The basement was utterly silent. No one mentioned Ren Yanqing, and even Zhou Jinchen didn’t attempt to call him again.
It was clear that using the boy as leverage against Ren Yanqing wouldn’t work. They returned to the first floor to discuss their next move.
Suddenly, Zhou Jinchen’s phone rang.
He answered directly, “What’s up?”
The caller got straight to the point. “The young master you kidnapped may not actually be Ren Yanqing’s only son.”
“Our information shows that Ren Yanqing has recently been frequenting an apartment complex near his company.”
“I pulled the surveillance footage from that complex and checked the residents. There’s one household that’s particularly suspicious—new residents who moved in recently, coinciding with Ren Yanqing’s frequent visits to the complex.”
"The resident in that unit is an unmarried woman in her thirties and a seventeen-year-old male high school student."
"Ren Yanqing is very likely going there to meet them, and he usually stays the whole afternoon."
An unmarried woman in her thirties and a seventeen-year-old male high school student…
Zhou Jinchen said in a low voice, "Are you implying that this woman is likely Ren Yanqing’s mistress?"
"And that the male high school student is Ren Yanqing’s illegitimate son?"
"Yes." The person on the other end of the call sounded very certain. "There’s a nine-in-ten chance of it."
"You know Ren Yanqing’s personality—if he had no connection to them, he wouldn’t visit so frequently."
And he certainly wouldn’t stay for an entire afternoon.
Ren Yanqing was a bona fide workaholic, with little interest in leisure activities; his life revolved entirely around work.
Someone like him wouldn’t spend an afternoon in another apartment complex without reason.
The woman and the high schooler must have some connection to Ren Yanqing, and that connection was very likely a father-son relationship.
Which would explain why Ren Yanqing showed little concern for his sickly son.
A cold, inexplicable gleam flashed in Zhou Jinchen’s eyes. After hanging up the call, he looked at the others and said, "This time, I’ll go."
Yan Lulin immediately shook his head, rejecting Zhou Jinchen's proposal. "Going alone is too dangerous."
They’d already kidnapped once and even went back boldly to get medicine—essentially a provocation against Ren Yanqing. He’d certainly be on guard.
What’s more, the high school boy could be the son Ren Yanqing truly cared about, so attempting another kidnapping would be a death wish.
"Then let’s all go," Xu He, sitting beside them, said calmly, though his usually gentle tone carried a trace of coldness and danger.
This time, Yan Lulin didn’t object, but he didn’t agree either. He simply frowned, as though weighing the feasibility of going together.
Finally, Yan Lulin said, "Let’s scope out the situation today and make our move tomorrow."
No one had any objections, as they were planning to kidnap, not to die. Naturally, they needed to be well-prepared.
Once everyone had made up their minds, they immediately began discussing strategies and making plans.
The discussion went on straight through to noon, and it was time for lunch.
None of them really felt like eating, but they still headed to the cafeteria at the construction site to bring back some food.
While they might not be bothered by skipping a meal, the delicate young master hadn't eaten since the previous evening and was likely quite hungry by now.
So, they all ended up bringing the food to the basement at the same time.
Ruan Qing had already woken up. At that moment, his slender, fair fingers were clutching the quilt, with his head pitifully buried under it.
He pressed his somewhat pale lips together, clutching the quilt with a bit more force as he endured the headache that throbbed through his mind.
The pain wasn’t sharp but rather a subtle, prickling ache that was nonetheless unbearable.
It felt as though there were needles piercing his brain, tiny but densely packed, relentlessly stimulating his nerves. It was so uncomfortable that he couldn't focus, nor could he think about anything.
Ruan Qing’s beautiful eyes were damp, and when he heard footsteps approaching, he poked his head out pitifully, looking toward the direction of the sound.
Xu He, seeing the boy gazing at him with tearful eyes full of grievance, felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly set the food down on the table beside them, sat on the edge of the bed, and helped Ruan Qing sit up, his voice filled with gentle concern. "What's wrong?"
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Ruan Qing didn’t resist. He looked up at Xu He with a pitiful expression and said softly, "I have a headache."
Ruan Qing’s voice was soft, with a touch of grievance and neediness, making Xu He’s heart instinctively soften.
Xu He immediately placed his hands on Ruan Qing’s head and began to gently massage his temples.
With his previous experience, Xu He had become much more skilled at controlling the pressure and had improved his massage technique significantly.
The pain in Ruan Qing’s head eased a bit instantly, and he obediently leaned into Xu He’s embrace, letting Xu He massage him. At that moment, the two of them looked just like a real couple.
Seeing this, Zhou Jinchen’s eyes flashed with a hint of irritation and impatience. He set his own food down on the table with a loud thud, drawing everyone’s attention.
Ignoring their stares, Zhou Jinchen set the food down and spoke gruffly, "Time to eat."
The table was right next to the bed, but still had a slight distance, making it necessary to sit up to eat.
After being massaged by Xu He, Ruan Qing's pain had eased quite a bit. He closed his eyes comfortably, leaning against Xu He, with no intention of sitting up to eat.
Zhou Jinchen noticed this and became even more displeased, casting a cold look at Ruan Qing and saying, “What? Do you need me to feed you?”
Hearing this, Ruan Qing innocently opened his eyes and, after a moment of hesitation, looked at Zhou Jinchen. “...Can you?”
Zhou Jinchen’s lips twisted into a sneer, but just as he was about to reply, Duan Ming sat down by the bed, picked up some food with his chopsticks, and held it in front of Ruan Qing’s mouth.
Zhou Jinchen: "..."
Ruan Qing paused, glancing at the food in front of him. Seeing that Duan Ming was genuinely offering to feed him, he carefully opened his mouth and bit into the food.
The food was a piece of green cauliflower, not cut very small, so when Ruan Qing bit into it, his cheeks puffed out, making him look exceptionally adorable.
Both Duan Ming and Xu He, who had been massaging him, froze for a moment, unable to take their eyes off Ruan Qing's face.
The young man was so beautiful that he hardly seemed real, but at this moment, there was an added touch of human warmth to him. Rather than diminishing his beauty, it made him seem more genuine.
At this moment, the young man seemed like someone living in the real world.
However, after just one bite, he frowned, his delicate face scrunched up as though the food tasted terrible, but he didn’t spit it out due to his manners.
Seeing this, Duan Ming frowned, then looked down at the bowl, picked up a piece of cauliflower, and tasted it himself.
The taste was just average—not particularly bad, but certainly not delicious. After all, it was a meal from the worksite’s large pot, incomparable to the cuisine prepared by the young man’s family chef.
It was natural that the pampered young master wasn’t used to eating such simple fare.
Without saying anything, Duan Ming chose a piece of meat instead and offered it to Ruan Qing.
But this time, Ruan Qing turned his head away, burying himself in Xu He’s embrace, clearly showing his willfulness and refusal to eat.
However, whether out of fear of upsetting Duan Ming or feeling a little embarrassed, Ruan Qing stole a glance at him and softly said, “I... I’m not hungry…”
Duan Ming put down the meal in his hands and took the one Zhou Jinchen had left on the table.
The construction site provided a selection of over ten dishes, from which the workers could choose three. Duan Ming and Zhou Jinchen had picked different ones.
Yet, Ruan Qing still showed no intention of eating.
Duan Ming glanced at the others’ meals before looking directly at Ruan Qing, speaking in a tone that left no room for refusal, “Pick one.”
Ruan Qing didn’t want to choose, but the expression on this man’s face looked intimidating, as if something unpleasant might happen if he didn’t comply.
Ruan Qing’s eyelashes trembled slightly with unease, and he finally chose the lightest meal available.
This time, Ruan Qing didn’t refuse to eat. Whatever Duan Ming fed him, he obediently ate, softening the atmosphere with his docile manner.
For a moment, the basement was filled with an unprecedented warmth, making it hard to break the peaceful silence.
***
In the bustling central office building, a man sitting at his desk twirled a pen in his hand, pondering in confusion.
How did those people dare come back? Did they think he had no temper?
His hand stopped spinning the pen, feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
No, that couldn’t be it. Those people weren’t fools; they wouldn’t do something this reckless without reason.
So the only possibility left was that they had an ulterior motive.
The man scrutinized the surveillance footage, looking for any trace or clue.
On the screen, a man dressed entirely in black, wearing a mask and a black baseball cap, was fully concealed.
The man in black seemed highly familiar with the Ren family’s villa and had a sharp eye; just a few glances, and he knew exactly where the cameras were, managing to avoid them for most of his movements.
Only occasionally did he appear in unavoidable corners.
Since he navigated around the cameras so skillfully, it was hard to discern his purpose, making it equally challenging to guess what he was searching for.
Based on his silhouette and the places he showed up, the man deduced the black-clad intruder’s general direction.
Southeast.
That direction seemed to be where his "son's" bedroom was located.
The man frowned in confusion, closed his computer, and headed straight to his "son's" room.
The boy's room was clean and tidy, looking quite cozy, with no strange signs or traces.
The man carefully looked around, his gaze finally settling on the desk not far away.
Two boxes of medicine for treating Moyamoya disease were missing from there.
Man: "…" He had overestimated them.
Kidnapping a hostage but still remembering to come back to get medicine for them—that's not something anyone with a normal brain would do.
They really were just plain idiots.
The man instantly lost all interest and turned to leave the room directly.
Lmao. Yes, lower you guard for those idiots and it will be easier to have a second kidnapping. Thank you for the chapter!!
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