Suo Qingjun Chapter 87
byForced to have no choice
It was just dawn and the Tongzi Tower was still dark.
Lin Xingmian climbed up gently, fearing to wake her mother in bed.He put on his school uniform in the dark. The injury on his chin had faded a little, but it still hurt when touched. He pulled on his collar to cover up the marks.
When he reached the door of the flower shop, he raised his hand and gently opened the door.
The wind chimes tinkled, and the refreshing fragrance of flowers hit his face. It was a completely different world from the lingering smell of Chinese medicine and humidity in his home.
Qing Feng Anzheng lowered his head to arrange the bouquet that had just arrived. When he heard the voice, he raised his eyes and saw that it was Lin Xingmian. There was only a faint and polite smile on his face. He was not warm and did not rush people away: “Here he comes.”
Jin Xianling was sitting on the chair next to him. She glanced at him lightly and said nothing. Her aura was still a bit cold, making it clear that she was on guard.
Xu Baiyan sat by the window holding the drawing board. When he saw him coming in, he just raised his head slightly. He didn’t talk as enthusiastically as he did yesterday. He lowered his head silently and pretended to adjust the colors. He was still a little frightened.
Lin Xingmian seemed not to notice anything, and stood obediently at the door without going in. With a gentle and well-behaved smile on his face, he said in a soft voice: “Boss Qing, Mr. Jin, Mr. Xu, good morning.”
He paused, as if he was afraid of disturbing them, and then added in a low voice: “I… I was just passing by and came in to take a look. I won’t delay your work.”
When he spoke, he stood in a regular posture, his eyes were clean, and he looked sensible but not crossing the line. His intelligence and wisdom were all hidden in a measured manner, without being annoying at all, and without revealing his true purpose at all.
Qing Feng’an didn’t stop moving her hands, and just responded lightly: “Well, just do whatever you want.”
No debunking, no questioning, no sympathy.
Just treat an ordinary but somewhat suspicious stranger, be polite, distant, and keep your distance.
Jin Xianling still stood by silently, her eyes falling on Lin Xingmian from time to time, watching his every move calmly.
Xu Baiyan held the brush and glanced at him secretly from the corner of his eyes. He still felt that this man was weird, as if he was hiding some bad intentions, but he couldn’t tell what was wrong.
Lin Xingmian stood quietly by the door, not approaching, not saying much, quietly looking at the flowers and plants in the room, like an ordinary boy who really just likes the smell of flowers and comes to stay for a while.
Lin Xingmian had been standing in the corner of the flower shop for less than five minutes when his cell phone in his trouser pocket suddenly vibrated sharply.
The ringtone was particularly harsh in the quiet fragrance of flowers.
With a twitch of his fingertips, he pressed his pocket almost subconsciously, and his face turned clean at that moment.Qing Feng’an was tying a bouquet with a ribbon. When she heard the movement, she raised her eyes and glanced at him, her eyes as light as water. Jin Xianling directly put down the book in her hand, her eyes firmly locked on his tense profile with scrutiny.
Lin Xingmian didn’t dare to pick it up, let alone stay in the store any longer.He opened the glass door almost as if he was running away. The wind chimes were knocked and he hurriedly rushed into the dead end of the alley.
There is no surveillance here, only a mottled cement wall, which is the most hidden corner of the entire street.
He pressed the answer button tremblingly, but before he could speak, Brother Yan’s vicious roar rang out on the other end of the phone, like a blunt instrument hitting his eardrums: “Lin Xingmian, get over here!”
Lin Xingmian’s teeth were chattering uncontrollably, and his back was pressed against the cold wall: “Yan, Brother Yan… I’m at the flower shop. If you need anything, please tell me on the phone…”
“Say on the phone?” Brother Yan seemed to have heard a huge joke, and the malice in his tone was quenched, “Who do you think you are, and you deserve to let me talk to you on the phone? I will be in the parking lot diagonally opposite you, and roll over to my car in three minutes. If you are late for a second, I will send someone to your house right now to drag your mother out of bed!”
“Don’t!” Lin Xingmian lost control instantly as if he had been stepped on, “I’m coming right now! Brother Yan, don’t touch my mother!”
The call was hung up immediately, and the busy tone on the receiver was like a hammer, hitting his nerves one after another.
He forgot to even breathe and rushed out of the alley on hands and knees.In the parking lot diagonally opposite, the familiar black business car was parked in the shadows. The window was half-down, and you could vaguely see the profile of Brother Yan, smoking a cigarette.
The sun was bright and dazzling, but Lin Xingmian felt cold all over.He didn’t dare to run, so he could only stumble and walk quickly, and every step was like stepping on the tip of a knife.When he passed by the flower shop window, he subconsciously turned his head and met Jin Xianling’s eyes.
His eyes were as cold as ice, with undisguised suspicion.
Lin Xingmian’s heart stopped, but he didn’t even have the qualifications to stop. He could only look away in embarrassment and plunge into the shadow of the parking lot.
He stood still beside the car, his head lowered, his hands tightly holding the hem of his school uniform, not even having the courage to look up.
“You’re quite impressive.” Brother Yan opened the car door and walked down, his leather shoes making a harsh sound as he ran over the gravel on the ground.He walked up to Lin Xingmian, raised his hand, and slapped him in the face.
The sound of “pop” was clear and loud.
Lin Xingmian was hit to the side of his head, and the skin on the corner of his mouth was instantly broken, and the smell of rust spread in his mouth.He didn’t dare to hide or cover his face, so he could only turn his head back stiffly, still lowering his head.
“Come here, you’re dawdling, do you think you can’t understand people?” Brother Yan took out his cigarette and gently poked Lin Xingmian’s chin with the cigarette butt, forcing him to look up.The scalding temperature made him shiver, his eyes full of fear.
“Brother Yan, I was wrong…” His voice was choked with tears, but he bit his lips to prevent tears from falling.
“Wrong?” Brother Yan sneered, suddenly raised his foot and kicked him hard on the knee socket.
Lin Xingmian was caught off guard, her legs went weak, and she knelt down on the hard cement floor with a thud.There was an excruciating pain in his knees, as if his bones were cracked, but he could only hold on, not daring to fall down.
“That’s right.” Brother Yan knelt down and patted his face, his tone contemptuous and insulting, “Look at how good you are now. I tell you, Lin Xingmian, in front of me, you are not even a human being, you are just a dog.”
He pointed at his leather shoes, his eyes as sinister as if he wanted to eat someone: “If you want your mother to live well, crawl over here like a dog and lick my shoes clean.”
Occasionally, vehicles pass by, causing a gust of wind.Lin Xingmian’s face was burning hot. Humiliation, shame, and anger were all mixed together, almost overwhelming him.He looked at the dusty leather shoes and thought of his mother lying weakly on the bed, and of Brother Yan’s threat to “drag him down”.
He had no choice.
Lin Xingmian closed her eyes, and her hot tears finally fell down and hit the concrete floor, leaving a small wet mark.
He slowly leaned down and placed his hands on the cold ground, his fingertips turning white from exertion.His knees rubbed against the rough ground, causing burning pain, but he crawled towards Brother Yan’s feet little by little, as if he had lost consciousness.
One step, two steps…
He crawled slowly, and every inch he moved seemed to be stripping away the last bit of his dignity.
Brother Yan stood aside, folding his arms, looking at his embarrassed appearance, and sneered one after another. The laughter was like a needle, piercing Lin Xingmian’s heart.
When he climbed to Brother Yan’s feet, Lin Xingmian’s school uniform was worn to the knees, with traces of blood oozing out.He stopped there, trembling all over, but did not raise his head for a long time.
“What?” Brother Yan’s voice turned cold, “Do you think it’s dirty?”
“No…” Lin Xingmian’s voice was as soft as a gnat. He slowly raised his head, his eyes empty. He was about to lower his head to touch the leather shoe, but Brother Yan suddenly raised his foot and kicked him away.
“Go away.” Brother Yan wiped his shoes in disgust and threw him a black USB flash drive. “Don’t disgust me here. Tonight, copy the purchase order from Qingfeng’an Flower Shop into this and put it in the hole of the third tree in the parking lot.”
He leaned over to Lin Xingmian’s ear and threatened in a voice that only the two of them could hear: “If you dare to play tricks, or if you fail to do it, you will be waiting to collect your mother’s body tomorrow.”
Lin Xingmian trembled, hurriedly picked up the USB flash drive on the ground, and held it tightly in his hand: “I…I know.”
“Get lost.” Brother Yan waved his hand impatiently.
Lin Xingmian supported the ground and stood up with difficulty.The severe pain in his knees made him almost unable to stand. He staggered, but did not dare to stop. He lowered his head and walked in the direction of the flower shop in embarrassment.
When passing by the flower shop, he subconsciously tidied up his messy school uniform, covered the wound at the corner of his mouth with his collar, and hid the USB flash drive deep in his schoolbag.
When I opened the door, the wind chime still sounded softly.
The eyes of Qing Fengan, Jin Xianling, and Xu Baiyan fell on him at the same time.
His hair was messy, his face was as pale as paper, his school uniform had two holes in his knees, and blood could be seen faintly oozing out, and he walked with an obvious stagger.
“What’s wrong with you?” Xu Baiyan couldn’t help but speak, with a hint of subconscious worry in his tone.
Lin Xingmian tightened his grip on the strap of his schoolbag and forced out a smile that was uglier than crying. His voice was hoarse, but he still continued to act: “No, it’s okay. I accidentally fell in the parking lot just now. It’s okay.”
Jin Xianling’s eyes were locked on the wound on his knee, and then glanced at the corners of his tight, bloodshot mouth. The coldness in his eyes was too thick to melt away.
Qing Feng’an didn’t speak, just looked at him, her eyes were calm, but she seemed to be able to see through all his disguises.
Lin Xingmian didn’t dare to look at them, lowered his head, walked quickly to the corner and sat down, curling up into a ball.
The USB flash drive in his schoolbag was like a soldering iron, so hot that it hurt the palm of his hand.
The wound on my knee was painful.
And Brother Yan’s threat was like a poisonous snake, wrapped tightly around his neck.
He knew that tonight, he had to take action.
Even if there was an abyss ahead of him, he could only jump down.
Lin Xingmian huddled in the corner of the flower shop, trying to hide himself in the shadows. The wound on his knee was painfully abraded by the fabric, but he did not dare to move more. He only lowered his head and pretended to look at the flowers and plants on the wall.
Qing Feng’an didn’t ask any more questions, just quietly taking care of the bouquets, occasionally raising her eyes to glance at him, still looking polite and distant, but in her heart she classified this person as “unknown and troubled”.
Jin Xianling stayed by Qing Fengan’s side. From time to time, he glanced coldly at Lin Xingmian, staring closely at Lin Xingmian’s every move, as if he was guarding against something. The air pressure around him was frighteningly low, and he didn’t say a word.
Xu Baiyan sat aside holding the drawing board, secretly raising his eyes to glance at Lin Xingmian several times. Looking at his pale face and broken knees, he felt a little uncomfortable, but he still remembered what he said yesterday and didn’t dare to talk to him anymore, so he just stayed quietly.
The flower shop was so quiet for a while that only the sound of scissors could be heard, and the atmosphere was indescribably subtle.
Lin Xingmian was sitting in the corner, his palms covered in cold sweat. The USB flash drive hidden in his schoolbag was like a piece of red-hot iron, which made him panic.
All he could think about was Brother Yan’s threat——
“If you can’t get the purchase order, you’ll have trouble with your mother.”
“You’re just a dog.”
When he thought of his mother lying weakly on the bed, his heart clenched in pain. Humiliation and powerlessness were mixed together, making him breathless.
He must get the purchase order.
But Qing Fengan and Jin Xianling were watching so closely, and the purchase list must be placed on the inside of the counter. It would be difficult for him to even get close, let alone secretly look at it or copy it down.
Time passed little by little, and the sunlight slowly moved across the window sill.
As evening approached, Qing Fengan turned around and went inside to answer the phone. Only Jin Xianling and Xu Baiyan were left in the store.
Xu Baiyan held the drawing board and went to the window to mix paint, his back facing the counter.
Jin Xianling lowered his head to look at his phone, not paying attention here for the moment.
Lin Xingmian’s heart skipped a beat.
The opportunity…came.
He clenched the corners of his clothes tightly, his palms were sweating, and stood up slowly, pretending to go to the door to get some air. His steps were so light that he almost made no sound, and he moved little by little to the counter.
At the very back of the counter, a stack of white receipts is pressed under the pen holder, which is the purchase receipt.
His heart was beating fast and he was trembling with nervousness. He quickly glanced at Jin Xianling and Xu Baiyan to make sure no one was looking at him. He immediately reached out and quickly opened the receipt, secretly taking two quick photos with his mobile phone.
My fingertips were shaking so much that I couldn’t press the screen firmly.
As soon as he finished taking the photo, he immediately put the receipt back in place, pretended that nothing happened, and quickly retreated to the corner, his heart still beating wildly.
After doing all this, his whole body felt a little soft, and his back was covered in cold sweat.
He did it…
But there was no relaxation in my heart, only heavy guilt and panic.
Once again, he plotted against someone who was still polite to him.
Once again, for the sake of my mother, I pushed myself into the abyss.
Not long after, Qing Fengan came out after answering the phone. Jin Xianling raised his eyes and glanced at Lin Xingmian. He didn’t notice anything strange, but he still kept a cold face and was on guard.
Xu Baiyan turned around holding the drawing paper and said with a smile: “Brother An, I’ve finished the drawing, do you think it looks good?”
Qing Feng’an walked over to look at his paintings, praised him warmly, and the shop returned to its peaceful appearance.
No one knew that at that moment, Lin Xingmian had already completed what Brother Yan had told him.
No one knows that the photos in his pocket were obtained at the cost of dignity and the safety of his mother.
The sky gradually darkened, and Qing Feng’an began to pack things and prepare to close the store.
Lin Xingmian stood up and bowed lightly to the three of them. His voice was still well-behaved, but with a subtle tone of hoarseness: “Boss Qing, Mr. Jin, Mr. Xu, I’ll leave first and won’t disturb you to close the shop.”
Qing Feng’an raised her eyes and nodded lightly: “Well, be careful on the road.”
Jin Xianling said nothing, just watched him leave with cold eyes.
Xu Baiyan waved his hand and didn’t ask any more questions.
Lin Xingmian turned around and walked out of the flower shop, and the wind chime rang gently.
When he reached the entrance of the alley, he dared to stop, lean against the wall, and let out a long breath.
The two photos of the purchase orders on the phone are like shackles.
He knew that at eight o’clock in the evening, he had to hand over the things to Brother Yan.
If you don’t pay, the mother will suffer.
Once he handed it over, he completely nailed himself as the bad guy.
The sun sets and twilight envelopes the entire old street.
Lin Xingmian clutched her phone tightly and walked step by step into the darkness.
He had no choice but to keep going.
Use everything you have left to exchange for your mother’s chance of survival.
Banxia novel, a lot of fun