Chapter 108: Kidnapping

Jiang Shi leaned against the door with his arms crossed, watching Cheng Ye return with the fifty-yuan bill.

“Only you would do something like that.”

Cheng Ye stuffed the fifty into his hand. “You even watered the corn. How can you give away something you worked so hard to grow for free?”

Jiang Shi squeezed the bill and laughed again. “And you have the nerve to promote my mom’s twenty-square-meter vegetable stall to him? She watched too many short videos and insisted on naming it ‘Jiang’s Fresh Produce.’ You didn’t even stop her and secretly put up the sign behind my back.”

Cheng Ye picked up the hose and continued watering. “It sounds grand. Why should I stop it?”

“Anyone who doesn’t know better would think my family sells all the vegetables in Jiangcheng.”

Jiang Xue’s primary task right now wasn’t to make Jiang’s Fresh Produce a household name, but to uninstall her short video app.

In the blink of an eye, it was time to go back to work. Early in the morning, Jiang Shi was scooped out of bed by Cheng Ye. Brushing his teeth, washing his face, changing his clothes—by the time he opened his eyes and came to his senses, he was already sitting at the table ready for breakfast.

Cheng Ye also had to go to work. Dressed in a suit, he sat next to Jiang Shi, peeling a tea-leaf egg for him. Seeing that Jiang Shi was awake, he pushed a bowl of freshly cooked mini wontons in front of him. “Liu Heping said he and Gao Xinhe are already on their way. They’ll be here in about twenty minutes. You’ll have just enough time to finish breakfast.”

After sleeping in every day, the sudden early morning made Jiang Shi feel like his eyelids were fighting each other. He slurped a wonton. “I don’t want to go to work…”

Cheng Ye was happier than anyone to hear that. “Then pick up your phone right now and post on Weibo that you’re retiring from the industry.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Jiang Shi was jolted fully awake by his anger.

He finished the wontons, ate an egg, and stood at the entryway, holding onto Cheng Ye’s waist as he put on his shoes.

The suit fabric was stiff, and the hard object in the pocket poked Jiang Shi. He squeezed it. “What’s this?”

Cheng Ye placed his hand on his own shoulder, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a card. It was black with gilded patterns—the legendary black card.

“A card.”

He looked down. The young man was wearing jeans, leaning on him as he bent over to put on his shoes. His waist dipped in, accentuating his round, perky buttocks.

So Cheng Ye stuffed the card into the back pocket of Jiang Shi’s jeans and gave it a pat. “It’s yours. Support payment…”

Jiang Shi looked up, bewildered, and was about to reach back to feel for it when Liu Heping honked the horn at the door. “Jiang Shi, let’s go, or we’ll miss the high-speed train.”

He had no choice but to drop his hand and hurry into the car.

The commercial shoot was in the next city, about an hour away by high-speed rail. It was the rainy season, and it was raining everywhere, including the neighboring city. The outdoor shoot had to be moved indoors.

While the crew was setting up the set outside, Jiang Shi was inside getting his makeup done. Liu Heping was scrolling through the weather forecast on his phone. “It’s been raining here for almost three or four days. They’ve issued a lot of flood warnings, and according to the forecast, it’s going to keep raining.”

Gao Xinhe squatted to the side. “It’s fine. This shoot will only take a day. We’ll head back as soon as it’s done.”

That was true, so Liu Heping stopped worrying, put away his phone, and focused on waiting for the shoot to start.

Fortunately, the entire process went smoothly. Perhaps because the rain outside was too heavy, there wasn’t even a single reporter. Jiang Shi completed the shoot without a hitch. By the time it was over, it was already eleven at night, so they decided to sleep over and leave the next day.

The hotel was booked by the advertiser, and the three of them had rooms next to each other, with Jiang Shi in the middle.

The first thing he did when he got back was call Cheng Ye. The other man was probably showering at this hour, as the call didn’t connect. Jiang Shi also found some clothes and prepared to take a shower.

Just as he pulled a change of clothes from his suitcase, there was a knock on the door.

Jiang Shi assumed it was Liu Heping or Gao Xinhe and opened the door directly, only to find a little girl standing outside.

The little girl was also taken aback when she saw him and called out blankly, “Mommy…”

Jiang Shi smiled. “Little one, do I look like your mommy?”

The little girl peeked past Jiang Shi into the room. It was empty. She looked a little confused. “Where’s Mommy?”

Jiang Shi asked her, “Where does your mommy live?”

The little girl said, “1203.”

Jiang Shi looked up. The sign next to him read “1303.”

“You’re on the wrong floor,” he said. “Your mommy is downstairs, not here.”

The little girl, whether she understood or not, gave a dazed response and turned to leave.

Jiang Shi watched her with a slight headache. “Wait, I’ll take you down.”

Thinking it was just one floor down, he didn’t bring his phone or close his door. He just took the little girl’s hand and went downstairs.

He brought her to the door of 1203 and knocked. A middle-aged woman opened the door. She was stunned for a moment when she saw Jiang Shi, and only then did she notice the little girl he was holding.

She yanked the little girl over. “Where did you go? You worried me to death.”

The little girl said timidly, “It was the big brother who brought me here.”

Only then did a smile appear on the woman’s face. “Thank you so much. I think I’ve seen your face on TV.”

Jiang Shi said, “Everyone says I look like a celebrity. Since she’s back safely, I’ll be going now.”

“Hey…” The woman held him back. “That won’t do. Wait, I’ll get you some fruit.”

Jiang Shi stood at the door, about to refuse, when the woman added, “Sir, don’t be shy. There’s nothing in the room. Come in, sit down, have a glass of water and rest.”

Jiang Shi looked at the half-open door, took a step back, and said, “No, thank you. My friends are still waiting for me to have dinner upstairs. I’ll be leaving now.”

In the time it took to say that, the woman came out with a bottle of soda and an apple. “Here, take these, or I’ll feel too embarrassed.”

Jiang Shi subconsciously wanted to avoid getting entangled with the woman, so he reached out to take the items. But the moment he touched the drink, the woman’s expression suddenly changed. She grabbed his hand and violently pulled him into the room.

A dull pain struck the back of his head. His vision went black, and he instantly lost consciousness.

---

The sound of rain, wind, and the roar of thunder…

Jiang Shi’s sense of smell was the first to return. He smelled the dampness of rain and the fragrance of soil. Then came his hearing: the pitter-patter of the rain and the dull rumble of thunder.

The smell of smoke wafted into his nostrils. He opened his eyes. Above him was a dilapidated ceiling covered in spiderwebs. There were no lights, only the beam of a flashlight.

Suddenly, a hand gripped his chin, forcing him to turn his head.

Huo Ji had a cigarette between his teeth. He was half-soaked, his wet hair plastered to his face. His complexion was pale, like a water ghost that had crawled out from underground.

He opened his mouth and blew a puff of smoke into Jiang Shi’s face. “Surprised?”

Caught off guard, Jiang Shi choked and coughed several times, turning his head away. “What do you want?”

“What could I possibly want?” Huo Ji pinched his face, toying with his chin like an object. “It’s been so many years, you’re still as beautiful as ever, even more beautiful than before. I liked you so much…”

The pressure of his hand gradually tightened, so tight it was as if he wanted to crush the skin of a fruit to squeeze out the juice inside.

“You ungrateful thing. Is this how you repay me?”

“But it’s okay…” Huo Ji sniffed. For a moment, his expression became somewhat dazed, but it cleared up the next second. “We’ll be together soon.”

Jiang Shi tried to move and found that his hands were tied firmly behind his back, impossible to break free.

Outside, the wind and rain raged. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the abandoned warehouse as if it were day.

Huo Ji saw him struggle. He chuckled and lit another cigarette. “You can’t escape, Jiang Shi. You didn’t escape before, and you can’t escape now. In two more hours, the boat to pick us up will arrive, and I’ll take you abroad. We’ll never come back in this lifetime.”

“You’re insane, Huo Ji!” Jiang Shi’s eyes widened. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“I know. How could I not know…” Huo Ji stomped out the cigarette. His pale face twitched, and then he suddenly kicked over a nearby abandoned table. “How the fuck could I not know whose fault it is that I’m like this today? Jiang Shi, how the fuck did I treat you before? In what way did I ever wrong you for you to do this to me?”

Jiang Shi’s eyelids twitched in fear. He slowed his breathing, forcing himself to calm down. His hands fumbled downwards, trying to feel for something, while he kept talking.

“You’ve brought all of this upon yourself. I didn’t harm you. The one who harmed you has always been you.”

His fingertips paused when they touched his butt. He pulled a card from the back pocket of his jeans. It was hard, and the material was good. With enough time, it was enough to saw through the ropes on his hands.

Jiang Shi shifted his position, completely hiding his back, and looked up at Huo Ji. “Don’t keep making mistakes. It’s not too late to turn back now. For the sake of our past friendship, I won’t tell the police where you’ve gone.”

Huo Ji bent down to look at him. “You think I’d believe you?”

“Huo Ji, I’m missing. Cheng Ye won’t let you off. Do you really think he won’t find you if you take me abroad?”

It would have been better not to mention Cheng Ye. The moment his name came up, Huo Ji’s expression changed instantly. His face twitched again, and he unconsciously sniffed. His gaze fell on Jiang Shi’s open collar, revealing skin that was delicately fair and tender, a complete contrast to the dilapidated warehouse.

He squatted down, watching the young man in front of him lift his slender neck. Delicate, fragile—he could control it with one hand.

Huo Ji reached out and wrapped his hand around it. He bent down and sniffed. “It’s fine. If we can’t leave, we’ll just die together. You were supposed to be mine from the beginning. Cheng Ye… Cheng Ye is just a stray dog that appeared out of nowhere. How is a stray dog worthy of being with you?”

Jiang Shi’s body trembled slightly. Sweat beaded on his forehead, as if he were enduring something. “Huo Ji, stay away from me.”

Huo Ji moved closer. “Scared?”

His fingertips traced inch by inch over the exposed collarbone. As expected, the skin instantly turned red. It looked less like sensitivity and more like an allergic reaction.

Huo Ji pressed down hard with his hand. “Can’t I even touch you? Why is it that only Cheng Ye can?”

Jiang Shi turned his head, knocking his hand away. “Get lost.”

He bit his lip, desperately suppressing the nausea churning in his stomach, but Huo Ji suddenly flipped him over.

The flashlight was knocked over, rolled a little, and stopped beside Jiang Shi, illuminating his face. The young man’s body was covered in dust, his hands bound, revealing a slender, fragile waist.

Huo Ji propped his hands on Jiang Shi’s shoulders, leaning over to watch as his breathing grew more rapid beneath him.

“How pitiful, to look like this…”

He leaned close to Jiang Shi’s ear, whispering gently as if to a lover, “You looked just like this when they were bullying you. Pitiful, yet infuriating. Actually, I was the one who told them to strip your clothes. Life was so boring back then. A hard-headed one finally came along, so naturally, I wanted to see how much backbone you had…”

“Didn’t you hate it when people called you a sissy? Didn’t you hate it when they looked at you with those lewd eyes? Well, I deliberately made them do it.”

Jiang Shi’s pupils lost focus for a moment. Outside, the rain poured down. He felt as if someone had grabbed his head and shoved it into icy pool water. Water flooded his mouth and nose, choking him until his throat burned.

He was thrown, soaking wet, into a corner. His thin summer clothes clung to his body. From coughing, his pale face was flushed a rouge-like red.

“Damn, no wonder so many people are chasing after him. He looks like a chick.”

“Hey guys, do you think you can fuck a guy?”

“Look at his waist, that ass. It’s slimmer and perkier than a girl’s. I say we just drag him into that alley and make him serve us. If we’re in a good mood, maybe we’ll let him go…”

Someone’s hand touched his face. “Young Master Song, have you ever served anyone before?”

An indescribable nausea churned in his stomach. Jiang Shi swung his hand, but it was caught.

“Yo… still have the strength to resist? Save it for screaming later.”

He was dragged to a corner, his back against the cold, hard wall. Someone’s hand brushed against his face. He should have resisted, but the Jiang Shi of that time felt as if his soul had been frozen by the icy water. His body trembled in rejection, his stomach spasmed in protest, but his hands and feet felt nailed to the ground.

Until the young Huo Ji appeared.

And now, a blinding flash of lightning illuminated Huo Ji’s gloomy eyes. He looked at Jiang Shi’s trembling form, as if admiring the fruit of a victory he had planted more than a decade ago.

“No matter how much backbone you have, what does it amount to in the end? The look on your face back then was so pitiful. I appeared before you like a savior. Without me, you would have been thoroughly used by that gang.”

He pinched Jiang Shi’s mouth. A hint of red showed between the white teeth before they clamped shut again.

Due to his touch, Jiang Shi’s face flushed an unnatural red, and even his body was trembling.

“It would be one thing if you weren’t grateful to me, but you even wanted to cut ties. I spent so much time and money on you. Can you really make a clean break?”

As he spoke, his expression became crazed, his eyes grew hazy, and the grip on Jiang Shi’s hand unconsciously tightened.

“It doesn’t matter. You’ve finally returned to my side. Two hours is enough to do a lot.”

Jiang Shi dodged his hand. He suppressed the frantic trembling in his fingertips. Sweat wet his eyes, and he shook it away.

“Huo Ji, so many years have passed. I’m no longer the same Jiang Shi I was back then.”

Huo Ji admired his wretched state. “How are you not? Someone touches you, and you still react like this. I’m quite curious, what kind of love potion did Cheng Ye give you to make you unafraid of him?”

Jiang Shi coughed several times on the ground. The force of it sent a flush spreading up his neck, the color of a lingering sunset.

Huo Ji suddenly went crazy and began tearing at Jiang Shi’s clothes.

A strand of hair fell across Jiang Shi’s eyes. His face was scraped with several red marks from the stones on the ground.

Huo Ji’s addiction was kicking in. He fumbled with the buttons, his hands shaking. The nerves in his face twitched with increasing intensity due to excitement.

Jiang Shi looked at him as if he were a clown.

“No one is trapped in the past forever. The one who can’t move on isn’t me, it’s you.”

The rope silently fell from his wrist. On that night during military training, Cheng Ye had held his hand.

“That’s not how you hit someone. You grip here, and then…”

Lightning tore through the night sky. A blood-streaked hand grabbed Huo Ji’s arm. It must have hit some pressure point, because he suddenly doubled over in pain.

And then…

Thud!

A grown man over 1.8 meters tall was grabbed by the neck by Jiang Shi and slammed to the ground.

It was the only move he had ever learned.

He quickly untied the rope on his feet. The men guarding the door called out, “Mr. Huo, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Huo Ji pushed himself up, his eyes opening. Jiang Shi had no time to think. He grabbed a discarded brick from the ground and smashed it against his head.

Blood covered Huo Ji’s pale face. Jiang Shi was startled and dropped the brick. The dampness on his fingertips could have been his own blood or someone else’s.

“Mr. Huo? Mr. Huo?”

Calm down, calm down.

Jiang Shi swallowed hard and quickly scanned the room, spotting a boarded-up window on the opposite wall.

The men outside realized something was wrong.

“Get the key and open the door.”

Jiang Shi grabbed a wooden plank from the ground and started prying at the window. He listened to the frantic kicking on the door outside, and said to himself in his heart:

Calm down, calm down, calm down…

Click!

The door opened. The window opened. Several large men rushed in, only to see the young man leap through the narrow window like a nimble fish.

BOOM—

Thunder roared, and the rain grew heavier.

The rain blurred Jiang Shi’s vision. His throat burned as if it were filled with charcoal. His feet were covered in mud, and he stumbled every few steps.

But he couldn’t stop. He didn’t know what would happen if he stopped.

Jiang Shi couldn’t see anything. Only the occasional flash of lightning allowed him to make out that he was on a mountain covered in trees. He grabbed onto trees to run forward, the light of flashlights occasionally flickering behind him.

I can’t let them catch me…

Another flash of lightning. He saw a winding mountain road not far away. And below the road, a lighthouse lit up the turbulent sea. The sound of police sirens cut through the air.

“He’s over there!”

Jiang Shi turned back. The beam of a flashlight hit his face.

He turned and ran towards the road below, but it was too dark to see anything. He missed his footing and went tumbling down.

He hugged his head and fell into a damp, muddy embrace.

The missing piece had finally found its other half. With a click, his soul let out a sigh of satisfaction. They had finally found their belonging in each other.

Before the touch, came the scent—the scent that had accompanied him through countless days and nights, mingling with his breath, like a net that had caught Jiang Shi’s entire life.

He opened his hand. The gilded black card lay twisted in his palm. The paint on some of the numbers had been scraped off. It was stained with his blood, now washed clean by the rain.

The black card with its golden patterns shimmered with a vibrant light.

Car headlights illuminated the night sky.