***
Bonus chapter! Thank you to asdf for the donation! ^^
***
The boy was simply too well-behaved. Everyone present thought so. He was nothing like Ren Yanqing, that scumbag.
Ren Yanqing was ruthless and heartless, always driven by profit, and every time he met them, he carried an air of arrogance, clearly looking down on those who worked at the bottom.
He had long lost his conscience; otherwise, he wouldn’t have withheld their wages for three years.
Yet, the boy was pure and innocent, like a blank sheet of paper, obedient and gentle. Even though he was Ren Yanqing’s son, even though they were on opposing sides, it was hard not to feel some sympathy for him.
This was probably because the boy frequently lost his memory and couldn’t recall those dark things. He was no different from a child.
No, he was much better behaved than a child.
Genes have a significant influence on children, and many were inherently evil, only restraining that evil as they grow.
But the boy seemed to be naturally well-behaved, even with his memory loss.
It was really hard to believe that someone like Ren Yanqing, with his selfish genes, could produce such a son.
However... he was a bit too delicate.
How could someone as ruthless as Ren Yanqing raise such a child?
Zhou Jincheng looked at the boy who, thinking the dark basement was too dim, wanted to turn on the lights. Zhou Jincheng took a deep breath, “Why turn on the lights? Do you think this is...”
Ruan Qing blinked innocently at Zhou Jincheng, listening earnestly, his eyes brimming with closeness.
Zhou Jincheng’s harsh words shifted abruptly. With a stern face, he growled, “Do you think we’re rich or something?”
“I’m so broke I can’t even afford to pay the electricity bill.”
This was a newly constructed building. Because of Ren Yanqing’s failure to pay wages, the previous workers had long stopped working, leaving the building unfinished for the time being.
So, there was no electricity, and of course, no lights.
Zhou Jincheng wasn’t lying either. Even if the lights could be turned on, he was so broke he couldn’t pay for the electricity.
Ren Yanqing had already delayed their wages for three years.
If anyone had money, they wouldn’t have taken the risk of kidnapping this young master.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jincheng’s tone grew even colder. “There’s no electricity, so just stay like this.”
After speaking, he turned and left, his back looking utterly cold.
He didn’t even realize how his harsh words had softened, nor did he notice that he’d said “our home” without thinking.
It was as if he had subconsciously considered Ruan Qing’s feelings.
That was something that would have been impossible before.
Ruan Qing looked at Zhou Jinchen’s heartless back and slightly parted his lips. In the end, he pursed them somewhat aggrievedly, without voicing that was afraid of the dark to Zhou Jinchen.
Ruan Qing’s grievance was plainly visible, as his already moist eyes became even wetter. His entire being seemed deflated, looking pitiful and helpless.
It made people want to embrace him, to give him everything he desired.
He didn’t belong in this gloomy basement. He should be living in a luxurious villa, getting everything he ever wanted.
It was as if he was born to be cherished, and whoever held him in their hands would gladly offer him everything they had.
But the lights in this place really couldn’t be turned on. It wasn’t that there wasn’t money to pay the electricity bill; the building itself hadn’t been fully completed yet, so naturally, no power lines had been installed.
If they wanted electricity, they would have to bring it in from outside.
As construction workers, they were skilled at bringing in electricity, as the construction site constantly required power. This task was something they were quite familiar with.
However, the boy was only going to stay here for half an hour. By the time they brought in the electricity, he would probably already be back in the villa where he belonged.
Besides, the boy was their hostage, a tool to extort money from Ren Yanqing. They weren’t obligated to fulfill his requests.
For a moment, the few men exchanged glances, but no one spoke. They silently followed Zhou Jinchen out of the basement.
Once the sun dipped past the horizon, it set much faster. In just a dozen minutes, it disappeared from the sky entirely, leaving only a faint glow illuminating the clouds.
The entire land grew dark, and the already dim basement became even darker, to the point where it was nearly impossible to make out anything around.
There was a chair in the basement, but it was dirty, used by the workers to stand on while they worked.
Ruan Qing sat on the only chair, his delicate fingers resting on his knees, clutching them anxiously, his slender body tense.
Now, he was the only one left in the basement, and it was so dark he could barely make out the outlines of objects around him.
But if he looked closely, it seemed as though... something was moving.
And there seemed to be a strange sound too.
The sound was faint, like the chirping of insects, or perhaps the sound of something crawling.
It carried a hint of something eerie, almost spine-chilling.
And it seemed to be getting closer, as if something was approaching him.
Ruan Qing's slender, pale fingers tightened even more, gripping so hard that it started to hurt, and tears welled up in his eyes.
He looked fearfully toward the door, standing up with the intent to go find Daddy.
But just as Ruan Qing stood up, he remembered Daddy's words: "Just stay put." So he stiffly sat back down, not even daring to reach for the light switch in the room.
It must have been because he disobeyed earlier that Daddy no longer liked him.
Ruan Qing felt a bit sad, and a bit scared as well. Uneasy, he curled up on the chair, wrapping his arms tightly around his knees, burying his head between them, shrinking into a small ball.
As if that was the only way to give himself a sense of safety.
He had no idea how much time had passed when the sound of a "creak—" echoed.
It was the sound of the basement door being pushed open.
Upon hearing the noise, Ruan Qing's slender body trembled. He lifted his head and nervously looked toward the door.
As the door opened, a sliver of light spilled inside, and a tall figure slowly walked in.
Because the basement was so dim, and the man was backlit, Ruan Qing could only make out a rough silhouette, unable to clearly see who the man was.
Nor could he tell if it was Daddy or not.
Ruan Qing grew extremely tense, his entire body taut with fear, afraid that the person entering might be an intruder.
Fortunately, after the man came in and noticed how dark the basement was, he took out his phone and turned on the flashlight.
The dim basement was instantly illuminated, and Ruan Qing, through the reflected light, saw who had come in.
It was... the man who had been standing not far from Daddy earlier.
If this man was with Daddy, he couldn't be a bad person. Ruan Qing relaxed a little.
Now that the basement was lit, Ruan Qing felt less uneasy. He looked up at the man walking toward him, a trace of confusion on his delicate face.
He seemed puzzled as to why the man had come in.
***
There were hundreds of workers at this construction site, but only five of them were involved in the kidnapping.
Zhou Jinchen, Yan Lulin, Duan Ming, Luo Haodong, and Xu He.
Luo Haodong was responsible for abducting the boy, and in order to shake off those tracking him, he had yet to return to this location.
The most dangerous place was often the safest. No one would have thought they’d hide the person directly in the basement of this abandoned building.
After all, due to Ren Yanqing's wage disputes, workers frequently lingered and moved in and out of the area, and some new workers were still on-site.
Thus, the few of them didn’t stand out at all.
As long as the boy didn’t escape from the basement, no one would suspect he was hidden here.
The man who walked in was Xu He. He slowly approached the chair and then looked down at the boy sitting obediently on it.
When he saw the boy's slightly reddened eyes and tearful gaze, Xu He's expression deepened.
However, since the flashlight was directed at the floor, his gaze couldn’t be clearly seen, nor the faint trace of aggression in it.
Xu He lowered his eyes, concealing his expression. He squatted down in front of the boy and spoke in a calm, gentle tone, "Are you afraid of the dark?"
Ruan Qing hesitated for a moment. Although he didn’t know why this man had entered, he still nodded honestly, “Yes.”
After nodding, Ruan Qing glanced around nervously and said in a small voice, "I feel like there's something scary in the darkness that will take me away."
"Don't be afraid." Xu He reached out and held Ruan Qing’s hand, which was resting on his knees, as if to comfort him.
"I’ll stay here with you."
The light from the phone wasn’t shining directly on Ruan Qing, so it wasn’t harsh. Instead, it provided him with a sense of safety.
Ruan Qing blinked at the large hand holding his, and gave the man a faint smile, "Thank you."
Due to the light, half of Ruan Qing's face was illuminated, while the other half was shrouded in darkness, creating a play of shadow and light that highlighted the exquisite beauty of his features.
Moreover, when he smiled, his long eyelashes fluttered slightly, casting shadows beneath his eyes, making him look like an angel who had accidentally wandered into the human world.
A beauty that was breathtaking.
A beauty so captivating that time itself seemed willing to stop for him.
Xu He’s pupils contracted slightly, and his heart skipped a beat. A hint of excitement flickered in his eyes.
The boy and he came from two different worlds, but at this moment, the boy's beautiful eyes were looking directly at him.
It was as if the obedient boy belonged to him.
If anyone saw Xu He’s gaze, they would have been terrified, because it resembled the eyes of a snake locking onto its prey.
Filled with aggression and danger.
But that look only lasted for a brief moment. In the next second, Xu He concealed it well, and Ruan Qing didn’t notice.
It was already early autumn, and after the sun went down, the temperature dropped quickly.
When Xu He noticed that Ruan Qing's hands were a bit cold, he took off his jacket and gently draped it over Ruan Qing's shoulders.
Ruan Qing indeed felt a bit chilly, but once the jacket was placed over him, the warmth enveloped him.
It dispelled some of the cold, as well as a portion of his unease and fear.
Ruan Qing smiled at Xu He again, his smile pure and innocent. “Thank you, you’re such a good person.”
Xu He was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then he gently nodded, “Yes, I’m a good person.”
The basement contained only some construction tools and a few piles of miscellaneous items, with Ruan Qing sitting on the only chair.
Xu He squatted for less than a minute before he looked at Ruan Qing and said, “Squatting makes my legs numb.”
Ruan Qing's delicate brows furrowed slightly, his tone carrying a hint of dilemma, “What should we do then?”
Xu He thought for a moment, then looked up at Ruan Qing gently. “Can I hold you?”
“That way, we can both sit.”
