Zhan Yuxi froze, unable to process the sudden news.

The woman gave her a puzzled glance, stroked the cat, and then turned to leave.

Zhan Yuxi didn't even know how she managed to walk back home.

She sat on the couch, dialing his number over and over, each time met with the same frustrating message: "This number is currently unreachable."

Eventually, her phone powered off, and she sat there alone, clutching a throw pillow, staring blankly into space.

She had sent the household staff away, leaving the house eerily quiet. When Lilah returned home, the living room was pitch dark, not even the lights were on.

Puzzled, Lilah flipped the switch, and the first thing she saw was Zhan Yuxi sitting on the sofa.

The sudden brightness stung Zhan Yuxi's eyes, causing tears to form.

She looked up at Lilah, let the pillow slip from her hands, and ran into her arms.

"Mom, " Zhan Yuxi's voice was soft and filled with grievance.

Lilah immediately sensed something was wrong with her beloved daughter.

"Sweetheart? Weren't you supposed to be traveling?"

Lilah guided her to sit down and poured her a cup of warm milk.

Coming home so quickly—there had to be something troubling her.

Holding the cup in her hands, Zhan Yuxi's eyes turned red in an instant.

"Mom, I don't know where Chenzhou is anymore."

Lilah's heart ached as she watched her daughter's tear-streaked face, filled with sorrow and a sense of injustice.

"What happened? Tell Mommy everything, and I'll help you figure it out."

Gerard's daughter, Yuxi, nodded obediently and began recounting the events of the past few days, along with her own worries and speculations.

"Mommy, I didn't know Brother Chenzhou would show up that day. When I said I didn't want to see him, it was all just words said in the heat of the moment."

"Do you think he overheard me? Could that be why he disappeared?"

At this point, Yuxi couldn't hold back her tears anymore and began crying uncontrollably.

If she had known that her impulsive words would drive Chenzhou away, she would never have let her pride and hesitation to lose face stop her from explaining herself. Then, she wouldn't have lost him.

Listening to her daughter, Lilah felt that Yuxi's reasoning wasn't entirely off, but it did seem a bit far-fetched.