The kidnapping incident at the Blue Sea Hotel caused quite a stir, shaking the entire upper echelon of the capital.
The authorities ordered a thorough investigation, and as the host of the banquet, the Su family was the first to be targeted.
But when they went to question them, they found that Su Qingwen and his wife had already disappeared.
The elderly head of the Su family hadn’t appeared once throughout the whole ordeal. In the vast Su family mansion, there was only a boy a little over ten years old left.
No one dared to make a move against a child, so they could only swallow their anger and let him be—where he came from, and where he went back to, no one knew.
All that was left behind was a mess on the floor.
After the Su family fell into trouble, the servants scattered and left, except for Su Cheng’an, who quietly stayed behind in the Su villa.
He remembered his mother’s words: to stay obediently at home, not to go anywhere, and to wait for her to come back for him.
Hearing this, Su Cheng’an was somewhat pleased.
As for Su Qingwen, his father, he mostly felt awe rather than affection.
Perhaps he would obey his mother’s wishes and try to please him, but deep down, he just couldn’t feel close to that man.
His mother was just his father’s mistress, and he was a bastard.
Su Cheng’an had long been fully aware of this.
Shi Jing’an thought he was just a child who didn’t understand anything, but once something like this happened, there was no shortage of gossip.
Su Cheng’an had long since gotten used to the rumors at school.
He always hoped to grow up quickly, to be old enough to take care of his mother.
Then she wouldn’t have to destroy other families anymore.
Clearly, he and his mother could have had a family of their own, without having to flatter or pander to anyone.
But before he could grow up, his mother was going to marry his father.
Su Cheng’an was a little disappointed, but seeing his mother’s happy smile, he thought that from now on, she wouldn’t be a mistress, and he wouldn’t be a bastard anymore.
Maybe everything would turn out well.
But things didn’t go as wished.
Su Cheng’an was originally supposed to be the ring bearer for the couple at the wedding, but before the ceremony, his mother called him over and told him to pretend to be sick.
He didn’t understand her intention, but he always obeyed her.
Before the event started, he pretended to have a stomach ache.
Since he didn’t attend, Su Qingwen didn’t push it either.
Then he was secretly sent back by someone arranged by his mother.
But the mother who promised to come back for him never did.
The Blue Sea incident was resolved about a week later.
The high-ranking members of the international criminal gang were arrested, and the Qīnglóngtáng’s stronghold was thoroughly cleansed.
The capture operation was considered a success.
If it weren’t for the Blue Sea accident.
In the Blue Sea hostage incident, 16 people were seriously injured, and 37 suffered minor injuries.
The losses were significant.
A lot of effort was spent calming the furious family members of the victims.
The police held back their anger as well.
According to their original plan, casualties could have been entirely avoided.
If not for the accident that incited the guests to riot, there wouldn’t have been such widespread injuries.
Facing the victims’ families, they swallowed their pride and played nice, but toward the main culprit—the Su family—they showed no mercy.
The search warrant was soon issued.
Su Qingwen was suspected of harboring criminals and possibly even involved in planning the kidnapping.
When the police arrived with the warrant, the Su mansion was turned upside down.
Sure enough, they found one hundred grams of white powder hidden in a secret compartment in Su Qingwen’s study.
That sealed his identity as an accomplice in crime.
To appease the victims’ families, the investigation proceeded with unprecedented speed.
Su Qingwen’s wanted notice was soon issued.
The once-glorious head of the Su family had finally fallen from grace, becoming a wanted criminal hunted by everyone.
Su Yu saw the news online and felt strangely calm—neither satisfied nor saddened.
Looking at the distorted photo on the wanted poster, Su Qingwen seemed like a stranger he hadn’t seen for a long time.
Or perhaps, not even a stranger.
Su Yu closed the news page, stretched, and picked up the furry little cat on his lap.
The face of Su Cheng’an flashed across his mind unexpectedly.
Lowering his eyes, Su Yu wondered how Su Cheng’an was doing.
Their father had become a wanted man, their mother had disappeared, and overnight the Su family became the laughingstock everyone wanted to beat up.
He didn’t know if Su Cheng’an could hold on.
Petting the cat in his arms, Su Yu thought maybe he should go check on him.
After all, Su Cheng’an was innocent.
Su Cheng’an waited in the villa for a whole week.
His mother never came back.
During that week, he stayed in the messy villa, eating whatever he could find in the fridge when hungry, and going back to his room to sleep when it got dark.
The week dragged on endlessly.
Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder if his mother, like his father, had abandoned him.
But he was alone and didn’t know where to go, so he passively waited in place.
Perhaps, he should try to find his nominal older brother.
Before Su Yu could find him, the boy came to him on his own.
Su Yu saw the child at the door, his nose red from the cold, and finally softened, letting him in.
Su Cheng’an silently followed behind Su Yu, standing awkwardly and not sitting down once inside.
Su Yu poured him a cup of hot water and handed it over.
“Hold this to warm your hands.”
Seeing him still standing with his head down, Su Yu gently pulled him down to sit, trying to soften his tone.
“You came to see me. Is there something you need?”
Su Cheng’an looked up, his round face with some baby fat having slimmed down, his pointed chin making his large eyes stand out even more.
He hesitated and stammered.
He wanted Su Yu to help him find his mother.
He had thought a lot in the past few days and believed that his mother wouldn’t abandon him.
Maybe she was delayed for some reason, or maybe… something had happened.
Right now, the only person who could help him, besides himself, was this nominal older brother.
But once inside, Su Cheng’an felt a little regretful.
The gentler Su Yu was to him, the more ashamed he felt.
He had taken his father away, yet Su Yu was still so kind to him, which made Su Cheng’an feel awkward.
He felt like he was overstepping.
After struggling to say something, his face flushed red, and he finally blurted out, “I’m sorry.”
Su Yu looked at the boy in surprise.
It was the first time they met, but Su Yu had seen this little brother before—when he was a cat, in fact.
At that time, he thought the kid was a bit of a troublemaker, not as well-behaved as he seemed.
He hadn’t expected the brat to suddenly have grown up.
Not really.
Thinking of all the Su family troubles, Su Yu sighed.
Well, he might as well help where he could.
This kid was nothing like his parents, so maybe he wasn’t that annoying after all.
“Adult matters have nothing to do with you. You don’t have to apologize for them.”
“But—”
Su Cheng’an looked at Su Yu anxiously.
He didn’t want to argue, but he couldn’t find the words.
After all, he was still a child.
Even though he had grown a lot through these experiences, at heart he was still a spoiled kid.
Su Yu didn’t mean to make things difficult for him.
After a while, he roughly understood why the boy came.
“You want me to help you find your mother, right?”
Su Cheng’an looked at her in surprise, then nodded shyly after a long pause, his cheeks flushing red.
Su Yu almost laughed.
This brother was really nothing like his parents.
So maybe he didn’t dislike him after all.
“The police are still looking for your mother. If there’s any news, I’ll have someone let you know.”
Su Cheng’an’s eyes lit up, and he thanked Su Yu excitedly.
After saying what needed to be said, the two fell silent.
Su Yu invited the boy to eat, but Su Cheng’an shook his head.
Even though his brother was easy to get along with, his intuition told him the Luo family wouldn’t want to see him.
Su Cheng’an said goodbye to Su Yu and took a taxi home alone.
Watching the large door slowly close behind him, Su Cheng’an whispered softly, “Brother.”
Those two short words brought both joy and sadness.
He clenched his fingers and couldn’t help but think, if only he really was his brother.
Then he wouldn’t be so alone, so scared, and so helpless.
The next day, while Su Yu was casually video calling with Qin Shou, he mentioned the matter.
Shi Jing’an had disappeared from the hotel, and the surveillance footage had been tampered with.
No one knew where she had hidden.
“That kid is really pitiful. If you get any news about his mother, have someone tell him.”
Su Yu lay on the bed, eyes fixed intently on the man on the screen.
Qin Shou saw Su Yu’s expression and smiled softly.
“Shi Jing’an has been found, but it’s probably not good news.”
“What happened to her?”
Su Yu jumped up in alarm.
Qin Shou shrugged, his tone casual as his gaze drifted to Su Yu’s open collar.
“She was taken by that group, probably as revenge against Su Qingwen. When our people found her… she had already gone mad.”
Qin Shou didn’t finish the rest.
When the police found the last fugitive from that group, they also found Shi Jing’an at their hideout.
She was locked in a storage room, her pure white wedding dress tattered and barely covering her modesty.
Her exposed skin was covered in bruises and purple marks.
Anyone with eyes could tell what had happened.
When the police rescued her, she was incoherent and shouted wildly at anyone who approached, like a frightened mouse cowering in a corner.
But even so, in quiet moments, she kept whispering Su Cheng’an’s name repeatedly.