The people here did not treat them as underage children at all. On this isolated island, they were merely machines for free labor, and might even lose their lives at any moment.
The thought of this made him worry terribly for Xiaoxiao.
Xiaoxiao was a girl, even younger than him. How could she endure such strenuous physical labor? If she fell ill and couldn't work, these people probably wouldn't treat her, but would directly throw the sick person into the sea.
He couldn't help but shiver again, wishing his parents would come quickly to rescue them!
...
Susu frantically searched the street where Xiao Xingxing had last appeared.
The police had told her the child was no longer on this street and that they would do their best to find the person who had abducted him.
But the thought of Xiao Xingxing falling into the hands of bad people made Susu panic and lose all sense of direction, feeling as though the entire world had collapsed.
Apart from searching the street like a madwoman for Xiao Xingxing, she had no other recourse.
Suddenly, someone blocked her path. Angrily, she tried to push the person away.
However, the person blocking her embraced her tightly, preventing her from moving forward.
"Susu, it's me, I'm here."
Hearing Tianyi's voice, she could no longer hold back her emotions. Trembling all over, she burst into loud sobs.
"Alright, I know everything. I'll help you find the child," Tianyi said, gently patting her back, trying to calm her down.
But Susu was still terrified, afraid she would never find Xiao Xingxing again. That child was her life.
Tianyi, disregarding the gazes of passersby, let her continue crying. When she finally tired herself out, he said, "Let's go back to the hotel first. I've kept Xiao Xingxing's bed reserved at the hospital. An Jing is with me, and he also wants to find Xiaoxiao."
Susu knew that Xiao Xingxing had fallen into the hands of bad people, and her aimless searching was futile.
She was driven by Tianyi to a hotel room, where she found An Jing in front of a laptop, watching videos of a float parade.
Upon seeing Tianyi bring Susu back, he immediately stood up and said to Susu, whose eyes were red from crying, "Don't worry too much. Even if you couldn't clearly see the taxi driver's face, the police should be able to find him based on his clothing."
Although Susu stopped crying, her heart still felt heavy. She nodded and said, "Okay, the police said the same thing. As long as they have some time, they'll find him."
"Xiao Xingxing is so clever, he'll be fine," An Jing comforted her.
"I hope so," Susu felt that nothing could be said for sure until Xiao Xingxing was found.
Tianyi said with concern and helplessness, "This child is usually so sensible. How could he be so willful this time? When we find him, I'll have to teach him a good lesson."
Susu quickly replied, "It's not his fault. Ever since he knew Xiaoxiao was missing, he's been worried about her. It's all my fault! He said he saw Xiaoxiao on TV, and I should have taken it seriously and helped him confirm it again. I shouldn't have dismissed him so carelessly..."
"No one is to blame," Xiao An Jing said. "I just watched the playback video. Xiaoxiao only appeared on screen for a few seconds. If I hadn't watched it carefully and repeatedly, I wouldn't have believed it."
Seeing how haggard Susu looked, Tianyi said to her, "Now that An Jing and I are here, leave this matter to us. You go back to Lancheng and wait for news..."
Susu immediately interrupted him, "I'm not going back. I'm staying here until Xiao Xingxing is found!"
An Jing, seeing that the couple needed to discuss matters, closed his laptop and left the room, returning to his own.
After An Jing left, Tianyi continued to persuade Susu, "Don't forget, besides Xiao Xingxing, we also have Tiantian and Hengheng. They also need their mother by their side to take care of them."
"Of course, I haven't forgotten. But they are safe at home in a comfortable environment, with Xiaomei and the nannies taking care of them."
Tianyi sighed and said, "That's because I haven't told you. While you were taking care of Xiao Xingxing, Hengheng and Tiantian also fell ill. Both of them had severe colds and fevers, almost developing pneumonia."
Susu's heart clenched as she heard this. She asked, "Are they alright?"
"They're fine now," Tianyi said, taking her hand. "But when they were sick and had fevers, they kept crying for their mother. Go back and spend some time with them. With An Jing and me here, you can rest assured."
"But..."
"No buts."
Susu pulled her hand away from his. "I can't bear to wait for news from so far away."
Tianyi pulled her into his arms forcefully and held her tightly.
He didn't want to force her to leave, but he was afraid that her concern would lead to rash decisions, and she wouldn't be able to bear the process of searching for Xiao Xingxing.
"Didn't you often tell me that they are all our children, and we shouldn't favor one over the other? Go back and take care of Tiantian and Hengheng. Seeing them will make you feel a little better. Once I find Xiao Xingxing, I'll bring him back to reunite with you all.
Susu said unhappily in his arms, "Okay, I'll go back and won't cause trouble for you and An Jing. But you must tell me any news immediately."
"Of course."
"Since you're both here, you can also assign any group matters to me," Susu said, forcing herself to agree to Tianyi's arrangement, suppressing her worries.
"Alright, I'll contact the private jet right away," Tianyi said, holding her even tighter.
He was also suffering and worried. He didn't know if they would ultimately find Xiao Xingxing, or if Xiao Xingxing was still safe.
The pain and pressure of searching for a child were already suffocating him, but he couldn't let Susu see it.
As long as he caught the person who abducted Xiao Xingxing, he would grind them into dust!
...
Xiao Xingxing had been on this deserted island for four days. His technique for tapping rubber was still not proficient, and he was often beaten or denied food.
Although he had medicine and secretly took a pill every day, his heart still felt uncomfortable.
He knew he absolutely couldn't collapse. If he fell ill here, he would die, and he wouldn't be able to protect Xiaoxiao.
While working, Xiaoxiao tried to stay close to her brother Xingxing. She often saw his pale face and knew that his illness hadn't recovered and he must be very uncomfortable.
She tapped the same rubber tree as him, wanting to help him with more of the work.
"Brother Xingxing, no one is watching us now. Hurry and sit under the tree to rest. I'll tap the rubber from the tree." Saying this, she bit the small knife used for tapping rubber with her mouth and climbed the tree.
Xiao Xingxing wanted to stop her, but it was too late. He also tried to climb the tree, but after only a few attempts, he slipped and fell.
He stood at the base of the tree, looking up at Xiaoxiao, who had climbed high up, and shouted for her to be careful.
Despite being small and thin, Xiaoxiao's movements when climbing trees were very agile.
He kept watching Xiaoxiao, not resting under the tree, and forgot to continue working.
At this moment, one of the supervisors hit him on the back with a stick and roared, "You're slacking off again! Get back to work, and you won't have dinner tonight!"
Xiao Xingxing was so angry that he wanted to retaliate with the tapping knife in his hand, but he knew that any easy resistance would only lead to death. He could only endure the humiliation and continue working.