As night fell, the train moved slowly along the endless tracks. The scenery outside the window blurred into fleeting shadows, intensifying the atmosphere of unease.

Inside the compartment, the soft lighting wrapped the moving space in a warm glow.

In the hard-seat carriage, passengers sat in their seats or huddled in the narrow spaces between them, each immersed in their own world. Some read books, some idly chatted with nearby women, while children laughed and cried, their voices blending into a chaotic background noise.

Amidst the clamor, a sudden, piercing cry broke through.

An elderly woman’s sharp, anxious voice rang out: “My grandson is missing! Has anyone seen my grandson?”

Dragging along a timid woman beside her, she rushed through the carriage, her frantic shouts mixing with sobs, turning the atmosphere tense.

Concerned passengers cast sympathetic glances, some standing up to help, while others watched indifferently.

“It’s all your fault, you heartless woman! You wicked stepmother, give me back my grandson!”

“If you hadn’t been so slow and failed to buy braised pork, would my grandson have run off on his own?”

“You just wait! If my grandson isn’t found, my son will break your legs and send you back to your family!”

The elderly woman’s sharp features—protruding brow bones, thin lips, and sunken cheeks—twisted into a terrifying expression of rage.

Onlookers began to murmur, echoing her accusations.

“Stepmothers are always unreliable.”

“Exactly. If it’s not their own child, they don’t care.”

“Do you think she lost the child on purpose?”

Their gossip fueled the growing tension, leaving the accused woman trembling as if plunged into ice water.

Already timid by nature, she now broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably.

Some rational passengers sought out the train staff.

The conductor arrived promptly and sprang into action, urging passengers to assist in finding the missing boy.

Every corner of the carriage was meticulously searched, every possible hiding place checked.

Still, he was nowhere to be found.

A decision was made: the search party would split into two groups. The young woman and the elderly lady would each lead a team, scouring the train car by car.

The train was scheduled to stop at 9:00 PM. It was now 5:30 PM. They had only three and a half hours to find the boy—otherwise, the swelling crowd at the station would make it even harder.

Tension and anxiety mounted as the desperate search led the elderly woman’s group to the sleeper carriages.

This section contained twelve compartments, each housing four passengers—some of whom were influential figures.

The conductor sternly warned the missing boy’s relatives: “Please do not shout or make a scene. We’ll help you search.”

After all, offending important passengers was a risk they couldn’t afford.

The elderly woman waved him off dismissively. “Got it! Just hurry up and find him.”

Inside a sleeper compartment, Xiuzhu enjoyed the gentle rocking of the train, savoring the tranquility of her journey.

Gu Yu leaned against the headboard, inhaling the sweet fragrance lingering in the air, engrossed in an old book he had brought from home.

Knock, knock, knock…

A sudden, forceful pounding shattered the peace.

Xiuzhu’s heartbeat quickened. The passengers inside sat up, their eyes instinctively turning to the door.

The door burst open, and a figure barged in rudely, rummaging around without a word.

Xiuzhu recognized her—it was the sharp-tongued elderly woman she had seen when boarding.

Two weary-looking train staff stood at the door, their expressions resigned.

The old woman, her wrinkled face contorted in panic, shrieked, “Grandson, where are you?! Which damned person took you? I’ll curse their mother to hell!”

Gu Yu frowned at her crude words and exchanged a look with the conductor.

The train staff, already exhausted, sighed inwardly.

She hadn’t listened to a single warning.

She had already pounded on ten compartment doors, and not once had she repeated the same insult.

Shocked by Gu Yu’s imposing presence and sharp gaze, the train staff quickly explained respectfully.

“Comrade, sorry to disturb you. This elderly lady lost her five-year-old grandson in the hard-seat carriage around 5:30 PM. She suspects he was kidnapped, and we are now searching through each carriage one by one.”

“Damn those traffickers! Catch them all and make them pay with their lives!” Yan Ming, known for his deep hatred of criminals, cursed loudly.

Gu Yu’s previously lazy expression turned serious—he despised human traffickers just as much.

Hearing the voice, the elderly woman immediately recognized Yan Ming as the one who had taken the braised pork she wanted. In her mind, he was the reason her grandson was lost.

Her face twisted into a hideous, ferocious expression.

Like a wild beast, she lunged at Yan Ming. “It’s you! If you hadn’t stolen my grandson’s braised pork while getting food, he wouldn’t have run off!”

“You heartless bastard! You give me back my grandson!”

Xiuzhu had already climbed down from her bed. Seeing this sudden commotion, she was at a loss for what to do.

She wanted to step in and help Uncle Yan, but seeing how the elderly woman moved steadily and aggressively, she hesitated.

Afraid of getting hit, she stepped closer to the train staff and shouted at the old woman, “What are you doing? How can you just attack people? Uncle Yan, hurry up and push her away!”

Yan Ming found himself at a loss.

A towering man nearly 1.9 meters tall looked unexpectedly flustered as he anxiously explained, “Who stole your grandson’s braised pork?”

“I had already packed my food into my lunchbox and was walking out the door—why should I have given it to you? You’re completely unreasonable, old woman!”

That family had been making a scene at the time, cursing non-stop.

The little boy had been lying on the floor, rolling around and throwing a tantrum. Not wanting to get involved, Yan Ming had quickly walked away.

If they had just asked nicely, saying the child wanted some meat, he wouldn’t have hesitated to share a portion.

Now that the boy was missing, his righteous nature made him feel guilty and uneasy.

That was why he hadn’t fought back when the old woman lunged at him.

Sigh… If he had known the child would end up kidnapped, he would have just given them the whole meal for free.

Why did this mess have to land on him? Just his luck—unbelievably unlucky.

The two train staff finally reacted and rushed forward to pull the old woman away with difficulty. “Let’s talk this out properly—no hitting!”

Chen Yuling stood at the doorway, listening to the argument inside with an unreadable expression.

Then, turning her gaze to Xiuzhu’s delicate, flower-like face, she recalled how sharp-tongued the girl had been toward her earlier.

With a hint of hidden meaning, she gently said, “Madam, Comrade Chen was just thinking about Comrade Lin’s well-being.”

“Comrade Lin has delicate tastes—she only likes meat dishes. And I must say, that braised pork smelled absolutely incredible just now.”

“Oh dear, my clumsy words! What I meant to say was—who doesn’t love braised pork?”

“But well, you were just a little too slow earlier, weren’t you? That’s not Comrade Lin’s fault, is it?”

The more the elderly woman listened, the angrier she became. Her fury reached its peak.

Her grandson was missing, yet these people still had the nerve to sit inside and eat meat?

She turned her rage onto Xiuzhu, spewing curses. “You useless wench, and you dare to eat meat? It’s because of you, you little wretch, that my grandson is lost! You pay me back my grandson!”

“Pah! Look at you, growing up looking like a seductress—you’re nothing but a shameless little vixen!”

“So young, yet already going around seducing men! You filthy little—!”

The elderly woman, used to acting domineeringly in her village, wasn’t satisfied even after cursing Xiuzhu viciously.

Her hands reached out, aiming to strike the girl, whose eyes had turned slightly red.