Chapter 169 — Su Qianhua Makes Her Move

"At first I didn't even know where I was taken to, but when I found out, I sent people severally to investigate, but all to no avail, probably because record keeping was so poor then.

"I don't know where she could be, I'm not even sure she's still in City A, but something tells me she is alive, and I choose to believe that with all my heart."

She finally turned to face him. "Please find her for me, Tinghua. Find my baby girl." Qiao Mingran pleaded, her voice breaking.

Gao Tinghua patted her shoulder less awkwardly this time before asking, "Do you have any way to identify her? We need to narrow down our search."

Qiao Mingran shook her head slightly, "Not really. For years, I've only known her age, that she's female, and that she was lost in City A."

Gao Tinghua frowned. No wonder there was no progress for so long. The information was pitifully small. He thought for a moment before asking, "Anything else? Did you dress her up in anything? How about putting your jewelry or something on her?"

Qiao Mingran thought for a moment before saying, "Yes, I wrapped her in the shawl I usually carried around back then. It was a bit windy at the time, so I just wanted to give her some warmth. I don't remember putting any jewelry on her. I think I had stopped wearing jewelry at that time."

They were finally getting somewhere. "A shawl. What kind was it? Color?"

Qiao Mingran recalled, trying to be as specific as possible, "It was a handmade woolen shawl with a unique moon pattern, bright yellow with... white trimmings. It was a gift from my mother and had a "Ran" embroidered at one corner, I think."

She had loved it very much at that time and carried it everywhere. "But I gave all the private investigators this information as well. They still didn't find her."

Gao Tinghua nodded, noncommittal. Just because others failed didn't mean he would fail as well.

He planned to draw the shawl pattern and ask his men to investigate from this angle. Even though it wasn't much, it was something.

If the person that took his sister sold the shawl, they would be able to trace it at least.

He got up to leave when his mother added hesitantly, "I'm not very sure, but I think I glimpsed a birthmark on her chest. I'm not sure of the shape or color because it was dark, but, it seemed a part of her chest was not as smooth."

Gao Tinghua turned back to listen before asking, "Does anyone else have a birthmark in our family?"

"I do, and Tingxiu does too, but they're in different places. Mine is on my waist," she said. "It's shaped like a star. Tingxiu's is at her back.

"I'll send you a picture later. You can also ask Tingxiu for a picture of hers to compare, if it would be useful."

Nodding, Gao Tinghua stood up, his voice firm, "I'll wait for the pictures and start working on it right away, Mother. We will find her."

Qiao Mingran stood up as well, barely getting up to her son's shoulder. She grasped his hands tightly, trying to convey her feelings.

"I'm counting on you Son."

*****

Work had begun, and Jiang Philip could not honestly say he was loving every bit of it.

Besides the inconvenience of leaving Su Qianhua at home alone, he was finding it difficult to adapt to office life. It was so tiring to clock in on time everyday and sit at a desk regardless of whether he was working or not. It was also a hassle to not see his wife till evening.

He had already submitted a request to work from home. The head of HR had assured him that it was a request they could grant, and that he would receive a reply in a few days.

It was music to Jiang Philip's ears. The sooner he could get his request approved, the better.

He was currently lying down on the bed in his room, reading a book. He was an avid reader of martial art novels, and usually took inspiration from the various characters for his game projects.

The main character of his latest project was inspired by this particular book, so he was rereading it.

He paused when he heard a knock on his door. He looked up, puzzled. Shouldn't she be asleep?

It was Su Qianhua that said she wanted to go to bed early, and he had personally tucked her in about thirty minutes ago. Was she okay? He began to worry.

At his call of "come in," the door opened and Su Qianhua came in. Jiang Philip was up already, walking to her side as he asked, "What's wrong? How are you feeling?"

Su Qianhua held a hand out to halt his approach, "I'm fine, really. Just sit down. I couldn't sleep, that's why I came to see you."

Jiang Philip looked into her eyes, trying to see if her words were true. Seeing she really looked alright, he finally nodded and sat down again.

That was when he noticed. It seemed she had changed her night wear. What she was currently wearing was quite different from what she had on earlier. This one was made of some transparent material that shimmered in the room light as she moved slowly, almost in a catwalk.

It was double layered, with a shorter inner layer and an outer light robe.

He tried not to look as she came closer, but his eyes were not obedient. His brain took it a step further by imagining what she would look like underneath such sheer material. He shook his head to clear it.

When she finally got to the bed, Jiang Philip asked, "So what happened?"

Su Qianhua frowned slightly, "Can't I just come here for you to keep me company? I'm bored and I can't sleep."

"Alright, I was just worried. Of course you're welcome anytime. Get on." He said, patting the bed.

She slowly climbed on, the slight dip of her V-shaped nightgown giving him a frontal view. His eyes widened and fixed on that area, missing the self-satisfied gleam in her eyes. He only snapped out of it after she laid down and covered herself.

He tucked her in and was about to switch off the lights when she said, "Please leave it on. I want the room bright today."

He nodded wordlessly. Since she said nothing else and kept her eyes closed, he assumed she wanted to sleep, so he said a soft "goodnight" and picked up his book to continue reading.

He tried and tried, but somehow the words were just floating on the page. Closing his eyes to focus only made Su Qianhua's image clearer in his mind. Her natural scent, the softness of her lips, her curves, her—

His mind wanderings were interrupted by the sound of movement from Su Qianhua. She stood up, stretched and said she was going to the bathroom. He nodded. Maybe now he would finally be able to concentrate.

He was actually able to read for a few minutes.

So engrossed was he that even the sound of the bathroom door opening did not draw his attention, but finally, a soft call of "Philip" did.

When he looked over, his mouth ran dry.