Chapter 656 - 654: The Coming Storm

Tang Mo arrived at the Mu family’s home, and Mu Feng was delighted. He pulled Tang Mo aside and talked his ear off, not stopping for a moment. It was only when he saw Mu Haoye winking and making faces from the side that he realized he’d been rambling on for too long.

He coughed a couple of times, finally stopping his stream of words, and waved for them to go on.

Mu Haoye immediately pulled Tang Mo away. Arriving at the Mu family’s home was like a fish returning to water for Tang Mo. Amidst Mu Haoye’s muttering, he swiftly slipped into his exclusive office.

Once inside, Mu Haoye and Tang Mo didn’t come out again.

Tang Mo became so engrossed that he completely lost track of time. It wasn’t until the sky had darkened that Mrs. Mu came to knock on the door, telling them to come out for dinner.

Tang Mo finally snapped back to reality, glanced at the time, and immediately jumped to his feet.

"How is it so late already? My mom said she’d come pick me up. Has my mom arrived, Auntie?"

Tang Mo asked as he started packing his schoolbag, ready to leave.

"It’s still early, don’t worry. Your mother isn’t here yet. Have some dinner first."

Mrs. Mu couldn’t help but laugh, speaking in a gentle voice.

"I’d better not eat. I should head back first." Tang Mo furrowed his little brow and glanced out the window again.

"Didn’t you say your mom was with her classmates? They probably went out to eat together. It’s normal to chat a little longer over a meal. You should eat first. After you eat, just wait patiently. If your mom said she’d come get you, she will."

Mrs. Mu walked over, took Tang Mo’s schoolbag, set it aside, and guided him out by his shoulders.

"You should eat first. Otherwise, if your mom has already eaten, she’ll have to cook for you again, and you’ll still be hungry."

Tang Mo had completely forgotten his surroundings, but as soon as Mrs. Mu said that, he heard his stomach growl.

He hadn’t felt it when he wasn’t thinking about it, but with the reminder, Tang Mo realized he was hungry.

He rubbed his stomach. Mu Haoye, who was standing to the side, couldn’t stop laughing. "You’re so hungry your stomach is rumbling! Hurry up and eat. Just eat and then wait."

As he spoke, he rubbed his own stomach. "Now that you mention it, I’m starving too."

He rushed over and dutifully sat down at the dining table.

Tang Mo often ate at the Mu family’s home, so he was used to it. At this point, he didn’t hesitate and sat right down.

"Come on, eat up."

While eating, Tang Mo couldn’t help but keep glancing out the window and checking the time.

Mrs. Mu watched him from the side and placed a few bites of food on his plate. "Focus on your food now. Don’t keep looking outside. It gets dark early in the winter, so it’s still early. Your mom will come get you as soon as she’s done."

Tang Mo nodded and focused on eating.

But that was easier said than done. After dinner, he waited for a while longer, but Su Li still hadn’t arrived.

Tang Mo was starting to get antsy. He called home to see if he could reach Su Li.

He called twice, but no one answered, and Su Li still didn’t show up.

Seeing it was almost nine o’clock, and Tang Mo was fidgeting restlessly, Mu Haoye stood up without another word.

"Let’s go, I’ll take you home. You look like you’re sitting on pins and needles. You’re already this old, yet you still can’t be away from your mom. You’re like a baby who hasn’t been weaned."

Mu Haoye grumbled as he walked out the door with Tang Mo to take him home.

"Thank you, Brother Haojie."

Tang Mo said his thanks while sitting on the back of Mu Haoye’s bicycle, holding onto his clothes.

"So now you know how to be good, calling me ’Brother Haojie.’ Weren’t you such a hotshot when you were abroad?"

Mu Haoye’s head and face were bundled up in a hat and scarf, making his voice sound muffled.

"Hurry and hide behind my back."

Chatting on and off, the two of them quickly reached their destination.

When they reached the entrance to the residential complex, Tang Mo was surprised to see a car parked by the gate. "Huh? Mom’s back."

He got off the bike to see if anyone was in the car, but the old guard from the security booth had already spotted him.

"Little Mo, you’re back! Where’s your mother?"

The guard had been keeping an eye out, as he’d seen Su Li’s car parked at the gate but hadn’t seen her return.

Tang Mo didn’t see anyone in the car. Hearing the guard’s words, he immediately walked over.

"Hasn’t Mom come back yet?"

"I haven’t seen her. I went to the restroom, and when I came out, the car was here. I thought she’d gone grocery shopping, but she still hasn’t come back. Wasn’t she with you? Wasn’t she supposed to pick you up?"

Tang Mo’s expression grew increasingly tense as the security guard spoke.

"No, she didn’t come to get me." Tang Mo shook his head and took off running into the complex.

"I’m going home to see if she’s back."

"Wait for me! I’ll go with you." Mu Haoye parked his bicycle to the side and hurried after him.

The security guard also followed, shuffling along. "Slow down, you two! Don’t fall."

One after the other, Tang Mo and Mu Haoye raced home as fast as they could. Tang Mo knocked as he unlocked the door.

There was no sound from inside. When he opened the door, the apartment was pitch-black.

Su Li wasn’t home.

Tang Mo’s expression turned even uglier. Seeing this, Mu Haoye quickly tried to comfort him. "Don’t worry, something probably just held her up."

Tang Mo nodded, breathing lightly, but his expression didn’t change.

’He hoped it was just a delay, but he knew better than anyone that Su Li would never break her promise.’

’She wasn’t working today, so there was no overtime. There was no breaking news she had to rush off to cover. It was just a reunion with classmates. She definitely would have picked him up before dark, just like she said. But she didn’t come.’

Tang Mo gritted his teeth, turned on the light, and went inside. He saw Su Li’s bulky cell phone, which she hadn’t taken with her, then turned, grabbed the phone book, and started making calls.

He had the number for Li Li, which Su Li had jotted down. The call went through, but...

"Something came up, so we all left early. We didn’t get dinner together. Little Mo, has your mom not picked you up yet?"

Tang Mo grunted in acknowledgment and hung up the phone.

Next, Tang Mo called Li Hongqin and Ling Zhen in turn, but neither of them had seen Su Li. He even checked with the TV station, but Su Li wasn’t there either.

Tang Mo’s composure was starting to crack. Mu Haoye and the security guard stood to the side, not daring to disturb him.

Tang Mo paused for a second. Finally, without looking at the phone book, he dialed a number directly.

It was Wu Sheng’s home. Normally, that would have been the first call he made, but because of the tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding, Tang Mo had saved it for last.

"Hello?"

"Uncle, is Mom with you? Have you seen her?"

"Su Li? Aren’t we not supposed to see each other?" The voice on the phone changed instantly. "Little Point, what’s wrong? Is your mom missing?"

"Yeah, Uncle. She’s gone. I can’t find Mom. I was supposed to be with her today, but..."

Tang Mo’s voice grew softer and began to tremble.

"Don’t worry, Little Point. Stay home and don’t go anywhere. I’m on my way over right now."

Tang Mo hung up. His back was still turned to Mu Haoye and the others, and while his posture was straight, a closer look would reveal that his body was trembling.

Watching from behind, Mu Haoye’s heart ached. He hurried forward and patted his shoulder.

"Don’t worry, Tang Mo. It’ll be okay. Maybe something came up last minute. She might be on her way to pick you up right now, or maybe she’s already at my house."

As he said this, Mu Haoye’s eyes lit up, and he quickly called home.

Unfortunately, the result... was not what he’d hoped for.

Wu Sheng arrived at the apartment soon after and joined the search.

Time ticked by, second by second, but there was still no sign of Su Li.

By midnight, the sky was filled with dark clouds, heralding an impending storm.