Chapter 49 "Don't be afraid."

Of the two small suitcases Jiang Yao brought when he moved in, only one remains, placed in the corner opposite the door.

Duan Zhuxian's mind went blank for a moment, then he strode into Jiang Yao's bedroom, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the architectural books that Jiang Yao treasured were still there.

In just a few short seconds after entering the room, a complete plan had already flashed through his mind with incredible clarity - what method should he use to find the person, then bring him back personally, and keep him under his nose until he never said he would leave.

Duan Zhuxian bent his index finger and pressed the joint against his forehead.

Jiang Yao is the softest part of his heart. Normally, he would not even dare to touch her, but he actually had such a dangerous thought.

Duan Zhuxian took out his phone, clicked on Jiang Yao's portrait of a little fox with his head held high and chest puffed out, and slowly typed two words: "Run away?"

I quickly received a reply: "I'm not running away, this is team building!!!"

Three exclamation marks in a row.

Duan Zhuxian smiled, and could almost imagine Jiang Yao's defiant look at the moment, with red ears.

*

At a gas station dozens of kilometers away, Jiang Yao sat in the back seat of an SUV wearing sunglasses, the heat in his ears still not gone away.

The subordinate next door asked, "Is Mr. Jiang feeling hot? His face is red. How about opening a window?"

"Don't open it." Jiang Yao stopped him, "Don't let everyone catch a cold."

After filling up the gas tank, the driver started the car and asked curiously, "Mr. Jiang said the day before yesterday that he had to meet a client and would not come with us. Why did he suddenly change his mind?"

The eyes hidden under the sunglasses flickered for a moment, and Jiang Yao said with a normal expression on the lower half of his face: "The client is ill. See you another day."

The girl in the passenger seat clasped her hands together and said, "Thank you to the customer for returning Mr. Jiang to us. I wish him a speedy recovery."

"Yes, that's right. Good people will have a peaceful life."

The car was suddenly filled with laughter.

Although there was an element of flattery in it, everyone sincerely hoped that he could come and participate in the team building.

Jiang Yao brought his school-loving skills to the company. As a paratrooper, before he could spark gossip, he quickly silenced the gossip with his exceptional work savvy. In just six months, he revitalized their languishing project team, saving everyone from unemployment.

He made the impromptu decision this morning to participate in the team building.

He lay in bed thinking for half the night last night, with a vague feeling in his heart. In the end, he decided to adopt Chen Yiqi's suggestion and keep a distance from Duan Zhuxian first.

As long as he doesn't think about Duan Zhuxian, that's enough.

What's so difficult about this?

Jiang Yaoting thought with disdain.

After not getting a full night's sleep for two consecutive nights, Jiang Yao held his cell phone and fell into a light sleep as the off-road vehicle moved steadily.

In the dream, Duan Zhuxian's figure was almost everywhere. Sometimes he confessed to him at a wedding, and sometimes he confessed to him at home. Those deep eyes sunken in the eye sockets never looked at him, as if he wanted to drown him.

Jiang Yao struggled to open his eyes and took a deep breath.

If he had woken up a second later, he would have been murdered by Duan Zhuxian...

At this moment, the phone in my palm vibrated. Duan Zhuxian sent another message: "Where is the thermometer?"

Jiang Yao replied: "On the round coffee table in the living room, you have a fever again?"

Duan Zhuxian: "Yeah, it seems so."

Jiang Yao paused, remembering that Duan Zhuxian pretended to be weak on the phone yesterday, and when he rushed back, someone was working vigorously. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

You want to trick me again?

Let me tell you, this trick doesn’t work!

Jiang Yao replied indifferently, "Oh."

After that, Duan Zhuxian didn't say anything else.

This was a little inconsistent with Jiang Yao's expectations. Under normal circumstances, the other party should continue to provoke him.

Another half hour passed, and Jiang Yao still couldn't sit still. He sent a message to Duan Zhuxian: "Have you taken your temperature?"

Duan Zhuxian: "I measured it."

Then he sent me a picture of a thermometer, which showed 37.9 degrees.

I really have a fever.

Jiang Yao frowned slightly, immediately sat up straight and called his family doctor.

The doctor said that it is normal for the body temperature to fluctuate, but if the fever does not go away for three days, you should consider seeking medical attention.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yao slowly leaned back in his chair, his eyes falling on the navigation screen in the front row.

The kilometers away from Lingbei city center are increasing all the time, and the numbers seem to turn into an invisible thread, tied in the middle, getting longer and tighter.

We had lunch at an open-air restaurant on the side of the road at noon, and arrived at the resort in the small town next to Lingbei in the afternoon.

After settling their luggage, the group went to the nearby river beach for a picnic.

The pale sunlight melted in the clouds, scattering golden powder. The remaining snow dotted the inky stone piles. The nearby pines were lush green, and the distant mountains were misty, like a poem and a picture.

It's really a good place to relax.

There is a guqin platform near the riverbank. The stone tablet standing next to it records the romantic and interesting events that happened here. Jiang Yao took a quick look at it and suddenly remembered that Duan Zhuxian could also play the guqin.

In his second year of high school, the school held a New Year's Eve party. Duan Zhuxian wore a white shirt and black pants and performed a guqin solo as the closing piece. The piece was called "There Are Trees on the Mountain", which was his own original work.

Duan Zhuxian's cool demeanor and the profound sound of his piano were a perfect match, and he was surrounded by pairs of fascinated eyes in the audience. Jiang Yao, who was sitting in the audience with his legs crossed and arms folded, was also stunned by the performance.

When the song ended, the audience was already in an almost frenzied cheer. The host asked Duan Zhuxian what his inspiration was for the song. He said calmly that the song was written for one person.

At that time, Jiang Yao happened to make eye contact with Duan Zhuxian. Among the thousands of spectators, he was the only one who caught the tenderness that flashed in Duan Zhuxian's eyes when he mentioned that person.

Now recalling it, Duan Zhuxian should be talking about Chen Tang. After all, the next line of "The mountain has trees" is "My heart is pleased with you", which can be regarded as a kind of euphemistic confession. Duan Zhuxian looks cold and aloof, but he has a romantic heart.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yao was puzzled again.

He and Shen Tang are obviously two completely opposite types. He lacks Shen Tang's gentleness and thoughtfulness. He really can't understand what Duan Zhuxian likes about him.

Could it be that Duan Zhuxian is a masochist who loves being targeted and criticized by him?

Jiang Yao put his hands in his pockets, lowered his head and kicked the stones under his feet. After a long time, he heard someone calling him to come over for barbecue.

An observant female subordinate joked, "Boss Jiang is here in person, but his heart is not here."

Jiang Yao laughed dryly. He really wanted to negotiate with his heart which had gone astray without him noticing.

Is it that the scenery is not beautiful, or that the barbecue is not delicious?

Can you stop thinking about someone?

The team building only lasted two and a half days. He was originally full of fighting spirit and was determined to put Duan Zhuxian behind him, but now, he was a little worried that he would fail on the first day.

Jiang Yao took a bite of the cumin pork belly on the bamboo skewer, chewing it vigorously with the skin and tendons, as if he wanted to eat someone like a skewer.

Just then, Duan Zhuxian sent another message: "The current body temperature is 37.2℃, which is close to normal."

Jiang Yao replied: "It's none of my business."

Duan Zhuxian: "I thought you wanted to know. After all, you care about me even in your dreams."

Jiang Yao almost laughed out of anger. He ignored the oil on his hands and typed furiously, "Stop spreading rumors. Who would care about you in their dreams?"

A moment later, Duan Zhuxian posted a video.

Jiang Yao's heart trembled and he clicked it subconsciously.

In the picture, he was lying on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed, mumbling: "Duan Zhuxian...are you hot...Duan, Zhuxian...Duan...hmm..."

The bastard who was filming it wasn't enough, there was a rustling sound in the picture, and the camera moved directly to his face as the man approached, capturing the slight wrinkle between his eyebrows and the blush at the corners of his eyes clearly.

Jiang Yao turned off the video and was stunned for a long time.

Is this embarrassing guy really me?

Duan Zhuxian: "You were so cute when you called my name, I couldn't help but take a picture."

Jiang Yao blushed with embarrassment and lashed out a vicious voice: "Get lost, you sneak photographer! If you say one more word to me, I'll no longer be named Jiang!"

I don’t want to see Duan Zhuxian again in this life.

He gritted his teeth and clicked on Duan Zhuxian's avatar, going straight to the blacklist option. When his thumb stopped above the blacklist button, he braked.

To block or not to block?

At the moment when the case was still unresolved, a low battery reminder suddenly popped up and saved Duan Zhuxian's life, and he was sentenced to probation.

Jiang Yao walked under the tree and was about to find a power bank to charge his mobile phone when someone tugged at his trouser leg.

He looked down and saw a little girl of four or five years old. Her face was dirty and a small piece of cloth was torn on her knee. It seemed that she had sprained her foot and could not walk.

When they noticed something was happening, everyone gathered around.

Someone asked, "Do you remember your family's phone number?"

The little girl shook her head.

Jiang Yao asked: "Then do you know where you live?"

The little girl nodded, pointed to the north, and said timidly, "Not far."

This child is timid and afraid of everyone he sees. He just follows Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao simply carried her on his back and said to the others, "You guys continue playing, I'll take her home first."

However, it was not far as she said. Under the guidance of the little girl, Jiang Yao walked left and right, passed one ridge after another, and finally saw the village she mentioned.

The little girl's grandmother was leaning on a cane and looking out at the village entrance. When she saw Jiang Yao, she thanked him repeatedly and said that her granddaughter had gone out to play with a group of other children. It was time for dinner, but her child was the only one who had not returned home.

Seeing that the old lady had difficulty walking, Jiang Yao tried to be a good person and helped her carry her granddaughter back home. When he was about to say goodbye, the old lady stuffed a bunch of car keys into his hand.

"If the children's parents were home, they could drive you out of the village. Now it's getting dark and the roads are difficult to travel on. It would be faster if you drove back to the resort."

Jiang Yao looked at the setting sun in the sky, did not refuse the kindness, and followed the old man to get the car.

The brick-red, chipped car was an antique from who knows how many years ago, and its windows were still hand-cranked, making a creaking noise when you sat in it. But four wheels were always faster than two legs.

After making an appointment with the old lady to return the car the next day and saying goodbye to the little girl, Jiang Yao drove off.

But perhaps because the horizon was too vast and dusk fell too quickly, Jiang Yao, who originally remembered the direction, was a little lost for a moment.

The car circled around the fields until the last ray of sunlight obscured the mountaintops.

The car's power supply system was outdated and the headlights were dim. Jiang Yao struggled to identify the way he came. When turning, the wheel suddenly got stuck in a pothole, and then the whole car stalled, even the headlights went out.

The sudden darkness made his heart beat wildly. He tried to restart the car, but it still didn't move.

In this situation, it was necessary to get out of the car for inspection. Jiang Yao prepared himself mentally several times, but he didn't dare to open the car door and step into the wider darkness outside.

He calmed himself down and took out his phone to ask for help. After unlocking it, he saw the chat interface with Duan Zhuxian. The battery level in the upper right corner showed only 1%. He remembered that he was about to charge his phone before sending the girl home.

He resisted the trembling of his fingertips and subconsciously clicked on the location in the chat interface with Duan Zhuxian.

The moment the location was sent, the phone screen suddenly went out, and the only light source merged into the same darkness as the surroundings.

Coming back to his senses, Jiang Yao felt like he had gone mad. Instead of seeking help from his companions, he actually used the little remaining battery to send a location message to Duan Zhuxian...

The last sentence in their chat history was still him cursing Duan Zhuxian.

Besides, Duan Zhuxian is sick and probably has gone to bed early.

Fortunately, this is not a deep mountain forest. There are villages within a few hundred meters, so there is no danger. If it really doesn't work, we can just sit in the car and wait until dawn.

Jiang Yao repeatedly comforted himself.

The cold wind blew intermittently, seeping in through the top of the car window that could not be closed.

Trapped in an all-round blind spot, Jiang Yao only felt that the space around him was becoming increasingly cramped, as if something terrible was approaching.

Time passed minute by minute, and gradually, the darkness seemed to take shape, sticking to his skin wetly and coldly, seeping into the gaps between his bones. His wildly beating heart made his blood rush like needles, piercing his veins.

Once again, Jiang Yao overestimated his resistance to darkness, even though he was sitting in a safe car instead of the dark and damp factory twenty years ago.

He was kidnapped by his parents' business competitor. Before being searched, he secretly sent a message to his father using his phone watch, but his father was socializing with someone at the time and didn't find his message until several hours later.

Because of this, his parents felt that they owed him and always gave him extra care and love. They even stopped having too many expectations for him and just hoped that he could grow up safely and healthily.

But he actually never blamed anyone. He only blamed himself for not practicing running well. He was caught because he was exhausted when escaping and was stuffed into an airtight container in the factory.

When Jiang Yao was very young, he learned a truth - in this world, except for himself, no one will rush to his side when he needs help. At any time, the only one you can rely on is yourself.

Therefore, stubbornness, composure and unwillingness to admit defeat became his basic character. He always wanted to be the best in everything, and when he met someone who was stronger than him, he would subconsciously challenge him.

Tick, tick, tick...

The sound of water came from somewhere in the dead silent air, just like the sound he heard in the container for two days and two nights twenty years ago, the fishy water flowing out of the rusty pipes, every drop of it seemed like blood flowing through the veins with difficulty.

Jiang Yao clenched his teeth and sat stiffly in the driver's seat, as if he had turned into a leaf about to fall in the cold wind, and the leaf stalk that was still hanging was the last tense nerve.

The sound of water in the darkness awakened too many memories that had been forcibly buried, torturing him to the point of driving him crazy, but at the same time he forced himself not to be afraid and not to bow his head.

I don’t know how long it was before I suddenly heard a car horn coming from the front.

His thoughts were slow to react, and Jiang Yao looked up blankly. Two beams of car lights were approaching rapidly from afar.

The light was so strong that in an instant, it seemed to tear apart all the darkness from twenty years ago to this moment.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar SUV stopped opposite. The man who got out of the car had a pale and sickly face and walked step by step to the car window.

Jiang Yao looked at the other person through the window glass for a long time before he opened the car door as if nothing had happened. He first hid his trembling right hand to his side, and then slowly took a foot out.

When he took his second step forward, his legs suddenly went weak and he fell into someone's arms without warning.

The person in front of him caught his embarrassment steadily.

All his strong willpower collapsed the moment he was touched by those big hands. The moment his strength disappeared, he leaned on the man's warm and strong chest and suddenly couldn't breathe.

Her chin was quickly and gently supported, and a deep and gentle voice came from her ear: "Yaoyao, don't be afraid, breathe."

Jiang Yao blinked as he looked at the person in front of him illuminated by the car lights.

How could there be such a gentle and reliable person?

But she just happened to have a face that he had spit on eight hundred times.

His nose felt sore and his lips opened slightly, but due to lack of oxygen, he was unable to fully call out the name of the person in front of him.

The next second, the face suddenly enlarged and its lips heavily covered his.

The moment the four lips rubbed together, oxygen flowed in continuously.