Soul Patch

Chapter 82 Danger is Approaching

Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m., at the long-distance bus station at the east end of Wubei County.

After each going home to their mothers, Wenjie and Zhao Xiaolong boarded the bus back to M City.

Unlike when they came back, this time their backpacks were stuffed full.

Zhao Xiaolong tried to put his backpack on the overhead luggage rack, but after several attempts, he couldn't fit it in. He had no choice but to put the bulging backpack under his feet.

Wenjie gave him a cold look. He wasn't going to waste his time and simply put it under his feet.

Just thinking about how his mother had stuffed a freshly made sausage, three loofahs, several large meat buns, two bottles of sesame oil, and a jar of sesame paste into his backpack...

If her mother hadn't stopped her, she probably would have let Wenjie carry the plastic bag containing two large radishes and a bunch of scallions.

In a mother's eyes, if she doesn't bring food from home, her child will go hungry when they go out.

Suitable for children of any age, no arguments accepted.

As the bus slowly started moving, Wenjie was getting further and further away from the county town, and his mother's nagging seemed to fade into the distance...

Zhao Xiaolong was clearly very excited after returning home, chatting about this and that, while Wenjie just listened.

Occasionally, he would nod or shake his head.

"What's wrong with you?" Zhao Xiaolong nudged Wenjie.

"..."

"What's wrong? Tell me, tell me so I can have a good laugh."

When he's in a good mood, Zhao Xiaolong can be quite witty.

Wenjie looked out the window at the trees flying by, and in the distance, under the dark sky, the mountains were like dark eyebrows, and the clouds were misty.

It was the time when smoke was rising from chimneys and every household was starting to cook.

No matter how far they ran during the day, as soon as it got dark, people would return home hungry, and the whole family would gather around the stove to eat a steaming hot meal.

Looking back now, although life was tough when I was a child, it was also quite warm and cozy.

Without warning, Wenjie asked, "Xiaolong, if someone killed your family member, would you hate them?"

"...killed?"

The faces of his father and mother floated into Zhao Xiaolong's mind. No matter how difficult the days were, their eyes were always loving and peaceful when they looked at him.

He clenched his fist, and unconsciously raised the intensity of his voice:

"Hate? Of course I hate him, I'd want to kill him. But... why are you asking these questions? What's on your mind?"

Seeing the fading hatred in Zhao Xiaolong's eyes, Wenjie felt a pang of sadness.

It started as a faint scent, but gradually grew stronger.

He thought of his cousin from his aunt's side. The two boys had been good playmates since they were little. Once, the two of them secretly went to the county town to play.

As a result, my cousin got into a car accident and couldn't be saved after two days of intensive care.

For several days after that, Wenjie neither ate nor drank, but just sat blankly in his room from dusk till dawn. When he was tired of crying, he would sleep for a while, and then cry again after waking up.

Many people advised the mother to take the child to see a doctor, worried that the child might have lost their soul.

Later, as he slowly started eating and talking...

His mother held his hand and cried, saying she knew her son would eventually overcome that hurdle.

My own son wouldn't do anything rash; it's good that he's alive.

Perhaps not wanting to frighten his mother any further, Wenjie tried hard to adjust himself, appearing no different from before.

He knew, however, that in the following year or two, he did not become close to any of his relatives or friends.

He also became much more sullen and rarely smiled anymore.

The resilience of life largely refers to accepting those pains that were originally unbearable...

Wenjie can understand Jia Nan's pain.

He probably killed Jia Nan only in self-defense; if he hadn't killed Jia Nan, Jia Nan would have killed him instead.

Wenjie withdrew his gaze from Zhao Xiaolong and looked out the window again.

After a bumpy ride, Wenjie, who never gets carsick, suddenly vomited profusely when they arrived at their stop.

Zhao Xiaolong patted him on the back and comforted him, "I didn't expect that you'd still be so attached to home even at your age."

"..."

Wenjie waved his hand at him, telling him to stop being sarcastic and not to talk nonsense!

"Normally, people get carsick when they're in a bad mood. You must have been homesick as soon as you left home."

Wenjie ignored him, went to the station's restroom, washed his face, and rinsed his mouth.

The two carpooled home; Zhao Xiaolong's rented apartment wasn't far from Wenjie's place.

Five minutes after Zhao Xiaolong arrived home, Wenjie also arrived home. After paying the fare, Wenjie got out of the car and slowly walked under the streetlights.

His shadow on the ground was stretched very long.

I walked absentmindedly, watching the people strolling through the night market, stopping at each stall to buy food and toys, laughing and joking, creating a lively atmosphere.

In a daze, he saw a black minivan drive past the street corner.

As his gaze swept over, he exchanged a distant glance with the driver of that car through the rearview mirror.

As a result, the other party drove the car away.

It felt like the other person was spying on me.

But Jia Nan drives a motorcycle!

That cool motorcycle is eye-catching; it would attract a lot of attention if it drove through the bustling city.

Wenjie felt he was going a bit crazy; he had originally planned to buy some late-night snacks at the night market.

Losing interest, I turned and went straight into the residential area.

As I entered the building, a figure flashed by at the corner of the stairs.

Wenjie stopped and turned to walk out of the stairwell, looking as if he had entered the wrong stairwell.

In the blink of an eye, I caught a faint fragrance.

His body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

"He's quite alert..."

A man walked out from the corner of the stairs.

"..."

His words went unanswered, and he saw Jia Nan lift the person off the ground and walk outside.

He ran up to help as well.

The two men quickly lifted Wenjie into the black minivan.

Jia Nan glanced at the security cameras next to the building: "Have these all been dealt with?"

"Don't worry. We won't be able to take the picture within ten minutes."

The man was working rapidly on his laptop while Jia Nan had already gotten into her car and driven out of the residential area.

"You plan to..."

The other person made a throat-slitting gesture.

"..."

Jia Nan rolled her eyes at him with disgust.

Wei Jun is a good person in every way, except that he talks too much and is also infatuated.

Jia Nan had subtly reminded him a few times, whether intentionally or unintentionally, not to act on emotion.

Don't get involved with women, or you'll regret it one day.

The other person wisely shut their mouth.

Watching the car drive towards the villa, Wei Jun coughed softly.

Jia Nan looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, it's nothing." Wei Jun glanced at his phone and smiled contentedly.

Jia Nan coldly glanced at his radiant smile and snorted inwardly.

It seems I'll be indulging in romance again tonight.

As they approached the villa, they slowly drove the car along the cobblestone path.

The villa's garage is connected to a small storage room, which stores parts for modified cars and the like.

The two threw Wenjie into the small warehouse and turned to lock the door.

"Shall I... give you a ride?"

Jia Nan glanced at Wei Jun and calmly asked.

"Uh... I'll take you there, it's hard to get a taxi around here."

Wei Jun rubbed his hands together and smiled at Jia Nan.

Jia Nan pulled out a motorcycle key from his pocket and tossed it to Wei Jun:

"Okay, let's drive off!"

"..."

Wei Jun thought Jia Nan would see him off, but instead, she tossed him a bunch of keys.

Jia Nan had already turned and walked towards the villa without looking back, saying, "What are you still standing there for? My garage has a smart lock..."

(End of this chapter)