Kyoto Night Kiss

Lu Junhe's knuckles were clenched white, the phone receiver pressed tightly against his ear, the surrounding air oppressive to the point of suffocation.

Qu Yun stood beside him, her right ankle swollen and bruised. At this moment, she paid no attention to the excruciating pain and subconsciously put her fingertips to her lips, her teeth unconsciously biting her nails repeatedly.

Please, please, that woman must answer the phone...

Lu Junhe caught a glimpse of Qu Yun's distraught appearance out of the corner of his eye, and used his other hand to firmly envelop her cold, trembling palm.

Even though he was afraid at that moment.

Finally, just a second before the call was about to automatically disconnect, it connected!

The surrounding police officers and consulate staff all stood silently, not daring to make a sound.

Tang Bingqing looked at the contact name on her phone screen and sneered, "How strange, Lu Junhe. I thought I'd never get to hear from you again."

"Enough with the nonsense." Lu Junhe was too lazy to waste a single word on this woman. His voice was as cold as ice. "Where is my son now?"

Tang Bingqing stood at the door of the abandoned iron house, raised her eyes, glanced at Lu Jinxing who was still tied up, and a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips. "Don't worry, he's still alive and well."

"Honestly, you damn couple have given birth to a sharp-tongued child. He's so young, yet he spouts all sorts of道理 (principles/truths), it's getting tiresome."

Upon hearing the news that her child was safe, Qu Yun's tense back relaxed slightly, but the next second, her heart was gripped tightly by an even deeper sense of anxiety.

She was genuinely afraid that Tang Bingqing might do something to the innocent child out of anger.

Lu Junhe and she exchanged a glance, and he understood what she meant.

His eyes were dark, and his tone softened: "What do you want?"

"I'll give you anything, just please return my child to me safe and sound."

Tang Bingqing let out another soft laugh.

Now that things have come to this, what use are those material compensations to her?

Or perhaps it's the man she's always longed for?

But once it arrives, will it truly belong to her?

"I don't want anything."

"Qu Yun is probably listening next to you, right? I'll come find you both. Don't worry, after I've said everything I want to say, I'll tell you where the child is being held."

The local police officer leading the team quietly gave Lu Junhe a wink and nodded slightly, indicating that he should give his consent first.

At the same time, he secretly raised his hand and made a gesture, arranging for people to simultaneously control and track the signal.

Lu Junhe suppressed his anger and replied in a deep voice, "Okay, Qu Yun and I will wait for you in the hotel lobby."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Bingqing threw her phone directly into the water behind her.

She pushed open the door and walked in, looking at the little boy she had kidnapped, a metallic taste of blood rising in her throat.

Having come this far, it seems there's no turning back for her.

"If your parents could speak to me calmly and apologize to me like you do, I probably wouldn't resent them to this extent."

"Those two bastards are a perfect match!"

When Lu Jinxing heard someone cursing his parents like that, he angrily moved his little feet, but then he saw something bright glistening in Aunt Tang's eyes.

He asked, "Aunt Tang... are you crying?"

"Shut up!" A fierce glint flashed in Tang Bingqing's eyes. She reached out and pinched Lu Jinxing's chin, threatening him in a low voice, "You stay here and don't move. Don't even think about running away."

"If you dare to cause any trouble, I will show you no mercy when I come back. When you are gone, your parents will live with the pain of losing you for the rest of their lives."

After uttering those harsh words, Tang Bingqing drove to the hotel.

Lu Jinxing was the only one left in the cramped room.

After hearing the car engine drive away, he immediately tried to pick up the fruit knife he had hidden on the ground, accidentally cutting his little hand.

But he didn't give up and kept grinding the rope in his hands.

His biology teacher at school was a wilderness explorer. The teacher said that when encountering danger, only by taking the initiative can one have a chance to escape.

Moreover, he couldn't let Aunt Tang hurt him.

He didn't want to make his parents sad, so he had to be brave and live on!

Lu Jinxing patiently rubbed back and forth little by little until the rope binding his wrists finally broke.

After regaining his freedom, Lu Jinxing immediately planned to escape from the small house.

He also saw the coat he had found for his mother lying on the ground. He bent down, picked it up, gently patted off the dust, and then left with the coat in his arms.

As soon as I stepped outside, it was dark and there was no one there.

The river stretched as far as the eye could see, its waves still crashing against the banks.

Lu Jinxing thought for a moment, then turned and plunged into the dense, secluded forest beside him.

He needs to find a safe place to hide until his parents find him.

The native rainforest is a tapestry of intertwined branches and lush vegetation that blocks out the sun.

Lu Jinxing's small figure kept moving among the vines.

Suddenly, a pair of deep green lights shone from behind a large tree behind him.

Tang Bingqing arrived very quickly.

She walked slowly into the hotel lobby, and when she saw Qu Yun and Lu Junhe looking pale and miserable, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

The way these two looked so heartbroken was so touching.

It seems to be hurting even more than she was back then...

At the end of her life, she was grateful that she could see it.

Qu Yun and Lu Junhe were filled with rage when they saw the woman in front of them still having the nerve to smile.

However, before Tang Bingqing arrived, the police officers advised the two of them to unconditionally agree to whatever the kidnappers asked for while the child was still at large.

The safety of children is the top priority in everything.

Moreover, because the signal is weak in the suburban jungle, satellite positioning and tracking are very slow. Getting the location out of Tang Bingqing is the fastest way.

Qu Yun took the first step forward, her sprained right foot landing with a sharp pain. Her eyes reddened, and her voice choked with sobs: "I'm sorry...it's all my fault."

"I should have apologized to you properly when you came to the hotel to find me... Tang Bingqing... I'm sorry, no matter how much grievance or resentment you have, please take it all out on me, okay?"

"The child is innocent... I beg you, please spare him, please tell me, where is my son?"

Tang Bingqing curled her lips into a smile. She sat elegantly on the sofa, looking down at the woman in front of her who was so humble she felt like dust. "Heh."

"So now you know how to bow your head and apologize? Where were you before... Qu Yun, since you feel indebted to me, then kneel down right now."

Upon hearing this, Qu Yun did not hesitate for a moment.

For the child's safety, what can't she do?

She wouldn't care even if she had to kowtow to Tang Bingqing three more times.

Qu Yun bent her knees, about to kneel down, when Lu Junhe, who was standing nearby, quickly caught her and pulled her behind him.

Qu Yun frowned, puzzled.

Immediately afterwards, the man stepped forward alone.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Junhe knelt down directly in front of everyone.

His head also lowered slightly.

"All the grudges and entanglements stem from me. They have nothing to do with her or the child. Tang Bingqing, you can vent your anger on me alone, don't make things difficult for them."

"Or do you want my life?"

Tang Bingqing was stunned. Looking at the man kneeling in front of her, she felt a mix of emotions.

She clearly had a lot of harsh words she wanted to say, but she couldn't say them.

She had imagined countless satisfying revenge scenarios, but she never thought that Lu Junhe would actually go to such lengths.

Is this true love, love that makes you willing to risk your own life?

"Why...why can't I have it..." Tang Bingqing's sharp anger dissipated, leaving only endless confusion.

She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling as she cried.

The police officer leading the group stood to one side, raised his hand and clenched his fist, signaling the others not to act rashly.

After a long while, Tang Bingqing finally revealed in a hoarse voice where Lu Jinxing was being held.

Without hesitation, the police immediately took Tang Bingqing into custody and solemnly informed her: "You have been temporarily arrested on multiple charges, including attempted murder, intentional injury, and detaining a minor by coercion. Come with us."

The handcuffs made a very crisp sound when they were put on.

Tang Bingqing walked out of the hotel without looking back.

Upon learning the location where her son was being held, Qu Yun felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and she could barely stand.

Lu Junhe pulled her into his arms, looking at her increasingly swollen ankle, and asked, "Can you still hold on?"

"Why don't you go get treatment first, and I'll go bring my son back?"

Qu Yun shook her head, grasped the man's wrist, and said firmly, "Let's go together."

"Lu Junhe, let's go pick up our son together."

The man nodded and solemnly replied, "Okay, let's go together."

After getting on the bus, Qu Yun's phone vibrated in her pocket, but she didn't hear it.

She had only one thought in her mind—she would see her son soon.

You must stay safe and sound.

Several vehicles sped off toward the reservoir.

*

It was also late at night in China.

The living room lights were still on. Aunt Qiu Hong squinted at her phone. No one answered the calls she made, so she turned to Qu's mother, who was sitting on the sofa, and said...

"I can't get through to Yunyun on the phone. I guess she's already asleep. She must be tired after playing all day... I won't bother her... I'll call her again tomorrow during the day to ask how Jinxing is doing."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qu's mother's cloudy and unfocused eyes once again looked towards the empty entryway. She stretched out her hand tremblingly, repeatedly murmuring, "Grandson... my eldest grandson... I saw him."

"The child stood alone at the door, with no one to keep him company..."

Aunt Qiuhong confirmed several times that there were only the two of them in the villa at that moment.

She gently held Qu's mother's cold hand and comforted her, "My dear sister, you're mistaken. Your eldest grandson is having a great time abroad with his parents right now."

"Want to take another look at the photos they sent during the day? Look, Jinxing is so handsome, he combines all the best features of his parents, and the waterfall in the background is really beautiful..."

I flipped through the photos one by one.

Unfortunately, Qu's mother refused to even glance at the screen.

Her gaze stubbornly drifted towards the door, and her eyes slowly reddened.