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墨書 Inktalez
Lan Ningshan walked to Zhang Qiu's bedside, finally having the time to carefully observe the younger brother she had just acknowledged. The scars on Zhang Qiu's body surprised Lan Ningshan; he had already gotten himself into such a state at such a young age, while many people go through their entire lives without a single scar. However, his solid and well-defined muscles were indeed impressive.
"Sister."
Zhang Qiu called out, and Lan Ningshan came back to her senses, lowering her head to say, "I'm here. How are you?"
"I'm fine now. Sister, how is Jiang Xue? Will the people we sent be able to bring her back safely?"
"Don't worry, our police are professionals."
"But I'm worried." Zhang Qiu's expression darkened; he had not stopped worrying since Jiang Xue went missing, especially since he hadn't received any news.
"Don't worry. We already know where Jiang Xue has been taken. What we need to do next is rescue her."
"Since they captured Jiang Xue, why haven't they contacted me? What is their purpose? If it's for revenge and they're specifically targeting Jiang Xue, then with every passing second, her danger increases." Zhang Qiu turned his head to glance out the window and murmured to himself, "Especially since night is approaching."
"Don't worry, Zhang Qiu." Lan Ningshan grasped Zhang Qiu's arm with determination in her eyes. "I will definitely bring Jiang Xue back to you."
Zhang Qiu asked, "Sister, where did Liu Xiaolong take Jiang Xue?"
"According to the surveillance footage, she should be near Xiangtang Village."
Zhang Qiu instinctively looked at Wang Jinghan and found that Wang Jinghan was also looking at him. He already had an idea in mind. Lan Ningshan did not notice the unusual exchange between Zhang Qiu and Wang Jinghan. She glanced at Rui Rui, who was guarding the bedside, and said, "Zhang Qiu, I still need to take Rui Rui back to the station."
Rui Rui suddenly turned her head and grabbed the edge of the bed. "Can't I stay here with Zhang Qiu?"
"No," Lan Ningshan shook her head.
"I won't run away; I'll just stay here."
"It's not about whether you'll run or not; it's the rule."
"Letting you see Zhang Qiu is already a privilege," Liu Hua stepped forward to defend his goddess. "Now that you've finished your treatment and have seen Zhang Qiu, it's time to go back."
Rui Rui wanted to argue further but was suddenly grasped by Zhang Qiu's hand. She froze in surprise and looked at Zhang Qiu.
“Rui Rui, go back with her. You can trust me here, and you must take care of yourself inside.”
Rui Rui tightly held Zhang Qiu's hand, unwilling to let go, her lips trembling as tears welled up in her eyes. Zhang Qiu smiled and said, “Trust me, I won’t let you stay inside forever.”
Lan Ningshan walked over and patted Rui Rui on the shoulder, saying, “Alright, let’s go.”
Rui Rui stood up, slowly releasing her grip on Zhang Qiu's hand, forcing a smile as she said, “I believe, I believe.”
Lan Ningshan took Rui Rui away, reminding Zhang Qiu repeatedly to take good care of her injuries while also telling Liu Hua to fulfill his duties and stand firm in his position.
Yang Yu stayed at the hospital. Zhang Qiu called him to the bedside and whispered a few words. Yang Yu stared at Zhang Qiu and asked, “Brother Qiu, are you okay?”
“No problem.”
Zhang Qiu then called Wang Jinghan over and similarly whispered to her. Wang Jinghan reacted even more strongly than Yang Yu, directly refusing, “No way, your injury—I don’t agree.”
“Please.”
“Fine.” Wang Jinghan relented.
Zhang Qiu continued to converse quietly with Yang Yu and Wang Jinghan while Liu Hua sat nearby, not even glancing their way. The snippets of conversation he occasionally heard were treated as if he hadn’t heard anything at all.
“Brother Qiu, since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll go prepare.”
“Okay.”
Yang Yu left first, leaving only Zhang Qiu, Wang Jinghan, and two police officers responsible for guarding the room.
A phone call from He Jun came directly to Zhang Qiu's phone. Seeing the caller ID made Zhang Qiu feel uneasy but he had no choice but to answer.
“Zhang Qiu! How is your injury? Where are you hurt?”
He Jun's voice was loud; he hadn’t put it on speakerphone, yet Wang Jinghan could hear everything clearly from the side.
"I'm fine, Uncle."
"You're fine?" He Jun roared on the phone. "Do you know that participating in a brawl can get you at least six months in prison? Your life is over, over!"
This was the first time Zhang Qiu had seen He Jun so furious. Even during the Ancient City Battle, he hadn't been this angry. For a moment, Zhang Qiu didn't know what to say.
"Just focus on your treatment at the hospital and don't do anything reckless. You need to cooperate with the Public Security Bureau. I haven't told your family about this. If you run out of money, call me. That's it, I'm hanging up!" He Jun's anger was still palpable, and his concern sounded more like an accusation.
Zhang Qiu listened to the beeping sound on the phone, lost in thought. Wang Jinghan adjusted the blanket for Zhang Qiu again and said softly, "Close your eyes, don't worry too much. Just think about what happened tonight."
"Thank you."
Wang Jinghan smiled at Zhang Qiu. She didn't know why she always felt compelled to help her old classmate. There was something about him that attracted her, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. However, Wang Jinghan was almost certain it wasn't love.
...
In Xiangtang Village, southwest of Beilan County Town, three years ago this area was still filled with vast fields and villages. After Director Chen took office and initiated urban renewal, high-rise buildings sprang up everywhere. Although the district was built up, the surrounding commercial buildings remained vacant and were still referred to as Shell Apartments. It was no surprise; people in the countryside continued to live their lives facing the dirt with little reason to come here except for a nearby driving school where few would choose to open a shop.
On the second floor of Shell Apartment in the southwestern corner, four or five young men with bizarre hairstyles dyed in various colors sat on the floor playing cards. A stack of poker cards rested on a denim jacket along with two boxes of Golden Leaf cigarettes and several lighters scattered around carelessly. The young men puffed smoke while playing cards, and against the wall lay someone lounging with their legs crossed, lazily smoking.
In a cramped space near the bathroom, a black-and-white figure leaned against the wall. The girl's slender legs were turned to the side, her ankles tightly bound with coarse rope. She leaned against the wall with her arms twisted behind her back, wrists secured with thick hemp rope. The bare skin peeking out from her pant cuffs showed dark red bruises from being restrained. Her hair was disheveled, and there were clear signs that she had been crying.
One of the young men playing cards got tired and stood up to relieve himself. Outside it was dark and pouring rain; water dripped rhythmically from the eaves. The young man stood by the second-floor window and unbuckled his belt to relieve himself outside. After finishing, he hopped back a couple of steps and satisfiedly fastened his belt again. As he turned back, his gaze lingered on the shadowy black-and-white figure in the darkness.
He complained, "Ugh, us guys suffering here in this heavy rain is just too damn miserable."
"Who isn't? This godforsaken place isn't fit for anyone," another echoed back. Normally he would be leisurely playing League of Legends at a bar—winning a drink or cursing when losing—much more comfortable than being stuck here.
People's emotions are easily influenced by those around them; one person started complaining, and soon others followed suit. The young man who had just gone to relieve himself voiced his thoughts.
"If it were up to me, guarding such a pretty girl while only playing cards? What kind of man is that? It's dark and stormy outside; I think we should... heh heh heh..." He didn't need to finish; rubbing his hands together with a lewd grin made him feel clever for using an idiom he knew.
"I agree! That girl has such skin—wow! So fair with a hint of pink; touching her feels like milk—so smooth! And her figure is amazing too; she's beautiful all around! The only downside is her short hair. Long flowing hair would be perfect! But short hair isn't bad either; imagine how it would feel to be with someone like her! I really don't know what her boyfriend did in his past life to deserve such luck—he must have done something great!"
Young and drooling, a drop of saliva trickled down the corner of his mouth to the ground. Someone laughed and said, "Look at you, hurry up and wipe your mouth. It's just a girl; is it worth being this envious? Don't you think? This girl is in our hands now. How we want to play with her depends on us brothers."
"Right, right, exactly. Damn, I'm already hard."
A few of them burst into laughter as if their grand plans had already come to fruition. The one who had been lying on the ground without speaking finally spoke up: "Are you all crazy about women? Brother Long is right; we should save this girl for later. By then, everyone will have a share, and we can do whatever we want. But until then, no one can touch her."
Someone scoffed, "Is it really necessary to wait until evening? What's the difference when we do it?"
"Well, that depends on whether you still want money. If you touch her now, you won't get a single cent." The speaker calmly exhaled a puff of smoke and continued, "Just wait a little longer; you'll get money and a girl. It's that simple. You guys understand, right?" He sat up and emphasized, "It's fine if you don't care about the money, but if anyone blocks my path to wealth, I won't let them off easy."
"Hey, what's this? We brothers have always discussed things openly. Let's get the money first."
"Yeah, let's get the money. We can still have her after getting paid; it's just a matter of waiting a little longer."
With fierce glints in their eyes, they were eager to rush in and strip the girl bare, but they temporarily suppressed their urges. It wasn't that they could endure; it was just that the reward was too tempting.
In the corner, cold and hungry, Jiang Xue heard the conversation outside and trembled all over. Crouching against the wall, tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought to herself, Zhang Qiu, where are you?
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