Volume One, Chapter 49: The Whereabouts of the Child

Chu Fangfei closed her eyes and formed a seal with her fingers. After a moment, she opened her eyes and said, “She’s in the southeast. Her body is trapped among the rocks.”

Li Huihui was on the verge of fainting.

Zhang Shaodan hurried to steady her. “Huihui, let me go instead. I’ll go for you.”

Li Huihui shook her head. “No, I have to go myself. If my Qiuqiu really... I want to bring her home with my own hands.”

Stumbling to her feet, she gathered her things and left a message for her husband who was away on business. Eagerly, she prepared to depart.

Chu Fangfei looked to Chi Xingwan, hope shining in her eyes. Chi Xingwan relented, “We’ll go together. I’ll ask for leave from school for you.”

“Thank you, sister,” Chu Fangfei said gratefully.

Naturally, Zhang Shaodan also joined them. They hurried home to pack briefly, then met at the airport. Their destination was the seaside where Li Huihui’s husband and daughter had once vacationed.

Even in October, the beach teemed with tourists. Chu Fangfei, clutching her doll, formed another seal. This time, her vision was even clearer.

She opened her eyes and shook her head. “It’s not here. We need to go further south, to a more deserted place. There’s a cliff just beyond the rocks, and many white stones nearby.”

Zhang Shaodan took out her phone, searching for locations matching Chu Fangfei’s description, and soon found a likely spot.

“It’s in the neighboring county. The terrain is treacherous, so even though the scenery is beautiful, it’s never become a tourist destination.”

The four of them immediately set out. As soon as they arrived, Chu Fangfei pointed. “This is it. Look over there—she’s among the rocks.”

Li Huihui gazed at the pile of rocks, taking a few steps forward instinctively, only to be pulled back by Zhang Shaodan. “Careful, Huihui! There’s a cliff ahead!”

“My daughter is really there? All that water... Has she been soaking in the freezing sea all this time?” Li Huihui was nearly unhinged.

Zhang Shaodan held her and turned to Chi Xingwan. “Xingwan, what do we do now?”

Chu Fangfei was just as curious, but Chi Xingwan replied, “Call the police—or a rescue team.”

Zhang Shaodan immediately dialed the police. Officers arrived quickly, and to their surprise, one recognized Li Huihui.

“You say her daughter’s in the rocks? If I recall correctly, Ms. Li reported her daughter missing here six months ago. I was temporarily assigned to this county at the time.”

Li Huihui’s voice was hoarse. “Yes, my daughter went missing half a year ago. Please, I beg you—can you look? Is she down there?”

The officer asked, “Why do you think your daughter is there?”

Chi Xingwan answered before anyone else. “It was calculated.”

“Calculated?” The officer was skeptical, but didn’t dismiss it outright. In his decades of service, he’d seen stranger things.

He looked at Li Huihui with compassion. “Ms. Li, do you understand what this means?”

If her daughter truly was down there, it could only mean one thing—the child could not have survived.

Li Huihui nodded with difficulty. “I’m prepared for that, officer. I just don’t want to leave any possibility unexplored.”

“Very well. In that case, we’ll call in the rescue team.”

“Thank you.” Li Huihui leaned weakly against Zhang Shaodan.

The rescue team arrived swiftly with their equipment. They rappelled down the cliff and reached the rocks, combing through them carefully.

“Found her!” a rescuer shouted from atop the rocks.

Li Huihui nearly collapsed, propped up only by Zhang Shaodan and Chu Fangfei.

Soon after came the retrieval. The body was sent to the hospital morgue, and the others were taken there as well.

The officer said sympathetically, “Ms. Li, we can’t identify her by appearance. We’ll need a DNA test. Please cooperate, and as soon as we have results, you’ll be the first to know.”

During the days of waiting, Zhang Shaodan barely let Li Huihui out of her sight. On the third day, Li Huihui’s husband Liu Zhikun arrived.

He embraced her, comforting her softly. “Huihui, I’m here.”

She held him tightly, finally feeling anchored.

The day the result came, the same officer visited their hotel. His expression was full of pity. “Ms. Li, Mr. Liu, the test confirms that the body found among the rocks is your daughter, Liu Minqiu. Time of death: six months ago. My deepest condolences.”

Li Huihui squeezed her eyes shut in despair, her tears seemingly exhausted.

“The body’s been in water for half a year,” the officer added gently. “It’s unrecognizable. I recommend you don’t view it. We can arrange for cremation at the funeral home.”

Li Huihui shook her head. “No, I want to see her. I want to say goodbye in person.”

At the hospital, accompanied by Liu Zhikun and the officer, Li Huihui entered the morgue. With trembling hands, she lifted the sheet. The instant she saw the body, she screamed and fainted.

Liu Zhikun, weeping, helped her out. “Shaodan, Huihui can’t take any more. Could you stay with her? I... I need to take care of Qiuqiu’s affairs.”

Zhang Shaodan was about to agree, but Chi Xingwan interjected, “Wait. This isn’t over. Fangfei, wake Huihui up.”

“Xingwan, what do you mean? There’s more to this?” Zhang Shaodan asked.

Chi Xingwan nodded. “Don’t you want to know how Liu Minqiu drowned?”

Liu Zhikun, face stricken, said, “It’s my fault. Qiuqiu was asleep and I thought it would be safe to step out for a bit. But she woke up, left by herself...”

Chu Fangfei pressed an acupoint on Li Huihui, and she slowly regained consciousness, just in time to hear Liu Zhikun’s words.

She turned to Chi Xingwan. “At first I blamed Zhikun, but later I realized it was my fault too. If I hadn’t gone to work, he wouldn’t have been so overwhelmed alone.”

“Is that really the case?” Chi Xingwan stared intently at Liu Zhikun.

His brow furrowed. “What are you implying? We’ve lost our daughter—that pain is enough. Are you trying to sow discord between us?”

Zhang Shaodan interjected as well. “Xingwan, Zhikun and Huihui love each other deeply. He adored Qiuqiu—he’s a good father. He’s grieving as much as anyone.”

Chi Xingwan looked at Liu Zhikun without a flicker of emotion. “Of course you’re in pain. After all, Qiuqiu died because of you.”

Liu Zhikun turned away, agony etched on his face. “You’re right. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left her alone in the guesthouse.”

Chi Xingwan gave a cold laugh. “The guesthouse? No—you left her alone on the beach.”

Li Huihui’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at her husband. “Zhikun, is it true? Did you leave Qiuqiu alone on the shore?”