Chapter 34 - Let Go of That Girl

Just as Xia Xiaowan had expected, the news of her accompanying Gu Nianbin to the banquet made the headline in the entertainment section of Morning Post the next day.

In the published picture, she smiled sweetly and gracefully, looking even more gorgeous than usual.

Gu Nianbin beside her was also smiling gently and elegantly. He looked extremely handsome with deep eyes, a Roman nose, thin lips, and a firm chin slightly hold up.

Xia Xiaowan took a sip of coffee. She spread the newspaper on the dining table and pondered over the picture in the newspaper.

Du Xiaoxian also saw the picture.

Standing in the corridor outside the dining room, she beheld her ladyship, with the newspaper in her hands, cheerfully talking with the master about the perfect match of their son and Miss Xia. She couldn’t understand why the young master and Miss Xia were reported by the newspaper. When the master and lady went upstairs, she slipped into the dining room, got out the newspaper and saw that eye-catching picture.

What a perfect match! Du Xiaoxian was preoccupied with the picture while someone took the newspaper all of a sudden. Greatly shocked, she turned around and found it was Lanzhi.

Lanzhi giggled for successfully scaring her and couldn’t help teasing her, “You begin reading newspaper after going to school.”

She took a glance of the newspaper and let out an “eh” instantly.

“Young master and Miss Xia, are they?”

Her exclamation attracted the cooks and maids working in the kitchen. They all came out and chatted over the newspaper.

“The young master and Miss Xia are really a perfect match.”

“I think our young master is more outstanding.”

“Miss Xia is not bad either. I think she is quite beautiful. She is well matched with our young master.”

“No wonder Miss Xia doesn’t visit the mansion much. They are dating outside!”

“The young master has long passed the best age for marriage. Men of his age in my hometown have long been fathers. Now her ladyship won’t worry about his marriage anymore.”

“The young master is too busy to consider his marriage.”

“Not exactly,” said someone with a lower voice, “Guess what? The young master had a girl’s photo on his table. It is said that it was his first love. He’s keeping single for this girl all these years.”

“Really? Did you see the photo?”

“I once brought something into his room and took a sight of the photo. It was a pretty girl who looked a little bit similar to Miss Xia.

Will the young master look for a girlfriend similar to his first love? What do you think?”

Lanzhi beckoned Du Xiaoxian over and asked softly, “You clean the room for the young master every day. Have you seen the photo?”

Du Xiaoxian nodded. Of course she did. In fact, she thought Xia Xiaowan was the girl in the photo because they were very much alike. Now she realized that it was not the same person.

Ling walked over and said, “What are you doing here? Go back to your work at once. Butler Xiao is coming.”

The crowd dispersed. She stopped Du Xiaoxian and said, “Xiaoxian, go back to your room for a rest. You’ve been busy working since early morning. You need not help them in the kitchen from now on; otherwise, they will have nothing to do.”

Du Xiaoxian smiled with uneasiness, “Sister Ling, it’s fine. I have nothing to do anyway.

Besides, I haven’t done much work since I began to go to school. I have to make up during the weekend.”

“You’re going to school, not to play.”

Ling continued, “Read books after finishing your job. Don’t help them much. You won’t get extra salary even if you work during the weekend.”

Du Xiaoxian did not move but only smiled. She wanted to give them a hand as they were doing cleaning in the kitchen. How could she be idle when others were busy working?

Ling was frustrated. This little girl was so warmhearted that she took all the work others avoided. Those lazy maids were pleased to be idle aside and made a busy pose only when butler Xiao came over. However, Ling saw the truth and felt sorry for Du Xiaoxian.

Perhaps because she received Du Xiaoxian the first day she came, Ling felt close to the little girl.

She had been trying her best to take care of Du Xiaoxian.

Therefore, Ling forced Du Xiaoxian to go back to her room and sit down on the chair, “Sleep or study?”

Du Xiaoxian thought for a moment and said, “I’ll study.”

“Then go upstairs. The young master allows you to use his study, does he? This place is crowded and has no desk. It will be too noisy for study after they were all back. Come on. I will accompany you upstairs.”

Taking Ling as a respectable sister, Du Xiaoxian didn’t want to reject her. She took her schoolbag and followed Ling to the study on the second floor.

Ling settled her down and left her with a few instructions before getting out.

Du Xiaoxian sat on the big chair and examined the photo on the table. Indeed, the girl in the photo closely resembled Miss Xia.

Which one did the young master prefer? She had no idea. But she kept in mind what they said just now. They said that the young master was old enough to start a family but he was too busy… Du Xiaoxian felt she was also a part of his work: sending her to school, helping her with her homework, and dining with her. She took up his time so that he didn’t have time to date Miss Xia. It was not right.

As a considerate girl, Du Xiaoxian thought it over and decided to go to school on her own from tomorrow. The young master thereby would have time to date Miss Xia.

And she meant it. On Monday afternoon, she avoided Xiaoding and left in the crowd after school.

Before she left her hometown, her aunt gave her fifty yuan, all of which were small bills. She took two yuan in the morning to take bus after school. However, she did not expect a single ride would cost two yuan. She had no money to transfer and thereby had to walk home.

She was not afraid of walking. She could walk a dozen miles of mountain road easily in her hometown. The city roads were flat and neat and lined with various shops and malls. It was not bad to walk back all the way with window shopping.

Carrying her schoolbag, she walked and looked around casually. If she saw anything attractive or interesting, she would stop and take a look. If she felt tired, she would sit beside a flower bed along the street for a rest. It was a pleasing trip.

While she was window shopping cheerfully, the driver Xiaoding was anxiously waiting outside her school.

He went to her classroom to look for her but only to find that the classroom was locked with no one inside.

Xiaoding couldn’t believe it. Where was Du Xiaoxian? She was the savior to the master’s family and the young master valued her much. It would be a disaster if he lost her. He scoured the school but failed to find her.

Sweating like a pig, he called Gu Nianbin at last.

Gu Nianbin was giving instructions to Zhou Ting when receiving the call. He stood up abruptly upon hearing the news. Zhou Ting was shocked by his reaction. Her boss was always calm in the hour of peril. But now he looked grim, revealing a moment of panic in his eyes.

Zhou Ting’s heart also sank. Did the cooperation with the IMB fail? Or did the share price plummet? She had never seen such a boss even during the hard times.

But Gu Nianbin calmed down within a minute and said over the phone, “Call butler Xiao to see whether she has come home. I will call her teacher.”

Zhou Ting realized that it was about Du Xiaoxian.

She wanted to inquire but gave up at last. The boss had a fierce expression on his face.

Gu Nianbin searched through the contacts on the cellphone and rushed out.

Zhou Ting followed to the door, but only to find him disappearing in the elevator. She looked down at her notebook unbelievably. Her boss threw up his incomplete job for a little girl. Du Xiaoxian was a grownup and wouldn’t get lost easily. Why did he become so anxious? Wonderingly, she walked back to her seat slowly and noted down a few words: a plot twist.

Gu Nianbin called the headmaster, who was also shocked upon hearing the news. The headmaster immediately demanded the teachers to look for Du Xiaoxian around the school.

On the other side, Xiaoding reported that she didn’t come back home.

Certainly not. She didn’t know the way home. Gu Nianbin drove along the road slowly, looking around anxiously. Where did she go? She didn’t know the way and was too timid to ask directions. And she looked frail. What if she ran into bad guys? Or had an accident?

He pulled over by the side of the road and called his friend at the police station, asking if there was any criminal case reported after 4 o’clock this afternoon. The answer was no. Gu Nianbin didn’t give up and called the traffic police to ask if there was any traffic accident after 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

His heart almost lurched into the throat when he received a positive answer. Fortunately, one of two accidents involved an old woman and a lady.

Gu Nianbin heaved a sigh of relief. At least Du Xiaoxian was free from these accidents.

Then he suddenly thought of another possibility. Could Du Xiaoxian be kidnapped? A lost person from a wealthy family was often connected with a kidnap.

Haven’t the kidnappers call yet? This thought completely disconcerted him. Therefore he didn’t notice that Du Xiaoxian was only a maid. There was no reason to kidnap her.

When his mind was in a mess, someone knocked on his car window. He pulled down the window and found a young traffic policeman. He saluted him, “Sir, no parking here. Please move immediately.”

Gu Nianbin saw his lips moving, but did not hear what he was saying. He looked at the police badge on his arm and slowly asked, “When will they call?”

The traffic policeman was confused. The driver looked rich and handsome. Why was he in a trance? Did he use drugs?

“Sir, please show your driving license.”

Gu Nianbin was the leader of a company after all. He recovered immediately from the trance and got out of the car, intending to explain to the traffic police. As soon as he stood upright, he saw Du Xiaoxian sitting quietly on the bench across the street, with her schoolbag in her arms.

Gu Nianbin ran towards her without closing the car door. The traffic policeman paused and then chased after him.

He was halfway to the other side when he saw the driver pull a little girl sitting by the roadside into his arms and enfolded her.

Damn it. It must be hallucinating from an overdose of drugs. He quietly pulled out his baton and shouted, “Let go of that girl!”

The driver followed his command, but a dramatic scene appeared. The little girl, although trembling with fear, stood in front of the driver with open arms and glared at the policeman, timidly but bravely.