Chapter 30
The two made their way to the graduate dormitory, but ran into a problem with the dorm manager. Graduate student management was indeed more relaxed compared to undergraduates. However, the rule for the dorm manager remained the same: no strangers allowed in without permission.
“If you’re looking for Gu Chao, just call him and ask him to come down. There’s no need to go up.” The dorm manager remained unmoved, refusing entry to the unfamiliar visitors.
Shen Yiqiu was so anxious her eyes reddened, her fingers turning white as she gripped her phone.
Qin Qianrou, after a moment of thought, pulled her back two steps. “Don’t worry, we’ll think of another way.”
Since they couldn’t get in, they could only try to call him out. However, Gu Chao was clearly not in the dormitory.
“Shen Yiqiu, call Zhang Meng.”
Shen Yiqiu did as she was told. Qin Qianrou was much calmer and more organized than she was; listening to her was always the right choice.
The call was quickly answered. Zhang Meng seemed to have been waiting.
“How is it? Did you find him?”
“Not yet. We’re downstairs at his dormitory, but the dorm manager won’t let us in.”
Zhang Meng choked back sobs, relaying her own updates, which were equally discouraging. “I’ve been calling and messaging him non-stop, but his phone is off. I can’t find him, I can’t find him anywhere…”
Zhang Meng’s carefully maintained composure finally crumbled with Shen Yiqiu’s call. Being thousands of miles away, she was frantic about Gu Chao’s sudden disappearance. Shen Yiqiu being right downstairs at his dormitory created a special connection, as if, through this phone call, she could be closer to Gu Chao.
However, the news from the other end shattered the hope and wishful thinking in her heart.
“Senior, don’t panic, we just can’t find him right now, we…”
As Shen Yiqiu clumsily tried to comfort her, Qin Qianrou suddenly reached out. “Give me the phone, I’ll talk to her.”
Shen Yiqiu covered the microphone and handed over the phone, whispering, “She can’t handle any more bad news.”
Shen Yiqiu was still shaken by the senior’s near breakdown earlier this morning, which made her lament: Girls in love can be truly terrifying.
“Zhang Meng, we understand how you feel, and we all want to find Gu Chao as soon as possible. But we’ve encountered a small obstacle, and we need your help.”
Zhang Meng was still sobbing. Even through the phone, Qin Qianrou could clearly sense her pain.
“What… what else can I… do?” I’ve done everything I can, but I’m so far away, I can only worry!
This was the helplessness and pain of a long-distance relationship. They had considered these challenges when their relationship began, but when love arrived, who could bear to give up on each other simply because of distance?
They had been dating for two years and cherished their relationship deeply, taking care to avoid the common pitfalls of long distance. Gu Chao had always been reachable; he had promised to make her feel secure even when they were apart.
The person who had always been there for two years was now nowhere to be found, and Zhang Meng didn’t know how to convince herself to stay calm.
Shen Yiqiu stood beside Qin Qianrou, clearly hearing Zhang Meng’s hysteria. Even understanding her difficult situation, there was no reason for Qin Qianrou to endure this.
As Shen Yiqiu cautiously observed her, she only saw Qin Qianrou furrow her brow slightly, not showing much displeasure.
She waited a few seconds, not giving Zhang Meng any more time to wallow in her distress.
“Time is of the essence. Save your sadness and anger for Gu Chao.” Qin Qianrou’s tone hardened slightly. “Right now, we need to do everything we can to find him as quickly as possible.”
Zhang Meng was already on the verge of collapse; harsher words wouldn’t help.
“Can you find him?” Zhang Meng stopped crying, filled with hope, yet afraid to expect too much.
“If you believe you can, then you will.”
Shen Yiqiu glanced at her in surprise. The always rational Reporter Qin was speaking with such certainty about something so uncertain.
Zhang Meng paused for a moment, her voice regaining strength, as if greatly encouraged. “Okay, I believe!”
Seeing her finally regaining her composure, Qin Qianrou brought Zhang Meng into the search effort. Even separated by distance, another person meant another chance.
“Can you contact Gu Chao’s roommates or any of his male classmates? Ask them to come downstairs and meet us.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll call Li Zihua and the others right now. Just a moment!”
With a renewed sense of purpose, Zhang Meng snapped out of her panic and immediately followed Qin Qianrou’s instructions.
Soon, two young men in slippers came running down.
“Hello, which one of you is Shen Yiqiu?”
“I am.”
The young man in the blue shirt nodded and introduced himself. “I’m Li Zihua, Gu Chao’s roommate. This is Ding Song. We share the same dorm.”
Then, their gazes fell on the composed beauty beside Shen Yiqiu. Suit, high heels, professional makeup, calm demeanor – clearly not a student.
But she didn’t look out of place standing with Shen Yiqiu; there was even a strange harmony between them.
Shen Yiqiu didn’t like strangers scrutinizing Qin Qianrou, even if they meant no harm and were simply captivated by her beauty.
She stepped forward, subtly blocking their view, and introduced, “This is Reporter Qin. I asked her to help.”
Hearing the word “reporter,” the two young men’s expressions immediately changed.
“It’s just a breakup, why involve a reporter?” Li Zihua looked awkward, his earlier admiring gaze replaced with nervousness and evasion.
Qin Qianrou calmly explained, “Reporter is just my profession. I’m here today in a personal capacity, accompanying Shen Yiqiu, helping as a friend, so you don’t have to be so nervous.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Li Zihua’s eyes didn’t show any signs of relaxation. Qin Qianrou noticed their evasiveness was a bit odd.
Zhang Meng had probably already spoken to them, so after a brief exchange, they got straight to the point.
Li Zihua asked, “How can we help?”
Shen Yiqiu said, “Could you bring down a few of Gu Chao’s belongings?”
“Ah? Gu Chao’s things?”
This request was clearly strange. Shen Yiqiu clarified, “Preferably something that represents or symbolizes his relationship with Zhang Meng.”
“Alright, wait a moment.”
Although still puzzled, Li Zihua took the lead and went upstairs to find what Shen Yiqiu wanted.
The dorm manager occasionally glanced in their direction. Seeing Li Zihua and Ding Song come down, she finally believed they were indeed looking for someone in Gu Chao’s dorm.
“Why did you ask for something that represents their relationship?” Qin Qianrou had thought Shen Yiqiu’s request was just a casual remark.
“It was just a guess. Besides, seeing their confused expressions, if I didn’t give them a specific category, they might have brought down all of Gu Chao’s belongings.”
Qin Qianrou imagined the scene and couldn’t help but be amused and slightly overwhelmed by the thought.
At the same time, she was also amused by Shen Yiqiu’s exaggerated words, and her tense nerves relaxed a bit.
“I don’t know the senior very well, and I don’t know Gu Chao at all, but I sensed his situation. I think it’s because of the phone.”
“Zhang Meng’s phone?”
“Yes, I had the feeling after touching her phone. The senior told me Gu Chao bought it for her with his graduate student stipend, and it contains all their photos together.”
A testament to their relationship, the phone was practically a vessel of their love.
Soon, Li Zihua and Ding Song came down, each carrying two small bags.
“Everything we could find is here. If it’s not enough, we’ll look for more.”
Shen Yiqiu opened one of the bags. Good heavens, they had brought down clothes, pants, shoes, and even a photo frame.
However, Shen Yiqiu touched each item, but sensed nothing.
The other bags contained similar items. She quickly went through them, but to no avail.
Seeing her frown in silence, Qin Qianrou crossed her arms and frowned as well. Li Zihua guessed that these weren’t the right items and thought about going back to search again.
But he and Ding Song had already searched thoroughly. Were they supposed to bring down Gu Chao’s pillow and bedding too?
“Is everything here?” Shen Yiqiu sighed, unwilling to give up.
Ding Song suddenly remembered something else that might work.
“I wonder if his watch is here.”
Reminded by him, Li Zihua also remembered.
“Right, his watch! Wait a moment, we’ll go look!”
Watch? Seeing them disappear again like the wind, Shen Yiqiu also pinned her hopes on the watch.
Qin Qianrou said, “Call Zhang Meng and ask her about the watch.”
If the watch didn’t work either, they would have to think of something else quickly. Although they hadn’t waited long, they couldn’t afford to waste any time.
Hearing Shen Yiqiu asking about the watch, Zhang Meng’s – with great difficulty regained composure – wavered again. But this time, she tried hard not to cry. Everyone was working so hard for her and Gu Chao, how could she just keep crying?
“I bought that watch with money I saved from my summer job. I kept it a secret from him for a long time and spent ages choosing it. He almost scolded me to tears when I first gave it to him, but he loves that watch, he usually doesn’t even wear it. I sometimes hear Li Zihua and the others teasing him, saying his watch isn’t for wearing, it’s just for looking at.”
Shen Yiqiu and Qin Qianrou exchanged glances, their hopes for the watch rising.
However, what Li Zihua and Ding Song brought down was just an empty watch box.
“I don’t know what came over him, he’s actually wearing it today.”
Shen Yiqiu quickly took the box, examining it carefully.
Qin Qianrou remained with her arms crossed, her fingers tightening. Even if it was just an empty box, she hoped for some kind of clue.
Shen Yiqiu suddenly closed her eyes, her lips twitching, her expression looking unwell. Li Zihua and Ding Song were startled and wanted to ask if she was alright, but then they saw a change in Qin Qianrou’s usually cold expression.
Did this aloof beauty just smile?
Li Zihua and Ding Song exchanged glances, finding it hard to believe, but it was true.
Qin Qianrou, unconcerned with what others thought, quietly waited for Shen Yiqiu to recover.
“How is it?”
“The feeling is weak, but I have a vague image.”
Shen Yiqiu turned to them and asked, “Do you know of any place with diamond-shaped, colored floor tiles?”
Li Zihua answered almost immediately.
“The rooftop of the university gym. The tiles there are like that.”
The rooftop, that must be it!
Shen Yiqiu didn’t say anything more, asking Li Zihua and Ding Song to lead the way to the gym.
On the way, Qin Qianrou asked, “Do you usually go to the gym?”
“Whenever we have time, we usually spend an hour or two there. But Gu Chao is obsessed; he sometimes stays there for half a day, saying it helps him relieve stress.”
Qin Qianrou recalled Rong Fei saying that everyone had different ways of coping with stress, but it was always the method that made them feel most comfortable. It seemed the gym was indeed Gu Chao’s refuge.
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