Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 83

The criminals holding them hostage shouted for the police to provide a getaway car. To avoid an escalation, the commander in the outer perimeter spoke into his walkie-talkie, and shortly after, an ordinary sedan was driven into the center of the cordon.

The gunman brandished his weapon wildly in front of everyone. Jiang Rui could hear the underlying excitement in the man’s voice—the thrill of an impending escape. He lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze falling upon Wei Ruize, who was half-crouching directly in front of him.

Wei Ruize’s wrist flickered slightly; it was a signal for Jiang Rui to duck.

Jiang Rui narrowed his eyes and spread his divine sense. Sure enough, on the fourth floor of the teaching building opposite the library, three snipers were positioned at different angles, their sights trained on the three suspects.

Jiang Rui tilted his head slightly. Seeing Wei Ruize’s brow furrowed in tension, he let out a small smile. Unfortunately, this didn’t go unnoticed by the criminal beside him, who delivered a sharp elbow to Jiang Rui’s ribs.

The crowd watching from the perimeter gasped at the strike. Jiang Rui rolled his eyes inwardly.

He couldn’t help but wonder why, in real life just like in police dramas, there were always so many bystanders—even at a school. Aside from key university officials, the outer circle was packed with magazine reporters and various staff members. The earlier evacuation had cleared the students, but these adults had simply formed a ring behind the police line.

Jiang Rui sighed and decided to transmit his voice directly to Wei Ruize’s mind: “Young Master Wei, this is the fated tribulation of your life.”

Wei Ruize’s expression froze. He looked toward Jiang Rui with a mix of disbelief and instinctive trust.

Jiang Rui’s follow-up was even more convincing than he had intended: “You were supposed to be killed by a single shot from one of them, without even enough time for a rescue…”

Beneath his tactical helmet, Wei Ruize’s lips pressed into a hard line. His hand gripped his firearm with unconscious rigidity.

Suddenly, Jiang Rui sensed a sound like a stifled laugh coming from Wei Ruize’s direction. Looking closer, he saw Wei Ruize’s eyes crinkling at the corners. “Grandmaster Jiang,” the instructor murmured under his breath, “since that’s the case, I assume you’ve already thought of a solution.”

Despite his words, his grip on the gun didn’t loosen for a second.

Jiang Rui gave a slight nod. To the criminals, it looked like he was merely lifting his head, but in that split second, a full exchange had passed between the two.

Right at that moment, a startled cry erupted from An Le on the right. An Le suddenly turned pale and collapsed into a crouch. Even though the criminal tugged at him violently, he couldn’t pull the seemingly agonized boy back up.

Zhao Jinyan’s usually calm facade cracked. He looked at An Le, his fists clenching tight. When he turned his gaze toward Jiang Rui, he looked as if he had made a sudden, desperate decision.

Jiang Rui’s eyes carried a hint of a smile. He met Zhao Jinyan’s gaze for just a few seconds. Before the criminals could react, Zhao Jinyan suddenly bent his body, forcing the gunman behind him to lurch forward as well. Then, his leg whipped out in a straight kick to the criminal’s head.

The man holding Zhao Jinyan was knocked flat, lying on the ground dazed.

The criminal behind Jiang Rui reacted with frightening speed, aiming his gun at Zhao Jinyan. But before he could pull the trigger, the “fragile, scholarly” youth he had been holding—who looked like he belonged in a painting—had already vanished from his grasp and reappeared behind him, disarming him in a flash.

Having successfully disarmed his captor, Zhao Jinyan rushed toward An Le, his hand striking like a blade toward the second criminal’s neck. That man was fast, spinning away to dodge the blow. But Zhao Jinyan didn’t give up; he followed through with a low sweeping kick that caught the man in the waist, sent him flying.

In an instant, all three criminals were down. The tactical police dropped their shields and swarmed forward, subduing the suspects and binding them securely.

“Ambulance—!” Zhao Jinyan shouted, his voice cracking with desperation as he scooped the curled-up An Le into his arms.

The medical personnel nearby rushed in to separate them. Fortunately, Zhao Jinyan retained enough logic not to act like a melodramatic lead who refuses to let go. Once An Le was placed on a stretcher, Zhao Jinyan’s hand twitched. He glanced at Jiang Rui, took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and forced a stiff smile before following the ambulance to the hospital.

Jiang Rui was escorted to safety by the police. Medical staff in white coats swarmed him, trying to check for wounds, only to find he was completely unharmed.

Jiang Rui calmly pulled his hand away and pointed to the bloodstains on his sleeve. “This blood isn’t mine.” Disappointed, the medics moved on.

Jiang Rui smiled faintly and looked at Wei Ruize, who was standing just inches away. “How does it feel?”

Wei Ruize looked at the bound criminals and shook his head. “Grandmaster Jiang, with you here, how else could I feel?”

The question was tossed back at Jiang Rui, who didn’t take offense. He simply smiled and extended his right hand. “Congratulations. From now on, your path will be smooth and free of disaster.”

Wei Ruize paused, looking at the pale, slender hand extended toward him. After a moment, he rubbed his own hand sheepishly against his pants before reaching out. “Thank you… it was a pleasure collaborating with you.”

“The pleasure was mine,” Jiang Rui nodded. He then stood up from his chair, seemingly moving to stand directly in front of Wei Ruize.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from where the criminals were being held. After a brief moment of panic, the police thoroughly searched the suspects and confiscated a final, hidden sub-compact pistol before hauling them into the police cars.

Medical staff frantically searched for anyone hit by the shot, but they couldn’t find a single wounded person—there wasn’t even a drop of blood. They eventually left, looking bewildered.

From the corner of his eye, Wei Ruize saw Jiang Rui’s body shudder. The youth moved forward half a step and grimaced. Sensing something was wrong, Wei Ruize stood up and moved behind Jiang Rui. His pupils shrank. There was a small, round hole in the back of Jiang Rui’s clothes.

“You…” Wei Ruize’s lips moved, but he couldn’t find the words.

I’m fine, Jiang Rui thought, his brow furrowed. When he had seen the criminal’s hidden movement, he had instinctively stepped in front of Wei Ruize.

He didn’t quite understand why. In that split second, there were a dozen things he could have done. He could have made the gun explode in the man’s hand with a flick of his finger. Why had he felt the need to use his own back to shield Wei Ruize?

He had no answer for himself.

Wei Ruize stared at the fair-skinned youth who looked like a piece of warm jade. He clenched and unclenched his fists. Finally, he pursed his lips and picked up his protective vest, saying in a muffled voice, “Jiang… Rui. I owe you one. I won’t forget.”

Jiang Rui looked at him with surprise, seeing only the earnestness and determination on the young man’s face.

“You…” Jiang Rui started to say it wasn’t necessary, but Wei Ruize cut him off. “I’m calling an ambulance.”

“I said, I’m fine,” Jiang Rui repeated. Seeing Wei Ruize’s blatant disbelief, he reiterated firmly, “I’m fine.”

Wei Ruize gave him a look that made Jiang Rui’s skin crawl with an inexplicable feeling, before giving a muffled “Oh.”

Seeing that the situation was resolved, Jiang Rui sighed. “I have things to do. I’ll take my leave.” To avoid the reporters waiting outside with cameras and microphones, he slipped out through a small side gate.

At that moment, Rong Jingtang was watching a “first-person replay.”

It was footage captured by the person he had assigned to follow Jiang Rui. It started from Jiang Rui entering the field as a flag bearer, through his whispered, smiling conversations with others, and his departure from the field.

Uncle Cheng stood with his hands folded, watching Rong Jingtang reclining on the lounge chair. His gaze was soft. Having served the Rong family his entire life, he knew that aside from the Master’s younger brother, this was the first time in decades the Young Master had shown such feelings for someone.

The room was dim, illuminated only by the soft glow from the projector. On the screen, Jiang Rui had a faint smile on his lips. His features were gentle, giving off a sense of comfort that reached the soul.

Rong Jingtang rubbed his forefinger against his lip, his eyes narrowing as he watched the footage of Jiang Rui unconsciously licking his lips. A slow curve formed at the corner of Rong Jingtang’s mouth.

The scene changed to the end of the ceremony, where Jiang Rui and his roommates entered the library, seemingly unaware they were being filmed—or perhaps they knew and simply didn’t care.

Rong Jingtang glanced at the wall clock. “Uncle Cheng, prepare the meal.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Uncle Cheng glanced at the screen, which now showed Jiang Rui being taken hostage. Seeing that his Master sat there perfectly still without a hint of tension, the old man sighed.

The hearts of young people… an old man truly cannot fathom them.

Uncle Cheng shrugged behind Rong Jingtang’s back and headed to the kitchen with a light step.

Inside the room, Rong Jingtang nodded slightly. He watched the screen where Jiang Rui remained calm even while held at gunpoint. The smile on his face slowly, slowly broadened.