Chapter 296: He Youguang's Roar

By midday, Xia Yu received a call from home. It was his sister asking if He Zhaoqiong had come to find him. Xia Yu directly said no but then heard his sister say that He Zhaoqiong had promised to come find him and that she was waiting to play together.

Afterwards, his sister hung up the phone in disappointment, and Xia Yu didn't think much of it, assuming that He Zhaoqiong must have had a sudden issue and didn't come.

However, around four in the afternoon, Xia Yu received a call from He Youguang, who was inquiring if Xia Yu had seen He Zhaoqiong.

He Zhaoqiong was missing!

"What? How could this be? Zhaoqiong hasn't come to find me. I haven't seen her all day. Didn't she not come to Jiulong?" Xia Yu exclaimed in shock to He Youguang on the phone.

"My sister went to Jiulong early this morning and saw something she shouldn't have seen. Now she's shaken off her bodyguards and disappeared. I'm telling you, if anything happens to my sister, I will not let this go with you!!!"

He Youguang's enraged roar came through the phone, and Xia Yu could easily imagine the expression of the usually refined He Youguang on the other end.

"Beep beep beep…"

Just as Xia Yu was about to respond, the line went dead.

He stared at the phone in astonishment, his expression darkening.

At this point, he was still completely baffled. He truly didn't know why He Zhaoqiong was supposed to come find him or what He Youguang meant by seeing something she shouldn't have. He felt like he had committed a grievous crime for no reason.

Nevertheless, He Youguang had no reason to lie to him. He Zhaoqiong was definitely missing, and it was due to her coming to find him that she had met with an accident. He had to take on some responsibility.

"Xia Yu, are you going out?" Li Qian asked softly, her face showing no unusual expression.

In fact, she had heard the voices from the phone call but didn't show it. After all, she felt quite guilty about He Zhaoqiong.

"Yeah, I need to find someone. Since she's missing now, I need to make a few calls first."

Xia Yu quickly replied, then picked up the phone and called Xia Lei.

"Ah Lei, help me find someone…"

Next, Xia Yu called Li Chunqiu, knowing that Li Chunqiu was no ordinary person. His eldest son, Li Wuyang, had some influence and should be able to help.

After the call, Xia Yu said to Li Qian, "Qian, please stay in the office. If they call back saying they've found her, let me know. I'll call every ten minutes."

"Okay!"

Li Qian agreed obediently.

"I'm leaving now!"

Xia Yu said, quickly grabbing his coat and heading outside, constantly praying that He Zhaoqiong was safe.

Although he had appeared calm earlier due to Li Qian being around, he was actually very anxious inside.

At this moment, Xia Yu realized that He Zhaoqiong had left an indelible mark on his heart without him even realizing it.

When he reached the bottom of the company building and saw the car door already opened by Li Wuming, a flash of insight crossed Xia Yu's mind.

"Could it be because of this? Was Zhaoqiong exposed to it?"

Xia Yu thought, feeling increasingly guilty.

"No, I need to find her quickly. I hope she doesn't do anything foolish."

With that thought, Xia Yu's anxiety grew even more, and he immediately got into the car, instructing Li Wuming to drive around the Jiulong area.

As time passed, Xia Yu had searched a large area but still couldn't find any trace of He Zhaoqiong.

As the sky darkened and there was still no news of He Zhaoqiong, Xia Yu became even more impatient.

"This aimless searching won't work. I need to stay calm!"

"Ha… ha…"

Xia Yu took a couple of deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

"Where could Zhaoqiong go? She isn't familiar with Jiulong. She's left her bodyguards, so she can't be too far…"

"Wait, could it be there?"

After thinking hard, Xia Yu suddenly had an idea.

"Go to the seaside at the foot of Taiping Mountain, quickly!"

Xia Yu immediately gave directions, and the car sped towards the specified location.

"Sure enough, she's here!"

When the car arrived at the seaside road, Xia Yu saw a familiar figure sitting on the rocks by the sea through the car window.

"Stop!"

After getting out of the car, Xia Yu hurried towards the figure, shouting, "Zhaoqiong, Zhaoqiong…"

He Zhaoqiong, who was quietly staring at the sea on the rocks, heard the longed-for voice and instinctively turned her head. When she saw Xia Yu running towards her, she couldn't help but stand up, showing a happy smile. She was about to call out to Xia Yu, but the scene from the morning flashed in her mind, causing her smile to freeze. She just stood still, watching Xia Yu.

"Zhaoqiong, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Xia Yu ran up to He Zhaoqiong and saw her slightly swollen eyes. His heart tightened, and he asked with concern in a soft voice.

Hearing Xia Yu's question, He Zhaoqiong's nose twitched, and tears seemed ready to fall again. She sniffled but didn't answer Xia Yu. Instead, she turned away, hugging her knees and staring at the shimmering sea.

At this time, the sun was about to set, casting its afterglow over the vast blue sea, creating a poetic scene that might inspire poetry from ancient times.

Unfortunately, neither Xia Yu nor He Zhaoqiong had the mood to appreciate it.

Seeing that He Zhaoqiong was silent and not acting aggressively, Xia Yu felt slightly relieved, at least not worrying about her doing something irrational.

But Xia Yu could sense that He Zhaoqiong was not in the right state, and his own sense of guilt rose even further.

Xia Yu said nothing but gently sat down next to He Zhaoqiong, turning to look at her beautiful profile.

Seeing the pink flush on He Zhaoqiong's fair face, Xia Yu smiled silently and said gently, "Zhaoqiong, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming to find me, and I've made you sad."

Xia Yu's apology made He Zhaoqiong even more upset. Her eyes became moist, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She blinked, trying to prevent more tears from falling.

She didn't want to cry for this big bad guy, Xia Yu.

But tears are not so easily controlled.

"Why?"

He Zhaoqiong asked in a sad voice.

Xia Yu pursed his lips, his face showing a complicated expression. He whispered, "Zhaoqiong, I'm sorry. I've made you sad."

Xia Yu's apology made He Zhaoqiong even more sorrowful, and tears streamed down her face. She asked through her sobs, "What's your relationship with her?"

Xia Yu initially wanted to wipe He Zhaoqiong's tears with his sleeve, but her sudden question made him freeze for a moment. He quickly reacted, reaching out to wipe her tears, but He Zhaoqiong dodged, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.

"I…"

"I'm sorry…"

It was truly discovered! Oh dear! A thought flashed through Xia Yu's mind.

Xia Yu instinctively avoided looking at He Zhaoqiong, his face full of remorse. 

Although he didn't explicitly say it, Xia Yu's reaction revealed everything, and He Zhaoqiong collapsed, tears flooding down like a burst dam, accompanied by heart-wrenching sobs.

"Wuwu… sniff… wuwu…"

"Why? I met you first. If you don't like me, why were you so nice to me, and now you're with someone else!"

"Why!"

"Am I so inferior to her in your heart?"

He Zhaoqiong cried out loudly, her heartbroken appearance making Xia Yu feel extremely distressed.

He could certainly feel the depth of her feelings, but he was torn. He had pushed Li Qian aside, and as his first woman, how could he heartlessly discard her?

Over time, Xia Yu had indeed grown fond of Li Qian. He loved her gentleness and kindness, her purity and cuteness, all of which had silently entered his heart.

But Xia Yu also liked He Zhaoqiong very much and was prepared to have her as his girlfriend. Who could have predicted the unexpected turn of events?

"Zhaoqiong, you're a very good girl and very likable. You're not worse than anyone else. I swear this is the truth!"

Xia Yu said firmly.

Hearing this, He Zhaoqiong felt somewhat better but still cried as she asked, "Then tell me, do you like me or not?"

Seeing He Zhaoqiong's tearful, hopeful gaze, Xia Yu resisted the urge to look away, meeting her eyes and nodding firmly, "Yes! And very much!"

He Zhaoqiong immediately stopped crying and her mood stabilized. She looked at Xia Yu with hope and softly pleaded, "Then will you leave her? Please?"

Xia Yu was suddenly in a difficult position. Not to mention that he had grown fond of Li Qian, but based on what he knew about her, if he left her,

 she would lose all confidence in life. That would be too cruel for her!

"Xia Yu, please, leave her, okay?"

Seeing Xia Yu's difficulty, He Zhaoqiong sadly begged, her heart sinking further.

"Zhaoqiong, the situation is very complicated. Please don't ask me like this, okay?"

Xia Yu frowned slightly and comforted her patiently.

"You're lying to me. You've been lying to me. You're a liar, a big liar, a big jerk…"

"Here, I don't want your things. I'll give them back to you…"

He Zhaoqiong cried out as she took off the jade pendant from her chest, trying to throw it at Xia Yu.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Xia Yu knew that He Zhaoqiong, in her emotional state, wouldn't calm down easily. However, no matter what, all the mistakes started with him.

Without thinking, Xia Yu pulled He Zhaoqiong into an embrace, whispering in her ear, "Zhaoqiong, I'm not lying to you. I really like you!"

"I don't want to listen, I don't want to listen. You're just lying to me. You're a big liar…"

He Zhaoqiong struggled fiercely, but Xia Yu held her tightly. No matter how hard He Zhaoqiong tried, she couldn't break free.

"Big liar… mm…"