After The Honest Person Was Discovered For Simultaneously Pursuing Three People - Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Tao Ning is Kidnapped

Almost a month had passed since Tao Ning heard the news that Xu Jun was taking a leave of absence, but hearing it was one thing; it was only after seeing it with his own eyes that Tao Ning felt the reality of it—Xu Jun was leaving.

He had received “I love you” from the love letter Xu Jun wrote, and he had his heart. The mission to conquer him should have been completed. If Xu Jun was taking a leave of absence, would they ever see each other again?

Facing this sudden parting, Tao Ning felt a sense of confusion he had never experienced before. He urgently wanted an answer: [Has the mission to conquer Xu Jun been completed?]

The voice in his head that he was reluctant to interact with chuckled. The once blurry voice gradually overlapped with that of the Song family’s eldest son, Song Heng, with an ineffable hint of sarcasm: I thought you had already forgotten the mission.

Tao Ning pursed his lips. I won’t forget.

It’s completed, but. The system’s voice drew out the words with a pretentious flourish. Not enough. It’s still lacking something.

How much is lacking? Is it the part about Song Yucong?

The system laughed softly and said no more. No matter how much Tao Ning asked, the voice in his head fell into a dead silence, with no response. That is, until a cold voice from in front of him broke the silence, “You’re spacing out again.”

His heart skipped a beat, and Tao Ning’s attention was pulled back. He looked at the person inside the dorm room.

Xu Jun stood quietly in the center. The dim light cast a tall shadow on the floor, and some of it was blocked by his icy, wire-rimmed glasses, making it impossible to see the eyes behind the lenses.

Below, the last button of his shirt was buttoned, but his sleeves were casually rolled up to his elbows.

Aloof, yet uninhibited.

In a trance, Xu Jun’s questioning appearance last time seemed the same as today, sharp and with a strong presence.

As a person burdened with a purpose and a secret, Tao Ning felt a genuine fear of Xu Jun’s relentless questioning. He didn’t ask why he said “again” and instead instinctively took a step back.

But Xu Jun seemed indifferent to his evasion. He withdrew his cold gaze and continued to bend down and pack. Tao Ning walked over and saw that he was packing up the practice questions they had worked on together and a few succulent plants. Xu Jun put all of them into a black box and finally into his suitcase.

“Xu Jun…” Tao Ning asked softly, “You… will we see each other again in the future?”

Even though the dorm room had been cleaned multiple times, waiting for its other absent owner, the dust in the air was still clearly visible in the light.

Xu Jun closed his suitcase. Hearing the last question, he looked up. “Frankly, I don’t want to see someone again whom I’ve poured my heart out to after being dissected.”

Tao Ning didn’t know how to respond. He looked away, not daring to meet Xu Jun’s eyes. If he were with Zhao Jingqun or Song Yucong, he could be vague because Tao Ning knew they trusted him completely. But facing Xu Jun, Tao Ning felt a sense of powerless frustration.

Xu Jun could easily see through all his lies. Perhaps in Xu Jun’s eyes, he was a two-faced person.

“…I’m sorry.”

I can’t reciprocate your feelings.

The dorm room fell silent again, with only the rustling sound of packing. Tao Ning stood silently beside him, watching Xu Jun organize his things methodically until he had packed two suitcases, a backpack, and a lightweight canvas bag.

“Let me help you carry them to the school gate.” Thinking that he might never see Xu Jun again, Tao Ning felt very sad. He picked up his backpack without a second thought, but a slender, strong hand pressed down on it.

The moment their two warm palms touched, Tao Ning felt the other person tremble slightly.

“No need.” Xu Jun quickly moved his hand away, took back the backpack, and put it on. Tao Ning was left feeling a bit awkward. He lowered his head and said, “Oh,” not knowing what to do.

He couldn’t tell whether he was sad about losing a good friend or about losing Xu Jun.

The sound of the suitcase wheels stopped at the door. Xu Jun stood with his back to him, thinking about something. After a moment, he said in a low voice, “Will you walk me out for the last time?”

“Okay… okay.” Tao Ning suddenly looked up, his beautiful eyes, unhidden by glasses, sparkling. He curved his eyes into a smile and followed him.

The two left the dorm, and someone from the adjacent dorm happened to see this and scratched their head in confusion. “Who is that person next to Xu Jun? Oh, wait, didn’t he start packing a few days ago? Why is he only leaving today…”

They walked to the school gate in silence. Tao Ning lowered his head and said hesitantly, “I’ll walk you a little further.”

“Mmm.”

After getting on the subway, Tao Ning said again, “Since we’ve come this far, I want to walk you all the way home.”

“…Mmm.”

It was lunch break, so the subway was crowded. Tao Ning stood in a corner, and Xu Jun used his two suitcases and his own body to create a small space for him. He did all this with a blank expression, his eyes lowered, looking at the luggage handles.

If Xu Jun didn’t speak, Tao Ning didn’t know how to start a conversation.

A silent stillness spread between them. Tao Ning suddenly felt a little short of breath. He actually didn’t know what he liked, only that he didn’t like goodbyes.

At the station, Tao Ning followed Xu Jun off the train. Because Xu Jun’s residential area was very old, there were hardly any people on the old streets lined with magnolia trees in the middle of the day. The shops on both sides of the street had finally become idle and were closed to customers.

So, it was just the two of them walking one after the other in the alley.

The wide leaves of the magnolia trees rustled. At the corner of the alley, Tao Ning stopped and said, “Xu Jun, I’ve glued that letter back together. Can I mail it to you in the future?”

The person in front of him stopped as well. His shadow was thin and lonely. “You don’t even want those things anymore…” A sudden sound of footsteps, however, completely interrupted the low murmur. A muffled “Ugh—” sounded from behind, as if someone was struggling!

A danger as sharp as a knife to the neck suddenly descended like a torrential rain. Xu Jun was startled and quickly turned his head. A dark figure flashed past him. With a “bang,” Xu Jun couldn’t even make out who it was, and a sharp pain shot through the back of his head.

Xu Jun tried desperately to see Tao Ning, but his vision blurred. The intense dizziness was unstoppable. In the last moment before he passed out, he only felt a gaze that was ice-cold and bone-chilling.

It was as if the person who had knocked him out with a club had been lurking for a long time, patiently waiting every moment, wanting to gouge out his flesh.

Until now.

…Tao Ning?

In the blurry light, the young man was in his old, faded clothes. The blowing wind made the corners of his shirt flutter, outlining his slender, willow-like back, as if he had merged with the free wind of autumn. As if hearing someone call out to him, in the dark alley, the young man turned his head—

…Tao Ning… Tao Ning… don’t go!

But no matter how much he called, he couldn’t see the young man’s face. Another gust of wind came, and the young man disappeared in the hazy light and shadows.

No!!

Xu Jun suddenly opened his eyes. The person in the dream disappeared too quickly, making it hard to tell if it was a dream or reality. He was breathing heavily, his vision blurry. Then, the images in front of him gradually cleared: a white ceiling and an IV bag. This was a hospital.

After someone knocked him out, Tao Ning was gone, and he was in a hospital.

Just the thought that Tao Ning was kidnapped right under his nose made the string of sanity in Xu Jun’s heart snap instantly. He didn’t care that he still had a needle in his arm and a bandage on his forehead. He pulled out the needle, threw off the blanket, and was about to get out of bed.

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing, bed number seven?” The nurse who came to change his medication was confused. Seeing this unlucky guy, who was sent here by a passerby, trying to rush out like a madman, she quickly shouted, “Stop him!”

“Get away!”

Xu Jun had completely lost his sanity. His usual calm and detached demeanor were gone. All he could think about was the image of Tao Ning being kidnapped right beside him. If… if anything happened to Tao Ning, even the slightest thing, he would never forgive himself!

Why were these people blocking him?! Xu Jun was like a provoked venomous snake, charging forward without a second thought. Someone tried to pull him back to the bed, but Xu Jun threw a punch. He struggled desperately to leave, his always meticulous clothes now completely a mess.

The scene quickly descended into chaos. The doctors and nurses had no idea that the person they had received was not just an unlucky guy with a head injury, but a lunatic! After taking a few punches, some people cursed, until there was another “bang—”

The door of the hospital room was kicked open. The newcomer walked in with a furious gust of wind, taking two steps at a time, pushing everyone aside, and grabbing Xu Jun by the collar. His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared, “Where is Tao Ning? Where did you take Tao Ning?!”

Blood was seeping from the bandage on his head. The pain from his wound and the angry roar finally made Xu Jun sober up. He gasped, forcefully pushed Song Yucong away, and relaxed his tightly clenched fists before saying calmly, “Tao Ning was kidnapped. Call the police immediately.”

“What the hell did you just say?!”

The piercing sound of police sirens quickly echoed throughout the hospital. By the time Xu Jun was giving his statement, it was already completely dark. After the police asked questions about where Tao Ning disappeared and other details, their final question was about Tao Ning’s social connections.

The lighting in the police station was poor, and the space for taking statements could even be described as cramped. In front of the narrow mahogany desk, Xu Jun’s expression was cold, and his answers were concise but clear, completely different from the disheveled state he was in at the hospital.

Outside the room, Song Yucong’s frantic voice could be heard faintly.

“The victim’s parents are deceased, and the family only has one older sister and a nephew. Are there no other relatives?”

The light grew dimmer. Xu Jun suddenly looked up, and the look in his eyes behind his glasses was so cold that the police officer was startled. He wondered how a person so young could have such a cold and hateful gaze. But when he looked closer, the person in front of him had once again returned to his detached demeanor.

He answered every question he was asked.

“No.”

“Alright then, you can go back for now. We’ll notify you if we have any news.”

One police officer closed the report book, and another picked up his teacup and was about to leave. However, just as they both stood up, the person behind them suddenly said, “I just remembered… he has another relative in Haizhou, and they’re very close.”

To be kidnapped on the street, not for money or sex, it must be for love. And this person happened to be in Haizhou. This was a lead! The two police officers’ eyes lit up as they asked, “Who is it?”

Xu Jun stared straight ahead, as if at a wall, or as if looking through the wall at something. He said coldly, “His cousin, Zhao Jingqun.”

Tick, tock, tick, tock, the hands of the clock turned.

In a room shrouded in darkness, without a single ray of light, the walls were covered with dense, overlapping photographs. They were scattered in a chaotic manner, like a grotesque spiderweb, and the scene in each photo was different. The only thing they had in common was the back of a slender young man.

It was Tao Ning.

A four-by-five-meter soft bed was also placed in the room. This was the only piece of furniture besides the clock, sitting alone in the center of the bedroom, like a solitary boat imprisoned in the darkness.

Confusion and bewilderment occupied his every thought. Tao Ning frowned uncomfortably. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was a strange smell and a familiar, scalding embrace. Other than that, he couldn’t remember anything else.

…Who was it?

His long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly. Tao Ning opened his eyes, but what greeted him was an endless darkness, very similar to the nightmares he had before. A boundless darkness that brought a chilling dread.

…What happened? Had his sight been taken away again?

“…System?”

Tao Ning tried to call out, but the sound echoed with no response. The thing he was lying on was unusually soft; he must be on a bed. But his wrists felt cold.

His head was groggy. Tao Ning struggled to get up, which caused the sound of metal clashing, which was particularly clear in the deathly silent room. The coldness on his wrists instantly sobered Tao Ning up. Without warning, his heart began to pound nervously.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, the sound of his heartbeat grew clearer with each beat.

Tao Ning’s hands trembled as he felt for his wrists. Sure enough, he touched cold, slender iron chains! Someone had tied him to the bed.

“…Who… who are you…” What came out of his lips was a near-tremble. Tao Ning swallowed hard, shrank back with all his might, and huddled his body in fear, hugging his knees. His eyes moved, even though he knew he couldn’t see, but it was the only thing that could give him a little bit of security.

Just as Tao Ning was huddling toward the foot of the bed out of fear, a strong, suffocating smell of smoke suddenly enveloped him like a storm. The smell was so strong that it made him unable to think.

The next moment, the soft flesh on his cheek was gripped by a pair of hot hands. A low, gravelly voice chuckled. The laugh was like that of a demon, sudden and spreading from his throat bit by bit, finally dissipating into the darkness.

The laughter stopped abruptly. A moment later, the voice asked coldly, “Did you miss me?”

When those words were said, Tao Ning stopped struggling. He froze in place, allowing the hot, rough hands to rub his cheek, which stung a little.

Because he knew this voice all too well… It was Zhao Jingqun’s.

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