Chapter 47: Don’t Give Up on Me

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Don’t Give Up on Me

Gu Qingyin hadn’t noticed when they left the Fu Family’s villa. It wasn’t until she brought Huo Xinghai back to their own place that she realized he wasn’t just unconscious.

Black flames swirled at his brow and over his chest. ’A Karma backlash?’

Gu Qingyin’s brow twitched. A Karma backlash was something only the most wicked individuals suffered, and it typically appeared in the middle-aged or elderly. ’My son is only twenty-one. What kind of evil could he have possibly done to deserve this so young?’

"Hah." Gu Qingyin let out a frustrated laugh. ’That little brat has been hiding quite a lot from me.’

Gu Qingyin had planned to interrogate Huo Xinghai thoroughly once he woke up. But before he did, the police arrived—and it was those two greenhorns again.

"What is it?" Gu Qingyin was in a foul mood. The usual curve of her lips flattened, and her entire being radiated a cold, aloof aura that made her seem very difficult to approach.

The two young officers exchanged a glance before stating their purpose.

"Regarding your son’s kidnapping case, we have a few questions for you. Is it a convenient time to come in?"

Gu Qingyin’s expression was blank. "And if it’s not convenient, can you come back tomorrow?"

The young officer froze, a troubled look on his face. The other one said sternly, "Please cooperate with our investigation."

Gu Qingyin rolled her eyes, turned, and went into the living room. She sat on the sofa and spat out a single, icy word, "Ask."

The young officer stood across from her, flipped open his notebook, and asked as he read, "When did you discover Huo Xinghai was missing?"

"After I got back from visiting the Lin Family Siblings. I’m not sure of the exact time."

The officer frowned. "What were you doing at the Lin Family’s home?"

A slight smile touched Gu Qingyin’s lips. "Personal business. It has nothing to do with this case."

The officer’s eyes widened. "We’ll be the judge of whether it’s related or not. Please answer truthfully!"

The smile vanished from Gu Qingyin’s lips. "Just taking a stroll."

The officer was speechless but could only move on to the next question. "Why didn’t you call the police after you discovered Huo Xinghai was missing?"

"Hah," Gu Qingyin shot back, "Did you find Feng Xia before I rescued my son?"

The officer pressed his lips together and said nothing. They hadn’t, in fact, found her.

Gu Qingyin scoffed again. She didn’t say another word, but her meaning was clear—’What good would calling the police have done? As if you could have found him.’

The officer took a deep breath, steeled himself, and continued, "How did you pinpoint Huo Xinghai’s location?"

Gu Qingyin paused for a moment before blatantly spouting nonsense. "A mother’s psychic connection."

The officer’s brow furrowed. "Please be serious."

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but roll her eyes again. "That’s how I found him. Believe it or not."

The young officer was getting angry now. He skipped the question and moved on. "Were you the one who inflicted the injuries on Feng Xia?"

"Of course not." Gu Qingyin’s denial was swift. With a perfectly straight face, she said, "I am a good, law-abiding citizen. I never take the law into my own hands."

After a pause, Gu Qingyin added, "She was already injured when I entered the villa." And she wasn’t lying—the injury to Feng Xia’s ribs was from a kick she had delivered *before* entering.

The officer jotted a question mark next to his notes on the matter, then closed his notebook and asked with concern, "How is Huo Xinghai doing? Does he need to go to the hospital?"

Gu Qingyin forced a polite smile. "No, he’s fine. Thank you for your concern. If there’s nothing else, please leave. I need to rest."

The two young officers exchanged another look. One of them said, "We apologize for the disturbance, Ms. Gu. If any other questions come up, we hope you will cooperate more fully."

Gu Qingyin nodded. "I’ll do my best."

The officers left. Gu Qingyin closed the door and, her face devoid of expression, went back upstairs to Huo Xinghai’s bedroom.

Huo Xinghai was still unconscious. Gu Qingyin studied him for a few seconds, then suddenly stepped forward and began searching the bed beneath him, not even sparing the space under his pillow.

"Did he move it?" Gu Qingyin muttered to herself.

She had seen Huo Xinghai hide something before. At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now it felt wrong. Huo Xinghai had been a little too panicked back then.

’So, what exactly was it that he hid?’

"It’s not in the bed. Where would he put it?"

Standing by the bed, Gu Qingyin’s gaze scanned the room before finally settling on the nightstand. She leaned over, pulled open the bottom drawer, and found a rectangular, locked iron box inside.

She raised an eyebrow. Her intuition told her this was the very thing Huo Xinghai had hidden.

’Now for the question: should I wait for Huo Xinghai to wake up and have him open it himself, or should I just open it now?’

Before she could finish wrestling with the decision, a groggy, confused voice came from the bed. "...Mom?"

Gu Qingyin froze. ’Well, there’s my answer.’

She smoothly closed the drawer and looked at Huo Xinghai with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Huo Xinghai blinked, his mind clearing a little. He subconsciously glanced at the nightstand. ’She hasn’t had time to take it out and look, right?’

"What... what happened to me?" Huo Xinghai thought he had just been asleep, but from the look on Gu Qingyin’s face, it clearly wasn’t that simple. He was confused himself.

Gu Qingyin frowned slightly. "You don’t know anything? You were kidnapped by Feng Xia. She wanted to get rid of you for Fu Zimo’s sake."

Huo Xinghai was utterly shocked. "Is she crazy?! She’s a fugitive! Instead of figuring out how to escape, she comes back to pull a kidnapping? Isn’t that just walking right into the arms of the law?!"

Gu Qingyin nodded in agreement. "Which is why the police took her away."

A look of disgust crossed Huo Xinghai’s face. "She’s just as repulsive as Fu Zimo. Like mother, like son."

Gu Qingyin brought the conversation back to the point. "Are you sure you’re not feeling any discomfort?"

Huo Xinghai shook his head. "No." It wasn’t his first kidnapping, but it was the first time he’d slept through the entire ordeal. He hadn’t experienced a thing.

"I’m not that heavy a sleeper. Did she drug me?" Huo Xinghai reasonably concluded, his expression darkening. "I’m going to sue her!"

But Gu Qingyin said, "Feng Xia didn’t drug you. Your being unconscious was your own fault." She leaned over again, pulled open the drawer, and took out the box. "Open it."

Huo Xinghai’s heart tightened, but he feigned a look of bewildered confusion. "What?"

Gu Qingyin smiled and laid it all out. "This box contains the reason you were knocked unconscious by a Karma backlash, and I *will* see it today. If you don’t want to open it, I can help myself."

Huo Xinghai knew he couldn’t get out of this, so he didn’t argue any further. He sat up in bed, took the box, and began manipulating it.

The sound of mechanisms clicking filled the air. Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but scoff. "It’s a puzzle box? What’s inside, your treasure?"

Huo Xinghai kept his eyes down and said nothing. He appeared to be methodically working the mechanism, but in reality, he was breaking out in a sweat.

He was afraid. Afraid of seeing disappointment, disgust, or even fear in Gu Qingyin’s eyes.

The mechanism was soon aligned. Instead of opening the box right away, Huo Xinghai looked up at Gu Qingyin.

His eyes were red-rimmed and filled with a shattered light as he pleaded cautiously, "Mom, promise me. No matter what you see... don’t give up on me."