Of course, he did not put all his hopes on the police station. He contacted the people in society whom he met during his business trip, sent them Chen Yuan's characteristics and photos, and asked them to help find him.
After he had used all the connections he could find in both the black and white worlds and finished the call, he put away his phone, turned back to Aunt Chen, and comforted her in a low voice: "Aunt Chen, don't worry too much about Chen Yuan. As long as he is still circling the city, this method will always find him."
Aunt Chen called him out of helplessness. She had not held out any hope, but she did not expect that Qiao Weimin would not only come, but also sincerely help her find someone.
She didn't know how to thank him. She had never been to school, couldn't read a few words, and couldn't speak nicely. Even though she was full of gratitude, she could only say a dry thank you: "Mr. Qiao, thank you."
"Thank you so much." Her throat was dry. She grabbed her clothes, stood on tiptoe, and stammered, "When we find Yuan'er, I...I'll treat you to a meal."
Qiao Weimin lowered his eyes to see her awkward expression. Even if she didn't say it, he knew that the place she was talking about for dinner was not a roadside stall, but must be one of those high-end restaurants he used to go to. A meal in those places would cost at least 10,000 yuan.
Ten thousand yuan is not a lot of money for him, but for someone like Aunt Chen who has to get up early and work late to set up a stall to do business, to support her children's education, and to treat her patients, it is a huge sum of money.
In the past, he might not have been in the mood to empathize with her, and he might even have looked down on what Aunt Chen said. After all, there were so many people who wanted to treat him to a meal, and he wouldn't want to waste her time even if someone like Aunt Chen, who lived at the bottom of society, treated him to a meal.
Now…
However, he had a different experience, as if he could understand Aunt Chen's feelings.
Qiao Weimin sighed along with her and said, "Forget about treating us to a meal. Chen Yuan is still studying and will have to take the college entrance exam in the future. Old Chen is in that state, and the family depends on you alone to support them. It's not easy for you. I'll help if I can, but I don't know if I can find someone successfully."
"Mr. Qiao, I'm very grateful for your help. This matter is originally my own business, and I shouldn't bother you, but..."
Qiao Weimin knew what she wanted to say, so he interrupted her and comforted her with a solemn look in his eyes: "I heard that after Chen Yuan went back to school, he did very well in the class and was ranked in the top five. With this result, he will definitely go to college in the future. Don't think too much about it. He might have just gone out to play with friends and forgot the time, and his phone happened to be out of battery."
Aunt Chen nodded, and her anxiety eased a lot.
While he was waiting anxiously, Qiao Weimin's cell phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and said to Aunt Chen, "It's a call from the police station. There should be news about Chen Yuan."
Aunt Chen's eyes suddenly lit up, she clutched the seams of her trousers with both hands, tensed her back nervously, and looked at his cell phone.
Qiao Weimin picked up the phone and considerately turned on the speakerphone. With a slightly hoarse voice, he said to the other end, "Hello, Director Qin."
There was a rustling sound of electricity on the other end of the phone, and after a few seconds someone spoke: "Mr. Qiao, I found the Chen Yuan you asked me to help you find."
As expected, there was news about Chen Yuan. Aunt Chen couldn't hide her excitement and almost blurted out to ask him where he was.
Qiao Weimin got there before her and asked in a deep voice, "Thank you, Director Qin. Where is he now? I'll drive over to pick him up."
He had even taken out his car keys, but he didn't expect the other end to send him a shocking message.
"Chen Yuan is in the police station!"
(End of this chapter)