Published at 5th of September 2019 12:32 pm

Chapter 98 - Escaping Danger

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator(s): Zryuu

Editor(s): Amalea, FistFullOfDollars, Juurensha

Zhou Sheng wiped his face and slid down the mountainside. One more person had joined their side; Huang Ting wielded a gun in his hand, and the situation was immediately reversed.

Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng couldn’t stop gasping for breath. His elbows and knees were all covered in wounds, but he hadn’t sustained any serious injuries. He nodded to indicate that he was okay, but his eyes were fixed on the movements of their four enemies.

The thunderstorm continued to roar around them; the driver shouted out some words in dialect, and the four of them suddenly dispersed before rushing forward together — they were actually trying to seize Huang Ting’s gun! Huang Ting was clearly well-trained; he pulled away from them and fired a shot in this rainy night. When Yu Hao heard a gunshot in reality, he was instantly stunned.

“Fuck!” It was Zhou Sheng’s first time encountering such people who didn’t seem to fear death; he immediately flipped onto the top of Huang Ting’s car and lunged forward once again!

There were four enemies; one of them had been downed by Huang Ting in an instant, but the other two entangled themselves with Huang Ting and grabbed his wrist. Another gunshot was heard, but this shot failed to hit its target. Once someone got close to Huang Ting, he immediately began wrestling with the enemy to prevent his gun from being taken away. Another car drove up the mountain and turned on its high-beam, which blinded everyone for a moment.

“Their reinforcements are coming……” Zhou Sheng said as he retreated, “Run now! Everyone should try to get away!”

Ou Qihang, Fu Liqun, and Yu Hao steadily retreated, then the door opened, and Zhou Laichun shouted, “We’re on your side!”

Immediately afterwards, four people rushed down from the car, and Zhou Laichun was wielding an iron rod.

Zhou Sheng, “……”

“Hide behind!” Zhou Laichun said, “Get in my car!”

The scene turned chaotic; Zhou Laichun joined the fight, and the pressure on Huang Ting immediately lightened. The third gunshot sounded and Zhou Laichun was taken aback too. “Whose gun is that?!”

Huang Ting, “Keep your distance! Don’t engage in a scuffle!”

“Ours!” Zhou Sheng said, “What are you doing here?!”

Zhou Laichun was furious, “What the hell are doing?!”

Both sides pulled apart from each other again. Huang Ting pointed at the other side with his gun and was still very calm as he said, “Everyone on our side, retreat.”

The other side realised that Huang Ting actually intended to kill them all, so they couldn’t be bothered to help their comrade who had been shot now. They slowly retreated, getting ready to withdraw.

In the next moment, a helicopter could be heard as well as the roar of a car engine. Two glaring lights shone down. Yu Hao looked up, Zhou Sheng held him in his arms and raised his hand to shield him from the light.

“Why does it seem like they’re making a movie?” Zhou Sheng said.

Yu Hao was breathless and couldn’t even say a single word — this was his first time feeling like he had just escaped the clutches of death.

People began shouting overhead. When the enemies realised that they could no longer escape, they all squatted down, one after another, and placed both hands on their napes. Armed police came over and handcuffed all of them first. Huang Ting got onto a car, flashed his police ID, pointed at them, and everyone got on the car, then someone unlocked their cuffs.

“Chen Laoshi?” Yu Hao suddenly caught a glimpse of Chen Yekai’s pale face. His whole body was drenched in sweat.

One and a half hours after everything was wrapped up, in the hospital.

Chen Yekai’s arm was wrapped up in bandages and a splint as he sat on a chair.

“All of you should go back first.” Chen Yekai’s left arm was fractured. After receiving an anesthetic shot and a splint for his arm, he actually seemed quite energetic. Yu Hao suffered from a soft tissue contusion while Fu Liqun had a bloody nose and a swollen face, but fortunately, his looks didn’t suffer. The nurse rubbed iodine wine over the scraped wounds on Zhou Sheng’s elbows, knees, and other places.

“It’s still early.” Yu Hao looked at the time; it was only 10pm.

Zhou Laichun went to pay the registration fee and settled the medication bills for everyone. He asked his driver to buy four boxed meals and watched them eat from the side. Chen Yekai’s left hand was slung in front of his chest, while he held a spoon in his right to ladle the food.

Zhou Laichun, “……”

Everyone, “……”

“Sorry.” Chen Yekai took the lead in saying instead, “I neglected my duty and took my students out to do such dangerous things.”

Everyone immediately spoke in unison, “It’s not your fault!”

Zhou Laichun quickly said, “No no no, Chen Laoshi, you’re really amazing.”

Zhou Sheng said, “I’m the one who asked Kaikai for help.”

Chen Yekai said, “If I had known that the situation would be so dangerous, I definitely wouldn’t have……”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Zhou Laichun said, “The rascal already said that he’s the mastermind behind this and implicated all of you. I do feel very apologetic. Chen Laoshi, recuperate well, and if you need anything, feel free to mention it to me!”

“What do you mean by mastermind?” Zhou Sheng said angrily.

Zhou Laichun didn’t say anything more and smiled as he took his cigarette out to light one up. Yu Hao said, “Uncle, you can’t smoke here.”

“Oh yes.” Zhou Laichun immediately said, “I’ll smoke outside. Why don’t……”

“See you later.” Zhou Sheng said.

Everyone, “……”

Zhou Laichun left behind a few more instructions and specifically urged Yu Hao to pay attention to Zhou Sheng’s injury and to make sure it wouldn’t get infected while bathing before he got up and left.

Right after Zhou Laichun left, the atmosphere within the ward finally relaxed a little. Fu Liqun said, “Fuck it was like shooting a police and kidnapper movie. It was my first time encountering such a situation; I can now say that my life has not been lived in vain.”

Chen Yekai said, “We must be more careful next time, we underestimated the enemies too much. It’s really too……too, it’s still scary when I think about it now.”

“Okay okay, don’t morally torture yourself with hypothetical situations anymore.” Yu Hao said, “After following Junjun Jie for so long, one thing I’ve learnt is that there are many unexpected situations in life. Let bygones be bygones, just be careful next time.”

Zhou Sheng said, “If we hadn’t followed them, Ou Qihang would probably be dead by now.”

Fu Liqun beamed with joy as he described how he fought the kidnapper, while Zhou Sheng just listened to him expressionlessly. In the end, Fu Liqun said, “But of course, Young Master is the most amazing one.”

Yu Hao said, “You were fighting three at first, then even dealt with two in the end.”

“Zhou Sheng’s seriously scary.” Chen Yekai said ruefully as well.

Those guys were practically fugitives and had clearly received professional training as well, so they were really good at keeping up a fight. In the end, Huang Ting had to open fire before two of them were taken down. During the armed police’s initial questioning, they didn’t manage to guess the other party’s true identities and could only take them back first to interrogate them slowly. They would be able to get it out of them sooner or later.

“I’m sorry, Kaikai.” Zhou Sheng said guiltily, “Caused you to get hurt so badly.”

Chen Yekai smiled, “I’ve always wanted to be a hero, I just never had the chance to. Thanks for giving me this opportunity.”

Everyone laughed, and Fu Liqun said, “It’s better to have fewer chances to be a hero though.”

Chen Yekai said, “If there’s really no other choice, I won’t regret stepping forward. Gun regulations are very strict in China, which is really good, otherwise, the situation today would have been very different.”

Chen Yekai has lived abroad for many years and knew what would happen if guns weren’t controlled. Everyone responded with an “”. Yu Hao was no longer afraid now and didn’t feel the least bit excited either. It was as if the four of them had just finished playing an intense basketball match, and everyone felt like they had all gone through death’s door together, resulting in the establishment of a friendship that surpassed that of ordinary ties.

A knock could be heard. Huang Ting came in, followed by Ou Qihang.

“Came to see you guys.” Huang Ting said.

When Ou Qihang saw the four of them, he felt somewhat at a loss for a moment. No one spoke. In the end, it was Chen Yekai who smiled as he said, “Take a seat, have you had a bath?”

Huang Ting went over to look at Chen Yekai’s hand, “It’s not too grave, does it hurt?”

Chen Yekai said, “I’ll need to keep the sling on for two to three months.”

“Serious injuries take a hundred days to heal.” Huang Ting said, “It’s not as bad as my previous fracture.” As he spoke, he showed his wrist to Chen Yekai, “There won’t be any problem after it recovers.”

Chen Yekai said, “I’m not worried about that.”

Ou Qihang just sat quietly. Yu Hao had a piece of gauze stuck onto his forehead, Zhou Sheng was covered in iodine wine, while Fu Liqun just smiled as he looked at Ou Qihang.

The rain stopped. Yu Hao looked outside the hospital windows; the lights outside shone resplendently.

“I’ll give you a task.” Huang Ting said to Ou Qihang, “You’ll be in charge of feeding Chen Laoshi everyday.”

Everyone burst into laughter, but Chen Yekai said solemnly, “Huang Ting!”

“Sorry.” Ou Qihang said with much remorse, “I’m sorry for putting you guys in so much danger. Sorry, Kaikai Ge.”

Fu Liqun came to the rescue, “People who want to feed him can queue from here all the way to the river.”

Everyone laughed again.

Yu Hao knew that Huang Ting, as a good buddy, had always been trying to help Chen Yekai find a partner. Still, saying it straight out like that was really too awkward, and Chen Yekai probably wouldn’t be interested in dating in such a situation.

Zhou Sheng held his forehead with one hand, looking like he really didn’t want to see what was happening right now.

After Huang Ting cracked such an untimely joke, he sat at one side and took off his police cap. Zhou Sheng asked, “How is it? We should at least get an explanation? All of us almost lost our lives for this.”

Huang Ting said, “It’s already been transferred to the investigation team for them to deal with, and all the suspects are under control as well. The internal situation in the city bureau is a bit messy right now, so I can only get a clear understanding of the situation in a few days. The identities of the kidnappers are a little complicated. One of them is a retired Sanshou athlete from the provincial team……”

Everyone was a little surprised.

Zhou Sheng said, “The one who fought with me?”

“I think so.” Huang Ting said, “He’s a very difficult opponent. At present, I think one of them was more familiar with the county’s surroundings and roads, and they were ready to take Qihang there to find an abandoned fish pond and…….”

“They wanted to find a place to kill me.” Ou Qihang said, “That way, there would no longer be anyone who knows their secrets.”

The ward fell silent for a moment. Yu Hao had to admit that that was the most reasonable explanation. Previously, Ou Qihang had thought of ending his life, so they wanted to fabricate a suicide scenario and let him go missing for a while before someone finds his corpse. A lot of clues would end with that then.

Perhaps, Ou Qihang could vaguely guess that he was already in danger, which was why he left the compressed files in Xiao Yujun’s laptop and hinted to Zhou Sheng about its password.

“What I can’t figure out,” Zhou Sheng was eating his rice and some rice grains had stuck onto his face. Yu Hao cleaned them off for him, and Zhou Sheng asked Ou Qihang, “was how you managed to free your hands to send us your message for help and ask us to go save you.”

Yu Hao, “……”

Ou Qihang understood within seconds. “I sent it blindly. Once I got caught, I immediately felt about for my phone in my back pocket. Right after I sent the message and deleted it, they searched it out and took my phone away.”

Zhou Sheng responded with an “”, “Amazing, I’d rather hold onto your thigh than a wall for support.”

Yu Hao thought, Their questions and answers even flowed together so naturally too. At that moment, Yu Hao felt like his IQ got thoroughly and completely crushed.

Fu Liqun picked up a call, and from the look on his face, it should be from Cen Shan. He quickly got up and went out to take the call. Everyone chatted idly for a while longer. Yu Hao didn’t know what Huang Ting was allowed to say, so they discussed the meals that Zhou Sheng’s father had brought over.

Huang Ting, “I haven’t eaten yet.”

Yu Hao, “Tear off the lid of a lunch box, I’ll share some with you?”

Huang Ting, “Thanks.” He actually didn’t mind it at all, and began eating right after accepting it. He was obviously really hungry by now.

After they finished eating, several people began chatting again. Huang Ting seemed to be thinking with his eyes closed, but not a moment later, even breathing sounds could be heard from him — he had fallen asleep.

Yu Hao, “……”

Chen Yekai said, “He’s probably too tired.”

Yu Hao looked at Huang Ting, then at Chen Yekai. Zhou Sheng was the last to finish his meal. He kept everyone else’s lunch boxes, then said to Ou Qihang, “Smoke one?”

So Ou Qihang got up. Yu Hao knew that the two of them had something to say to each other, so he didn’t follow and stayed in the ward to play games on his phone.

“What happened to the car?” Yu Hao said.

“Already informed someone to get it towed.” Chen Yekai said, “It’s okay, I’ve bought insurance.”

Chen Yekai looked at Ou Qihang’s receding figure, “Doesn’t seem as strong as you guys described him to be.”

“His psychological defenses finally collapsed.” Yu Hao smiled, “Just like that night when Gege carried me to the hospital; all of my persistence vanished without a trace within an instant.”

Chen Yekai smiled and studied Yu Hao.

Zhou Sheng went to the back door of the hospital; there was an expansive lawn there. After a bout of heavy rain, accumulated puddles could still be seen on the lawn. The temperatures dropped after every autumn rain; winter was coming soon.

A lighter was flicked on. Zhou Sheng lit a cigarette for Ou Qihang, and the two of them stayed silent.

Ou Qihang has always been a little apprehensive. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know where to start.

“Look at that wimpy face of yours.” Zhou Sheng mocked.

Ou Qihang laughed as well. Zhou Sheng said casually, “Why are you suddenly so humble now when you were so haughty before? High caliber student, let me guess? Because I have a superpower? Or is it because we’ve already seen through your heart?”

“Yes.” Ou Qihang said, “What’s the point of putting up a pretense in front of you guys?”

Ou Qihang let out a prolonged breath and squatted down at the back door of the hospital. Zhou Sheng remained standing. Ou Qihang squatted just like a prisoner, looking up to gaze at the starry sky in the autumn night.

Zhou Sheng said, “Do you really think that all the people around you are zombies?”

Ou Qihang was stunned and cast a sidelong glance at Zhou Sheng.

“Your teachers, classmates,” Zhou Sheng didn’t look at Ou Qihang as he explained, “they are all writing pleas of leniency to the prosecutor’s office, and they all hope that you can get yourself together.”

“Jun Jie, whose laptop got snatched away by you, is willing to bear the risk of getting fired to uphold justice for you.”

“Huang Ting is a police officer, so I won’t say anything about him, but someone like Kaikai who has no relation to you at all can fight to save you without fear of losing his life.” Zhou Sheng stated, “What you are will determine what you can see in your eyes. If you live as a zombie, then everyone else in your eyes will be zombies as well. You can’t see any living person who possesses warmth, so your inner heart has turned into a wasteland.”

Ou Qihang, “……”

“Man is the only one who can redeem himself.” Zhou Sheng put out his cigarette beside the trash can and said, “Jiayou.”

In the ward, Yu Hao checked Chen Yekai’s bag — his driver’s license and other credentials were all inside.

“You won’t consider Qihang?” Yu Hao smiled.

“Absolutely no interest at all.” Chen Yekai casually said, “That kid’s a little sensitive, don’t joke around in front of him; I don’t wanna attract any peach blossoms.”

“But your numbers don’t match either.” Yu Hao joked.

Chen Yekai, “Numbers can be changed, it’s not a problem.”

Yu Hao, “Oh?”

Chen Yekai smiled, “Of course the other party will change, do you doubt my ability?”

“That’s being overbearing.” Yu Hao said with a smile.

“What Chen Laoshi worries most about everyday is stirring up peach blossom debts everywhere.” Huang Ting yawned and had woken up after a short nap.

Chen Yekai’s clothes were all dirty and muddy, his hair was also really messy, and he even had one hand in a splint now. Yet, he had been putting on an optimistic front ever since arriving at the hospital, and Yu Hao knew that he was afraid that they would feel upset and guilty, so he was always wearing a smile on his face. This was probably one of the most sorry states Chen Yekai has ever been in, but even though he was in such dire straits, Yu Hao still thought that he was handsome, that he was really handsome.

It’s really a great pity that such a good guy always remained single.

After Zhou Sheng and Ou Qihang smoked a cigarette, they found Fu Liqun, and all three of them came back together. Huang Ting put on his police cap, looked at everyone, and was about to say something when Chen Yekai interjected, “So that’s it for today? I still have classes tomorrow morning.”

“There will be a lot of investigations in the near future.” Huang Ting said, “I’ll try to get them not to bother you guys too much and ask them to resolve it all in one shot if they can so they won’t invite you guys back for questioning all the time. But this case is very serious and involves a lot of things in many different ways, so I hope everyone can understand.”

“Understood.” Everyone said in succession.

Huang Ting, “I’m really ashamed to say this, but I have nothing I can use to repay you guys……”

“”

“Get out of here!”

Several people couldn’t help but laugh. Huang Ting fell silent for a moment, then nodded in the end and snapped his fingers at Ou Qihang to indicate for him to withdraw.

Zhou Sheng suddenly said, “Watch him properly. If something happens again, we’ll go after you.”

Zhou Sheng’s tone was extremely stern, with an undertone that didn’t brook any refusal.

“Certainly.” Huang Ting said, “It’s been hard on you guys today, get his mother to stew some pig trotters for Chen Laoshi another day.”

Huang Ting got scolded a few times again before he whistled and hummed a song as he took Ou Qihang away with him. Zhou Laichun arranged for a car to wait outside the hospital entrance to send them back. The three of them sent Chen Yekai back to his dormitory, and Chen Yekai said, “It’s okay, I’ll soak in the bathtub to take a bath. You guys should hurry back.”

Although it was inconvenient for Chen Yekai to move about with one hand, he could still take care of himself, so Zhou Sheng wasn’t worried about him anymore. When they climbed back to their dormitory, the three of them then felt thoroughly spent.

“ Went for a fight again? You actually didn’t call us along?” Someone from the opposite dormitory said when he saw Yu Hao, Zhou Sheng, and Fu Liqun’s swollen faces as they returned.

“Don’t mention it anymore.” Fu Liqun said, “Almost got beaten to death.”

Zhou Sheng said, “We can’t all fit in one car, get Kaikai to change to a truck someday.”

“Okay!”

Yu Hao carried a stool into the bathroom and helped Zhou Sheng take a bath. Zhou Sheng’s body was covered in superficial wounds from head to toe, so they had to be careful about them getting infected. He sat like a huge monkey, and although he had been beaten until his whole body had sustained injuries, his front was still standing up so he felt a little embarrassed.

“I’ll do it myself.” Zhou Sheng said.

“Your father asked me to wait on you in helping you take your baths.” Yu Hao said earnestly.

“.” Zhou Sheng said, “So now you’re acting on your superior’s orders?”

Yu Hao smiled and wiped Zhou Sheng’s back for him. Zhou Sheng said, “I didn’t expect him to show up in person today. When I fucking saw that old man come down with an iron rod, it really scared me. I thought he’d get hit a few times.”

“He loves you too, doesn’t he?” Yu Hao got up to take a towel, “ sometimes I really can’t stand the two of you, always saying things that you guys don’t mean……” As he spoke, he stood on tiptoe to help Zhou Sheng wipe his hair and body. When he knelt down on one knee to wipe his legs, Zhou Sheng just stood and looked at him with a grin on his face.

“Could you behave yourself a little?” Yu Hao smiled, “Still not resting easy when you’re injured.”

Zhou Sheng blew up, “This is a physiological reaction, I can’t help it, how can I behave myself……”

“You looked so cool today when you took on three of them by yourself.” Yu Hao suddenly said, “Done washing up, go out.” As he spoke, he put his arm around Zhou Sheng’s neck, made him lower his head, and kissed him.

“I’m a General after all, how am I supposed to go to war otherwise?” Zhou Sheng wrapped himself with a bath towel and went out in a carefree manner.

Translator's Note:

Juurensha: Hahaha, preening ZS is always fun

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