Xu Fan had just taken Tongtong out, and the cellphone left in the bedroom started ringing incessantly.
Unfortunately, Xu Fan was taking Tongtong to the supermarket for breakfast, and couldn't hear it at all.
The ringtone sounded three full times, yet still no one answered.
On the other end of the call, Tongtong's mother, Xu Yixue, angrily slammed the fruit knife into the workbench of her BMW with a thud.
"This bastard Xu Fan, he's not answering my calls! I really regret bringing Tongtong to Zhonghai!" Xu Yixue said fiercely, her eyes filled with regret.
It was only because she couldn't withstand Tongtong's pleas to see her father that she made up her mind to bring Tongtong over to meet her dad. But when she saw the sorry state Xu Fan was in, she almost turned around and left, never wanting to have anything to do with Xu Fan again.
However, when Little Tongtong saw Xu Fan, not only did she not feel uncomfortable, she was actually very curious and even affectionate towards him. After all, they were flesh and blood, parent and child. Remembering her own lack of a father figure since childhood, Yixue's heart softened with pity, and so she left Tongtong with Xu Fan, setting a five-day time limit.
After five days, Xu Yixue would fly away, never to meet Xu Fan again, and Tongtong could only interact with Xu Fan within these five days.
Originally, Xu Yixue thought that setting a five-day time frame and never letting Tongtong see her father after that might be too unkind. Yet just two days after leaving Tongtong with Xu Fan, he became unreachable, with calls to his phone going unanswered.
Tongtong was Xu Yixue's precious pearl, the apple of her eye, and the unreachable calls had Xu Yixue frantic with worry, her mind racing with all sorts of dreadful thoughts. Xu Yixue's tightly gripped hands had her knuckles turning pale.
"Yixue, don't worry. Maybe that Xu Fan is still asleep. Judging by how much he loves to drink, he probably got drunk again last night," said the short-haired beauty sitting in the driver's seat of the BMW beside Xu Yixue.
She was Xu Yixue's assistant and bodyguard, named Ye Xiaoning. A former soldier of the Fire Phoenix Special Forces, she was beautiful and carried an air of competence, her every move efficient and decisive.
"Xiao Ning, if anything bad happened to Tongtong, how could I go on living?" Xu Yixue covered her mouth, her voice choking up.
As a strong woman, she would crumble at the mere thought of her daughter; even the slightest concern could throw her into disarray.
"Don't worry, Yixue. Tongtong is such a well-behaved child; surely nothing will happen. Even if Xu Fan is a good-for-nothing, he'll still protect his own flesh and blood," Ye Xiaoning said softly, trying to comfort her.
"Good-for-nothing, how can a good-for-nothing protect Tongtong? No, I must go and see for myself. If an accident happens, Tongtong will still need my protection. This father of hers is no longer the Dragon City Young Master; he is now just a puddle of mud. I absolutely can't let my daughter get hurt because of him," Yixue thought it over and made up her mind.
"Yixue, we still need to rush to sign the contract with Feiteng Company," Xiao Ning gently tapped the steering wheel as she spoke to Xu Yixue.
"Let the contract wait; my daughter is my treasure. Turn around, let's head back to the rental where Xu Fan stays, I want to take my daughter back. I can't stand this fear and anxiety anymore," Xu Yixue steadied herself and recovered the aura of a strong woman.
"Okay, I too don't trust that Xu Fan. Let's go pick up Little Tongtong right now!" Ye Xiaoning spun the wheel sharply, flipped the car around, and pressed the gas pedal heading towards the disorderly rental house Xu Fan had been leasing.
Ye Xiaoning, truly deserving of her former special forces background, drove the car skillfully through traffic, weaving left and right, passing one car after another and running quite a few red lights, finally racing to the shabby little house where Xu Fan once lived.
The BMW screeched to a halt downstairs, and then Xu Yixue hurriedly opened the door. Despite her slender high heels, she ran towards Xu Fan's room with extreme speed.
But she was not the fastest; Ye Xiaoning, wearing specially made athletic shoes, was even more agile. She ran to Xu Yixue's side in just a few strides, took her hand, and together they ran to Xu Fan's cottage.
Arriving at the door of the cottage, Xu Yixue didn't even have time to catch her breath before she started pounding heavily on the door.
"Bang bang bang, Xu Fan, open the door!" Xu Yixue called from outside.
There was no response.
"Tongtong, Tongtong, mommy's here to see you," Xu Yixue called again, repeatedly.
Still no response.
This time Xu Yixue was really panicked; she didn't care about maintaining her image as the CEO, and like a demolition worker, she began to pound and hammer against the shabby door.
"Yixue, let me do it," Ye Xiaoning gently pulled the frantic Xu Yixue away, then took a couple of steps back and gave a kick to the door of Xu Fan's cottage.
"Boom!" The door of Xu Fan's cottage was of poor quality, and was kicked open by a single strike from Ye Xiaoning of the Fire Phoenix.
Xu Yixue and Ye Xiaoning couldn't wait to rush in as they pulled open the door.
The room was empty, with only scattered empty bottles on the floor.
Seeing Tongtong was not in the room, Xu Yixue's eyes instantly reddened, her delicate body couldn't help trembling, and she kept murmuring "Tongtong, my Tongtong..."
Ye Xiaoning, with her skillful movements, quickly turned on the light switch in the room and proceeded to carefully check Xu Fan's bed. Having received tracking training, she could find clues to Tongtong and Xu Fan's whereabouts through subtle traces.
"Yixue, it looks like no one stayed here last night, but it seems they didn't leave in a hurry; many things are still in their places," she said.
"That damned Xu Fan, where exactly has he taken my daughter!" Xu Yixue looked around the disorderly and dilapidated cottage, and secretly made up her mind. If she found her daughter Tongtong, no matter how much she cried or fussed, she would take her away from Zhonghai and never let her see Xu Fan again in this lifetime.
With her mind in turmoil, Xu Yixue made up her mind and said to Ye Xiaoning, "Xiao Ning, let's call the police. Now we can only rely on the police and surveillance to find out where Xu Fan has taken Tongtong."
"Yes, I have comrades I know in the Zhonghai City Criminal Police Team. I'll give one of them a call to see if they can help," Ye Xiaoning took out her phone, ready to flip through her contacts.
At that moment, Xu Yixue's phone began to emit a beeping ringtone.
Xu Yixue took out her phone and exclaimed, "It's Xu Fan!"
"Xu Fan, where have you taken my daughter? I'm telling you, if anything happens to Tongtong, I will never let you go," Xu Yixue roared into the phone at Xu Fan.