Chapter Fifty-Two: As Long As He Speaks
“Mom, I’m sorry, but I’m not coming back to Yanjing!”
As soon as Su Ruo ran opened her mouth on the other end of the line, the elegant woman far away in Yanjing was startled out of her wits.
“Su Ruo ran!” The woman quickly gathered her senses, and recalling that Su Ruo ran had checked into a hotel room tonight with that Zhang Wenhao, she was furious. “How dare you speak to your mother like this for a boy?!”
Su Ruo ran, who had already made up her mind, didn’t understand why her mother would say such a thing. She simply replied, “Mom, I’m sorry. Your daughter has grown up and understands a lot now. From today on, as long as he doesn’t drive me away, I won’t leave his side. He’s given me so many feelings I’ve never known before, including a sense of security I always thought I didn’t need from anyone.”
The woman’s breath was heavy with anger. After a long pause, she questioned sharply, “Are you really going to let yourself fall like this? Do you understand who you are? The reputation you carry is not just your own! Did you forget your promise to me before you left for Jiangcheng? It hasn’t even been three years, and you want to go back on your word?”
“No.” Suddenly, tears streamed down Su Ruo ran’s face as she crouched on the floor, sobbing. “Mom, I’m not in a relationship with him. Even though I really want to now… I promised you that I wouldn’t date before graduating from university, and up to this moment, I haven’t done anything to break that promise. But…”
She stopped abruptly. On the other end, her mother could only hear her daughter’s quiet sobs. She was stunned. Since Su Ruo ran had grown up, she had rarely cried, certainly never like this, sobbing like a child. What on earth was happening that she didn’t know about?
Her mother’s tone softened a bit. “But what?”
Choking back tears, Su Ruo ran finally said, “But if he asked, I would never say no.”
“You—!”
All the anger the woman had just suppressed flared up again, this time burning straight to the top of her head. She was about to explode, but then Su Ruo ran’s voice came through the phone once more, “Mom, I won’t say more. I’m staying here with him tonight. I’ll call you again tomorrow.”
Click!
Qingwu looked sadly at another Vertu phone smashed to pieces and murmured, “Madam, that really was the last one. Tomorrow I’ll have to call their manager and ask Vertu to custom-make two more for you.”
The woman didn’t respond, only vented her fury. “Call Chen Feng! What on earth is that fool doing? Tell him—I don’t care how—he must bring Ruo ran back to Yanjing to see me tonight!”
But how could she have known that at this moment, Chen Feng was lying unconscious in the intensive care unit at Ren’ai Hospital, shot and not yet awake. News of the major incident in Jiangcheng had been delayed, and all the woman could think of was her daughter’s defiance for the sake of a boy. Especially those words: “If he asked, I would never say no.” And—yes—“I’m staying here with him tonight!”
Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!
“Chen Feng’s phone can’t be reached at the moment.” Qingwu, feeling that something was wrong, said, “He’s always been so respectful towards you, and never neglects your orders. How could he be unreachable now?”
Just then, Qingwu’s phone suddenly rang.
“How odd, why would Director Han from the Nanjiang Provincial Department call me?” she muttered as she looked at the caller ID, then picked up.
Moments later, Qingwu let out a cry of alarm. “What did you say? Is Miss all right?!”
Her exclamation left the woman in shock. Instantly, she demanded, “Qingwu, what’s happened?!”
Qingwu said into the phone, “I’ll come over right now!” Then she hung up and turned to her mistress. “Miss has been kidnapped!”
“What?!” The woman’s brow furrowed. “But Ruo ran just called me—how could she have been kidnapped?”
“It’s like this,” Qingwu quickly summarized. “Miss and that Zhang Wenhao were kidnapped as they left the hotel. There were eight kidnappers, led by an A-level wanted criminal, Li Chunyang. But Zhang Wenhao and Chen Feng together subdued all the kidnappers. Chen Feng and his men were shot and are still being treated. Zhang Wenhao was shot in the arm, but it’s nothing serious. Miss wasn’t hurt at all—she’s at the hospital with him now.”
The woman was stunned. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined the truth was like this. She said immediately, “Qingwu, call the captain of Plane No. 3 and have him prepare the crew and request a flight path. We leave for Jiangcheng in half an hour. Call Old Chen and have him send a helicopter to pick me up for the airport in ten minutes. You’re coming with me.”
“Should I notify Master and Sir?” Qingwu asked.
“Not yet.” The woman quickly regained her composure and ordered, “Call Jiangcheng again and check on the three who were injured. If any are in critical condition, I’ll arrange for the top specialists myself.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Anxious as she was, within half an hour the woman and Qingwu were aboard the private jet. The Yanjing airport authorities rescheduled several departures and arrivals to give priority to her Bombardier Global 8000 business jet.
Under the night sky, with a heart full of worry and lingering fear, the woman flew to Jiangcheng.
Back in the hospital room, Su Ruo ran had dried her tears. Seeing that Zhang Wenhao’s parents were still asking him questions, she stood aside, not wanting to interrupt.
Song Huafang was beside herself, half weeping and half scolding Zhang Wenhao for his recklessness. Zhang Xingping, however, quickly regained his composure and asked a question that left Zhang Wenhao at a loss: “Wenhao, how could you, alone, handle so many strong adult criminals?”
The question stumped Zhang Wenhao. No one looking at his tall, thin frame would ever think him so formidable, not even his father. To him, the idea that his son could take on eight people at once was unbelievable—were it not for the police’s words, he wouldn’t have believed it at all.
But Zhang Wenhao could not reveal the earth-shattering secret of the Super Learning System. It was far too shocking and otherworldly—a secret that could never be told, not even to his own parents.
Yet he had to come up with an explanation his parents could accept.
“I’ve been secretly practicing combat for quite some time,” Zhang Wenhao lied. “About five years ago, I was mugged by some punks after school. They stole all my money and beat me up. After that, I started studying martial arts manuals in secret, focusing on practical combat. After all these years, I guess I’ve gotten pretty good at it.”
“Practical combat?” Zhang Xingping frowned. “How come you never mentioned this before?”
Zhang Wenhao forced a smile. “Dad, I’d never have told you, not in a million years. You know why my grades were so bad before? Because I spent nearly all my energy on this. Even at school, I was always thinking about fighting techniques. It wasn’t until this New Year that I realized how important studying is—so I’ve been focusing on my studies ever since.”
Zhang Xingping blurted out, “So when you beat up Chen Ru’s son and those punks he brought, you used your combat skills?”
Zhang Wenhao nodded, grinning. “Otherwise, Chen Ru wouldn’t need to teach me a lesson—those punks would have crippled me by themselves.”
Zhang Xingping nodded, half believing it. “You rascal, practicing something like this and not telling your dad. I’m no slouch at combat myself, you know.”
He was inclined to believe most of what Zhang Wenhao had said. After all, he knew his son’s character—once he set his mind to something, he’d never turn back, no matter how hard he hit a wall. Plus, he rarely brought his troubles to his parents. It made sense he’d practice in secret for years.
Just then, Zhang Xingping’s phone rang. It was Lei Zhanjun.
The moment he answered, Lei Zhanjun’s excited voice came through: “Brother Zhang, I’m in Jiangcheng! Just booked rooms for my comrades at the Hanlin Hotel. We’re picking up the vehicles and arrivals first thing tomorrow. I’m not heading home tonight. Are you free? Let’s grab a drink!”
“Zhanjun, I can’t tonight. Wenhao here just took on a bunch of kidnappers, got shot in the arm, and he’s lying in the hospital reflecting on his actions.”
“What?!” Lei Zhanjun exclaimed. “Is he badly hurt? Which hospital?”
“Not badly. He’s getting an IV at Ren’ai Hospital—just a minor injury.”
“Wait for me, I’ll be right there!”
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