novelraw Chapter 578 - 562 No hope, Hua Jun
Chapter 578 - 562 No hope, Hua Jun
After escorting Luo Da to the motel, the police cars stopped outside, their sirens wailing incessantly. When they heard the motel staff say that the suspects had left an hour ago, everyone felt more disheartened than ever. On the way back, they ran into Jiang Jinghuai.
At the entrance of Yipin Xiangju.
Jiang Jinghuai’s coat bore the scent of dust and wind, his brows furrowed coldly: "Didn’t find anyone."
One police car after another, one officer after another, combed through the entire city as if turning Beijing upside down, yet they consistently yielded no results.
Although Tian Sangsang had grown numb from the ordeal, Jiang Jinghuai’s words still sent a blunt, painful jab through her heart.
"Please keep searching, and I’ll continue looking on my own as well."
Xu Zhengyang assured her, "Mrs. Jiang, don’t worry. We will definitely find your child."
"There’s new information from Old Liu now. Trust us, there will be updates very soon."
"Alright." Tian Sangsang nodded weakly, tightening her coat around her trembling body.
She wasn’t afraid of this situation. She believed that the police could find Tang Yuan’er.
What she feared was the passage of time.
Every second they spent talking here meant one more second of suffering for Little Tangyuan.
He was just over two months old, a tiny infant. What kind of fate awaited him in the hands of human traffickers?
Would they beat him? Would they feed him milk? Was he getting enough to eat? Would they drug him?
From the moment he was born, Little Tangyuan had been cared for as if he were made of gold—truly a "gold-plated dumpling."
Tian Sangsang dared not think further. The more she thought, the closer she came to breaking apart.
Xu Zhengyang knew she wanted to continue searching for her child and couldn’t stop her, so he assigned a female officer to accompany her.
Jiang Jinghuai stared intently at her frail silhouette, his hands trembling in the pockets of his coat.
He turned and asked, "Old Liu?"
Xu Zhengyang recounted the information they had gathered when visiting the village to meet Jin Zhi and Luo Da with Tian Sangsang earlier.
Back at the station, the entire office was bustling, papers in hand as people moved busily in and out.
Xu Zhengyang’s protégé approached, a heavy expression on his face: "Captain, Deputy Captain."
"The chief is here. He wants to see you both."
Exchanging a glance, Xu Zhengyang and Jiang Jinghuai went to meet the chief.
The chief wasted no time on pleasantries, speaking bluntly: "We’ve got a case."
"You understand the situation better than I do—a heinous human trafficking case. The Jiang Family is putting pressure from above, so you must investigate diligently and promptly. We need answers for them as soon as possible. I know you might already be exhausted, but time is of the essence, so be prepared to work overtime if needed."
Both men responded in unison, "Understood."
That night, Tian Sangsang found herself unable to sleep. Though her body was worn out, her mind resisted rest.
As long as her son was suffering somewhere, she felt that if she just kept looking—kept searching—there was still hope of finding him. The thought consumed her, leaving her restless and irritable, unable to sleep.
She avoided going to the bedroom, curling herself up on the couch instead.
The room was saturated with Little Tangyuan’s presence—the comforting scent of milk hung in the air, the gentle motion of the cradle rocking in the living room.
"Ah-ah, ah-ah." In a daze, she stared at the cradle, as if still able to hear Little Tangyuan’s soft murmurs.
The pain in her heart intensified.
**
The Hua Family had also heard about Little Tangyuan being abducted. Since their son-in-law worked at the Public Security Bureau, failing to find the child would spell trouble. Hua Jun’s father, however, had little to say about his son-in-law’s efforts to locate Little Tangyuan.
Hua Zifeng remained as indifferent and lackadaisical as ever.
But Hua Jun couldn’t hide her discomfort. Her husband had barely slept last night, poring over documents, searching for someone named Old Liu, and tracing possible escape routes of the traffickers. This morning, he rushed off to work again, and by noon, she barely managed to persuade him to take a short nap upstairs.
Hua Jun felt deeply unsettled. She repeatedly told herself that Ye Jiang was merely doing his duty, yet jealousy gnawed at her relentlessly. She remembered the formula Hua Zifeng had given her a few days ago, something capable of making a man "rise from the dead." Despite sharing their bed every night, she still lacked a sense of security—only by truly becoming one with him could she find peace of mind.
Holding a cup in her hand, she pushed open the door, only to find Jiang Jinghuai still wide awake, standing by the window smoking.
The window was open, allowing the cold wind to blow inside, diluting the room’s heavy tobacco scent.
"Ah Jun." His hand rested lightly on the windowsill as he turned, curling his lips in a faint smile.
Hua Jun smiled back and extended her hand. "I’ve prepared some ginger tea for you. Would you like to warm up a little?"
Jiang Jinghuai accepted the tea without suspicion, drinking a few sips before pressing his thin lips together.
Hua Jun’s hand trembled slightly, but she maintained a composed expression as she placed the cup on the bedside table.
Jiang Jinghuai noticed her action, a faint trace of puzzlement in his eyes.
Hua Jun leaned into him, draping herself in his arms, casually saying, "Any leads? That Mrs. Jiang is truly pitiful—just lost her husband, and now her son is gone too. These traffickers are ruthless, stealing children of all things. You know, children are the very heart and soul of their parents..."
Her voice wasn’t its usual tone; today, in Jiang Jinghuai’s ears, it sounded soft and sultry, tickling at his emotions.
His chest tightened, and he took a deep drag from his cigarette.
His outward demeanor stayed steady.
Internally, though, his body had begun shifting subtly.
His blood was heating—slowly, steadily warming up. Paired with Hua Jun’s body against his, it felt as though the water within him was nearing a rolling boil, ready to overflow at any moment.
If this went on, it would lead to disaster.
The tea just now—there was something off about it!
A cold shiver rippled down his spine as Jiang Jinghuai extinguished his cigarette. He gently but firmly disentangled himself from Hua Jun, stating, "Whatever happens to Mrs. Jiang has nothing to do with me. Orders from above are to ensure the traffickers face justice."
He stepped forward, picked up his coat from the bed, donned it, and gathered the papers into his arm. "Ah Jun, I’m afraid I can’t stay with you. I think I’ve figured out where they escaped from!"
"Ye Jiang!" Hua Jun stared blankly for a moment before panicking, "The timing isn’t right yet... Just stay a while longer..."
Jiang Jinghuai felt his throat dry and hot, "Can’t stay any longer. Every second risks those children’s safety. We’ll talk after I return."
Hua Jun followed him downstairs, her heart in turmoil—why wasn’t the drug taking effect yet?
Just then, a sudden car horn sounded from outside.
Both froze in place.
Jiang Jinghuai stepped into the courtyard and opened the gate, his gaze fiery as he asked, "What is it?"
Xu Zhengyang was momentarily dazed, staring into his eyes. Regaining composure, he quickly nodded and said, "We’ve got something! Ye Jiang, there’s new progress. We’ve found traces—they took the water route, which is why we missed them yesterday."
Jiang Jinghuai’s gaze darkened. "So yesterday was all for nothing!"
"Ah Jun, I need to go." He didn’t even glance back.
"Sorry for bothering you, Hua Prosecutor," Xu Zhengyang said apologetically, nodding slightly.
Hua Jun forced a smile, shaking her head as the car engine roared to life. Watching the car’s rear leave, she clenched her teeth in fury—how she hated Xu Zhengyang! The drug wasn’t working, or maybe it hadn’t taken hold yet—but what if it did later?
In the car, Xu Zhengyang couldn’t help but notice that Ye Jiang seemed off today. He wasn’t sitting still, almost as if he were enduring something. "Ye Jiang, you feeling alright?"