Chapter 31: Potential Foul Play

Gu Tingchu lowered his head, looking deeply aggrieved. "Grandma Qiao, I truly don't know anything about this matter. I wasn't even present on the day Yunzhou and Yanxin were married, so how could I possibly know where Yunzhou went?"

Mother Qiao stepped in to smooth things over. "Mother, Yunzhou went missing on his own. What does that have to do with anyone else? Even if you vent your anger on others, it won't bring Yunzhou back right now, will it?"

"Besides," Mother Qiao cast a glance at Gu Tingchu, who was still kneeling on the floor, "Tingchu isn't one of our family members. It’s probably not appropriate to lash out at an outsider when you should be talking to us."

Mr. and Mrs. Qiao continued to speak up for Gu Tingchu, attempting to dampen the grandmother’s fury. The grandmother remained silent, her cold gaze fixed on Gu Tingchu.

I looked over at Qiao Yanxin. Her expression was complex; after a moment of hesitation, she slowly stepped toward Gu Tingchu. Gu Tingchu knelt there, his expression icy. I knew he was no saint, and I suspected his patience had reached its limit.

Qiao Yanxin looked down at him, her voice soft. "Tingchu, are you lying to me?"

I felt a surge of excitement at her words. Was she finally about to see his true colors? In this moment, there wasn't a trace of love in her eyes as she looked at him, only a flicker of doubt.

Gu Tingchu looked up with a pitiful expression, biting his lower lip to make himself look as wretched as possible. "Yanxin, please believe me. I haven't lied to you. I’ve told you everything I know without holding anything back. I don't know why the person in that place turned out not to be Yunzhou. If I had known, how could I have possibly told you?"

His words were earnest, yet Qiao Yanxin’s expression remained unmoved. Gu Tingchu sighed and wiped the tears from his face. "If you don't believe me, Yanxin, I can swear an oath."

He raised three fingers. "If I have anything to do with Yunzhou’s disappearance, may I have no descendants and die a miserable death..."

"Enough!" Qiao Yanxin’s face darkened, as if something had just occurred to her.

She pulled Gu Tingchu up from the floor and grabbed his hand, leading him to touch a piece of wood. "Knock on wood. Let’s just consider what you said to be erased."

"I didn't say I didn't believe you. Why would you make such a toxic vow?" she asked, her eyes filled with heartache.

Tears welled up in Gu Tingchu’s eyes, but he forced a smile. "It doesn't matter. As long as you believe me, I’ll swear any oath you want."

I was speechless, unable to find the words. I knew Qiao Yanxin was naive, but I hadn't realized she was this foolish. A few empty words were all it took to sway her. Gu Tingchu had said nothing of substance, yet she believed him completely. What did a vow even matter? It was just empty talk—none of those things could actually come true.

Grandma Qiao watched their intimate display, her chest heaving with rage. "Qiao Yanxin, have you no shame left? Yunzhou went missing precisely because of this man. Instead of looking for him, you’re here flirting? You and Yunzhou are legally married; how can you be so utterly disgraceful?"

Mother Qiao frowned and hurried to intervene. "Mother, you can't say it like that. How is Yanxin being disgraceful? It’s Yunzhou who has been gone for so long without calling home. Why blame our Yanxin?"

"Besides, our priority right now is to find Yunzhou. We can discuss other things later. That boy Yunzhou is really something—he goes out, but why couldn't he tell us? Is it so hard to just let us know? We raised him for all these years, treating him like our own son, and yet when he leaves, he doesn't even say a word to his father and mother."

Mr. Qiao’s face was also grim. "Why didn't he board the flight he booked? Was he trying to create some kind of illusion? Could it be that he’s just hiding to spite Yanxin, making sure no one can find him?"

Grandma Qiao glared at them in fury. "Yunzhou is not the person you claim he is! You keep saying you treat him like a son, but look at how you’re behaving!"

Qiao Yanxin’s brow was furrowed in deep thought; she seemed filled with suspicion. She sighed, walked over, picked up the blanket that had fallen from the grandmother’s lap, and tucked it back around her.

"Grandma, don't worry. I will find Yunzhou. As for Tingchu, we are just friends. I will keep my distance from him in the future. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to attend to."

Gu Tingchu’s face went pale at her words. He likely hadn't expected that all his efforts would only result in being called "just a friend."

I was once again astonished by Qiao Yanxin’s thick skin. Friends? Did she sleep with all her friends? They were sleeping in the same bed, yet she still called it friendship. I rolled my eyes, feeling too exhausted to even mock them anymore.

Qiao Yanxin pursed her lips and hurried out of the Qiao residence. I wondered what she was in such a rush to do. As she stepped into her car, a strange man’s voice drifted to her ears.

"Ms. Qiao, has young master Qiao returned home yet?"

Qiao Yanxin frowned and looked at the man. It was the police officer from the station who had told her that Qiao Yunzhou might have met with foul play.

"Officer Wang, why are you here?" Her expression was cold.

Wang Hui looked serious. "Ms. Qiao, I can tell you with full responsibility that given how long he has been gone and the circumstances at the time, it is highly likely that he has been murdered!"

Qiao Yanxin glanced at him impatiently. "Officer Wang, how many times do I have to tell you? Qiao Yunzhou just ran off; he is not missing. What kind of grudge do you hold against him? Why are you always cursing him? Do you hate to see him do well so much that you won't be happy until I admit he’s missing and likely dead?"

Wang Hui waved his hands hurriedly. "No, how could I think that? I’m just worried about him."

Qiao Yanxin gave him a cold look. "Qiao Yunzhou is a member of the Qiao family; it’s not your place to worry about him. Besides, I recall your daughter once had a crush on him, didn't she? Why are you so concerned about Qiao Yunzhou, really?"