Returning to Parents' Seventeen
Chapter 119 I Miss You

Chapter 119: Chapter 119 I Miss You

The soundproofing in the hotel wasn’t very good, Xu Chuning knew that.

But wasn’t knocking on the wall a bit too much?

Closing the door, Xu Chuning couldn’t help but turn her head to look at the wall behind the bed, she couldn’t stop thinking, if she knocked on the wall, could Shen Yubai really hear it?

This thought had just flashed through her mind when Xu Chuning began to despise herself for thinking such nonsense.

She tapped her head with her hand and sat down at the table, ready to eat.

Opening the food that Shen Yubai had brought her, Xu Chuning picked up her phone and sent him a message: "Why did you buy so much?"

Her appetite wasn’t that big.

Shen Yubai replied quickly: "I didn’t know what you wanted to eat, so I bought a bit of everything."

Xu Chuning: "...It’s wasteful if I can’t finish."

Shen Yubai: "It’s not a lot, just eat first."

Xu Chuning looked at the table full of food and replied: "Hmm, thank you."

Shen Yubai: "I’m going to nap for a while, call me anytime if you need anything."

Xu Chuning: "Okay."

After ending the conversation with Shen Yubai, Xu Chuning started eating. Besides the meals, Shen Yubai also bought her a bottle of lemon tea, perfect for drinking a cold beverage in the hot summer.

After drinking half a cup of lemon tea, Xu Chuning felt her appetite returning.

Unconsciously, Xu Chuning finished the three dishes Shen Yubai bought, including about half a bowl of rice.

For a moment, Xu Chuning felt somewhat embarrassed; she seemed to have eaten too much.

After cleaning up the leftovers, Xu Chuning wandered around the room, then took a book out of her suitcase, planning to read for a while before going to sleep.

During her first afternoon in Linqiu, Xu Chuning had a busy yet fulfilling time.

In the evening, Shen Yubai and Xu Chuning went to the police station. The police station was nearby, so they didn’t bother Brother Wang to drive them.

Upon arriving at the police station, Xu Chuning met the police officer who said they had found a clue about Li Xiaonan. After negotiating with him, the police officer told her that due to a fire in the orphanage, all previous archived records had been lost. The orphans who had been there with Li Xiaonan had gradually been adopted out. For this reason, they had yet to find anyone who remembered where Li Xiaonan was adopted.

He expressed his apologies to Xu Chuning.

Xu Chuning shook her head, softly saying, "You have already worked hard enough."

She needed to express her gratitude to these police officers.

Xu Chuning remembered Shen Sinian had mentioned that in the future world, they found Li Xiaonan after she and Shen Yubai, both college graduates, got married. To have her clues now was already a gift for her and You Shuzhen.

Leaving the police station, Xu Chuning and Shen Yubai slowly walked along.

After a while, Shen Yubai stopped, "Don’t blame yourself."

Xu Chuning was slightly startled, looking up at him, "Shen Yubai."

Shen Yubai looked down, their eyes meeting in that instant, his heart felt like it had been pricked by something, sour bubbles rising, he responded heavily, "What’s wrong?"

"Thank you," said Xu Chuning sincerely.

Shen Yubai was taken aback, "We haven’t found her yet, it’s too early to thank."

Xu Chuning looked up, "Not too early."

She should have thanked him.

Seeing her stubborn look, Shen Yubai took her hand and led her to sit on a stone bench nearby, his tone mild, "You’re not feeling discouraged now, are you?" he asked her, "Thinking of giving up?"

"How could that be?" Xu Chuning refuted him loudly, "I’m just wondering where she is. How she is doing now."

Shen Yubai paused, seeing her melancholic demeanor, wanting to hug her, yet feeling it too abrupt, that she might dislike it.

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Yubai raised his hand and patted her head to comfort her, "Don’t worry, she definitely won’t be in trouble."

He reminded Xu Chuning, "You forgot? Shen Sinian said, we met her later on."

Xu Chuning opened her mouth, "I know, but I want to prevent what she might encounter in the future."

At least, she shouldn’t marry into the family Shen Sinian mentioned.

Shen Yubai understood, and after a moment of silence, he assured Xu Chuning, "We already have leads on her, and we will definitely find her faster than we would in the future."

"..."

Xu Chuning thought for a moment and slightly regained her spirits, "I think so too."

With encouragement from Shen Yubai, Xu Chuning felt a bit more confident about finding Li Xiaonan. She lifted her glittering eyes and asked him, "Shall we go back to the hotel now?"

Shen Yubai: "Since we’re already here, why not stroll around?"

He had never been to such a remote town before.

Hearing that, Xu Chuning looked around, "Walk around where?"

There wasn’t much to see in the town, just a few stores that were open. Besides that, the nightlife and entertainment options you find in big cities were absent here.

It seemed Shen Yubai also noticed this issue, he touched his nose and said, "Let’s go eat."

The two hadn’t had dinner yet.

Xu Chuning nodded, "What about Brother Wang?"

"I’ll ask him." Shen Yubai took out his phone and called Brother Wang.

Brother Wang said he was too lazy to come out and told them to figure it out themselves. He would just grab something near the hotel.

After hanging up, Xu Chuning and Shen Yubai found a fairly nice restaurant in the center of the town.

After a quick meal, they leisurely walked back to the hotel. Just as they were about to reach the hotel, Xu Chuning’s phone rang. She looked down; it was a call from Shen Sinian.

"Hello." Xu Chuning answered with a slight smile, in a good mood.

Shen Sinian’s crisp and cool voice reached her ears, "Ningning, have you eaten?"

Xu Chuning chuckled, "Just finished eating, how about you?"

Shen Sinian: "I ate earlier, just finished filming and about to head back to the hotel."

He asked Xu Chuning, "How is it going in Linqiu? Are you doing okay? What are you doing right now?"

"..."

Shen Sinian always had many questions.

Every time Xu Chuning heard his voice, her tensed emotions would relax quite a bit, "I’m still outside, just went to the police station."

Shen Sinian was startled and quickly asked, "Shen Yubai went with you, right?"

Xu Chuning subconsciously turned to look at the person beside her and vaguely hummed, "Yes."

Shen Sinian: "That’s good."

The mother and son talked for a while, and as they were about to hang up, Shen Sinian was a bit reluctant, "I miss you."

Xu Chuning burst out laughing, her eyes curving, "I miss you too."

Shen Yubai, who heard these two sentences, fiddled with his eyelids inscrutably and hummed with laughter.

Xu Chuning: "..."

She turned her head to look at him, Shen Yubai looked back at her openly, even asking - what are you looking at?

Xu Chuning was speechless, and after hanging up the phone, she finally spoke, "What were you humming just now?"

Shen Yubai frowned slightly, slightly displeased, "How could Shen Sinian still be so noisy even after joining the cast?"

"..." Xu Chuning choked, quietly asked, "Aren’t you afraid that Shen Sinian will find out what you said about him?"

Hearing that, Shen Yubai raised an eyebrow, "Why should I be afraid?"

What he said was clearly the truth.