Lack of Love

 

Extra 01

A black minivan sped up the mountain, driving through winding and twisting roads. Whether it was intentional or not, the car bumped along for nearly two hours before coming to a stop.

Zhong Qiran’s vision was blurred, unable to see anything. His hands were tied behind his back, and he didn’t dare to move. Beside him was another bound man, a stranger he had never met before. He had no idea why he ended up in this situation just by going to the mall to buy some clothes.

The car door opened, and one of the kidnappers suddenly yanked him out of the car. There was a height difference between the car and the ground, causing him to fall and land in a pile of fallen leaves, creating a rustling sound.

Shortly after, the unfamiliar man was also pulled out of the car and fell nearby. Zhong Qiran heard a soft groan.

The fragmented footsteps of the kidnappers echoed on the fallen leaves as they slowly approached. There were three of them in total, even though Zhong Qiran couldn’t see them. The black fabric in front of his eyes allowed some light to pass through, indicating that it was still daytime.

One of them, who seemed to be the mastermind, asked, “Who is Yan Hao?”

Zhong Qiran remained silent, but he heard the man next to him, the bound stranger, confess, “It’s me.”

“Why did we capture two people?” This question wasn’t directed at the captive, but clearly aimed at his two accomplices or subordinates.

One of them replied nervously, “They were standing too close, and we couldn’t tell who was who. Afraid of catching the wrong person, we brought them both.”

The mastermind then turned the question to the captive, “What is your relationship?”

This time, the man named Yan Hao didn’t answer. It was Zhong Qiran who spoke up, saying, “I am his lover.”

“Is that so?” The mastermind sneered with a sarcastic tone. “I haven’t heard that Mr. Yan has such a preference. When did his taste change?”

Yan Hao didn’t deny it but simply said, “That’s none of your business.”

When Zhong Qiran heard this response, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. He didn’t know who these people were, but it was evident that they were proficient in such matters. He was inexplicably bound, and the people they were after weren’t him. If he didn’t establish some connection with the main target, he might be torn apart on the spot. Being relatives was too far-fetched, and they weren’t close enough to be considered friends. Only a lover was at a level they couldn’t touch. If they truly valued this “captive,” he could only take a gamble.

There was a long silence this time, making Zhong Qiran nervous. After all, in his peaceful life of twenty-one years, this was the first time he had encountered such a crisis. The reason might be absurd, but at least half of it was not entirely wrong. He liked men, and that was an undeniable fact. The man beside him seemed calm, silently confronting their captors.

The mastermind scrutinized Yan Hao’s face several times before seemingly believing his words. He then instructed his two subordinates, “Lock them up inside.”

The two men were pulled up and pushed towards a dark and damp room, hit by a musty smell that wasn’t pleasant.

Zhong Qiran couldn’t see the way and tripped over things on the ground twice. One of the henchmen probably couldn’t bear it and dragged him to a corner. Yan Hao, who was called out by name, was a bit far away from him and engaged in a conversation with the mastermind, “Who are you? What do you plan to do?”

The man replied, “Don’t worry, we just want money. It’s said that the Yan family has been in business for generations. We only want a sum for a trip abroad. Once we have the money, we’ll let you go.”

The words were spoken very cleverly, and Zhong Qiran could tell. These people were probably desperate individuals planning to extort money and escape abroad, never to return. That’s why they targeted a wealthy person. Zhong Qiran didn’t usually pay much attention to financial news, so even though he didn’t know who Yan Hao was, he knew which Yan family they were referring to. Suddenly, he regretted his lie; it was a glaring flaw.

Yan Hao said, “How much do you want? I can give it to you without involving my family.”

“That won’t do. If you try anything suspicious and reveal our location, all our efforts will be wasted,” replied the mastermind in a casual tone, his threats not sounding fake. “If you dare make a move, be prepared for your family to collect your corpses.”

Yan Hao remained silent for a moment before saying, “You can contact my family, but they don’t know about this. I hope you won’t say too much…”

Zhong Qiran was stunned, not expecting this stranger to consider his situation as well.

The mastermind seemed to chuckle and spoke with a contemptuous tone, “I didn’t expect you to protect your little lover. I remember you are the only child of the Yan family. How could you be interested in men?”

Yan Hao didn’t respond and allowed them to mock and laugh.

After a while, the man finally said, “Fine, let’s not talk about it. But I want double the ransom.”

The amount mentioned by the other party startled Zhong Qiran. Yan Hao, however, didn’t hesitate and agreed readily, saying, “Okay.”

After temporarily reaching an agreement, both of them were stripped of their belongings and locked in a small room. The room seemed even darker, and the black cloth covering their eyes allowed no light to enter.

Zhong Qiran waited in silence, confirming that the kidnappers were unlikely to come in for the time being, before calling out to the man, “Let’s untie each other.”

Both of their hands were bound behind their backs, so they had to untie the ropes back to back. Their ankles were also tied, forcing them to awkwardly shuffle their bodies closer to each other. The ropes were tied tightly, and in the darkness, they struggled for a while without any signs of loosening. Zhong Qiran grew exhausted, breathing heavily. Their shoulders and backs were pressed against each other, and he caught a pleasant scent of men’s cologne coming from Yan Hao.

At that moment, Yan Hao suggested, “Let’s start by removing the cloth from our eyes.”

“Okay. I’ll help you first.”

Yan Hao turned around, lowering his head to bring his hands closer to Zhong Qiran’s.

The first thing Zhong Qiran touched was Yan Hao’s chin, then he gradually explored his facial features. He had never touched a man’s face at such a close distance, and his hands trembled, but more than that, he felt fear and unease.

Yan Hao suddenly asked, “Do you live with your family? Do you need to let them know you’re safe?”

Zhong Qiran’s hand paused for a moment, not knowing what he was thinking, but surprisingly, he calmed down. He touched Yan Hao’s head and used his fingertips to undo the knot, saying, “No need. I live alone. My family is in another city, so there’s no need to worry them.”

Yan Hao nodded, and suddenly, the cloth covering the back of his head loosened as Zhong Qiran removed it.

He took a moment to adjust to the darkness, slowly opening his eyes. The room was dim, and he could barely see anything, but there was a faint moonlight seeping through the iron window near the ceiling.

He surveyed the room before returning his gaze to the young man in front of him, who had his back turned. “Your turn.”

Instead of turning around immediately, the young man faced him. He seemed quite young, like a student, with a slender figure and cheap clothes. He had a pointed chin, pale lips, slightly reddened lower lip, probably from biting it out of nervousness. In the dim light, his hair softly fell by his ear, giving him a somewhat seductive appearance.

When Zhong Qiran lowered his head, the man turned around, using his hands behind him to remove the cloth from Zhong Qiran’s eyes. Yan Hao turned his head slightly, unable to see where the knot was due to the darkness. While searching, he inadvertently touched the man’s lips, feeling a softness akin to cotton candy on his fingertips.

Zhong Qiran trembled slightly but didn’t say anything. He simply turned his head, guiding the man’s hand to the correct position.

Yan Hao successfully untied the cloth from Zhong Qiran’s head.

Zhong Qiran opened his eyes and finally saw the man’s face. He had handsome eyebrows, sharp nose, and well-defined features. However, for some unknown reason, he felt a hint of coldness in the man’s eyes, a sense of vigilance, unfamiliarity, and distrust. But it lasted only for a moment, and when he blinked, that feeling disappeared.

It wasn’t until they escaped together that Zhong Qiran learned that Yan Hao had actually guessed who the mastermind behind his kidnapping was.

That person had been in business competition with him for some time, resorting to various underhanded tactics. So Zhong Qiran misunderstood, thinking that he was just a pawn in one of the man’s schemes.