Over the phone, Mr. Yu's voice was hoarse.
"We found the patch from our son's clothing near a mountain lodge. My wife has a gut feeling that our son is still on the mountain. Even after the search team left, she refused to give up. Unexpectedly, we did find something—the patch she sewed on with his name."
"Really?" Lu Fei was overjoyed and stood up quickly. "That's great! Have you found the child as well?"
"No... We searched the whole mountain and asked many people, but everyone said they hadn't seen our son." Mr. Yu's voice was tinged with bitterness and exhaustion.
"Lu, if you're available, could we meet up? We'd like to ask you more about what you saw in the woods."
Lu Fei's smile froze. After a pause, he asked, "Mr. Yu, was the lodge you mentioned called Wangyue Mountain Lodge?"
"Yes, that's correct. Is there an issue?"
"I'm not sure, but I have some time now. How about I come over?"
"That would be wonderful. We're just at the foot of the mountain."
After hanging up, Lu Fei told Hongjie he had to go, then pulled Tiger along as they rushed out of the teahouse, flagging down a taxi to head straight for the mountain.
"Boss, are you thinking that this missing child is somehow connected to Wangyue Mountain Lodge?" Tiger asked on the way.
"Before, I hadn't made the connection, but now it seems more complicated. Why would that patch turn up outside the lodge?" Lu Fei frowned.
"The People's Park is so far from the lodge—at least 20 to 30 kilometers. How could a seven or eight-year-old kid get there? Unless..."
Tiger's eyes widened. "Unless he was taken there!"
"The patch was sewn by his mother; it wouldn't come off easily unless it was pulled off during a struggle or torn off by the child himself."
"I get it! The kid might have left it as a clue to show where he is," Tiger said, growing uneasy. "But why would the lodge kidnap a child? Are they involved in human trafficking?"
Lu Fei shook his head. "It's just a theory and might not be accurate. And even if the patch proves he was near the lodge, it doesn't mean they took him. It could have been a guest who passed by."
"If the lodge really took him and won't hand him over, I'll make sure they regret it," Tiger said, clenching his fists.
The cityscape flew by outside the taxi window.
Lu Fei knew he could ignore this matter. But for some reason, the desperate couple reminded him of his parents.
Was it more painful for a child to lose their parents, or for parents to lose their child? He didn't know.
All he knew was that he wanted to help them in any way he could.
The taxi pulled up at the base of the mountain.
Lu Fei got out and immediately saw a weary-looking couple waiting by the roadside.
They seemed much older compared to when they were handing out flyers, though their exhaustion and worry remained unchanged.
"Mr. Yu."
Lu Fei walked briskly towards them.
"You must be Mr. Lu. I'm Yu Zhisheng, and this is my wife, Mi Lan," Mr. Yu said, gripping Lu Fei's hand tightly. His eyes, bloodshot and full of gratitude, glistened.
"Thank you for your tip. Without it, we wouldn't have found Dongdong's patch."
"Thank you so much. We owe you everything!" Mi Lan bowed deeply to Lu Fei.
"Please, there's no need for that!" Lu Fei said, helping them back up.
"Mr. Lu, where exactly did you see our Dongdong? Was he alright? Did he seem hurt?" Mi Lan asked, eyes red.
"Over in that grove. I'll take you there now," Lu Fei said, leading the couple towards the woods as he recounted what happened the previous night. "Since he could move around, he likely wasn't injured."
"Thank goodness!" Yu Zhisheng said, squeezing his wife's hand.
"We scoured the mountain all night and questioned many people, but the lodge staff wouldn't let us search inside," Yu Zhisheng sighed. "That's why we called you, hoping you'd come."
"It's no trouble at all. If I can help find your son, it's my honor."
They soon arrived at the grove and searched carefully, but aside from some tufts of wool, they found nothing.
"Where could he be?" Mi Lan sobbed. "I keep dreaming that he's crying..."
"As long as Dongdong is alive, we will find him," Yu Zhisheng said, fighting back tears and holding his emotions in check.
The scene made both Lu Fei and Tiger's noses sting.
"Mr. Yu, let's head to the lodge and try searching there again," Lu Fei suggested.
"They wouldn't let us in, no matter how we pleaded," Yu Zhisheng said, frustration etched on his face.
"We know the owner. Maybe he'll make an exception."
"That would be incredible! Thank you, Mr. Lu!"
The Yu couple, their spirits lifted, wiped away their tears and followed Lu Fei and Tiger to Wangyue Mountain Lodge.
The lodge, which only operated at night, was now quiet, with a few staff members cleaning up.
Yu Zhisheng stepped forward to speak, but Lu Fei stopped him.
"Wait, Mr. Yu, show me where you found the patch first."
"Okay."
They led them around the main entrance, following the woods until they reached a high wall at the back of the lodge.
It looked like the lodge's back entrance.
"The patch was found right outside this door. There were leaves everywhere. If my wife hadn't been so familiar with it, we would have missed it," Yu Zhisheng explained.
Lu Fei examined the area, pushing at the door, but it was locked from the inside.
He spotted more tufts of wool and a few bloodstains.
"More wool..." he muttered.
"Mr. Lu, do you also think Dongdong is inside? Otherwise, how could his patch be here?" Mi Lan's hopeful eyes locked onto him. "Please, help us get inside to look."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Yu. I'll speak with the owner now."
Lu Fei pocketed the wool and walked quickly back to the main entrance.
"Why are you two here again? I already told you, we haven't seen your kid. Why keep coming back?" one of the staff members scolded when they saw the Yu couple.
"Miss, we found something of our son's near your lodge. Please, let us in to look around," Yu Zhisheng said with a pleading smile, humble in his request.
"If you found it outside, what's it got to do with us? The boss said no one can come in and cause trouble!" The staff member stood with her hands on her hips, blocking their way.
"How heartless! It's just parents looking for their child. Let us speak to your boss!" Tiger shouted angrily.
"No way..." the staff started to refuse.
"What's all this noise at the door?"
A bald man emerged, frowning. When he saw Lu Fei and Tiger, he paused, surprised.
"Master Lu, what brings you here?"
"Mr. Hua, my friends' child went missing near here, and they'd like to search your lodge," Lu Fei explained.
The Yu couple held their breath in anticipation.
To their surprise, the bald man smiled generously and ordered the staff aside.
"Since they're friends of Master Lu, they're not here to make trouble. Let them in to search."