Chapter 484 - Disappearance

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Ling was hurting from his grip and struggled to free herself. “Let go of me! You’re drunk!”

She did not know why he was behaving like that and was terrified. She suddenly thought of the celebrations today, all the guests congratulating him about the child and about getting an heir, and his increasingly dark expression. Was he hating the child more and more every day? Did the words of the guests today make him hate the child even more?

Xia Ling’s heart beat wildly, and she said frantically, “Don’t think of the worst! Things are not what you say!”

“Then you tell me, what are things like?” Pei Ziheng’s voice became even lower. He released his grip on her chin but instead started to caress her neck. “Xia Ling, if you want me to believe you, then give me a child.”

“I will, but not now!” Xia Ling anxiously replied, feeling danger right in front of her eyes. “Pei Ziheng, get a grip on yourself! The doctor said that the risk is huge if I get pregnant so quickly after giving birth!”

“The baby, always the baby!” Pei Ziheng started to laugh coldly. “Xia Ling, do you know that your conversation never leaves that bastard? You care so much for him, right? And you’ve wasted so much of my time because of him! Either you give me a child now, or don’t blame me for being heartless!”

He had indeed been triggered beyond measure today. All the guests had congratulated him on getting an heir, but behind his back, he heard them discussing ―”Don’t you think the child doesn’t look like Chairman Pei at all?”

“Exactly, he looks like his mum... but you really can’t tell who the father is...”

“Do you guys think... maybe...”

“Shh, don’t speak rubbish! Which household doesn’t have some skeletons in the closet? It might not be what we are thinking! These days, many kids don’t resemble their fathers.”

All the discussions made him feel like a knife was cutting at his heart, bit by bit.

This wasn’t the first time that he heard people discussing this behind his back. What about those people that he hadn’t chanced upon? What were they saying? Originally, Pei Ziheng thought that he had a mind of steel and would not care about these little gossips. However, after having a few drinks today, he suddenly felt that all these words were terrible to the ears and weighed down on his heart. He wanted so much to have a child with Xiao Ling.

He lowered his head to look at Xia Ling before he carried her in his arms and threw her onto the luxurious king-sized bed. “We’re having a child now.”

Xia Ling was frantic. This man was really being unreasonable right now. He did not care for any feelings or the doctor’s advice, and all he wanted was to get what he wanted. She struggled to push him away, thanking the Lord in her head that she had changed out of her evening gown which would have been torn away in an instant.

“Pei Ziheng, you’re nuts!” She struggled to protect her body and shouted at him. “Get off me! Get off!”

Her struggles only made him more intent on getting his way. Pei Ziheng pressed himself onto her body, easily restraining both her hands with one of his, and started to pull her clothes off.

At this moment, Nanny Zhou’s anxious shouts could be heard ―

“Madam, something bad has happened! The child has disappeared!”

What? The child has disappeared?!

The words were like lightning had struck Xia Ling. She did not know where she found the strength, but she struggled free of Pei Ziheng’s grip and stumbled off the bed to open the door for Nanny Zhou. “What happened to the baby?!”

“The baby has disappeared!” Nanny Zhou was so frantic that she was sweating profusely, and she didn’t realize that Xia Ling’s clothes were in a mess. “I’ve asked the nanny and the driver and everyone that could possibly have come into contact with the child. No one has seen him anywhere!”

Xia Ling’s face turned pale.

By now, Pei Ziheng had come over, and his frenzied expression was now back to normal. “Have you searched everywhere in the house yet? Have you looked at the surveillance camera recordings? Who was the last person to see the child? Find that person and bring him or her over to be interrogated!”

Xia Ling glanced over at him in astonishment.

He had earlier called the child a bastard. Why was he so concerned and so keen on helping out once something happened to the child? Xia Ling realized that she could not understand this man at all.

However, there was no time to dwell on this issue.

She anxiously said to Nanny Zhou. “Do as Mister says.”

Nanny Zhou said, “We’ve searched everywhere in the house and did not find the child. The last person to see the baby was Shuyuan. Shuyuan said that during the celebrations, she took the child from you and coaxed him for a while before bringing him back to the nursery. However, when the celebrations were over and you asked for the child, the rocking bed was empty!”

This was not an accident.

This thought sprang into Xia Ling’s mind. There was no way there could be an accident in this scenario.

For the rocking bed to be empty, someone had to intentionally carry the child away!

Shuyuan was the child’s nanny, and she was called over quickly. She recounted what she knew nervously to Xia Ling and Pei Ziheng, and her story matched what Nanny Zhou had said.

“Lock her up for the moment.” There was nothing suspicious in her story, but Pei Ziheng was not prepared to just let her go. He continued, “What does the surveillance camera recordings look like?”

The head of the security team had already been alerted and could not absolve himself of all responsibility for something so major to have happened at the bungalow. He stood in front of Pei Ziheng with his head lowered and carefully answered the question. “There are no cameras inside the bungalow, so we can’t tell what happened inside. We’ve checked all the camera recordings of the outside of the bungalow, but... there’s nothing suspicious.”

Xia Ling’s mind whirred into a panic. All the investigations came up with nothing, and her heart sank further and further into the depths of despair. She forced herself to remain calm and asked, “Then, what could have happened?”

The head of security flashed a pained expression. “If the nanny is certain that the child disappeared from the nursery, then the possibility of an accident is close to impossible. The greatest possibility is a kidnap ― someone secretly took Young Master away.”

Who could it be?

Who had such a hatred for her?

Xia Ling’s mind was in a mess, and her body swayed on the spot.

Pei Ziheng reached out a hand to steady her as he instructed the head of security. “Go do a thorough investigation. Find that child with all means you can think of. Nanny Zhou, go cook some porridge... Madam is not feeling too well.”

They spread out to do as he bid, and Pei Ziheng helped Xia Ling to the bed to rest.

It took a long time for Xia Ling to calm her senses. She struggled to get off the bed, wanting to go to the nursery to look for the child. “I want to see for myself.” Yet, because she was in such a flurry, her legs buckled once they touched the floor. She stumbled and almost fell.

Pei Ziheng caught her in time.

“The child is lost, what is there to see?” Pei Ziheng said gently. “You need to get some rest. Your body won’t be able to take it at this rate.”