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“Don’t panic yet; no answer doesn’t mean anything’s wrong,” Feng Ziyang said calmly, his words reassuring.
Chu Ning thought the same. Things were chaotic enough; she couldn’t afford to scare herself further. She took a deep breath: “Okay, I know. I’ll call others.”
“Sister Ning. Oh, you’re calling. Xiao Jing? Xiao Jing went out tonight.”
“How long ago did he leave?”
“Oh! It must have been half an hour ago.”
“Did he say where he was going?”
“He didn’t say, but I heard him answer a call.”
Chu Ning checked the time, her voice tight, holding the phone closer to her ear. “Qi Yu, go find him now. His phone isn’t reachable.”
I’m afraid something happened to him. She swallowed these words, only whispering, “...Please.”
The competition was tomorrow, and Qi Yu was packing at the moment. Hearing this, he didn’t dare delay. Being clever and resourceful, he called his teammates, Zhou Yuan, Wan Pengpeng, and Zhang Huaiyu, and they searched the school grounds together. Qi Yu, out of breath, called Chu Ning back: “Sister Ning, we couldn’t find him. He’s not answering our calls either.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Ning ran directly out of the hospital.
Feng Ziyang was horrified: “What are you doing?!”
Chu Ning was jolted back to her senses by his shout. She stopped dead in her tracks, a cold sweat breaking out on her back.
Feng Ziyang took a big step forward, blocking her. “Why are you panicking?! Are you going to call the police? He hasn’t been missing for even two hours yet; who will open a case for you? You haven’t even figured things out yet, and you’re already losing your composure. Don’t make a big mistake over something small.”
Chu Ning looked left and right, not uttering a word, but her anxiety was extreme.
“Don’t think the worst. Maybe he just went out to buy something and had his phone on silent in his pocket. Just wait a bit; maybe he’ll call you back soon,” Feng Ziyang could only offer comforting words.
After taking her back to her apartment, he repeatedly urged her to rest. “Don’t think too much. It’s not even 7 PM yet, a great night. Who among young people doesn’t have some leisure time? Besides, his classmates know the place better than you. C-Hang is so big; it takes an hour to walk around. Alright, wait for news. Call me if anything happens.”
Feng Ziyang left.
Chu Ning, however, couldn’t sit still. Half an hour later, Qi Yu’s call came in. This time, his tone was noticeably tense: “Sister Ning, we really couldn’t find him.”
It was like a pot of boiling water constantly kept covered, but after this call, Chu Ning could no longer suppress it. She sat on the sofa, holding her phone motionless, forcing herself to calm down. After piecing together the events, she picked up her car keys and left.
Ignoring her injured left hand, Chu Ning drove from the east to the west side of the city, heading straight for Guan Yu’s house.
The Guan family house was a detached building. Other than not being brightly lit as usual, there was nothing unusual about it.
Chu Ning knocked, a dozen heavy thuds. Slow footsteps approached from inside, and the door finally opened a crack.
Not seeing her for days, Guan Yu’s mother looked drained, vaguely saying, “Oh, it’s Xiao Ning’er.”
Chu Ning bypassed her, her objective clear, and went straight to the second floor.
Guan Yu’s bedroom door was ajar. Chu Ning pushed it open and fiercely dragged the lifeless person lying on the bed. Guan Yu cried out in pain, half-crawling, half-rolling, to stand up from the bed.
Chu Ning demanded, “Where is he?!”
Guan Yu’s spirit was scattered, her eyes unfocused. At this point, Chu Ning’s patience was completely gone. She forgot about the injury to her left hand, gripped Guan Yu’s shoulders, and forcefully lifted her up.
“I asked you, where is he?!”
Guan Yu suddenly burst into tears, “I don’t know, I don’t know!”
Chu Ning’s temples throbbed. Usually, when someone says they don’t know, they’re hiding something. Her heart ached, but she forced herself to calm down, saying in a gentle tone, “Xiao Yu’er, no matter how big the problem, there’s always a way through. The worst thing is to try desperate solutions. What could have been salvageable might truly be lost because of your interference.”
Guan Yu’s consciousness suddenly trembled. She stared blankly at Chu Ning.
“Your father had an incident; why didn’t you tell us? Alright, that’s beside the point. Xiao Yu’er, you usually seem so clever, but why are you so muddled at a crucial moment? How have we treated you since the day we met as sisters? Huh? Pat your chest and tell me truthfully.”
Guan Yu squeezed her eyes, and tears welled up again.
“My family is ruined; it can’t be helped. None of you can help.”
“You understand that truth, so why do you foolishly believe others?”
“I have no choice; I’m at a dead end,” Guan Yu buried her fingers in her hair. Her complexion was terrible, and her eyes were swollen like walnuts.
“If your father truly committed a crime, then it’s beyond saving. Mistakes should be punished.” In truth, Chu Ning’s original intention was to say that life is long, and if one can correct their mistakes, then a peaceful family life in the future is a blessing.
But the phrase “mistakes should be punished” instantly hit Guan Yu’s raw nerve. Her family had undergone a drastic change, an overnight upheaval. She used to be carefree and confident, circulating among various men, grandly calling it enjoying life. Now, looking back, she realized it was merely leveraging her abundant family wealth. But now that her efforts were futile, she discovered that the capital she once prided herself on was incredibly fragile.
Under extreme conditions, people inevitably develop distorted comparisons.
In contrast, Chu Ning had built everything from scratch, enduring much hardship, but every step was solid, earned by herself.
She used to laugh at her for her low emotional intelligence, for not knowing how to use her feminine qualities to enjoy love. In fact, Chu Ning simply preferred quality over quantity and possessed great wisdom that appeared foolish.
Guan Yu’s grief overwhelmed her, and she suddenly broke down again.
She screamed, “How dare you talk about my dad like that! Whether he’s wrong or not, it’s not up to you to say! Who do you think you are?!”
Chu Ning reached out and pinched her chin, her eyes so fierce they could bleed. “Clear your head! Your uncle isn’t a good person either! If you want to do despicable things, don’t drag me into it!”
Her grip tightened, genuinely enraged. “I wish I could strangle you right now.”
Guan Yu shrieked and shoved her away.
Chu Ning was caught off guard and lost her balance. She stumbled, tripping over a chair, and fell forward. The fall wasn’t hard, but she landed precisely on the edges of the chair. Chu Ning’s face turned pale, and a few seconds later, a faint bloodstain began to show through the bandage on her left hand.
She turned her head, her eyes meeting Guan Yu’s.
Silent, heavy, impactful.
Time stood still for a moment. Gradually, tears that Chu Ning couldn’t hold back welled in her eyes.
She had never been a happy child. Her birth father died young, and her mother was weak and incapable, teaching her mostly negative things. Chu Ning’s personality wasn’t sweet or charming. She was weary of romantic entanglements and only passionately wanted to earn more money.
Why? Because money, for women, was security!
People like her, whether in love or friendship, were slow to warm up and reserved.
She didn’t have many friends, but Guan Yu was one close to her heart. They used to be so, so close. How did it come to this?
Chu Ning’s heart ached, aching so much there was no one to confide in. She just stared at Guan Yu, silently, her eyes filled with boiling helplessness.
Guan Yu also froze, her expression initially blank, then sorrowful. Upon seeing Chu Ning’s tears, she seemed to have a moment of realization.
Chu Ning choked out, “Xiao Yu’er, Ying Jing is about to compete. He cannot be harmed.”
Guan Yu shook her head, muttering to herself, “My dad can’t be harmed either, no, he can’t.”
“I’m begging you,” Chu Ning’s eyes were blurry with tears, a rare display of vulnerability. “If you want this company, take it. I just beg you not to hurt him.”
She didn’t care about the competition anymore, didn’t care about first place, didn’t care about his future or prospects.
She just wanted him to be safe.
Guan Yu, dazed, crouched on the ground, covering her head, a whimper escaping her lips. “I don’t want to talk. Go, just go.”
Chu Ning took a deep breath, knowing there was nothing more she could do here. She forced herself to gather strength, stood up, her attitude cold and resolute, saying word for word: “I will call the police.”
Guan Yu ignored her, her head buried in her knees, motionless.
________________________________________
Leaving Guan Yu’s house, Chu Ning shivered as the cold wind hit her. She sat in her car, the heater turned up to maximum, but she still felt cold.
Not long after, Qi Yu called her: “Sister Ning, we still haven’t found him. The school is also taking it seriously, but the problem is that he can’t be classified as missing within this timeframe, so the police can’t be dispatched. The school is preparing to report it to higher authorities, but if Ying Jing can’t make it before tomorrow’s competition... his eligibility will be canceled.”
Chu Ning returned to her apartment, sitting alone in the living room until early morning. She pressed her temples, her mind echoing with those words. She covered her face, finally understanding what fear truly felt like.
At 3 AM, she collapsed onto the sofa, dozing off from extreme exhaustion. Her phone suddenly vibrated. Chu Ning immediately sprang up, her heart pounding wildly, missing a beat.
The text message read: “Don’t call the police, something will happen.”
Chu Ning’s hand trembled, all weariness gone. Guan Yu sent a second text.
It was an address.
The address had several typos, and even the punctuation was jumbled. One could imagine the complex and conflicted emotions she felt while typing it. Was it guilt, or a sudden realization?
It didn’t matter anymore.
Chu Ning grabbed her car keys and rushed out the door. For convenience, she had parked her car on the street tonight. After getting in, she turned the steering wheel, made a U-turn across the lane, and headed straight for the east side of the city.
________________________________________
It was an old, dilapidated residential area, earmarked for demolition by the government earlier in the year. Recently, the demolition work was nearing completion, and all residents had moved out. To put it broadly, this place wasn’t exactly a remote, poor area; it was a suburb near a national highway. But with numerous buildings, even seen from a smaller scale, it had hundreds of vacant homes standing there, creating a chilling atmosphere.
In a house in the southwest corner, a faint light shone from a hidden spot. The profound silence added a touch of eeriness. Ying Jing only knew he was in a room, locked from the outside, with the windows tightly nailed shut, leaving no ventilation.
He had kicked the door, shouted, and resisted when his phone was confiscated. Now, having calmed down, he knew it was futile.
Ying Jing stood in the darkness, trying to peer out through the door crack, but to no avail.
Fear? Not really.
He just felt uneasy.
________________________________________
The hands of the clock turned back two hours.
The competition was tomorrow. All the necessary on-site equipment and tools were prepared. Due to the home-field advantage, Ying Jing had already familiarized himself with the venue several times since returning from the Jiuquan training camp. He had even rehearsed for the stadium’s wind direction and temperature during the competition. Everything was ready, everything was smooth.
The team members were all excited. With the experience of winning the domestic championship last time, their confidence was even stronger.
“The result doesn’t matter, being recommended to compete is already an affirmation for us!”
“Do our best, maintain the most normal mindset.”
“After the competition, Big Brother is going to treat us to hotpot!”
Everyone was in great spirits. Though young, they were growing at a visible pace. Unfazed by honor or disgrace, unconcerned with success or failure. Having this level of awareness was already the greatest reward.
At that time, Ying Jing was testing code, a faint smile playing on his lips, full of vigor: “No hotpot. After the competition, let’s go to Wuzhen for a few days.”
He paused, “Family members are welcome.”
Everyone booed: “Boo! Showing! Off! Affection!”
Only Ying Jing in the team had a significant other, drawing the angry protests of the single members.
In the evening, Ying Jing was packing his belongings in the dorm when he received an unfamiliar call. He initially thought it was a sales call, but after listening for a few seconds, his expression changed.
He left then and never came back.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself brought here. Only then did he realize they had used Chu Ning’s incident as a pretext, truly tricking him into coming out. Ying Jing raised his hand and checked the time; two and a half hours had passed since the incident.
The door suddenly burst open. Light flooded in, and Ying Jing instinctively raised a hand to block it. Several large men exchanged low words:
“Time’s up, move to another location.”
“But we haven’t received Strong Brother’s call yet. Can we make a decision without his order?”
“He’s nothing! He said the money would be paid in three installments. We’ve had this guy tied up for so long, and the second payment hasn’t even reached my bank card yet! Damn it!”
“So what do we do? Just keep this guy here?”
“Nonsense! If they don’t pay, I’m not wasting my energy.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Ying Jing.
One sharp-eyed man whispered something into the ear of the leader. Everyone’s gaze shifted downwards, staring at his wrist.
Almost simultaneously.
Ying Jing darted backward, but he was outnumbered. He was pinned to the ground, his hand pulled straight and pressed firmly against the floor.
“This watch is good, worth some money,” one man coveted, reaching to take it off.
Ying Jing struggled wildly: “Get lost!”
Unable to use his hands, he kicked with his feet. He was half a martial artist, strong and precise in his moves, kicking the opponent squarely in the back of the knee.
“Damn! He’s got some skill!” The man yelled in pain, his anger flaring, and his fist swung in the air: “Hold him down for me!”
He was powerless against them.
Ying Jing’s arm was twisted agonizingly. He dared not move anymore; another movement would surely break a bone.
This watch was the first gift Chu Ning had given him.
A Jaeger-LeCoultre worth over a hundred thousand, it was Chu Ning’s candid and direct affection.
I like you, so I will do my best to give you the best.
Ying Jing was pinned to the ground, his cheek pressed against the floor. His wrist felt empty, and the watch’s understated gleam flashed in the dark as it was taken. The men’s eyes sparkled with extreme greed. They stuffed the watch into their pockets, cursed, and left.
The door closed.
The room fell silent.
Ying Jing endured the pain and struggled to stand up.
Just then, a powerful beam from a flashlight shone directly into the room from outside, accompanied by a synchronized, powerful sound of footsteps.
Someone?
Ying Jing’s vigilance suddenly rose.
At the same time, the big men outside also became nervous and panicked: “Where’s that noise coming from? Quick, go check it out!”
The clatter of iron bars, the click of the lock, the loud bang of the door hitting the wall.
Then silence again.
The kind of eerie silence where a pin drop could be heard.
Suddenly, the door to Ying Jing’s room was gently pushed open, and a slender figure peeked in. Chu Ning, her face calm, quickly darted in front of Ying Jing.
Seeing her, Ying Jing was stunned.
Chu Ning half-knelt, cupping his face, her voice hushed and urgent: “Are you hurt?”
“How did you get here?” Ying Jing felt his blood rush backwards. She was alone? Too dangerous!
Chu Ning, however, suddenly reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace.
She buried her head in his shoulder, shaking it hard, her suppressed sobs escaping, “It’s good you’re okay, it’s good you’re okay.”
No more delays. Chu Ning pulled his hand. “Let’s go!”
And the people outside had already noticed something was amiss.
“Damn it! Whose phone is this here?!” Outside the corridor, a phone lay on the ground. The neat, powerful footsteps had come from inside it.
Picking it up, they saw it was QQ Music sound effects.
“Damn it.” The leader was sharp, his expression fierce: “It’s a diversion! Get back!”
Meanwhile.
Chu Ning and Ying Jing ran in the opposite direction of the “I”-shaped corridor.
“This is the sixth floor, ten floors total, the elevator’s out of order,” Chu Ning explained quickly as she ran. “They’ll find out soon. My car’s parked at the back door. There’s only one exit on the first floor, but I found an abandoned window at the end before I came. I’ve already pried it open. We’ll climb out through there.”
The two ran frantically, down to the fifth floor, then the fourth.
At the stairwell, two strong beams of light shone directly at them.
“Hide!” Ying Jing pulled Chu Ning into an empty apartment.
With the door as cover, their bodies pressed together, Chu Ning’s heart was pounding. Her breathing was heavy, and fearing the noise, she clamped her hand over her mouth.
Footsteps drew near, and the light grew stronger. It shone on the windows, the door, the walls, illuminating cobwebs and dust motes floating in the air.
A draft blew through, making these still objects eerily drift.
They walked inside.
The flashlight shone directly onto the opposite wall, leaving two giant bright circles. A large moth, startled, flapped its wings.
There were two of them, their backs to Chu Ning and Ying Jing, walking forward. If they turned around, they would surely discover Chu Ning and Ying Jing behind the door.
Sweat dripped from her forehead. Chu Ning’s face was ashen.
Ying Jing squeezed her hand, once, twice, each time harder than the last.
Their unspoken understanding was perfectly synchronized. Chu Ning held her breath.
The third time her hand was squeezed—
Ying Jing pulled her, slowly pushing the door outwards. Chu Ning followed suit. Step by step, pressed against the wall, in the faint light, they moved towards the empty room two meters away.
Suddenly, a “clank”!
One of the big men vigilantly turned around, and the light instantly shone directly.
“Who’s there?!”
The door swung back and forth. A cat with its tail lazily upright slowly walked out.
“Damn it, a stray cat!”
“Damn it, can you not scare me? Can’t you tell the difference between a person and a cat?! Come on, let’s look elsewhere.”
The sounds of mutual complaint faded.
Chu Ning crouched behind the dusty old curtain, her teeth, which had been biting her lip, loosened, feeling faint. Through the moonlight outside the window, she saw that Ying Jing’s hand was also bulging with veins.
They dared not delay any further and rushed downstairs.
The other party had split into two groups, searching left and right. Ying Jing remained composed, calmly analyzing: “They must be searching in opposite directions. This team is on the fourth floor with us, so the other team must be searching upwards from the first floor. We’ll continue down our current route.”
He pulled Chu Ning into his arms and swiftly kissed her forehead.
“Ning’er, if anything goes wrong, you must leave first.”
Chu Ning shook her head. “No, you must leave.”
It was almost 5 AM; the competition was at 8 AM.
No time, no time!
They finally reached the first floor. Just through this corridor, they would see the window they could escape through. Just then, a shout: “They’re there!”
Discovered, Ying Jing broke into a cold sweat. He grabbed Chu Ning and ran wildly, as if his life depended on it.
“Stop!”
“Fourth brother, they’re on the first floor, right below you! Block them! Block them!”
The man on the second floor used his hands to vault over the railing and jumped directly in front of them. He swung an iron bar. Chu Ning screamed. Ying Jing fiercely pushed her forward, instinctively ducking down himself.
The iron bar whistled through the air, grazing his face.
That was close!
Ying Jing’s evasive maneuver delayed his reaction time. The opponent swung another bar, and Ying Jing managed to block it with his hand, using the force against him, but his arm still took a hit, making him bite his lip until it bled from the pain.
Just as a blow was aimed directly at the back of his head—Chu Ning ran back, carrying a metal paint bucket. With unknown strength, she swung it hard at the man’s face.
“Go to hell!!” Chu Ning shrieked, picking it up and smashing it again.
The man, his face covered in blood, fell to the ground, screaming pitifully.
Ying Jing pushed Chu Ning, “Go!!”
The two ran to the window and climbed out one after another. Chu Ning unlocked the car, and with two crisp beeps, the car lights flashed in the darkness, like a guiding beacon.
Their pursuers caught up.
Chu Ning got into the driver’s seat, floored the accelerator, and drove straight towards them.
Her reckless stance was tougher than that of most men.
The impact knocked the opponents down. As a few men gathered around their injured leader, the car sped off, leaving a cloud of dust.
The vast starry sky faded, and the first rays of dawn appeared.
The dim sky was like a heavy curtain.
The morning star hung high.
...
...
God bless my lover.
________________________________________
7:30 AM.
Inside the Beijing Aviation Museum, the atmosphere was bustling and grand.
Teams from various countries successively entered, forming formations, waiting uniformly in the designated area for the grand opening ceremony to begin.
CHINA.
USA
MONACO
CZECH REPUBLIC
As the sole representative team from China, Qi Yu and his teammates were going crazy with anxiety.
“We still haven’t found Xiao Jing, what do we do?!”
“If he’s not here, how can we compete?”
“Forget the competition, forget it. As long as he’s safe.”
Zhang Huaiyu was sobbing, drawing curious glances from those around him.
“Everyone calm down!” Qi Yu shouted, scolding them. “Isn’t it chaotic enough?!”
He clenched his fists, his face ashen. He was just as uncertain, but this was a major event. No matter how big the problem, they couldn’t become a laughingstock.
Qi Yu took a deep breath and said, “Until the last minute, there’s still hope.”
________________________________________
At the same time.
A white BMW sped along the national highway. Chu Ning endured the severe pain in her left hand, concentrating on driving. Ying Jing in the passenger seat was also in discomfort; his injuries were worse than Chu Ning’s, especially his left elbow, which was swollen high.
Chu Ning glanced at the time, gritted her teeth, and floored the accelerator.
Ying Jing turned his head to look at her, his heart aching. He said hoarsely, “Ning’er, I won’t compete. Please, can you rest?”
“No!” Chu Ning choked out, “There’s still half an hour. We’ll make it, we’ll make it!”
Ying Jing was incredibly calm, as if resigned, softly saying, “It’s too late.”
Even if they could enter the city immediately, what time was it? The morning rush hour in the capital, it would either kill you with anxiety or trap you in traffic.
Chu Ning’s hair was disheveled, her clothes torn, and there were unexplained scrapes on her face. She ignored the pain, fueled by an inner stubbornness. She refused to accept this bad luck!
Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.
Chu Ning always kept a spare phone in her car. She was a cautious person with little sense of security; important daily tools were always kept in duplicate, always feeling that being prepared could save her life.
She reached out and felt around, pulling out an Android phone from the storage compartment on the car door. It was regularly charged, so it still had 20% battery. Chu Ning dialed a string of numbers, her hand trembling as she tapped “call”—
It rang but wasn’t answered.
She guessed he thought it was a sales call.
Chu Ning wouldn’t give up and called again.
On the third attempt, finally!
A displeased male voice answered: “Who is this?”
Tears instantly welled in Chu Ning’s eyes: “...Brother.”
Five minutes later, their car entered the main urban area. Simultaneously, pre-arranged police vehicles were already waiting at the checkpoint, one on each side, slowly merging and leading the way.
On the car hood, the red national flag emblem shone brightly against the rising sun, vivid and eye-catching.
And the vehicles on the road, upon hearing the siren, conscientiously moved aside, maintaining orderly conduct.
At 7:58 AM, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Aviation Museum.
The Chinese team’s competition director, who had been waiting at the main entrance, looking around anxiously, rushed down the steps upon seeing the car.
“Quick! The competition is about to start! Use the special通道! Hurry and register your identity information!”
Ying Jing quickly got out of the car, surrounded by a group of people, and was ushered towards the museum entrance.
He looked back, anxiously glancing at Chu Ning.
Chu Ning also got out of the car. Her face was pale, but she still managed a smile. Though exhausted, it always reassured him.
From a distance, she mouthed two words—”Good luck.”
Ying Jing’s eyes welled up. Surrounded, he couldn’t delay any longer. He mouthed two words back, his lips slightly parted: “—Wait for me.”
A chaotic rush of people finally entered the competition venue right on time!
Chu Ning could no longer hold on. Her entire arm felt numb. Leaning against the car door, her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground.
When Zhao Mingchuan arrived, he happened to see this scene.
He pushed open the car door, took long strides, ran over, then scooped Chu Ning up. His voice was low, and if one listened carefully, it carried a slight tremble:
“You troublemaker, doing this on purpose, huh? Fainting when you see me, am I really that easy to frame?”
Although his tone was harsh, he turned to his assistant and was even fiercer: “Are you dead?! Why are you standing there?! Drive her to the hospital!!”
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