SABA Chapter 75

Chu Xu’s escape cast a shadow over everyone’s hearts. No one knew how he managed to steal a large amount of cash from Chu Hongzhen’s safe, use the vast forest behind the old Chu family residence, trek over a hundred kilometers, exploit blind spots in surveillance, and disappear from the grid.

A desperate individual with nothing and filled with hatred is the most terrifying. No one knows what crazy actions he might take. A few days ago, Huo Shen was almost hit by a car driven by Chu Xu as he left his company. Fortunately, Huo Shen reacted in time, sustaining only minor abrasions, not very serious. Police who rushed to the scene in pursuit could only find a used car traded on the black market.

When Jiang Tiao arrived, he anxiously watched the doctor treating Huo Shen’s abrasions on his arm and palm. Huo Shen’s eyes were filled with a dark cloud.

Seeing Jiang Tiao’s expression, Huo Shen knew what he was thinking. He frowned slightly, unhurriedly put on his clothes, tucked the wound into his sleeve, and put on a relaxed demeanor as if it were no big deal.

“It’s nothing. This was an accident. I’ve already strengthened security.”

Jiang Tiao glared at Huo Shen, his eyes slightly red.

Huo Shen smiled and pulled him into his arms, “Oh dear, what’s wrong? Are you crying?”

“You’re crying! Which eye saw me crying?” Jiang Tiao’s voice had a faint nasal tone. “I’m angry!”

Huo Shen buried his face in Jiang Tiao’s neck and chuckled for a while, “Alright, alright, you’re a tough guy. Tough guys don’t cry.”

Jiang Tiao was exasperated, “Hey!”

This bringing up old matters must be strictly forbidden!

Huo Shen couldn’t stop laughing and made a zipping motion with his lips.

After the jesting, both of them fell into a bit of silence. After a while…

Huo Shen: “Frank told me a couple of days ago that his research has made some progress, but it might require you to visit their research institute again. He needs to conduct some tests on-site to observe the real-time state of your brain neurons and trigeminal neurovascular system.”

Jiang Tiao’s expression was not good. “You want to send me abroad?”

Huo Shen rubbed Jiang Tiao’s wrist bone. “Chu Xu is a fugitive, so he definitely can’t fly. Therefore, staying abroad is the safest option under the current circumstances.”

Jiang Tiao got up from Huo Shen, turned around, and leaned against the desk, facing Huo Shen. “I can, as long as you’re willing to go with me.”

Chu Xu’s psychology was not hard to guess. His main targets would undoubtedly be him and Huo Shen. The difference was that he hated Huo Shen, so he would certainly not go easy on him and would kill him without hesitation. As for him, Chu Xu might not kill him immediately. Therefore, Jiang Tiao felt that Huo Shen’s situation was more dangerous.

Huo Shen remained silent.

Evasion was not in Jiang Tiao’s nature, nor was it in his. Moreover, even if they hid from the storm for a while, what about the people around them? Would they all flee the country too? No one knew what Chu Xu would do in such an extreme situation. If he found himself with no way out and his revenge futile, would he arbitrarily take revenge on someone they knew? He couldn’t let others suffer for him. As long as he stayed in the country, he at least served as a target. Knowing clearly that Chu Xu would come for him was much better than not knowing who he would target.

Jiang Tiao: “You can’t leave, so I definitely won’t leave either. I’m even safer than you. At least if he comes looking for me, he won’t kill me outright. He’ll probably want to catch up.”

Huo Shen’s face immediately turned gloomy. He gritted his teeth and pulled Jiang Tiao, who had spoken so casually, closer. “Catch up on what? What is there for you two to catch up on?”

Jiang Tiao’s eyes curved into smiles. He straddled Huo Shen’s lap, his arms affectionately around his neck. “What’s wrong? Are you jealous?”

Huo Shen playfully pinched Jiang Tiao’s waist with his uninjured hand. “Don’t change the subject. Promise me you won’t try to see him privately.”

Jiang Tiao watched Huo Shen’s thin lips part, like warm jade. A faint scar, from when he had accidentally bitten them long ago, was still visible at the corner of his mouth. He smiled and leaned in, engulfing Huo Shen’s lower lip.

After Chu Xu completely lost his power, his headaches also improved significantly. Now, even when he actively engaged in intimate acts, there were no issues—though there were still limitations. Thinking about the fact that they hadn’t yet reached that point, Jiang Tiao sometimes felt a surge of anxiety.

Although Huo Shen’s office was on a high floor, a huge floor-to-ceiling window occupied the entire south side of the office. Jiang Tiao was a public figure, after all. Huo Shen touched the remote on the desk and raised the internal Venetian blinds that had never been used since their installation.

Huo Shen was waiting for Jiang Tiao’s response and had intended to create some distance. However, Jiang Tiao did not let him retreat. He wrapped his arms around Huo Shen’s neck and gently brushed against his lips, then entered deeply.

Huo Shen’s eyes instantly darkened. He caressed Jiang Tiao’s spine, momentarily forgetting what he was originally going to say.

…

Although an extremely dangerous individual was lurking in the shadows, watching covetously, and although they didn’t know when danger might suddenly appear, life still had to go on.

Jiang Tiao was driving on his way to the hospital.

He felt that he had visited the hospital more times in the recent period than he had in the previous twenty years combined—before it was himself, and now it was also Luo Xingwen and Zhuang Xiang.

He spent his free time each week on follow-up checks, visiting Zhuang Xiang, and then caring for Luo Xingwen. Luo Xingwen’s injuries appeared more severe than Zhuang Xiang’s, but he recovered faster. He could already walk, while Zhuang Xiang was still experiencing recurrent fevers, feeling groggy all day and lacking energy.

This time, Jiang Tiao brought him a complete set of all the Weekly Shonen Jump magazines published since its inception. When he had visited Zhuang Xiang last time, Zhuang Xiang had said that if he could own and read the entire set of Weekly Shonen Jump in his lifetime, he would have no regrets even if he died. Although he was far from dying, Jiang Tiao decided to fulfill his wish.

Jiang Tiao borrowed a large cart from the inpatient department and pushed over a hundred magazines, intending to surprise Zhuang Xiang. However, when he reached the ward, he didn’t see Zhuang Xiang.

Jiang Tiao’s heart sank immediately. During non-working hours, Zhuang Xiang was a severe couch potato, strictly adhering to the lazy person’s principle of not standing when he could sit and not sitting when he could lie down. Especially during his hospitalization, he found a valid excuse for his behavior, which was even more immobile than a turtle. In the past, he would hold it until he absolutely couldn’t bear it before getting out of bed to go to the bathroom. How could he go out for a stroll by himself, especially when he knew Jiang Tiao was coming to see him?

Jiang Tiao’s premonition was accurate. Before he could even unlock his phone, he received a call from Zhuang Xiang’s phone.

Chu Xu’s voice echoed from the other end. It lacked its usual arrogance and imperiousness, sounding exceptionally sinister, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. “Two minutes. The underground parking lot. If I don’t see you, you’ll only see the corpse of your assistant.”

Jiang Tiao’s face turned grim. He didn’t doubt Chu Xu’s words at all. He knew that for the current Chu Xu, carrying one life or two made no difference. The elevator was too slow. He quickly scrambled down the stairs while simultaneously contacting the police who had been handling Chu Xu’s case.

In the underground parking lot, Chu Xu was dressed in a caregiver’s outfit he had obtained from somewhere. Half a month of escape and hiding had made Chu Xu look disheveled and haggard. His back was slightly hunched, his face unshaven, completely devoid of the glamorous image of a celebrity he once possessed. Like all fugitives living in the darkness, his sinister eyes revealed a bloodthirsty and extremely dangerous aura.

He held a knife to Zhuang Xiang’s neck. The sharp blade had already made several tiny cuts on Zhuang Xiang’s neck due to its proximity to the skin. Zhuang Xiang’s face was pale, and the recurrent fever made his steps unsteady. He was standing solely on the willpower of survival. His groggy mind couldn’t come up with any constructive self-rescue plan.

Jiang Tiao’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re looking for me, aren’t you? There’s no need to harm an innocent bystander. Let him go, and I’ll go with you.”

Chu Xu took out handcuffs and leg shackles he had obtained from somewhere and kicked them towards Jiang Tiao’s feet.

“What for?” Jiang Tiao asked with a hint of sarcasm. “Are you afraid you can’t beat me?”

“Hurry up!” Chu Xu’s expression was ugly and sinister.

Jiang Tiao saw Chu Xu’s hand tremble violently from nervousness and anger. Another cut appeared on Zhuang Xiang’s neck, and blood seeped out like beads.

“Hurry up! Chain them the wrong way! Don’t think I don’t know you’re stalling. Do you want to see him die because of you?” Chu Xu’s eyes were fierce. “I’ve already got one life on my hands; what’s one more?”

Jiang Tiao’s face darkened. With a “click,” he cuffed his own hands. “Let him go first. There’s no one else here. I can escape, but he can’t. I can’t protect him properly with my hands cuffed.”

Chu Xu knew Jiang Tiao was right. He glanced at Zhuang Xiang, and a flicker of cruelty crossed his fierce eyes.

Jiang Tiao said sternly, his tone carrying an indisputable threat, “If you hurt him, even with one cut, I won’t go with you. I keep my word, do you want to test it?”

Chu Xu’s eyes narrowed. Zhuang Xiang was merely a tool he had kidnapped to threaten Jiang Tiao into coming with him. There was no need to complicate matters here. Although he also wanted to witness Jiang Tiao’s remorse and anger if Zhuang Xiang died in front of him, he felt it wouldn’t be as great as Huo Shen’s reaction if Huo Shen died in front of him. Heh heh heh.

Chu Xu pushed Jiang Tiao into the car, cuffed his legs, snatched Jiang Tiao’s phone, and crushed it with the tires.

The private hospital had beautiful scenery, but beautiful scenery often meant it was surrounded by mountains and trees. Chu Xu must have visited this place a few times; his escape route was very thorough. He drove along a small road until he entered a blind spot not covered by surveillance, then left Zhuang Xiang and the car there. He held a knife to Jiang Tiao and made him follow him into the depths of the jungle.

In the summer jungle, the vegetation was lush. The wildly growing shrubs and vines scratched Jiang Tiao’s arms, leaving red, itchy marks. Jiang Tiao regretted it a little. If he had known, he should have worn long sleeves when he went out today. Jiang Tiao walked ahead, procrastinating and buying himself time, while making small talk with Chu Xu to distract him.

“I’m actually very curious. It’s a relatively high-end private hospital, after all. Although the management and security aren’t the best, they aren’t bad either. How did you disguise yourself as a caregiver and get in?”

Chu Xu let out a mocking smile. His palm pressed on Jiang Tiao’s shoulder, his hot breath fanning Jiang Tiao’s neck, making Jiang Tiao feel as if a venomous snake flicking its tongue had crawled over his neck.

“What, you thought I was alone because I was cornered? Humph, some fans don’t believe the rumors online at all. They think I was framed and that it was a setup by capital.”

Jiang Tiao didn’t know how to react. No wonder Chu Xu had been able to hide for so long. Good heavens, brainless fans were truly deadly!

Chu Xu seemed satisfied with Jiang Tiao’s reaction. He smirked, his tone mocking and filled with sinister intent, “I never expected you to surrender so easily without resisting, just to prevent me from harming that assistant. Heh, at first, I thought I’d have to stab him a few times before you’d come with me obediently.”

Jiang Tiao: “Unlike you, I’ve always been good to the people around me.”

Chu Xu heard the sarcasm in Jiang Tiao’s words but didn’t pay attention. He leaned into Jiang Tiao’s ear. “Is that so? Then I’d like to see if you can still maintain such a good mindset if Huo Shen dies in front of you because of this.”

Jiang Tiao’s eyes were deep, as cold as ice blades.

…

On the other side of the city, the police representative had already received Jiang Tiao’s message. They sent a special envoy to contact Huo Shen. “Mr. Jiang previously told us to contact you if he went missing. He said he had the latest nano-grade locator developed by your company.”

Huo Shen found it hard to describe his feelings at that moment. Panic, fear, anger—all sorts of emotions flooded his mind almost instantly. He almost broke the pen in his hand. So Jiang Tiao hadn’t given him a direct promise, it was all planned! He had planned it all along: to use himself as bait to lure Chu Xu out early and eliminate the threat Chu Xu posed to him.

He had even deliberately taken a detour and not given the tracker to the police in advance. This was to ensure that the police would contact him first when they received the notification, preventing him from acting on his own due to being threatened by Chu Xu.

…

After walking for who knows how long, just as Jiang Tiao felt he was about to dehydrate, Chu Xu shoved him, and they finally reached their destination before sunset.

It was an unfinished two-story factory building, seemingly a product of the last century. Only the main structure had been built, and it was unclear what it was for. Many exposed steel bars had already rusted, making it look like a building on the verge of collapse.

Jiang Tiao felt a sense of nervousness for the first time. He felt he might have underestimated Chu Xu’s execution capabilities. If he flew into a rage and caused the entire building to collapse, how would he escape?

“How did you find a place like this?”

Chu Xu had lived a pampered life since childhood, and then he was a celebrity for so many years. Jiang Tiao didn’t believe that someone like him would have a hobby of exploring the wilderness.

Chu Xu showed that same expression again: Did you think I was alone? “Naturally, someone assisted me.”

…Understood, another fan.

Report! He must report him!

Jiang Tiao gritted his teeth. If he could return safely, he would definitely report to the relevant authorities. Harboring and assisting a suspect was no longer the act of a brainless fan; it was a criminal offense!

Chu Xu took out a bundle of rope and tied Jiang Tiao to a rusty iron chair. The smell of decay from the rusty iron was pungent, carrying a faint, damp odor of rot. Reddish-brown debris stuck to his skin, causing a slight itch.

Jiang Tiao deliberately shook his cuffed hands and feet, the chains between them making a metallic clanging sound. “There’s no need for this, right? You handcuffed and shackled me, and then tied me up? Are you that afraid of me? Why did you capture me?”

“I don’t like you speaking to me in this tone and manner,” Chu Xu said, grabbing Jiang Tiao’s throat and holding his jaw, forcing him to look up. His eyes were sinister. “Be good, don’t anger me.”

Jiang Tiao remained silent. He felt that Chu Xu’s mental state seemed less stable than it appeared on the surface.

Chu Xu wrapped the rope around Jiang Tiao’s limbs, binding him to the iron chair. His violent emotions seemed to be briefly soothed in the process.

“Was it because in Berlin, I told you to get lost for Ye Qinghan, and that’s why you completely lost hope in me?”

Jiang Tiao was stunned for a moment before he realized. So, on his end, they had progressed to the point of understanding why he had changed so drastically, yet Chu Xu was still at the stage of not even knowing he had lost four years of memory…

“Ye Qinghan is already dead. Can we start over?”

Jiang Tiao: …

Seeing Jiang Tiao’s silent response, as if he hadn’t bound his hands and feet but had merely gagged him, Chu Xu said, “Why aren’t you speaking?”

Jiang Tiao: “…I want to speak, but you won’t be happy if I do.”

Chu Xu’s face darkened. “Speak.”

Jiang Tiao said expressionlessly, “No.”

A storm, capable of devouring everything, brewed in Chu Xu’s eyes, overwhelming and boundless. He roughly grabbed Jiang Tiao’s collar with such force that he almost lifted the iron chair off the ground. Even the best clothes couldn’t withstand such tearing. With a “rip,” Jiang Tiao’s trendy t-shirt was torn. Chu Xu’s eyes, red from the faint marks on his collarbone, chest, and waist…

Jiang Tiao was also embarrassed. This… first taste of intimacy, youthful vigor… it was understandable, right?

Chu Xu stared at Jiang Tiao furiously, his eyes bloodshot, as if looking at a traitor.

Chu Xu grabbed Jiang Tiao’s throat. “You actually… with him…”

Jiang Tiao originally wanted to say, “This is normal, right? He likes me, I like him, and there’s nothing wrong with us being together. Are we just going to lie under the covers and talk purely?” However, seeing Chu Xu’s furious look, on the verge of collapse, he wisely swallowed his words.

“I originally planned to use you to lure Huo Shen here and let him die saving you. Now I’ve changed my mind. I want him to come over and kill you in front of him! I want him to watch you die in front of him with his own eyes!” Chu Xu kicked Jiang Tiao, and Jiang Tiao, along with the iron chair, toppled to the ground. Chu Xu roared furiously, his pupils rimmed with terrifying bloodshot veins. “You betrayed me! You don’t deserve to share a bed with me in life or the same fate in death!”

Jiang Tiao’s head hit the back of the iron chair hard. He was dazed, his vision went black for a moment, and his brain went blank. He vaguely saw Chu Xu picking up a knife from the ground, and his heart sank to the bottom. He desperately shook his limbs, trying to break free from the ropes.

At the critical moment, the long-awaited rescue finally arrived.

“Bang—” Bright spotlights illuminated the entire abandoned factory building from all directions, blinding Chu Xu’s eyes.

“Hands on your head! Drop your weapons! Leave the hostage!” Stern voices blared from the loudspeaker.

Chu Xu frantically and fiercely raised the dagger to Jiang Tiao’s neck, intending to threaten Huo Shen into appearing. “Where’s Huo Shen? Let Huo Shen come out! Otherwise, I’ll kill him right now!”

A silent sniper bullet pierced Chu Xu’s wrist. The impact sent him rolling to the ground. Bright red blood splattered, staining his worn-out, faded clothes.

Due to the weight of the iron chair, it was difficult for Jiang Tiao to move or get up on his own. He remained in his tilted position on the ground, watching Chu Xu crouch in pain, clutching his forearm not far away, and the next second, he was subdued by the descending SWAT officers.

Still asking for Huo Shen to come out, still asking for Huo Shen to die saving him…

The dramatic turn of events made Jiang Tiao’s heart feel like it was on a roller coaster. The summer night breeze blew away the cold sweat that had broken out due to his tension. He finally sighed in relief, feeling relaxed and speechless.

He thought he was in a TV drama, underestimating the public security and police too much!

The sword hanging over his head had finally fallen. Although he had sustained minor injuries, Jiang Tiao still felt that this outcome was very satisfactory. Then, before he could even puff up his chest in smugness, he caught sight of Huo Shen, who had arrived quickly behind the police. It was over, it was over. Jiang Tiao felt a strong sense of foreboding, with dozens of ideas flashing through his mind.

Huo Shen followed the police all the way. Even though he had heard the news of the hostage’s safety through their walkie-talkies, the anxiety in his heart had not subsided at all. He had to exert all his strength to suppress his anxiety. It was only when he truly saw Jiang Tiao that he felt the taut string in his heart finally lose its tension. He took Jiang Tiao, whose handcuffs and leg shackles had been removed, from the police. Jiang Tiao’s warmth made him shiver. It was then that he realized his entire body was covered in cold sweat.

“You…!” Huo Shen’s throat was tight, hoarse like rusted gears. The voice was almost squeezed out from the depths of his throat.

Just then, the lively and smug Jiang Tiao immediately collapsed into Huo Shen’s arms as if he were severely injured, unable to stand. “Waaah, it hurts so much, it’s killing me.”

Jiang Tiao always used these tricks—acting cute, playing coy, and being spoiled! Yet, he couldn’t bear to scold him or say anything…

The sudden suspension made Jiang Tiao’s heart skip a beat, but thinking that Huo Shen would definitely not let him fall, he relaxed. Being lifted by another man in front of so many people tested his composure. However, since the pain was fake, he could only bury his face in Huo Shen’s neck, pretending to be truly incapable, and let Huo Shen carry him onto the stretcher…

…