Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Qiao Lian excitedly lowered her head, but when she saw the caller ID, she dejectedly hung her head again.

The call was from her mother.

She dejectedly picked up the call and heard her mother’s gentle voice say, “Xiao Qiao, have you met Zi Chuan yet? How is he? Do you find him charming? You’ve even forgotten to update us!”

Qiao Lian’s eyes immediately turned red.

She choked out, “Mom—”

Right as she spoke, she burst into tears.

Her mother’s worried voice emanated from the other end of the call, saying, “Xiao Qiao, what’s the matter? If something’s happened, then tell me clearly. What happened to you?”

However, the more her mother cared about her well-being, the more she wanted to cry.

She bit her lip and cried uncontrollably. She did not know whether she was crying for herself or for Zi Chuan.

Her mother consoled her for a long time afterwards. Once she hung up, her father called her cell phone. His calm voice helped soothing her heart. He said, “Xiao Qiao, regardless of what happened, don’t be afraid. You are my daughter, the daughter of Qiao Dong, after all. Now, tell your father where you currently are.”

Only then did Xiao Qiao realize that her father might have misunderstood the situation. She hurriedly said chokingly, “I- I’m still at the cafe. Dad, he didn’t come. Boo hoo hoo, he didn’t come—”

The other party sighed loudly in relief and said, “Xiao Qiao, don’t cry. It’s late and you should first return to the hotel. Perhaps he got caught up in something today. You have his cell phone number and will be able to contact him sooner or later.”

Qiao Lian bit her lip and said, “All right, I know, Dad.”

After hanging up, Qiao Lian wiped away her tears. However, she had an unprecedented feeling of persistence.

She would not leave this place until Zi Chuan showed up.

She did not know whether she was being stubborn for herself, or for him. She sat quietly and stared at her cell phone.

She sat until the cafe’s barista walked over and said, “Miss, our cafe is closing for the night. Please—”

Only then did Qiao Lian notice the time—it was already 11 pm.

Her expression froze for a second. Suddenly, the door to the cafe was pushed open by someone.

She jerked her head up and saw a towering male figure standing at the doorway, looking at her.

Qiao Lian’s eyes immediately turned red again and she said, “Dad!”

She jumped up and ran over to her father’s arms.

Her father gently patted her back and said, “I knew you wouldn’t listen to my advice. Thank goodness your mother sent me to follow you to Beijing because she was worried about you. Xiao Qiao, it’s already late. Shall we proceed back to the hotel first?”

Qiao Lian shook her head and said, “No, dad. I’m going to wait here.”

Her father saw her expression and patted her head dotingly. Then, he called the barista over and said something to him. After that, the barista did not come over or try to chase them out again.

That night, she sat on a chair facing the cafe’s window.

Her father’s arrival had calmed her down.

She gradually became less irritated, but more persistent.

She held her cell phone and would place a call every five minutes.

Initially, she still had a glimmer of hope within her, wishing that the call would go through the very next second.

Since it was already very late, Zi Chuan should have already returned home. Even if his phone was out of battery, he would already have charged it, right?

Even towards the later part of the night, she robotically continued calling him.

As dawn rapidly approached, she was still wide awake. Her face was tense.

Then, after a countless number of calls, the other party finally picked up the call.