Chapter 99: He Ran Away From Home
Xie Miaohan ran very fast. By the time Gu Huaiye chased him downstairs, there was no sign of him.
He had to go back first. It was getting late, and he needed to make dinner for Xie Miaohan.
He figured the kid was just acting out and would come back on his own.
Gu Huaiye had been cooking for over a month now and had learned some simple, basic dishes.
Although Xie Miaohan had done something wrong today, considering he had cried for a long time, Gu Huaiye stewed two chicken legs for him.
Once Xie Miaohan was full, he would educate him again and make him understand that stealing was wrong.
Dinner was ready. Gu Huaiye sat at the dining table, staring unblinkingly at the door.
Occasionally glancing at the clock on the wall, he watched the sky outside gradually darken.
By eight o’clock in the evening, Gu Huaiye couldn’t sit still anymore. He put on his jacket and went out to look for Xie Miaohan.
He shouted Xie Miaohan’s name as he walked. On the way, he met the neighbor living opposite them, who helped join the search after learning Xie Miaohan had run away.
Gu Huaiye went to the school first, asking the security guard if he had seen any students enter.
Then he went to the nearby park and other places Xie Miaohan often visited.
He couldn’t find Xie Miaohan anywhere. He even went to that supermarket and paced at the entrance for a long time.
It wasn’t until the supermarket security guard saw him acting strangely and came out to chase him away that Gu Huaiye braced himself to ask if they had seen Xie Miaohan.
Given what had happened today, the guard had a very strong impression of them and naturally knew they hadn’t returned.
Receiving a negative answer, Gu Huaiye’s heart sank lower and lower.
This is bad. Did he really run away from home?
But where could Xie Miaohan go?
He had no relatives here, had just started school, and probably hadn’t made any friends yet.
Even if he had gone to a classmate’s house, the parents would have called him.
It was already winter, and it got especially cold at night. He was terrified Xie Miaohan wouldn’t come back and would freeze out there.
After calling the neighbor and confirming they hadn’t found him either, Gu Huaiye decisively went to the police station to report a missing person.
The one who received him was an Omega police officer. Knowing it wasn’t easy for him to raise a child at such a young age, the officer comforted him gently.
“Don’t worry. Based on what you said, he might have just run out to play in a fit of pique. Go home and wait first; he might have already gone back. My colleagues and I will help look for him too.”
Gu Huaiye said gratefully, “Thank you.”
The Omega smiled. “It’s fine, it’s our job. Hurry back. Maybe your brother is at home looking for you and getting scared.”
“Okay.” Gu Huaiye stood up and nodded to him. “If there’s any news about Miaomiao, please notify me immediately.”
“Rest assured, we’ll call you.”
Leaving the police station, Gu Huaiye returned home clinging to a shred of hope.
Opening the door, the lights inside were still off. Gu Huaiye’s eyes dimmed. He sat on the sofa and smoked a cigarette.
Staring at the food on the table, he had no appetite at all.
He wondered if Xie Miaohan was hungry.
He was usually so afraid of being hungry, gobbling down his food. Why had he left for so long this time?
If he had known Xie Miaohan would run away, he wouldn’t have lectured him.
But he truly wanted to raise Xie Miaohan well, so he would grow up to be a sunny and warm person.
Gu Huaiye sighed in exhaustion.
He really didn’t know what to do.
Xie Miaohan didn’t return all night, and Gu Huaiye didn’t sleep a wink, sitting in the living room staring at the door.
When daylight broke, he went to the bathroom to splash water on his face, then left for Xie Miaohan’s school.
Gu Huaiye’s eyes were bloodshot. Having not slept all night, stubble had appeared on his chin, and he looked utterly haggard and exhausted.
He saw Xie Miaohan’s homeroom teacher and hurriedly walked over.
“Teacher Duan, hello.”
Teacher Duan stopped and turned to look at Gu Huaiye. Seeing his appearance, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
“Good morning.” Teacher Duan smiled. “Are you here to drop Miaohan off?”
“He ran away from home last night and hasn’t come back yet.”
“What?” Teacher Duan’s face turned serious. “He didn’t go back all night? Did you call the police?”
“I did. The police told me to wait for news.”
“Could he have gone to your relatives?”
Gu Huaiye shook his head. “We don’t have other relatives.”
Xie Miaohan did have relatives, but they were all in District H. He had no money on him, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to buy a ticket.
“Don’t worry. I’ll ask around the class later. Maybe he went to a classmate’s house.”
Gu Huaiye thanked him profusely.
“Thank you for your trouble, Teacher. If Miaomiao comes to school, please give me a call.”
“Okay.”
Gu Huaiye had no mind for work and asked his boss for two days of leave.
He wasn’t a permanent employee yet, so he didn’t dare ask for too much, hoping he could find Xie Miaohan today.
As long as Xie Miaohan came home, he swore he would never scold him again.
But Gu Huaiye’s wish didn’t come true.
By nightfall, Xie Miaohan still hadn’t returned. He had nearly blown up Teacher Duan and the police’s phones, but there was absolutely no trace of Xie Miaohan.
Gu Huaiye stood on the balcony smoking, his eyes fixed on the activity downstairs, attempting to spot that familiar figure.
He felt like he was going crazy.
He had lived two lives and had never felt so powerless.
He felt like a failure, unable to even take care of a seven-year-old child.
Without the Gu family, he really was nothing.
Gu Huaiye hadn’t eaten or slept all day. Unable to hold on any longer, he leaned back on the sofa and fell asleep shortly after.
When he woke up, it was already seven in the morning. Gu Huaiye immediately ran to Xie Miaohan’s room.
The bed was tidy, with no sign of having been slept in. The Superman schoolbag hung on the chair, completely unmoved.
Xie Miaohan still hadn’t come back.
It had been over 36 hours. Gu Huaiye couldn’t stop his thoughts from running wild, his mind filled with images of Xie Miaohan in danger.
Gu Huaiye couldn’t wait any longer and went out to search for Xie Miaohan again.
This time he expanded the range, running as far as 10 kilometers away to look.
As the sun set once more, Gu Huaiye stood at the bus stop with a dejected face, waiting for the bus back.
Just as Gu Huaiye was thinking about how to ask for leave tomorrow, he suddenly spotted Xie Miaohan at the garbage sorting station across the street.
Xie Miaohan was on his tiptoes, leaning his whole body over a trash can, seemingly rummaging for something.
A moment later, he retrieved a half-eaten piece of bread. He sat down on the ground, leaned against the trash can, and wolfed down the bread in his hand.
Gu Huaiye stared across the street in shock, his muscles tense. Everything he saw was like an invisible knife stabbing into his heart.
He had only been gone for two days. The boy he had worked so hard to make rosy-cheeked and clean was now back to square one.
It was even worse than when he saw him in District H.
His hair was messy, and his clothes were dusty.
District A was prosperous; there were no homeless people here. Thus, Xie Miaohan’s behavior was particularly conspicuous. Many passersby cast disdainful and strange looks at him.
Some even covered their noses and hurried away.
After Xie Miaohan finished eating, he got up and continued leaning over the trash can to dig for things.
Gu Huaiye snapped out of it and strode over.
“Xie Miaohan! What the fuck are you doing!”
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