An Jing returned to Lancheng but did not immediately go back to work at the group. He first wanted to find Lan Yu.
He wanted to tell Lan Yu that he had made a choice between her and Xiaoxiao, and that in his heart, she was the most important.
He hoped Lan Yu could forgive him, give them another chance, and that they could reconcile.
However, he had hired people and was also searching himself, but they had not found any trace of Lan Yu or her daughter.
Lan Yu had disappeared with her child as if she had vanished, and he fell into distress again, going out to drown his sorrows in alcohol at night.
Tianyi knew he had returned to Lancheng but had not seen him at the group.
When he got off work today, Tianyi called his mobile phone, wanting to ask him what he had been doing these past few days.
As soon as the call connected, he heard An Jing's voice, tinged with drunkenness, "Tianyi, come for a drink. The wine here is really good, clear and crisp, it burns my throat so much..."
"Where are you drinking again?" Tianyi said. "Didn't you send Xiaoxiao to her biological father? Haven't you persuaded Lan Yu to come back yet?"
"Persuade? Persuade her where? I can't even find her," An Jing said, laughing into the phone.
"Stop drinking! Where are you? I'll come find you now."
"It's the same place we drank last time," An Jing said before hanging up.
Tianyi muttered to himself, "This An Jing is becoming more and more of a handful."
He had to go over and bring him home quickly, he couldn't let him get too drunk.
Tianyi arrived at the lounge bar and found An Jing immediately.
On the small stage in the bar, the same female singer was singing a tender song.
Tianyi snatched the wine bottle from his hand.
"Stop drinking and go home first."
An Jing wasn't too drunk yet. He pulled Tianyi, asking him to sit down and have a few drinks with him. "Have a few drinks with me before going back... What's the point of me staying alone in an empty house?"
Tianyi sat down impatiently but did not drink, nor did he let An Jing drink. He said, "Go back and tell me, why haven't you found Lan Yu yet? I can also help you look."
"They've just completely disappeared, you can't find someone who intentionally avoids you," An Jing chuckled at him.
Tianyi said helplessly, "You're drunk. You'll definitely find them."
"I'm not drunk," An Jing scoffed. "I wish I were drunk, so I could just die and not have to think about anything."
"You can't give up so easily and just let yourself go. Go back with me!" Tianyi pulled him up without explanation, wanting to take him home first.
An Jing was suddenly pulled up by him and lost his balance, falling onto him. Only then did he realize he was a bit dizzy from drinking. He simply leaned against him, going with the flow. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
Xi Yaxian, who had just finished a song on stage, announced a five-minute break and walked over to them. "Mr. Qin, do you need any help?"
"No, he's not that drunk. He can walk himself," Tianyi refused her kind offer, pushed An Jing away slightly, then supported him and led him out of the bar.
Xi Yaxian stood in place, watching the two of them leave in what appeared to be an intimate manner. She recalled what a friend of Mr. Qin had said the first time she spoke to him: that he didn't like women.
Could this be true?
"Look at these two handsome guys, they must be a couple. Who do you think is the top and who is the bottom?" a waiter said, laughing, as he passed by Xi Yaxian.
Xi Yaxian still refused to believe it. She said with a cold face, "Stop guessing and go do your work."
Then she returned to the stage to continue her performance.
Tianyi took An Jing home and made him sit on the sofa.
He went to the kitchen to get him some water but found that there wasn't a drop of hot water in their kettle. He had to take mineral water from the refrigerator and boil it.
This home of An Jing's, without a female host, was truly cold and uninviting. His living environment had clearly deteriorated.
After he finished boiling water and poured him a cup, he came out of the kitchen and found An Jing lying on the sofa, covering his face with one hand.
Tianyi nudged him and asked, "Are you drunk? You drank too much. Sit up and drink some water."
An Jing didn't sit up, waving his hand that covered his face. "I'm not drunk. You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine tomorrow morning."
Tianyi stopped trying to persuade him, placed the cup of water aside, and asked, "You said you couldn't find Lan Yu and them in Lancheng. Could they have gone out of town?"
An Jing instantly sobered up by more than half. He sat up and said, "Yes, that's also a possibility."
"I know Lan Yu's parents are both deceased, but does she have any other relatives you know of?" Tianyi analyzed. "Perhaps she took the child to stay with some relatives. Think carefully again."
An Jing clasped his head with both hands, trying hard to recall the relatives on both sides of her family that Lan Yu had mentioned when they were together.
"She must have some, but I remember Lan Yu saying they didn't keep in touch much."
"I remember you saying that Lan Yu's father passed away very early, so she should have had less contact with his relatives. What about her mother's relatives? There must be some who kept in touch with them."
An Jing suddenly remembered something and said, "I remember now. She used to tell me that her mother's hometown had a paternal cousin and an aunt. When her paternal cousin was building a house in the countryside, he was short of money, and her mother even used her own meager savings to help him. So her mother and that paternal cousin and aunt would often visit during festivals. Later, when her mother passed away, she never went back to her mother's hometown."
"Do you know where your mother's hometown is?" Tianyi asked.
"I do," An Jing said, suddenly standing up from the sofa, ready to pack his things and go to the countryside immediately.
Tianyi stopped him, "Look at the time. If you're going, it should be tomorrow morning."
"What if she moves again before I can find them?" An Jing was anxious.
Tianyi stopped him, "You're still drunk. Driving yourself is too dangerous. It's late at night, and there are no long-distance buses. You should sober up and go tomorrow morning. Lan Yu won't expect you to find her so quickly, nor will she move again so soon."
An Jing suppressed his urgency, knowing that Tianyi was right.
He regretted going out for drinks tonight. He should have just asked Tianyi for help. He had lost his head.
He sat down again, picked up the cup of water, and drank it all in one gulp. "Okay, you should go back first, so Susu doesn't worry. I know how to find Lan Yu and them."
"It's late at night, don't drink and drive," Tianyi warned him again, glancing at the time. It was indeed getting late. "I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."
Without further ado, he left An Jing's house and drove away.
An Jing lay back down on the sofa, closing his eyes, but he couldn't sleep. He began to think about what he should say when he saw Lan Yu and her daughter, and how he could make Lan Yu forgive him and stop being angry with him.