Chapter 56 "Yu Pan, you've really gotten to it, ah..."
Chapter 56
When Shen Yanzhou first went to Qingyu, Yu Pan asked him carefully about the route from Lanzhou to Qingyu, and she still remembered it all. This time, it just so happens to come in handy.
Before setting off, Yu Pan made a rough plan in her mind: take a flight at seven o'clock in the morning, arrive at the provincial capital airport where Qingyu is located at 11:30 a.m., then transfer to a bus station, take a bus to Qingyu at two o'clock in the afternoon, and arrive by eight o'clock at the latest.
However, Yu Pan was lucky. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the bus station added more buses to and from Qingyu. As soon as he got off the minibus from the airport to the bus station, a woman with a black fanny pack and a loud voice came up to him and shouted, "Direct to Qingyu! Three more people needed! We'll leave as soon as we have enough!"
The woman, with her sharp eyes, noticed Yu Pan looking in her direction and immediately stepped forward, grabbing his arm with overwhelming enthusiasm. "Handsome young man, going to Qingyu, right? You've come at the perfect time, get in the car and we can leave right away!"
Yu Pan stumbled as she was pulled, and tried to pull her hand back but failed. She gave a somewhat helpless "hmm".
"Come on, come on! We're just waiting for you!" Without waiting for a reply, the woman half-pulled and half-dragged him toward a somewhat old-looking minibus in the parking lot.
On the way, he also called out to two men who looked like migrant workers carrying woven bags, "Hurry up, everyone's here, let's go!"
Yu Pan was completely bewildered by her series of actions, and only realized what was happening after she was pushed onto the bus: "Auntie, I haven't bought a ticket yet..."
"Buy the same thing on the bus! Hurry up and sit down!" The woman slammed the bus door shut and called out to the driver, "Everyone's here, everyone's here, let's go!"
The car started quickly and bumped its way out of the parking lot. Yu Pan's heart was pounding until she saw the word "Qingyu" on the windshield, which put her at ease.
After sitting in the car for about ten minutes, the woman started collecting money. When it was Yu Pan's turn, he noticed a middle-aged man next to him taking out a piece of paper for the woman to check.
From Yu Pan's perspective, he could see that it was a train ticket printed by the station, with "Qingyu" printed on it, and only then did he feel completely relieved.
The road from the provincial capital to Qingyu is mostly a bumpy dirt road, so cars can't go very fast.
Yu Pan, clutching her backpack, dozed off in the carriage until 6:30 p.m., when the train finally arrived at Qingyu.
After getting off the bus with his backpack, Yu Pan imitated how Shen Yanzhou used to take him out, and asked a station staff member for directions to Qinghu Development Zone.
A kind-looking auntie saw that he looked like a student, so she took him to the bus stop at the intersection, pointed to the bus stop sign and told him to take bus 315 and get off at "Qinghu Avenue".
“But young man,” the auntie lowered her voice and kindly reminded him, “there’s no public transportation in Qinghu Development Zone yet. You’ll have to walk in, which will take at least half an hour. Remember to wear your bag in front of you and keep it covered tightly. It’s not safe around here; there are a lot of snatch-and-grab robberies on motorcycles.”
Yu Pan's heart tightened, and she quickly thanked him, then turned the backpack to her chest and hugged it tightly as instructed.
After the aunt left, the No. 315 bus arrived shortly afterward, and Yu Pan was pushed and shoved onto the bus.
The bus smelled of all sorts of things; Yu Pan even heard ducks quacking. He was squeezed into a corner, and although he was uncomfortable, the thought of seeing Shen Yanzhou soon made him incredibly happy.
"Qinghu Avenue is here!" the ticket seller shouted at the top of his lungs.
After struggling to get off the bus, Yu Pan swallowed hard as she looked at the dark, empty road in front of her.
Fortunately, he got off at a good spot; there was a big sign next to him with an arrow that read "Qinghu Development Zone." He gritted his teeth and walked a short distance inside before finally seeing the light.
This was a construction site where work was being carried out at night. Several large light bulbs were hanging nearby. With that light, Yu Pan could see the company name printed on the fence. He tried hard to recall, and it seemed that Shen Yanzhou's company was called Zhiyuan.
The construction workers were all inside the fenced-off area, and the road outside was deserted. After passing through this brightly lit area, darkness returned.
Yu Pan deeply regretted not bringing a flashlight. She could only walk along the main road by the moonlight, passing several different construction sites along the way, but she still couldn't see Zhiyuan's sign.
Just as he was wondering if he had made a mistake and the name on the fence might not be the name of the organization, Yu Pan saw a faint light around the corner ahead. He quickened his pace, stopped wandering aimlessly, and decided to go and ask for directions.
Just then, a loud, extremely piercing motorcycle roar suddenly came from behind, growing louder as it approached.
The sound was incredibly fast, approaching him almost instantly.
Before Yu Pan could react, a tremendous force suddenly struck him from behind and grabbed his backpack tightly!
"Ah!" Yu Pan cried out in surprise. The enormous dragging force made him unable to stand steadily. He was dragged several steps, and the muddy ground made his knees ache.
The person on the back of the motorcycle tugged hard a few times but couldn't budge him. Seeing that he was really difficult to deal with, he shouted to the driver to slow down.
"Let go!" the robber grabbing Yu Pan's backpack said fiercely.
Yu Pan clutched the bag tightly to her chest and shouted with all her might, "I won't let go! You're stealing my things! Help!"
-
Meanwhile, a simple barbecue was taking place on the temporary open space of the Zhiyuan project site in the development zone.
Tan Ming led the commotion, and the workers gathered around the makeshift grill, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Eat as much as you want! It's on Mr. Shen!" Tan Ming shouted. Just as things were getting lively, the sound of motorcycles whizzing by came from afar.
"Tsk, I wonder which unlucky guy has been targeted again," one worker said nonchalantly.
"This place is awful, you have to be careful even when you're walking around," another person chimed in, eliciting a burst of helpless laughter.
Tan Ming, munching on a chicken wing, walked into Shen Yanzhou's prefab house and saw him frowning as he stared at the telephone. "Boss Shen, why don't you go out and have some fun with everyone? Don't keep it all to yourself."
“I called Panpan, but no one answered.” Shen Yanzhou rubbed his temples. Yu Pan said she was going to a classmate’s house, but he couldn’t reach her at this time, which made him feel inexplicably uneasy.
"The kid's just having too much fun, don't worry about him." Tan Ming didn't take it seriously and pulled him outside.
Shen Yanzhou was pulled outside. He had just picked up his cup and taken a sip of water when he heard his coworkers talking about the motorcycle thief from earlier.
"This is the third time already, right? Business is pretty good tonight."
"That's right, it's just a matter of lending a hand..."
Before he could finish speaking, a piercing roar of a motorcycle came from afar, seemingly stopping right outside the fence of their construction site.
Before the workers inside could even count how many incidents this was tonight, cries for help came from inside.
"They're stealing my things! Help!!!"
Shen Yanzhou's expression changed drastically, and he almost instinctively ran towards the direction from which the sound came from.
Tan Ming was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding yet, but seeing how anxious Shen Yanzhou was, he immediately understood and his face changed drastically. "Damn it!"
Grabbing an iron rod from the side, Tan Ming yelled at his still-stunned coworkers, "Stop eating, all of you! Grab your weapons! Come with me!"
A large group of people immediately grabbed shovels and sticks and rushed out with Tan Ming.
When they arrived at the scene, they saw a motorcycle overturned on the ground, and a man was being pinned to the ground by Shen Yanzhou, who was punching him repeatedly in the face until he couldn't even scream. There was also a fruit knife next to him.
Another man was pinned down by the overturned motorcycle, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.
Yu Pan collapsed to the ground not far away, her face pale and her whole body trembling, staring blankly at the furious Shen Yanzhou and the almost motionless robber beneath him.
The scene was quickly brought under control. Tan Ming and his coworkers tied up the two robbers who were still groaning and screaming, and then sent someone to the nearby police station to report the crime.
Shen Yanzhou remained silent throughout, his face still contorted with rage. He didn't glance at the two scoundrels again, his gaze fixed on Yu Pan, who was sitting on the ground, terrified.
He strode over, squatted down in front of Yu Pan, and quickly examined his entire body. When he touched Yu Pan's knees, which were scraped raw and bleeding from the ground, the atmosphere around him seemed to drop even lower.
"Is there anywhere else that hurts?" Shen Yanzhou asked him.
Yu Pan only snapped out of her daze when she heard Shen Yanzhou speak. Tears streamed down her face, mingling with the dust, making her look incredibly pitiful. Her lips trembled, and she whispered in a tearful voice, "Brother..."
Shen Yanzhou felt a pang of sorrow and pain in his heart. Without asking any more questions, he scooped Yu Pan up in his arms. Yu Pan instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of Shen Yanzhou's neck, just like before.
"Tan Ming, I'm leaving this to you." Shen Yanzhou said this, picked up Yu Pan, and walked towards their residence without looking back.
They walked in silence, except for Yu Pan's barely suppressed, soft sobs. When they returned to the simple prefab house, Chen Yanzhou slammed the door shut with his foot.
He placed Yu Pan on the wooden bed covered with bedding, still moving carefully, but after putting him down, he didn't even look at the wound on his leg before straightening up and taking a step back.
He had his back to Yu Pan, his shoulders were tense, and his hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Only a dim light bulb illuminated the room, casting Shen Yanzhou's silhouette against the wall, creating an atmosphere of impending doom.
Yu Pan shrank back, watching Shen Yanzhou's retreating figure, and even her crying unconsciously softened.
After a long while, Shen Yanzhou turned around, his usually gentle eyes now filled with barely suppressed anger.
He stared at Yu Pan, his voice seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling coldness, "Yu Pan, you've gotten bold, huh?"
"You, all alone, ran off to a place like this without telling me! Do you know how dangerous that was?! What if that knife had been a fraction of a second off and sliced you?! What if I hadn't heard you?!"
Shen Yanzhou's voice grew louder and louder: "Can't you use your brain before you do things?! Can't you think about whether I'll worry?! I..."
Shen Yanzhou suddenly stopped, his chest heaving violently, and cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Now, whenever he closes his eyes, he sees the image of that gleaming knife almost touching Yu Pan, and an uncontrollable sense of lingering fear wells up from the bottom of his heart.
Yu Pan had never been yelled at like that by Shen Yanzhou before. He was so frightened that he forgot to cry. He looked at Shen Yanzhou with a pale face, his lips trembling. He wanted to explain, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing his pitiful and terrified appearance, Shen Yanzhou's anger burned even brighter, but he had nowhere to vent it. He suddenly raised his hand and slammed his fist on the metal cabinet, making a loud noise.
Yu Pan was startled by the loud noise, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
Well, this time I was purely scared by Shen Yanzhou.
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Author's Note: Panpan: Guess if I'll get a scolding? [Cat emoji][Cat emoji][Cat emoji]
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