The Downtrodden Villain In A Redemption Romance Novel Chapter 31
byChapter 31 The Bereaved Dog
After getting the two light plastic cards, the two of them didn’t stop at all and immediately disappeared into the noisy flow of people in the dark alley.The iron door behind him closed with a clang, as if the last connection with the man was completely severed.
“Let’s go to the Chengbei Passenger Terminal.” Xu Wen lowered the brim of his hat, stuffed an ID card and a phone card into Lu Qingrang’s hand, put the other one into his inner pocket, and zipped it up.His voice was tight, and his eyes scanned the surroundings warily.
【warn!It is detected that the density of regional surveillance has increased, and Nangong Chen’s forces are increasing their investigation efforts.It is recommended to change the route and avoid the main road.】
The system warning came as expected.
Xu Wen cursed secretly in his heart, pulled Lu Qingrang up, and got into a narrower and smellier alleyway next to him.They did not dare to take the main road, so they could only weave through the maze of dark alleys, relying on the system’s real-time navigation to avoid possible eye spies and cameras.
The sun struggled to squeeze into the narrow alley, casting mottled light and shadow on the potholed ground and dirty walls.The air was filled with the sour smell of overnight garbage and the greasy smell of over-fried food.Xu Wen held Lu Qingrang’s hand tightly, his palm was moist from nervousness, but he did not dare to let go.
Every time he turned a corner, every time he passed by passers-by who described him poorly, Xu Wen’s heart would rise to his throat.He felt that there might be prying eyes behind every window, and Nangong Chen’s men might suddenly rush out from every corner.A reward of four million is enough to drive the desperadoes in this dark alley crazy.
They took a long detour and took twice as long as expected before they finally approached the North Passenger Terminal.The closer we get, the denser the flow of people becomes, with various accents, shouts of soliciting customers, and the sounds of luggage being dragged all mixed together.
Standing outside the passenger terminal, looking at the slightly old and crowded building, Xu Wen took a deep breath.Hope is right in front of you, but every step is like stepping on the tip of a knife.
“Follow me,” he turned his head and whispered to Lu Qingrang, “No matter what happens, don’t look back, don’t stop.”
Lu Qingrang looked up at him and nodded lightly.
The two of them mingled among the passengers and walked towards the ticket hall.The air in the hall is stale, the lines are long, and electronic screens scroll with shift information.Xu Wen’s eyes quickly scanned and found the bus to Lincheng. The earliest bus was half an hour away.
“Line over there.” He pointed to the corresponding team.
The line moved forward slowly.Every second seems extremely long.Xu Wen could feel that there seemed to be eyes watching behind him. He turned around suddenly, but only saw tired and unfamiliar faces.Is it an illusion?Or have the pursuers already sneaked in?
At this moment, there seemed to be a dispute at the front of the queue. A man started arguing with the conductor. The sound became louder and louder, attracting the attention of the security guard.There was a commotion in the crowd, and people behind them pushed forward involuntarily.
“Be careful!” Xu Wen subconsciously pulled Lu Qingrang towards him, blocking the incoming crowd with his body.Lu Qingrang was caught off guard and ran into his arms, resting his forehead on his shoulder.Through the thin material of clothing, you can feel each other’s rapid heartbeats.
The commotion soon subsided and order was restored in the procession.Xu Wen let go of Lu Qingrang and cleared his throat uncomfortably: “No, are you okay?”
Lu Qingrang shook his head, but the base of his ears under the brim of his hat turned slightly red.
Finally it was their turn.Xu Wen tried his best to keep his expression natural, handed two brand new ID cards through the window, and said in a calm voice: “Two, go to Lincheng, the earliest one.”
The conductor was a middle-aged woman with a tired look. She picked up her ID card, swiped it on the reading device, and glanced back and forth between the screen and Xu Wen’s face.Xu Wen’s heartbeat almost stopped, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.These few seconds seemed as long as a century.
There is a soft “beep” sound, indicating that the reading is successful.The conductor began to print the tickets without any expression: “Three hundred and two in total.”
Xu Wen immediately took out the cash he had prepared and handed it over.When he got two thin tickets, he felt his fingers trembling slightly.
Success!At least the first step was successful!
He suppressed his excitement, pulled Lu Qingrang and quickly left the ticket window, found a relatively less crowded corner, breathed a long sigh of relief, and handed one of the tickets to Lu Qingrang.
“Get it, there’s still half an hour, have a clear look at the waiting room.” His voice was brisk.
Lu Qingrang took the ticket and rubbed the rough paper with his fingertips.He raised his head and looked at Xu Wen, with complicated emotions in his beautiful peach blossom eyes.
When Xu Wen saw Lu Qingrang taking the ticket, he was not relieved as expected. Instead, he seemed to have been drained of strength. He lowered his head slightly, and the shadow of the brim of his hat completely covered his expression.He just silently rubbed the rough ticket over and over again with his fingertips, as if there was some undecipherable code on it.
Surrounded by noisy voices and vague schedule information on the radio, everything was full of flowing hope. Only he stood there, like a forgotten island, surrounded by a kind of silence and alienation that was incompatible with the surroundings.
The smile on Xu Wen’s face slowly faded.He was too familiar with Lu Qingrang’s state.
“…Brother Lu?” Xu Wen took a step closer, his voice was very soft and tentative.
Lu Qingrang did not respond, but paused while stroking the ticket with his fingertips.
[Yes, tickets.Ticket to Lincheng.Using a false identity, he hid in the crowd, like a rat in the gutter, living in fear all day long.This is me now, Lu Qingrang.Everything he once had has become a mirror, and now he only has one life left and is being hunted endlessly.The word “lost dog” is so apt that it makes you laugh.Apart from being a drag on Xu Wen, what’s the point of living?He could have been more relaxed…]
Just when the dark thoughts of self-loathing were about to completely submerge him like a swamp, a warm hand suddenly covered the back of his cold hand, involuntarily holding his finger that was rubbing the ticket, interrupting the sharp echoes in his heart.
Xu Wen’s palms were very hot, with a calm strength.
Lu Qingrang trembled slightly and finally raised his head.
He saw Xu Wen staring at him closely, his own embarrassed reflection clearly reflected in those eyes that were always full of energy.
“The tickets are here,” Xu Wen’s voice was low but extremely calm. Every word hit Lu Qingrang’s heart, “These are the tickets for the two of us.”
He paused, without moving his eyes at all, and continued: “I know the road ahead is difficult, but haven’t we already passed several levels? From Nangongchen’s hands, from this dark alley… we got our identity and our ticket. Lu Qingrang, we did it.”
Xu Wen’s fingers tightened a little, as if he wanted to pass on the power through the interlocking hands: “Don’t think alone. We agreed to go to Lincheng together and find a house with sunshine. I didn’t say this casually.”
【He saw it.He could always tell.】
[Xu Wen forcefully forced the most precious trust and future into his hands again and again.】
[Why should he… deserve this?】
[He wants to… grab this hand and go with this person to see the sunny future he talks about.】
Lu Qingrang said nothing, and his Adam’s apple rolled slightly.
He nodded slightly.
Xu Wen looked at his eyes that had refocused and reflected his own shadow, and looked at the slight but firm nod, and the big stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.
[Redemption value update: At this moment, the system’s prompt sounded clearly in my mind.