After The Honest Person Was Discovered For Simultaneously Pursuing Three People - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Twisted Possessiveness

That night, Zhao Jingqun carried Tao Ning steadily on his back again, held him in his arms, and gently patted his back to coax him to sleep, all while explaining why he was so skilled at bandaging wounds.

“I was abducted when I was three. The buyer was a one-eyed wolf, and his family was dirt poor. He couldn’t get a wife, so he bought me to take care of him in his old age. He helped people collect debts in the area, and when I was eleven, I went with him. I collected debts for five or six years before the Zhao family found me and took me back.”

“Collecting that money sometimes involved blood…”

So getting injured was a common occurrence. He didn’t have the money to go to a hospital, so he just bought a few old pieces of gauze and bandaged himself up. Some of the injuries were from the one-eyed foster father when he was drunk or something was not going his way; he would get a severe beating.

But Zhao Jingqun didn’t mention any of this. The other, less important things were said in a few words.

Throughout it all, his expression was indifferent, as if he were talking about someone else’s business, until the person in his arms snuggled closer and gently pecked his cheek. The clear, fresh scent of fruit instantly soothed the hidden violence within him.

He lowered his eyelids and met the young man’s clean eyes. Zhao Jingqun gazed at him deeply, let out a light breath, and his hand trembled slightly as he covered the young man’s eyes. He said in a husky voice, “Okay, the bedtime story is over. Be a good boy… and sleep.”

With Tao Ning, he wouldn’t feel lonely anymore.

…

From then on, Zhao Jingqun made him three meals a day, watched the doctor change his bandages, and took him to a hotel to bathe at night.

Every time Tao Ning whispered that it was a little wasteful, Zhao Jingqun would directly block his mouth, leaving him speechless.

At first, Tao Ning would resist with a red face, but eventually, he stopped bringing it up.

Because when the man kissed him, it was not only for a long time but also with great force. Once or twice, he opened his eyes and met the man’s dark, gloomy eyes. Those long, narrow eyes were filled with an intense, almost terrifying possessiveness.

It felt like a herbivore being stared at by a cold, wild beast in the darkness. Tao Ning felt a little uneasy, so much so that he didn’t dare to resist anymore.

On the day he was discharged from the hospital, Tao Yuan came to pick them up and saw Zhao Jingqun holding large and small bags in both hands, while Tao Ning followed him with his head lowered, his hands empty. His face was as rosy as a blooming rose, completely different from the pale face he had when he first entered the hospital.

His lips were a little swollen. Was he bitten by a bug? Tao Yuan didn’t think much of it. She had only come to deliver chicken and duck soup for the past two days because she was too busy with farm work. Zhao Jingqun had also messaged her, saying he would take good care of Tao Ning and even asked for a list of all the foods Tao Ning liked.

Tao Yuan was very relieved and entrusted Tao Ning to Zhao Jingqun’s care. When they got home, she called Tao Ning into the house to watch little Meng do his homework, then pulled Zhao Jingqun aside and gave him five or six hundred dollars. “Jingqun, Ning Ning has been a lot of trouble for you these past few days. I’m too busy with things at home. You take this money as a token of my gratitude. I’ll treat you to a meal on the day you leave, okay?”

Zhao Jingqun didn’t refuse her. He took the money and asked nonchalantly, “What work needs to be done at home?”

“Oh, there are three acres of rice to harvest, and half a mountainside of lemons to sell. There’s a lot of work. Ning Ning hasn’t been here for a few days, and the chickens and ducks at home have missed a few meals…”

“In that case, I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

Tao Yuan’s face lit up with joy. “Oh, Jingqun, you’re such a good man. It’s a shame I don’t have a daughter, or else I’d really want to have you as a son-in-law. You’re such a good child…”

Zhao Jingqun discreetly glanced into the house. Tao Ning was sitting next to little Meng. Under the warm light, he had his head lowered, revealing his long, fair neck. He was pointing at the workbook on the desk, his rosy lips moving as he spoke.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Jingqun’s mouth unconsciously curved into a smile. At the same time, the darkness buried deep in his heart was starting to stir.

Sometimes, when Tao Ning was disobedient, he really wanted to build a cage and lock him in so he could have him under his watchful eye at all times.

However, most of the time, these dark thoughts would just pop up. Seeing Tao Ning’s meek and well-behaved demeanor, Zhao Jingqun’s heart would soften.

He walked over and placed a brand new pair of glasses on the desk. The glasses were still the same style Tao Ning used to wear—very plain and unremarkable. “From now on, you can only take them off when I’m around. Understand?”

Zhao Jingqun’s behavior was like a lone wolf fiercely guarding its mate. Besides himself, any other male wolves who dared to covet the young man’s beauty would be bitten to death.

Tao Ning obediently put on the glasses. They had no prescription. He gave a soft “oh” and continued to explain the problems to little Meng.

That night, Zhao Jingqun had already crossed the boundary of a few dozen centimeters between the two beds. Like the true owner of the room, he naturally took over Tao Ning’s bed, held him to sleep, and tightly held him in place with his iron-like hands.

The person in his arms only struggled a little, and the man would hold him even tighter.

The next day, Tao Ning woke up and saw that Zhao Jingqun had changed into a tracksuit. He was holding his phone and doing something with it. Seeing that he was awake, he handed the phone over and pointed to the thermos on the table.

“Send me a message when you get to your tutoring place. You have to carry your phone no matter what you’re doing. Be a good boy, okay?”

Tao Ning looked down at the phone screen. It showed a real-time location. The sender’s name was saved as “Hubby.”

He hadn’t touched the phone. Zhao Jingqun had saved the name himself. Tao Ning nodded and gave a soft “mm.”

“I made two portions of food. One is in the pot, keeping warm for you. You’ll bring the other one to the mountain at noon. Call me when you get to the foot of the mountain. Don’t move. Wait for me to pick you up. Understand?”

Tao Ning stared at Zhao Jingqun, who had arranged everything for him. “What are you… going to do in the mountains?”

Zhao Jingqun ran a hand through his soft hair, staring at him. He gave a mischievous smile. “I’m going to work for my wife’s family.”

Tao Ning’s jade-like face instantly turned red. The next second, the man pecked his left cheek, and a deep voice gradually faded away. “Wait for me to come back home tonight.”

…

After the man left, Tao Ning went to his tutoring session. The session wasn’t long, lasting two to three hours.

In the past, Tao Ning would put one hundred percent of his heart and soul into tutoring. Even during breaks, he would correct homework or prepare for the next class. He would never take a moment off to play.

But now, things were a little different. Every half hour or so, the person with the name “Hubby” would send him a message.

Did you drink water yet?

Tao Ning took a sip of water, put down his red pen, and replied, “Yes.” A new message would immediately pop up.

Good boy. Send me your real-time location again.

Tao Ning figured out the real-time location software and sent it to him. The other side didn’t reply after receiving his location.

But within half an hour, another message would still come.

Good boy, drink some water.

10:25.

Stand up and move around. Be a good boy.

11:00.

I miss you a little. Can you send me a picture, please?

11:02.

Good boy, send your location again.

11:45.

If Tao Ning was focused on explaining a problem and forgot to reply, the phone would immediately ring until he answered the call.

Through the earpiece, he could hear the man’s displeasure. “What are you doing?”

The system crunched on melon seeds and said with a sigh, My little dumbo, you didn’t find a husband; you found a male ghost who watches you 24/7. It’s too scary. Just hang up.

Tao Ning didn’t want to listen to it and replied sullenly to the person on the phone, “Explaining a problem to someone.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and the tone softened. “Am I bothering you… my little dumbo?”

The man savored the words “my little dumbo,” pronouncing them one by one, as if the young man was in his mouth, being held.

Tao Ning’s ears felt a little hot, but he didn’t pick up on the man’s underlying pitiful tone. He said bluntly, “Yes, a little.”

“…”

The other end chuckled softly, his deep, magnetic voice filled with helplessness. “But as your boyfriend, am I not allowed to care about you a little more?”

After a moment, the voice on the other end became even lower, almost pleading. “My little dumbo, I’m not at ease when I can’t see you…”

Zhao Jingqun remembered the incident in the woods where Tao Ning was almost bullied. The violence in his heart was uncontrollable. If this wasn’t a society governed by law, he wouldn’t have just let that person go with a few kicks.

A hint of an imperceptible viciousness flashed in his dark eyes, but it was so fast that it was unnoticeable. Perhaps it was from his experiences living on the fringes of society years ago. Sometimes, Zhao Jingqun felt a sense of unreality about a normal person’s life.

He was young and not tall enough at that time. He couldn’t scare people when collecting debts, so he was often beaten and squeezed out by others.

Later, Zhao Jingqun learned from those powerful people and “dressed himself up.” He dyed his hair red, got a lot of earrings, and smoked and drank cheap liquor. Slowly, he was no longer the “crown prince” of the Zhao family but a hooligan, like garbage.

Even now that he had been taken back to the Zhao family, some habits were impossible for him to change.

Like a lone wolf who has lived in the wild for a long time, he had an extremely strong sense of possessiveness and control over the treasure he had found. He had to know its condition at all times to ensure it wouldn’t leave.

So as soon as Tao Ning was out of his sight, the man would fall into an endless state of anxiety and panic.

Zhao Jingqun knew that his thoughts and actions were pathological, but he didn’t want to change and couldn’t control himself. Tao Ning’s gentle and honest personality sometimes fueled his increasingly twisted possessiveness.

Seeing that there was no sound from the other end of the phone, Zhao Jingqun stomped on a blood-filled leech. Blood splattered everywhere, and the sight of the scarlet blood somewhat relieved his inner anxiety.

“My little dumbo, I’m sorry, okay? Don’t ignore me…”

The man’s calm, low coaxing completely hid his anxious and restless emotions from the person on the other end of the phone. Even his fingertips, which were clutching the phone, had turned white.

After a moment, the young man’s soft voice finally came from the other end. “I’m not ignoring you. I was just explaining a problem to him.”

The darkness in Zhao Jingqun’s eyes gradually dissipated. “That’s a good boy. You have to drink water immediately after you’re done. I’ll buy you something for your throat tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Good boy, listen to me.”

His voice was clearly coaxing, yet the intense and twisted possessiveness in his tone made one feel a little uneasy.

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