Chapter 2036: 2036

This dilemma alone had landed him in a quandary .

Shen Luo’an scratched his head irritably . Then, he stood up and asked, “Where did she go?”

Mrs . Shen shot a look at him and scoffed, “She bolted out of the house some time ago . Do you think she wants to be found?”

Shen Luo’an picked up his phone at once and dialed Shen Manting’s number .

He could hear Shen Manting’s phone ringing from inside the room .

The ringtone sounded melodious, but it did nothing to calm Shen Luo’an’s agitation and intensified it instead .

Shen Luo’an tossed his phone aside and rushed out the door .

It was dark outside when he opened the door .

The dim streetlights provided the only source of illumination for the pitch-black night .

Shen Manting was only dressed in casual attire when she left the house . She didn’t even bring her phone along, let alone her ID card and money!

The night was getting late and she had nothing on her . Where could she go?

Shen Luo’an was desperate . He ventured outdoors and shouted, “Shen Manting!”

She wouldn’t have gone far by now .

The silence of the night was punctuated by the sound of crickets chirping in the yard . Shen Luo’an ran outside, looked around, and finally dashed along the street to his left .

But he couldn’t find her after a long search .

Shen Luo’an felt a little frustrated . He stopped and stood on the side of the road to catch his breath .

Shen Luo’an tried hard to think . He ran through a mental list of the places she might have gone to, or the route she could have taken when she’s in a foul mood .

Shen Luo’an identified three locations after deliberating for a long time .

The first possibility was the bar .

But she had no money with her at the moment, so she wouldn’t have gone there for a drink or two .

The second possibility was her friend’s house .

She didn’t have many friends in the area . The few friends she had included a former classmate and a socialite from the capital .

It’s unlikely that she would stop by at the socialite’s residence . On the other hand, it was highly likely that she could have ended up at her former classmate’s place .

But she didn’t even carry her phone with her, so this possibility could be dismissed first .

The last possibility was that…

She was still wandering nearby, not far from this neighborhood .

Shen Manting had a faux poetic sensibility . Whenever she was feeling down, she would most likely… sit on a swing?

Shen Luo’an was confounded by his sudden idea .

He somehow thought of the swing in the neighborhood park where the children went to play .

The swing could barely fit children, let alone adults .

Yet, Shen Luo’an felt compelled to head for the park .

The swing in the park was empty under the dim, warm-hued streetlights . There was no one there .

Shen Luo’an scoffed at his own ridiculous idea . His heart sank .

Just when he was about to turn around and walk away, he caught a glimpse of a shadow on the basketball court .

A figure was curled up beneath the hoop post, casting a long shadow under the dim lights .

Shen Luo’an was standing a distance away and was unable to make out clearly the identity of the figure due to his shortsightedness .

Nevertheless, he was prompted by his gut feeling to take gentle steps towards the figure .

Shen Manting was crouched against the hoop post, looking lost in the cool evening air .

She felt a tinge of sorrow within her .

Tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably . She felt aggrieved and helpless .

She buried her face between her knees and sobbed softly .

All of a sudden, she heard the faint sound of footsteps behind her .

She turned around to see Shen Luo’an standing behind her!

Shen Manting was shocked . She immediately rose to her feet and staggered backward .

Upon seeing her expression, Shen Luo’an stopped in his tracks and said, “Let’s talk . ”

The conflict within her grew .

Shen Manting took a few more steps back . “I have nothing to say to you . ”