C16 You Dare!!

"You dare?!" Soong Qingyue stepped forward, fixing Ann Yun with a piercing gaze.

Ann Yun simply smiled in response. "Go ahead and try me. Let's see if I dare."

Soong Qingyue remained silent, continuing to stare at her.

After a moment, Soong Qingyue asked, "What is it you want to say?"

The corners of Ann Yun's mouth curved up in a knowing smile. She was certain Soong Qingyue would back down. "My request is straightforward. From this point forward, stop bothering Ye Qingchuan. He's set to marry Qingrou next month, and I don't want any complications arising."

Soong Qingyue scoffed. "You're giving me too much credit. Even if I pulled out all the stops, Ye Qingchuan wouldn't spare me a second glance."

Ann Yun gave her a long, penetrating look. "I certainly hope that's the case."

"Can I have Dabao and Erbao back now?"

It had been two days since she'd last seen Dabao and Erbao, and she was growing increasingly concerned that Ann Yun might be mistreating them or withholding their food.

At Soong Qingyue's words, a flicker of something passed through Ann Yun's eyes.

When Ann Yun remained silent, Soong Qingyue's anxiety rose. "I've already agreed to your terms. How much longer do you intend to hide Dabao and Erbao?"

Ann Yun was silent for a beat longer, still saying nothing.

Soong Qingyue sensed that something was amiss and a wave of unease washed over her.

"Where have you taken Dabao and Erbao?" Soong Qingyue demanded.

"I never hid them in the first place," Ann Yun replied coolly.

"Then where are they?" Soong Qingyue cried out.

Ann Yun shot her a look of annoyance. "How should I know? They're your children, not mine."

"How can you say that? Haven't you been using Dabao and Erbao to threaten me all this time?" Soong Qingyue's eyes widened in shock at Ann Yun's words.

"Do you just believe everything I say? If you can't think for yourself, that's hardly my fault," Ann Yun retorted, deflecting the blame onto Soong Qingyue.

Soong Qingyue inhaled deeply, attempting to maintain her composure.

But with Dabao and Erbao's whereabouts unknown, staying calm was impossible.

"Please, you have to tell me where Dabao and Erbao have gone," Soong Qingyue pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears and her voice shaking.

Ann Yun brushed off Soong Qingyue's grip on her arm and turned her face away. "I've told you, I don't know. The Soong family is under no obligation to watch your children. It's not our fault they wandered off and got lost."

"That's impossible!" Soong Qingyue shrieked. "The Soong family's property is fully covered by surveillance cameras. If they left on their own, you would've seen them. Unless... you deliberately let them go!"

"Soong Qingyue, don't accuse me falsely," Ann Yun shot back immediately.

"Then tell me, where are they?" She secretly hoped Ann Yun had hidden them; at least then she could be certain of their whereabouts and safety.

Her greatest fear was that...

Even Ann Yun didn't know where they were.

The thought was too terrifying for Soong Qingyue to entertain, and the more she pondered it, the more frightened she became.

Soong Qingyue had been watching Ann Yun intently, desperate for any scrap of information about Dabao and Erbao.

But Ann Yun remained silent.

In a panic, Soong Qingyue grabbed her phone and bolted outside, heedless of everything else.

She had scoured the area around the Soong family home, but there was no trace of Dabao and Erbao.

Soong Qingyue felt as though the world was collapsing around her.

Dazed, she wandered into the middle of the road.

Suddenly, the piercing blare of a car horn jolted her.

She spun around to see a large truck barreling straight toward her.