Gui Wen sat in the passenger seat, watching the scenery outside the car window transition from towering skyscrapers and bustling traffic to uninhabited, desolate mountains and wild grass. His heart felt as though it were being pulled upward.
He attempted to contact Zong Xian via his mobile phone, but for some unknown reason, there was no internet connection, and there was no signal for calls. Gui Wen speculated that there might be a jamming device in the car.
“Brother Chen, has Brother Zong Xian arrived?” Even after receiving the diamond, Gui Wen found it hard to believe that Zong Xian would wait for him in such a desolate place. Asking this was merely to probe Chen Suluo.
“Oh, of course,” Chen Suluo replied with a laugh. “Zong Xian just asked when you would arrive.”
Gui Wen was left completely speechless. He had been following Chen Suluo since the art exhibition ended, and the man hadn’t touched his phone once.
“Brother Chen,” Gui Wen smiled feignedly, acting embarrassed. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Is that so? Well, there is nobody around anyway. Should I find you a bush? You aren’t planning on taking a big one, are you?”
Gui Wen broke out in a cold sweat. “I suppose, a bush will do.”
Chen Suluo slowed the car down and eventually stopped in front of a lush grove of trees. “Will this do?”
“Yes.” Gui Wen hurriedly opened the door, got out, and walked deep into the thicket before reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone.
He intended to call for help from someone he could rely on, but Chen Suluo suddenly appeared from somewhere and snatched the phone from his hand. “Little brother Guanbai, don’t play with your phone while peeing. What if you pee crookedly?”
Gui Wen was on the verge of fainting. They were in the middle of a grove; what did it matter if he peed crookedly? “I just wanted to check for messages.”
“Alright now, I’ll keep this safe for you. Hurry up and go.” Chen Suluo stuffed Gui Wen’s phone into his pocket, and the latter felt a sense of foreboding.
Gui Wen looked back several times, and seeing that Chen Suluo had no intention of leaving, he had no choice but to awkwardly unzip his pants and relieve himself.
Once his physiological needs were addressed, everything returned to the previous state, or even worse. Gui Wen was without his phone, and when he asked Chen Suluo for it back, the man deliberately found excuses to refuse.
Gui Wen attempted to connect to the system, but the wake-up commands failed repeatedly. It seemed that even using external cheats required a signal.
With no way to break the situation, Gui Wen was delivered to the North Mountain as the sky turned dark.
Chen Suluo told Gui Wen to get out of the car. Gui Wen had no desire to move, but he was half-pushed and half-pulled out by the other man.
“Zong Xian is already here. Go on.” Chen Suluo pointed toward the other side of the mountain.
Gui Wen was at his limit. “Brother Chen, just tell me the truth.”
“What are you talking about? Would I lie to you?” Chen Suluo nudged Gui Wen. “Alright, that is that. I have things to do, so I am leaving now.”
Watching Chen Suluo prepare to get back into the car, Gui Wen hurriedly gave chase, but the other man was faster than a leopard. Closing the door, starting the car, and driving away happened in one seamless motion.
Gui Wen rubbed his temples. What was the point of dumping him here?
Later, when he saw Zong Xian at the foot of the mountain, he realized that Chen Suluo had heard about Gui Wen’s trouble with the Jiang family and, unable to stand it, had decided to teach Gui Wen a lesson on Zong Xian’s behalf.
Chen Suluo, believing he had vented his friend’s frustration, took out his phone to contact Zong Xian. He even sent a photo of North Mountain he had taken earlier to show off his achievement: I dumped your nominal younger brother at North Mountain to feed the mosquitoes. He has needed a lesson for a long time; he is even more troublesome than me.
Zong Xian replied very quickly: ?
Chen Suluo then sent a photo of Yan Guanbai’s phone: His phone is still with me. Once he gets bitten enough by the mosquitoes, I will go pick him up. Don’t worry, nothing major will happen.
Zong Xian called him directly via voice chat. Chen Suluo answered proudly, “There is no need to be so excited that you had to call to thank me.”
“The phone,” Zong Xian’s tone was as cold as a frozen lake, “give it back.”
“I am currently being lectured by my father, so I really cannot leave,” Chen Suluo frowned, unable to understand. “Why do you sound so unhappy?”
“Stop doing such boring things in the future.” Zong Xian hung up.
Chen Suluo looked at the darkened screen, feeling baffled. How had he offended this young master?
Actually, the young master himself did not understand why Chen Suluo had infuriated him either.
Chen Suluo was an old friend of many years, and he hadn’t done this out of malice. Perhaps he shouldn’t have used such a harsh tone.
But the fact remained that Zong Xian’s mind was entirely consumed with finding Yan Guanbai.
He immediately drove toward North Mountain, suddenly thinking that perhaps he had been completely abnormal ever since he bought that diamond necklace.
Zong Xian drove at the maximum speed allowed by traffic regulations to reach the foot of the North Mountain. He opened the car door and stepped out, his gaze instantly capturing the silhouette of someone huddled under an old tree.
He took off his coat and walked behind the figure, draping it over them.
Gui Wen noticed the movement and immediately turned around. “Brother Zong Xian?”
The owner of that voice severely suspected that he had been in the desolate wilderness for at least half an hour. The buzzing of mosquitoes was constant in his ears, and there were several mosquito bites on his arms and face.
Zong Xian reached out to him. “Can you stand up?”
Gui Wen hurriedly grasped Zong Xian’s hand to stand. The other man’s hand was very warm, while he himself had been blowing in the wind for a long time and was already chilled to the bone.
He noticed that Zong Xian gripped his hand a little tighter.
Gui Wen stood up straight from under the tree, and Zong Xian wrapped his hand around Gui Wen’s other cold one as well.
“Let’s go to the car.” Zong Xian led him to the passenger door, waited for Gui Wen to get in, and then took the driver’s seat himself.
The cold wind was almost entirely shut out, and the residual warmth of Zong Xian still lingered on Gui Wen’s palms.
The mosquito bites on his face had only just appeared, and Gui Wen was so itchy that his face was almost crumpled. He could not help but reach up to scratch them.
Zong Xian reached out to stop him. “They will leave scars. Bear with it.”
“It is really itchy.” Gui Wen still struggled stubbornly.
“Don’t move.” Zong Xian picked up a small spray bottle from his side and sprayed it directly onto Gui Wen’s red and swollen skin.
It was cool and refreshing, and the discomfort was indeed lessened significantly.
As the spray landed on his face, Gui Wen suspected that a few drops had splashed into his eyes, and he couldn’t help but squint. “I think some got into my eyes.”
Zong Xian put down the spray bottle. “Face, come here.”
Gui Wen did not think much of it and subconsciously leaned forward. Zong Xian forcibly pried open his eyelids, and the irritation caused tears to spill out, making his eye sockets turn red.
Zong Xian subconsciously wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Just let them flow out with the tears.”
The breath from Zong Xian’s lips brushed against his face, and only then did Gui Wen realize that he was very close to Zong Xian.
Zong Xian was looking into his eyes.
“Brother Zong Xian?” Gui Wen thought the other man had drifted off into thought.
Zong Xian seemed to have just realized what he was doing, and he hurriedly pulled back. “Your phone. I had someone retrieve it from Chen Suluo; it will be delivered to the villa shortly.”
“I understand.” Gui Wen spoke earnestly. “Thank you for coming to find me.”
“Mother was asking about you all night; I had no other choice.” Zong Xian deliberately avoided Gui Wen’s gaze.
“Also, thank you for the diamond.” Gui Wen fidgeted uncomfortably with his palms.
“You took care of me first. The diamond is a token of gratitude, an equal exchange.”
What kind of equal exchange was this? Even if one hired a professional caretaker, the cost would never amount to the price of such a diamond necklace.
Zong Xian started the car and drove from the outskirts of North Mountain back into the city.
“How did you know I was here?” Gui Wen asked suddenly.
Zong Xian did not answer, and Gui Wen did not press him.
By the time the car arrived at the villa, Zong Xian exited first, took something from an assistant, and finally placed it in Gui Wen’s palm. “Your phone.”
Gui Wen thanked him politely and followed Zong Xian into the villa.
Zong Xian’s mother was sitting on the living room sofa. She was dressed in elaborate attire, and she had not yet taken off her high heels. “Did you two just arrive? I just came back from a friend’s banquet.”
Gui Wen was visibly stunned. When Zong Xian was in the car, he had said his adoptive mother had been worrying about him all night; it seemed that wasn’t true.
“We had business.” Zong Xian did not offer much explanation.
“What business is there at this late hour?” His mother finally noticed the anomaly on Gui Wen’s face, a large mosquito bite. “Guanbai, how did you get bitten like this? Is it uncomfortable?”
“I am fine, Auntie. Brother Zong Xian sprayed medicine for me.”
His mother gave a few more instructions before she stopped probing further into the night’s events.
The living room was left with only Gui Wen and Zong Xian. The latter paid little attention to him and proceeded to press the elevator button to go upstairs on his own.
Zong Xian traveled with Gui Wen as usual, but the latter could clearly perceive that the frequency of Zong Xian’s gaze falling upon him had increased.
“Is there something on me?” Gui Wen couldn’t help but ask.
“You are overthinking it.” Zong Xian shifted his gaze to the window. “What I look at is my own freedom.”
Gui Wen couldn’t be bothered to engage with him and got out of the car as soon as they reached the school gate.
After enduring two major morning classes, Gui Wen received a notice in the group chat. The dismantling of the art exhibition had not yet been formally completed, and every student was required to go to the venue to retrieve their exhibited work.
Gui Wen happened to be on his way to retrieve his painting after school in the afternoon. Just as he stepped into the venue, he found a classmate he was usually on good terms with already there.
“Yan Guanbai,” the classmate pointed at the painting in the corner, their tone full of horror, “your painting is ruined.”
Gui Wen hurried to his work. The frame had been smashed, and the painting inside had been slashed; it was clearly an intentional act by someone.
He subconsciously thought back to the day of the exhibition, to the furtive figure pointed out by Chen Suluo.
Gui Wen pressed his lips together tightly, took the fragments of the painting from the frame, and stuffed them into the plastic bag left over from his jianbing guozi lunch.
The painting was beyond saving, but that wasn’t the main point. Gui Wen knew the affair with the Jiang family wasn’t over, and it was now more than just a dispute between him and Young Master Jiang.
He carried the plastic bag all the way to the school gate but couldn’t find a trash can. His basic upbringing prompted him to keep the waste with him as he sat into the car Zong Xian had waiting for him.
“A painting?” The plastic bag was transparent, and it was easy for Zong Xian to see the scraps of paper inside.
“Yes, one of the pieces exhibited. It was torn by someone.”
Zong Xian did not ask anything more. As for who the mastermind was, even Gui Wen knew, and it was impossible that Zong Xian hadn’t deduced it.
“I will have the driver pick you up inside next time. Report the specific location to me in advance every time.” Zong Xian used an indisputable tone.
Gui Wen knew he meant well and did not refuse.
The car stopped in front of the villa, and Gui Wen got out and headed straight for his room. He felt as though he was missing something in his hands.
After thinking about it, he realized he had left the painting fragments in Zong Xian’s car.
Gui Wen didn’t care; he assumed Zong Xian would just throw the paper scraps away like garbage.
Until he received the painting, which had been restored.