It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Chen Xiaoya listened attentively with bated breath, picked up the main body of the landline, and rummaged through the drawers to find a pen.

The phone screen displayed the incoming call number, and she quickly wrote down the digits.

Chen Xiaoya was afraid that the call would be hung up at any time, so he didn't dare to delay for even half a second. He just lay on the cabinet, grabbed an old notebook and started writing.

The girl tried to decipher the panicked and fear-filled words of her friend on the other end of the phone, trying to extract useful information from them.

Arqiong said that she was now in a van with the doors locked and the driver had left temporarily. However, it was already half dark outside the window and she was driving on a dirt road in the wilderness, so she had no idea where she was.

In addition to her, there were three other sleeping girls in this small van.

Arjun knew one of them, a colleague who worked in the same factory as her.

"We were all drugged... Those people gave us mineral water to drink earlier, but I thought it was problematic and only took a sip."

"They had a pager in the car," Zheng Qiong whispered, choking with sobs. "I remember the phone number you told me, and I called them as soon as they got off the car."

"...Hey kid, please help me call the police... I'm so scared..."

No matter how smart and mature he is, Chen Xiaoya is just a half-grown child.

She was also panicked. Her hands were still recording non-stop, but her vision was blurred by tears and she couldn't see anything clearly.

It was such an unfamiliar place, and in the wilderness with no village in sight, even if Aqiong could run out of the car, he couldn't run far.

She couldn't think of any better way and could only comfort her friend with clumsy words.

Only one thought clearly emerged in his confused mind: he had to call the police and tell them that Arjun had been abducted.

But what happens after calling the police?

These days, people are missing and children are being abducted everywhere. Human traffickers are everywhere in big cities and small counties. Even if the police want to intervene, they can't.

There is still a chance of finding the person on the first day of the disappearance.

After a long time, you really can't find it back.

Chen Xiaoya himself had heard about a local uncle in He County whose daughter was kidnapped.

The other party also called the police and placed an advertisement in the newspaper to look for her. When my uncle was young, he traveled all over the country looking for her, but after decades of disappearance, he still couldn't find his daughter.

The uncle lost his child in the civic square in the center of He County.

He is actually an old man with gray hair, and now he can't find his daughter anymore, so he goes to the square where he lost his daughter every day to play the Hulusi, and sticks his daughter's photo and characteristics on cardboard to attract passers-by to see.

Some people felt sorry for him and wanted to give him money, but the uncle refused to accept it. He just earnestly asked them to take a look at the cardboards.

Chen Xiaoya had seen that uncle before. There was no child in He County who didn't know his story.

So at this moment, she realized with great sadness that if Arjun was kidnapped at this time

Once you leave, you may never find it again in your lifetime.

Chen Xiaoya tried his best to mobilize all his brain cells and tried his best to give his friends more help.

She tried to come up with a perfect plan that would allow her friend to escape safely.

Chen Xiaoya stammered, "Aqiong——"

The call was hung up.

For a moment, Chen Xiaoya felt as if his head was split open from the center.

Her mind was blank, chaotic like muddled paste. She raised her arm stiffly and pressed the call back button.

No one answered and the call was quickly hung up.

Chen Xiaoya hung up the phone in a daze. She didn't dare to imagine what the person on the other end had encountered.

Was he discovered? Or was it because the traffickers had returned that forced Arjun to hang up the phone?

She couldn't hit him anymore, because if she did, Arjun might get hurt.

Something seemed to be moving at his feet. Chen Xiaoya lowered his head unconsciously and found that the cat at home was circling around his legs, shaking its furry tail at a high frequency, as if it was anxious about something.

She looked down at it slowly and dully, like a rusty robot, and did not respond for a long time.

It took her a long time to come back to her senses.

I have to... call the police.

Yes, call the police.

Chen Xiaoya gritted her teeth and reached out to tear off the paper on the surface of the old notebook - she held it tightly, like a drowning person holding on to the last straw.

She turned and walked out the door.

By this time, it was already getting dark outside and it would soon be nine o'clock in the evening. It was no longer safe for a little girl to go out.

Cat number four suddenly became anxious. It raised its voice sharply and yelled. Then it rushed forward and stood across Chen Xiaoya's way, as if trying to stop her.

But Chen Xiaoya ignored Number Four's meowing at his feet and just raised his foot to walk around it.

Chen Xiaoya was almost unable to think, but relying on a strong obsession, he stumbled towards the door like a sleepwalker.

She just bumped into someone's arms.

The man put his arm around her back, his warm palm resting on the back of her head.

A strange smell enveloped her - it was a light, soapy fragrance, softened by body temperature, like the body's own warm fragrance.

The body warmth transmitted through the fabric brought her an indescribable comfort.

"Little boy?"

The voice came from above her head, and the person patted her gently in a soothing manner.

Her body stiffened for a moment because of the touch, and then she deflated like a balloon.

Chen Xiaoya buried her head in Xiaoniao's arms, trembling as she clutched his clothes, trying hard not to cry. Her fingers showed bluish-white joints from the excessive force.

And Xiao Niao really hugged her tightly without asking anything.

Number Four, who had been swaying around at my feet, finally calmed down.

It turned its head to the left to look at the bird, then to the right to look at the kid, and thought: I'm holding them all together, so there shouldn't be any need for me to do a backflip... No, there shouldn't be anything for me to do, right?

Thinking of this, the fat cat walked back to its cat bed with peace of mind and lay down comfortably.

------

-

After finding out the whole story, Xiao Niao took the boy to the nearby police station.

A police officer on duty received them.

"We can accept this case and investigate where the call came from, but..."

The police officer looked at Xiao Niao across the table helplessly and pushed the half-cold tea forward.

"--However, if the other party turns off the phone or throws it away, we won't be able to accurately locate it."

The other information provided by Chen Xiaoya was also very one-sided, and basically no obvious characteristics could be found.

Three days is enough time for a car to drive out of the province, and remote roads in the wilderness are everywhere, which cannot serve as clues for finding people.

"Besides, it was a phone call that a child heard after all..."

When the police officer said this, he couldn't help but stick his head out and look at the half-open door of the reception room.

He couldn't help but ask, "Could it be possible that this is just a prank?"

Only Xiaoniao was allowed to enter the police reception room, so Chen Xiaoya was hiding outside at this time.

Xiao Niao frowned slightly, and said in a serious tone: "No, police comrade, this child is very sensible and would not joke about such a serious matter."

"Okay, we'll investigate as soon as possible."

"...By the way, have I seen you somewhere before?" the police officer suddenly asked, "Have you ever been to Orange before?"

Xiao Niao replied seriously: "How is that possible? Officer, you must have remembered it wrongly."

The police officer looked at the bird suspiciously.

"...In short, we currently have too few clues," he said, looking very embarrassed. "The police will do their best to track him down, but the hope of finding him is very slim... You have to be mentally prepared..."

"...Have you notified the missing person's relatives? Ah, is grandma the only one around?"

No one in the house noticed

A figure left the half-open door of the reception room.

Chen Xiaoya walked slowly back to the chair in the family waiting area. She leaned back in the chair and felt her heart and body were sinking heavily.

In the reception room, Xiaoniao and the police were actually still having a conversation, but she no longer had the energy to listen.

Chen Xiaoya just dully recalled what the police had just said: the hope of getting it back is very slim.

So, that meeting a week ago was actually our farewell forever?

Aqiong...is she really, never coming back?

Chen Xiaoya stared blankly at the clock hanging above the reception hall of the police station.

Suddenly, her originally straight back bent deeply and her face was buried in her arms.

Considering his age, Chen Xiaoya is really too thin. He is not too short when he stands up, but when he curls up, he is still a small ball.

She just kept this posture, sitting motionless on the chair.

Chen Xiaoya kept recalling the time she spent with Aqiong. The fifteen years passed like a dream and appeared in her mind in a bizarre way.

She was so dazed that she almost fell asleep and had no idea how much time had passed.

It wasn't until someone gently shook her shoulders that she suddenly opened her eyes.

"Are you sleepy, little one?"

Xiao Niao asked in a low voice, gently brushing away the strands of hair on Xiaoya's forehead, revealing her confused and helpless eyes.

After a while, Chen Xiaoya nodded silently.

"Don't sleep here, you'll catch a cold," Xiao Niao advised gently, "Let's go back and have a good night's rest. We can talk about anything tomorrow."

Chen Xiaoya didn't say anything, just lowered his head silently.

"Xiaoya, you've done very well," Xiaoniao comforted her, "Leave the rest to the adults and the police."

She brought the dazed Chen Xiaoya back home and put him to bed.

Two days later, the police found out the source of the call and even found the owner of the Xiaolingtong based on the purchase records.

But not long after, the owner of the phone was proved innocent again - his phone was stolen and the person using the phone was not him at all.

And that pager never made any calls again, as if it had been turned off or abandoned.

The signal last disappeared in Taoyuan District of Province X.

The clue is broken here.

During these two days, Xiao Niao accompanied Xiao Ya to the post office and sent letters to Zheng Qiong's parents to inform them of what happened at home.

At night, Chen Xiaoya lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep.

There's really nothing I can do, she thought, staring blankly at the ceiling, I've done everything I can think of.

I can’t… cause trouble to Xiao Niao anymore. Chen Xiaoya’s heart was trembling. She has helped me a lot. I can’t trouble her anymore…

There was a mean voice in her heart whispering: If you cause any more trouble, she might not be willing to support your studies anymore.

Chen Xiaoya despised himself for having such thoughts.

But once the thought came to her mind, it crept into her mind silently like a poisonous snake.

This is not my responsibility, Chen Xiaoya thought, I should... let Aqiong's parents go find her.

But she was also very aware that Zheng Qiong's parents would not spend much effort looking for her.

They have to work, support their families, and provide for the elderly and remaining children - the pressure of life does not allow them to abandon all their burdens and go looking for their missing daughter.

What's more...Arjun had a younger brother.

There were four children in her family. Apart from the eldest sister who had passed away, the youngest brother was the only one who was raised by his parents since childhood.

Arjun has never been the child valued by his family...just like himself.

But she really shouldn't continue to bother the bird.