Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

The early morning in New Taipei City always brings with it a unique tranquility, as if the whole city is still immersed in a sweet dream.

A faint fish belly white just appeared on the skyline, and the hazy light was like a soft gauze, slowly falling on the green tiles and white walls of the courtyard.

This old building, which has been baptized by the years, seems to be covered with a layer of dreamy gauze under the cover of this faint light, making it look more quaint and tranquil.

However, Liu Haizhong had already been tossing and turning in the darkness before dawn, unable to fall asleep.

When the first ray of light quietly slipped into the room through the cracks in the window, he slowly sat up from the bed.

The mirror reflected his haggard face and bloodshot eyes, which were deep marks left by days of worry and sleepless nights.

His heart was filled with endless anxiety, like a surging tide, hitting his reason wave after wave.

He knew very well that he could no longer sit there and wait for death, and he had to try every possible means to find the whereabouts of his son Liu Guangqi.

Every passing minute and every second was like a sharp knife stabbing his heart.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his panicked heart, then forced himself to walk to the center of the yard with heavy steps, supporting his exhausted body.

At this moment, his voice became hoarse due to anxiety and fatigue, but he still shouted with all his strength: "Everyone come out! I have something to ask!"

The sound continued to echo in the silent yard, instantly breaking the tranquility of the early morning.

Hearing the shouts, the residents of the courtyard reluctantly got up from their warm beds.

They came out of the house one after another, sleepy-eyed and with confused looks on their faces.

The third uncle walked over at a leisurely pace, rubbing his eyes as he walked, and muttered: "What's going on? It's so early in the morning, it's making people unable to sleep."

Liu Haizhong's face was full of anxiety, and his eyes were filled with unconcealable desire as he looked at everyone eagerly.

His eyes were like a sharp torch, sweeping across everyone's face, as if trying to find a clue about his son from their expressions.

He asked, "Has everyone seen my Guangqi recently? I haven't seen him for a long time. I feel uneasy and panic. I can't sleep every night, hoping to hear news from him."

When the third uncle heard this, he stopped, frowned slightly, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

He pondered for a long time, carefully recalling recent events in his mind, then slowly shook his head and said, "I really haven't seen Liu Guangqi recently."

After a pause, he seemed to suddenly remember something, his eyes lit up, and he continued, "But didn't you see Liu Guangqi bringing you some delicious food some time ago? How come he disappeared in the blink of an eye? Could something have happened to this child?"

Liu Haizhong sighed heavily, and that sigh was full of helplessness and worry.

He said: "I haven't seen him since I delivered the stuff last time. Yesterday I went to his workplace to look for him, but they said he had asked for leave and hadn't been to work for quite a while. I felt like there was a big rock weighing on my heart and I couldn't let it go. I dreamed that something had happened to him and I woke up several times in fear."

The third uncle spread his hands helplessly, with a helpless look on his face, and said: "I don't know. Where can this child go? Could something have happened to him..."

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai stood there quietly in the crowd, with his eyes lowered, like a silent statue, not uttering a word.

His hands were clenched slightly behind his back, his palms were already full of sweat, soaking his clothes. Although he tried to maintain a calm expression on his face, a trace of barely perceptible panic flashed in his eyes from time to time.

He knew better than anyone that Liu Guangqi had most likely left Sijiu City and had probably even arrived in Heilongjiang Province.

But he knew in his heart that he could not come forward and reveal any information no matter what.

After all, this matter has a complicated and tangled relationship with him.

If I step forward rashly and Liu Hai finds any clues, then everything will be over. All the hard work I have put in over the years will be destroyed.

When he thought of this, his heart beat faster and he prayed secretly that this matter would not be exposed.

Just as everyone was talking about it, Cao Wei happened to pass by.

He heard everyone discussing Liu Guangqi, so he casually mentioned: "The last time I saw Liu Guangqi was when I went to the machinery factory. At that time, I also saw an old man next to Liu Guangqi."

As soon as these words came out, it was like dropping a bombshell into a calm lake.

Yi Zhonghai's face turned pale in an instant, his originally calm expression instantly collapsed, and his whole body was like a lit powder keg, instantly exploding.

His eyes widened, as if they were about to spit fire, and he glared at Cao Wei and shouted, "I have never been to the machinery factory! Cao Wei, don't talk nonsense here, don't spread rumors and cause trouble here!"

His voice became shrill with excitement and his hands waved unconsciously, trying to hide his panic.

Cao Wei was startled by Yi Zhonghai's sudden and violent reaction. He subconsciously took a big step back, with a very aggrieved look on his face. He said, "I clearly saw it, uncle, how can you not admit it? I didn't lie, why are you so angry? I really saw it with my own eyes, and I even greeted them, but no one paid attention to me."

When Liu Haizhong heard this, his brows knitted tightly, his eyes full of doubt and scrutiny. He stared at Yi Zhonghai, trying to see through his flustered expression.

Yi Zhonghai avoided the gaze in his bangs and rubbed his hands uncomfortably in front of him. A layer of fine beads of sweat quickly appeared on his forehead, sparkling in the morning light.

His heartbeat quickened rapidly, and he felt like his secret might be revealed at any moment.

Liu Haizhong was silent for a moment. He suppressed the doubts and anger in his heart that were erupting like a volcano, and said slowly: "Okay, I will find out about this matter. If anyone knows about Guangqi, please tell me as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned around and walked hurriedly towards the machinery factory.

His back looked particularly lonely and determined in the morning light. Every step he took seemed to carry his deep worry for his son and his determination to uncover the truth behind it all.

As he walked, he kept thinking to himself that he must find his son no matter what, and he would never back down even if there were mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead.

Along the way, all kinds of thoughts kept circling in Liu Haizhong's mind like a kaleidoscope.

Sometimes he recalled the adorable appearance of Liu Guangqi when he was a child, laughing and playing in the yard, and sometimes he worried whether his son was in danger or had encountered any accident.

He was looking forward to receiving news of Liu Guangqi's return from the machinery factory. This expectation was like a ray of light in the darkness, supporting his tired body to keep moving forward.

He imagined the scene of pushing open the door of the machinery factory and seeing his son sitting at his desk working hard, and a glimmer of hope emerged in his heart.

When he stepped into the Propaganda Department office of the Machinery Factory again, the staff inside were preparing to start the day's work in an orderly manner.

Some of them were sorting documents, some were debugging equipment, everything seemed so normal. When they saw Liu Haizhong coming in, everyone stopped what they were doing, with a hint of sympathy and helplessness in their eyes.

They all knew that Liu Haizhong had been exhausted in the past few days trying to find his son.

"Uncle Liu, you are here again."

The girl with black-framed glasses spoke softly, her tone full of concern.

She looked at the increasingly haggard face in the bangs and couldn't help feeling a surge of sympathy.

Liu Haizhong asked anxiously, "Has Guangqi come back today? Even a little news about him would be fine. I'm so worried about him that I can't eat every day."

The girl shook her head gently and said softly, "There is still no news, uncle. We have been keeping an eye on it. If Guangqi comes back, we will definitely tell you the first time. Don't be too anxious during this period. Take care of yourself. If you are exhausted, Guangqi will be so distressed when he comes back."

Liu Haizhong took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and said, "I want to ask the leader of the Propaganda Department about the situation. Can you please help me contact him? I really have no other choice now, so I can only look for clues here. I think I can definitely get something out of the leader."

At this time, a colleague came over and explained with difficulty: "Uncle Liu, the direct leader of the Propaganda Department has been transferred and there is no leader to take over for the time being, so I'm afraid you can only go to the factory leader to ask. We also want to help you, but we really don't know what to do."

Hearing this, Liu Haizhong's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered that the leader of the Propaganda Department was Qi Sihui's father Qi Tiancheng.

"How could it be such a coincidence? Why was he suddenly transferred away? Moreover, my son Liu Guangqi also disappeared. Could it be that these two people disappeared together?"

Liu Haizhong muttered to himself, his voice full of shock and confusion. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, trying to connect these clues.

With full of doubts, Liu Haizhong asked the people around him. With a burning gaze and an unquestionable firmness in his eyes, he stared at his colleague in front of him and asked anxiously, "Is your previous leader called Qi Tiancheng?"

The colleague was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded and replied, "Yes, it was Qi Tiancheng. He applied for a transfer some time ago, and the procedures were handled very smoothly. He left in a few days. He left in a hurry and didn't have time to pack many things. When he left, he only said that there was an emergency at home, and didn't say anything else."

These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Liu Haizhong's heart hard.

His thoughts instantly became a mess, with countless thoughts interweaving and colliding in his mind. "Qi Tiancheng was transferred away, and Guang Qi disappeared. There is no way these two things are just coincidences."

Liu Haizhong thought firmly in his heart. He felt that there must be a huge secret hidden behind this, and this secret might be closely related to his son's disappearance.

He suppressed the panic in his heart and continued to ask, "Do you know where Qi Tiancheng has been transferred to? This is really important to me. Please think about it carefully. This is related to the safety of my son."

The girl with black-framed glasses recalled for a moment and said, "I heard he went back to his hometown, I think it was Heilongjiang Province. When he left, he seemed very happy, saying that he could finally go back to his hometown. However, we don't know the details."

"Heilongjiang Province!" Liu Haizhong blurted out, and his voice unconsciously rose a few degrees.

In an instant, he felt as if he had grasped a key clue, but this clue was like a sharp knife, piercing his heart directly.

Because of this answer, his previous terrible guess seemed more and more real and credible. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and an unprecedented fear enveloped him.

"Uncle Liu, are you okay?"

When colleagues saw that Liu Haizhong's face was pale, his expression was dazed, and his body was trembling slightly, they all looked at him with concern.

Liu Haizhong waved his hands to indicate that he was fine, but his legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. Every step he took was extremely difficult, as if every step exhausted all his strength.

His mind was in a mess and he didn't know what to do.

A terrible thought flashed through Liu Haizhong's mind: Heilongjiang Province, that is Qi Tiancheng's hometown. Could it be that Liu Guangqi left with Qi Tiancheng and went to Heilongjiang Province?

As soon as this thought came to his mind, it was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up thousands of waves in the center of his bangs. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and an unprecedented fear enveloped him.

His breathing also became rapid, as if an invisible hand was tightly strangling his throat.

Liu Haizhong began to imagine the difficulties his son might encounter in Heilongjiang Province, and his heart was filled with worry.

However, Liu Haizhong soon began to deny himself in his heart.

"No, definitely not. Guangqi broke up with Qi Sihui a long time ago, so they probably don't have much contact. Besides, he's unfamiliar with the place, so why would Guangqi rashly go with him?"

Liu Haizhong paced on the spot, muttering to himself, trying to convince himself.

He didn't want to believe that his son would make such a decision and leave him to go to such a far place.

But once this thought came into my mind, it was like a maggot on the tarsal bone that could not be shaken off.

"No, I have to ask the leader of the machinery factory for clarification."

Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.

He turned and walked towards the factory leader's office.

Liu Haizhong took firm and powerful steps, each step was steady, and his eyes revealed a determination to never give up until he achieved his goal.

At this moment, he had only one belief in his heart, that was to find his son and find out the truth behind it all no matter what the cost.

Finally, he arrived at the door of the machinery factory leader's office.

As he raised his hand to knock on the door, his hands trembled slightly, and he felt both anticipation and fear in his heart.

She was looking forward to getting important clues about her son from her leader, but she was afraid that the news she heard would confirm the guess she was most reluctant to believe.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, slowly raised his hand, and knocked on the fateful door.

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