NB Chapter71

In the cramped room, Xu Yanzhou hummed a little tune over and over; it seemed to be the only one he knew. The pain in my wound did not subside but intensified, slowly torturing me.

My phone and ID were likely taken the moment I collapsed to the ground. Now, other than saving myself, I could only pray to the gods. I just didn’t know how many years of life I had left to offer in exchange for a deity’s mercy. Gradually, my body grew cold, and my head began to spin, yet the sweat continued to flow, soaking my back. Perhaps I should sleep; thinking this, my eyelids dropped heavily.

Just as my head tilted and I was about to lose all consciousness, I suddenly heard the melodious sound of a doorbell.

Someone was here.

Was it a guest of Xu Yanzhou’s?

As if seeing a glimmer of hope, I forced myself awake and narrowed my eyes to observe Xu Yanzhou’s reaction to the doorbell.

Like a sluggish zombie, he suddenly froze. After listening for a few seconds, he began to move slowly toward the door. It was a narrow, heavy iron door, dark in color; even opened a sliver, it let out a sharp creak. Xu Yanzhou was carrying something, though I couldn’t make out what it was. He slipped through the gap, shut the door behind him, and a metallic rattling followed; he was probably locking it. After that came more sounds of shoving and dragging, suggesting there was another door on the outside.

He was gone.

I snapped fully awake and listened intently for several minutes, but I heard nothing. I tried to stand up by leaning against the wall, but moving the wound on my leg brought a piercing pain. Gritting my teeth, I dragged my leg forward while gasping with every couple of steps. Limping along, slow as a tortoise, that iron door felt as if it were a hundred thousand miles away.

Judging by Xu Yanzhou’s reaction just now, the doorbell was unexpected. Whoever came was not someone he had an appointment with. I have to seize this opportunity. I take a deep breath and struggle to move forward.

I finally reached it, only to realize that the door is elevated from the floor with several narrow steps beneath it. I can’t climb them, so I simply lift my arm and use my fist to hammer the iron door, making a loud thudding sound that sends deafening echoes through the small room.

“Is anyone there!” I shout with all my might. “Help!”

After knocking a few times like this with no response, I pause for a moment and continue to listen for any movement outside.

I don’t know which of my actions worked, but I suddenly hear the faint sound of a scuffle. The sound doesn’t last long. I press my ear against the door, just in time to catch a scream from not far away, followed by total silence.

Then, the sound of leather shoes treading on the ground draws closer and closer.

That familiar sound fills me with dread, yet also a hidden sense of anticipation. My heartbeat feels like a countdown to this person’s appearance; as he approaches, it beats faster and faster, nearly spiraling out of control.

It can be anyone, as long as they can get me out. It can be anyone… ideally Zhang Mingsheng, because he always has a way. With his boldness and ability, he is more than enough to handle a deranged, emotionally unstable lunatic like this.

And yet, I hope the person coming is not Zhang Mingsheng.

I would rather it be Li Yi, or even a passing stranger. I don’t want to see Zhang Mingsheng rescue me from danger again. I don’t want him to see my distress and pain, only to use it as proof that I should live the life he has chosen for me.

I realize with despair while leaning against the cold wall that I remember some of Zhang Mingsheng’s kindness, yet I refuse to forget the majority of his malice. Neither side is thorough enough; neither is decisive enough.

Amidst several hacking sounds, the iron door let out a thunderous boom. I cowered at the bottom of the steps, feeling somewhat dazed. It wasn’t until the door was pushed open a crack; allowing a stream of warm light, different from the hanging lamp, to spill inside, that I instinctively squinted my eyes and saw the person outside walking down the stairs. His right hand was dripping with blood, drop by drop, onto the surface of the steps.

Zhang Mingsheng’s expression was very grim.

In all the years I’ve known him, I have only seen this look on his face during those first few years.

Consequently, when he walked up to me and reached out to scoop me up and hold me, I instinctively shrank back. But he didn’t care about my fear; he firmly caught hold of me and propped me up. As it happened, the corner of my eye caught a bloody puncture near the webbing between his right thumb and forefinger, blood pouring from it in a steady stream. Yet his breathing remained perfectly even, without the slightest hint of strain.

I didn’t even bother to ask how he found me or what had just happened.

Zhang Mingsheng gave me a quick once-over first, and I instinctively followed his gaze, lowering my eyes to examine myself.

I said, “I’m fine. Let’s get out of here first.”

Zhang Mingsheng still didn’t say a word. He placed his palm on my abdomen, applied some pressure, and pressed up and down several times before withdrawing his hand to check elsewhere.

I tried to stop him, but I missed every time.

Helpless, I had no choice but to change the subject, asking, “You didn’t kill anyone, did you?”

Zhang Mingsheng finally seemed to set his mind at ease. He spoke, “You think he doesn’t deserve to die?”

I was too weak to muster any anger and had no energy left for it; besides, he had saved me in the end. Lowering my head, I braced myself against his arm, intending to walk out.

Zhang Mingsheng seized the chance to support me, even slipping an arm around my shoulders. I drew my elbow back, trying to shrug him off.

“Ah Chao,” he continues to hold me tight, “what exactly is so bad about staying by my side?”

I stop in my tracks, turn my head, and look at him in disbelief.

It’s only a few steps, yet I feel as though Zhang Mingsheng and I will never be able to climb them.

“What is actually worth you falling into traps over and over again?” Zhang Mingsheng asks. “Whether it’s love, family or friends, I can clearly give you all of it; we could even have children.”

“There won’t be any,” I interrupted him quickly. “We won’t have children again; you and I simply don’t deserve to be parents. Speaking of which, I have already found Zhang Xiaoyuan. I will find a better family for him.”

“As for Keke,” I fling his hand off and limp upward on my own, “if you are willing to tell me where she came from, I would be very grateful. If you aren’t, I will keep searching until the day I die.”

“By the way, Zhang Mingsheng, you just asked me if he deserves to die. I think that’s a question you should ask yourself.” I turned my head to look at him, enunciating every word. “He is actually very much like you. You tell me, does he deserve to die?”

Zhang Mingsheng had cried earlier today; it was crocodile tears, and the corners of his eyes were still faintly red. Yet beneath that lingering trace of sorrow lurked a vein of vicious hostility.

He steps up, clamps down on my shoulders, and says in a low voice, “These things… we can talk about slowly after we get out.”

We rarely have clashes like this.

Either he goes mad while I am moved to tears, suffering like the protagonist of a soap opera, or I roar with futile questions while he remains as calm as a light breeze.

If I weren’t injured, I probably would have punched him by now. Instead, I have to rely on him to take me to the hospital.

I let out a cold laugh and looked ahead.

That single glance gave me massive fright.

Zhang Mingsheng indeed hadn’t killed Xu Yanzhou, but he must have dealt a lethal blow.

Xu Yanzhou’s face was covered in blood. He was smiling with his mouth pulled open to reveal a bright red, bloody mess that looked like it was missing several teeth. He stood above us with his hand resting on the door, casting a playful, mocking look our way.

“I’ve got a good harvest today,” he laughed loudly. “I’m going to carve the meat off both of you, piece by piece.”

With that, he slammed the door shut. Zhang Mingsheng was supporting me with one hand; even though he tried to reach out and push, it was to no avail.

The door closed again and was locked tight, unmoving.

We were finished.

Under the dim light, Zhang Mingsheng turned to look at me, his face ashen.

He asked, “You just said I’m just like him?”

My legs were shaking from the pain. I looked into his eyes, framed by thick lashes, words failing me for a moment. After a brief pause, I said, “We shouldn’t be fighting at a critical moment like this. Villains don’t give us as much time as they do in TV dramas.”

Zhang Mingsheng stared at me, making me feel incredibly uneasy. The bold words I had just blurted out seemed to collapse instantly, falling flat and gathering awkwardly in the space between us.

After a long silence, he let out a sigh.

He reached out to steady me, guiding me over to the wall so I could sit down and lean against it comfortably.

“When you say I’m the same as him, it hurts my feelings.” He spoke.

His sudden softening in attitude caught me off guard.

“But I won’t kill him, don’t worry.” He sat down as well, shoulder to shoulder with me.

I lowered my head to stare at my own knees, and spoke softly, “I’m thinking about what makes you different from him.”

“Have you figured it out?”

“No,” I smiled bitterly, my head still hanging low. “What exactly is the difference? Could it be simply that I once loved you?”

With a sharp rip, Zhang Mingsheng tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and wrapped it around his right hand. He seemed to have regained his composure; his tone was flat as he asked, “Why did you like me?”

“Because,” I looked at him from a somewhat furtive angle; I had never mentioned it before, but for some reason now, I was no longer ashamed to be honest now, “the first time I met you, you set off fireworks for me.”

When Zhang Mingsheng had asked me in the past, I had treated it as an insult.

But in truth, I had always wanted to tell him.

No one can harbor a feeling like that without wanting to let it slip out.

“You love watching fireworks.” Zhang Mingsheng said while meeting my gaze. His eyes were calm without a single ripple at all.

Whenever he was like this, nine times out of ten, he was about to say something I wouldn’t want to hear.

I smiled and stopped looking at him, turning my focus to my own palm instead. “I was just thinking… how can someone be so carefree? Not caring what others say, only doing what they want to do; even acting on impulse, and still doing it so beautifully.”

“I had never seen fireworks that beautiful. I also want to do the things I want to do. There is a restaurant I really like, but because I’m so busy, I rarely go. Actually, I really like running too, but I’ve never participated in any marathons, not even amateur ones.”

“My world seems to be only as large as a single room with fixed paths and fixed places. But even that kind of room was something I once longed for as a child.”

Zhang Mingsheng didn’t respond.

“Alright, I’m finished. Now it’s your turn; what do you like?” I leaned back and closed my aching eyes. It hurt so much that I felt I could faint at any moment. I forced myself to stay alert, feigning a high-energy tone as I asked, “Zhang Mingsheng, right now; list a hundred things for me to hear.”

Unlock the complete translation HERE!