Chapter Eighty-Three: Su Bai Bai Disappears

Back at the police station, An Feng and Mo Lan looked at Xiao Qi and Liu Fei, both of whom seemed puzzled and utterly exhausted. Why were the two of them so worn out?

“You’re back!” The pair greeted Mo Lan and An Feng, their faces steeped in gloom and fatigue, as if they were on the verge of falling ill.

“What’s going on with you two? You look exhausted,” Mo Lan settled into her seat, curiosity in her eyes as she studied them—dark circles nearly turning their eyes into those of a panda.

An Feng, meanwhile, paid them little mind, returning directly to his desk to leaf through the latest case files. Although the troublemakers had dwindled recently, there were still plenty of unresolved cases lingering from before. It seemed these two hadn’t handled many, yet they were this tired?

“We don’t even know who reported the case the night before last. We stayed up late to go and watch, then rested yesterday, but those people didn’t show up, so we had to go again, and ended up taking people to transport the bodies,” Xiao Qi complained, visibly frustrated and unwilling.

Liu Fei remained silent. He could see it—the ambiguous tension between the two, different from before, more blatant now. It seemed his chance was gone. If he couldn’t be her prince, he’d settle for being her knight.

Mo Lan paused, realizing that wasn’t the night she and An Feng were on West Road. Did the chief send the two of them out that night?

“Captain An Feng, Deputy Captain Mo Lan, the chief wants you to come over.” A young officer called from the doorway, then quickly disappeared, seemingly in a rush to deliver other messages.

After exchanging glances, An Feng and Mo Lan left side by side. Xiao Qi and Liu Fei watched their departing figures, a bittersweet feeling rising in their hearts.

They snapped out of it, glanced at one another, neither mocking the other, then returned to their posts to continue their tasks.

Mo Lan and An Feng walked with precise steps, one after another, to the chief’s office. When they knocked and entered, they realized it wasn’t just the chief inside.

“Chief,” Mo Lan and An Feng greeted in unison, standing respectfully.

It turned out the other man was the principal of North Academy. Unfortunately, he hadn’t met Mo Lan before, though he’d heard his wife mention her as “Sister Bai Bai.”

“This is the principal of North Academy. His daughter, Su Bai Bai, has gone missing,” the chief said, his words laden with implication as he glanced at Mo Lan.

“Bai Bai…” Mo Lan’s mind thundered at the news. How could Bai Bai have gone missing? This was the husband of that lady, the principal of North Academy.

“Yes, my wife has been assigning a bodyguard to her lately, but yesterday afternoon, she couldn’t pick her up herself because of other matters, and then she disappeared,” the principal explained helplessly. The main reason he'd come to the chief was to request that the famed detectives Mo Lan and An Feng take on the case and bring his daughter home.

“Did she disappear at school or outside? Have you clarified the details?” Mo Lan asked anxiously. She’d been so busy lately she’d nearly forgotten about Bai Bai. With things so unsettled, could Bai Bai’s disappearance be connected to the boss?

“We asked the teachers at the academy—Bai Bai went out alone, already off campus, so it was no longer under their supervision,” the principal answered, his urgency rising until he was nearly out of his seat.

“When did this happen?” Mo Lan pressed, wondering why the principal’s wife hadn’t called them sooner—this was a serious matter.

“Just yesterday. That’s why I came immediately today,” the principal admitted, a bit ashamed. He’d sent people to search, but to no avail.

“North Academy, right?” Mo Lan confirmed, preparing to head out at once. This was no trivial matter.

The principal nodded. Mo Lan rushed out, and An Feng nodded to the two men before following her.

Their pace was so swift, the other officers were stunned—weren’t they just back? Now they were off again.

An Feng drove toward North Academy. Mo Lan was so anxious her hand trembled as she dialed Qian Yin. The two sisters had to personally find Bai Bai; otherwise, who would stand behind her if she were bullied in the future?

Meanwhile, Qian Yin, out shopping on the street, received Mo Lan’s call, surprised—wasn’t she back at work? Today, Coldblooded had taken Qian Yin out for a stroll, intending to buy snacks.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m shopping. What’s up, aren’t you back at work?” Qian Yin replied, munching on an ice cream.

“You know where North Academy is, right? Su Bai Bai has gone missing. Let’s hurry there to find her.”

Upon hearing that Su Bai Bai was missing, Qian Yin froze, her ice cream dropping to the ground. Hadn’t she already warned the principal’s wife about this? How could Bai Bai still vanish?

Coldblooded saw the fallen ice cream and shook Qian Yin’s shoulder. Seeing her dazed, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Bai Bai’s missing. We need to drive to North Academy—quickly!” Qian Yin said, abandoning the ice cream and heading for the car.

Coldblooded immediately ran to the driver’s seat, started the car, and sped toward North Academy.

At that moment, Su Bai Bai was quietly crouched beside an alley, having spent the night there. She didn’t want to go home, her heart heavy with discomfort.

She knew everyone would worry, and if things escalated, both Sister Qian Yin and Sister Mo Lan would be concerned. But she simply didn’t want to go home or face it all.

“I’m so hungry…” Su Bai Bai murmured, standing up with shaky legs, only to collapse again. She forced herself up, steadied herself against the wall, and step by step, made her way outside.

Finally, she reached the street, stumbled, and fainted. A flower thief passing by was stunned—he’d come here for food, not expecting a young girl to suddenly collapse in front of him.

The flower thief was accompanied by two little assassins, both carrying food. He casually placed two buns on Su Bai Bai, then strode away, not bothering to help.

The two little assassins thought the flower thief was too kind, but dared not say much—after all, they still had to address him as “Master.”

Other passersby ignored Su Bai Bai, walking calmly past as if they hadn’t seen a child lying on the roadside.

It was ultimately a beautiful auntie buying fruit who noticed the girl sprawled on the ground. Without a word, she picked her up and took the buns as well.

After more than two hours’ drive, they finally arrived at North Academy. The place was lavishly decorated, bustling with people. It was indeed difficult to find a missing girl amid such a crowd.