Chapter 3#

I supported the child as we walked quite a distance, all the while urging him to go to the hospital. In the end, this young man kept up his tough act even with a pale face, his nails almost digging into my flesh. I had to steel myself and follow his wishes. The place Cheng Chen brought me to was already an old street market, with countless winding alleyways that made one dizzy. The area was mostly inhabited by foreign laborers and poor households, and public security had always been poor here.

I was gasping for breath as I supported him, occasionally turning to ask: “Is, is it over there? Oh, turn left, right?” Throughout, I kept looking back to see if anyone was chasing us, until we reached a small house. It was too dark around me to see clearly, only feeling a strong sense of dampness, unsure if it was my sweat or the bright red blood.

He seemed to open his eyes, his breathing somewhat weak. With great effort, he raised his hand and took something out of his pants pocket. I heard a “click” sound, and it became slightly brighter. His hand holding the lighter kept trembling. He raised his hand slightly toward the opposite direction, then suddenly let out an extremely painful low moan, his entire face contorting. Seeing this made me anxious too, and I hastily and clumsily helped him lean back against the ground to sit.

“Alright, alright, I, I know, I know, you, don’t talk! Lie down! Lie down!” When I’m nervous, I tend to stutter a bit. Following the direction he pointed, I stumbled and ran over. From behind the old oil drum in the corner, I found a box that looked like a medical kit. On the way back, I fell flat on my face, but fortunately, I was holding tightly onto that life-saving box. I hurriedly knelt in front of the child, and I seemed to hear him laugh once, then he said: “…Idiot…”

At that moment, I instantly understood the meaning of the phrase “it’s hard to be a good person.” Well, I won’t argue with an injured person.

I opened the medical kit, but the light here was too dim. No matter how wide I opened my eyes, everything remained blurry. I could only fumble around randomly, touching things like gauze and cotton. Turning back, I carefully tried to undo his white shirt, which was soaked with sweat and blood. At the wound, the blood had somewhat coagulated, and the fabric was stuck to the wound. Watching this made my heart race. “You, you… bear, bear with it.” He clenched his teeth, and before I could react, he fiercely raised his hand and forcefully tore off the fabric. The wound immediately gushed blood again.

My eyes went wide, but I heard him grind his teeth and say: “…Move… faster…”

In my previous life, I had also encountered crises like kidnapping and injury. The ones I remember most clearly were two occasions.

One of them was right after Old Lady Ren had just passed away, during that period when the Ren family had no head. Almost everyone from both the Wang and Ren families was crowded into the main hall of the Ren residence, waiting for the lawyer to read the will. Wang Zheng and I had just flown back from the US when we got off the plane, and suddenly I was knocked unconscious and thrown into a car. When I woke up, I found myself in an abandoned building. I was deeply involved at that time, worrying more about Wang Zheng than about the position of Ren Corporation’s president. The moment I opened my eyes, I looked around everywhere, and not seeing Wang Zheng, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief…

I don’t know what the kidnappers were thinking. Not only did they not demand a ransom, but they never even showed their faces. I stayed in that abandoned warehouse without food or water for quite some time. I can’t even remember how long I was there. I only know that after losing consciousness, when I woke up again, I was already in the hospital under the Ren Corporation. There weren’t many people around. The first person I saw was Wang Zheng.

At that time, Wang Zheng wore a cold smile and said: “Congratulations, President Ren.”

The other kidnapping was not long before the company’s troubles… That matter remains a thorn in my heart, and I don’t want to bring it up much. However, my bandaging skills were honed during that time, which is the only good thing that came out of it.

I was extremely careful as I supported him. With no water or alcohol available, I could only roughly clean his wound. I wrapped a bandage around his waist several times. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t too big. Throughout, he didn’t utter a single sound, though his breathing was heavy. It looked like he was in severe pain.

I suddenly thought of my son.

My good boy also loved to climb up and down, ending up covered in injuries. Afraid that Shu Yuan would find out and scold him, he always waited until I came back from the company before secretly coming to find me. Once, my good boy played too roughly and got a large gash on his leg. That time, he didn’t even wait for Shu Yuan to scold him before being sent to the hospital. When I rushed to the hospital, the doctor was just bandaging him. He didn’t cry, but his lip was almost bitten through from the pain.

At that time, I was furious, but couldn’t bear to scold my son. I held it all in, almost giving myself internal injuries. When my good boy was discharged from the hospital, I kept a straight face. As soon as my son saw me, tears streamed down his face.

After being reborn, I occasionally think: such a well-behaved child, and he’s not even mine…

Looking at the young man before me, seeing his furrowed brow and closed eyes, my heart couldn’t help but ache slightly. I couldn’t help but say softly: “Now… it’s been this long. They can’t catch you anymore. Wait here. I, I’ll go call a car for you. We’ll go to the hospital, okay? I, I’ll go with you, alright… uh, ok?” I made an OK gesture at him, which looked a bit comical. Cheng Chen always said that I talked like I was coaxing a child, which annoyed people. So I tried to imitate a younger person’s tone. Being constantly told I was old really hurt my feelings.

He opened his eyes slightly. I was getting anxious. Just as I was about to take his silence as agreement and go out to call a car, he grabbed my sleeve. There was a strong ferocity in his eyes. Being stared at like that made me feel uneasy. Come to think of it, he looked a bit older than Cheng Chen. He was also wearing the high school uniform. His features were deep—different from Wang Zheng’s delicacy, but not rough either. He was the extremely handsome type, albeit with a certain bloodthirsty air.

He suddenly squinted, his voice low: “Someone…” I was startled too, but he grabbed the medical kit and quickly pulled out a small rod-shaped object from inside. If I wasn’t mistaken, that should be…

I gently patted my chest. Amen.

Usually, at this age, even if they’re running with gangs, their hands still shake when holding a gun. He seemed very熟练, not a ripple in his eyes. With some difficulty, he pulled me towards the wall. I held my breath, and only then heard faint footsteps outside. After a moment, a woman’s voice came from outside: “…A-Jie? Is, is that you in there?”

I seemed to hear him exhale.

The old iron door was pushed open. The sudden light made me raise my hand to shield my eyes uncomfortably.

“A-Jie! A-Jie! How did this happen?” The voice sounded familiar. I opened my eyes a bit wider and was somewhat surprised to see the woman walking over hurriedly. It turned out to be Sister Xin, who had been sitting at the counter in that shop earlier.

Sister Xin didn’t seem to be hurt, but seeing the child in this state, she looked like she was about to cry from worry.

“I’m fine… It’s just that Kun Qi, that bastard, played dirty. Damn it…”

“How can you be fine like this! Quickly! I’ll take you back! Master Han just sent people over. It’s all cleared up now. Are you trying to worry me to death? With all this blood…”

I noticed that their eyebrows and eyes looked somewhat similar. My legs had gone numb from kneeling. When I moved, I let out a soft groan. Sister Xin turned to look at me then, somewhat surprised: “Aren’t you… Xiao Chen’s—How did you…?”

I forced a bitter smile. The young man also glanced at me, then said weakly: “Sis, take him out first. Call a car to send him back to…”

I coughed. “I board at school.” So when I said earlier that I’d call a car to take him to the hospital, he’d been staring at me with his eyes open, clearly knowing that this place was so twisty and turny that not only would I fail to call a car, I’d probably get myself lost too…

He paused. Sister Xin also dropped her playful attitude from our first meeting and said: “Xiao Ri, is it? It’s this late now, the school gates are definitely closed. How about you come back with us first? Tomorrow morning, I’ll have someone send you…”

My heart skipped a beat. For some reason, I suddenly thought of Wang Zheng’s smug face. If I stayed out all night and he reported it to Old Lady Ren, the possibility of me ever stepping out of the Ren family home again would be nearly zero. So I quickly said: “No, no—It’s okay. Sister Xin, please just call a car for me. I absolutely must go back.”

The siblings looked at me with some confusion. I coughed again, then lowered my voice slowly: “The dormitory head does rounds at midnight. If I’m not in my room, I’ll be sent to disciplinary action…”

Sister Xin seemed about to persuade me further, but he suddenly laughed out loud. His complexion wasn’t as bad as before either. He said: “Sis… his wall-climbing skills… are pretty impressive…”

I could only let out a dry laugh.

When I climbed over the wall again with this fat body, I suddenly felt that I might have the potential to be a spy.

I made it back to the dormitory just before midnight. Fortunately, I walked all the way back without running into any security guards. Quite pleased with myself, I opened the door—

When I saw those beautiful eyes glaring at me with blazing anger, my heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

“Ren Qiri, wandering outside campus until late at night. Setting aside the matter of school demerits, tell me—if Madam…” Before Wang Zheng could finish, he suddenly sat up from the bed, his eyes wide as he looked me up and down. It made my heart race.

“Ren Qiri—!” Wang Zheng raised his voice in a roar, quite frightening. But I couldn’t really blame him—who could blame him for being alarmed when my hands and clothes were stained with blood? Ah, it wasn’t that I was stupid. How was I supposed to know that this peacock hadn’t gone to sleep yet so late…

Wang Zheng practically jumped off the bed. He stormed over, his face twisted ferociously. It made me suddenly want to just close the door and bolt away.

Wang Zheng grabbed my shoulders, looking left and right, his eyes wide open. “Ren Qiri, what happened? How did you end up like this? Ren Qiri—!”

I was momentarily speechless. Wang Zheng gritted his teeth, pushed me away impatiently, his brows deeply furrowed. “Ren Qiri, let’s not even talk about how disappointed Madam was with your previous behavior. Look at yourself now!” Wang Zheng narrowed his eyes. “Is it that kid named Cheng Chen? Ren Qiri, I really don’t understand how you became so close with someone like that. That punk corrupted you, didn’t he!”

“Ren Qiri, look at yourself. What difference is there between you and those low-life hoodlums? How could the Ren Corporation—ever be handed over to you?”

“Or would it be handed over to you?”

Wang Zheng shuddered violently, his entire face instantly flushed red, his chest heaving heavily.

I frowned slightly and said slowly: “Wang Zheng, don’t talk about him like that. Cheng Chen may not be good at his studies, may have a bad attitude, and may have poor manners, but at least, at least…”

I took a deep breath and looked at Wang Zheng’s handsome face. He was shaking with anger, his features somewhat twisted—In my previous life, I remembered someone once said to me: aside from his appearance, what was there about him worth liking?

“At least, he…”

Would never betray me.

“Ring, ring, ring—”

Both Wang Zheng and I were startled. I hadn’t expected Wang Zheng’s mobile phone to ring at this moment. In this era, cell phones weren’t common, and ringtones weren’t as varied as they would become later. Wang Zheng pressed the answer button somewhat gloomily. “Hello.”

I saw that Wang Zheng’s expression was somewhat strange.

Then, he looked at me and handed the phone over, saying: “…It’s Third Master. Third Master is looking for you.”

I knew my eyes must have been wider than a Chihuahua’s.

I took the phone as if in a trance, hesitantly brought it to my ear, and said nothing.

My hands were shaking badly.

After a long while, an aged voice suddenly came from the other end: “Is this the Young Master?”

It was Uncle Jing’s voice, just as I remembered—always extremely uncomfortable, as cold and hard as a machine. “Young Master, I am here to convey Third Master’s words. Please listen carefully.”

“Qiri, Third Uncle’s health is not good. You are out on your own, and Third Uncle has always been worried about you.”

“Third Uncle knows you like to have fun, so he had people watch over you privately.”

“What happened tonight cannot happen a second time.”

Uncle Jing’s voice suddenly stopped.

My heart went cold—He, he! He had people following me!

I rarely get angry, but now I had the urge to throw the phone. Just as I was about to press the end button, suddenly, a voice came from the other end—like a truck running over gravel, extremely hoarse, as if it took all the strength in his throat to produce the sound.

“Qi, ri…”

If you didn’t listen carefully, you definitely couldn’t make it out.

He could only speak in broken fragments.

“Don’t, be, mad, at, Third, Uncle…”

For the next few days of classes, I didn’t see Cheng Chen. I really wasn’t used to it. It felt like the world had suddenly gone quiet.

One day after class, there was suddenly a commotion outside.

I was holding a mop, about to carry out my duties as sanitation monitor, when suddenly a little punk burst in. He had a lip ring, looking somewhat inappropriate.

The classmates around me whispered among themselves. I heard the little punk shout: “Damn it, get out of the way! I’m looking for someone!”

I continued towards the back door. This shouldn’t have anything to do with me.

“Which one of you is Ren Qiri! Get your ass out here!”

In an instant, dozens of gazes from the class shot towards me. I felt truly flattered.

The little punk followed the gazes, squinted at me, and gestured: “So it’s… oh, that fatso. Fatso, get your ass over here! Hurry up!”

I sighed, put down the mop, and walked over with an air of facing death. Maybe it was because I was fat and walked slowly. The moment I stood in front of that punk, he slapped me hard across the face. I almost lost my balance, steadying myself on the desk to stay upright.

“Fatso, you took so long. The boss finally decided to deal with you. You’re lucky!”

I was a bit dizzy. Boss…?

I obediently followed that punk to the sports field. Sure enough, from a distance, I saw the young man who had been slashed that day. I gently touched my stinging cheek, feeling somewhat melancholy.

“Boss, I’ve brought the guy!” The little punk sidled up to him, looking at me with some glee. I raised my eyes to look at him. He seemed to have recovered well. In just a few days, he was already as good as new.

He exhaled smoke, stubbed out the cigarette, and said to me: “Come here.”

Frankly speaking, his voice was really quite nice. His gaze was still sharp. His standing posture was lazy, yet it gave people an odd feeling—one they couldn’t resist.

I obediently walked up and stood before him.

He tilted his head, then suddenly frowned. With one hand, he grabbed my chin, somewhat forcefully.

“Who hit you?”

“Uh… huh?”

He squinted, then suddenly looked at the punk who had come to my classroom earlier. His tone turned cold: “Was it you?”

The little punk also felt the shift in atmosphere. “Boss, boss…” He shot the punk a fierce glare, then suddenly raised his fist and, without a word, swung it straight at the punk’s face.

The punk was knocked to the ground, writhing in pain. He seemed about to add a few more punches, but I quickly grabbed him. “Hey, you, don’t hit him. Don’t—”

He stared at the punk on the ground, then suddenly lifted his head, sweeping his gaze over the stunned crowd. Then he put his arm around my shoulder, patted it, and said with a hint of gangster swagger: “Listen up, all of you. This Ren Qiri is now my brother! Anyone who dares mess with him is messing with me—”

Everyone stared at me in silence.

He swept a fierce look around. “Are all my guys mute? Call him Brother Ri now—!”

Everyone snapped to attention and shouted at me: “Brother Ri!”

The scene was even more spectacular than when I had taken the position of President of Ren Corporation. I twitched the corner of my mouth. My emotions were complicated, and my stomach began to ache again…

He smiled in satisfaction, then introduced them to me one by one: “This is A-Fu, that’s Xiao Zhong, and that one over there…”

Each punk forced a grin at me. I steeled myself and nodded at each one…

“Then,” he looked at me, a glimmer of light in his eyes.

“Du Yijie. That’s my name. Remember it clearly.”

At that moment, not only did my eyes go wide, but my mouth could probably have fit an egg.

If I remembered correctly, about a few years from now, a figure like this would emerge. With just a stomp of his foot, the entire underworld of Singapore, Malaysia, and even Southeast Asia would tremble.

That figure’s name happened to be—Du Yijie.