The recording ended there.

But Cheng Huanzhen sat stunned, unable to even lift his hand for a long time. His cheeks were completely soaked, though he didn’t know where the water was leaking from. The world suddenly became so quiet, so silent he could even hear the desperate and heartbroken thumping of his own heart.

Little Uncle.

Little Uncle.

Little Uncle.

He didn’t want Little Uncle to go. He was still trying so hard, he clearly hadn’t given up, so why wouldn’t Little Uncle let him stay by his side!

He didn’t want to travel alone. If he saw beautiful scenery while traveling by himself, who would he describe it to?

He didn’t want to buy clothes alone. What was the point of buying even the most beautiful clothes if there was no one to see them and praise him?

He didn’t want to eat at restaurants alone. No matter how delicious the food, it would vanish without a trace once it was in his stomach. If there was no one to share the only joy and happiness that remained, what was the point of doing it at all?

Little Uncle. Little Uncle. Little Uncle. I’m begging you, come back, Little Uncle. Don’t leave, Little Uncle.

Daylight broke, and the snow stopped.

Bright sunlight spilled in through the window, but Cheng Huanzhen remained as still as a stone.

Little Uncle’s recording played on repeat in his ears.

He listened until he was numb, until his tears ran dry. Finally, within his Little Uncle’s gentle words, he began to hear the words that were never recorded.

—Big nephew, just pretend I’m still alive, living somewhere in a corner of the world.

—Maybe one day, I’ll even come back to find you. When that time comes, you must be able to smile and tell me that in the days I was gone, you were still very happy and lived your life earnestly!

A voice from an unknown place landed softly and slowly in his ear.

Cheng Huanzhen lifted his head in a daze and looked around, but he couldn’t see a trace of his Little Uncle anywhere.

His eyes were dry. His heart was dry, too.

The entire world, once filled with vibrant colors, now seemed to be slowly fading, yet also seemed to be struggling not to fade.

Cheng Huanzhen didn’t pay it any mind.

He just quietly and stiffly held his phone, staring blankly at the recording file on the screen.

…But, Little Uncle.

Without you here, how can I possibly live on happily?

…

By the time Cheng Zhaorui rushed home, it was almost evening.

Cheng Zhaorui got the details from the butler and hurriedly drove out to find Cheng Huanzhen.

According to the butler, Cheng Huanzhen had spent the entire day searching for the missing Cheng Yiming.

They had filed a police report, checked nearby surveillance footage, arranged for missing person notices in newspapers and some media outlets, inquired at the old family home, contacted all branches of the Cheng family’s relatives, and even mobilized all the connections Cheng Huanzhen had accumulated over the years but never used.

All sorts of methods were deployed in just half a day.

Unfortunately, even as the sun began to set, not a single channel had brought any encouraging news.

Even the street surveillance, which they had the highest hopes for, unexpectedly failed to provide any help. So now, Cheng Huanzhen had personally taken people to the streets in the direction Cheng Yiming had left by climbing the wall, going door-to-door to ask if they had seen any trace of him.

Cheng Zhaorui found Cheng Huanzhen in a grocery store.

Cheng Huanzhen’s eyes were bloodshot, his lips pressed into a thin line. The aura around him was terrifyingly grim, like a volcano that could erupt at any moment, with molten lava churning beneath the surface.

Cheng Zhaorui paused as he stepped into the store, startled by his own son’s intensity. Just then, Cheng Huanzhen finished questioning the owner. Receiving a negative answer, he showed no disappointment, just gave a polite nod and turned to leave.

Cheng Zhaorui immediately blocked his son’s path. With an anxious look, he slapped his thigh heavily. “Huanzhen! How is it? Did you find any clues? Oh, how could Yiming do something like this? This… this is just too impulsive!”

Cheng Huanzhen stopped and slowly turned his head to look at Cheng Zhaorui.

His voice was hoarse as he asked, “Good afternoon, Dad. Have you received any contact from Little Uncle? Do you know anyone who might be able to help with this? I will cover the reward.”

Cheng Zhaorui walked out with him, sighing with immense regret. “He hasn’t contacted me either. Ai, I’ve failed as his older brother, not noticing his intentions sooner!”

He comforted his son, “Don’t worry, I’ll go back and ask around my friends to see if anyone can help. You need to rest too. I just heard from Xiao Yang that you were so busy you didn’t even eat lunch. That won’t do. You have to take care of yourself to have the strength to keep looking for Yiming.”

Cheng Huanzhen was unmoved by his comfort, only saying, “If anyone can provide help, have them contact me immediately.”

After speaking, Cheng Huanzhen didn’t linger. He turned and continued toward the next house.

Cheng Zhaorui watched his son’s back, sighed silently, then put on his anxious expression again and trotted to catch up.

It was only natural for his son to be heartbroken and anxious over this, he thought.

For that reason, he had specifically requested leave from his director, deciding to stay home for the next three to five days to accompany his son through this difficult time.

However.

Three days passed.

Five days passed.

Seven days passed.

His son still hadn’t given up!

Cheng Zhaorui had waited anxiously for a week and couldn’t stand it any longer!

He couldn’t help but find Cheng Huanzhen and say with a sigh, “Huanzhen, Dad knows you can’t let go of your Little Uncle. But if we couldn’t find any clues in the first few days when the probability was highest, it will only get harder from now on. Why don’t we leave this to the professionals? It’s not sustainable for you to be running around like this every day.”

But it was already eleven o’clock at night. Cheng Huanzhen, having just finished another exhausting day of searching, glanced at him expressionlessly and said, “No, Dad.”

Cheng Zhaorui: “…”

Cheng Zhaorui felt a melancholy headache coming on. But he thought to himself, it was normal not to move on after a week. If a little more time passed, Cheng Huanzhen would naturally come to accept reality.

However, one month later.

Cheng Zhaorui looked at Cheng Huanzhen, who was still busy searching for Cheng Yiming every day: “…”

Looking at his son’s abnormal behavior during this period, Cheng Zhaorui couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

Looking back on the past year, the contract project had of course been completed—

His son had learned to care for plants: not just the three potted plants in his own room, but also the ones in Cheng Yiming’s room next door were now personally tended to by Cheng Huanzhen every day.

His son had developed likes and dislikes: Cheng Huanzhen, who previously never cared about what the house had or lacked, would now immediately appear and stare at him warily if he showed the slightest intention of “cleaning up traces of Cheng Yiming’s existence.”

His son had learned to experience life, he had gained joys and sorrows, he understood human emotions, he had a desire he single-mindedly wanted to achieve, he had learned to call him Dad…

How could his requirements not be considered complete?

The father’s requirements were even more clearly fulfilled:

Since Cheng Yiming’s disappearance, his son had become more attentive and diligent at work.

When asked for the reason, he would say it was to have more funds after finding his Little Uncle, so he could comfortably take him for medical check-ups and buy medication, without making his Little Uncle worry that he had specifically increased his workload or exhausted his funds for it.

In addition to that, he had also overheard Cheng Huanzhen casually mention wanting to donate money to private non-profit organizations that specialize in finding missing people, the purpose of which was self-evident.

If it were just that, it would have been fine.

Although the source of this motivation wasn’t “real,” it also meant that as long as the matter of the contract wasn’t exposed, this motivation, born from an illusion, would not collapse.

But—

He would often come home from work in the evening to find Cheng Huanzhen sitting on the edge of Cheng Yiming’s bed, silent and motionless, staring at the scenery outside the window for hours on end.

He would also often get up late at night, and passing by Cheng Huanzhen’s room, see the light on. Occasionally, he would quietly open the door to peek inside and always find Cheng Huanzhen on his tablet, working overtime, writing and drawing something.

Cheng Zhaorui observed him secretly for a few days and finally couldn’t take it anymore.

He knocked gently on the door twice and, during one of Cheng Huanzhen’s late-night work sessions, walked in and asked, “What are you busy with? What work can’t wait until tomorrow?”

He frowned and walked to Cheng Huanzhen’s desk, only to see a spreadsheet on his tablet, covered in handwritten notes and annotations.

The first column listed the names of numerous locations, followed by specific addresses. After that was a column of numbers with an unknown meaning. Some location names were checked or circled, while others were highlighted.

Cheng Huanzhen was busy writing something and didn’t look up at the question. “Good evening, Dad,” he replied. “These are places Little Uncle might go if he were able to move freely.”

Cheng Zhaorui: “?”

Cheng Zhaorui was stunned. “Huh?”

The soft tapping of the stylus on the tablet paused. Cheng Huanzhen looked up, his face expressionless, but his eyes held a hint of confusion.

Cheng Huanzhen observed him for a second and, seeing Cheng Zhaorui still standing behind him, asked patiently, “Is something wrong, Dad?”

Cheng Zhaorui glanced at the page count on the document, which was well over a hundred pages, and his eye twitched. “You… you’ve been busy with this all this time?”

Cheng Huanzhen blinked slowly and said calmly, “Yes. What’s wrong?”

Cheng Zhaorui pressed hard on his throbbing temples and sat down on the edge of the bed. He said earnestly, “Zhen’er, I understand your grief these past days. After all, Yiming is the best friend you’ve had your whole life. But… is what you’re doing now meaningful?”

He sighed deeply. “The first few days after a disappearance are the easiest time to find someone. The longer it drags on, the smaller the chance becomes. Besides, it’s long past the survival time the doctor predicted. He might already be…”

Cheng Huanzhen was silent for a moment, then said, “Since Little Uncle wants me to pretend he isn’t dead, then I will pretend he isn’t dead, and I will find him, no matter what.”

Cheng Zhaorui was exasperated. “…That’s not what he meant by those words. He was just saying that to comfort you!”

Cheng Huanzhen asked stiffly, “What does whether he meant it or not have to do with me looking for him?”

Unable to bear it any longer, Cheng Zhaorui spoke plainly, “Yiming’s health problems were rooted years ago. No matter how hard you try, you can’t change reality! Besides, the reason he chose to leave instead of dying at home is because of you—”

Realizing his emotions had gotten the better of him and he had almost said the wrong thing, Cheng Zhaorui slammed the brakes on his words.

But Cheng Huanzhen stared at him intently and asked, “Because of me what?”