Lin Lan went downstairs to buy things. The heavy weather overhead made people feel very uncomfortable.
After buying the cola, he received a message from Xiao Shengjing: Bring me a box of chewing gum.
He turned to pick chewing gum from the counter and received a call from Jiang Xi when he checked out: “Hello.”
A girl’s unique voice came from the other end: “Lin Lan, you won the championship, and I haven’t congratulated you yet.”
Lin Lan replied, “Thank you. Haven’t you gone abroad yet?”
“I’m about to leave. I haven’t found anything about that video for now, and then Xie Zilu said not to investigate anymore.” Jiang Xi hesitated, her voice becoming tense, “Um, Lin Lan, is there something going on between you and Xie Zilu? He suddenly called me that day, asking when you and Xiao Shengjing got together. I couldn’t lie, so I told him the truth, then he was silent for a long time on the other end, didn’t say anything. Suddenly, he hung up, and then, then I saw a post on Zhang Ran’s Moments saying Xie Zilu returned to the country the night before yesterday…”
Jiang Xi could still recall it vividly, the dead silence on the other end of the phone, as if she were talking to a dead person.
Actually, Jiang Xi could feel that Xie Zilu’s attitude towards Lin Lan was different from others. Such a crazy person, in front of Lin Lan, would try hard to hide his fangs.
Saying he doesn’t care about Lin Lan at all is simply impossible.
“So, are you and Xie Zilu having a disagreement?” Jiang Xi cautiously probed, “Xie Zilu originally promised his father to handle business in the country so he wouldn’t have to go abroad to finish his studies. But then he went abroad for three months himself. It always feels like he’s avoiding someone…”
Lin Lan thought for a moment and decided not to tell her, “We had a little disagreement. In the future, he can go his way, and I’ll go mine.”
Jiang Xi: “But I feel like he still cares about you… And also, if you two break up, how will you deal with Tai Zhen’s matter?”
This is also the most difficult problem for Lin Lan right now. Tai Zhen is cunning, leaving no evidence behind. To catch him by the hair, he would have to commit another crime, but then Lin Lan would be in a passive position.
Lin Lan: “I’ll investigate on my own. It’s impossible to cooperate with him anymore.”
“I see.” Jiang Xi seemed quite disappointed. “I don’t know why, but I always felt you two were strong together. He’s ruthless, and you’re clever. Now that you’re apart, I feel a bit uneasy.”
Lin Lan: “We weren’t exactly on the same page to begin with. We only cooperated temporarily before, and now it’s unnecessary. There’s nothing to regret.”
“You’re right,” Jiang Xi suddenly didn’t know what else to say. She hesitated for a moment. “Lin Lan, I feel like you’ve changed a lot. You’ve become more clear-headed and intelligent, and many people like the current you. But I still miss the you from before, Lin Lan. Even if back then everyone disliked you, I still liked you. I’ll be going abroad soon, take care of yourself, and win more championships. I’ll watch your matches from overseas. You can do it!”
Lin Lan was taken aback. Thinking that the original owner was also genuinely liked by someone, his heart warmed a bit. “Thank you, and I wish your dreams come true. Pick up your paintbrush soon.”
Jiang Xi’s eyes welled up with tears all of a sudden, she nodded, “Yeah!”
Xie Zilu’s “carelessness” back then caused her arm to suffer permanent damage, making it impossible for her to hold a paintbrush for long periods, shattering her painting dream.
She did hate Xie Zilu at that time. But as time passed, her hand healed, and along with Lin Lan’s encouragement, those feelings of resentment slowly dissipated.
Indeed, she shouldn’t dwell on the past anymore. She should focus on fulfilling her own dreams…
After hanging up the phone, Lin Lan stood by the roadside, waiting for the traffic to pass.
Due to the accident in his previous life, Lin Lan was now extremely cautious even when crossing the street, preferring to wait a few more minutes rather than take any risks.
An old van stopped in front of him, but he didn’t pay attention, thinking it was for delivering goods to the supermarket. He was still focused on texting Xiao Shengjing.
Two people came down from above and suddenly covered his mouth and nose with a white cloth. Their movements were extremely skillful, almost without alarming anyone. They dragged him into the car and drove away.
Lin Lan realized the danger in an instant and immediately tried to break free. But the opponent’s skills were extremely agile, easily thwarting his attempts.
Moreover, the strength of the other party was immense, far beyond that of an ordinary person.
This was a premeditated kidnapping!
His body felt incredibly heavy. Lin Lan knew he couldn’t escape no matter what. Holding onto the last bit of consciousness, he threw the chewing gum he had brought for Xiao Shengjing in his pocket under the car, then completely lost control of his body, feeling as if his limbs were not his own.
He felt himself being dragged into the car. There were four people in the car, seemingly talking to someone on the phone, but he couldn’t hear clearly. Amidst the jolting, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness completely.
When he woke up again, Lin Lan saw himself tied up in an abandoned factory, drenched all over, shivering from the cold. Water dripped continuously from his hair, and the remnants of drugs in his body left him powerless. His vision hadn’t fully recovered either.
He saw a tall, slender figure approaching him, and his first reaction was to think it was Xie Zilu.
It wasn’t until the person kicked him and cursed, “You bastard, still not awake?”
Lin Lan finally came to his senses. But he couldn’t distinguish whether this person was Tai Zhen or Tai Yuan. His vision was unable to focus and everything was blurred.
A “splash” of cold water was poured over him. But his body remained numb, unable to feel how cold it was.
He heard two people talking, one was Tai Zhen, and the other was Tai Yuan.
“Are you crazy? Aren’t you afraid of offending Xie Zilu?”
“Huh, I’ve already offended Xie Zilu! Do you know, he has the video of me accidentally killing someone years ago? He’s about to hand it over to the police!”
“Stay calm, let’s give him back his video, and get him to give us the video. No one will know about this.”
“Bro, are you stupid? Do you think Xie Zilu, that kind of person, will spare anyone who has seen that video? Besides, I’ve threatened him. He definitely wants to send me to prison and get rid of me once and for all. He won’t spare me, or you… And he knows about the will now, he’s even found out Lin Lan’s identity. He’ll definitely ruin us and make us suffer… He’s that kind of person, bro, think about what he was like in school. Do you think he’ll spare us?”
The other party remained silent, caught in a dilemma, while Tai Yuan continued pressing, “Bro, you still treat me as your brother, just help me this once. Once I get the video back, we can take out both him and Lin Lan. As long as we do it perfectly, no one will find out. We can have everything, I won’t have to go to jail, all of Tai family’s money will be ours…”
Tai Zhen seemed to be persuaded, he didn’t say anything, “Are you sure Xie Zilu will come?”
“Xie Zilu confessed to Lin Lan publicly before. But after being humiliated by Lin Lan, he sneaked off abroad for three months. A guy like him, who lost so much face without even touching Lin Lan, definitely loves him to death. Bro, trust me, Xie Zilu will definitely come. As long as we follow our plan, everything will be fine…”
“Bro, do you remember? Our plans have always been flawless. No one could find out, as long as you’re willing to help me…”
“Bro, can you bear to see me go to jail? If I go to jail, you won’t be able to escape either.”
The vast difference between having nothing and having everything forced Tai Zhen to make a tough decision, “Alright, if we’re going to do it, let’s do it nicely…”
“Bro, I’ve planned it all out. We’ll do it like this…”
Lin Lan was drifting in and out of consciousness, not hearing a few words. Their voices were faint, and he only heard Xie Zilu’s name throughout.
After an unknown amount of time, another bucket of cold water was poured over him. This time, Lin Lan finally felt the cold.
Tai Yuan squatted on the ground mockingly, staring at him, “You bastard. If you don’t wake up, I’ll dunk your head in the water.”
The drugs made Lin Lan’s breathing a bit rapid. He lifted his head, staring coldly at the person in front of him, suddenly realizing that Tai Zhen and Tai Yuan were quite easy to distinguish apart from the mole on their faces.
Because Tai Yuan’s gaze was even more fierce than Tai Zhen’s.
Seeing that he dared to stare at him, Tai Yuan harshly poured another bucket of cold water over him, “Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyes out. Behave yourself…”
Then, in front of Lin Lan, he dialed Xie Zilu’s number and put it on speakerphone, “Young Master Xie, I heard you returned to the country the day before yesterday. Do you have time to meet up?”
A burst of light laughter came through the phone, dripping with disdain for him, “What’s this? Hearing I returned to the country and you’re panicking, can’t hold it in?”
Tai Yuan’s face turned green in an instant, he suppressed his anger, “Xie Zilu, I have a video in your hands, and you have a video in mine. Why don’t we sit down and talk calmly, make a deal…”
On the other end, Xie Zilu remained silent. He seemed to really not care about Tai Yuan, casually saying with every word carrying weight, “Who do you think I’ve ever been afraid of? And to trade with me, are you qualified?”
With just this sentence, Tai Yuan found himself at a significant disadvantage.
He truly didn’t know what this lunatic Xie Zilu would do. Upon hearing the news of Xie Zilu’s return to the country, he knew the other party had come to deal with him. He was so afraid that he hadn’t slept well even once, not daring to go back home. Even though Xie Zilu hadn’t done anything yet, he was already terrified to the point of madness.
But fortunately, he had another bargaining chip now.
“Lin Lan is in my hands.”
The other end of the phone suddenly quieted down, and even the breathing slowed.
Tai Yuan knew he had won. He cracked a smile, “Xie Zilu, let’s talk. The address is that abandoned factory, your favorite spot. I’ll be waiting for you. If you’re late, I don’t know if Lin Lan will still be alive by then…”
After saying that, he hung up the phone, then stared at his phone intently, waiting for the fruits of victory.
There was silence on the other end for about two minutes, then the phone rang, “Let Lin Lan answer the phone.”
Tai Yuan showed a victorious smile, getting up to bring the phone in front of Lin Lan. Lin Lan didn’t cooperate, so he took a punch to the abdomen, causing him to grimace in pain.
Tai Yuan chuckled even more smugly, “Xie Zilu, did you hear that? If you didn’t hear clearly, I can punch him again.”
Lin Lan winced in pain, his eyebrows twitching. He struggled to lift his head, shivering from the cold. But it didn’t affect his icy glare as he looked at Tai Yuan as if he were looking at a beast.
Compared to him, Xie Zilu seemed more human.
Hearing Lin Lan gasping in pain, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a laugh, a laugh filled with viciousness and sharpness, like a knife scraping against bone, making one’s hair stand on end. “Tai Yuan, if you dare to touch him again, you’ll regret being born in this world.”
This statement indeed brought a hint of fear to Tai Yuan’s face, but he quickly suppressed it. “You’d better hurry up and come over, just the two of us here for negotiations. If you’re late, I don’t know what I might do to your sweetheart…”
Xie Zilu agreed without hesitation, “Okay.”
Then he said, “Give the phone to Lin Lan, I have something to tell him.”
The phone was brought to Lin Lan’s mouth, still on speaker, and Xie Zilu’s somewhat unsteady breathing came through. In the amplified sound, even the slightest hint of emotion would be magnified infinitely.
“Lin Lan, listen to me. Don’t act recklessly. Wait for me to come over.”
Lin Lan thought to himself, why would he act recklessly?
He only has one life now, not two. If he dies, he loses everything.
The effects of the drugs in his body had begun to dissipate, and the pain in his abdomen was becoming more and more pronounced. He grimaced in pain, his teeth chattering from the cold. “For heaven’s sake, hurry up and come over! I don’t want to die yet!”
