It was another day spent out and about.
Jiang Nan Fang hired two guides, accompanying her from the scene of the incident, going door to door with Zhan Bei Jue's photograph.
This was the fifth day.
Still, there was no clue whatsoever.
She was in a foul mood and didn't want to go home.
The guides finished their work and left. She walked aimlessly on the wide, clean streets.
After walking for an unknown length of time, someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder.
Recognizing the familiar feel of the hand, the force, and the angle of the pat, Jiang Nan Fang instantly thought of Zhan Bei Jue.
She couldn't believe happiness had arrived so suddenly, and stood frozen for several seconds before turning around.
She saw Ah Zhong's face.
It had been a long time since she saw Ah Zhong, and she didn't know where he had been.
Although a chance reunion should have been a happy occasion, Jiang Nan Fang couldn't feel happy.
Seeing the person who used to be by Zhan Bei Jue's side every day, and him not being there, made her feel even more melancholic.
Her nose stung, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
"Ah Zhong."
Ah Zhong was pioneering in a foreign country.
From finding office buildings, registering companies to recruiting talent… all sorts of big and small matters were handled by him alone.
He traversed the streets and alleys daily, having long lost his former elite demeanor.
His skin was tanned to a wheat color, his hair was medium length, and he wore a plain shirt and jeans.
He looked much like a decadent Takeshi Kaneshiro from the movies.
Seeing Jiang Nan Fang cry, he stepped forward with both hands and gently hugged her.
"I know. That's why I came back. I also understand how you feel right now. Cry if you need to."
Jiang Nan Fang had been holding back for so many days, and finally, someone encouraged her to cry.
She buried her face in Ah Zhong's shoulder, sobbing heartbrokenly and endlessly.
They stood there, disregarding the stares of passersby, crying until Jiang Nan Fang's voice was hoarse and she was gasping for breath. Only then did Ah Zhong take her back.
They sat in a hotel room drinking.
Ah Zhong said, "Although I don't want to say this to you, after much thought, even if it upsets you, I still have to say it."
"It's been 20 days. You probably have to accept reality."
Yes. 20 days. What did that mean?
It was enough time for a dead person to decompose into a pile of white bones.
But Jiang Nan Fang still didn't want to face it.
She couldn't forget the way Zhan Bei Jue looked at her with deep affection at the airport.
She couldn't forget him holding her, saying he loved her with such reluctance.
He was such a good, good, good lover.
To lose him just like that, how could she be willing?
"If you know it will make me unhappy, then don't say it. Anyway, I won't go back until I see him."
"Do you know how long it's been since you last called the children? He disappeared, so he can't call. You don't call either. Don't the children deserve pity?"
Children?
Jiang Nan Fang's eyes lit up.
"You know about the children too?"
"Of course," Ah Zhong said.
"Mr. Zhan doesn't have many friends. I handle everything for him."
Jiang Nan Fang wanted to call the children, but besides Zhan Bei Jue and Ah Zhong, and Ah Cheng who was far away in a foreign country, no one else knew the children's whereabouts or contact information.
She couldn't call them even if she wanted to.
"Zhong Jia Ming, you are a scoundrel. You all lied to me so badly!"
Ah Zhong apologized.
"I know. You can hit me, scold me, whatever you want. But tell me your answer first."
"Do you want to stay here clinging to a possible outcome, or do you want to go with me to see the children?"
Jiang Nan Fang hadn't seen the children for months. At this moment, how could she choose?
But she still couldn't let go of Zhan Bei Jue.
"What if he's not dead at all, and is urgently waiting for us to save him?"
Ah Zhong was calmer than her and analyzed rationally.
"If that's the case, I believe Mr. Zhan wouldn't need our help."
"As long as there is hope for him to live, he will definitely seize any chance to stand up on his own. If we can't help, we can't help."
"Instead of wasting time waiting here for nothing, it's better to go be with the children. Miss Jiang, you are an intelligent person, I don't need to tell you about the principle of saving one if you can't save both, do I?"
And so, the next day, Jiang Nan Fang reluctantly left Switzerland with Ah Zhong for Norway.
"Why Norway?"
Ah Zhong explained to her.
"It's because Jing Yu and Tian Tian said that you once told them you wanted to bring them to live here."
Zhan Bei Jue's presence was everywhere in her life, his thoughtfulness lingering.
Jiang Nan Fang thought: Even if he's truly gone, she would live in their memories for the rest of her life, reliving them every day, never forgetting him.
When they arrived in Norway, it was past five in the morning. The children were not yet awake.
Zhan Bei Jue had bought a beautiful estate.
It was so beautiful that Jiang Nan Fang had only ever seen such estates in classical British dramas.
In front was a vast garden and lawn, and behind the lawn stood a small white villa.
The yard was filled with flowers, plants, and various childlike toys.
The house was childlike, clean, and bright, with a faint fragrance upon entering.
Ah Cheng opened the door to welcome Jiang Nan Fang and Ah Zhong inside. Seeing all this, Jiang Nan Fang couldn't help but her eyes welled up again.
It was the style she liked.
It was the style she had described to the children in her fantasies.
Even the flowers and plants were of the types she liked.
It seemed Zhan Bei Jue had decorated it according to her wishes.
"You must be tired after a seven-hour flight. Have some breakfast first, and I'll go wake them up."
Ah Cheng followed Jiang Nan Fang cautiously.
Jiang Nan Fang turned around, "No need. Let them sleep."
"There's no rush. I'll make them breakfast."
She didn't feel tired at all.
Intertwined with feelings of surprise and sorrow, she felt everything except tiredness and sleepiness.
In any case, she didn't want to rest.
As she cooked, Ah Zhong and Ah Cheng stood at the kitchen door like two bodyguards, watching her and chatting with her.
Ah Cheng said.
"The old man's health hasn't been good lately. He's been in the hospital for the past couple of days. Should we inform him about the children?"
Ah Zhong: "His life hasn't been easy either. First, he lost the old madam, then the young master, and now this…"
"The Zhan family has always been few in number. With such an incident happening now, it's no wonder he can't cope."
Jiang Nan Fang looked back at them with surprise.
"So Grandpa doesn't know about the four children?"
They both shook their heads.
"If Mr. Zhan doesn't want people to know something, others won't be able to know it. The old man only met the children once, and then he went abroad because of his poor health."
"If the children are taken to see him now, it will definitely help his condition."
"Besides, they are now the heirs of Zhan Corporation. Someone has to inherit the family business that Mr. Zhan worked hard to build for many years. Living abroad all the time…"
Jiang Nan Fang knew what she had to do.
She had been thinking about it on the way here.
Would she permanently settle in Norway with the children, or return to Nancheng?