Chapter 33: Confusing

Today's events had distressed Chu Qin to the point where he couldn't even restrain the s.h.i.+vers wracking his body when saying the word 'rape'. He urgently needed a round of unrestrained intimacy to let him forget it.

"What?" Zhong Yibin's body stiffened. He was a little dazed.

The house was silent for a minute. Chu Qin coughed dryly. They had played this game in the past but Zhong Yibin had evidently forgotten about it, making the atmosphere very awkward.

Zhong Yibin turned over and sat up. Seeing Chu Qin's ears turn red momentarily, he suddenly realized his good fortune and asked in an ecstatic yet anxious tone, "ra…pe… how, how to do?"

"Like…like…" This question put Chu Qin on the spot. Explaining this sort of shameful game under the gaze of such clear, limpid eyes was really too embarra.s.sing, "Aiya, I was talking nonsense, we're not playing anymore!"

Chu Qin buried his face into the pillow, not having any face to see him.

Zhong Yibin c.o.c.ked his head and gazed at him before leaving the room.

Chu Qin heaved a sigh of relief after hearing the footsteps in the distance. The pressure was too heavy when facing a lover who had amnesia. He wanted to play something more stimulating, causing a slip of the tongue, yet there was also a feeling of teaching the child the wrong things. He even made himself seem like a male vixen, too embarra.s.sing.

"Qin Qin, come over for a moment!" Zhong Yibin's voice could be heard from the living room. His voice seemed a little anxious.

Chu Qin got up, wore his slippers and raced to the living room. Just as he rounded the corner, a shadow suddenly scuttled towards him from the back and hugged him. The hand was even holding a towel to cover his mouth.

"Whoa!" Chu Qin was shocked and struggled furiously. The person behind him was strong and easily subdued him.

"Be more honest!" The beautiful, deep voice sounded as if it was intentionally taking on a fierce tone. Who could it be if not for Zhong Yibin?

This time, it was Chu Qin who was in a daze. While he was staring foolishly, Zhong Yibin bound his hands and feet with rope, carried him into the bedroom and tossed him onto the bed.

"Hehehe! Don't be scared, Uncle[1] will take of you, okay?" A strip of cloth was even wrapped around Zhong Yibin's face. The black cloth was only five centimeters wide and only covered the bridge of his nose. No other parts were covered, just that it made him appear somewhat wicked.

Chu Qin's limbs were bound so he could only flop around a little like a silkworm.

"Hehehe…" Zhong Yibin smiled wickedly and slapped that smooth and round bottom, "It'll be more comfortable for you if you're more honest. If not, you'll have to endure it."

These words sounded evil but Chu Qin's body inadvertently reacted. With a flushed face, he said without much confidence, "Don't… don't want…"

Zhong Yibin ignored him and made a wretched expression like that of a perverted uncle, pouncing on him to kiss him.

The house was simultaneously filled with all sorts of shameless lines:

"Call out, no one will save you even if you shout till your throat is sore!"

"Don't, please release me, boohoo…"

"I'll consider it if you serve this elder well. Be more honest, tramp[2]!"

This game was played to their hearts' content. In the end, Chu Qin really cried out for mercy with red eyes. But a certain someone was beyond happy because in his memory, it was their first time indulging in such a game. Chu Qin did successfully overcome the psychological trauma attached to the word, because he was simply too tired to have the time to think about it. After the person on top of him stopped moving and his breathing evened out, he quickly fell asleep.

It was already dark by the time Zhong Jiabin reached home. Mother Zhong was seated in the living room, watching the 8 o'clock soap opera.

"I'll give you one million yuan[3], leave my son now!" The rich and powerful grandma in the drama threw a check at the female lead's face.

"Auntie, I don't want money. My love can't be bought even if you give me ten million yuan! Love is priceless!" The female lead tore the check with a face of grief and indignation and left.

"You're back?" Mother Zhong glanced at her eldest son and continued to immerse herself in the world of soap operas.

"Jiu—" The scene on the TV screen suddenly became a beam of light on the pitch-black screen before disappearing.

"What are you doing!" Mother Zhong happened to be at the show's crucial point and angrily glared at her eldest son, whose hand was holding onto the remote control.

Zhong Jiabin placed the file in his hands onto the coffee table and pushed it towards his mother. With a cold expression on his face, he said, "Mother, take a look at this." Saying this, he slowly raised his hand and the maid who was doing her ch.o.r.es immediately left the living room.

Mother Zhong picked up the file and a pair of retro presbyopic gla.s.ses resting on the table. She put the gla.s.ses on and calmly looked through it. As she read, the creases on her brows grew ever more deep.

"The prosecutors think that the person who incited the kidnappers and got them to rape Chu Qin did it because they wanted Chu Qin to lose his standing. However, I think that this was done with the intention of getting Yibin to loathe him," While Zhong Jiabin was speaking, he kept a close eye on his mother's expressions from start to end.

"What are you looking at me for? I didn't find anyone to rape him, it's not like I'm a pervert!" Only then did Mother Zhong realize what he meant, and she looked at her eldest son in shock. No matter how much she hated Chu Qin, it wasn't possible for her to commit such ridiculous acts.

The Zhong family's big brother slowly pressed his lips into a thin line and silently watched his mother for a while, "It's good that you didn't partic.i.p.ate in it. If not, how would you face Yibin in the future…" After saying this, he picked up the file and went upstairs.

After her eldest son left, Mother Zhong remained in a daze at her spot for a long time before suddenly becoming anxious. She picked up her phone and made a call, "Mengmeng, tell me honestly, what were you doing the day Chu Qin was kidnapped?"

It was silent for a moment. Then, Zhou Zimeng's voice was heard, "Auntie, don't think too much. We didn't even wait for Chu Qin that day. If you don't believe me, you can go ask Wu Wan."

Zhong Jiabin stood on the staircase and watched his mother make the call with deep eyes.

Since the crucial piece of evidence pinpointing the mastermind was missing, they could only settle the kidnapping case first. After Baldie heard that their sentence could be lightened if the mastermind was identified, he told them everything he knew. However, he didn't know who the other party was. The down payment was paid in cash and the mastermind was also not the one who paid them. Only that phone contained the records of the number they used to communicate with the mastermind.

During Chu Qin's rest time, he stared dazedly at his phone. The picture of the letter confirming the evidence was on the phone's screen.

"What are you looking at?" Lin Xiaoxiao moved over as she drank water. Seeing the picture on his phone, she asked, "What is this?"

Certain pieces of evidence could not be shown to others. Chu Qin locked his phone screen, "Letter confirming the evidence, it's a confidential doc.u.ment."

"Che, what confidential. It was me who pa.s.sed some of the evidence to the police," Lin Xiaoxiao curled her lip in disdain.

"What did you pa.s.s?" Chu Qin smiled as he asked.

Lin Xiaoxiao recounted it as if wanting to take credit for her achievement. That day, Chu Qin was already unconscious after being sent to the hospital, so she helped the police to take off his coat, "Those b.l.o.o.d.y clothes of yours, dirty pants, there was even a spoilt phone…"

"Wait!" The smile on Chu Qin's face faded. He grabbed Lin Xiaoxiao's hand, "What phone?"

"It's an old, dirty phone. The police said it was evidence and they had to take it away. I saw that it wasn't your phone so I gave it to them," Lin Xiaoxiao said unconcernedly.

Chu Qin took a sluggish breath. He was too nervous at that point in time and couldn't remember clearly if he had dropped the phone at the cornfield or kept it in his hand. Now it seemed like he had always held onto that phone. The police also received it so where was the phone now?

When Zhong Jiabin received Chu Qin's call, he remained silent for a while, "Got it." Right after he hung up, Zhong Yibin pushed the door open.

"Brother, has Chu Qin contacted you?" Zhong Yibin leapt to the front of the Director's desk, picked up his brother's tea and gulped it all down.

"He just called. This matter isn't simple, someone interfered," Zhong Jiabin pursed his lips. "I'll think of something."

Zhong Yibin let out a breath. Although he really wanted to help, his amnesia meant that he couldn't remember any of his connections. Even if he did still remember them, none of them would be as useful as the people his brother knew, "Brother, give me two security guards."

Chu Qin wouldn't be safe till the mastermind was found. He couldn't be by Chu Qin's side at every moment, so someone needed to be there to watch over him. For lack of a better option, the Zhong family's big brother could only give him two. "Also, hand that matter involving Yuhua and Big Fish to me," Zhong Yibin really wanted to know about Yu Tang's purpose for acquiring Old Waves. It was certainly not for the sake of money. He constantly had a feeling that this would be of great use to him as well.

Zhong Jiabin was very gratified by his brother's willingness to handle matters, "It isn't good to manipulate this matter, just ask me if you don't understand anything." Saying this, he threw a stack of information at the side towards him. It comprised of data regarding their compet.i.tion with Yuhua for the plot of land, as well as an a.n.a.lysis of Yuhua's financial affairs. At the bottom, there was even a section on the a.n.a.lysis of Big Fish and Old Wave's equity shares.

Then, a young man with an ordinary face walked in, dressed in a suit.

"I'll a.s.sign Secretary Lu to you, he's following this project closely," The Zhong family's big brother introduced the mediocre-looking secretary, whose name was Lu Peng.

"Alright," Zhong Yibin happened to lack a reliable secretary. Although Secretary Jin was considerate of him, the movie incident showed that he wasn't meticulous enough when carrying out tasks, which caused Zhong Yibin to feel insecure.

Zhong Yibin went to meet Yu Tang along with Secretary Lu and his brother's authorization letter. Yu Tang looked at him with keen interest, "You've been rather enthusiastic lately." He would naturally check the other person out thoroughly when working with them. He was very clear on what kind of person Zhong Yibin was in the past.

"Yup," Zhong Yibin smiled, "I have an uncontrollable urge to become strong after having someone to protect." This statement was said with deep heroic pa.s.sion. One could even hear the moving sound effects in the background.

At the side, the corner of Secretary Lu's mouth twitched.

Surprisingly, Yu Tang didn't find it strange at all and even nodded in approval, "Do you know why I acquired Old Wave?"

"Definitely not for money, is it for Director Song?" Zhong Yibin guessed. Director Song was Xinghai Entertainment's Director Song Xiao, who was also Yu Tang's boyfriend.

"Yes and no," Yu Tang took a sip of red wine, "I want to control public opinion."

If he didn't want anyone to badmouth his wife when he announced their marriage to the public, he would need to control public opinion.

"Do you know why musical compositions from the South dominated during the Wei and Jin dynasties? It's precisely because the scholars controlled public opinion, which caused the citizens to view them as elegant in nature," Yu Tang smiled faintly. And what he wanted to do was to let the people feel that he and Song Xiao were most suited for each other, while considering all opposition heresy.

Zhong Yibin's eyes widened little by little. Things could actually be done in such a way!

The author has something to say:

Small theater:

Er Bing: Let's roleplay again today

Qin Qin: Play what?

Er Bing: I'll play Ultraman, you play the tiny monster

Qin Qin: … So high level, what next?

Er Bing: Then you can lie down and let me bully you!

Qin Qin: But Ultraman can only battle for three minutes →_→

Er Bing: ……

[1] The characters used here are said in a deeper tone than the normal 'Uncle', which gives it a more sinister feel.

[2] 小婊砸: This term refers to prost.i.tute, but lacks the negative connotations. Anybody who uses this term is joking/fooling around like our couple here.

[3] No currency was specified in the raws but it's probably in yuan, which is the Chinese currency.

Translator's corner: Hope everyone's week is going well! It's the first week of school for me :”)