Qin Lie retracted his hand and coldly said, "Let's talk about it later."
After speaking, he walked inside with long strides.
He still couldn't believe that such mysterious things existed in this world.
Zhouzhou pouted her lips but didn't feel discouraged. She followed him curiously, looking around. Before long, her gaze was drawn to a certain spot.
Following the direction of the little girl's gaze, Qin Lie raised an eyebrow.
She was looking at the buffet area, which was quite lavish.
Thinking about her appetite, he knew she was a little gluttonous cat. Qin Lie glanced at his assistant.
The assistant understood and walked over, bending down and saying, "Miss, let me take you to eat. It's dinner time."
As he was about to reach for her hand, Zhouzhou swiftly dodged and ran to Qin Lie, hugging his leg and saying softly, "No, I want to protect Dad!"
She was worried.
Hearing her words, Qin Lie lowered his gaze and looked at the little girl who was clearly salivating yet firmly refusing. His brow twitched, and then he said expressionlessly, "No need."
With that, he handed her over to the assistant and walked away.
Zhouzhou still wanted to follow, but the assistant held her back. "Miss, let's go eat first. There are surveillance cameras everywhere here, so CEO Qin won't encounter any problems."
But there were things they couldn't see.
Zhouzhou sighed but then remembered that he was still carrying the talisman she had drawn for him, so she didn't insist any further.
As soon as they entered the buffet area, Zhouzhou's attention was completely captivated. She looked at the dazzling array of food, unable to decide where to start.
Even the assistant was charmed by her. He smiled and said, "You can eat anything here, Miss."
"Really?" Zhouzhou looked at him in surprise, hesitating a bit. "Can I eat everything?"
Knowing her appetite, the assistant nodded. "This is a hotel owned by CEO Qin. You can eat as much as you want. It doesn't matter if you finish everything; we can always have more made."
Moreover, most people come here for business discussions, so there aren't many people dining. Most of the food is just for display, and it would be a waste to throw it away. It's better to eat it.
Dad's hotel?
Zhouzhou exclaimed, her mouth forming an "O" shape. "Are they all Dad's?"
The assistant nodded. "Yes."
Dad is so amazing!
Just as they were talking, the assistant saw a familiar figure and quickly reminded Zhouzhou not to run around. He found a server to take care of her and hurriedly left to approach Qin Lie. He whispered, "CEO Qin, Mr. Liao is here."
The purpose of their business trip this time was to collaborate with the Liao family.
Unfortunately, Liao Jiang had a proud personality, and he had rejected their previous invitations to meet several times. They only came this time because they found out he would be attending this dinner.
Qin Lie also noticed and nodded slightly. He picked up a glass of red wine and walked towards him.
However, before he could reach him, he saw someone rushing over to speak to Liao Jiang. His face instantly changed, and he immediately turned around and left.
Qin Lie's footsteps abruptly stopped, and he furrowed his brow. He was far away, so he didn't hear what they said, but he vaguely caught the word "disappeared."
"Dad," Zhouzhou walked over with a cake, holding the plate up on tiptoes. "Dad, eat this, it's delicious."
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled as she wanted to share the delicious food she had with him right away.
Qin Lie glanced at her and quickly looked away. "I’ll pass."
Saying that, he glanced at the direction Liao Jiang had left and followed him.
Zhouzhou exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly caught up with her short legs.
At the entrance of the hotel, Liao Jiang stood there, making a phone call, his face filled with anxiety.
"What happened? How could Little Yu disappear? Where are the people taking care of him?"
"Don't tell me all this. Go find someone for me immediately. I just want to see his whereabouts!"
His voice was filled with anger, and his muscles were tense.
Zhouzhou was drooling over the cake, wanting to save it for her dad, but she resisted the temptation. Hearing his voice, she was also drawn to his loud voice.
Coincidentally, Liao Jiang turned his head, and Zhouzhou happened to see his expression. She blurted out, "This uncle has the appearance of losing a child."
Coincidentally, the lobby was quiet at this moment, and these words instantly reached Liao Jiang's ears.
Liao Jiang abruptly turned his head, his eyes sharp as he frowned at Zhouzhou, walking over with an unfriendly expression.
Qin Lie also furrowed his brows slightly and took a half step forward, discreetly protecting Zhouzhou behind him. However, the little girl, oblivious to the situation, held the cake in one hand and hugged his leg with the other. Her little head peeked out from behind him, and her dark eyes stared directly at Liao Jiang.
Liao Jiang looked at her, restraining his emotions, and didn't get angry with the child. He asked in a deep voice, "What did you just say?"
Zhouzhou looked at him fearlessly and spoke again, "Uncle, you have the aura of misfortune, with a darkened and sunken child palace. This is the appearance of losing a child."
The childish voice resounded, instantly quieting down the entire hall.
Everyone gasped in disbelief, looking at Zhouzhou with incredulous eyes.
This child has gone mad.
How dare she curse Liao Jiang's son?
Unfortunately, Zhouzhou was completely unaware of the shocking words she had just uttered. She tossed the copper coin and looked at the hexagram on it, speaking again, "There's one more hour. If we don't hurry to save the little brother, he'll be in mortal danger."
"Zhouzhou, stop making things up." Seeing that Liao Jiang's face had darkened completely, Qin Lie spoke up.
"Dad, I'm not making things up." Zhouzhou shook her head, her bald little head gleaming under the lights, attracting attention. What drew even more attention was what she said next.
She said, "Uncle, was the little brother born in the Year Renyin, in the Month Wushen, on Day Dingyou and at Zi hour?"
Liao Jiang looked bewildered, not understanding what she meant by those words.
Qin Lie glanced at Zhouzhou, who had a serious expression, and was also somewhat puzzled. But he still translated, "The Year of the Tiger, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, between eleven o'clock at night and one o'clock in the morning."
Upon hearing this, Zhouzhou smiled, tilting her head back.
"Yes, just as my dad said."
Hearing her words, Qin Lie pursed his lips and looked away.
Liao Jiang suddenly realized, "Little Yu was indeed born on that day."
He looked skeptically between their fingertips, not knowing if this was a planned prank. But when he thought of Zhouzhou's words, an inexplicable panic welled up inside him.
Zhouzhou continued, “Little brother was born on the Ghost Festival, so he should have cried a lot and had a weak constitution when he was young.”
“Yes, that's right,” Liao Jiang hesitated a bit. After all, this information could be easily found with a casual search. However, he did not expect that the next sentence from Zhouzhou would send shivers down his spine instantly."
Zhouzhou continued, "The person who kidnapped the little brother, Uncle, you know him. Hmm... that person isn't tall, a bit chubby, usually smiles a lot, but is wicked behind people's backs. She has beaten up the little brother and used to live in your house for a long time, probably two or three years, and only left recently."
"Oh, that person should often come into contact with water. Little brother's fate is linked to fire, making it easier for him to fall into the hands of such a person."
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, an image of a person surfaced in Liao Jiang's mind.
Just then, his phone rang, and he immediately answered it. The voice on the other end came through right away.
"Husband, we found the person who took Little Yu. It's Fang Meilan. Could it be that she's trying to retaliate for us firing her? But she took advantage of us not being home to bully Little Yu. What does she want to do to Little Yu this time..."
His wife was still anxiously asking, but Liao Jiang's mind went blank, his face filled with shock.
The Fang Meilan she mentioned was their former nanny.
Moreover, her description perfectly matched what Zhouzhou had said!