A month had passed since Yunfeng vanished without a trace. Muchen was drowning in a relentless storm of confusion and anger.
Every day blurred into the next, filled with frantic searches and dead ends.
He had hired every private investigator he could find, but not a single one had managed to track Yunfeng down.
It was as though he had evaporated into thin air.
Muchen's desperation only grew as he tried reaching out to Yunfeng's family, but even they seemed unreachable.
No responses, no clues, nothing.
His calls went unanswered, and his texts remained a silent void.
The walls of his apartment closed in around him, suffocating with memories of Yunfeng's presence. The lingering scent of lemons, the faint echo of his laughter—it all taunted him mercilessly.
Late one night, Muchen sat slouched on the living room floor, surrounded by stacks of documents from investigators, his eyes bloodshot from sleepless nights.
His phone lay abandoned beside him, its screen cracked from the time he'd thrown it in a fit of rage.
Shao's voice broke through the suffocating silence. "Muchen, you need to eat something."
"I'm fine," he muttered, though his voice was hoarse.
Shao crouched beside him, worry etched on his face. "Look, I get it. You're hurting. But Yunfeng wouldn't want you to destroy yourself like this."
Muchen's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Wouldn't he? He left without a word, without even looking back. Maybe he doesn't care anymore."
Shao sighed heavily. "That's not true, and you know it. You love him, right? Then trust that there's a reason for all this."
His chest heaved as a wave of raw emotion crashed over him. "I've tried, Shao. I've done everything—contacting his family, hiring investigators, searching the city myself. But he's just... gone." His voice broke, and he pressed his fists against his eyes, willing the tears away.
Shao placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Then stop looking for him like this. Take a breath. Regroup. Sometimes answers come when you least expect them."
Muchen's brows furrowed as Shao's words sank in. How could a common middle-class family just vanish without a trace unless someone powerful was behind it? The idea gnawed at him, sharp and insistent.
There was only one person who came to mind.
"The Rich Buddha," he muttered, almost to himself.
Shao blinked in confusion. "What now?"
"Yunfeng's rich friend... what was his name?" Muchen's voice sped up as realization hit him. "Jai! Yes, Jai! He must know something."
Without wasting another second, Muchen grabbed his phone and dialed his private investigator. His voice was sharp with urgency. "I need the phone number of Jai—he's Yunfeng's close friend. I don't know his surname, but find it as soon as you can."
He cut the call abruptly, frustration surging through him.
Shao let out a long, exasperated sigh. "I have his number."
His eyes widened in shock. "Why didn't you give it to me earlier?"
His friend grimaced. "Jai actually contacted me first. He screamed and shouted at me for you breaking Yunfeng's heart. I didn't understand half of what he was saying—he just went off and then blocked my number."
Muchen's pulse quickened. "Give it to me," he demanded, practically yanking Shao's phone from his hand. He quickly scrolled through the contacts until he found Jai's number.
Heart racing, he punched it into his own phone and hit call. The dial tone rang, long and agonizing.
Come on, come on...
After what felt like an eternity, the call connected.
A cool, irritated voice answered on the other end. "Who's this, and why are you calling me?"
"Where is Yunfeng?" Muchen demanded, his voice low but sharp with urgency. His teeth clenched so tightly that his jaw ached.
There was a heavy pause on the line before a furious voice spat through. "You fucking bastard! You have the nerve to call me and ask about him?" Jai's voice was seething with rage. "Don't you dare show your face to me again, or I'll make sure you need another nose job!"
Muchen's grip on the phone tightened, but his tone remained cold and steady. "Where is Yunfeng?"
"I won't tell you! Just get lost. Don't... don't come into his life again."
The call went dead, the abrupt click echoing in Muchen's ears.
Heart racing, he immediately redialed. It rang once, then went straight to voicemail. Again and again, he tried, but every call ended the same way.
"That little fucker blocked me," he muttered under his breath, his voice trembling with rage.
He forced himself to take a slow, shaky breath before dialing his private investigator. The call connected almost immediately.
"Did you get anything?" Muchen snapped.
The investigator's voice wavered at Muchen's harsh tone. "W-we managed to find out that Jai and his whole family relocated about a month ago. We're still searching for their current location—"
"Find him! And find Yunfeng at whatever cost! You better find him!" Muchen cut the call before the man could respond, his chest heaving.
Grabbing a bottle of cold water from the counter, he downed a few gulps, hoping to cool the burning in his throat and chest. It did little to help.
"Fucking hell," he muttered, slamming the bottle down on the table. His mind raced, thoughts spiraling out of control. "That Jai must've done something. His whole family moved. Maybe he kidnapped Yunfeng. Or... I don't know."
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, frustration mounting. "Why would he say I broke Yunfeng's heart? I didn't do anything. We were good. We were doing good..."
His voice cracked as he tried to piece together what went wrong.
An hour later, Muchen's phone buzzed, jolting him from his restless pacing. He snatched it up without glancing at the caller ID.
"What is it?" he demanded, his voice sharp.
The investigator's voice came through, steady but cautious. "We tracked down Jai's family's location. They moved to a small village just outside S City."
"S City?" he repeated in disbelief. "Why the hell would they go there?"
"It's a remote area, quiet. Almost off the grid. No real reason for someone like Jai's family to choose that place—unless they were trying to disappear."
Muchen's brow furrowed. "Send me the exact location. Right now."
"I'll text it to you,"
He ground his teeth loudly. "Shao get the car ready. We are going to s city."
"Its time to find my runaway boyfriend."