Chapter 4: Baby

~It’s all my fault~

Hearing the noise, a thin man hurried out from the inner room. Seeing Zhou Qiaoxiu’s angry expression, he thought she was an undercover officer. Terrified, he almost kneeled, saying, “Comrade Public Security, we’re not kidnappers! We’re good people~”

Seeing his guilty expression, Zhou Qiaoxiu kicked him down and rushed into the back room.

The small room was dimly lit, cluttered with items. The bed was raised by bricks and covered with a wooden board and bedding.

In the corner, there was a small baby wrapped in a floral quilt. A bright red strawberry hairband stood out against her hair.

Tears filled Zhou Qiaoxiu’s eyes. After a day of searching, filled with panic, fear, anger, and regret, she felt both sadness and relief. She rushed over and embraced the child: “Baby, my baby!”

After searching all day, Zhou Qiaoxiu had felt deep worry, anger toward Meimei for abandoning the baby, and regret for not keeping a better watch. But more than anything, she felt a deep sense of relief that her child was found and safe.

Now that she finally holds her child in her arms, Zhou Qiaoxiu feels like she owns the whole world. She doesn’t care about waking the child and holds her child’s smooth face tightly, murmuring: “Don’t be afraid, baby, mommy is here.”

The excitement slowly fades, and Zhou Qiaoxiu suddenly feels something is wrong. She looks down and sees the baby’s cheeks unusually flushed, her breathing heavy, and her eyes closed in deep sleep.

Even though the child is very sleepy, it is impossible for such loud noise to not wake her up. Zhou Qiaoxiu hurriedly presses her forehead against the child’s. She doesn’t seem to have a fever. She then puts a finger under her nose, and the breath she exhales is very hot.

Motherly intuition kicks in. Zhou leans in and sniffs. A smell of alcohol hits her nose. Zhou Qiaoxiu looks at the thin man lying on the ground. Her voice rises in anger: “You gave the baby alcohol?”

The child is only three years old and smells so strongly of alcohol. How much alcohol did she drink?!

The man shakes his head in panic, explaining quickly: “The baby cries too much, disturbing the neighbors, making business hard… just a little bit.”

Zhao Xiangwan handcuffs the hostess’s hands behind her back, ties them with hemp rope, and walks to the bedroom. “Teacher Zhou, they mixed alcohol into the milk. We need to take the baby to the hospital quickly.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu is shaking in anger. How could a three-year-old child handle alcohol’s effects? The baby is unconscious, clearly suffering from alcohol poisoning. The child she cherishes has been mistreated by these two businessmen!

“Pah!” Zhou spits on the man’s face, and a cold light flashes in her eyes. “Zhao Xiangwan, tie him up too. Ask the neighbors to call the police. We’ll go to the hospital.”

Zhao Xiangwan nods, ties the man up neatly, and steps outside to the crowd. “Can anyone help call the police? The snack shop owner is suspected of trafficking and child abuse.”

Her words define the incident, causing neighbors to angrily condemn the couple.

“This is outrageous. I didn’t expect Mr. and Mrs. Wu to be like this.”

“Before, the couple always said they wanted a daughter, despite having three sons. I can’t believe they kidnapped and sold a child.”

“Abuse? No wonder the baby stopped crying… a villain who does evil things…”

One kind neighbor knocks on the shop’s door and calls the police using a public phone, vowing, “Don’t worry. These two can’t get away.”

After arranging everything, Zhao Xiangwan pushes out a bicycle and mounts it. “Teacher Zhou, let’s go!”

Zhou Qiaoxiu wraps a thin blanket around the baby, holding her close as they ride to the nearest Xingshi Third Hospital.

After rushing the baby to the emergency room, Zhou Qiaoxiu slumps onto a bench in the corridor, exhausted, her hands trembling.

Zhao Xiangwan stands aside, gazing at her profile.

[Fortunately, the couple hasn’t taken the baby. As long as the baby is fine, I’ll support her forever.]

True maternal love means sacrificing everything for your child, even if the child is disabled. Hearing Zhou Qiaoxiu’s thoughts, Zhao Xiangwan feels a warmth in her heart.

Zhao Xiangwan’s eyes shine with childlike longing. Zhou, who is calming down, turns to her with a smile. “Zhao Xiangwan, thank you.”

Zhao Xiangwan shakes her head gently, purses her lips, saying nothing, her narrow eyes growing even deeper under the lights.

Zhou Qiaoxiu reaches out, gently grabs Zhao Xiangwan’s wrist, and brings her closer. Sighing, Zhou leans her head on her shoulder and wraps her arm around her. “Zhao Xiangwan, I’m lucky to have you…”

Zhao Xiangwan, feeling Zhou’s warmth and still trembling body, stands stiffly, feeling a little overwhelmed.

Zhao Xiangwan has always confronted evil but never knew how to handle trust and praise. Having seen human hypocrisy too early, she avoids physical contact with others. But seeing Zhou’s condition, she can’t push her away.

The cold fluorescent lights in the hospital hallway flicker. The blue-gray terrazzo floors, dark benches, and white walls are silent.

“Zhou Qiaoxiu!” A voice breaks the silence.

Zhao Xiangwan steps back slightly, distancing herself from Zhou Qiaoxiu. Zhou slowly looks up, meeting her lover, Xu Songling’s, displeased gaze.

Xu Songling lowers his voice, trying to control his emotions: “Why did you come so late? Meimei fainted, and you, as a mother, came so late. It must have been very sad for the baby.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu takes a long moment to process: “Meimei… fainted?”

Xu Songling grits his teeth, frustrated. “I’m worried about the baby too, but trust the police. We’ll find her. Don’t take your anger out on Meimei. Stay calm.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu sneers and turns away without saying anything.

Xu Songling, helpless in the face of her indifference, turns to Zhao Xiangwan, frowning. “Who are you?”

Xu Songling, the captain of the criminal police, has a fierce presence. Before Zhao Xiangwan can speak, Zhou steps in front of her, blocking the way. “This is my student. She’s been with me looking for the baby. What’s the problem, Captain Xu? You don’t get to show off here!”

Zhao Xiangwan doesn’t want to see them quarrel, so she quickly explains: “Officer Xu, the baby’s been found and is receiving treatment.”

Xu Songling’s face brightens for a moment but immediately turns grim. He steps forward. “Found the baby? How is she?”

Zhou, remembering how Xu Songling always defended Meimei and doubted her, doesn’t want to speak to him. She rolls her eyes and snorts.

Xu Songling was anxious, pacing back and forth: “Zhou Qiaoxiu, Teacher Zhou, please tell me quickly.”

Zhao Xiangwan explained calmly: “Meimei deliberately left the baby outside the snack shop, and the shop owner took her in. They feared the baby would cry, so they mixed alcohol into her milk to make her sleepy. She now has severe alcohol poisoning, and the doctor is treating her.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu snapped, “Zhao Xiangwan, don’t tell him; he doesn’t care about the baby’s life!”

Xu Songling stood frozen, not knowing how to respond.

[Meimei did it on purpose? How could that be? She’s only ten, still a child. Qiaoxiu and I adopted her from an orphanage and treated her like our own daughter. How could she do that? How dare she!]

He thought of his trust and love for Meimei. Staring at Zhou Qiaoxiu, he asked blankly, “Qiaoxiu, could there be a mistake? It’s a good thing the baby was found. Maybe… maybe it wasn’t Meimei’s intention. She’s still so young… this crime is too serious.”

Before the baby was found, Zhou Qiaoxiu had suspected she had adopted an ungrateful child. But there was no proof, and she still held out hope. Now, with the baby found and all the information pointing to Meimei, she had no more hope. Meimei had abandoned the baby on purpose. Her child was in the hospital with alcohol poisoning, and Xu Songling was still defending Meimei. She couldn’t control her anger and stood up abruptly.

“You’re still making excuses for her! Do you know how frantic I was when I rushed into the snack shop late at night looking for my child? Do you know how scared I was when the doctor said my baby’s alcohol poisoning could have lasting effects? You don’t know! All you do is protect that ungrateful wolf!”

Her voice echoed loudly in the quiet hospital corridor.

The emergency room door opened suddenly, and a doctor in a white coat appeared, clearly irritated. “This is a hospital, not a place for a quarrel.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu quickly stopped and ran to the doctor, her voice shaky: “How is she? How is the child?”

The doctor frowned. “Why did you let such a young child drink alcohol? How irresponsible! When she wakes up, make sure to give her plenty of water to help flush the alcohol from her system. Keep her here for two more days for observation.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu nodded quickly and followed the doctor inside, tears streaming as she looked at her baby on the bed receiving an IV drip.

Xu Songling, worried about his daughter, followed her in, standing silently behind Zhou Qiaoxiu as they both looked at the child.

The baby, who normally cried and fussed, now lay quietly on the bed. Her round face was flushed unnaturally, and the white bed sheet made her look fragile and pitiful. This was his flesh and blood. Though she could be a bit spoiled and not as obedient as Meimei, she was still his beloved child.

Turning around, he saw Zhou Qiaoxiu crying silently, her face haggard, tears sliding down her cheeks. Xu Songling felt a complex mix of emotions: guilt, pity, and anger toward whoever was responsible.

“Was this done by human traffickers? Damn it! Have you called the police? I’ll investigate personally to make sure those human traffickers are caught and punished severely!”

Zhou Qiaoxiu was deeply disappointed when she heard her husband was still unwilling to blame Meimei.

[Since he’s so protective of that ungrateful girl, don’t blame me for being harsh. Divorce! Let him take Meimei with him. I’m busy with my criminal police work, raising the children by myself. I can’t count on him.]

After the baby was found, Zhou Qiaoxiu and her husband waited in the hospital. Zhao Xiangwan, seeing that he had no further role to play, was about to leave. But when he heard Zhou Qiaoxiu was thinking of divorcing Xu Songling, Zhao Xiangwan paused and looked at the tall, imposing figure standing beside her, waiting to see how Officer Xu would respond.

[It’s my fault, all my fault. If I hadn’t been called away for a sudden mission, I should have taken them to the park, and the baby wouldn’t have been lost, causing her to suffer in the hospital. Qiaoxiu was right to scold me. I shouldn’t have argued with her at the hospital… Damn human traffickers. Tomorrow I’ll file a report to urge the city to crack down on trafficking. As for Meimei, if she really did this on purpose, she needs to be held accountable. She was abandoned by her parents, and since we adopted her, we must take responsibility. I failed to educate her properly.]

Zhao Xiangwan, a student at Public Security University, was well-versed in police duties and empathetic to those in law enforcement. While Xu Songling was stubborn and protective of his adopted daughter, lacking trust in his wife, Zhao Xiangwan knew he was responsible, diligent, and fair in his work. He didn’t hold any prejudice against Meimei.

With that in mind, Zhao Xiangwan, originally ready to leave, stopped and looked at Meimei, who stood barefoot at the end of the corridor.