“Good, you’ve improved. This time you didn’t charge forward throwing punches.” The person who appeared before him seemed to be within Bai Ji’s expectations.
A police station was within five hundred meters, but Fu Chong was the one who wanted even less to cause a commotion and be exposed to others regarding the animosity between the two of them.
“Teacher, what happened at Mount Weier was my fault. I don’t know what came over me at the time. You know that in the Academy of Sciences, I was always the first to arrive at the laboratory and the last to leave. No matter how hard I tried, I was still constantly targeted and looked down upon by others in the institute. I was blinded by the fame and fortune that the new species might bring. For the past half year and more, I’ve been regretting it. I even followed the search and rescue team to look for you, but I just couldn’t find the entrance to the Wangu Tomb.” Fu Chong clutched his chest, every word sounding sincere.
“Why change your strategy? If you put on this pitiful look before, I might have softened and let you off. You said you went looking for me? You just wanted to confirm with your own eyes that I had no bones left so you could rest easy. Let’s drop the act since it’s just the two of us. I’m not Liao Ran; I don’t buy your routine.”
With the soft approach failing, Fu Chong was completely out of options. In the few years since he entered the Academy of Sciences, running errands and doing odd jobs for other experts, he had finally managed to enter the project team and get the opportunity to write a paper, only to find that he was the only member left off the list of authors. It was Bai Ji who stepped forward to report the true situation to the institute’s leadership, allowing Fu Chong to regain his copyright. But ever since then, his life had become even harder, facing bullying and isolation. Whenever those moments happened, the person who stepped forward to help him was always the one standing right in front of him.
Yet, the more it was like this, the more Fu Chong loathed him.
Bai Ji had only entered the Academy of Sciences four years before him. Relying on being the favorite student of the vice president, the botanical books he published independently won major international awards repeatedly. He was heavily headhunted to become the youngest expert group leader, and their group was universally recognized as an elite team, with the projects they developed bringing hundreds of millions in value to the institute. He could truly be called the rising hope of the botanical world, highly sought after.
Everyone had put in the effort, but the credit belonged solely to him. No matter that no one remembered how Fu Chong and the other members stayed up for four days and three nights without closing their eyes to meet the project deadline. Once the dust settled and the greatest accolades were harvested, the only one showing his face in public was him. Sitting in the audience and watching Bai Ji walk toward the podium, Fu Chong had secretly imagined that if the resources and status in Bai Ji’s hands were given to himself, he certainly wouldn’t have done any worse.
Therefore, when the opportunity to replace him presented itself, Fu Chong steeled his heart.
Yet when he encountered difficulties and his mind was in chaos, the very first person he instinctively thought of for help was still Bai Ji.
“Teacher, I know you definitely have a way to find Liao Ran.”
Even though he refused to submit, deep down Fu Chong was convinced that Bai Ji was omnipotent. Whether it was problems encountered in scientific research or difficulties they couldn’t solve in daily life, he always had a way.
Just like this, walking out alive from the Gu tomb of Mount Weier, only he could pull that off.
Bai Ji shook his head with a cold smile: “What makes you think I’ll help you? If anything happens to him, you’ll wish you were dead. Just imagining that picture, I’m actually really looking forward to it.”
Fu Chong clenched his fists, suppressing his surging emotions: “What on earth do I have to do for you to let us go?”
He had grouped himself and Liao Ran together, a phrasing that Bai Ji found displeasing.
“You owe me two lives. Even if you died, you wouldn’t be able to pay it back. All the humiliating experiences Liao Ran has suffered are gifts bestowed by you.”
As if struck by five divine thunderbolts, the roaring lightning shattered Fu Chong’s psychological defense. He collapsed against the wall with a blank mind, not even realizing when Bai Ji had left.
The skinny man stepped heavily on the accelerator, speeding down the rural road. There were no surveillance cameras installed in this area, but he still dared not slack off for even a second.
The hand gripping the steering wheel trembled uncontrollably, repeatedly licking his lips until he tasted a salty, bloody tang. His chapped lips had split and were bleeding.
Lifting his eyes, he saw Liao Ran handing over a disinfectant wipe. When he wiped with it, Liao Ran reminded him to watch the road.
The states of the two men were completely opposite. The skinny man was as nervous as if he were under constant threat, while Liao Ran looked much more like the hostage-taker.
“Thank you. I won’t hurt you. Once I safely reach the border, I’ll let you go back.”
“Actually, you only stole a cellphone. The sentencing is around six months, plus a fine. You’ll regain your freedom soon enough.” Liao Ran tried to persuade him.
“No, I can’t get caught.” His gaze fell on the green burlap backpack at his feet.
Liao Ran grew alert: “Are you smuggling contraband?”
The skinny man turned his head with a panicked look in his eyes, then forced a calm demeanor: “Mind your own business. If you talk too much more, I won’t guarantee you’ll get home safely.”
Seeing his stress reaction, Liao Ran confirmed his own suspicion.
Right now, he could only look for another opportunity to escape.
As evening fell, their car stopped in front of a guesthouse.
This was a two-story wooden fortress. There were only a dozen households in the nearby area, and daily life wasn’t very convenient, with occasional buses passing by twice a day.
Both the stairs and the walls were wooden structures, making footsteps very clear when walking.
They requested a single room.
Seeing that there were two fully grown men, the host, Uncle Song, kindly added a folding cot for them.
Noticing that Liao Ran’s complexion was pale, the skinny man assumed he must have lived a pampered life under normal circumstances, especially since he had only eaten half a dry bread roll all day. Feeling famished himself, he planned to go out and arrange for dinner.
At the same time, he wasn’t at ease leaving Liao Ran alone in the room.
Sensing his hesitation, Liao Ran relieved his worry: “Rest assured, I won’t escape. First of all, I don’t even know where this is, and there’s no car. If I tried to walk halfway on foot, I’d probably get eaten by wild wolves in the nearby dense forest. I value my life.”
The man still wasn’t reassured. He found a rope and tied Liao Ran’s hands to the faucet of the bathroom sink before leaving with peace of mind.
The hospitable Uncle Song was steaming a cage of buns on the stove, slicing a plate of cured meat with fierce knife skills while a rich aroma filled the air.
“Almost ready, wait just a moment longer. Why isn’t that handsome guy coming out to eat?”
The skinny man patiently sat in the dining hall to wait, making up an excuse: “He gets carsick. I’ll bring some back for him to eat later.”
Uncle Song nodded: “That handsome guy doesn’t look like he exercises at all; his frame is weak, and his legs are like chopsticks. Can they support such a big frame? I’ll give you extra portions later, make sure you let him eat more to put on some meat.”
Thinking of his elderly father, the skinny man replied, “Ah, thank you very much, old mister.”
The warm yellow light of the ceiling lamp swayed slightly as Uncle Song held an iron spoon, waving both hands in the air.
Watching this behavior, the skinny man found it comical: “Uncle, why are you starting to dance?”
The old man awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck: “Nothing. Right, if your friend can’t finish, don’t forget to bring the leftovers back to the kitchen.”
“Yes, of course.” The skinny man felt this request was reasonable enough.
Yet this Uncle Song seemed afraid he would overthink: “It’s not that I’m stingy, but there are too many bugs in these mountains.” As he spoke, he snatched an imaginary one out of the empty air in front of him: “Look, these little black bugs, flying in from who knows where.”
The skinny man stood up and leaned closer, raising his head to see a cluster of black mist swirling around the earthy-yellow lamp: “True, so many bugs.”
Liao Ran sat on the edge of the sink, resting his head against the mirror.
The Gu worms inside his body began to stir as night fell, continuously wandering through the gaps in his bones. Every nerve in his body was strained to the point of snapping. At that moment, he even had the impulse to smash the mirror open with his head; the pain would at least make him feel a bit more comfortable.
Unable to catch his breath, his gasping sounds were heavy: “Mm… ah…” (Note: Ellipses retained per instructions)
Every sound carried a sense of exhaustion.
His eyes filled with tears, blurring his vision, until he vaguely caught sight of that person’s figure.
Liao Ran curled the corners of his lips in self-derision. Right now, he was just like an addict; the moment he was separated from Bai Ji, he couldn’t endure the loneliness and even began to hallucinate.
He bit his lower lip, forcing himself to stay awake.
A shadow loomed over him, and immediately a soft tongue covered his in a tentative gesture, lightly licking his lips. Before Liao Ran could react, his defenses were breached. The intruder rudely grazed the inner walls of his mouth, sweeping up his tongue root with a forceful dominance to pull it back into his own mouth. The man’s kiss was both proactive and overbearing.
Liao Ran pressed the back of his head against the wall, bearing the impact without a single inch of space to dodge. He closed his eyes in resignation, leaving the person before him to suck and drink away every last bit of his oxygen.
Fifty seconds later, the man lifted his head, his tongue tracing along Liao Ran’s cheek to kiss the corner of his eye, leaving a wet, salty taste.
“Why aren’t you fighting back? There are only two people here; what if the one kissing you was that skinny beanpole?” Bai Ji loved the look of his submissive obedience, while also appreciating his aloofness that kept people at a distance.
“Others aren’t as shameless as you.”
Bai Ji scraped his jaw with his finger: “Kissing you is called shameless, then wanting to sleep with you, what does that make me?”
Liao Ran didn’t want to discuss this topic with him, and right now was hardly the time to question why he had suddenly shown up.
“Will you untie me already? That guy is coming right back.”
Bai Ji seemed to be enjoying the game: “If you don’t say it, how can I untie you?”
If not for Liao Ran’s high level of self-restraint, his mouth would already be full of curses.
“Bai Ji, you always manage to make people angry regardless of the occasion. What kind of expert mentor are you supposed to be?” Liao Ran attempted to use the profession he cared about to awaken this man’s conscience.
“An expert mentor is still human and has needs.”
“You’re not.” Liao Ran didn’t hesitate for even a second on this question.
Bai Ji’s gaze chilled as he suppressed his surging emotions: “In the state I’m in, I really can’t be considered human anymore either.”
He flicked his fingers, and the Gu worms overflowing from his body transformed into a sharp black blade that sliced the ropes apart.
Liao Ran freed himself, rubbing his slightly reddened wrists.
Bai Ji supported his waist and lifted him down.
At that moment, approaching footsteps were heard. Liao Ran pushed Bai Ji into the shadows behind the bathroom door and walked out alone.
The skinny man was holding a bowl of meat buns: “Eat while they’re hot.”
Not noticing at all that he had freed himself, Liao Ran deduced that this person had a simple disposition, at least being somewhat purer than the person inside the bathroom.
Bai Ji could understand Liao Ran’s intention. The two of them were bookworms without a chicken-killing strength of their own; if they went head-to-head with someone accustomed to the streets, a two-on-one match wouldn’t necessarily yield an advantage. To be safe, outwitting was superior to fighting.
Liao Ran nervously finished two buns, tasting no flavor at all as chewing became a struggle.
Too lazy to make another trip back, the skinny man ate the remaining four all by himself, each one the size of a bowl rim, leaving him so bloated he needed to use the restroom.
Liao Ran blocked his path: “You can’t go in there.”
The skinny man looked suspicious: “Why?”
“Because I need to take a shower, and it’s going to take a long time. Please use the outside restroom instead.”