Zhong Yibin was driving during the evening peak period. The cars were densely packed together, the line so long that it seemed as if it was going to reach the sky. The road outside the windshield seemed distorted by the fumes of hot air.
“Where are you? Your dad will be home soon, hurry up!” As he opened up the window to take a gulp of air, his mother’s voice sounded from his phone.
“Got it,” Zhong Yibin frowned and hung up. This was the third time this afternoon. He had no desire to see this so-called father, yet his mother kept pestering him to return home. Because of her, Zhong Yibin could not fetch Chu Qin after he got off work.
For no reason, he felt irritated. Looking at the time, the program should have finished screening already. Zhong Yibin could not resist dialing a number.
“Beep-beep—” The long waiting tone eventually passed after a minute. No one picked up and the tone turned into an anxious beeping that stirred up fear.
Zhong Yibin’s heart lurched. If Chu Qin was still recording the program, his assistant should have helped him to answer the phone. If he had finished recording and the phone was in his hands, why did Chu Qin not answer?
He slowly regained consciousness. He was lying on the cold, hard cement floor, his surroundings peppered with logs of decaying wood and the stench of urine. Chu Qin forced his eyes open. The light was dim and the ground was covered with painted, mottled mechanical parts. The graffiti-filled iron shelves were covered with wood. The place looked like an old warehouse.
“Oh, awake?” A coarse voice spoke to him from a position above. Chu Qin was shocked, his bound body instinctively rising up. Even if he wanted to pretend to be unconscious, this reaction made it impossible.
His hands were tied behind his body. Chu Qin struggled to sit up, looking towards the direction of the voice.
The man was built sturdily, with blue and black patterns inked on muscular arms. He could not be considered tall, having an estimated height of not more than 1.8m. He wore a deep blue sleeveless top made out of synthetic material. The light illuminated the man from behind, rendering his silhouette blurry. The only thing that could be made out was his bald head.
Two accomplices appeared from behind Bald Head. One of them revealed big yellow teeth and laughed, “This pretty boy actually looks better than he does on television.”
Evidently, these kidnappers knew who he was.
Chu Qin quickly thought over his situation. After he had finished recording the program, he had made his way to the television station’s underground parking lot and was then flung into a van. Although he was in the entertainment industry, he had offended few people. The biggest possible reason was money.
“You should know I’m a public figure,” Chu Qin’s voice was very nice to hear, clear and magnetic. Due to professional habits, the cadence of his voice was smooth, making him sound calm. “My disappearance must have caused a huge commotion. I can send for someone to deliver the amount you want. As long as you guarantee my safety, you can leave quickly.”
“Wu…” A fist hit Chu Qin without warning. He could not help but shrink back, letting out a pained sound. Bald Head kneaded his fist, laughed coldly, and rejected Chu Qin’s offer.
“As expected of the golden microphone of Shengshi TV, you have a really nice voice,” Big Yellow Teeth walked to Chu Qin, grabbed his jaw, and slammed it on the ground repeatedly while laughing. He smirked and glanced at his crotch. “Wanna try this brother’s golden microphone?”
The malicious intentions concealed by this statement triggered alarms in Chu Qin’s heart.
“What exactly are you guys trying to do?” Chu Qin asked in a cold voice as he hurriedly examined his surroundings. It appeared to be dusk. Through the narrow lattice window, grass could be seen. Three of them and one of him. He had no chance of winning. At this moment, an old mobile phone placed on a beer case entered Chu Qin’s line of sight.
“Hehe, don’t be nervous. I’ll take a few photos for you,” Big Yellow Teeth laughed, reached out, and started unbuttoning Chu Qin’s shirt. The person who had yet to speak raised the camera and aimed the lens at him.
“Get out of the way!” Chu Qin twisted his body and dodged Big Yellow Teeth’s hands, struggling and twisting his wrists continuously.
“You bastard, don’t refuse a toast and drink a forfeit!” Bald Head clearly had no patience and kicked Chu Qin’s chest. Chu Qin slid along the floor before slamming viciously into an old box behind him.
“Cough cough…” A sharp pain pierced his chest, causing Chu Qin to curl his body. Unable to breathe, he could only wait for the wave of pain to pass before letting out two coughs.
Bald Head strode over, his plastic slippers producing a horrible squeaking sound that echoed in the warehouse.
Bald Head grabbed Chu Qin’s collar with one hand and tore off his expensive shirt, revealing an expanse of fair skin. The bluish print on his chest from being hit previously gave off a kind of cruel beauty. The sound of the camera shutter above his head revealed that the camera had been diligently set up.
“Boss, I’m coming,” Big Yellow Teeth swallowed his saliva and squeezed past Bald Head to stand in front of Chu Qin. “Come, let brother see your golden microphone….ah!”
Not letting him finish his words, Chu Qin suddenly head-butted Big Yellow Teeth’s nose. The hard skull broke the fragile nose. Acting on reflex, Big Yellow Tooth bent his head and covered his nose. Chu Qin shot up, snatched a box nearby, and slammed it down on Bald Head.
Bald Head had not expected him to break free of the rope and was greeted with a face full of nails and screws.
Chu Qin did not hesitate to run out, swiftly grabbing the old mobile phone on the beer case on his way out. With the speed of a hundred-meter dash, he attempted to break the window.
The glass on these old windows were no longer intact, but because they weren’t reinforced, the edges were sharp. Chu Qin had no choice but to hang up. He didn’t have the luxury to consider too many things. Seeing the grass surrounding the warehouse and the endless stretch of cornfield ahead, he decisively ran into the cornfield.
The three people in the warehouse soon ran out.
“F*ck, he dare run!” Bald Head was incensed. He picked up a piece of wood before continuing to chase Chu Qin.
The sky had already darkened. This was the suburbs. Since there was land, there would definitely be a village further ahead. Chu Qin bowed his body and used the sticks of corn to hide his head before running ahead recklessly.
The sound of Bald Head’s heavy breathing came from the back. Qin Chu had played many survival games before on television and his body was especially flexible. The cornfield was a place where unexpected things would happen. Chu Qin ran for a very long time, but fell down after tripping over something. He quickly curled up, not daring to make a sound. Looking down, that ‘something’ turned out to be a stone monument painted black and yellow.
“Boss, where’s the person?” Big Yellow Teeth’s voice could be heard from afar.
“Shit, he couldn’t have run far. Bring me a flashlight,” Bald Head demanded in anger. The area was not lighted and since the sky had long turned dark, the place was a mass of black. They were unable to find Chu Qin and Chu Qin was also not in the position to escape.
Those two people actually went in the wrong direction, moving further away from him with every step. When he was sure he could no longer be heard, Chu Qin heaved a sigh of relief before dialing that familiar number.
“Hello?” A voice filled with irritation greeted him. The Zhong Yibin he knew was educated. Even if he answered a phone call from a stranger, he would still be very polite, unlike the him today, who had no patience at all.
“Who is this?” Hearing this familiar voice almost made Chu Qin shed tears. “It’s me…”
“Chu Qin!” The person on the other hand immediately recognized him. “Where are you?” he asked emotionally.
“I’m at a cornfield outside an old warehouse in the suburbs. I don’t know my exact position, but there’s a natural gas pipeline with a 928 printed on it,” Chu Qin said in a low voice, keeping his ears peeled for any movements in his surroundings.
“Got it. Don’t be scared, I’ll get to you right away,” Zhong Yibin’s low and steady voice reassured him. Chu Qin hung up and shrank into the cornfield.
At this moment, pain wracked his body. Gritting his teeth to prevent any sound from leaking out, he sat down to gather strength. Summer nights were not cold and the sound of insects rose and fell. His surroundings were extremely quiet. Chu Qin did not dare to move lest he made a sound. The pain in his chest intensified. It was so painful that he grew dizzy and sank into a groggy sleep in the darkness.
After a period of time, rustling sounds from the shaking of leaves could be heard approaching. “Boss, here!” Big Yellow Teeth’s voice suddenly came from behind him. The glaring light of a flashlight shone into his face.
Chu Qin jumped up in shock. Seeing a car’s headlights in the distance, he ran in the direction of the car without looking back.
“Help—” Chu Qin had no strength left. Bald Head was only three steps away from him. This feeling was too scary, he couldn’t help but let out a cry of horror.
“Shit, where do you think you’re going!” Bald Head raised the hand holding the stick, ruthlessly smashing it towards him.
Zhong Yibin’s off-road vehicle screeched to a stop, followed by a police car. Opening the car door, he ran towards the cornfield.
“Chu Qin!”
“Hey!”
Exclamations, the sound of a gunshot and the muffled sound of stick hitting bone exploded simultaneously in Chu Qin’s ears. He expected pain but felt nothing, only the feeling of being wrapped tightly inside a warm embrace. Warm liquid flowed down his neck.
Chu Qin turned back stiffly. He could only see the blood snaking down Zhong Yibin’s forehead onto his heroic face. His arm slowly lost strength, and his tall body softly fell forward.
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Small theater: “How to deal with amnesia after hitting your head”