Chapter 819 - Liu Ye
Leaving Retro, Liu Shan and Xu long carpooled with Jiangyu and Ju Suo while Lin Hui and Qi Li carpooled with Gui Tian Lan and Gui Zhong min. Two black cars leisurely make their way in the direction of Yue Ling and Lu Tian"s home.
If it weren"t for the fact that the four men had driven the cars belonging to Red Moon, they wouldn"t have bothered their comrades.
However, the atmosphere inside the first car was full of awkwardness.
Jiangyu sat in the driver"s seat, but he would often glance at the rearview mirror. Next to him on the pa.s.senger side, Ju Sou sat at an angle that allows her to look at the backseat.
In the back, Xu long sat on the window seat behind Jiangyu. He was on his phone for a quick second before locking it and puts it inside his pocket. He then turns to look at Xiao De, who sat between him and Liu Shan.
He remained quiet for a long minute and stared in silence. After looking like he made up his mind, he leans back in his seat.
"I"m curious, what is a kid like you doing at Red Moon? How long have you been there?"
Xiao De doesn"t answer but sat stiffly between the two a.s.sistants. He held his hands tightly together on his lap and head lowered.
Even without looking up, he could sense the curious stares of the three people as the other man seated next to him is paying no mind to him.
However, it wasn"t the stares that made him nervous. It was more of how he ended up here and that the person who told him to follow isn"t saying anything.
Confused about this, he glances at Liu Shan, then looks back down and closed his eyes.
When Jia Lin dragged him (Xiao De) away, he thought he was going to die. The only thing he could think about was what will happen to his younger siblings.
He was thrown into a dimly lit room where Tao Meng dispose of people he (Tao Meng) does not need anymore. He (Xiao De) knew this because it was a room the people of Red Moon often mention if he makes a mistake.
Tao Meng even brought him to watch a man get torture then killed. It was a warning that he will end up like the man if he so much as to make a mistake.
From that moment on, he had tried to live as quietly as possible and not make himself visible by hiding in the security room.
When he saw Jia Lin point a gun at him, he could only pray that someone saves him. Whoever it is, he didn"t care.
Even if it was the devil himself, he was willing to sell his soul to get out of Red Moon and see his siblings again.
However, no matter how much he prayed or begged, Jia Lin never disappeared.
It was then that he could only accept his fate. He was going to die in this horrible place. There was no more hope for him.
Although he trembled with intense fear and wanted to cry, he gathered all his courage and closed his eyes. He waited for the bullet that will end his life.
He even swore inside that he comes back as a ghost and haunt every single person in Red Moon, starting with Jia Lin.
However, seconds pa.s.sed, and he heard no sound.
Could it be that he had already died?
He slowly opened his eyes, and it was then that he saw four dark silhouettes standing behind Jia Lin. One of the four figures had a gun pointed at the back of Jia Lin"s head.
When he saw this, he was still trembling with fear, but at the same time, he felt. a sense of relief.
He couldn"t hear what the man said to Jia Lin, but whatever it was, it made him (Jia Lin) stiffen like a rock before being knocked out and dragged away.
The same man then approaches him, and he finally saw a better look at the person. A man was older than him by a few years, but unlike the people in Red Moon, he didn"t look scary at all.
However, he (Xiao De) also felt scared as this man, who is two times smaller than Jia Lin, was able to terrify the man.
He braced himself yet again for death, but before he could close his eyes, the man knelt in front of him and gently patted him on the head.
"Don"t worry, kid. We"re going to get you out of here."
Those entered his ears, and before he knew it, the tears he had been trying so hard to hold back found their way, causing him to sob like a child saved from a horrible nightmare.
"Is he alright? He"s not answering."
"Maybe we scared him. Do you think he might be mistaking us as bad guys?"
Upon hearing a commotion of conversation, Xiao De was brought back from his flashback of what happened.
He opens his eyes, and through the pa.s.sing streetlights outside, he could see his hands that were held tightly together.
As their words enter his ears, he contemplated whether to answer or remain quiet. However, he quickly makes up his mind and answers.
"Six months."
His voice came out as a small murmur and could have been ignored, but all the car sound quickly ceased.
Xu Long and Ju Suo turn to look at the young man while Jiangyu glance through the rearview mirror.
"He can speak."
Xu Long"s mouth opened Agape, and he gasps loudly before covering his mouth. After a few seconds, he lowers his hand and leans closer to Xiao De as if trying to see better.
"What do you mean by six months?"
Xiao De slowly lifts his head a little and glance at Xu long. His thumbs fidget together like a nervous child, and he answers in another murmur.
"It"s been six months since I"ve been in Red Moon."
At his words, Xu Long, Ju Suo, and Jiangyu"s eyes widen in shock.
Ju Suo punches the side of the driver"s seat, and anger could be seen on her Lolita-like face.
"Six months? That b.a.s.t.a.r.d... Ugh, I should have castrated him back there."
She growls her last sentence to herself, but everyone in the car heard her loud and clear.
Jiangyu didn"t flinch when she punched his seat but swallows a hard gulp when she mentioned castrating Tao Meng.
He swore she is always cute and adorable, but she"ll turn into a demon once she is angry. Sometimes he fears this dangerous side of her.
Seated behind the bulky man, Xu Long couldn"t help but clench his legs together. His posture made it seem like he was protecting his family"s treasure.
He steals a small glance at Jiangyu and shakes his head with a sigh.
No matter how many times he sees the couple, he always found it strange. Jiangyu is like a monstrous wolf, while Ju Suo is like a cute bunny. However, from his point of view, the bunny has a leash wrapped around the wolf.
He s.h.i.+vers at the thought of the couple and looks at Xiao De. He notices how rigid the young man is and heaves a sigh.
"Hey kid, you can relax. We"re not bad guys and won"t hurt you?"
His words fell with promises, and he starts to ask questions that will help loosen Xiao De up.
As their conversation continues, Liu Shan, who had not spoken a single word, remained staring out the window. The scene that kept replaying in his mind was when he saw Ling Ni inside Red Moon.
He still lives as her neighbor, but he made sure to never run into her. However, seeing her again, he noticed that she seemed to have lost weight since the incident at Uncle Nuo"s food stall.
Could it be that Tao Meng is treating her worse now?
Just as the question flashes in his mind, he shakes his head as if trying to get rid of it.
He is already moving on, so anything involving Ling Ni shouldn"t matter to him anymore.
He decides not to dwell on the past and looks away from the window. He stares ahead, out the front window at the road, and parts his lips.
"What"s your name?"
Suddenly hearing the question, everyone in the car went into silence, once again. Xu Long furrowed his brows and looked over to his boss lady"s a.s.sistant.
"Why are you asking that? His name is Xiao De."
He quickly stops after his word and thought about something. No one asked for Xiao De"s name. He only a.s.sumed it was the young man"s name because he overheard Jia Lin say it before he and the others entered the room.
He looked away from Liu Shan to Xiao De and pursed his lips like he was regretting something.
"Xiao De isn"t your name, hm?"
Xiao De was surprised when Liu Shan suddenly asked for his name. During his time at Red Moon, no one cared about who he was. The only thing that mattered was, he had to focus on the security system.
Every day for the past six months, he was called random names. There were times he didn"t answer and would get beat up for acting arrogant.
However, how was he supposed to answer if he didn"t know they were talking to him.
Remembering the life of h.e.l.l he had been living, he wanted to cry. However, he closes his eyes to take a breather and opens them again.
His eyes that seemed to have lost all hope were slowly returning with life.
"Liu Ye. My name is Liu Ye."