Chapter Fifty-Five: Where Has All the Time Gone

Zhao Funing and Pei Xue exchanged a glance.

Pei Xue pondered for a moment. "I've been the one talking this whole time, but your mind is clearer than mine. I feel like I might have misunderstood something, so you take over. Say what you think."

Zhao Funing nodded. "Alright, leave it to me."

"In my opinion... that apartment actually belonged to Xiao Lin. On the first day, after Xiao Lin and Ji teamed up to abduct Guoguo, they borrowed Ji's identity as Guoguo's uncle to calm her down and stayed in that apartment for two days."

"Then, Guoguo's mother began mobilizing people to search. She must have traced it to Ji, so Ji placed Guoguo with me."

"Later, when the police started searching, I handed Guoguo over to Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin spent a day with her and then passed her to..."

But the role played by the Chen Weiguo couple was difficult to determine. Why did Guoguo eventually return to her hometown?

"I still think that Teacher Chen's group should be the buyers, not Guoguo's grandparents."

"So... who was the mastermind?" Director Zhang asked.

"It should be Ji. Ji owed money and needed cash to pay off debts," Pei Xue said hesitantly.

Upon hearing the answer, Director Zhang applauded.

"Congratulations!"

"Task completed. Two questions, twenty points total. Teachers Zhao and Pei's team gets fifteen points!"

"The other three teams, Xiao Lin and Teacher Chen's team earn five points, Teacher Ji... none!"

"Oh dear... the evidence was too obvious; we barely had any room to argue," Ji Chen said helplessly.

[I found this case—it actually happened in Tong County, but it was decades ago.]

[Decades ago?]

"Since it's adapted from a true story, that's all the evidence there was at the time."

Director Zhang smiled. "Would you like to hear the outcomes for each of your characters?"

The game was over, but everyone felt heavy-hearted, weighed down by the story.

"Yes," Lin Ze answered in a low voice.

"The human trafficker Wang was the mastermind, tricking Li into abducting her niece. The girl stayed at Wang's home for two days, then was sent to Zhao's restaurant for another two days, unbeknownst to Zhao."

"While at Zhao's restaurant, the police were searching, so the girl could only hide in a trash bin—she had food and water, but couldn't make a sound."

"Afterwards, Guoguo ended up in Wang's hands. Wang contacted the buyer and took her to Tai County for the transaction. Though Wang was caught after the deal, there was no information about the buyer."

"In an era when even pagers weren't common, it was nearly impossible to find people."

"Many years later, while rescuing another group of kidnapped children, it was discovered by chance that Guoguo had been sold back to her own hometown."

"Wang, the criminal, was only sentenced to ten years."

In the living room, everyone fell silent.

"Still, at least Guoguo survived," Director Zhang sighed. "This time, Lin Ze helped catch two traffickers who were even feeding sleeping pills to infants. If it hadn't been discovered early, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Lin Ze exhaled and looked at the camera. "So, everyone, if you suspect something like this, call the police immediately! Don't be afraid of causing trouble—we stand with the law, and the law stands with us!"

His positive speech eased the somber mood in the room.

"That speech should be broadcast on the big screen for three days straight to inspire everyone," Ji Chen laughed.

"Well said! He's right," Pei Xue pointed at the camera. "Heard that? Record the live replay and loop it in our company for three days!"

"No, please don't!" Lin Ze hurriedly waved at the camera.

Just thinking about it made him feel embarrassed.

Sensing the return of everyone's spirits, Director Zhang cheerfully collected their scripts. "I'll announce each team's detailed scores before next week's show. Now..."

"Teachers Ji and Lin, please share your story."

It was the Friday segment, reserved for stories.

Ji Chen and Lin Chunshui exchanged a glance.

"Let's start from the day we first met," Ji Chen said, rubbing his nose and showing a shy smile.

"I debuted a year or two before Chunshui. When she first entered the industry, I already had a little fame."

"I remember—it was a recording day. She wore a sheepskin coat in the heat of summer and ran up to me, calling me Teacher Ji Chen. I distinctly recall the sweat beading on her forehead..."

At this, Lin Chunshui picked up the thread. "He! It was our first meeting, and he grabbed his sleeve to wipe my sweat!"

"Were you smitten right then?" Ji Chen chuckled.

"Smitten, my foot! I'd heard all sorts of messy things about the entertainment industry and was scared stiff," Lin Chunshui said, exasperated. "You were so slick, just like those domineering bosses in dramas."

"After the show, we exchanged contacts, but didn't really talk until much later..."

Ji Chen told their story—how they met, became a couple, traveled together, and married.

As he shared with the group, he and Lin Chunshui relived their youth and love.

"It's getting late. Time for the final segment. Xiao Lin, who are you dedicating this week's song to?"

"Singing time! Singing time!" Lin Ze dried his feet, slipped on slippers, and picked up his guitar.

"This week, I'd like to dedicate it to the brother and sister whose relationship changed the most."

"Even with children, they're not everything."

Hearing this, Ji Chen sat upright, eyes shining.

This song was for them!

Earlier, Xiao Lin had said he'd even give them the copyright. If Lin Ze's usual song quality held, this could be a lead track on his next album.

Lin Ze strummed his guitar, exuding a gentle, warm aura.

"New buds sprout on the old tree at the gate, and deadwood in the yard blooms again."

"So many words kept through half a lifetime, hidden in a head now white with age."

"Little feet in memory, plump little mouth."

"A lifetime of love given to them, just for a call of 'mom' and 'dad.'"

Lin Ze's voice carried a soft warmth, narrating like a story.

Not just the two of them—everyone else was deeply moved as well.

Once, they were all in their prime, yet in the blink of an eye, gray hairs were visible.

Chen Weiguo and Bai Qiong had a child, who now worked in a film crew, dreaming of becoming a great director, and hadn't been home in years.

Zhao Funing had been a stay-at-home husband for five or six years, but still hoped to star in a drama that people would watch for decades, even centuries.

Ji Chen and Lin Chunshui never quarreled from dating to marriage, but many issues they thought could be tolerated forever became obvious once they had a child.

"Where has all the time gone?"

"Haven't truly savored youth, and already grown old."

"A lifetime raising sons and daughters."

"All that's left in the mind are memories of children crying and laughing."

Ji Chen, toughened by years of emotional ballads, never expected to be brought to tears by a single song, but now he sat before the camera, tears streaming down his face.

He wiped his eyes, noticing that aside from Lin Ze and Su Zitan nestled together, even Director Zhang had turned away to discreetly rub his own eyes.

"Where has all the time gone?"

"Haven't really looked at you, and my eyes are blurred."

"Half a lifetime spent on daily necessities."

"In a blink, all that's left are wrinkles on my face."

The guitar faded gently.

A tear slipped from Lin Ze's eye.

Before he could wipe it away, Su Zitan leaned in and softly kissed the tear away.

...

"Xiao Li, I was just away for a meeting, and now the internet is abuzz. What happened?"

The middle-aged man called Xiao Li bowed slightly, responding respectfully.

"Mr. Qin, the trouble is mainly between a celebrity named Zhang Yang and a singer named Lin Ze."

Mr. Qin had just sat down. Hearing this, he paused.

"Celebrity? Singer?"

"Xiao Li, you rarely use such representative terms. Tell me, what's going on?"