Chapter Fifty: Rescuing Zhao Jiawen

Chapter 50: Rescuing Zhao Jiawen

After Zhuo Nan left, Hu Li supported Long Kun and suddenly blurted out a foolish question: "Can Brother Nan drive? That car of mine is brand new..."

Long Kun let out a roar, "What the hell are you still talking about? Take me to the hospital!"

It was a disaster. Hu Li helped the limping Long Kun into his Mercedes-Benz and drove toward the hospital.

Zhuo Nan was driving Hu Li's black Buick, pushing the speed up to a hundred miles per hour. At that moment, he wished he could fly instantly to Zhao Jiawen's side.

Meanwhile, in the abandoned warehouse, the one-eyed man glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was almost seven o'clock, and his brother hadn't returned. A bad premonition welled up in his heart. He looked down at Zhao Jiawen, who had been without food for a day and a night; she looked extremely weak. If she didn't eat, even if they managed to leave Deqing, she would likely die on the road. Anger surged within him; he grabbed some biscuits from the side, walked over to Zhao Jiawen, grabbed her hair, and tried to force the food into her mouth.

Zhao Jiawen had already fainted from hunger earlier, but she had steadfastly refused to eat. She would rather starve to death than give in. It must be said that she had a backbone, though such stubbornness seemed a bit foolish; no matter what, she needed to eat to maintain her strength for any chance of escape.

As the one-eyed man desperately shoved the biscuits into her mouth, she resisted, despite her weakness, turning her head away and shouting, "No, I don't want to eat..."

"You brat, eat! If you starve to death, where am I supposed to collect the money?" the one-eyed man roared with a ferocious expression.

Just then, a calm voice drifted over: "If she doesn't want to eat, why force her?"

The one-eyed man was shocked. He looked up to see a young man standing at the entrance, with someone lying beside him. Although the sky was growing dim, he could clearly see the faint smile on the young man's face. When the one-eyed man looked at the person next to him, he realized it was none other than his own brother.

Hearing that voice, it was like music to Zhao Jiawen's ears—a voice she knew all too well, one she had recalled during so many sleepless nights. It was Zhuo Nan. Zhuo Nan had come to save her. In an instant, she couldn't control her emotions; she burst into tears of joy. While she had been unconscious earlier, she had dreamed she was the Zixia Fairy and Zhuo Nan was the Monkey King, coming to rescue her on a colorful cloud. It wasn't a dream; it was real. It was truly real...

If Zhuo Nan knew what she was thinking, he would surely say, "Can that stinky monkey compare to me?"

The one-eyed man grabbed Zhao Jiawen by the throat and hissed, "Don't come any closer, or I'll choke her to death!"

Zhao Jiawen, gripped by the throat, was in great pain, but a smile still lingered on her lips. Zhuo Nan saw this and felt a pang of heartache, but he had a way to deal with the man. He bent down, hoisted the tattooed man up, and woke him again. The man had lost too much blood and his life was hanging by a thread.

Zhuo Nan looked at him coldly and said, "Your brother is in my hands. Let the girl go, and I'll let you both leave. I'll even give you money, and today's business will be forgotten." He took off his backpack, threw it between them, and added, "There's three hundred thousand in there. Take it and go with your brother."

Three hundred thousand was a significant amount, but the one-eyed man was not easily convinced. He tightened his grip, causing Zhao Jiawen to close her eyes in pain. Zhuo Nan called out in agony, "Jiawen..."

Having achieved his goal, the one-eyed man chuckled and said coldly, "Kid, this girl is your sweetheart, isn't she? She’s a pretty little thing; it would be a shame if she died."

Zhuo Nan watched him coldly and asked, "What do you want?"

"Let my brother go and have him bring the bag over..." The one-eyed man still had his wits about him; he was clearly experienced.

Zhuo Nan sneered, "If I let him go, what if you don't?"

The one-eyed man laughed and glanced at Zhao Jiawen. "Kid, you have no choice."

Zhuo Nan shrugged and released the tattooed man. The man stumbled toward the middle, knelt down to unzip the bag, checked its contents, and nodded at the one-eyed man.

A look of joy crossed the one-eyed man's face; the money in the bag was real. But could things really be this easy? "Kid, you’re not playing any tricks, are you?"

Zhuo Nan spread his hands. "I came alone; what tricks could I play? I didn't even bring a weapon. I just came to save someone. Let her go, and we’ll go our separate ways. Today, we’ll pretend we never met."

When the tattooed man reached his side and took out the money to verify it, the one-eyed man's eyes lit up. But seeing the wounds covering his brother’s body, his rage flared up. "Kid, you did this to my brother. Do you think you can just walk away?"

Zhuo Nan raised an eyebrow and asked indifferently, "Then what do you want?"

The one-eyed man roared, "Everything you did to my brother, I will return to this girl!" He reached to his waist, pulled out a switchblade, and raised it high.

But just as he lifted the blade above his head, he suddenly felt a chill in his chest. A stream of warmth gushed out, and a stinging pain spread through his entire body. He looked down in disbelief to see a switchblade buried in his chest. His brother was staring at him with a strange, mocking smile. He could never have imagined why his own brother would strike him down. With wide, staring eyes, he pointed at the tattooed man and asked, "Why? Why?"

The tattooed man did not answer. Instead, he pulled out the switchblade and plunged it in again, as if venting all his rage onto the man.

Zhao Jiawen screamed in horror at the sight. The one-eyed man’s blood splattered across her face, and the pungent, metallic scent caused her to break down completely, screaming hysterically.

The tattooed man stabbed again and again. After about seven or eight strikes, his boss stopped moving, his eyes still wide open, dying without ever understanding why his brother had killed him.

Confirming his boss was dead, the tattooed man turned to look at Zhuo Nan, then, with an expressionless face, took the blade and plunged it into his own chest. Judging by his expression, it was as if he weren't stabbing his own body at all.

Zhao Jiawen was unable to process such a brutal scene; she looked dazed. Zhuo Nan walked over, looked at her with heartache, and pulled her into his arms. Zhao Jiawen screamed hysterically, "Let me go, let me go..." But gradually, her voice grew quieter until she drifted off to sleep.

Zhuo Nan untied the ropes, picked her up, slung the backpack over his shoulder, glanced at the two brothers lying on the ground, shook his head, and walked out of the warehouse.

After placing Zhao Jiawen in the car, Zhuo Nan dialed Zhao Baohua’s number. Upon hearing that their daughter had been found, Zhao Baohua and his wife cried with joy and hurriedly asked where they were.

Zhuo Nan told them to wait at home and that he would bring her back. After hanging up, he went to pick up Xia Qianrou from Hu Li’s location before heading to the Zhao residence.

Zhao Jiawen woke up during the drive. It had only been five minutes, but she seemed well-rested. Seeing Zhuo Nan, a smile broke across her face, and happy tears fell. She hugged him tightly, lingering fear in her voice: "Zhuo Nan, I knew you would come to save me. You don't know how scared I was..."

Zhuo Nan gently stroked her hair, his voice soft and tender: "Don't be afraid, Jiawen. With me here, no one will hurt you."

Just like when they were children, Zhuo Nan held her small hand and gently wiped away her tears: "Baowen, don't be afraid. With me here, no one dares to bully you."

At that moment, Zhao Jiawen knew she would never be able to leave Zhuo Nan for the rest of her life.

Looking at him with pleading eyes, she whispered, "Zhuo Nan, will you never leave me for the rest of our lives?"

Zhuo Nan met her longing gaze, nodded heavily, kissed her lips softly, and promised: "In this life, and the next, I will never leave you."

Zhao Jiawen smiled in satisfaction and shyly buried her head in his chest. After a while, she asked as if just remembering, "Zhuo Nan, where are those two bad guys?" It seemed she had blocked out what had just happened.

Zhuo Nan replied casually, "I drove them away."

Zhao Jiawen said, somewhat distressed, "Why can't I remember how you drove them away?"

Zhuo Nan laughed. "If you don't remember, you don't remember. As long as you remember me, that's enough."

Zhao Jiawen lowered her head shyly, pouting, "You're annoying..." She then asked suspiciously, "Zhuo Nan, is that money real? Where did you get it? And this car?"

Zhuo Nan smiled. "I'll explain later. Right now, I'm taking you home. Your parents are worried sick."

Zhao Jiawen finally remembered that she had been gone for a day and a night. "Zhuo Nan, let's go back quickly. I'm a little hungry." She touched her stomach with a cute expression. She had forgotten the ordeal she just went through; as long as she was with Zhuo Nan, she felt safe. Only he could give her that sense of security, and in front of him, she didn't need to hide anything.

"Get in, Jiawen. I'll take you home." Zhuo Nan smiled and opened the door for her.

She nodded and sat down. Zhuo Nan started the car and hit the gas; the vehicle shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. Zhao Jiawen leaned against him, looking at him with deep affection.

As he drove, Zhuo Nan said in his heart to the Super Brain: "Brother, thank you... If you hadn't used that trick, Jiawen would have been in danger."

The Super Brain replied modestly, "Why be so formal? We are one."

Zhuo Nan paused for a moment, his heart filled with gratitude. It was right—he was it, and it was him. They were one and the same.