A little earlier, when Zhang Zhijie returned, he saw Xie Ci and pointed at his bed, reminding him, “Xie Ci, your phone has been ringing since just now.”

Xie Ci thanked him, picked up his phone from beside the pillow, and unlocked it. There were twelve missed calls, all from Yang Le.

Yang Le didn’t have much personal relationship with him, and wouldn’t call him without a reason, especially not this many times.

Xie Ci thought it might be related to his dad, so he immediately called back.

The phone line was busy, so he hung up and waited for a moment. Yang Le’s call came in.

Xie Ci picked up casually, “Brother Yang, looking for me?”

“Xiao Ci, has the teacher come to find you?”

Yang Le’s voice on the other end sounded very anxious. “He hasn’t been himself today. He suddenly drove out this afternoon, and no one has answered his phone since! I searched everywhere and couldn’t find him!”

Xie Ci’s expression changed as he recalled how his dad, Xie Qian, had an accident due to mental confusion in his past life. He turned and strode out of the dorm.

“What exactly happened? Be clear!”

Yang Le replied, “I don’t know either. Everything was fine yesterday. The teacher even asked me to teach him how to make soup, and he seemed in a good mood. But when I came to work this morning, something felt off, like we were back in the worst times. He was completely out of it! I was busy just now and couldn’t stop him. It’s dangerous for him to drive in this state!”

Gu Yufeng noticed Xie Ci’s unusual expression and put down the cup of water he was holding, following him out of the dorm.

Zhang Ruochuan and Jiang Chenyu returned from the restroom just in time to see them rushing out one after the other, exchanging glances, unsure of what was happening.

Zhang Ruochuan looked in the direction Xie Ci had left, a bit worried. “I’ve never seen Captain Xie this anxious before.”

“Let’s go check it out!”

Jiang Chenyu pulled Zhang Ruochuan along, “At least we might be able to help.”

As Xie Ci listened to Yang Le say that he had contacted all the places his dad might go, his expression grew darker.

In his past life, he and his dad had hardly interacted, and he didn’t know anything about his dad’s social circle or life.

His mind felt empty, with no clues.

Xie Ci ran all the way to the school gate, searching inside and out, but he didn’t see his dad’s car.

He forced himself to calm down and said to Yang Le on the phone, “You know more about his situation than I do. Please help me call the police, and also keep contacting people related to my dad to help look for him.”

Yang Le replied, “Okay! If you see the teacher, make sure to notify me right away!”

After hanging up, Xie Ci punched the wall in frustration.

He always made the same mistake, thinking he had plenty of time and could take things slowly.

If he had understood his dad and the things around him earlier, he wouldn’t be so helpless when something went wrong.

When Gu Yufeng caught up with Xie Ci, he saw him checking each car parked by the school gate, seemingly looking for someone, with cold sweat on his forehead.

He had never seen Xie Ci this flustered before.

“Xie Ci!”

Gu Yufeng caught up and turned him to face him by gripping his shoulder, “What happened?”

Xie Ci didn’t even respond, shaking off his hand and continuing to search.

It wasn’t anger; it was as if he couldn’t even spare a thought for him.

Gu Yufeng gritted his teeth and quickened his pace, “Who are you looking for? I can help you!”

Xie Ci was like a headless chicken, scanning the driver’s seats of all the nearby cars, completely oblivious to what Gu Yufeng was saying. His mind was consumed with one thought—he had to find him quickly; being even a moment late could lead to irreversible consequences.

“Xie Ci!”

Gu Yufeng forcefully turned him to face him again, “Calm down!”

Xie Ci seemed to snap back to reality and said in a low voice, “My dad is missing. He has a condition and can’t take care of himself.”

Gu Yufeng’s eyes flickered, and he frowned, “Do you have any clues?”

“None.”

Xie Ci’s gaze inadvertently swept over the distant teaching building, and his heart suddenly sank.

Ye Yuru had been at the school last night!

He had completely severed ties with Ye Yuru’s family, but would she say something to protect her own interests in front of his dad?

Xie Ci’s expression darkened, and he turned to run towards the bustling area.

Gu Yufeng saw the look on his face and knew he must have a lead. He grabbed him and walked quickly forward, “Get in my car!”

Roberson had been on standby almost all day. As soon as Gu Yufeng and Xie Ci got in the car, he sensed something was off from their expressions.

“Where to?”

Xie Ci’s voice was cold, “To the bustling area.”

On the side of the teaching building, Xiang Haibin was about to head home on his little electric scooter when he saw Zhang Ruochuan and Jiang Chenyu rushing past. He called out sternly, “What are you doing? Running so fast in a place like this, what if you get hit?!”

Zhang Ruochuan looked around and asked Xiang Haibin, “Teacher, have you seen Old Xie? He ran off too fast, and we lost him.”

“Lost him?”

Xiang Haibin was puzzled, “Why were you following him?”

Zhang Ruochuan replied, “He seems to be in some trouble and looks really anxious.”

“At the school gate!”

Jiang Chenyu spotted Xie Ci running out the main gate and pulled Zhang Ruochuan to follow.

Xiang Haibin pondered for a moment, recalling the phone call from last night. He rode his little electric scooter to catch up, quickly overtaking Zhang Ruochuan and Jiang Chenyu.

“Hey, Teacher, take us with you!”

Jiang Chenyu jumped onto the back seat of Xiang Haibin’s scooter after a running start, “Catch up to Old Xie, thanks.”

“You little brat! Get off!”

The vehicle swayed violently, and Xiang Haibin struggled to stabilize it. Then Zhang Ruochuan jumped on too, “Are you trying to rebel?!”

“Teacher, it’s so cramped! Can you move forward a bit?”

Zhang Ruochuan clung tightly to Jiang Chenyu, his butt hanging off the back.

Xiang Haibin cursed under his breath; these two little brats just wouldn’t listen!

When they arrived at the entrance of the house, Xie Ci spotted the Maybach parked in the yard from a distance, and his tense nerves finally relaxed a bit.

He quickly typed a message to Yang Le and quietly entered through the iron gate, sneaking around to the side terrace. Through the open window, he saw what was happening in the living room on the first floor.

His dad, Xie Qian, was sitting face to face with Ye Yuru and her husband on the sofa, discussing his matters.

“You want to take Xiao Ci to raise him? What are you thinking?!”

Ye Yuru looked at Xie Qian, her tone sharper than usual. “Do you even know what kind of person you are? You can’t even take care of yourself and need to hire an assistant. How can you take care of a child? Do you know what nutrients a boy his age needs every day? Do you know what he likes to eat? Do you know what clothes and bedding to prepare for him when the seasons change?

You know nothing! You just want to raise a child on a whim. A child is a person, not an object! You can’t just take care of him for a few days when you feel like it and then ignore him when you don’t. He could die!”

Xie Qian’s hands, resting on his legs, tightened, and he lowered his head slightly, his voice very low, “I didn’t act on a whim. I wanted to take care of him since I returned to the country. Before, Xiao Ci resisted me, and I didn’t want to put too much pressure on him. But now that he is willing to get close to me, I think it’s time—”

“Can you take care of him?!”

Ye Yuru interrupted him sharply, “You’re over forty, yet you haven’t changed at all since your twenties! All you do is paint, completely ignoring the lives of your family! If it weren’t for your character, my sister wouldn’t have divorced you so decisively! You haven’t come back even once in all these years, and it’s all because of you!”

As she spoke, Ye Yuru’s eyes turned red.

“Xiao Ci is my sister’s child. I watched her struggle for two days to give birth to him. I will never let a person like you, who is so irresponsible, take care of him! Give up on that thought!”

Xie Qian was scolded but didn’t retort. Every time he came here, he couldn’t avoid being lectured, and he had grown used to it.

After a long silence, he spoke again, “Yuru, I know I owe your sister, but the past is the past. I can’t make up for it; I can only treat Xiao Ci better. He has grown up now—”

“Yes, he has grown up and can take care of himself, so you want to take him away.”

Ye Yuru interrupted him again, her tone sarcastic, “The child isn’t yours, and you didn’t raise him. Now you want to come and pick up the pieces? Is it that easy? Do you really think Xiao Ci has any father-son feelings for you?! You’ve come here so many times; has he ever wanted to see you? You can’t impose your thoughts on him!

He has been very happy living with me. Why do you have to ruin that?!”

On the side, Chen Xinhong saw that Xie Qian had fallen silent, and the atmosphere was heavy. He timely spoke up to mediate.

“Ah Qian, don’t blame Yuru for speaking harshly. She cares about Xiao Ci. For so many years, she has treated him as her own. Ask yourself, if you had taken care of the child back then, could you have done better than us? You can’t even provide him with a complete family. Am I right?”

Xie Qian’s eyes drooped slightly, “I know.”

“You’ve never raised a child, so you don’t know how much energy it takes to raise a child until they are eighteen. Money is secondary.”

Ye Yuru’s voice choked, sounding a bit wronged, “Do you really think I’m after your little bit of money? It’s not enough at all. I provide the best for Xiao Ci’s food and clothing every month, and I have to put in a lot of my own money. Have I ever complained to you? It’s all for the child, isn’t it?”

Xie Qian’s hands tightened even more, “You have raised the child for so many years, and I am very grateful. But now that he is willing to live with me, we should respect his wishes.”

“That’s because I didn’t give him money to go online, and he was mad at me!”

Ye Yuru said somewhat aggrieved, “He can stay for a few days, but when he wants to come back, you have to return him to me.”

The phrase “return him to me” completely extinguished the light in Xie Qian’s eyes.

Xie Ci leaned against the wall, listening, his expression growing colder.

The conversations in the living room were the first he had heard in two lifetimes.

Some of Ye Yuru’s words sounded ridiculous, and they could only deceive a dad with no life experience.

Relying on his dad’s guilt over his mom and him, this couple stood on a moral high ground, ruthlessly suppressing and scolding his dad while reaping fame and fortune.

Xie Ci didn’t consider himself a good person, but when it came to dealing with family, they were far more ruthless.

In the living room, Xie Qian stood up, preparing to leave.

Ye Yuru accompanied him to the door, constantly signaling Chen Xinhong to bring up the money issue.

Chen Xinhong was pondering as he opened the door, still unsure of what to say, when he caught sight of a tall shadow appearing in front of him. When he recognized who it was, his scalp tingled.

Xie Ci stood behind the door, his eyes cold as ice.

“When did you come back?” Chen Xinhong was both nervous and scared, his voice stuttering, not even knowing what he was afraid of.

Xie Qian was a bit surprised, “Xiao Ci?”

Xie Ci remained silent, grabbing Chen Xinhong by the collar and pushing him inside, his fingers tightening into a fist as he punched him in the face.

“Ugh!”

Chen Xinhong was knocked over by the force, crashing into the corner and falling to the ground.

The entire living room echoed with the sound of something heavy hitting the ground and the shattering of a vase.

“Hubby!”

Ye Yuru seemed to just realize what was happening and rushed over, but halfway there, she turned to Xie Ci, her trembling voice tinged with tears, “What are you doing?!”

“I don’t hit women, so step aside.”

Xie Ci pushed her away and walked two steps to Chen Xinhong, lifting him up and delivering another punch.

“Ugh!”

Chen Xinhong fell from behind the sofa to the front, crashing into the coffee table and rolling onto the carpet, crying out in pain as he rolled around.

Ignoring Ye Yuru’s attempts to stop him, Xie Ci lifted him again with one hand, “Did I not warn you to tone it down?”

Chen Xinhong struggled to stand on tiptoe, instinctively trying to pry Xie Ci’s hand off, “Let go of me! If you don’t let go, I’m calling the police!”

“Good, call the police.”

Xie Ci nodded slowly, his voice chillingly calm, “Just in time, I also want to ask the police how many years a minor can get for long-term domestic violence.”

Chen Xinhong’s pupils constricted.

Meanwhile, Ye Yuru was crying and shouting for Xie Qian to stop Xie Ci, but she suddenly paused at his words.

“Domestic violence?”

Xie Qian stood at the door, staring at Xie Ci, “Xiao Ci, who are you saying is committing domestic violence?”

“Who else could it be?”

Xie Ci tightened his grip on Chen Xinhong, looking at his face, which was turning purple from lack of oxygen, “It’s this honest-looking brother-in-law in front of you, who is submissive outside but can be very heavy-handed with family, a useless bully at home.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?!”

Ye Yuru cried as she ran over, “Let go! Xie Qian, look at your son! This is how he treats us!”

Xie Qian’s expression grew serious as he looked at Ye Yuru, his gaze extremely complicated.

“Is it true?!”

“Of course it’s false!”

Ye Yuru retorted loudly, “This child loves to lie. He can say any lie; he’s just a white-eyed wolf!”

Xie Ci replied, “Do you think that what you two did as a couple would go unnoticed?”

Ye Yuru’s eyes twitched violently, gripping the sofa tightly, quickly assessing the truth of Xie Ci’s words in her mind.

Taking advantage of Xie Ci talking to Ye Yuru, Chen Xinhong kicked at Xie Ci, waiting for him to dodge before trying to escape, coughing and staggering toward the door.

“Don’t go! Clear things up!” Xie Qian grabbed him, but he was pushed away.

As soon as Chen Xinhong stepped out the door, he was kicked back into the living room by someone coming out from the side.

Gu Yufeng blocked the doorway, looking down at him, “The conversation isn’t over yet. Where do you think you’re going?”

“You say he’s a child who lies, what about me?”

Xiang Haibin walked past Gu Yufeng into the living room, looking at Ye Yuru, “As a teacher and also Xie Ci’s homeroom teacher, I wouldn’t lie, would I?”

Ye Yuru stared blankly at the newcomer, feeling increasingly uneasy.

This situation today was unlikely to end well.

Xiang Haibin looked around, finally landing his gaze on Xie Qian, who had long hair and a beard but was also tall, with some resemblance to Xie Ci in his features.

“You must be Xie Ci’s dad, right? I’m his homeroom teacher. We spoke on the phone last night.”

Xie Qian quickly replied, “I am.”

Hearing this, Xie Ci looked at Xiang Haibin with a stern face, “Did you notify my dad?”

Xiang Haibin was also surprised by the situation, not expecting a phone call to lead to this: “I only told your dad over the phone that you weren’t doing well in the foster home, and that the two foster parents might have some issues. I hoped he could come to the school so we could talk in person.”

As he spoke, Xiang Haibin looked at Chen Xinhong and Ye Yuru, “Since we’re all here, let’s sit down and have a good talk.”

Xie Ci picked up a cigarette box from the coffee table, casually leaning back on the sofa, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with ease, “Whether you talk or not is up to you. I only have one request: before midnight tonight, this family of three must get out of this house.”

Ye Yuru was taken aback, “On what grounds do you want me to leave?!”

“After today, I won’t see you again. All matters will be handed over to my lawyer.”

Xie Ci held the cigarette between his fingers, his expression cold, “The debts between our families will be settled one by one.”