Zhou Sicheng picked up the hairpin from the ground and looked up at the second-floor bedroom window.

For Xiang Zhen to breach his defensive line in a second, the most likely scenario was jumping from the second floor and crashing directly into this sunflower patch.

The wrist holding the hairpin trembled. “Search thoroughly.”

This sunflower patch had never seen so many people crowded into it. For over a decade, only Uncle Zhang had come and gone. Zhou Sicheng deeply treasured the inheritance left by his mother and never allowed outsiders to trespass.

Yet, this rule was not even worth mentioning in front of Xiang Zhen.

The rain beat down fiercely. Some sunflowers were knocked down by the heavy drops, forcing the bodyguards to pull them up as they traversed the area, leaning the stalks awkwardly against one another.

Zhou Sicheng stood in place, analyzing Xiang Zhen’s trajectory. If he hadn’t suffered memory loss—and he was certain he hadn’t—Xiang Zhen had vanished from the bedroom in less than two seconds.

Was that even possible?

If Xiang Zhen possessed such incredible agility, he wouldn’t still be in the sunflower patch; he would have long passed through it and fled somewhere much farther.

Shi Ting and Ye Yun checked the surveillance footage but failed to find a single frame depicting the second Xiang Zhen vanished.

Even the night-vision infrared equipment had failed.

Relying on his experience, Shi Ting judged, “CEO Zhou, given the Madam’s physical agility, he ought to have run far away by now.”

Zhou Sicheng let out an “Mm” that sounded muffled against the rain.

The butler, awakened in the middle of the night, held an umbrella. However, the umbrella couldn’t fit inside the two-meter-tall flower patch, forcing him to collapse it. Stepping through the muddy black soil, he urged, “Young Master Zhou, searching like this isn’t a long-term solution. We should head back and think about where the Madam might have gone—could he have gone to Mr. Dou’s place?”

Xiang Zhen’s head drooped up and down with the falling raindrops. Yes, exactly! Hurry back; you’ll catch a cold out in the rain!

He felt distressed for his husband standing in the torrential rain, yet equally pained for his sunflowers soaking in the downpour.

Taking care of this entire household was simply exhausting for a sprite.

Zhou Sicheng kept his eyes closed. His nose felt as if it could still catch the scent left behind by Xiang Zhen, lingering persistently even through the washing rain.

The butler suggested, “Let’s search along the main road. Shall we drive?”

“CEO Zhou, nothing here!”

“CEO Zhou, no sign of him!”

Reports came in one after another from the surrounding bodyguards.

Zhou Sicheng finally spoke up. “You go search. I can’t drive right now; I’ll stand here a little longer.”

Standing at the spot where his wife had last appeared felt like being just a bit closer to him.

The butler asked, “Was the Madam wearing shoes when he left? Could he be running barefoot on the asphalt?”

Xiang Zhen had his bare roots planted firmly in the soil—the butler sure knew how to persuade people!

Zhou Sicheng’s eyes twitched; Xiang Zhen hadn’t been wearing shoes. He pulled his legs out from the deep mud. Before leaving, he stared fixedly at the spot where the hairpin had been found and the surrounding sunflowers—especially the one with the roundest flower head. It seemed almost untouched by the heavy rain, resembling Xiang Zhen’s golden hair.

During the flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, that specific flower seemed to tremble a bit more violently than the others.

He wondered if he was hallucinating.

Zhou Sicheng bit down hard on the inside of his cheek until he tasted the metallic tang of blood, forcing himself to stay clear-headed.

He pulled open a car door, stepped inside, and commanded, “Drive.”

The large contingent of bodyguards gradually withdrew from the sunflower patch. Silence returned to the field, leaving only the sound of rushing rain.

Xiang Zhen slowly released a bit of solar energy to gift to his sunflower kin. Then, shrinking his body until he was shorter than a tiny seedpod, he darted through the floral thicket and sprinted out toward the exterior of the villa.

He couldn’t go to Dou Manning’s place, as Zhou Sicheng would surely head there. He couldn’t return to Auntie Guihua’s place either, because his husband knew his registered home address.

Haishi was a flat plain, so Xiang Zhen ran toward the direction of the distant mountains. Navigating via the earth beneath him required very little effort for a sprite.

……

There were spare clothes in the car, so Zhou Sicheng changed into a fresh set. The thought of Xiang Zhen soaked in the rain somewhere gave him a needle-like sting in the back of his head.

Shi Ting asked, “CEO Zhou, would you like a piece of bread?”

Zhou Sicheng replied, “I have no appetite.”

His eyes remained glued to the roadside, attempting to spot a familiar silhouette, while simultaneously dialing Secretary Gao’s number: “Check if Xiang Zhen bought any travel tickets home.”

“Also, deploy people on the ground immediately to guard the train stations, bus terminals, and the entrance to Xiang Zhen’s home.”

Secretary Gao rapidly typed in the details provided by Zhou Sicheng. Upon seeing Xiang Zhen’s residential address, he gasped in surprise: “CEO Zhou, the Madam and Dou Manning are on the same household register!”

Zhou Sicheng had previously given Dou Manning’s ID card to Secretary Gao to process a coffee shop business license.

Back then, the ID was wrapped in multiple layers of paper, and Zhou Sicheng hadn’t bothered to open it. Secretary Gao, however, had memorized the details by heart.

Zhou Sicheng froze. Were Dou Manning and Xiang Zhen full brothers? Or half-brothers with the same mother? Hadn’t Xiang Zhen met Dou Manning at a construction site? Fan Hao had even witnessed that day firsthand.

These two had hit it off instantly, sharing identical quirks—as expected, their relationship was far from simple.

In that case, Dou Manning was bound to know where Xiang Zhen had gone.

When Zhou Sicheng paid a late-night visit, Shen Ku was extremely displeased. However, upon hearing that Zhou Sicheng’s wife had run away, he let him in out of sheer sympathy.

Dou Manning was completely in the dark: “I have no idea where he’d go. He only ever mentioned wanting to return to the mountains.”

Zhou Sicheng asked, “Which mountain range?”

Dou Manning answered, “The Daxing’anling Mountains.”

The Daxing’anling range was vast—enough to keep Zhou Sicheng searching for three to five years.

Zhou Sicheng pressed, “What else? You two share the same household register.”

Shen Ku gasped in shock, “You two are relatives?”

Dou Manning felt a sudden pang of guilt. Ah, was that exposed too?

“That’s our secret. No comment.”

Zhou Sicheng sneered, “A secret? I am his husband. Even if you are biological brothers, my legal priority ranks above yours. I have the right to know my wife’s secrets.”

Dou Manning was rendered bewildered by his tirade. Is this how human society operates?

Unable to stand Zhou Sicheng’s aggressive posture, Shen Ku shot back sarcastically, “Legally speaking, you two have no relationship at all.”

Zhou Sicheng’s gaze turned razor-sharp. “Mr. Shen, let me remind you: capitalists don’t disappear; they merely shift forms.”

Although Shen Ku was an engineer himself, his family was wealthy. Did not inheriting the family business mean he wasn’t a capitalist? The son of a capitalist was just as despicable.

Zhou Sicheng felt he was being extraordinarily merciful by not exposing Shen Ku for following in his own footsteps.

The proletariat and the bourgeoisie are inherently opposed. That was a conclusion Dou Manning and Xiang Zhen had researched and agreed upon together.

He wanted to see just how loyal Dou Manning was to the proletariat.

Shen Ku: “…”

Shen Ku whispered to Dou Manning, “Manning, look at him—he’s practically driven mad with anxiety. The two of them are genuinely in love. I believe he won’t spread Xiang Zhen’s secrets or do anything to harm him.”

With Shen Ku speaking up, Dou Manning faltered slightly. But still! A sprite’s secret was paramount!

No matter how much Xiang Zhen loved his husband, he would never tell Zhou Sicheng that Dou Manning was a coffee sprite.

Dou Manning’s eyes turned resolute. “I can only tell you that Zhenzhen has an extraordinary identity. He won’t face any danger out there.”

“You should just go home and wait for news from him. He only left to find a solution to his problems because he loves you so much.”

Zhou Sicheng had come for nothing.

Well, not entirely for nothing. At the very least, he knew Xiang Zhen was safe and that he intended to head toward the Daxing’anling Mountains.

The Daxing’anling Mountains… He was no stranger to that location. That was where Zheng Ai had brought back those sunflower seeds.

Could Xiang Zhen have read his Planting Notes, developed an interest in Daxing’anling, and planned to head to that hazel wood filled with sunflowers to clear his mind?

Xiang Zhen’s love for sunflowers was evident to all.

Yet in such a vast wilderness, how would Xiang Zhen travel there? How could he possibly find him?

There were wild boars, jackals, and tigers out there… The mere thought kept Zhou Sicheng from sleeping at all.

He calmed himself down to analyze the situation. First, Dou Manning claimed Xiang Zhen wouldn’t be in danger, and he didn’t seem the least bit worried about his brother facing harm, which was reasonably trustworthy for now.

Second, Xiang Zhen had searched his house thoroughly for a month. Zhou Sicheng had allowed him to open the safe, which contained Zheng Ai’s expedition diary—perhaps it recorded the route from back then.

Right.

Zhou Sicheng immediately pulled out Zheng Ai’s diary and located the corresponding information.

It matched.

“Gao Ou, book a plane ticket to Oroqen,” Zhou Sicheng ordered. But in an instant, he changed his mind. Xiang Zhen likely wouldn’t take a plane, so he wouldn’t arrive that quickly. “I’ll make a trip to Xiang Zhen’s hometown first.”

Meeting the parent for the first time shouldn’t happen under such circumstances, but Zhou Sicheng was past caring about propriety.

Zhou Sicheng researched that scientific expedition route online and discovered that over a decade ago, a mountain fire triggered by lightning had destroyed the forest there. After the fire, the local government used the opportunity to develop the land. As a result, it was no longer a dense primeval forest; a winding dirt road had been built to transport timber.

A sleepless night slipped away.

When bright daylight broke, Zhou Sicheng rubbed his sore, bloodshot eyes.

He walked out onto the balcony and looked down at the sunflower patch.

After a heavy rainstorm, Uncle Zhang would always arrive early to prop the sunflowers back up before the sun came out.

“CEO Zhou.” Uncle Zhang was still unaware of what had transpired. “Why are there so many footprints here?”

Zhou Sicheng replied, “Looking for a ring.”

He held Xiang Zhen’s hairpin in his palm. There was no ring; Xiang Zhen had taken the ring with him.

His wife still loved him.

Suddenly, something glinted on the ground. Zhou Sicheng lowered his gaze; a ring lay quietly in the corner of the wall.

“…”

Uncle Zhang remarked, “Encountering a storm like this right during the blooming period, I thought the sunflowers were done for today. I didn’t expect them to still be in fairly good shape.”

Zhou Sicheng remained silent, watching as Uncle Zhang straightened each sunflower one by one, securing them with wooden stakes.

The fallen stalks leaned in all directions. Uncle Zhang muttered to himself, “Since they’ve already pollinated and set seeds, I’ll secure them all facing southeast.”

Zhou Sicheng closed his eyes.

Once sunflowers set their seeds, they no longer turn to follow the sun. No one revolves around another forever; it holds true for plants, and it holds true for Xiang Zhen.

If he had known all along that he was destined to lose Xiang Zhen, he should have stood farther back, allowing Xiang Zhen to spend his days in peace and happiness.

Since the day they met, he hadn’t given Xiang Zhen a single day of comfort.

He had been far too greedy.

Greed had turned him tyrannical and unhinged—much like unchecked, expanding capital that was bound to provoke disgust in his proletarian wife.

Zhou Sicheng suddenly realized with horror that his terrifying, controlling methods during this recent period were more than enough to make Xiang Zhen detest him.

He suddenly had no idea with what feelings Xiang Zhen had departed.

Could it have been absolute finality? He hadn’t even kept the ring.

Gao Ou appeared downstairs to drive Zhou Sicheng to the high-speed railway station. Taking the train was more convenient for reaching Xiang Zhen’s hometown.

Catching sight of CEO Zhou, Gao Ou suspected he hadn’t slept for days on end—his eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot.

Quietly, Fan Hao also showed up at the entrance—he had come to see if Zhou Sicheng had starved to death.

By his assessment, things between Zhou Sicheng and Xiang Zhen were beyond repair. Someone needed to step up and smack some sense into his buddy—assuming Xiang Zhen permitted it.

Cracking his knuckles, Fan Hao was surprised to find Zhou Sicheng preparing to head out.

He hurried over and tapped on the car window: “Where are you off to? The hospital? Is it over for you, bro?”

Fan Hao poked his head into the backseat; Zhou Sicheng indeed looked deathly pale.

Gao Ou said, “Step aside, please. We need to go to the high-speed railway station to look for the Madam at his hometown.”

Fan Hao was utterly shocked: “Your wife ran away? It’s only been two days and he already went back to his maiden home!”

He asked, “Zhou Sicheng, are you going alone?”

Zhou Sicheng shot back, “Why? Are you deeply concerned too?”

Fan Hao rolled his eyes. Zhou Sicheng was acting like a threatened wild beast, behaving as if the whole world were trying to snatch his wife. One definitely couldn’t touch his sore spots. He remarked candidly, “I’m just worried you’ll drop dead on the way.”

Zhou Sicheng let him get in the car. He was also afraid his anxious mind might blunder into a dead end, so he briefly summarized what had happened last night.

When had Zhou Sicheng ever been this humble? Fan Hao felt that now that Zhou Sicheng’s wife had run away, his eyes had finally cleared up.

After listening, Fan Hao was dumbfounded: “What era are we living in? A mother actually kept both her sons out of school, making them illiterate one after another? The village mobilizes people for compulsory education! To resist the Education Bureau, the village committee, and the Women’s Federation all at once—she’s a total outlaw!”

Zhou Sicheng was stunned. His impression of Li Guihua shifted from Xiang Zhen’s “rural mother” to that of a total outlaw.

There was indeed something suspicious here.

This trip of his admitted no delay.

He suspected that both Xiang Zhen and Dou Manning had been human-trafficked by her, forced to work in different places, which was why they didn’t recognize each other upon meeting. Perhaps this was the true trauma hidden deep within Xiang Zhen’s heart.

Fan Hao warned, “You should bring more people with you. Based on my experience, a rural woman who keeps her kids out of school to work the fields will be extremely difficult to deal with and totally resistant to new concepts—like homosexuality. She’ll chase you out with a shovel!”

After the rain, the sky cleared up.

It was a bright, sunny afternoon.

An uninvited guest arrived at Yaoling Village.

When Auntie Guihua heard that a handsome, wealthy-looking man was asking around about her family, she immediately knew something was off.

She had experienced this once in her younger days.

It was nothing more than a sprite running off, and the human they entangled themselves with coming in pursuit.

Li Guihua had experience with this: just play dumb, and if all else failed, flop straight onto the ground.

She spat out a sunflower seed shell and strolled casually back home.

The man standing in her courtyard turned around. He was exceptionally handsome and masculine, though currently looking somewhat sickly.

Oh no, oh no. This is just the type little Zhen’er likes. He’s only been out for two months, and a man has already chased him all the way here.

Li Guihua asked, “Who are you looking for?”

Zhou Sicheng replied, “Auntie, I’m a friend of Xiang Zhen.”

Li Guihua: “What are you looking for my son for?”

Zhou Sicheng: “He left without saying goodbye, so I’m a bit worried about him.”

Li Guihua scanned him up and down. A bit worried? He looks worried to death!

“Oh, then he just went out to clear his head. The boy’s all grown up; I can’t control him.”

Zhou Sicheng kept his composure: “You seem a bit too unconcerned about Xiang Zhen.”

Li Guihua retorted, “Not as concerned as you, alright? If there’s nothing else, leave. I’m off to play mahjong.”

Zhou Sicheng rarely dealt with individuals like her. Li Guihua’s indifference had only two possibilities: first, Xiang Zhen had contacted her; second, she wasn’t Xiang Zhen’s biological mother.

Before uncovering the truth, he maintained his respect: “Xiang Zhen was still sick when he left. I’m very worried about him.”

Li Guihua asked, “Hmm?”

Seeing her finally display a hint of concern, Zhou Sicheng added, “He often felt like vomiting.”

“Vomiting?” Li Guihua’s eyes widened. Sprites don’t get sick, but there’s an extremely low probability they can get pregnant!