A White Cloud (GL ABO) - Chapter 72.1

“No trace of anyone matching Yuan Hua was found in the γ-2 molecule screening.”

Hearing the report, Xiaomi leaned back in her car seat, exhausted, rubbing her temples.

As expected, still nothing.

Where was Xiao Hua?

“But there’s progress on the other matter you asked me to check,” the voice on the phone said.

The words pulled Xiaomi’s thoughts back. She cleared her throat, urging them to continue.

“That Qin family miss, injured by a minefield years ago, not only lost her legs but caused an officer’s death during her rescue. The officer was an illegitimate son of the Pei family, the current head’s younger brother,” they reported.

Pei You’s uncle, in other words.

Xiaomi understood why Shen Zhiqing appeared with Pei You that day.

Was Pei You using Shen Zhiqing to target Qin Yishui?

Clever choice—whether through the Shen family or Shen Zhiqing’s grandfather, Fang Lianwen, the pressure they could exert on the Qin family far exceeded Pei You’s reach alone.

So, Pei You sought revenge for her uncle? But he died so long ago…

“Anything else?” Xiaomi asked, turning on the car’s interior light.

She checked her makeup in the rearview mirror.

Outside, the setting sun cast a glow, and the streets buzzed with life.

Pages rustled on the other end.

“Also, according to someone close to Miss Pei, she once mentioned the Qin family took in a girl years ago, an Alpha,” they said.

“Go on,” Xiaomi urged, gazing out the window.

Sunset light filtered through, touching her face, as if comforting her.

She recalled Yuan Hua’s second birthday party.

Xiao Hua sat sulkily apart, upset after fighting with Yuan Jin over a toy, refusing to join the fun.

Surrounded by others, she toddled over with her chubby legs, hugged Xiaomi, and gave her a new toy.

“Sister,” Yuan Hua said.

She knew a few words—mommy, daddy, sister.

She called Yuan Jin sister and Xiaomi sister too, utterly lovable.

The person on the phone, unaware of her mood, continued.

“Coincidentally, the day the Qin family took in that girl was the day Miss Yuan Hua went missing,” they said.

Boom—

A thunderous roar echoed in her ears, shattering Xiaomi’s composure.

One thought consumed her.

Could it be Xiao Hua?

“Miss Xiao?” the detective asked, hearing her heavy breathing.

He understood her reaction.

Since his small agency started, Xiaomi had been a client, searching for Yuan Hua for years with no leads.

Her whereabouts vanished—until this potential breakthrough.

How could it not shock them?

After years of searching, the person might be within reach; no one could face that calmly.

But Xiaomi had drowned in disappointment too often.

Her nails dug into the steering wheel’s leather, her teeth clenched to control her emotions.

“Speak,” she said.

The person quickly summarized.

“We found no records of that girl. We suspect she was never brought out by the Qin family,” they said.

House arrest?

If it was Xiao Hua…

Xiaomi’s voice turned icy.

“Find out about that girl, no matter what. If anything blocks you, tell me,” she ordered.

Though her father no longer served in the Huajing military district, his connections remained.

If the Qin family hid or shielded Qin Yishui, she wouldn’t let it go.

Hanging up, Xiaomi noticed the sky had darkened completely.

Her car was parked roadside.

She planned to visit an elder—her grandfather’s old friend—after work, but her current state wasn’t suitable.

Twilight settled, and the streets grew livelier.

Xiaomi watched the passing crowds, feeling lost.

Over the years searching for Yuan Hua, she’d seen abused children living inhuman lives before welfare took them—scavenging with stray dogs, sleeping in alleys, or pushed into seedy places at young ages.

Each failure to find Yuan Hua filled her with dread.

What if Yuan Hua endured such horrors?

How could she face that?

Knock, knock—

Lost in nightmares, a tap on her window startled her.

Xiaomi opened her eyes; a familiar face reflected in the glass.

Lowering the window, Su Jue, sent out for soy sauce by her grandfather, looked surprised.

“Is it really you?” she said.

The area wasn’t upscale but lively.

Su Jue’s grandmother loved bustling places, so Xiang Ming bought a small villa nearby decades ago.

Su Jue glanced at Xiaomi in the car, then at the surroundings, confirming she wasn’t mistaken.

“Lost while running errands?” she asked.

In her view, this noisy, common area clashed with Xiaomi’s refined aura, especially in her formal women’s suit, fresh from a negotiation table.

“Why are you here?” Xiaomi asked.

She had a good impression of Su Jue.

Though not close before, recent interactions shifted her view.

The flamboyant Su Jue proved reliable in other ways.

Su Jue raised her bag.

“Buying soy sauce,” she said, rummaging through it and pulling out two popsicles.

“Here, my treat,” she added.

She unwrapped one, biting the chocolate shell, mumbling, “Where you headed?”

In a loose gray hoodie and pants, with white sneakers, she looked unlike her usual flashy self.

Xiaomi eyed her feigned innocence, recalling her grandfather’s friend was the director of Huajing Medical University Affiliated Hospital.

No way it was that coincidental.

“Do you know Director Xiang Ming at your hospital?” Xiaomi asked.

Su Jue froze mid-bite, her face twisting oddly.

She scanned Xiaomi through the car door, then spoke awkwardly.

“You’re here for my grandfather?”