A child?
Ye Junwen's heart skipped a beat, a figure flashed through his mind.
However, he wasn't sure if the person in front of him was truly the thief Zhen Kechuan, or if Policeman Shi was just trying to trick him into revealing something by pretending to be Zhen Kechuan. Ye Junwen simply stared at him intently, as if trying to see if there was truly a face mask on the man.
Zhen Kechuan caught his expression from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but laugh heartily again.
He parked the car by the roadside, and under Ye Junwen's scrutinizing gaze, slowly removed the face mask from his face.
Ye Junwen's eyes widened instantly, the face of the person in front of him merging with the face he remembered from six or seven years ago.
It really was Zhen Kechuan!
"You...you...are really..." Ye Junwen subconsciously raised his hand to point at his face, but hastily withdrew it when he met Zhen Kechuan's gaze.
Zhen Kechuan gave a slight smile, "That's right, don't doubt it."
Ye Junwen swallowed hard, "Then you, where are you taking me?" Surely not to silence him!
Zhen Kechuan saw his cowardly expression and felt amused, "I'm taking you to my territory."
Following the surveillance footage and clues, the police finally discovered the stopped police car by the roadside, but it was a fake police car with fake license plates.
They then followed another set of tire tracks further, but the tracks disappeared, and the police dogs couldn't pick up any relevant scents either.
The trail went cold.
Policeman Shi punched the trunk of a large tree by the road hard, while Li and Zhao hung their heads in silence.
Come to think of it, they were all responsible for this failure. They hadn't been thorough enough and didn't suspect the identity of the "Policeman Shi" at all. The two important suspects had simply slipped away right before their eyes. It seemed they were due for some disciplinary action.
"Issue a wanted notice with a reward. Also, notify the Ye Family that if they have any information about Ye Junwen, they should contact us immediately!"
On New Year's Eve at the end of the month, Ye Jinchen woke up, roused by Ye Jinmeng's constant chatter.
Ever since Ye Jinchen was resuscitated that time, his vital signs had been growing steadier. The doctor said that if this continued, he would wake up before long.
On the night of New Year's Eve, as usual, Ye Jinmeng squatted by Ye Jinchen's bedside, softly speaking into his ear.
"Brother, it's New Year's Eve today. Have you prepared the red envelopes? You can't be stingy, you have to give me a huge red envelope!"
"Mom made dumplings with several different fillings today - fennel pork, corn shrimp, carrot beef... Ah ah ah, I can't think about it or I'll start drooling."
Ye Jinmeng mischievously pinched Ye Jinchen's cheeks with two fingers.
"Brother, you like pinching my cheeks. Hehe, now I'm getting you back."
Seemingly reminded of something, Ye Jinmeng's expression suddenly grew serious again.
"Brother, there's something I haven't told you about. Mom didn't want me to tell you either, afraid you'd get too excited. But I still think I should tell you, just in case you get so excited that you wake up!"
"It's that Sister Lin Yijun has been secretly coming to visit you every day. Mom is both happy and sad."
"She's happy that you have love coming to you while you're lying there, but sad that if you don't wake up soon, you'll miss out on that love!"
"After all, Mom doesn't want her son to let a good girl like her go to waste. She's even considering introducing her to a good family to marry into."
Ye Jinchen's hand twitched, but Ye Jinmeng didn't notice and continued talking to herself.
"Brother, Lin is a good girl. Are you really going to just watch your love come and go without a trace?"
"No, you don't want that! After all, you're still a single bachelor from the womb, so you must long for that sweet, sweet romance."
"Look at me and Brother Shuning - we're always muah muah muah. And Wanwan too, she'll be spending New Year's at Old Brother Ting's house this year!"
"Brother Shuan is the same. He video calls Sister Yanyan every day, and it feels like he'll win her over any day now."
"Soon you'll be the only single dog left! You'll just have to watch us being all lovey-dovey while you eat that dogfood yourself!"
It was then that Ye Jinchen opened his eyes. While Ye Jinmeng was excited, she didn't forget to marvel at the power of love.
As for Ye Jinchen: This little motormouth, babbling like a machine gun, giving him a headache...
...
After Ye Jinchen woke up and underwent a series of tests, he was transferred back to a regular patient room.
"Brother, Wanwan and I are here to see you!"
Ye Jinmeng poked her little head through the door. Seeing Ye Jinchen sitting up against the pillows while Gu Qi was feeding him soup, she grinned and came in.
Upon seeing Xu Wanwan, Ye Jinchen recalled what the other Ye Jinchen had said.
"Wanwan is our real sister!"
Although he wasn't sure if the other Ye Jinchen was just a figment of his imagination or real, Ye Jinchen's gaze at Xu Wanwan became complicated.
"Big Brother Ye, how are you feeling?" Xu Wanwan asked with concern.
Ye Jinchen snapped out of it and nodded, "I'm feeling alright."
"That's good." Xu Wanwan somehow felt that Ye Jinchen was looking at her strangely, as if searching for some kind of answer.
Ever since Ye Jinchen woke up, Gu Qi had been in an exceptionally good mood, and her haggard complexion had gradually become rosy again.
She smiled at the two kids, "Come on, have a seat. Here are some bananas, take one each."
"Thank you, Auntie Gu."
"Wanwan, when does your school start again?" Ye Jinchen asked curiously.
"Oh, classes officially resume on the twenty-first of the first lunar month."
"That's still half a month away. Aren't you going back to your hometown?"
Xu Wanwan shook her head awkwardly and smiled, "No, I have no relatives left in my hometown. The house I used to live in was lent to me by the village chief, but after I came to Hai City, he took it back. If I went back, I'd have nowhere to stay."
Ye Jinchen nodded, "Well, from now on, just treat the Ye Family as your family home."
Upon hearing this, tears instantly welled up in Xu Wanwan's eyes. She lowered her head, not looking at Ye Jinchen. "Thank you, Big Brother Ye."
Ye Jinmeng chimed in, "Wanwan and I are already sisters. Of course my home is Wanwan's home, and my family home is naturally Wanwan's family home too."
Ye Jinchen curved his lips slightly and pinched her little face.
He smiled, "I remember someone told me that from now on, she won't be lazy anymore, and she'll do whatever I tell her to do. Who said that?"
Ye Jinmeng played dumb, "Yeah, brother, who did say that? It definitely wasn't me. I'm hardworking, see? Maybe you meant Wanwan said it?"
"Ah? Why would I have said that? I don't know which little lazybones said it but won't admit it now."
Gu Qi watched the children joking and laughing together, thoroughly enjoying this warm atmosphere. She hoped that from now on, none of the children would ever be hurt again, and that they would all live safe, healthy lives.
*
Love you all, muah~~
