Just as Lu Chuanbai was about to contact more forces, Xu Qingqing received a call from her mother.
On the other end of the phone, Xu's mother was so excited that her words tumbled out in a rush, almost tripping over her tongue.
"Qingqing! The two kids were sent back by kind - hearted people! Come back quickly!"
The soft voices of the two kids came from the phone.
"Dad, Mom, we're already home. Come back quickly."
Hearing the kids' voices, Xu Qingqing couldn't hold back her tears. She covered her mouth and sobbed bitterly. "You two naughty kids! Why did you run around on your own? Do you know how worried Mom was when she couldn't find you?"
"Mom, I'm sorry." Xu An'an sniffled softly.
The eldest child, having heard from grandma how worried Xu Qingqing was and how she had searched everywhere for them, felt extremely guilty. "Mom, we know we were wrong. Don't be angry."
Hearing the kids' apologies on the phone, Lu Chuanbai pulled Xu Qingqing into his arms and gently patted her on the back. He knew that Xu Qingqing had been really scared this time.
"Qingqing, the kids mustn't have done it on purpose. Let's go home first."
"We'll talk when we get home."
"Okay." Xu Qingqing wiped away her tears and went home with Lu Chuanbai.
Before leaving, Lu Chuanbai's eyes, like those of a long - pent - up wild beast, calmly scanned the rich ladies who had organized this event.
His eyes held so much meaning that everyone he glanced at shivered involuntarily. They knew they were definitely going to be in his bad books this time.
And the step - mother began to regret why she had been so eager to show off and invited the two kids, Lu Chuanbai's precious darlings, to perform.
After Lu Chuanbai and Xu Qingqing got in the car and left, the step - mother finally let out a sigh of relief. She received a message on her phone and thought it was from Lu Fenglin. But when she saw it, she was instantly stunned.
The message was from Lu's father. After learning that the kids had been found, Lu's father had asked a lawyer to draw up a divorce agreement. He wanted to divorce the step - mother.
Since he had been with the step - mother, he had never had a moment of peace.
The step - mother was paranoid, vain, and hypocritical. He knew all these things, and now he had had enough.
"You bastard! Do you think you can just be a good grandpa and a good father and dump me now? No way!"
The step - mother angrily threw her phone on the ground, glared coldly at the other rich ladies, and then turned around and left.
Lu Fenglin had searched everywhere outside, but no one told him that the two kids had already gone home.
When Lu Fenglin got home and was about to mobilize all his forces to search for the kids, he saw the step - mother sitting in his private apartment, wailing.
"Woo... Why am I so unlucky!" The step - mother blew her nose. When she saw Lu Fenglin come in, she cried even louder.
"Mom, you're the one who lost the two kids. What are you whining about?" Lu Fenglin angrily slumped onto the sofa and rubbed his tired forehead.
"The two kids have been found long ago. Can't I feel wronged?" the step - mother cried.
Lu Fenglin suddenly sat up and turned on his phone, but there were no messages.
"The two kids have been found?"
"No one told you, right?" the step - mother sneered. "You treat them like treasures, but do they ever value you? They didn't even tell you when the kids were found. Who do you think you are?"
"Mom, they must have just forgotten since the kids were just found." Lu Fenglin tried to make excuses for Xu Qingqing.
"Pfft!" The step - mother spat angrily. "They had time to complain to your dad but didn't have time to tell you. How ridiculous!"
"Now, just because of such a trivial thing, your dad wants to divorce me! Not only from the Lu family, but we'll also be kicked out!"
After saying that, the step - mother cried even louder.
"What!" Lu Fenglin's hands gripping the armrests of the sofa turned white at the knuckles. He couldn't believe it.
If the step - mother divorced Lu's father, he would have no advantage at all.
The entire Lu family would be under Lu Chuanbai's control!
No, he wouldn't allow this to happen!
"What exactly did my dad say to you? Does he want you to leave the family with nothing?" Lu Fenglin stared fixedly at the step - mother.
The step - mother stopped crying and rolled her eyes.
Right, she still had a son!
As long as Lu Fenglin didn't allow her to divorce Lu's father, Lu's father should consider this son and give up this idea.
The step - mother opened her mouth and started to lie, exaggerating. "The two kids were already found, but Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai still complained about me in front of your dad."
"Your dad got angry and proposed to divorce me. He said he would take you away and only wanted Lu Chuanbai as his son."
"Besides the monthly living expenses and two houses, we'll have nothing!"
"Did my dad really say that?" Lu Fenglin slumped onto the sofa. The wound on his back throbbed faintly.
He didn't expect his father to be so heartless, just throwing him away whenever he wanted!
Since the kids had already been found, why did Lu Chuanbai still hold on to this and make such a big deal out of it!
He had given up enough. Since the Lu family didn't really treat him well, he would take everything back!
Lu Chuanbai drove back to the community. As soon as he parked the car, Xu Qingqing couldn't wait to run home.
She saw the two kids lying on the sofa. Even though they were sleepy and nodding off, they were still waiting for her. Xu Qingqing's eyes welled up with tears. She rushed over and hugged the two kids tightly.
"You two kids! You really scared me!"
"Mom, you're back!"
"Mom, hug me."
These two little ones knew how to make Xu Qingqing happy. They coquettishly wrapped their arms around Xu Qingqing's neck and rubbed their warm little faces against her slightly cool one.
Xu's mother brought the cooked dinner out of the kitchen and scolded gently, "They walked all the way to the city center. Their feet are all blistered!"
"Fortunately, there was a kind taxi driver who sent the two kids home. Otherwise, where could we find them!"
"Where is that driver? I must thank him properly!" Xu Qingqing let go of the two kids and turned to look at her mother excitedly.
That kind taxi driver was like the one who had returned her most precious treasures. She should at least make a silk banner for him and pay for the taxi fare!
"Don't worry. I've already thanked him." Xu's mother said with a smile. "I wanted to give him money, but he refused no matter what. He only took the taxi fare."
"I gave him the lucky charm that your dad bought before and told him that if he was short of money in the future, he could sell that charm for emergency use."
"Is it the Hetian jade charm that Dad bought?" Xu Qingqing asked.
That Hetian jade carving was cut from the core of a whole piece of Hetian jade and was worth about a hundred thousand yuan. This gift of gratitude was quite thoughtful.
"Yes. Your dad offered it himself." Xu's mother said with a smile.
"That's good."
Lu Chuanbai parked the car and went home. The corners of his eyes were red. He didn't say a word but just tightly hugged the mother and the two kids in his arms.