Wild School Boy Was Picked Up And Brought Home By His Professor Chapter 16
byChapter 16: A Unique Flavor
They spent the entire day touring the scenic area. As dusk approached, the black SUV pulled up in front of a high-end apartment building.
Shen Beidao turned his head to look at Lin Yi, who was preparing to get out of the passenger seat.
“So… I’m going upstairs?” Lin Yi’s voice was slightly drawn out and lingering, the tail end rising subtly, seemingly trying to entice someone.
He was slow to unbuckle his seatbelt, as if the clasp were unusually complicated.
Shen Beidao gave a soft “Mm,” watching Lin Yi slowly drag himself out of the car before finally unbuckling his own seatbelt and stepping out.
He retrieved a bulging shopping bag from the back seat. It was filled with various snacks Lin Yi had stuffed into it earlier at the imported goods supermarket.
He handed the bag over, his gaze resting on Lin Yi’s excessively handsome face, and instructed, “Don’t eat too many snacks tonight; they’re hard to digest.”
Lin Yi replied, “I’m still growing; I digest things super fast!”
He took a step closer, extending his index finger and poking Shen Beidao’s chest through the thin fabric of his shirt. The touch was warm and firm. “You’re clearly about the same age as me. Where do you get all these weird health theories? You sound like a dad.”
Shen Beidao was visibly stunned by the comment. “…Do I look that old?”
Lin Yi leaned in, almost pressing his face against Shen Beidao’s, his clear eyes seriously scrutinizing his face: “Oh, now that you mention it, I think I really see a few fine lines right here at the corners of your eyes?”
Shen Beidao frowned, silent for two seconds. Then, without changing his expression, he spoke in the calm tone of someone stating a scientific fact: “Is that so? Perhaps I’ve been eating too many sweets lately, causing glycation reactions, which is why a few lines have appeared.”
“Pfft… Haha…” Lin Yi couldn’t hold back, laughing so hard he had to clutch his waist. “Shen Beidao, you… you can even invent an excuse like that. Are you trying to fool a child?”
“Only children like to eat snacks.”
“Oh, come on… Anyone with a mouth loves to eat.” Lin Yi held his waist, tears from laughing still clinging to the corners of his eyes. He looked at Shen Beidao’s somewhat cool gaze.
He then leaned close to Shen Beidao’s ear, his warm breath whispering, “I was just teasing you! You look fair and smooth, and your skin is very firm. Even if you really had wrinkles, they would be… well, a unique flavor.”
A pleasant scent lingered around Shen Beidao. He almost instinctively wanted to reach out and pull this “cunning little rabbit” who was laughing into his arms…
“Then would you like to taste my flavor?” Shen Beidao leaned in, closing the distance…
“No!” Lin Yi seemed to have anticipated his move. He suddenly stood up straight, immediately extending his arm to press against Shen Beidao’s chest, blocking the overly ambiguous space between them.
Immediately after, Shen Beidao saw an auntie walking slowly by, leading a child, who glanced curiously in their direction.
He understood Lin Yi’s sudden change of demeanor.
“I’m leaving! See you next time!” Lin Yi grabbed the snack bag and entered the apartment building, his figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the elevator lobby, as if he would be caught by something if he delayed even a second.
Shen Beidao remained standing there, not leaving immediately.
His gaze followed the disappearing figure until he confirmed that the glass door had not opened again.
The evening breeze brushed across the stray hairs on his forehead, bringing a hint of coolness and dispersing the lingering, heart-stirring scent in the air.
The warmth and indulgence on his face gradually faded, returning to his usual composure. He took out his phone and dialed a number.
Once the call connected, “Hello, I need to report a crime. I’ve been defrauded.”
“Someone threatened me with photos and demanded I transfer one million yuan to him… Yes, that’s right… I’ve already transferred it to him…”
Lin Yi hummed a tune as he returned to his spacious, bright apartment, which felt a little too neat and cold due to his living alone.
He tossed the snack bag onto the soft carpet in the living room and walked into the bathroom.
The warm water washed over his body, also washing away the small flutter of excitement from earlier.
He was in high spirits, drawing a big smiley face on the fogged-up mirror.
He thought, when you meet someone you like, the whole world truly becomes wonderfully beautiful…
Stepping out of the bathroom, his hair was still dripping water. He casually wrapped himself in a bathrobe, exposing his delicate collarbone, and picked up the phone he had tossed on the bed. When the screen lit up, it showed several unread messages.
Li Rui: Zexuan went to the US. I saw his location on his Moments a few days ago.
Li Rui: Isn’t he studying in Sucheng? Why did he suddenly run off so far? He hasn’t been tricked into doing something illegal over there, has he?
Lin Yi frowned. Zhang Zexuan, that kid, went to the US? Why hadn’t he heard anything about it? He clicked on Zhang Zexuan’s profile picture and entered his Moments feed.
However, what greeted him was a cold, horizontal line.
“Shit!” Lin Yi couldn’t help but curse under his breath. “Did this guy block me?”
He immediately screenshotted Zhang Zexuan’s empty Moments interface and sent it to Li Rui: Is his Moments like this?
Li Rui: It’s like this [Photo]
The photo showed Zhang Zexuan grinning in Times Square, and another showed him spreading his arms in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Every location was crystal clear—he looked exactly like a rich young master enjoying a vacation!
Just then, Zhang Zexuan sent him several messages, and the chat box began popping up frantically—
Zhang Zexuan: Yi Ge! Are you there? Urgent matter!
Zhang Zexuan: Your dad just received a call from the police station and rushed back. His face didn’t look right.
Zhang Zexuan: Well, don’t get mad, but your dad… brought me along on this business trip.
Zhang Zexuan: I originally didn’t want to tell you. I wanted to wait until I messed up their plans and gave you a surprise, but the situation is urgent now, so I have to tell you in advance.
Lin Yi: ?
Zhang Zexuan: Just now, that little bitch called your dad. I happened to overhear it. He was crying the whole time, sobbing uncontrollably. I don’t know what he said, but your dad got anxious right after the call and booked the earliest flight back.
Zhang Zexuan: You better hurry back and stop him! Don’t let your dad’s heart soften because of the crying and actually take him abroad to register their marriage!
Lin Yi recognized every word in Zhang Zexuan’s string of messages, but combined, they formed a picture he completely failed to understand.
“When did Zhang Zexuan start working? And as Xie Chun’s assistant?” Lin Yi remembered the last time he mentioned joining the company was just last week…
Lin Yi immediately called Zhang Zexuan.
But the call was rejected.
The screen jumped back to the chat interface.
Zhang Zexuan’s new message popped up:
Your dad is sitting right next to me now! Calling might alert them.
Gotta go, gotta go. The plane is taking off soon, and I’ll lose signal! Talk when I get back to China.
The all-night police interview was exhausting, but Shen Beidao maintained his clarity, cooperating with the police to clarify every detail.
By noon the next day, Du Xiaoman had been apprehended and was temporarily detained at the police station.
Just as Shen Beidao was having a final discussion with the lawyer he hired, a hurried figure entered his peripheral vision—it was Xie Chun.
The lawyer suggested quickly and quietly, “Mr. Shen, if you do not wish to meet the defendant’s family directly, all subsequent matters, including negotiation for understanding and communication regarding restitution, can be fully entrusted to me.”
Meeting Xie Chun at this moment was indeed highly inappropriate.
Shen Beidao nodded slightly, stood up, put on his mask, and prepared to leave.
As Shen Beidao passed the adjacent interrogation room, his steps involuntarily paused for a moment.
A clear conversation drifted out from the crack in the door.
Police Officer: “May I ask your relationship with Du Xiaoman?”
Xie Chun’s voice was slightly breathless from rushing: “I am an elder relative of his. His parents are divorced and currently unreachable, and they are unwilling to come, so I came first to understand the situation.”
Police Officer: “Understood. Based on our preliminary investigation and existing evidence, Du Xiaoman is suspected of constituting the crime of extortion.
According to legal provisions, extortion involving property valued at 2,000 to 5,000 yuan or more meets the standard for filing a case.”
The officer paused, his tone becoming more serious: “The amount he demanded this time reached one million RMB, which far exceeds the ordinary standard.
According to the Criminal Law, extortion involving an amount of 300,000 to 500,000 yuan or more is classified as ‘an especially huge amount,’ which is punishable by fixed-term imprisonment of ten years or more…”
Perhaps seeing Xie Chun’s instantly pale face, the officer routinely added a note about subsequent possibilities: “However, if the suspect actively returns the illicit gains and compensates the victim for economic losses during the subsequent judicial process, it can be viewed as an expression of admitting guilt and repentance. The court will consider leniency when determining the final sentence…”
“Understood, thank you.” Xie Chun reached out and accepted the copies of some evidence documents handed over by the police.
Xie Chun’s eyes held a trace of panic. He truly didn’t understand why Du Xiaoman would resort to extortion.
It wasn’t until his gaze fixed on one of the printed photographs…
That wasn’t Du Xiaoman, nor was it anyone else he had expected…
The person in the photo was his son, Lin Yi.