Celia was taken aback. "Mom, how did you know Emily was missing?"
Before Mrs. Fu could respond, Aunt Zhou couldn't help but interject, "Young Madam, we received a call from the capital. They're blaming Madam for Miss Emily's disappearance—saying she's heartless and neglected her on purpose. They even claimed that if anything happens to Miss Emily, Madam will have to 'pay with her life.'"
Uncle Fu added, equally upset, "They wouldn't even allow Miss Emily to visit or contact Madam before. But now that something's wrong, they're pointing fingers. How is that fair?"
"That's enough—enough!" Mrs. Fu snapped, her voice strained.
Uncle Fu and Aunt Zhou fell silent. Mrs. Fu lowered her eyes and muttered, "This is all my fault. I've failed them... I've failed everyone."
"Mom," Celia said gently, reaching for her hand. Her palm was icy cold, void of any warmth. "Don't worry. Emily is safe. I know where she is."
Mrs. Fu's eyes lit up. "Really? Celia, let's go get her!"
Everyone piled into the car. About thirty minutes later, the limousine came to a stop near the coast. Sitting alone on the grassy hillside, Emily was curled up tightly, her small figure looking lost and fragile against the sea breeze.
"Emily!" Mrs. Fu rushed forward in such a hurry that she stumbled halfway down the slope and fell hard.
"Madam!"
"Mom!"
Celia quickly helped her up, only to see the skin on her palm torn, exposing raw flesh. "Mom, you're hurt!"
"I'm fine," Mrs. Fu said, brushing her off. "We need to bring Emily home first." She pulled her hand away and ran toward the girl without hesitation.
Aunt Zhou and Uncle Fu moved to follow, but Celia stopped them. "Let her go alone."
"But Madam has always loved Miss Emily so much. And yet, people in the capital treat her like she doesn't matter!" Aunt Zhou said, her voice trembling with frustration.
Celia gave her a soft smile. "I know. We have a long road ahead. There's no need to rush."
The anger in Aunt Zhou and Uncle Fu's eyes slowly faded. They trusted Celia—and knew she would speak up for Madam Fu when it truly mattered.
"Emily!" Mrs. Fu reached her and dropped to her knees beside her. The girl lifted her tear-stained face and, upon seeing her, broke down again. "Second Madam..."
Mrs. Fu pulled her into her arms without hesitation. "Emily, what's wrong? Why are you crying like this? Did someone hurt you?"
Emily buried her face into the warmth of Mrs. Fu's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. "No one hurt me... I was just foolish... He was so distant and cold. It's obvious he thinks I'm ugly..."
"Rubbish! Who in the world has such terrible taste?" Mrs. Fu snapped, full of righteous fury. "My Emily is beautiful. He's the ugly one—and so is his entire family!"
Celia stood quietly at a distance, watching them, not wanting to interrupt their moment. Just then, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up. The driver's door opened, and Nathaniel Fu stepped out.
His brows furrowed the moment he saw Emily sobbing in Mrs. Fu's arms. "What happened?"
Celia replied calmly, "She was deceived by a scumbag."
Nathaniel's eyes turned cold. "What scumbag? I'll have someone investigate him right away and make sure he never shows his face in Yecheng again."
Celia raised a brow and glanced at him. "Mr. Fu, you really are always so blunt and crude."
The breeze tousled her long hair across her fair face, and her eyes glimmered with quiet amusement. Nathaniel reached out instinctively, brushing the strands away and tucking them behind her ear.
He leaned in slightly, eyes dark and focused. "I like being blunt and crude. Haven't you figured that out yet?"