Not So Confident

"Whoa..."

It had been a long while since Yi Fan had talked so much. Outside of home, he barely spoke a word. His throat was dry and uncomfortable, and he didn't dare to look Xiao Ming in the eye. He was too afraid to see his face, fearing that emotions of disgust and pity would surface.

Thump!

Xiao Ming frivolously slapped Yi Fan's back, causing Yi Fan to haphazardly cough out loud. Xiao Ming waited a few seconds as Yi Fan held his shirt, slightly wheezing.

"Cheer up!" Xiao Ming smiled. "Don't look so down."

Yi Fan's eyebrows rose as he slowly realized how sulky he must've looked. Yi Fan felt a little troubled; Xiao Ming was unmistakably trying to distract him from thinking about the past.

"You don't need to experience that anymore. You can stay here with me," Xiao Ming said. "So... let's talk to the police when you're ready, ok?"

Yi Fan was utterly confused at Xiao Ming's actions. Why is he helping me so much? Why is he being so kind to me?

Yi Fan stared at Xiao Ming, finding his eyes who reflected themselves clear. SImply clear as day, as clear as a mirror. It was somewhat mystical. They were persuading him that Xiao Ming... wasn't a bad person.

"Thank you," Yi Fan mumbled incomprehensibly. He was undoubtfully in Xiao Ming's debt.

Xiao Ming gleefully smiled at Yi Fan's change of mood.

'He's not smiling yet, but I think I helped,' Xiao Ming thought. 'Maybe I can cheer him up a little more.'

Xiao Ming shouted a "Wait here!" and ran towards his closet. He promptly opened the door and crashed into a bunch of clothes. Xiao Ming seemed to not mind at all as he threw the garments everywhere as if he was searching for something beneath them. After some time, he finally found what he was looking for.

There was a lot of thrashing and moving, causing Yi Fan's curiosity to rise. When Xiao Ming came out of the closet, Yi Fan's eyes sparkled at what he was holding in his hands. Bright red controllers and Xbox games.

"Let's act like it's heaven on earth for a day," Xiao Ming casually joked.

--Meanwhile

"Where's Yi Fan?" Mr. Mo asked.

He walked inside the kitchen, seeing his dear wife still working hard on dinner. She seemed to be cooking a deliciously spicy soup with marinated tofu, green onions, and fleshy chicken meat. There were other scrumptious dishes still in the process of preparation nearby.

"Oh, he's taking out the trash," Mrs. Mo continued to pour light onions into the soup. "Is he not back yet?"

"He's not in his room..." Mr. Mo began to have suspicions. "Let me go find him."

"Okay, but be back soon. He probably got distracted by something outside," Mrs. Mo nonchalantly commented.

Mr. Mo calmly nodded and headed for the garage. He furiously gritted his teeth as he entered the car, starting the growling engine. Speedily reversing the car, he began searching for his rebellious son around the neighborhood.

"Where the f**k is he?" The Man slammed his right hand into the gray hub. "He f**king ran away, didn't he?!"

Expectantly, after a few minutes, The Man quickly gave up. If he ran away, so be it. He can go homeless and die in a hole.

When The Man came home, he explained to his wife that he couldn't find Yi Fan no matter where he looked. Mrs. Mo immediately dropped the knife in her hand and hastily grabbed her phone to call for the police.

"No, don't call them. If you do that, then the human trafficker would get notified and get nervous. He might flee the country and we won't ever see Yi Fan again," Mr. Mo held her hand to stop her.

Realizing the severity of the situation, a blank expression surfaced Mrs. Mo. She abruptly fell to the floor, her lower lip quivering. There was nothing she could do. Her sweet child, her precious son is... gone.

"How could they do this... to my Yi Fan?" She whispered to herself in a glass-like voice.

Meanwhile, Yi Fei was out of their sight, peeking into the kitchen. She heard some shouting and screaming from her room, and decided to see what all the fuss was about. When she got to the kitchen, she saw her mom kneeling on the floor with a downcast gaze as if seeking for repentance. On the other hand, her father was quietly watching Mrs. Mo in her struggle, his mouth slightly upturned.

"What is going on?" Yi Fei squeaked.

Mr. and Mrs. Mo swiftly turned their heads to the little girl in the pink dress. Upon realizing that her sweet daughter heard everything, Mrs. Mo clumsily ran towards the girl and hugged her tightly. It was as if a moment later, both her children would disappear.

"It's okay, Yi Fei. Your brother will come back soon," Mrs. Mo whispered, comforting her child. "He... he's just at... H-he.. He's just away right now."

Yi Fei pursued her lips, something was up. Perhaps her father would know more. Yi Fei slowly batted her dark eyelashes, innocently looking up towards her father. However, upon sight, Yi Fei almost audibly gasped.

Who is this man?