Sister Frost’s Dilemma and Su Mengqi’s Desperation

“Good morning, Sister Frost!” Luo Yao’s usually placid face finally broke into a long-lost smile as Frost entered the ward.

“Good morning, Luo Yao.” Frost, who had been feeling a touch of anxiety moments before, found her tension inexplicably dissolving the moment her eyes met Luo Yao’s.

“Mm.” Luo Yao nodded, a slight hesitation in his mind about whether calling her ‘Sister’ so suddenly was appropriate. Yet, he had already made a clear distinction in how he treated Mu Yaochen versus Frost.

Besides, addressing her as ‘Sister’ aligned perfectly with Luo Yao’s cultivated image of vulnerability.

“Oh, by the way, do you recall those pictures I sent you last night?” Frost abruptly recalled that Luo Yao had not responded to her messages from the previous evening.

This lack of response had left her feeling distressed throughout the night, her phone clutched in hand as she waited, moment by moment, for a message from Luo Yao.

Yet, even as she prepared for sleep, Luo Yao’s chat window remained stubbornly dark.

The matter had even preoccupied her thoughts as she drifted off to sleep.

It seemed she had never been so invested in anything before.

“Yes, I saw them.” Luo Yao affirmed, nodding earnestly at Frost’s question.

‘Why didn’t you reply to my message?’

Frost almost blurted out the question, but she managed to restrain herself.

‘Luo Yao must have his reasons for not replying.’

Such were Frost’s thoughts, though she remained oblivious to the truth.

Luo Yao, in fact, had all but forgotten the entire incident.

“Well, last night, Master was with me the whole time, so I couldn’t…” Luo Yao sensed that Frost might be displeased by his lack of a reply.

Indeed, anyone in her position would likely feel a surge of anger.

Fortunately, Luo Yao had a master of deflection at his disposal.

‘Master?’

‘Young Miss?’

‘Mu Yaochen?’

Frost wasn’t truly angry, but the mention of Mu Yaochen as the reason for Luo Yao’s silence sent a pang of acute discomfort through her heart, coupled with a crushing sense of helplessness.

It was a feeling that left her powerless, almost suffocated.

‘Keep your distance!’

At that very moment, Frost was suddenly struck by the memory of Mu Yaochen’s parting words.

‘Remember, keep your distance!’

Mu Yaochen’s words pierced Frost’s mind like steel needles.

“Sister Frost, what’s wrong?” Luo Yao watched Frost with a hint of alarm, her complexion visibly paling before his eyes.

‘What on earth is happening to me?’

“I… I’m fine, I’m perfectly fine.” Frost quickly interjected, seeing Luo Yao attempt to get out of bed, and immediately motioned for him to stop.

She knew how frail Luo Yao’s body was.

“So, what would you like to do today?” Frost forced a rather strained smile onto her face.

‘What should we do today?’

‘Indeed, what is there to do?’

“I… I’d like to hear your story.” Luo Yao gazed intently at Frost, his curiosity about her origins having grown considerably.

“My story?” Frost looked at Luo Yao with a confused expression, a stray glint of light in her eyes.

****

“Qingwan, have you found any leads?” Su Mengqi asked, sitting in her school classroom, gazing listlessly at the sun in the sky.

Ever since Luo Yao’s disappearance, she felt as though she were merely a living corpse, going through the motions of a fixed schedule, utterly devoid of change or spontaneity.

Truly, it was all so meaningless. Without Luo Yao, Su Mengqi felt as if her very existence had been stripped of purpose.

Propping her chin on her arm, Su Mengqi turned her gaze to Qingwan, who sat beside her.

Unlike Frost’s reserved demeanor, Qingwan was quite amiable and eager to engage with others.

“Well, Young Miss,” Qingwan began, leaning close to Su Mengqi, a hint of exasperation in her tone. “I haven’t found a single lead. Besides, the person you’re looking for hasn’t even shown up in Fanhai City.”

Despite her persistent efforts over the past few days to piece together fragmented clues and locate Luo Yao, she had made no progress.

The Mu family owned countless villas and estates, all vast and sprawling. Without more precise information, finding him was an impossible task, akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Su Mengqi’s intention, however, was simple: she wanted to reclaim Luo Yao from Mu Yaochen’s grasp.

“Damn it!” Su Mengqi murmured under her breath.

Mu Yaochen, however, had concealed Luo Yao thoroughly. Since their chance encounter, Luo Yao had vanished without a trace.

She had, at least, managed to ascertain Luo Yao’s fate after his disappearance.

Qingwan had apprehended the small-time thugs responsible for Luo Yao’s kidnapping that day and subjected them to a thorough interrogation.

The thugs had recounted the events of that night, and upon hearing the full story, Su Mengqi was consumed by an overwhelming, gut-wrenching regret.

She was aware of the underground auction house; her mother occasionally frequented it.

She also knew that illicit activities, including human trafficking, occasionally transpired within its walls.

Her profound regret, however, stemmed from her absence on the day Luo Yao was auctioned. The thought alone made her wish she could strangle herself.

‘Why?’

Su Mengqi repeatedly questioned herself: ‘If only I had done everything in my power to buy Luo Yao that day, he would have been mine. My girlfriend, my own boyfriend, or even my little husband?’

At this thought, Su Mengqi instinctively clenched her fists.

‘It’s all that woman Mu Yaochen’s fault,’ she fumed. ‘That woman clearly isn’t any good.’

Regardless, her love for Luo Yao ran deep.

From their very first encounter, it had felt as though their destiny was already sealed.

The mere thought of Mu Yaochen’s face made Su Mengqi wish she could tear her to shreds.

Qingwan observed Su Mengqi beside her, noting how her Young Miss’s obsession with that young man had only intensified since they had left Longda Mall that day.

It was understandable, though; the young man was undeniably beautiful, enough to make any woman lose her composure.

Su Mengqi was currently plagued by considerable anxiety. Her mother remained unaware of anything concerning Luo Yao, and Su Mengqi dared not inform her. Thus, Qingwan was her sole confidante and resource. Money, at least, was not an issue; her generous monthly allowance, combined with her lack of costly habits like frequenting nightclubs, meant she had amassed a substantial sum.

‘Luo Yao, where are you?’

Su Mengqi was consumed by fear, terrified that Mu Yaochen might inflict some inhumane torment upon Luo Yao.

Things like brainwashing or drug-induced control were often exposed online, and someone like Mu Yaochen, when desperate, was capable of anything.

Over this period, Su Mengqi had delved into Mu Yaochen’s past, learning of her ruthless methods and cruel nature.

If she ever truly saw Luo Yao again, she wondered if he would even recognize her.

These were thoughts Su Mengqi dared not, and would not, entertain.

Her greatest fear was that Luo Yao would utterly forget her. Yet, whether it was a mere psychological suggestion or something more profound, Su Mengqi felt an increasingly strong premonition that her next encounter with Luo Yao was drawing near, causing her heart to pound with escalating intensity.