Especially Xu An'an. She loved to hug his arm and act cute. She even stayed with him once.
"I took them to a charity event at a rescue center on the outskirts. But they left on their own before the event ended."
The stepmother was beside herself with worry.
When she went looking for the kids after the celebration, she found they were already gone. After checking the surveillance, she realized they had left.
There were no taxis on the outskirts. They'd have to walk at least five kilometers to reach the city.
A five - kilometer walk was a strenuous task even for adults, let alone two five - year - old kids who took three steps for every one of an adult's.
"Mom, you've gone too far!" Lu Fenglin said angrily.
Although Lu Fenglin thought the kids going missing would give Lu Chuanbai a scare, he couldn't bear the thought of those delicate kids having to walk such a long way. Their feet would surely get blistered!
And who knew what dangers they might encounter on the way!
What if they ran into bad guys?
What if a crazy stray dog chased them?
The kids were so vulnerable, and the world was so dangerous!
"I was just trying to do a good deed..." the stepmother whispered in self - defense.
"You were just trying to satisfy your own vanity!" Lu Fenglin coldly retorted. He threw on his coat, grabbed his car keys, and headed out.
"You're using the kids for attention and forcing them to do things they don't want to.
It's just a fake show of kindness by you adults, but you dragged the kids into it. Mom, you've gone too far!"
Lu Fenglin mercilessly tore off his stepmother's mask of kindness.
He hung up the phone and called Xu Qingqing back, explaining the whole thing from start to finish.
Hearing that the two kids had left on their own, Xu Qingqing burst into tears.
It was already pitch - black outside, and it was the outskirts. The kids were so young. Where could they be?
What if they ran into bad guys... or human traffickers!
The more Xu Qingqing thought about it, the more scared she got. She turned around and was about to go out to look for the kids when she ran into her mother, who had come to ask if the kids were home.
"Qingqing, are the two kids back from their grandpa's?" Xu's mother asked with concern.
Hearing her mother's words, Xu Qingqing hugged her and sobbed.
"Mom, the two kids are missing... waaaa..."
"What? How could they go missing!" Xu's mother's heart skipped a beat. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Is it related to Chuanbai's stepmother?"
"Yeah." Xu Qingqing nodded through her tears. "She didn't take the kids to grandpa's. She took them to the outskirts."
"How could that bitch do such a thing!"
Xu's mother was so angry that she felt dizzy. Her ears were buzzing. Her legs went weak, and she almost fainted.
Xu Qingqing quickly supported her mother. Xu's mother was crying so hard she could barely speak.
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't given the two kids to her, this wouldn't have happened!
I'm such a fool!"
Lu Chuanbai helped Xu's mother onto the sofa. He gritted his teeth tightly, wishing he could make the stepmother pay right away.
But finding the kids was the top priority.
"Auntie, stop crying. Yiyi and An'an are so smart. They'll be fine! We need to go and pick them up quickly!"
"Go quickly. Call your elder brother too!"
Xu's mother was so anxious that her legs were weak. She called Xu Yan and Xu's father and told them to go out and look for the kids.
Lu Chuanbai also made a call, instructing his secretary to mobilize everyone they could to look for the two kids.
On the other end of the phone, Lu's father was so anxious that he was getting angry. His voice was full of guilt: "I'll go and look too!"
He was also responsible for this. If the stepmother hadn't used his name, she wouldn't have been able to trick the two kids away.
"Take care of yourself first!"
Lu Chuanbai said coldly and then hung up the phone. His eyes were bloodshot with rage.
He had never hated his father and his father's wife so much!
If anything happened to the two kids, he would hate these two people for the rest of his life!
Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai quickly rushed out. Following the route sent by Lu Fenglin, they searched carefully along the way.
But they searched all the way to the nursing home without finding the two kids.
When the stepmother saw Lu Chuanbai and Xu Qingqing coming, she pretended to be sad.
"Qingqing, Chuanbai, I really didn't mean it. In the blink of an eye, the two kids were gone..."
Slap!
A loud slap echoed through the air. It was Xu Qingqing who slapped the stepmother. Xu Qingqing grabbed the stepmother's collar. Being taller, she lifted the stepmother up directly.
"If anything happens to my two kids, you won't live either!"
The stepmother was choking, her face turning red. She slapped Xu Qingqing's hand hard.
Xu Qingqing flung the stepmother to the ground. Looking at the wealthy ladies who were still there, her eyes were filled with hatred and killing intent. She pointed at each of them with a trembling finger.
"You're all responsible. I won't let you off!"
If Xu Qingqing were an ordinary person, the wealthy ladies would have laughed off her words.
But behind Xu Qingqing stood Lu Chuanbai, the first president of the richest man.
They couldn't afford to offend him!
"Chuanbai, let's go back and search again. Maybe we missed something."
Xu Qingqing wiped away her tears forcefully and wanted to search again.
"Wait a minute. I'll ask the others."
Lu Chuanbai held Xu Qingqing's hand to give her strength and called the others, but there was still no sign of the two kids.