The orphanage where Xu Gui and his family lived was surrounded by residential buildings. It was busiest in the mornings and afternoons, but quieter at midday, especially with the recent sweltering heat.
Uncle Liu from the orphanage, feeling the heat, simply brought his tools and ran a power cord from the yard to Xu Gui and his family. He connected it to an outlet, plugged in an electric fan, and the fan immediately started whirring.
Feeling the cool breeze blowing in their faces, Xu Gui couldn't help but praise Uncle Liu, "Uncle Liu, you're amazing!"
Uncle Liu was mute, but very skilled with his hands. He was especially good at woodworking, carving all sorts of small animals from wood. Many of the toys for the children in the orphanage were made by him. He also knew basic electrical work, although he hadn't received formal training and couldn't compare to a professional electrician, it was enough to solve the orphanage's usual electrical problems.
Hearing Xu Gui's praise, Uncle Liu smiled shyly and gestured, "If it's hot, go inside."
Xu Gui nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll just stay here for a while. If no one's around, I'll go inside."
Uncle Liu nodded. As for the children at the orphanage, seeing the heat, the director and staff had already coaxed them inside to prevent them from getting heatstroke while wandering outside.
After Uncle Liu left, only Xu Gui, the cameraman, and her assistant Yuan Lu remained.
Yuan Lu and the cameraman were sitting together, not in the shot. In the frame, Xu Gui sat lazily, her upper body leaning on the table, poking the roly-poly toy Uncle Liu had given her.
With each touch, the roly-poly swayed, looking quite endearing.
It was indeed hot today, but with the shade of the large locust tree and the fan blowing, Xu Gui could bear it. The only problem was: no customers.
She had just been dreaming of making money to build the world's number one orphanage, full of ambition and high spirits. However, after waiting for half an hour without any customers, her enthusiasm gradually waned, and now she felt utterly disheartened.
Finally, she succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep on the table.
The fan whirred, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her rosy cheeks were flushed red from the heat, her thin skin looking like it had been rouged.
Sleepiness is contagious. Watching Xu Gui's sleeping figure, and hearing the faint chirping of cicadas in the live stream, many viewers couldn't help but yawn… well, they were feeling sleepy too.
Even the cameraman couldn't resist a silent yawn. He rubbed his face, looking at the deserted state of Xu Gui's fortune-telling stall, and felt a strange sense of familiarity with the scene.
Back when Xu Gui first set up his fortune-telling stall, things were similar – he wouldn't see a single customer all morning.
In this weather, at this time, he might not have a single customer all afternoon… Just as the reporter was thinking this, a panicked voice came from the street.
"Mom, Mom! Have you seen Xiao Bao? Xiao Bao is gone!"
"What? I just went up to check and she was still sleeping in her little bed… Did you see clearly? Is she really gone?"
"She's really gone!! I went to check, her little bed is empty, she's really not in her little bed!"
"…"
After a suffocating silence, Xiao Bao's grandmother's panicked voice rang out: "Ah! Grandpa, our Xiao Bao is gone! Grandma's Xiao Bao!"
…
Xu Gui's fortune-telling stall faced a street, the busiest street in the area, selling all sorts of things – food, clothes, shoes. There was also a small shop near Xu Gui's orphanage, and the family making the commotion was from that shop.
It was midday, and because of the heat, the streets were mostly deserted. People in the shops were drowsy, and the street was unusually quiet. But then, the grandmother who ran the small shop suddenly cried out, shattering the tranquility.
"What happened?"
"What's wrong? What happened? Was it an earthquake?"
"Who's crying?"
The cries startled the residents on both sides of the street, who came out to see what was happening. This was the old town; the people here had known each other for decades, and there was a strong sense of community. If something happened to anyone, no one would stand idly by.
They saw the family of three—the grandmother, the shopkeeper, and her two children—standing on the street, their faces filled with anxiety. The grandmother was wiping away tears, calling out, "Grandma's little one!"
Those who knew the family ran over to ask what had happened.
"My little one is lost!" the child's mother said, fighting back tears. "I went out to buy some things, and she fell asleep. I put her in her crib and asked my mom to watch her... But I just came back from shopping and went upstairs to check, and I found she wasn't in her crib. The crib was empty!"
"What?"
This shocked everyone.
Someone unfamiliar with the family's situation couldn't help but say, "Maybe the child just went out on her own? There's no need to make such a fuss."
Hearing this, the mother's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She cried, "But my little one is only three months old! She can't even walk yet!" At that age, she can't even roll over properly.
The person who had just spoken: ? ?
No wonder they were so worried.
"Since she's such a small child, she definitely can't walk. Could she have fallen under the crib?" someone else suggested.
The child's mother shook her head: "Our crib has railings, she couldn't possibly climb out! Besides, I've searched under the bed, and the whole room, she's not there!"
The child's grandmother was even more distressed, crying out, "My little one..."
Someone asked, "When was the last time you saw the child?"
The child's mother looked at the weeping grandmother; she had gone out to buy things, leaving the child in her grandmother's care, so only the grandmother could answer this question.
The grandmother wiped away her tears and said, "Not long ago, I checked on her just ten minutes ago. She was sleeping peacefully in her crib, and I only went downstairs to get a pack of cigarettes for a guest..."
Ten minutes?
In ten minutes, where could a child who hasn't even learned to roll over yet go? She could only have been secretly taken away, right?
Everyone looked at each other, a very ominous premonition creeping into their hearts.
"Could it have been carried away by some animal?" someone whispered, suggesting this possibility. "Didn't you hear on the news that a baby was snatched by a monkey and killed by it..." Before he
could finish, someone next to him elbowed him. Looking at the utterly devastated faces of the family running the convenience store, he suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Ha, I was just talking nonsense..." he chuckled dryly. "There aren't any monkeys around in City A, it probably wasn't a monkey!"
"Maybe it was a monkey that escaped from the zoo? Or maybe it was a dog... Otherwise, how could a baby lying in the house suddenly disappear?"
"Could someone have secretly taken him? Grandma Zhou, think carefully, did anyone come to your house today?"
The child's grandmother, Grandma Zhou, recalled, "No, apart from customers who come to the convenience store, no one came to my house. As for the customers, they didn't even go upstairs. It's impossible for them to have taken my baby."
"Didn't you hear anything before?"
"No...nothing at all!"
At this point, the matter was shrouded in mystery. A three-month-old baby, peacefully placed in bed by his parents, suddenly disappeared. If it wasn't taken by a person or an animal...could the child just vanish into thin air for no reason?
"...I think we should call the police! In this situation, it's very likely that the child was deliberately taken." "
Yes! Call the police and let them check the surveillance footage. We have so many surveillance cameras here; if someone took the child, they'll definitely see it on the cameras."
"Yes, Grandma Zhou, don't worry, the child will be alright."
Everyone comforted the family—the family's surname was Zhou, so everyone called the two elderly people Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou.
At this moment, Grandma Zhou blamed herself, saying, "It's all my fault. I should have kept a close eye on Xiaobao. She's so small. What if something happened to her if someone took her away? It's my fault! Why did I run downstairs?"
Grandpa Zhou said with a sorrowful expression, "If anyone is at fault, it's my fault. I had diarrhea, otherwise you wouldn't have come down..."
Originally, Grandpa Zhou was watching the convenience store while Grandma Zhou was upstairs looking after her granddaughter. But Grandpa Zhou suddenly had a stomachache and went to the toilet. At that moment, a customer suddenly came into the store, and Grandma Zhou had no choice but to come downstairs to help serve the customer.
Just over ten minutes—who could have imagined that in those ten minutes, something bad would happen to the child?
Xiaobao's mother stood to the side, listening to her in-laws' words, her expression tragic, tears streaming down her face.
Xu Gui was awakened at this moment. The sound of sobbing reached her ears, impossible to ignore. She struggled to open her eyes and asked sleepily, "Why do I think I heard someone crying?"
The viewers in the live stream were also curious:
[Turtle, you're finally awake!!] "I was just about to ask what happened!" But Xu Gui was sleeping soundly, and with the internet separating them, it was truly agonizing.
"I just heard crying, but it seemed to be some distance away, and the sound was too faint to hear clearly."
"Turn up the volume, it sounds like they're saying the child is lost?"
"It also sounds like they're saying the child is lost. Gui Gui, why don't you go over and check? See what happened, maybe the child really is lost."
Some netizens were concerned.
The cameraman and assistant Yuan Lu also noticed Xu Gui was awake, craning their necks and listening intently. They turned around.
Upon hearing Xu Gui ask what had happened, Yuan Lu hurriedly replied, "It seems that family's child is missing..."
They had noticed the commotion and listened carefully for a while to get a general idea of what had happened. He added, "I heard that the child was sleeping upstairs when the grandmother came down to greet guests. When the mother returned, she found the child was gone."
He paused, then added, "The child is said to be only three months old. They're discussing whether someone secretly took the child or some animal ran upstairs and carried the baby away."
Three months old?
[Wow, such a small child can get lost at home?]
[If it really was an animal that carried the child away, I think this family needs to prepare themselves. I've heard of monkeys and dogs carrying away babies before, and those babies usually died.]
[No, a three-month-old baby should be constantly watched by the elders, how could someone take the child away?]
[Didn't they say the child was sleeping upstairs? Who would expect someone to take a child from home?]
[Didn't this family call the police?] "What are you still crying over there for? Call the police!"
"Xu Gui! They can ask Xu Gui for help! Xu Gui can definitely figure out where the child is. Xu Gui, please help! If this family's child really can't be found, it will be a huge blow to them."
*
After hearing what the paparazzi said, Xu Gui roughly understood what had happened.
She rubbed her eyes, stood up, and walked over. Seeing this, the paparazzi quickly grabbed the camera that was lying aside, carried it, and followed. As for Yuan Lu, she naturally followed as well.
The three of them crossed the road and arrived at the other side of the street.
By this time, a lot of people had gathered around the convenience store. They were all from this street, asking each other if they had seen anyone suspicious, but all received negative answers.
The family of three who owned the convenience store looked increasingly miserable. The grandfather blamed himself, the grandmother was sad, and the mother was desperate. Seeing their condition, everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for them.
"How could this happen in broad daylight?"
"That damned child trafficker, how did it manage to steal the child? Everyone, think quickly, was there anyone suspicious today? Maybe that person is the one who stole Zhou's little treasure."
"I've already called the police, they said they're coming right away..."
The people around were talking amongst themselves, only the child's three elders remained silent, unable to speak.
Xu Gui stood in the crowd, listening for a moment. Seeing the family's desperate appearance, she calculated for a moment, then her brows furrowed, her expression turning stern.
"...I know where your child is." She spoke.
As soon as she said this, the crowd fell silent, and the next second, countless gazes fell on Xu Gui.
The child's mother, who had been standing frozen in the crowd as if her soul had left her body, suddenly snapped back to reality, looking intently at Xu Gui. The next second, she rushed to Xu Gui and grabbed her arm tightly.
"You...you know where my little Bao is?" she asked anxiously.
Xu Gui nodded.
The woman, breathing rapidly and with tears streaming down her face, asked anxiously, "Where is she? Tell me, where is she now? Is she alright?"
Xu Gui was about to answer when the person next to her looked at her suspiciously and questioned, "How do you know where Xiao Bao is? Did you see her being taken away? If you saw it, why didn't you speak up and stop it? Instead, you're only now running out to be a good Samaritan?"
The others listened and couldn't help but nod, thinking that what the person said made a lot of sense.
"Xiao Bao's mother," someone else spoke up, saying, "Don't be so anxious. Who knows if what this little girl is saying is true? Your child is missing, and you don't even know how she lost her. How could she know where the child is? Unless..." "
She's connected to the person who took the child!" the person said emphatically, "So, what she's saying now is absolutely unbelievable. Maybe she's just trying to buy time for the traffickers!"
Xu Gui: "..."
Feeling the gazes on her change, turning hostile, Xu Gui pointed to the orphanage behind her and said helplessly, "You might have misunderstood something. I'm from that orphanage, and I have absolutely nothing to do with human traffickers."
She really was a timid child.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd looked at her and pointed at her, saying, "Ah, I remember now, you're that idiot from the orphanage?"
"..."
[Idiot?] Xu Gui's fans were a little confused, not understanding where this nickname came from. After all, no matter how they looked at her, Xu Gui had nothing to do with being an idiot; she seemed quite clever.
Xu Gui, however, knew why.
In the past, she had only driven her body's "shell" with instinct, and her reactions to the outside world were somewhat slow. Over time, everyone thought she was an idiot, and the nickname "idiot" came from the other children around her.
Of course, back then, she was definitely much better than an idiot; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to finish high school.
Xu Gui thought to herself, and couldn't help but explain, "I was just a little slow to react back then, but I'm not stupid at all..."
The person who called her stupid laughed awkwardly upon hearing this, saying, "I only heard it from others..."
"So, how do you know where her child is?" Someone still had doubts.
"Why are you asking so many questions?" Xu Gui tilted her head and asked, "At this time, shouldn't you be more concerned about where the child is now, and whether her life is still safe?"
Everyone was speechless, and had to admit that what she said was true. Now, the most important thing was indeed where the missing one was and whether she was safe.
"...Then where is my little treasure?" The child's mother asked anxiously and excitedly, gripping Xu Gui's arm tightly, so tightly that it hurt.
Tears streaming down her face, she pleaded, "Even if, even if it's related to you that my little one was taken away, but, but as long as you tell me where my little one is, I won't pursue the matter, I won't call the police! So, please tell me, tell me where my little one is... I'm kneeling before you!"
The mother then actually knelt down before Xu Gui, startling him so much that he took several steps back.
"I, I'll kneel down with you too!" Grandma Zhou also joined in, sobbing as she knelt on the ground with a thud. The sound made Xu Gui's teeth ache, and even his knees felt a little sore.
Looking at this scene, Xu Gui felt only absurdity: So, they all thought the child's disappearance was related to him? But how did he seem to have anything to do with child traffickers?
Xu Gui was somewhat angry.
"Don't kneel before me. Your child's disappearance has nothing to do with me or anyone else." Xu Gui took a step back and said to the woman, "Your child was taken by your son."
The child's mother's tears were still streaming down her face. When she heard Xu Gui's words, her expression froze. She stared blankly at Xu Gui and uttered a sound from the depths of her soul: "Huh?"
What had she just heard?
"My, my son?"
"Yes, your son."
The woman: ???
"You, you're kidding me. How could my son secretly take his sister away?" She said stiffly, her face filled with panic.
Xu Gui stared at her, her eyes clear and firm, and said, word by word, "I'm not lying!"
She stood there, composed, accepting the gazes of those around her without being affected by them.
"Compared to me, I think you should be more concerned about your youngest daughter… Aren't you worried about what might happen to her after her brother took her away?" Xu Gui said earnestly, "Your youngest daughter is in great danger right now, I'm serious."
"She'll die!"
"She really will die!"
Xu Gui had foreseen it, foreseen the woman's daughter's early demise… If the child wasn't found soon, this three-year-old really would die.
Xu Gui tried hard to convey her seriousness to the child's mother, but the woman was stunned by her words. Then, after exchanging a glance with Xu Gui, she suddenly took out her phone and started calling her child—her older child wore a children's smartwatch.
The child's mother seemed to believe Xu Gui, but the others still felt that Xu Gui was suspicious.
"I think this woman is talking nonsense. What's with this 'children are in danger' thing? How does she know the children are in danger? I don't think she's stupid, she's mentally ill!"
"Exactly! Why would Da Bao take his little sister out? Kids his age hate children younger than themselves."
"This woman might really be a fraud. Otherwise, how would she know Da Bao took the child if she didn't see it? After all, who says people from orphanages aren't fraudsters? My relative even tried to lure me into a pyramid scheme."
If even your own relative can lie to you, what about these orphanage children? Who knows what she's really thinking?
The onlookers were clearly still suspicious of Xu Gui. Their gazes towards her were unfriendly, and their comments were full of doubt.
Yuan Lu, listening, couldn't help but step forward, blocking Xu Gui's path, and loudly proclaimed to the others, "You've really misunderstood! The child's disappearance has absolutely nothing to do with our Teacher Xu! Our Teacher Xu was sleeping the whole time. See this machine?"
She pointed to the camera in the cameraman's hand and said, "Millions of netizens can testify that our Teacher Xu was sleeping during her live stream!"
[That's right, we can testify! We watched Xu Gui sleep from 1 AM to 2:30 AM!]
[Keep your voice down, watching someone sleep for so long, do you think that's honorable?]
[Hilarious! If someone had told me before that I could watch someone sleep for over an hour, I definitely wouldn't have believed it! Indeed, the saying "lust bewitches the heart" is true; I was indeed bewitched by the beauty of this turtle!]
[I'm just curious, why did this family's son take his sister away?]
[Hiss, hearing this, countless tragic cases of second-child families flashed through my mind, and I suddenly had a bad feeling.] *
Grandma
Zhou, upon hearing Xu Gui's words, couldn't help but glare at her, her eyes blazing with anger as she questioned, "What do you mean by that? What do you mean by danger? Are you saying my Da Bao would hurt his sister? Ha, that's ridiculous! How could my Da Bao do that!"
She retorted angrily, "You're trying to sow discord!"
The old lady even knew the term "sow discord. "
Grandpa Zhou couldn't help but look around and asked, "By the way, where's Da Bao? I haven't seen him at all."
Hearing this, Grandma Zhou said nonchalantly, "He's probably out playing with his friends. Since summer vacation started, he's hardly ever home. In this sweltering heat, he's always out playing. Doesn't he worry about getting heatstroke?"
"He went out after lunch today and just came back. I don't know what he took with him..."
At this point, Grandma Zhou's voice suddenly stopped, and her expression stiffened.
No, that's impossible...