Chapter 207 - 183: If You Don’t Agree, I’ll Tell Mom...

Chapter 207: Chapter 183: If You Don’t Agree, I’ll Tell Mom...

The group of one older boy and three small children drew quite a bit of attention, especially since one of them was a little boy who wouldn’t stop sobbing. This made people even more wary. The other two kids seemed normal enough, but ’who knew if they’d been tricked and hadn’t realized what was happening yet!’

They had only walked fifty meters from the dessert shop when a suspicious-looking middle-aged woman started trailing them. Eighty meters further, two more people, both looking just as wary, joined her. A hundred meters after that, their tail had grown again, this time with two middle-aged men who whispered to the others, asking about the situation. Even from a distance, Xu An could faintly make out criminal terms like "abduction" and "luring."

In the short distance of just over four hundred meters, the group following Xu An and the boys had grown to six people. Xu An couldn’t help but suspect that if their final destination had been a van instead of the police station, these people would have swarmed him and pinned him to the ground...

Just as he entered the police station lobby and found an officer to explain the situation, Xu An heard a familiar, frantic voice.

"Yes, yes, that’s right! It was right outside the Hongsheng Stationery Store. Yes, right there! I watched my son go into the store to pick out some stationery with my own two eyes. I was just standing at the entrance taking a call, and then he was gone!"

"We need to check the surveillance footage, but there are so many people on the street! How long will that take? Can’t you just block off the entire street? We could block it off and then search for him properly." By the end, his voice was filled with pleading, on the verge of tears.

Xu An recognized the man. So did Hu Lei. Even Xu Kang and Xu Le recognized him. It was Hu Lei’s father—Hu Guanghong. And the son he was so desperately worried about was standing right behind him, staring at his back with an incredibly resentful glare.

"Dad." Hu Guanghong didn’t react at all.

"Dad!" Hu Lei raised his voice. Hu Guanghong’s ear twitched, and a confused look crossed his face.

"Dad! Dad!" Hu Lei shouted even louder. Hu Guanghong’s expression grew even more puzzled. He stuck his pinky in his ear, gave his head a shake, and looked uncertainly at the officer who had paused his work. "Officer," he asked, "did you just hear a kid calling for his dad? Or am I just hearing things?"

The officer pointed behind Hu Guanghong and calmly reminded him, "Is that little boy behind you your son?"

Hu Guanghong immediately spun around. The moment their eyes met, Hu Lei’s composure crumbled. Tears streamed down his face as he started pummeling his father’s body. "WAAAAAH! I’m gonna tell Mom! Dad, you lost me!"

At those words, Hu Guanghong’s joy at finding his son instantly morphed into sheer panic. He hastily promised to buy Hu Lei the three backpacks, five pencil cases, and two thermoses he’d had his eye on. Only then did Hu Lei’s sobs slowly begin to subside.

Xu Kang and Xu Le watched this scene unfold with thoughtful expressions. Xu An, who was watching them closely, saw the change in the little guys’ faces. As the older brother who had practically raised them himself, he instantly knew what they were thinking. In a menacing tone, he said, "If you two dare let go of my hand and run off on your own, not only will I not buy you anything, but I’ll also tell Grandma, and she’ll spank your butts!"

Hearing the words "spank your butts," the half-formed plan in their minds vanished without a trace. Remembering what it felt like to be spanked with a bamboo stick by their grandma last time, the two boys quickly covered their behinds with their small hands and looked up at Xu An with ingratiating smiles. "We’ll be good, brother! No butt-spanking!"

The commotion from Xu An and the twins wasn’t small, and it attracted the attention of the haggling father-son duo. Only then did Hu Guanghong finally realize that it was Xu An who had found his son on the street and brought him to the police station. Thinking back on it, a wave of delayed fear washed over him, and he showered Xu An with sincere thanks.

Through his conversation with Hu Guanghong, Xu An finally learned the full story of how the father and son had been separated.

Hu Guanghong had taken time out of his busy schedule during his lunch break to take Hu Lei to Henghui Mall to buy school supplies. They’d bought most of what they needed, but they couldn’t find the Ultraman backpack Hu Lei wanted anywhere in the mall, so Hu Guanghong had to bring him over to Hai City Stationery Street to have a look.

They checked two stores in a row with no luck. As they were about to enter the third, his phone rang. He told Hu Lei to go inside and see if they had any Ultraman bags while he stood outside to take the call. It was from his supervisor about an important issue. As they spoke, Hu Guanghong slipped into work mode, absently letting Hu Lei lead him by the hand.

That would have been fine, but then Hu Lei suddenly spotted an Ultraman bag hanging in a shop across the street. Overjoyed, he let go of his father’s hand and ran over, assuming Hu Guanghong would follow. But as soon as he let go, a crowd of people passed between them. By the time Hu Guanghong snapped out of it, Hu Lei was nowhere in sight. To make matters worse, someone had targeted his phone, snatching it from his hand while he was frantically searching for his son...

Xu An could guess the rest. Frantic to find his child, Hu Guanghong didn’t have time to worry about his stolen phone and had rushed to the police station to file a report...

While the two were talking, Xu Kang and Xu Le had pulled Hu Lei over to a chair to chat. Now that he’d found his father, Hu Lei’s mood had stabilized and he was quickly back to his normal self, laughing and talking with Xu Kang and Xu Le. When he heard they were going to the zoo next, his eyes filled with envy. He’d asked his parents to take him to the zoo several times, but they had always said they were too busy with work.

Hu Lei glanced at Xu Kang and Xu Le, then at his own father, his eyes darting back and forth. He suddenly stood up from his chair, walked straight to Hu Guanghong, and tugged on his clothes, interrupting his conversation with Xu An. "Dad," he announced loudly, "I don’t need all those backpacks. I want to go to the zoo. If you take me to the zoo, I won’t tell Mom what happened today."

...

Hu Guanghong’s eyes went wide. He was about to refuse, but when he met his son’s pitiful yet expectant gaze and thought about his own actions that day, the words of refusal caught in his throat. Finally, gritting his teeth, he borrowed Xu An’s phone, called his company, and took a sick day.

Since they were heading in the same direction, the five of them decided to go together. First, they went to the stationery street to buy the school supplies. Then they went to a phone store in the mall, where Xu An got himself a new, cost-effective phone with a powerful camera. Hu Guanghong also bought a new phone and got a replacement SIM card. Finally, they all piled into Hu Guanghong’s car and set off for the zoo.

Starlight Zoo was located on the distant outskirts of Hai City. It was about an hour’s drive, or an hour and a half by bus—a long trip either way. Xu An and Hu Guanghong chatted idly, while the three little ones sat in the back, looking at an animal picture book Xu Kang and Xu Le had brought along. They chattered away happily, their voices light and cheerful. It was clear they had already put the earlier incident out of their minds.

RING RING... RING RING...

The ringtone of Hu Guanghong’s new phone sounded. After asking Xu An to help connect his Bluetooth headset, he pressed the answer button.

"President He, yes, that’s right. Something unexpected came up at home that I have to deal with. Don’t worry about the proposal, it will be on your desk first thing tomorrow morning, all in order."

"Okay, okay. Are there any other requirements besides those? I’ll jot them down now and organize everything tonight."

"What? The higher-ups have already decided! Okay, okay, fine. I’ll draft a new proposal based on the new decision then. No problem, no problem."

"We’ve already spoken to the landlords of those properties; they’re ready to cooperate with us whenever. After all, they’ll have to move out once the acquisition is complete. We’re letting them earn more than six extra months of income, so they won’t dare to complain."

"Yes, yes, I see. Understood."

"..."

There was very little useful information in the dialogue, but combining it with the fact that Hu Guanghong was a mid-to-high-level manager at Xuguang Real Estate, a suspicion began to form in Xu An’s mind. ’The place he mentioned that needs early demolition... could it be the location of my family’s shop?’

After hanging up, Hu Guanghong noticed Xu An’s pensive expression. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "If I remember correctly, your shop is right at the entrance of the Zijing Garden construction site, right?"

"Yes." Xu An turned to look at Hu Guanghong, waiting for him to continue.

"You should prepare yourself. There’s a high chance that area will officially enter the demolition and construction phase early next year, right after the New Year." After saying this, Hu Guanghong fell silent.

That one short sentence set off a storm in Xu An’s mind. ’In my past life, the merchants weren’t forced to leave until the end of next year! Did something in this life change the timeline, or was there a similar plan back then that just never went through?’

’Whatever the reason, I have to be ready. There are four and a half months until the start of next year. It looks like my plans to buy a shop on Zijing Road’s Qianjin Street will have to be moved up. I’ll act as soon as the expo is over and I’ve received the final payment!’