CH 89

Chapter 89 – Brother Achen

When Wei Chen woke up, he found himself in a dark and damp environment, seemingly a construction site. The loud and bustling noises pierced his ears, causing a slight headache.

Wei Chen was puzzled for a while before realizing what had happened – he and the little boy from the Chen family’s backyard had been kidnapped together!

No matter how mature Wei Chen was, he was still a child. After realizing he had been kidnapped, his first instinct was fear. However, he quickly calmed himself down and observed the surroundings, searching for an escape route. But as soon as he turned his head, he noticed the little boy who had been kidnapped with him lying not far away. Perhaps because the boy was younger, the effect of the sedative hadn’t worn off yet, and he was still unconscious.

The frail body curled up, lacking a sense of security, and looked pitiful. Wei Chen couldn’t help but feel sorry for the boy. Without thinking, despite being bound and unable to reach the boy, Wei Chen slowly moved closer to him.

Just as Wei Chen approached the boy, the boy’s curled-up eyelashes trembled slightly, a sign that he was about to wake up. Wei Chen stared at the boy without blinking, thinking that if the boy woke up and saw that there was someone familiar, he wouldn’t be as scared.

The little boy slowly opened his eyes, but he didn’t show fear when he saw the unfamiliar environment. He just sat there in a daze, as if there was no focus in his gaze, like a lifeless puppet.

Wei Chen moved closer to the boy and said, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll stay with you.”

The little boy turned his head to look at Wei Chen. It seemed that because he found Wei Chen familiar, a spark of light appeared in his vacant gaze, and his eyes remained fixed on Wei Chen’s face, unwilling to look away.

Wei Chen let the boy keep looking and gently nudged him with his shoulder, saying, “Rest your head on my shoulder, it’ll be more comfortable that way.”

The little boy didn’t react and just continued to look at Wei Chen.

Seeing that the boy didn’t rest his head on his shoulder, Wei Chen didn’t insist. His eyes scanned the abandoned factory, his mind working quickly, trying to come up with a plan.

Since childhood, Grandfather Wei had always taught Wei Chen that no matter what happened, he should never sit and wait for death.

Just as Wei Chen was thinking of taking action, the sound of a car horn came from the entrance of the abandoned factory. Amid the surrounding rumbling noises, which weren’t very distinct, Wei Chen heard it clearly, unmistakably.

The people who had kidnapped them had returned! Wei Chen thought to himself.

Sure enough, not long after, voices and the sound of the door opening came from the entrance.

“Caught the wrong person,” the first kidnapper who entered said.

“If we got the wrong person, then we got the wrong person. You don’t even know who this person is that we’ve captured now. He’s the precious grandson of the Wei family’s patriarch! He’s worth much more than that little boy,” the other one said nonchalantly.

“That may be true, but…” there was some concern in the voice.

“There’s no ‘but.’ We can make a big fortune out of this!”

The voices of the two kidnappers gradually faded amidst the booming construction noises. Wei Chen didn’t hear what the two kidnappers said afterward.

He also didn’t know what agreement the two kidnappers reached, but they both revealed sinister smiles.

The two kidnappers approached Wei Chen and the little boy with wicked intentions. The little boy was naturally afraid of people. Since these two entered the abandoned factory, the boy had been huddling, trembling in fear.

Despite his fear, the little boy didn’t cry out, biting his lip as he endured whatever was happening.

The attitudes of the two kidnappers toward the two individuals were completely different. Although they weren’t very polite to Wei Chen, they knew they couldn’t provoke the formidable Wei family behind him, so they showed some leniency. However, when it came to the little boy, the kidnappers didn’t hold back. They treated him however they pleased, as if the child was as good as dead and keeping him served no purpose.

But every time the kidnappers attempted to beat and kick the little boy severely, Wei Chen would recklessly throw himself in front of the boy, shielding him from the attackers and staring coldly at the kidnappers. Even at such a young age, Wei Chen possessed a trace of Grandfather Wei’s charisma. Under Wei Chen’s icy gaze, the kidnappers felt uneasy and spat out a curse before leaving.

That night, the sounds of construction from nearby sites ceased, and the abandoned factory fell into a quietness broken only by the chirping of insects. There were no lights, only a faint glow from the moon illuminating the surroundings.

The two children huddled together in a corner of the abandoned factory. Perhaps due to Wei Chen’s care during the day, the little boy now rested his head on Wei Chen’s body. He didn’t fall asleep but kept his eyes open, fixating on who knows what.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the silent night, startling Wei Chen and the little boy. They both turned their heads towards the factory entrance.

“Someone is coming to rescue us,” Wei Chen’s voice carried uncontrollable excitement, but he didn’t make any rash moves. Instead, he quietly waited for the rescue.

However, obviously, the two kidnappers wouldn’t just surrender like that. They rushed into the factory, holding Wei Chen and the little boy as hostages, facing off against the police outside.

This standoff was filled with danger. If it were any ordinary children, they would have already burst into tears, but Wei Chen and the little boy didn’t cry, nor did they struggle in the hands of the kidnappers. This actually helped the rescue operation.

Seconds and minutes passed by, and a sniper in the distance aimed at the two kidnappers, his finger on the trigger.

One shot hit the forehead of one of the robbers, instantly killing him. Unfortunately, the other shot landed on the robber’s shoulder. The sudden pain caused the robber to release his grip, and the police took advantage of this opportunity to roll over and apprehend the remaining robber who hadn’t been killed. They also rescued the two kidnapped boys.

Just when everyone thought everything was over, the surviving robber broke free from the police’s control and even snatched a gun from one of them. He began firing wildly in the direction where the two boys were.

Wei Chen didn’t know what was happening, but he felt a force push onto him, and he heard a hoarse voice mixed with the young boy’s tender tone saying, “Brother Achen.”

Blood stained the young boy’s shoulder. In that split second, something unexpected happened that caught everyone by surprise. No one had expected that the frail and seemingly fragile young boy would possess such immense strength, pushing a much larger boy away and taking a bullet for him.

The last image in Wei Chen’s memory was the receding ambulance rushing past.

When Wei Chen finally snapped out of that memory, tears had filled his face. The words “Brother Achen” echoed in his mind during midnight dreams, gripping his heart like a pair of hands, making it difficult to breathe.

That year, Wei Chen waited in the hospital corridor for a day and a night. He heard the doctor say with his own ears that the young boy had been rescued and was no longer in danger. It was only then that Old Master Wei took him away from the hospital. That year, that young boy etched himself into Wei Chen’s heart, planting a seed called “liking.”

It was also that year when the Chen family claimed that their eldest son, Chen Qing, had been kidnapped. Wei Chen thought that the young boy who had faced life and death with him was Chen Qing, and his feelings of affection had taken root towards this person.

Wei Chen sat on the couch, covering his face with his hands. Tears silently streamed down as a mocking laugh escaped his mouth.

So, Chen Li turned out to be that young boy. He realized that in his previous life, he had mistaken someone and overlooked the person he truly liked.

Looking back, Chen Qing had so many flaws. He couldn’t draw and had a vague memory of that period. Wei Chen had previously made excuses for him, thinking he was too young at the time and couldn’t remember anything. But now, he realized that it wasn’t that he couldn’t remember anything; it was that Chen Qing had never experienced it at all.

No wonder in his previous life, when Wei Chen watched Chen Li draw, he felt an indescribable sense of familiarity. So, it turned out…

Wei Chen cried and laughed. His facial nerves were weakened, making his face look hideous and far from handsome. Wei Chen had always been rational, and after a brief moment of losing control, he regained control of his emotions. He carefully put away the marble and folded the note Chen Li had written for him, placing them close to his heart. He didn’t know how much time had passed until Wei Chen finally put away these two treasures, washed his face in the bathroom, and went to the balcony to make a call to a good friend in Shanghai.

The call was quickly answered, and Wei Chen went straight to the point, “Help me investigate the kidnapping case involving the Chen family fourteen years ago, yes, the same case in which I was also kidnapped.”

Clearly, the person on the other end hesitated after hearing Wei Chen’s words. Wei Chen wasn’t surprised since the case involving the Chen family was already difficult to investigate, let alone a case from over a decade ago.

Wei Chen didn’t rush the person and quietly waited for their response.

“Okay, I’ll help you investigate.” After a long time, the person finally replied.

“Thank you.” Wei Chen expressed his gratitude and hung up the phone. He then leaned on the balcony railing, lifted his head, and pondered. In his previous life, he had never doubted the nature of this kidnapping case. But now, upon learning that the person who was kidnapped along with him was Chen Li, not Chen Qing, this seemingly closed case became shrouded in mist. Wei Chen’s mind was filled with doubts about this kidnapping case.

Why did the Chen family claim that Chen Qing was the one who was kidnapped instead of stating the truth?