Fortunately, he had a good memory. He had once overheard that Battalion Commander Lin and his wife had been married for many years and had only one daughter named Lin Guoguo, who was now four years old.

Looking at Guoguo’s face now, it bore a sixty to seventy percent resemblance to Battalion Commander Lin’s.

“That’s great, Officer Sheng. You’re heading back to the military district, right? The little girl’s father is also there. Would you mind taking her with you?” the train conductor requested.

Then he added with a troubled expression, “Actually, it would be best if we could contact the child’s mother. She must be frantic with worry now that her child has been kidnapped. But from what we heard from the traffickers, the child’s mother was on an earlier train to Yuanshan City. When the child was taken, her mother was still on the train.”

The train had continued on its journey, and it was unclear what the mother would do once she realized her child was missing.

Would she get off at the next stop, take a train back, or go all the way to the terminal station before seeking help from the police station?

Sheng Zexi understood the train conductor’s dilemma. In fact, the conductor’s arrangement was quite reasonable, except…

Sheng Zexi’s eyes turned to Gu Jianing, silently seeking her opinion.

“Let’s take her with us,” Gu Jianing said.

Gu Jianing also understood that this wasn’t the modern era with advanced technology. Not only were mobile phones nonexistent, but even landline phones were rare.

So, contacting someone quickly wasn’t easy, especially while on a train.

Since their destination was the same, taking the child to the Northwest Military District was the best option.

However…

“Brother Xi, when we stop at the next station, you should get off and make a call to Guoguo’s father to inform him of the situation. Then he can contact Guoguo’s mother. Letting them know as soon as possible will save her from unnecessary worry.”

In a situation where a child had been kidnapped, any mother would be frantic with worry.

“That’s great. Thank you both so much,” the train conductor said, visibly relieved. “By the way, the next station is about half an hour away. There’s a phone booth at the station, and it’s not far. You’ll have enough time to make the call and return.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

Once the decision was made, the train conductor and the staff breathed a sigh of relief and left.

Guoguo, on the other hand, seemed to have grown attached to Gu Jianing. She nestled in her arms, no longer crying, her watery eyes gazing at Gu Jianing.

“Guoguo, you’ll stay with Uncle and Auntie for now, and tomorrow we’ll take you to find your parents, okay?” Gu Jianing coaxed gently.

“Okay~” Guoguo nodded obediently.

Perhaps due to the effects of the sedative, the child was still a bit listless and not very energetic. After a while in Gu Jianing’s arms, she fell asleep.

“Put her on the bed to sleep,” Sheng Zexi suggested.

A four-year-old child still had some weight to her, and Sheng Zexi couldn’t bear to see his wife holding her for too long.

“Alright.”

Perhaps feeling insecure, even though she was asleep, Guoguo’s little hand clung tightly to Gu Jianing’s sleeve when they first tried to put her on the bed.

It wasn’t until Gu Jianing held her hand that they managed to lay her down. But the moment Gu Jianing tried to let go, Guoguo would stir awake.

Sheng Zexi frowned slightly. If he and Ningning were to have a child in the future…

Would the child also cling to Ningning like this?

That wouldn’t do. Ningning was his.

Sheng Zexi thought that if they ever had a child, he, as the father, should take on more of the childcare responsibilities.

If the father took care of the child, they would grow up more independent and less likely to cling to their mother.

Gu Jianing had no idea what kind of storm was brewing in Sheng Zexi’s mind.

Watching the sleeping Guoguo and holding her little hand, Gu Jianing felt her heart melt.

She really, really loved children.

Sheng Zexi, standing beside her, noticed the gentle look in his wife’s eyes as she gazed at Guoguo.

It was a look he had never seen on Gu Jianing before.

At that moment, Ningning’s hand rested on Guoguo, gently patting her, and the rhythmic motion helped the child sleep even more soundly.

Sheng Zexi’s eyes shifted between Ningning and Guoguo.

Finally, it dawned on him.

Ningning loved children so much.

If she could care so deeply for someone else’s child, how could she not long for her own?

But when he had proposed, he had told her about his physical condition, and she had agreed almost without hesitation.

Even though Ningning had medical skills and might be able to cure his infertility, it hadn’t been treated yet—not even a diagnosis had been made.

Yet, Ningning had still agreed to marry him, even when others in the Gu family had hesitated or objected.

So, Ningning must have feelings for him, right?

Otherwise, in such an uncertain situation, how could she, who loved children so much, have agreed to marry him without hesitation?

Thinking of this, Sheng Zexi felt a pang of heartache.

In the past, he hadn’t cared much about whether he could have children. Sometimes, he even felt that the Sheng family’s bloodline wasn’t worth continuing.

But at this moment, Sheng Zexi fervently wished for his body to heal. The bloodline didn’t matter—it had nothing to do with the Sheng family.

He just wanted to have a child with Ningning. He didn’t want to disappoint her.

He thought that if Ningning became a mother, she would be an incredibly good one.

Gu Jianing had no idea what was going through Sheng Zexi’s mind. She only noticed that, all of a sudden, Sheng Zexi seemed to treat her even more tenderly. The affection in his eyes was like water, so full that it seemed to overflow. One look, and it was enough to make someone fall deeply into it.

When Sheng Zexi mentioned that he would start treatment as soon as they reached the military district, Gu Jianing was a bit puzzled.

But when she noticed Sheng Zexi’s gaze lingering on Guoguo, she understood.

So, Sheng Zexi also liked children.

In fact, even without treatment, as long as she took the “Pregnancy Holy Body Pill,” she could still get pregnant despite Sheng Zexi’s condition.

Thinking about Sheng Zexi’s lonely life in her previous life—unmarried and childless—she thought that in this life, if possible, she would have more children.

Half an hour later, the train arrived at the station.

Sheng Zexi asked Shen Huaiyuan and Bai Juan, along with the train staff, to keep an eye on Gu Jianing, then quickly got off to find a phone booth.

A few minutes earlier, at the Northwest Military District, Battalion Commander Lin Xing was in the middle of training when a soldier urgently informed him that his wife had called and needed him to pick up the phone immediately. The situation was critical.

Lin Xing frowned.

He knew his wife was supposed to be on a train today, bringing Guoguo to join him at the military base.

But according to the schedule, shouldn’t they be arriving tomorrow?

Why was she calling now, saying it was urgent? Could something have happened?