Chapter 33: Don't Move (Requesting Recommendations!)

“Hello, your package has been delivered to the Donghai University No. 18 Cainiao Station. Due to excessive inventory pressure, please sign for it as soon as possible.”

During his Mao Zedong Thought class, Jiang Chen received a text message.

A delivery?

He didn't recall making any online purchases recently.

However, he didn't think much of it. After class, he handed his books to Bai Zheli to help carry them back to the dormitory.

"Chen-ge, where are you going?"

"To pick up a package."

Jiang Chen walked out of the school gate alone and arrived at the delivery station about two hundred meters away. He provided the last four digits of his phone number, only to be told by the staff that there was no package for him.

Could the number have been sent to the wrong person?

There were many people picking up deliveries, so Jiang Chen didn't want to delay their work. He quickly left the station without calling to complain; after all, delivery drivers had it hard, and mistakes were inevitable amidst such a busy schedule.

He went to a nearby convenience store to buy a drink. After a few sips, just as he was planning to head back to school, his phone rang again.

It was actually the same number that had notified him about the package.

"Hello?"

Jiang Chen answered, feeling puzzled.

There was no voice on the other end, only faint breathing and the sound of bustling traffic.

Suddenly, sensing something, Jiang Chen looked toward the roadside. He saw a man with a striking, sharp aura stepping out of a parked black Audi. The man's eyes, predatory like a jackal, seemed to lock onto him, and he was holding a phone in his hand.

"Are you Jiang Chen?"

Jiang Chen slowly lowered his phone and stared at the approaching young man, nodding.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"I have something to discuss with you. Let's find somewhere quieter."

The man put his phone in his pocket.

Clearly, he was the one who had sent the text.

"Do we know each other?"

Jiang Chen sensed something was wrong, but he didn't panic.

"We don't."

The man gave a mocking smile.

"Then why should I go with you?" Jiang Chen asked calmly.

"Because you have no choice."

The young man suddenly took a step forward. Before Jiang Chen knew it, a dagger had emerged from the sleeve of the man's casual wear, its sharp tip pressing against Jiang Chen's waist. Simultaneously, the man threw an arm around Jiang Chen's shoulder, making them look like friends so that bystanders wouldn't notice anything unusual.

"Don't move. I've killed people before."

Hearing the chilling, low laughter in his ear, Jiang Chen's body couldn't help but stiffen.

No matter how much the constant ridicule and disdain had tempered his willpower, he was still just a student. He had never experienced such a situation.

Furthermore, Jiang Chen knew this man wasn't just making empty threats. Whether he had actually killed someone was hard to say, but if Jiang Chen made a sudden move or screamed, the man would most likely strike him with that blade.

Glancing down at the cold, glinting dagger, Jiang Chen realized he had been too careless.

Setting aside the fact that he hadn't ordered anything online, how could a delivery driver use a private number to message him?

But by now, regret was too late.

"What do you want?"

"Come with me."

With one hand pressing the dagger against his waist and the other around his shoulder, the young man coerced Jiang Chen toward the black Audi parked by the road.

"Shurui, look, isn't that..."

Zheng Jingjing, who happened to be out picking up a package, raised her hand in surprise. But she immediately remembered the prohibition set by her roommate and swallowed the taboo name back down.

The beauty of the Arts Academy standing nearby glanced toward the front left. Her gaze passed over Jiang Chen and landed on the young man who appeared to be very intimate with him.

Based on his age and attire, he didn't look like a student at all.

Moreover, why did she feel a vague sense of familiarity, as if she had seen him somewhere before?

"Who is that guy? He's probably not from our school, right? Why does he look so familiar?"

Coincidentally, Zheng Jingjing felt the exact same way.

Her finely drawn eyebrows furrowed slightly. Li Shurui thought for a moment before she finally remembered.

That man seemed to be a friend of Liang Zhenlun.

They had encountered him once while clubbing; under Liang Zhenlun's introduction, they had even shared a drink.

His surname seemed to be Bai, but she had forgotten his full name. He was definitely not a good person.

Although he was dressed neatly today, Li Shurui still clearly remembered his menacing full-sleeve tattoo.

Why would one of Liang Zhenlun's friends be with Jiang Chen?

Watching the two walk toward the Audi, Li Shurui keenly sensed something was wrong. She immediately connected it to the rumors of Ai Qian and Liang Zhenlun breaking up, as well as the things Ai Qian had told her previously...

It was obvious.

This man surnamed Bai was most likely sent by Liang Zhenlun to get revenge on Jiang Chen.

Given Liang Zhenlun's narrow-mindedness as a playboy, nothing he did would be surprising.

Despite her suspicions, Li Shurui had no intention of meddling in other people's business.

After all, she and Jiang Chen were neither relatives nor friends.

"Let's go."

She nudged Zheng Jingjing, who was still wondering where she had seen that man, and headed toward the delivery station. Along the way, Li Shurui took one last look back.

The man surnamed Bai had already opened the car door and pushed Jiang Chen inside.

"Shurui, help me carry these."

When girls shop online, it's like shopping at a supermarket—they buy in huge quantities. Zheng Jingjing had too many packages to carry and wanted Li Shurui's help, but when she turned around, she found her friend gone.

"Where did she go?" she asked, bewildered.

"Following that Audi ahead."

Li Shurui had already boarded a taxi.

Although she wasn't close to Jiang Chen, they were fellow students. If she stood by and did nothing and something truly happened to him, her conscience wouldn't let her rest.

"I have some business to attend to. I'll be back later."

To prevent Zheng Jingjing from worrying, she sent a text.

The Audi swerved left and right through the streets for about twenty minutes before stopping in front of an unfinished construction site on Dongyue Avenue.

A massive poster was plastered on the exterior wall, stating that the project was constructed by the Sifang Real Estate Group.

"No need for change."

Seeing that the two had already entered the construction site, Li Shurui dropped a hundred-yuan bill and quickly stepped out of the taxi.

"Friend, how should I address you?"

To say she wasn't nervous at all would be a lie. The surrounding buildings under construction, the steel frames and iron plates everywhere, the towering cranes—this scene was a classic setting from a crime movie.

In movies, after kidnappers take a hostage, they usually bring them to places like this, which are also high-incidence areas for violent crimes.

Despite the tension, Jiang Chen understood that fear was useless. In times like this, one had to remain calm.

"Bai Haoran."

The man revealed his name quite candidly, appearing completely unconcerned.

In crime movies, criminals usually hide their identities and never use their real names. To be this direct suggested he was prepared to...

Jiang Chen's expression stiffened slightly. "Mr. Bai, I don't think we know each other. I'm not sure if I've offended you..."

"Isn't Donghai University a top-tier institution? Can't you figure out such a simple question?"

As he spoke, Bai Haoran pushed Jiang Chen into a building that was only halfway constructed.

Neither of them noticed a shadow quietly following behind them.

(End of Chapter)