True Color (COLOR)
.jpg)
At twelve noon, Ye Xingzhou drove alone into the bustling city streets.
Five minutes later, he parked beside a garbage bin and rolled down the window to take the black bag on top of the bin lid, and took out the phone inside.
There was only one short message on the phone instructing him to go to the next location.
For a full half hour, he circled the city because the other party was playing with him like a toy.
Only after confirming that no other cars were following him did they lead him out of the city and towards the mountains outside the city.
After parking, he walked for another ten minutes, and a one-story villa that was long abandoned appeared in front of him. Ye Xingzhou looked around calmly before pushing the door open and went inside.
In the large empty house, there was only Lin Zhinian, who was blindfolded, gagged and tied to a chair. As Ye Xingzhou had expected, a bomb was strapped to his body with a countdown timer showing only twenty minutes left.
He only glanced at it and did not step forward.
A voice that was still processed through a voice changer, sounded from above, "You really came that it feels heartwarming. Seeing your little lover tied up like this, what are your thoughts?"
Ye Xingzhou put one hand in his pants pocket to lightly touch the phone that was always connected and looked up at the monitor on the wall ahead before calmly saying, "Is this your goal?"
Hearing Ye Xingzhou's voice, Lin Zhinian turned his head slightly but quickly became quiet again and did not dare to move.
"There are only twenty minutes left." Ye Wanyao's voice couldn't hide his excitement, "Now that you're here then don't even think about running. In twenty minutes, this bomb will explode. But if you dare to make a move, as long as I press the remote in my hand, you and your little lover will immediately die together. Even if your people know you're here now, it's too late for them to get here."
"I'm already here, so why don't you press the remote now?" Ye Xingzhou asked calmly.
Ye Wanyao: "Of course not. For the last twenty minutes, I want to watch you slowly walk towards death and enjoy your dying struggle."
Ye Xingzhou sneered.
His secretary's voice sounded in his Bluetooth earpiece: "The control distance of the remote bomb is no more than five kilometers, so he must be nearby. Our helicopter is already narrowing down the search area."
Ye Wanyao gritted his teeth and asked: "What about the resignation announcement I want to see? Why hasn't it been released yet?"
Ye Xingzhou: "It's not even six in the morning in China and it's not that fast."
Ye Wanyao: "Don't play tricks!"
"Whether this announcement exists or not is irrelevant to you." Ye Xingzhou exposed him, "If I die here, no one will pursue it on my behalf and the Ye family would be overjoyed. As long as the police here don't have enough evidence to arrest you, you can go back openly and get what you want after the storm passes."
Ye Wanyao sneered: "So you also know that you're hated by everyone."
Ye Xingzhou tilted his head: "Ye Wanyao, you've never lost since you were a child, right? This is the first time you've taken such a big fall from me, does it feel bad?"
Ye Wanyao sneered: "So what? Do you think you can be arrogant for much longer?"
Ye Xingzhou: "Actually, I could have not come today. If I had left you to die, you wouldn't be able to do anything to me."
Ye Wanyao: "So should I praise you for being a romantic? Knowing that I want your life, you still come to your death."
Ye Xingzhou stared coldly at Lin Zhi nian in front of him, but what he saw in his eyes was the shadow of another person. After a moment of silence, he said slowly: "Yeah, who told me I'm a romantic?"
Before going out, his secretary, bodyguard, and even Mr. Tang had advised him not to risk his life, but Ye Wanyao was not a fool.
He could deceive this person for a while but once he didn't appear, Ye Wanyao would immediately realize that Qi Xing was the one he wanted to save.
The only thing he could bet on was his understanding of Ye Wanyao's personality. Unless he was desperate, he would definitely keep him until the last minute and just watch him bow his head and admit defeat.
Ye Wanyao clapped his hands: "So touching! If you treated the Ye family half as well as you treat outsiders, then you wouldn't be in this situation today."
"The Ye family? Which Ye family are you talking about?" Ye Xingzhou was rarely interested in chatting with him.
Ye Wanyao: "Do you dare to say that Ye Chonglin wasn't killed by you? He favored you to no end, but in the end, he died in your hands. I wonder if he'll regret taking you back to the underworld."
Ye Xingzhou didn't care: "I was the one who kicked his medicine, but you were the one who replaced his medicine long ago. I'm not a good person, and neither are you. And your two good brothers. Have you heard of the saying ‘birds of a feather, flock together’? [1] That's us."
[1] What he means is, he and his brothers, or even all the Ye family members are not good people (birds of a feather) and they were even in the same house (flock together).
"So you discovered it long ago." Ye Wanyao gritted his teeth, "Watching me do all this, and in the end, you're the one who benefits."
Ye Xingzhou: "I accept your compliment."
Ye Wanyao: "When you returned to the Ye family, I should have killed you!"
"You did. More than once actually. You just did not succeed." Ye Xingzhou coldly reminded him.
On his first day back in the Ye family, he was locked up in the underground wine cellar, which was always kept at a low temperature, for a whole night by these three brothers.
If Ye Chonglin really favored him, he wouldn't have just turned a blind eye and just verbally reprimanded them a few times before letting the matter go.
He had fought with these three brothers and their followers countless times over the past ten years.
Getting bruises, broken bones, dislocations, and going to the hospital for stitches had become commonplace.
He could have survived until now because he was lucky, so how could Qi Xing's amateur skills possibly defeat him?
Ye Wanyao hated: "You can only boast now. But after ten minutes left, you're gonna get lost and die!"
The secretary's voice came through the earpiece, particularly excited: "Found it! It's a two-story villa and is nearby. Young Master Qi is also there. Ye Wanyao is alone in the room and the remote is in his hand!"
Ye Xingzhou leaned back against the wall behind him while completely relaxed: "Lost is lost, whatever."
……….
In the room, Qi Xing sat on the floor with his back to the monitor and held a piece of wire he had just found under the bed. He carefully turned the keyhole of the ankle cuffs.
He had played with this kind of old-fashioned handcuff at his grandfather's house when he was a child. It could be unlocked by picking it with a wire, but he hadn't played with it for a long time, so his skills were a little rusty. He also had to be wary of anyone who might come in at any time.
He had been brought here alone last night. This place was slightly better than the abandoned villa, with a place to sleep and better food than before. It seemed that the people who kidnapped him were indeed intimidated by Ye Xingzhou's words and didn't intend to harm him.
But it wouldn't be easy to let him go. Their target was Ye Xingzhou, so they would definitely have to wait until they had succeeded.
He glanced at the clock on the wall.
It was almost two o'clock, and he couldn't help but speed up his movements as he felt a little anxious.
The secretary's voice sounded again: "The sniper is ready. Ye Wanyao is making a coffee now while the remote is still in his hand. The sniper will shoot when Ye Wanyao puts the remote down and makes sure he doesn't accidentally touch it."
"He's about to put it down to get the kettle!"
Ye Wanyao was making coffee with his eyes still fixed on Ye Xingzhou in the monitor and not noticing that his face had changed to becoming extremely unhappy.
He only thought that he was still holding on at this moment, and sarcastically said: "I thought you were the kind of person who would cherish his life, but you're willing to sacrifice yourself for a man. Are you regretting it now that you're about to die?"
"There's no way."
Ye Xingzhou silently counted down in his heart.
Three—
"After all, I've fought with so many people and he's the only one who's willing to fight for me."
Two—
Ye Wanyao frowned as he vaguely felt that something was wrong.
"Ye Wanyao, you touched my people." Ye Xingzhou's voice paused, "So, you are the one who is about to die."
One—
…………
The door was kicked open.
Qi Xing turned his head in surprise, at the same time, the ankle cuffs on his feet fell to the ground with a clang, and the soldier who came in looked at him with wide eyes.
"Who are you?"
The loud bang of the bullet exploding accompanied by Ye Wanyao's scream and Lin Zhinian, who had been motionless in the chair, trembled as the countdown on the bomb on his chest had only five minutes left.
"Young Master Qi is fine." The secretary on the phone said.
Ye Xingzhou turned and left. He passed by the bomb disposal expert who rushed in.
………
Qi Xing walked downstairs and was still a little unsteady on his feet.
He wasn't scared before, but the American soldier with a gun kicked open the door, which scared him enough.
Ye Xingzhou's secretary got off the helicopter and saw him coming over in large strides: "Young Master Qi, are you alright?"
Qi Xing awkwardly nodded: "Where's Ye Xingzhou?"
"He's fine. He's on his way…." The secretary's words hadn't finished when Ye Xingzhou's car arrived.
Seeing Ye Xingzhou getting out of the car unharmed, Qi Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief. Ye Xingzhou walked up to him and stared at him without moving.
Qi Xing knew that he must look very disheveled now, and he was also a little guilty. Being stared at by Ye Xingzhou like these, he had to muster his courage and say: "What, uh..."
The next second, Ye Xingzhou pulled him into his arms.
Qi Xing was stunned at first, but after a while, he raised his hand to hug him back.
They only hugged for a moment before Ye Xingzhou let go of him and instructed the secretary: "Take him on the plane and have the doctor check him first to see if he's injured anywhere."
Qi Xing subconsciously grabbed him: "What are you going to do?"
Ye Xingzhou's expression was calm: "Nothing. Just get on the plane and wait for me. I'll be right there."
He finished his words before pulling his hand away, and stepped into the villa.
Qi Xing watched his back disappear while frowning. The secretary said: "Let's go, Young Master Qi. There's a doctor on the plane, so let him check you first."
……..
Ye Xingzhou went upstairs.
Ye Wanyao was lying on the ground while groaning in pain as his shoulder had been shot by the sniper.
The mercenaries hired by Mr. Tang to help them were all downstairs, and the people here now were all Ye Xingzhou's own bodyguards.
Seeing Ye Xingzhou come over, Ye Wanyao struggled to get up while clutching his bloody shoulder: "What do you want to do..."
Ye Xingzhou looked down at him.
Ye Wanyao felt both surprised and afraid that even his nostrils flared as he kept panting.
Where was the arrogance he had when he threatened him before?
Ye Xingzhou didn't answer and just slowly raised his chin.
His bodyguards flanked Ye Wantao on both sides, and a silenced pistol was handed to him.
Ye Wanyao's face changed drastically: "What are you going to do?! This is America! You dare!"
"No one downstairs is an American policeman." Ye Xingzhou's voice was cold enough to freeze ice, "And you asked for it."
He deliberately didn't involve the police, and he deliberately instructed the sniper to spare this dog's life.
………..
Before boarding the plane, Qi Xing suddenly stopped to turn to look at the villa behind him.
The windows on the second floor were hazy, and only a vague figure could be seen.
"Young Master Qi?" The secretary hesitated to call him.
Qi Xing asked: "What do you think Ye Xingzhou gonna do that he even went back there?"
The secretary's words were on his lips, but he didn't say them: "I don't know."
Qi Xing sighed: "He's really a handful."
The secretary said: "Young Master Qi, you should get on the plane."
Qi Xing's gaze fell on him: "What about Teacher Lin. How is he? Tell me the truth."
"...Ye Wanyao's people strapped a time bomb to him but he's been saved. He's fine and just scared, so he's been sent to the hospital." The secretary said helplessly.
Qi Xing raised his eyebrows: "A bomb? Did you know beforehand that Ye Wanyao would plant a bomb?"
The secretary closed his mouth as he did not want to lie or slipped something that he shouldn't, so he just simply didn't say anything.
Qi Xing: "Really, you all love to make melodramatic plays, and none of you want to be civilized. It's at least a society ruled by law, can't you solve problems in a more civilized way?"
He took a step back, and the secretary immediately followed: "Young Master Qi, you shouldn't go back."
Qi Xing said coldly: "Do you really think I shouldn't go?"
The secretary: "But..."
Qi Xing: "Let's go."
……….
Ye Xingzhou slowly stroked the gun handle.
He had used a toy gun to scare his uncle, and Qi Xing had bumped into him. He still remembered the boy's panicked and comical look back then.
A slight smile appeared on Ye Xingzhou's lips, but it looked particularly terrifying to Ye Wanyao, who was overwhelmed by the fear of death.
"Don't…..don't….spare me! I'll give you all my shares in Ye's and I'll never bother you again. I won't go back to Huaicheng City! I promise! I really promise!"
The muzzle of the gun in Ye Xingzhou's hand was already pressed against Ye Wanyao’s forehead.
Ye Xingzhou looked at Ye Wanyao's tears and pleas for mercy with indifference because there was no joy in his heart.
When he was a child in the orphanage, the wild cat he raised was thrown to its death. So, he broke the fence and threw someone downstairs.
Everyone gathered around, but he stood aside while coldly watching the other person's pain and screams. At that time, his feelings were the same as now, he had taken revenge, but he didn't feel happy.
But gradually, he had become accustomed to this tit-for-tat way of dealing with things.
The strong prey on the weak, whether it was in the orphanage or later when he returned to the Ye family, he could only be more ruthless than others to protect himself.
He was a villain and he knew it better than anyone, but being a villain wasn't that enjoyable.
It wasn't that he was still soft-hearted, it was that after his heart became as hard as iron, he could no longer feel the meaning of his heart beating vigorously.
Ye Wanyao was still begging, but in Ye Xingzhou's eyes, there was only annoyance.
It's over.
The bullet was chambered and his finger slowly pulled the trigger.
"Ye Xingzhou."
Qi Xing's voice suddenly sounded behind him with his usual habit of dragging out the ending and a hint of complaint: "What are you doing? Why are you so slow? Are you coming or not?"
Ye Wanyao's cries stopped abruptly as he stared wide-eyed while gasping for breath.
Ye Xingzhou's finger paused.
Qi Xing had already walked over.
He didn't even look at Ye Wanyao, who looked like a stray dog.
His palm covered Ye Xingzhou's back: "Let's go back."
Ye Xingzhou's gaze fell on him.
Qi Xing's eyes were full of smiles, bright and dazzling and only looking at him.
He repeated again: "Take me back.”