Sharing the Dorm with the Enemy from Previous Life

The Past Events (4)

“You’re older now, so you naturally should know. Then, I will tell you.” Qin Zhufeng said, “At that time, your mom and I started a business and happened to get several chances for foreign deals. We managed to make some money after several short years, but we were only a small business and only had one nanny in the house. Do you still remember?”

The family could not be described as a wealthy family, surrounded by small wealthy businessmen of the same class. None of them had hired any bodyguards as they had no power but some money, so they were the perfect targets for evil people.

Qin Yuan nodded. “I remember that part.”

Although he was only four or five years old, he had an impression of his nanny, Madam Zhou, who had been with him all along. When he was kidnapped, he was tied up with a blindfold in the car and picked up by his dad a few days later, only to hear about the aftermath from others vaguely later.

Madam Zhou was killed the day the kidnappers entered the house and blood flowed all over the courtyard.

“The kidnappers thought we had money and asked for five million at the very start, saying it must be cash.” Qin Zhufeng spoke mournfully. “You and your mom were kidnapped, and I didn’t dare report it to the police. I took out all the cash from our safe and looked everywhere to borrow from people, but I could only gather two million or so.”

He paused bitterly before continuing, “When I went to exchange the ransom for you guys, the kidnappers thought I was hiding the money and wasn’t willing to hand you guys over, saying two million could only redeem one back… I cried while begging them to let my wife and son go, leaving me behind as the hostage. But they didn’t agree to it.”

Qin Yuan looked at him in shock.

Qin Zhufeng smiled miserably. “Your mom’s memorial tablet is here. If I even say one fake sentence, I will be struck by lightning and won’t die properly.”

Qin Yuan snapped his head up and exclaimed, “Dad! Don’t say something like that…”

Qin Zhufeng rubbed his face fiercely and his eyes became even more bloodshot. “The kidnappers forced me to choose, but I couldn’t make up my mind. One was my wife, my son’s mother while the other was you, so small and weak.”

Qin Yuan finally broke into sobs slowly. “Dad, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t…”

“The kidnappers didn’t have much patience. After discussing it amongst themselves, they told me to take your mom back. They probably thought adults going back would save their children. Leaving you behind was more dependable. But once your mom heard of it, she became anxious.” Qin Zhufeng choked back a sob. “She knew we didn’t have much money in the house. Even if she returned, we still couldn’t make it. We could only report it to the police. But once we reported it, who knew if those people would fly into a rage out of humiliation and kill the hostage? She desperately begged those fierce bandits, saying the child was still young and pleaded with them to let you go.”

“But the more she was like this, the more the kidnappers felt it was useful to let the child stay. Your mom really didn’t have any other way and suddenly said she had seen the kidnappers’ appearances. Wouldn’t they be afraid of her describing their appearances to the police?”

Qin Yuan sat there in a daze, his mind buzzing.

He heard his own hoarse, trembling voice after a long time. “She said this, wouldn’t it…?”

“Right. When your mom said that, she had actually given away her life. But she didn’t have any other way. As parents under that circumstance, who could leave their children behind?” Qin Zhufeng’s tears fell continuously.

He looked blankly at the memorial tablet of his ex-wife not far away. “I wasn’t a hero and afraid to die, but I was also a man. I took out all our money and went to borrow it everywhere like a madman. I kowtowed on the ground without any dignity left until my face was full of blood, begging them to take me instead… I had done everything I could.”

Qin Yuan slowly came over, his face full of tears. “Dad, don’t cry anymore. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have forced you to say those things.”

Qin Zhufeng looked at him in a daze and appeared extremely pained. “I hit you yesterday. I was wrong… But when you said it like that, it was like a knife stabbing me in the heart. Right, I’m not a well-qualified good father. I’m always busy working every day. Except for giving you money, I also didn’t know what to give you and even found you a stepmother who treated you insincerely. But I… I only want to say, every parent in this world would be more than willing to die for their child.”

When facing this child, he really didn’t know how to get along and even vaguely had a bit of an avoidance mentality.

After the tragedy, the doctor examined him and found that he had no injuries, and he had been given some simple psychological tests, which showed that there was no big problem. After all, he was caught and released unknowingly and did not see any tragedy with his own eyes. Qin Zhufeng did not dare to let him witness anything provocative.

But from then on, this boy was not very talkative, his eyes were always slightly downcast, and he did not like to look at people.

Apart from his studies and homework, he was not interested in anything and seemed to have lost his playful and happy nature with his ability to socialize and get along with others his age.

He slowly grew up without asking for attention and became outstanding, standing out from the crowd like a child with splendid prospects, a crane in a flock of chickens*.

*T/N: A crane in a flock of chickens: way above the common, superior.

Making one gradually forget that he was only a teenager, who might have a terrible wound in his heart.