Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

"That's true." Liu Yan sighed and said, "To cherish what's before you—that is happiness; I know that too. It's just that so many years have gone by, and there's been no word of either of them—no sign of them alive, no body of them dead. If I could just have an answer, good or bad, at least I could put my heart to rest."

Listening to Liu Yan, Yang Xutang felt not only sympathy but a certain emotion besides. Liu Yan was so old, and both his son and his daughter-in-law had vanished—the blow to him was only too easy to imagine. Other people his age were already bouncing grandchildren on their knees, while Liu Yan remained all alone, with no children or grandchildren for company. He and Xiao Qing were his sworn children, it was true, but in the end they were not his own flesh and blood; even if they married and had children, those children could never be at his side every day. So how could Liu Yan not grieve?

And Xiao Qing could not bear children. Otherwise, having a child with Xiao Qing and giving it to Liu Yan as a sworn grandchild would have been a fine choice—and with that, Liu Yan would probably have stopped thinking about those sorrowful things.

Yang Ce very much wanted to help Liu Yan find his son, but there was not a single clue to go on. Even the police had found nothing—Yang Duoran was even less confident. Still, Yang Juehuan's network of connections was rather unconventional; who knew, it might produce unexpected results.

"Sworn father, around the time Brother Liu Yan disappeared, did anything out of the ordinary happen?" Yang Yanchuan asked.

"Out of the ordinary—well, not really anything out of the ordinary." Liu Yan hesitated a moment, then said, "But Tianqi and his girlfriend had just finished a research project on bacterial culture medium—something to do with accelerating bacterial growth, I think—and they won an international award for it. From what he told me, it seemed someone wanted to buy the technology from him, but he refused, because it wasn't mature yet and it was classified. After that, the man didn't press the matter again, and not long afterward, Tianqi disappeared."

"Was it connected to that man?" Yang Ce blurted out.

"Whether it's connected or not, I can't say for certain. But at the beginning, the police also thought Tianqi had been kidnapped—that the kidnappers were after that bacterial research project. But after a long investigation, there was still no news at all. It was as if Tianqi had vanished into thin air." Liu Yan shook his head and said.

This was the first time Yang Ce had heard from Liu Yan's own lips the truth of Liu Yan's disappearance. Without a doubt, the man who had wanted to buy the research project was highly suspect; the police's line of inquiry had probably been right. But the key question was—who was that man?

"Sworn father, did Brother Tianqi ever say what that man who wanted to buy the research project looked like, or what nationality he was—anything like that?" Yang Yanchuan asked.

"No." Liu Yan smiled bitterly. "That's exactly why the police still can't close the case. It's all too vague and insubstantial. At the time, forces from a number of countries had their eyes on Tianqi's project; there were simply too many people wanting to buy it for a fortune. So Tianqi didn't go into detail."

"I see." Yang Ce sank into thought. "Sworn father, before Brother Tianqi disappeared, did he leave any materials behind? Or a diary, anything like that?"

"It's all in his room. The police have already gone through it—there shouldn't be anything of value. If you're interested, you can go take another look." Though Yang Ce showed every intention of helping Liu Yan find Liu Yan, so many years had passed that Liu Yan truly no longer held out any hope. In his heart he knew that Liu Yan was most likely dead—otherwise there could not possibly have been no word all this time.

"All right." Yang Yuting nodded. "I hope I can find something useful."

"Ha, just keep an eye out when you have the time—no need to go looking on purpose." Liu Yan sighed and smiled. "Actually, Xiao Qing is as good as my own daughter, only she—"

Xiao Qing had just gone out to pour tea, which was why Liu Yan dared to say such a thing. He glanced at the study door and said, "The news that Xiao Qing can't bear children got out, and all these years, even finding another match has been terribly difficult for her. Otherwise, with Xiao Qing's looks, she'd have had no shortage of suitors. If Xiao Qing could give me a grandson to keep me company every day, I'd be content."

"Godfather, when I have children of my own someday, I'll definitely have them call you grandpa." Yang Xutang smiled and added, "Maybe Sister Xiao Qing has her own ideas about it."

"True enough. As long as she's happy, that's what matters. There are some things I won't interfere in—no need to worry about my opinion." Liu Yan nodded as he spoke.

"Mm." Yang Xutang was taken aback by this rather baffling remark and froze for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I'm old and a bit muddled," Liu Yan said with a chuckle. "Come, keep me company while I eat something. I haven't been eating well these past few days, but with all of you here today, my spirits have lifted quite a bit."

Yang Yuting nodded and accompanied Liu Yan out of the study. Xiao Qing was chatting with Chu Huifang; seeing Liu Yan and Yan emerge, Chu Huifang looked surprised and was about to speak when Yang Jiyan beat her to it. "Godmother, Godfather's hungry—let's all eat something together."

Chu Huifang was overjoyed. Liu Yan had barely eaten for days, and whatever Yang Yongjin had said to him, he had actually come out to eat. She hurried off to the kitchen to heat up the dishes; everything was already prepared, so it only needed warming.

After eating a little and chatting with Xiao Qing about some work matters, Liu Yan seemed to have recovered his vigor. Chu Huifang was naturally delighted. She had been heartbroken over her son's disappearance too, but at a time like this, if she grieved alongside Liu Yan, neither of them would be able to do anything at all—grieving together only wore down the body.

"As for Tianqi's matter, there's no need to search so deliberately anymore," Liu Yan said after the meal. "We've already put up more missing-person notices than I can count. From now on, just keep an eye out."

Yang Yuting nodded. Though he had not yet figured out how to search for Liu Yan, he was determined to help. For now, it all came down to whether any clues turned up.

Yang Ce went to Liu Yan's room and compiled a summary of the research topics Liu Yan had been working on before his disappearance, intending to study them carefully once he got back and see whether any clues could be found in them.

That night, Yang Duoran stayed over at Xiao Qing's apartment. Soft moonlight spilled across the head of the bed, and afterward, Xiao Qing nestled in Yang Juehuan's arms and began to sob quietly.

"Qingqing, what's wrong?" When no one else was around, Yang Duo would not call Xiao Qing "Sister Xiao Qing"—he tried his best to close the distance between them.

"Yang Ce, I want a child," Xiao Qing said after a moment's hesitation.

Yang Xutang was slightly startled by her words, then said, "Did you hear what Godfather said in the study today?"

"Mm." Xiao Qing nodded. "If Godfather had a grandchild by his side to keep him company, he wouldn't be so lonely."

"Wanting a child is a good thing! I'm all for it. What's there to cry about?" Yang Mo was rather puzzled.

"I... I have a condition. I can't have children," Xiao Qing said softly.

"Qingqing, when was your examination done? Seven or eight years ago, wasn't it? Medical standards back then can't compare with today's. A condition like this ought to be easily cured now," Yang Yanzhou said. "If you want a child, I'll go with you to the hospital tomorrow."

"But..." Xiao Qing's voice caught again. "Me having a child with you—how could that work? You're still in school."