The street was empty, and Luo Da grew bolder. Being a repeat offender, his heart was calm, though a glimr of light occasionally flashed in his eyes. This little boy was extrely handso, so the child in his arms—whether a boy or girl—must also have fine looks. Both could be sold for a good price. If a boy, he could be sold as a son; if a girl, she could be sold as a child bride.
The better their looks and upbringing, the higher the price they fetched.
He was quite familiar with the routes in the area. Snatching one child from another’s grasp—it was just a matter of running fast. With so few people around right now, it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Luo Da excitedly rubbed his hands together and wiped his mouth before silently approaching the entrance of Yipin Xiangju.
He darted inside. Just at that mont, ng Shuyan, with his keen ears, heard a noise and imdiately turned his head to look.
His mouth opened: "..."
Before a single syllable could escape, Luo Da moved with lightning speed, covering ng Shuyan’s small mouth from behind and snatching the child from his arms with one hand. Since this was a spur-of-the-mont decision, he hadn’t prepared a better plan to take both children. The older boy could already talk, and besides, he didn’t have any sedatives on him.
As he was thinking this, a sharp pain suddenly radiated from his hand. Luo Da looked down to see the little boy clawing at his hand with both of his, struggling fiercely, his teeth sinking into Luo Da’s palm.
"My brother!" ng Shuyan clung to Luo Da, his red eyes shouting upstairs for help: "Mama! Mom..."
Infuriated, Luo Da flung him aside with considerable force. ng Shuyan was thrown against the counter, his head hitting the edge, but he still managed to cry out: "My brother!"
Holding Little Tangyuan tightly, Luo Da swiftly exited the establishnt. In the unfamiliar arms, Little Tangyuan burst into a heart-wrenching cry: "Waaaah waaaah waaaah..."
Luo Da imdiately used his hand to muffle the child’s mouth, silencing his cries as he ran even faster.
Upstairs, Tian Sangsang was checking if the al was ready when she suddenly heard her son’s panicked voice from below. Then, faintly, ca the sound of Little Tangyuan crying. Her heart seized violently as if struck. She dropped the spatula and rushed down the stairs in a flurry.
What was happening?
"Yanyan?" She saw ng Shuyan struggling to get up from the ground, his little face pale and his arms empty.
She took a swift stride toward him. "Yanyan! What happened to you? Where’s your brother?!"
Having been flung against the counter earlier, ng Shuyan’s head pounded and spun. His body was weak, but he didn’t care about any of that. Furrowing his little brows, he cried out in a loud, anxious voice: "Mama, my brother was taken! Please go get him back!"
What?! Tian Sangsang felt as though she might faint. Her world tilted like an unsteady rry-go-round. But now was no ti to pass out. Snapping herself awake, she looked at ng Shuyan with both heartache and urgency. "Stay here and be good. Mama will find your brother."
She propped herself up, feeling icy cold all over, and stepped out the door. As her trembling feet passed through the threshold, she realized she didn’t know where to go. Her gaze landed on a suspicious figure at the end of the street, and her eyes lit up sharply.
It was him!
A voice inside her mind shouted: It’s him! He’s the one! He’s the one who took Tang Yuan’er!
That was Little Tangyuan’s pink blanket!
A rush of hot blood surged through her chest. Without hesitation, Tian Sangsang dashed forward. "Stop! Give back my son!" Damn it! Damn you! How dare you take her child!
At this hour, the other shopkeepers on the street were all inside having their als. Hearing the commotion, they poked their heads out to take a look, but by then, Tian Sangsang and the man were far down the road. The shopkeepers looked at one another, unsure what was going on.
Those who were on good terms with Tian Sangsang went inside to check on ng Shuyan. The little boy clutched his head, which was bleeding slightly. Seeing this, they hurried to help him, hands in a frenzy.
However, the gap between Tian Sangsang and the man was too wide. Even though she ran as fast as she could, by the ti she reached the intersection, she had lost him.
She gasped for breath, her throat burning as if consud by fire.
"Tang Yuan’er, Tang Yuan’er..." She called out helplessly, spinning in place like an ant on a hot pan.
Her heart felt as though it had been struck with a hamr, leaving cracks for the cold wind and icy waters to rcilessly pour into.
"Police, police!" Her sharp eyes caught sight of a police convoy not far away, with a police car parked nearby. Two officers were standing by the car, just about to open the doors and get in!
"Ah!" She cried out as she ran toward them. "Police!"
Xu Zhengyang was already inside the car, having shut the door behind him. Jiang Jinghuai, anwhile, was standing beside the open car door, his gaze cast downward as he adjusted his neatly pressed military-green coat.
"Officer..." As Tian Sangsang drew closer, she looked at Jiang Jinghuai with teary eyes filled with desperate hope. At the sight of his familiar face, their gazes locked. Her entire body jolted, and the words at the tip of her tongue froze. She lowered her head, tears rolling down in streams.
She pounded on the car window and recognized Xu Zhengyang inside. "Captain Xu, Captain Xu, please help ..."
Jiang Jinghuai, ignored entirely: ...
Recognizing her, Xu Zhengyang imdiately stepped out of the car and, in a serious tone, asked, "Madam Jiang, what happened?"
"Take your ti and tell slowly."
Tian Sangsang said, "I want to report an incident. My son has been abducted. I suspect it may be the work of human traffickers!"
At her words, Jiang Jinghuai’s deep black eyes locked onto her, a deadly sharp glint passing through them.
Xu Zhengyang furrowed his brow in solemn anger. Human traffickers were sothing he utterly abhorred.
Speaking at the fastest pace she could muster, Tian Sangsang explained, "It was a man in a black suit! He took my son from the shop! I chased him here, but he disappeared!"
Recalling news she’d seen in the past, she added hastily, "If it’s human traffickers, then please block all the exits and conduct thorough checks. They usually don’t linger and will move quickly! My son must be found; he can’t be in danger! Please, you have to find my son!"
"I’ll go after him and have the team search as well. Focus on checking places like bus stations, railway stations, and other transit points," Jiang Jinghuai said in a low, steady voice. "Captain, take Mrs. Jiang back to file a detailed report."
Xu Zhengyang instinctively nodded in agreent.
Technically, he was the captain—why was he taking orders? But in the heat of the mont, he couldn’t afford to care about such things.
About to board the car, Jiang Jinghuai paused, raising his eyes to look at Tian Sangsang. He spoke calmly, "I understand you have two sons."
Tian Sangsang avoided his gaze, suppressing her sorrow as she replied hoarsely, "It’s my younger son who was abducted. He had a small pink blanket with him. I hope this information will help."
Jiang Jinghuai gave a faint nod.
After Jiang Jinghuai left, Xu Zhengyang and Tian Sangsang searched the area thoroughly. When their efforts turned up nothing, Tian Sangsang rembered that ng Shuyan was still alone at the shop, and she couldn’t bear to leave either child unattended.
Returning to Yipin Xiangju, they found several people inside.
"Boss Tian, you’re back!"
"Your son had a minor head injury. I checked it and patched him up; it’s nothing serious."
"Thank you, thank you." Tian Sangsang’s nose tingled as she pulled the little boy into a hug, inspecting him and caressing his small face.
With teary eyes, the boy looked up at her. "Where’s my brother?"
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