Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 89

Looking at the red thread of fate on Jiang Xi’s hand—which, while light in color, was remarkably thick—Jiang Rui narrowed his eyes. Following the trajectory of the thread, his gaze landed squarely on the basement door.

He mentally screened every man currently in that basement, yet he couldn’t find a single one who would make a truly satisfying brother-in-law. The thought of watching his sister marry some brat who appeared out of nowhere in the future left Jiang Rui feeling exceptionally conflicted.

He patted Jiang Xi’s head. Looking at her still-grimy little face, he forced a gentle smile. “Be good. Be careful, and go ahead.”

Jiang Xi immediately beamed at him. Seeing her bright, snowy-white teeth only made Jiang Rui feel more disgruntled. The youngest of those “stinky men” downstairs was Xiao Wu, who was seventeen; the rest were likely twenty-two or older. While that wasn’t ancient, it was a matter of perspective.

His sister was only twelve. At such a tender age, she had stumbled into her “first spring” of life because of a freak accident. Jiang Rui ground his teeth in secret. Watching Jiang Xi’s skipping figure, he felt the sudden growth of something within him known as a “sister complex.”

Before Jiang Xi left, Jiang Rui plucked a single strand of hair that had fallen onto her shoulder. He intended to use an array to find his targets directly. He was truly fed up with having to relive his own past trauma every time he dealt with Wang Cheng-hui. It was time to settle the shadows of his previous life once and for all.

With a faint smile, Jiang Rui held the hair between his fingertips. His right hand quickly traced several runes in the air. A faint blue light manifested before him. He incinerated the strand of hair and, following the path indicated by the blue light, vanished from the spot in a flash.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jian-heng and his wife, Huang Wen-hua, had just come face-to-face with Wang Cheng-hui.

Huang Wen-hua had already untied her daughter and witnessed her being rescued. Although she didn’t know the identity of the rescuers, she had no reason to believe they were anything but good people, given they had risked their lives to protect Jiang Xi.

Gunshots. Kidnapping.

These were terms she had taught students or heard from professors in textbooks and classrooms, yet they now felt like they had been cast to the winds. She couldn’t remember a thing. The moment they were abducted, she had reacted like any ordinary woman—her mind went blank, and she simply gripped her daughter’s hand, refusing to be separated.

By the time they were forced into the car, the sound of her daughter’s crying finally brought Huang Wen-hua back to her senses. Though Jiang Xi was not her biological child, she had raised her for over a decade. Anyone would protect their own, especially when facing a group of thugs who clearly lacked any shred of decency. Huang Wen-hua’s maternal instincts ignited instantly.

She did her absolute best to shield Jiang Xi behind her while cautiously observing their captors. She was a teacher, after all; though she had been startled into helplessness, she recovered her wits quickly.

Her husband lay unconscious beside her. The wound on his head had stopped bleeding, but the patch of dried blood on the floor remained a gruesome sight. Huang Wen-hua felt a surge of despair. She couldn’t understand why anyone would kidnap a family as ordinary as theirs.

As she was thinking, the car suddenly lurched to a halt, followed by the deafening roar of gunfire. The windows shattered, shards of glass raining into the cabin. Startled into action, Huang Wen-hua made Jiang Xi turn her back to her, and she painstakingly sawed through the ropes binding the girl.

Perhaps because the kidnappers viewed Jiang Xi as just a child, the ropes weren’t tight. Huang Wen-hua freed her quickly and told her to find a way to hide—and once it was safe, to find Jiang Rui or her eldest uncle and aunt.

Surprisingly, of all the relatives she could think of in that moment of crisis, it was her young nephew who came to mind.

At the time, Jiang Xi could only run while crying. She hadn’t gone two steps before one of the men surrounding the car grabbed her. She opened her mouth and bit the man hard; he let go, but in his rage, he actually fired a shot at her retreating back.

In that lightning-fast moment, Xiao Lu-nan had lunged forward, saving Jiang Xi’s life. Every time she recalled that moment, Huang Wen-hua felt as if her heart would leap out of her chest.

At the sound of the gunshot, her mind had gone blank. Only after seeing Jiang Xi carried away safely—with no blood on the ground where she had stood—did she begin to feel the chilling after-effect of the terror. If Jiang Xi had truly been lost, what meaning would there be in her life? Coming home every night to check homework, cooking meals, going shopping together… these had become unchangeable habits.

Like many mothers, Huang Wen-hua felt that if she lost Jiang Xi, her world would simply collapse. Fortunately—thankfully—Jiang Xi was safe. Even now, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of relief.

Her memories were interrupted as she looked around the dim surroundings. Their bindings had been removed, but the iron bars resembling a cage and the two guards outside were a mocking reminder of their reality: they weren’t going anywhere.

At the same time, Rong Jing-tang fell into a long silence after receiving an anonymous phone call.

Standing nearby, Uncle Cheng dutifully waited with lowered eyes. Seeing Rong Jing-tang hang up the phone with a calm expression, he asked with concern, “Young Master, are you going out?”

Rong Jing-tang contemplated for a moment, tapping the back of his chair. A slight smile touched his lips. “Uncle Cheng, bring me a black suit.”

Uncle Cheng paused, glancing at Rong Jing-tang, who usually wore plain white. He clarified, “The custom-made black suit?”

“Yes,” Rong Jing-tang nodded slightly. He rose from his chair, stretching his body lightly. “Prepare two cars. Have Old Liu follow at a distance. Don’t let him be discovered.”

“Yes, Young Master.” This time, Uncle Cheng didn’t ask further questions and bowed before departing.

Rong Jing-tang looked out the window at the lush garden where several children were playing. After a moment of silence, he finally moved his feet.

On his ankles, wrists, and neck were items gifted to him by Jiang Rui. Though he didn’t know their exact purpose, his health had improved drastically ever since he started wearing them.

Jiang Rui was no ordinary person. Rong Jing-tang had likely sensed this long ago but never spoke of it. It was because Jiang Rui… from the very beginning, had felt incredibly familiar.

In truth, his intuition was correct.

Rong Jing-tang glanced at the door he had closed. He walked over to a specific section of the wall and pressed a hidden switch. He pulled out a small box from the compartment. Inside were a rattle-drum, a small handkerchief, and even an old, filthy, wrapped-up candied hawthorn stick.

These were treasures Rong Jing-tang kept hidden from everyone. He replaced them with great care. Once the hidden door was sealed, he adjusted his clothes and walked out the door with a perfectly composed, upright expression.