Chapter 175: Mother Xu is Missing

Hearing that this copy of The Little Prince was a gift from someone else, Xu An'an couldn't help taking a few extra glances. She noticed that the book was extremely well preserved, though it bore many signs of being thumbed through.

It was evident that Jiang Li cared deeply about this book.

To be precise, he cared deeply about the person who had given it to him.

In all likelihood, it was a gift from a young woman.

Without asking any further, Xu An'an put the book back. "I wouldn't have taken you for the type to read books like this."

"Do you not like it?" Jiang Li countered.

In truth, the moment she laid eyes on the book's cover, Xu An'an had fallen in love with it, but she now denied it, saying, "I don't like it. In fact, I don't like reading at all."

Sensing that Xu An'an was just being difficult, Jiang Li's eyes flickered with amusement.

"This soup tastes wonderful. It makes my stomach feel all warm."

Though her expression remained calm, Xu An'an's tail was practically wagging in the air. That soup had been made with genuine, premium ingredients and simmered for hours.

"Then finish it."

"It's already finished." Jiang Li showed Xu An'an the thermos; not a single drop of soup remained inside.

He even took the initiative to wash the thermos and the bowl himself.

Once Jiang Li finished eating, Xu An'an prepared to begin the interview, only then pulling out the interview outline Xue Shengnan had given her.

For the most part, everything looked fine, but Xue Shengnan had scribbled a note at the very bottom.

She had instructed Xu An'an to seize the opportunity to ask Jiang Li about his past romantic history.

Xu An'an felt a headache coming on. How could she possibly bring herself to ask something like that? It felt far too much like abusing her professional position for personal matters, and more importantly, would Jiang Li even answer?

She flipped to the next page.

Figures. Xue Shengnan had even prepared the specific questions for her.

Asking what his relationship with Murong Yan was.

Asking for his views on his exes and whether he still kept in touch with them.

"Why haven't we started yet?" Seeing the colorful expressions playing across Xu An'an's face, Jiang Li's curiosity was thoroughly piqued as to what she could possibly want to ask.

Knock, knock.

The door to the CEO's office was rapped.

Assistant Wang had come to remind Jiang Li of a meeting scheduled in five minutes.

Jiang Li initially intended to postpone the meeting, but upon seeing the small face of Xu An'an, who still looked utterly distressed, he dismissed the thought. "Pardon me, but you'll have to wait until I return to conduct the interview. That's alright, isn't it?"

Xu An'an breathed a sigh of relief. "No problem at all."

With over an hour to spare, she had ample time to prepare other questions.

Once Jiang Li left, it didn't take long for Xu An'an to come up with a host of far more valuable questions. After all, Jiang Li was famous in Shanghai not merely for his volatile temper, but even more so for his ruthless and decisive methods in the business world, which struck fear into the hearts of everyone who heard his name.

The most talked-about incident of all was a high-stakes wager worth tens of billions.

Over a dozen wily old tycoons had teamed up, plotting to teach Jiang Li a lesson, only for them to suffer a crushing, total defeat, while Jiang Li walked away with both fame and fortune.

From that day forward, no one ever dared to provoke Jiang Li lightly again.

And that was the primary reason why the old master held Jiang Li in such high regard, even going so far as to mobilize all his connections to suppress any news that might cast a shadow over Jiang Li's reputation.

He had effectively sealed away the truth about Jiang Li being an illegitimate son.

In reality, Jiang Li was not an illegitimate son at all; the old master had done this simply to preserve his own pride, as abandoning a devoted wife who had stood by him through hardship was hardly something to boast about.

At this thought, Xu An'an couldn't help flipping through the news reports she had saved—every single one of them was about Jiang Li.

Ring, ring, ring!

Noticing the call was from Aunt Zhang, Xu An'an quickly answered. "Hello, Aunt Zhang."

"Miss Xu, Madam is gone!"

Aunt Zhang was in a state of absolute panic. "I must have eaten something bad this morning and had to rush to the restroom. When I came out, Madam was nowhere to be seen. I've looked everywhere for her!"

Xu An'an's heart skipped a violent beat. Having no time to dwell on it, she told Aunt Zhang to go ask Wen Hairou for help.

"Check the hospital's surveillance footage!"

"Right, right! I'm going to find Miss Wen right now!"

After hanging up the phone, Xu An'an hurried in a panic toward the hospital, momentarily forgetting to tidy away the interview questions left out on the desk.

Upon reviewing the surveillance footage, it was clearly visible that Mrs. Xu had walked out of the hospital under her own power.

Xu An'an felt a sudden jolt in her chest.

She suspected whether her mother's memories might be returning; otherwise, she would never have left the hospital on her own accord.

Wen Hairou shared the same suspicion. "I've already called the police. The authorities will check the surveillance cameras along the roads, and I'm sure we'll trace your mother's whereabouts very soon."

"Still, I think you should probably go home and take a look."

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Xu An'an turned and rushed back home, feeling a flicker of gratitude that scoundrel Xu Fengnian had never once brought her mother to the Xu family residence, even after acknowledging the mother and daughter.

The home where the mother and daughter had originally lived was located quite far from the city center, taking over two hours by bus.

It was only later, when Mrs. Xu required hospitalization, that Xu An'an had moved closer to the city center, renting a place near the Second Ring Road for the sake of convenience with her job.

However, Xu An'an had specifically hired someone to go back and clean their old house every week.

She hurriedly dialed Aunt Li's number.

She instructed Aunt Li to go and keep watch near her old home, and to call her immediately if she saw anyone return. As for herself, she planned to patrol the vicinity around the nearby bus station.

After all, her mother was still suffering from amnesia; she probably hadn't even remembered which bus route to take yet.

Besides, bus routes had changed significantly over the past few years.

Clutching a photograph of her mother, Xu An'an began asking vendors near the bus station.

A sweet potato vendor stationed closest to the bus stop had been keeping a close eye on the waiting area, ready to shout out to anyone who glanced her way.

Doing business required a sharp eye.

"I've seen her," the vendor said. "She was wandering around the bus stop looking lost, so I went over to ask what she needed. She said she wanted to go home but had forgotten which bus to take. Anyone could tell she needed to ask the police for help! But I couldn't leave my stall unattended, so I just pointed her in the direction of the police station."

To thank the kind woman, Xu An'an pulled out money to buy some sweet potatoes.

Pressed for time, she grabbed two sweet potatoes and shoved them into a plastic bag, ignoring the scalding heat.

"Thank you so much!"

"Hey, wait! I haven't given you your change!" the vendor called out.

But Xu An'an was already out of sight.

When Xu An'an rushed to the nearest police station, she didn't see Mrs. Xu anywhere. A police officer stepped forward to inquire, and she hurriedly showed him the photograph.

"Have you seen this woman by any chance?"

"She's my mother. She has amnesia and slipped out of the hospital while her caregiver wasn't paying attention. A kind vendor told her to come here and ask you for help."

Upon learning the situation, several duty officers gathered around to look at the photo.

Suddenly, a younger officer remembered something. "I recall seeing her. She lingered at the entrance for a moment, but didn't come inside. I was on the phone at the time and couldn't check on her immediately. By the time I walked outside, she was already gone."

The officers advised Xu An'an not to panic.

They immediately dispatched officers to search the area.

"I remember seeing her about half an hour ago, so she should still be around here. Let's check the surveillance cameras first to see which direction she went after leaving."

On the surveillance footage, Mrs. Xu could indeed be seen lingering outside the police station entrance for a short while.

For reasons unknown, however, she had chosen not to enter, turning instead to cross the street opposite. Unfortunately, the security camera on the other side of the road happened to be broken, leaving it entirely unclear where Mrs. Xu had gone next.

Xu An'an's pupils constricted violently. Further down that exact road lay the Xu family residence!