Chapter 382: The Year-End Crisis (Part 2)

Note: A correction regarding Zhu Mei’s age. She is eighteen, not sixteen. As the saying goes, 'An eighteen-year-old girl is like a blooming flower.' Special thanks to 'History Enthusiast' for pointing this out.

Hou Weidong sat in his office, his mind in turmoil, obsessing over Zhu Mei’s situation. "Zhu Mei is deaf and mute, but she is also a young woman living in modern society. At eighteen, it is perfectly normal for her to have her own emotional needs."

He called his eldest brother repeatedly. Hou Weiguo, a veteran criminal investigator, viewed the matter with the calm detachment of experience. "Third Brother, don’t panic. It’s just a young person running away from home. Even if our Economic Crime Investigation Detachment has to step out of its lane to help you find her, what could possibly go wrong?"

Hou Weidong felt a surge of frustration. "Big Brother, Zhu Mei isn’t an ordinary child. She is deaf and mute. If anything were to happen to her, Secretary Zhu would be devastated."

Secretary Zhu Yan was equally anxious, his phone ringing off the hook. "Weidong, hurry up. Even if we have to search every corner of Shazhou, we must find Zhu Mei. This child has suffered since she was young and hasn’t enjoyed much happiness. We cannot let anything happen to her."

Zhu Yan’s face was grim in his office. His secretary had urged him several times to attend the meeting, but he could only muster the energy to drag himself to the Standing Committee conference room. Today marked the first Standing Committee meeting since Maodong was upgraded from a prefecture to a city, and they needed to discuss personnel matters. As the Deputy Secretary in charge of organization, his presence was mandatory.

As he entered the conference room, his face dark, he called Hou Weidong again. "Call me the moment you have any news. As soon as this meeting ends, I’m heading to Shazhou."

Zhu Yan had established considerable authority in Maodong. Since today’s agenda involved personnel appointments, most members of the Standing Committee had their own agendas. Zhu Yan was a pivotal figure in these negotiations. Seeing his iron-gray expression, everyone began to speculate on what crisis had struck.

Hou Weidong hung up with Zhu Yan and immediately called Hou Weiguo.

"Stop rushing me," Hou Weiguo said. "I’ve mobilized the Dongcheng police station as well. The station chief is Luo Jinhao, your senior fellow student. He has sent out all the officers. If Zhu Mei is in Shazhou, she won’t escape our net. But if she isn’t here, things will be much more difficult."

Hou Weidong tried calling Zhu Mei’s mobile phone again, but it was still switched off. "Why did this girl turn off her phone? It’s driving me crazy."

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaojia was driving, with Teacher Yang from the school for the deaf and mute sitting in the passenger seat. Teacher Yang was the daughter of the old principal and had a good relationship with Xiaojia. Together, they had scoured every square and park in Shazhou, but found nothing.

"Where do young couples usually go when they’re dating?" Xiaojia asked. Since getting her driver’s license, she had been driving Hou Weidong’s two Bluebird sedans. Hou Weidong usually rode in Ma Bo’s car for his commute and rarely had time to drive himself, so Xiaojia’s skills had improved rapidly with daily practice.

Teacher Yang replied, "Children with hearing and speech impairments tend to be very self-respecting. Based on my experience and my understanding of Zhu Mei, she dislikes crowded places. She is most likely to be somewhere with beautiful scenery."

Xiaojia frowned. "We’ve checked all the parks in the city. Where else could it be?"

Both women fell silent, thinking. Suddenly, they spoke in unison. "Tieping Mountain."

Tieping Mountain was located on the edge of the city, with an average elevation of about one thousand meters. It was a newly developed tourist attraction in Shazhou, featuring a viewing platform, agritainment farms, and public bus service. It was indeed a perfect spot for romance.

Driving up the winding mountain road, they did not miss a single scenic spot. Halfway up the slope, they came across a large agritainment farm. Surrounded by lush green trees, it looked inviting. As they entered the gate, the proprietress greeted them. Xiaojia, being quick-witted, said, "I made an appointment with friends, but I can’t remember which table. It’s a man and a woman."

It was noon, and since it wasn’t the weekend, business was slow. The proprietress remembered her customers clearly. Recalling the phone call from the police station, she looked at Xiaojia with suspicion, then pointed inside. "Yes, they are inside. The girl is very pretty, unfortunately, she is mute." Curious, she added, "Who are they? So many people are looking for them."

Hearing the word "mute," Xiaojia felt a surge of relief. "It’s fine, we are friends."

The agritainment complex was built into the hillside. The outermost area featured a platform that, on clear days, offered a panoramic view of the entire city of Shazhou. However, the weather was cold, and aside from the young couple, no one else was on the platform. Xiaojia followed the proprietress to the entrance. "Thank you," she said. "I’ll settle their bill."

Once the proprietress left, Xiaojia whispered to Teacher Yang, "We need to be tactful. Let’s preserve their dignity."

She quickly called Hou Weidong. He let out a long sigh of relief on the other end. "Thank you so much. When we get home, we’ll do the laundry." Xiaojia softly spat into the phone, "Pah!"

The young man was looking down, typing a text message. Hearing someone call out, he looked up and saw two strange women.

"I am Zhu Mei’s sister," Xiaojia said. "Please stay seated. I have something to say to you."

The young man was Wang Xiyu. He had been chatting online with "Fast-Talking Xiaomei" under the username "Son of the Wind" for over a year. They met online every day; missing a single day felt like three autumns. He had invited "Fast-Talking Xiaomei" to meet several times, but she had always refused. Now, with the Spring Festival approaching, he sent another invitation.

"Online friends usually die upon meeting in person," Fast-Talking Xiaomei had typed. "I’m afraid you’ll be shocked when you see me."

Son of the Wind had seen Xiaomei’s photos, though he didn’t remember having seen her in his shop before. He typed back with a smile, "I will definitely be shocked, because you are ten times more beautiful in person than in the photos."

Faced with such sweet words, Xiaomei typed a string of exclamation marks and finally wrote, "If we die upon meeting, we die. We must meet eventually. By the way, remember to fully charge your phone. I’ll text you when I arrive in Shazhou."

For the past year, Wang Xiyu had not known that Fast-Talking Xiaomei was deaf and mute. Zhu Mei had wanted to tell him several times but lacked the courage.

Wang Xiyu picked up Zhu Mei at the bus station. Seeing her from a distance, wrapped in a white scarf, he was struck by her beauty. The real-life Fast-Talking Xiaomei was even more elegant and pure than her online photos, resembling Xiaolongnü from the古墓派 (Tomb Sect) in wuxia novels. Yes, exactly like Xiaolongnü.

Just as he was about to walk over, his phone buzzed. Looking up, he saw Fast-Talking Xiaomei holding up her phone and pointing at it.

"My real name is Zhu Mei. I am deaf and mute. Haha, don’t be scared," Zhu Mei typed, trying to appear relaxed. After sending the message, she stared intently at Wang Xiyu’s face.

Looking at Wang Xiyu, Zhu Mei felt a strange sense of disappointment. Her first thought was, "Why is he so short?" Aside from her peers at the school for the deaf and mute, she interacted mostly with her father’s colleagues and her grandfather’s subordinates. These people held certain social status and had a certain taste in demeanor, clothing, and grooming. In Zhu Mei’s mind, a normal man should look like that.

Wang Xiyu, although her closest online friend and looking decent in photos, did not meet her expectations in person. His clothing, temperament, and appearance did not match the image of the white knight in her heart. She wasn’t entirely clear what her ideal white knight looked like, but he should at least bear some resemblance to her father, Zhu Yan, or be like Brother Weidong. Despite this, she still hoped Wang Xiyu would accept the fact that she was deaf and mute. She thought to herself, "If he accepts me happily, what should I do?"

Wang Xiyu was wearing a suit with a tie clip and had styled his hair in a trendy slicked-back look. He felt he had the vibe of a Hong Kong or Taiwanese star. When he realized Zhu Mei was truly deaf and mute, he was startled. His initial instinct was to turn and leave, but seeing her elegant, otherworldly beauty and serene temperament, he found himself unable to move.

He typed much slower than Zhu Mei. After thinking for a moment, he sent a message: "Tieping Mountain."

Zhu Mei received the message and nodded.

They took a taxi up Tieping Mountain. Zhu Mei held her phone tightly. To avoid being disturbed, she had switched to a new SIM card, allowing her to remain anonymous and text freely. She had filled her heart with anticipation for this runaway adventure.

Love and the idea of a white knight had an unparalleled impact on an eighteen-year-old girl, even if she was deaf and mute.

Having seen the real "Son of the Wind," Zhu Mei did not send any more messages during the journey. They climbed Tieping Mountain in silence, without words or texts. When they arrived at the agritainment farm and sat down, Zhu Mei typed on her phone while Wang Xiyu wrote with a pen. After communicating in this familiar way for a while, the awkwardness of their first meeting gradually eased.

Looking into Zhu Mei’s eyes, bright as autumn water, Wang Xiyu felt particularly conflicted.

At the Dongcheng police station, Hou Weiguo sat in Station Chief Luo Jinhao’s office. In addition to sending officers out to search, Luo Jinhao had two resident police officers call hotels and restaurants in their jurisdiction one by one.

When they called the agritainment farm on Tieping Mountain, the female proprietress said, "There is a man and a woman. The man is only about 1.6 meters tall. The girl is a sweet kid. I don’t know if she is deaf and mute. Okay, I’ll go check." She added curiously, "What do these two do? Are they bad people?"

The resident officer did not answer her question. "Go say a few words to the girl. See if she is deaf. Once you figure it out, call me." Upon learning that there was indeed a deaf and mute girl inside, Hou Weiguo jumped up. "I’m coming right now." Luo Jinhao said, "I’ll go with you."

The two drove a police unmarked car and a marked police car, speeding toward Tieping Mountain. Just as they were approaching the agritainment farm, Hou Weidong’s phone rang again.

Teacher Yang’s sign language was fluent. She communicated with Xiaojia, who then wrote on a piece of paper: "I am Hou Weidong’s wife, Zhang Xiaojia."

Zhu Mei had run away for love, or rather, she had left home with her guardians’ backs turned for the sake of love. This departure meant even more to her than the love itself. She had not expected to be found so quickly. She returned Xiaojia a helpless smile.

Outside, the sound of urgent braking echoed. Hou Weiguo was in plain clothes, while Luo Jinhao wore his police uniform. The two officers, tall and imposing with sharp eyes, stood before Wang Xiyu, leaving him stunned. He stood up, looking at Luo Jinhao and Hou Weiguo, and stammered, "I didn’t do anything wrong."

Zhu Mei looked at Hou Weiguo, who bore a strong resemblance to Hou Weidong, and quickly realized this must have been arranged by her father. She looked at the three men with a mix of helplessness and relief.

Hou Weidong sent a text message to Xiaojia’s phone: "Zhu Mei, what you did was wrong. You made your father worry so much. Remember, you are not just yourself; you are also your father’s daughter. Do not forget this."

Zhu Mei read the message on Xiaojia’s phone and remained silent.

Luo Jinhao patted Wang Xiyu on the shoulder. "I am Luo Jinhao from the Dongcheng District police station. Run your shop well. Don’t try to imitate others in being romantic; that’s for rich people." He added, "I’m in charge of your jurisdiction. If you have any problems, come find me."

Zhu Mei obediently followed Xiaojia back to Xinyue Tower. Her first love had blossomed online but vanished like smoke in their first real-life meeting.