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墨書 Inktalez
The speeding cars, flashing police lights, and the roaring, never-ending sirens, along with the police shouting sternly, have always been a vivid picture in Liu Jian's memory.
That was the scene from ten years ago when he was rescued from the kidnappers' vehicle.
He had been tightly bound and thrown into the passenger seat, his mouth taped shut, unable to make any sound, while his legs trembled uncontrollably.
Even more exaggerated was how the seatbelt was intricately securing him in place. The kidnapper must have thought one strap wasn't enough, so he cut the seatbelt from the driver's seat, wrapped it around Liu Jian's neck, and secured it to the back of the car seat.
He glanced sideways at the kidnapper wearing a black hood, who was driving arrogantly. Images of blood flowing everywhere flashed before his eyes, and he vaguely heard a child crying from behind. Before he could discern anything clearly, he felt his body suddenly lurch forward, and then he lost consciousness.
Three days later, Liu Jian woke up in a hospital, but the adults around him did not mention the incident.
Not long after being discharged, Liu Jian was sent to America, and this event was sealed off like a state secret.
Later, during a family visit, Liu Jian discovered an old newspaper from that time. It was then he realized that the child's cries he had heard were real. Along with him, five other children of similar age had also been kidnapped. The kidnappers had tossed them into the trunk and backseat one by one. Due to limited space, Liu Jian had been fortunate enough to sit in the passenger seat.
The car quickly crumpled under a massive impact; of the seven people inside, only Liu Jian remained unharmed due to being restrained by the seatbelt.
Every time he recalled that scene, Liu Jian couldn't help but shiver. If he hadn't been in the passenger seat or if the kidnapper hadn't "brutally" secured him with the seatbelt, he might have long since been gone.
Because of this experience, Liu Jian has always held a sense of gratitude towards seatbelts. After obtaining his driver's license as an adult, he insisted that everyone who rode with him buckle up.
In this room that felt like outer space, two men had been talking for a long time.
When their throats became dry, Qiu Mowen raised his hand to check the time and then glanced at Liu Jian. "It's getting late. Do you want to go home or plan to stay here for the night..."
Liu Jian smiled wryly as he surveyed the room filled with the scent of alcohol and shrugged helplessly. "I want to go home. It's just..."
"Afraid of being seen or... never mind, I'll take you back..." Qiu Mowen straightened up and stretched, a warm feeling suddenly swelling in his heart. Liu Jian, in an instant, transformed into an old friend fighting alongside him.
Liu Jian's face showed immense gratitude as he hurriedly gathered his belongings. Although he was completely sober, he had drunk quite a bit, and his whole body still swayed unsteadily.
He followed Qiu Mowen to the parking area. Just as he fastened his seatbelt, he remembered that Qiu Mowen had been sick, so he asked with concern, "You just took your medicine; driving now won't be a problem, right..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Qiu Mowen had already started the car smoothly, leaving Liu Jian with no choice but to remain silent. Leaning back in his seat, it wasn't long before he began to feel drowsy.
At this time, the streets of Taipei were mostly empty, and they quickly arrived at Liu Jian's apartment. Qiu Mowen honked the horn lightly, waking Liu Jian from his slumber. He opened his eyes, surveyed his surroundings, and then nervously turned his face toward Qiu Mowen with a fawning expression. "Can I ask you for a favor?"
"What is it?" Qiu Mowen looked into the distance, leaving his profile turned toward Liu Jian.
"If I go up like this... I'm afraid Autumn Wind will... could you accompany me upstairs? Or pretend that I’m drunk and you’re taking me home..." Liu Jian said in a low voice.
"Hey..." Qiu Mowen sighed for a moment. "How do you explain my presence at the same time as you?" Qiu Mowen's nostrils flared slightly as he breathed.
"Well... actually, when someone is passed out on the street and any of their friends come by in a vehicle, they won't be left on the street..." Liu Jian's tone remained low, but a calm expression slowly began to appear on his face.
Qiu Mowen rested his hand on his forehead and thought hard for a moment. "K... I'll go up with you..."
Seeing Qiu Mowen agree made Liu Jian very happy. He quickly opened the car door, jumped out, and stretched beside the car.
Taking advantage of Liu Jian's distraction, Qiu Mowen quickly took out his phone and sent a text to Qiu Ruolan: Where are you? I need to take Liu Jian home...
Before Qiu Mowen could get out of the car, Qiu Ruolan replied: I'm at home; don't worry, everything is fine...
Qiu Mowen smiled lightly, got out of the car, locked the doors, and followed Liu Jian into the apartment lobby.
A minute later, Liu Jian and Qiu Mowen walked out of the elevator. Under Liu Jian's guidance, Qiu Mowen stood at the door of Liu Jian's home.
The corridor was equipped with motion-sensor lights, which turned on with a "click" as the elevator doors opened. The bright light illuminated the faces of Qiu Mowen and Liu Jian, two men who should have been adversaries but were standing very close to each other.
After exchanging a smile, Liu Jian pretended to be drunk, leaning against Qiu Mowen, who lifted Liu Jian's arm from his shoulder.
Just as Qiu Mowen was about to raise his hand to knock on the door, Liu Jian suddenly remembered something. He paused for a moment, took out his keys, and handed them to Qiu Mowen, saying, "Autumn Wind seems to be asleep..."
Seeing Liu Jian being so considerate made Qiu Mowen feel bitter inside. He wanted to respond with a smile but couldn't muster even a hint of one. In the end, he said nothing and opened the door while supporting Liu Jian.
As the key was inserted into the lock, Liu Jian suddenly said softly, "If you encounter any problems in the future, you can come to me for advice. Don't bear it alone... Autumn Wind would be sad to know..."
Hearing this from Liu Jian made Qiu Mowen tremble. He was ready to leave Autumn Wind in this man's hands...
In Qiu Mowen's astonishment, Autumn Wind on the other side of the door also opened it with a look of surprise.
...
It seemed that overnight, with the news of Autumn Wind's pregnancy, everyone close to her experienced a rebirth, except for the alliance between Qiu Mowen and Liu Jian.
Qiu Ruolan was also quickly searching for allies.
After returning from Autumn Wind's place, Qiu Ruolan couldn't sleep at all. She turned up the air conditioning and tossed and turned under her down blanket. In her heart, there was always someone running—Autumn Wind in a red dress running barefoot on the parched land of the countryside.
The clock in the living room struck six heavy chimes, signaling that morning in Taipei was approaching again. She pulled open the curtains with a swish, and sunlight poured in generously.
She stared blankly at the city outside that was slowly becoming busy when suddenly she thought of something. She turned around and opened her wardrobe. The wedding dress she had worn during her last marriage was sealed away in the closet. She gently stroked layer upon layer of fabric.
She suddenly remembered something and rushed barefoot into Autumn Wind's room. At the very bottom of a brown wooden sandalwood box, she found the Longevity Lock wrapped in red cloth.
The Longevity Lock had obvious bite marks on both ends, evidence left by Autumn Wind and herself back in the day to prove their strong teeth. The Longevity Lock was something Autumn Wind always kept close.
Autumn Wind always emphasized that it was a gift from Guan Xiu, but in reality, the true owner of the Longevity Lock was Grandma.
When Qiu Ruolan went abroad to study, Grandma was worried and entrusted the Longevity Lock to Qiu Ruolan for her safety.
During her time studying abroad, Qiu Ruolan fell in love with Guan Xiu and gave the Longevity Lock to him when he returned home. At that time, Qiu Ruolan hoped that the Longevity Lock would be worn by their child, and indeed, Guan Xiu made that happen.
He hung the Longevity Lock around Autumn Wind's neck, and Autumn Wind truly called herself "Mom."
The wheel of fate loves to tease those who are deeply in love. Eight years later, when Qiu Ruolan saw the Longevity Lock again, Guan Xiu had already passed away. He returned the Longevity Lock to Qiu Ruolan while also entrusting Autumn Wind to her care.
Now, Autumn Wind had become a piece of flesh on Qiu Ruolan's heart, just like the Longevity Lock.
Currently, Autumn Wind was about to become a mother herself.
She returned to her bedroom and placed the Longevity Lock under her pillow, thinking that one day she would pass this heirloom to Autumn Wind so that she could eventually give it to her own children.
However, just thinking about Autumn Wind's pregnancy made Qiu Ruolan feel furious, especially after seeing photos of Liu Jian being intimate with another woman; this anger intensified even more.
Even though Autumn Wind had no blood relation to her, she felt she could not allow any harm to come to Autumn Wind.
But how could she get Liu Jian to express his stance quickly and directly? Qiu Ruolan paced back and forth in the living room.
Soon, she thought of her best friend Yao Lizhen. She was their matchmaker and also Liu Jian's cousin. Moreover, Yao Lizhen had a good relationship with Liu Jian's parents. If she could get Yao Lizhen to probe Liu Jian's parents' opinions and then put pressure on Liu Jian, that would be a great idea!
She quickly dialed Yao Lizhen's number. On the other end, Yao Lizhen had just finished a night of partying and was sitting on her toilet dealing with some personal matters.
Hearing Qiu Ruolan's urgent tone, Yao Lizhen mistakenly thought something serious had happened. "What's wrong? Why are you so worked up..."
"Yes, yes... something big has happened, and I urgently need your help... Where are you right now?" Qiu Ruolan continued in a frantic tone.
"I'm at my mom's house, just about to rest. What about you? What's going on?"
"At your mom's... Is that in the Xinyi District? Wait for me; I'll come pick you up..."
"Hey..." Yao Lizhen shouted into the phone, but Qiu Ruolan had already hung up.
Qiu Ruolan quickly grabbed a jacket and put it on, stuffing her phone and wallet into her bag. She picked up her car keys and rushed out, but after taking a few steps, she turned back. She remembered the Longevity Lock.
She dashed back to her bedroom, pulled the Longevity Lock from under her pillow, held it cautiously in her hand, and then left the house with her bag.
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