Xiaoxiao wanted to watch him release the little stars and didn't want to go back to her room first. "Dad..."
Little Star suddenly rushed to Alva, furious, "How can you use her as a bargaining chip for marriage! You didn't even know you had this daughter before, nor did you care about her! What did you promise Uncle An Jing when he sent Xiaoxiao back to you? Have you forgotten it all?"
Alva sneered, "I've done what I promised him. Ilena has had the best of everything with me, eating, drinking, and wearing the best, and received the best education. But she's inherently unruly. Is it wrong for me to be strict with her? What do you know, you little brat, trying to take her away? It's ridiculous."
"But have you ever asked her what she wants? If you give her the best, should she accept it unconditionally?" Little Star asked indignantly.
Alva couldn't be bothered to argue with this child. He ordered the security guards and servants, "Lock this kid up first. It seems all you kids need a good lesson!"
"Dad, please, don't hurt him! I'll do whatever you say, I won't run away again!" Xiaoxiao grabbed Alva and pleaded.
Alva pushed Xiaoxiao away and shouted at her, "You were the one who asked this kid to come, right? You caused all this trouble. Get back to your room, or I won't let this kid go!"
Xiaoxiao glanced at Little Star. To avoid provoking Alva further, she had no choice but to obediently return to her room in the main building.
Several security guards had already seized Little Star tightly. He couldn't break free no matter how hard he struggled and was locked up by these people in a small building near the servants' quarters.
...
Tianyi booked the earliest flight for Susu the next day and saw her off at the airport. After confirming she had boarded, he went to the group.
As soon as he arrived at his office, he called An Jing over, wanting to discuss some matters regarding the group.
An Jing came to his office, unaware of what had happened. He smiled and said, "What brings you here today? Did you go to the hospital to take care of Song Jiaping again last night?"
Tianyi shook his head worriedly and said, "After the overseas school holidays, Little Star left his old school alone and hasn't returned yet. The school suspects he's missing. Susu is extremely worried and has already taken this morning's flight to find him. I need to tell you a few things, and I'll go find them tomorrow or the day after."
An Jing was stunned upon hearing this. After a long pause, he managed to say, "Little Star hasn't returned to school? How is that possible?"
"What's wrong?" Tianyi asked, noticing his unusual reaction. "Do you know where Little Star is?"
An Jing didn't know how to tell Tianyi. He rubbed his hands and lowered his head, not daring to meet Tianyi's gaze.
Tianyi knew him too well and could tell from his demeanor that he must know something. He quickly asked, "Where on earth did Little Star go? Hurry up and tell me."
An Jing had no choice but to tell him, "Little Star went to find Xiaoxiao. He contacted me a week ago, saying he found Xiaoxiao and she was fine. How could he not have returned to school on time?"
Tianyi's face darkened. He angrily grabbed An Jing's collar and demanded, "If you knew, why didn't you tell me and Susu? He was studying abroad perfectly fine, why would he suddenly go looking for Xiaoxiao?"
"He didn't suddenly decide to look for Xiaoxiao," An Jing tried his best to explain. "Ever since I sent Xiaoxiao away, he would ask me about her whereabouts every time he saw me. He didn't want you to know and made me promise to keep it a secret between us."
Tianyi glared at him fiercely and let go. He knew that Little Star and Xiaoxiao had been close since they were young, and they had a shared experience of being kidnapped.
At the time, he had seen how deep their bond was and didn't want them to be too close.
Later, when An Jing sent Xiaoxiao to her biological father, he thought that since Little Star and Xiaoxiao were no longer together, they would naturally forget each other.
He never expected that the boy still secretly cherished Xiaoxiao in his heart.
Tianyi still asked angrily, "Did you tell him the address of Xiaoxiao's biological father? Otherwise, he wouldn't have known where to find her."
An Jing nodded apologetically. "Before he went abroad, he kept asking me for Xiaoxiao's current address, saying he just wanted to see her. Also, I couldn't contact Xiaoxiao's biological father for half a year, so... I thought it wouldn't hurt for him to have a chance to see Xiaoxiao. Little Star, though only in his teens, is steady and not foolish. I thought it wasn't a big deal. I'm sorry, I didn't expect this..."
Tianyi knew it was useless to blame him now. He interrupted him, pulled up Little Star's phone number on his phone, and asked, "When he contacted you last week, was it this phone number?"
"No," An Jing said, looking at the number. "He used this number when he contacted me." He quickly took out his phone and showed Tianyi the call records.
"Call him immediately and see if he's safe," Tianyi said.
"Okay." An Jing immediately dialed the number in front of Tianyi, but it wouldn't connect.
Tianyi also heard the short beeping sound from An Jing's phone. He thought that even if Little Star went to see Xiaoxiao, he wouldn't be unreachable by phone. It seemed something had happened.
Before An Jing could speak again, Tianyi directly asked him, "Where does Xiaoxiao's biological father live? I'll go find him."
"I'll go with you," An Jing said quickly.
Tianyi hesitated. "If you go, who will handle the group's affairs?"
An Jing said, "Let the department heads come to a meeting and assign the work. We should be fine for a few days. If I don't go, I'm afraid Xiaoxiao's biological father won't see you. These nobles are very arrogant. If you can't see him, how will you find Little Star?"
"Alright, we'll book tickets for tomorrow and go directly to Xiaoxiao's biological father. Susu is still on the plane. As soon as she lands, I'll have her go to Xiaoxiao's biological father's residence as well." Tianyi made his decision; there was no other way.
...
Two days later, Mengyao hired a caregiver to look after Song Jiaping.
She went to the court on time as Lawyer Li had advised. To her surprise, Hong Jiaxi was also there.
When she saw Hong Jiaxi, she looked at him like a stranger, completely unfazed.
Hong Jiaxi sat in the courtroom a distance away from her, and when he looked at her, he felt an indescribable ache in his heart.
He remembered the happy times they had after getting married. It was his own lack of confidence and constant suspicion that had ruined their marriage.
The more Hong Jiaxi feared losing her, the more he wanted to control her completely from a position of superiority.
He had not only hurt her but also lost her, and now it was completely irreversible.
Mengyao didn't want to look at him again. She knew from Lawyer Li that he not only had another woman outside but that woman was also pregnant.
That woman was now in the countryside, nearing her due date, while her own child, only three months old, had been lost. If not for Hong Jiaxi's shamelessness and that woman's despicable nature, her child would have been born months ago.
Mengyao would never forgive Hong Jiaxi. She just wanted to completely sever ties with him and was now waiting for the judge's verdict.