Chapter 138: Even the Slightest Possibility

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Even the Slightest Possibility

After watching Qing Qing’s car drive away, Fu Chao stood in the night breeze for a while longer.

He felt both amused and conflicted.

His mother’s ridiculous speculation kept replaying in his mind.

Fu Chao knew, of course, that his mother was grasping at straws in her desperation.

It was because she missed his sister too much.

So whenever she met a girl she felt a connection with, she couldn’t help but see his sister in them.

It wasn’t that Fu Chao wanted to pour cold water on his mother’s hopes, but similar things had happened several times before.

Once, his mother had gotten her hopes up and exhausted herself, only for it to end in disappointment.

She had even fallen ill for a whole month because of it.

And this time, unlike before, there were no clues or evidence—it was based purely on his mother’s intuition.

That’s right, just intuition.

But Fu Chao didn’t want to see his mother weak and frail in a hospital bed again.

For that reason, he would rather extinguish her hopes before they could grow.

But...

’What if?’

Unable to control his thoughts, Fu Chao’s mind was in a turmoil.

He was pulled back to reality by the vibration of an incoming phone call.

—Normally, their phones were only taken away when filming began and were returned to the guests immediately after it ended.

This was Fu Chao’s personal phone; only close friends and family had the number.

Fu Chao had a hunch even before checking the caller ID.

When he picked it up and looked, it was just as he’d expected.

"Hello, Dad?"

The call was from Fu Yunfeng.

Just as Fu Chao called his mother every other day, he also called his father every other day.

He made a point of treating them both equally.

Even the reduced frequency of their calls due to his busy filming schedule was the same for both.

Fu Yunfeng’s tone with his son was always gentle. He started by asking how work had been recently.

A familiar routine.

But Fu Chao knew that wasn’t what his father really wanted to know.

Seeing his father beat around the bush for a while, Fu Chao decided to bring it up himself:

"Mom came to see me today."

Fu Yunfeng clearly perked up, his voice even rising slightly.

"How is she? Has she been doing okay lately?"

The father and son’s biggest worry had always been Qing Qing’s health.

Fu Chao knew his father had a bellyful of questions, so he answered patiently:

"She seemed to be in good spirits. She came to our restaurant today and ate quite a bit."

"That’s good."

Fu Yunfeng murmured, then suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, your... restaurant? Did you change careers?"

’Wasn’t he an actor?’

Although Fu Chao knew his father was too busy to keep up with what he was doing, he couldn’t help but complain inwardly—

’Those two are exactly alike!’

"I haven’t changed careers. I’m filming a variety show—it’s that parent-child program I mentioned at the family dinner, the one I’m on with Qing Xi. The guests are running a restaurant together."

After hearing Fu Chao’s explanation, Fu Yunfeng hesitated.

"You... you’re a cook? Are the customers okay after eating your food?"

"Dad!"

Fu Chao raised his voice in exasperation.

But after his burst of anger, he still had to explain properly:

"I’m not the one cooking. It’s another guest named Nan Zhi. Her cooking is amazing. Mom had the pork and bamboo shoot soup she made tonight and ate a whole pot! It was absolutely delicious!"

Fu Yunfeng was very quiet and didn’t reply.

He was probably imagining what Qing Qing looked like, thoroughly enjoying her food.

Fu Chao felt a pang of sadness and deliberately suggested with a laugh:

"Why don’t you come and try it too when you have time, Dad?"

"I’m in Zhejiang Province. I’m afraid I won’t have time to make it," Fu Yunfeng said apologetically.

Fu Chao quickly said it was fine, as he had only suggested it offhandedly.

Suddenly, Fu Chao remembered his mother’s speculation about Nan Zhi.

He hesitated, wondering if he should tell Fu Yunfeng.

Before he could speak, Fu Yunfeng sensed it.

Fu Yunfeng’s tone grew grave.

"Did something happen?"

"No! It’s just..."

Fu Chao sighed and ended up telling him everything that had happened that evening.

Including his mother’s final speculation.

Fu Yunfeng was silent for a long time.

Then he sighed.

"You did the right thing."

Fu Chao raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, feeling exhausted.

"Logically, I think so too. But I can’t help but wonder... what if?"

After a moment of contemplation, Fu Yunfeng told him:

"There’s something I haven’t told you. I’ve actually found a small clue about your sister’s whereabouts."

Fu Chao was stunned, demanding anxiously:

"Really? What clue? Is she still... still alive?"

As he spoke the last few words, Fu Chao couldn’t stop his voice from choking up.

Fu Yunfeng empathized with his son’s reaction.

Because he had been the same way at first.

Something he had obsessed over for years was finally showing some progress; how could he not be ecstatic?

Only with the passage of time had his emotions gradually settled.

"Yes, there’s a very high probability that Zizhi is still alive."

As he said this, Fu Yunfeng’s voice trembled uncontrollably.

He tried to suppress his emotions and state the facts as calmly as possible:

"Do you remember the housekeeper we had back then, a woman named Lin Xiang?"

Fu Chao quickly recalled her:

"I remember. Aunt Lin was the one who looked after Zizhi. They were very close. After Zizhi disappeared, she was so distraught she fainted. So she’s the one who’s suspicious?"

Fu Yunfeng didn’t answer directly, saying instead:

"Lin Xiang resigned not long after Zizhi went missing. The reason she gave was that her mother was seriously ill and she needed to go home to take care of her."

"That sounds really suspicious! Didn’t you investigate?"

"We did. Her mother was indeed seriously ill and passed away less than a month after she returned home."

"Then she..."

"I couldn’t find anything wrong with her back then. It wasn’t until recently, while investigating Xu Dong, that I accidentally discovered he had been in contact with Lin Xiang."

"So they worked together?"

"More or less. Most importantly, Xu Dong’s claim back then that he killed Zizhi with his own hands... was most likely false. Lin Xiang was probably the one who handled what happened to Zizhi!"

Fu Yunfeng’s tone was barely composed.

But Fu Chao’s mind was in complete chaos.

He paced back and forth, wanting to speak several times but not knowing where to begin.

In the end, all he could manage to say was:

"I remember Lin Xiang was so good to Zizhi..."

’If, at the critical moment, Lin Xiang had felt a pang of pity, could she have let Zizhi go?’

But at the same time, Fu Chao knew they couldn’t bet on the conscience of a kidnapper’s accomplice.

’No wonder his father hadn’t told them before.’

’This news was filled with even more uncertainty; knowing about it was just another form of torture.’

Fu Yunfeng: "At least there’s a glimmer of hope."

Those words were like a sudden revelation to Fu Chao.

He repeated in a mumble:

"Right, even if it’s only a 1% chance."

Fu Yunfeng instructed him:

"Don’t tell your mother for now. I’m currently investigating Lin Xiang’s whereabouts. After she left her hometown, she was likely working odd jobs off the grid. I’ve found some traces of her. It won’t be too late to tell your mother once I’ve made more progress."

"Okay, okay, I understand."

Fu Chao suppressed his excitement.

Before hanging up, Fu Chao didn’t forget to show his concern:

"Dad, remember to take care of yourself."

"Mm."