Gu Moqian continued eating, the knife and fork in his hands moved with a particularly elegant charm, but his heart felt as though something was blocking it, stifling and uncomfortable. Read full story at novel·fiɾe·net
After breakfast, as usual, the driver sent Ji Wei to the project site first, then proceeded to Gu Headquarters.
All morning, Ji Wei was busy handing over tasks to Ling Ling, working straight until past one in the afternoon when everything was finally more or less arranged.
"Ling Ling, I’m sorry to trouble you these days while I’m away," Ji Wei said apologetically.
"It’s no trouble, Madam. Just enjoy your trip to Tokyo with Mr. Gu," Ling Ling replied.
"Thank you, Ling Ling."
After leaving the project site, Ji Wei headed straight to the mall.
In the past, most of their trips were to Europe. This time, knowing they were going to Tokyo, she had even looked up travel guides and bought two sets of all the essentials. Dragging a brand-new suitcase out of the mall, Ji Wei caught the attention of quite a few passersby. The youthful pink case made her look notably more lively.
In the evening, Ji Wei received a sudden call from Gu Moqian saying he had to work late and told her not to wait for him.
Ji Wei agreed and hung up the phone.
She started packing, carefully arranging all the clothes she planned to bring. Originally, she thought about packing for Gu Moqian as well, but since she didn’t know exactly what he wanted to bring, she ended up just matching a few outfits for him.
Staring at the neatly stacked items inside the suitcase, Ji Wei felt deeply satisfied.
By 11:00 at night, Gu Moqian still hadn’t returned.
Ji Wei called his phone and found that it was turned off.
Could it be that his phone had run out of battery?
Remembering Gu Moqian had said he was working late, she didn’t dwell on it further. Hugging the quilt and filled with anticipation for their trip abroad the next day, she gradually drifted off to sleep.
Ji Wei was startled awake by the sound of her alarm.
The first thing she did was look to her side, but there were no signs on Gu Moqian’s pillow indicating he had slept there.
She froze for a moment, quickly sitting up straight. Scanning the bedroom, the packed suitcase was still sitting neatly on the floor, completely untouched. Everything looked exactly the same as it had been the night before—no signs Gu Moqian had returned.
Could it be that he had stayed up all night working?
Ji Wei hurriedly found her phone and dialed his number.
The result was the same—his phone was still off.
Ji Wei finally realized something was off. Feeling flustered, she climbed out of bed, not even remembering how she managed to finish washing up and getting dressed. During this time, she called Chen Ke’s phone, which wasn’t turned off, but no one picked up.
Refusing to give up, Ji Wei dialed more than ten times, but the result was always the same.
It was as though Gu Moqian had suddenly vanished into thin air.
Ji Wei’s face turned pale with fear.
She remembered that she had Ye Cheng’s number saved and immediately dialed him, but as she had expected, Ye Cheng’s phone was also off.
Both phones being turned off at the same time was far too unusual. An ominous feeling surged in Ji Wei’s heart, and a bold suspicion sprang to mind.
Could it be... Gu Moqian flew to Tokyo last night?
Once the thought took root, she couldn’t shake it off.
Ji Wei didn’t dare to think further. Hastily gathering her belongings, she dragged her suitcase downstairs.
Aunt Zhu noticed her hurried pace with luggage in hand and stepped forward to ask, "Madam, you haven’t had breakfast yet. Are you leaving already?"
"Aunt Zhu, I’m skipping breakfast—I have an urgent matter to take care of. Please watch over the house for the time being, and also look after the milk for me," Ji Wei said.
"Of course, Madam. Don’t worry—everything will be taken care of," Aunt Zhu responded with a slight pause, nodding in agreement.
Walking out of the living room, Ji Wei saw Gu Moqian’s car still parked there, but the driver, Old Xu, was nowhere to be seen.
The unease in her heart grew stronger, forcing her to quicken her pace.
Ji Wei took a taxi directly to the airport, planning to pick up the tickets for the flight Chen Ke had booked. However, while going through the check-in process, the airport staff examined Ji Wei’s passport carefully and handed it back to her.
"I’m sorry, traveler, but your passport is counterfeit. We can’t process your check-in," the staff said.