Lack of Love

Extra 03

The mastermind returned at the perfect time, interrupting them.

The two accomplices touched the back of their heads, somewhat embarrassed, and replied, “Just bored, passing the time…”

“I didn’t ask you to stay and play,” the mastermind scolded the two before turning to Yan Hao and saying, “I have already contacted your parents…”

Zhang Qiran didn’t pay much attention to what the person said. His face was still red, his heart was beating fast, and his breath hadn’t completely calmed down. All he knew was that Yan Hao’s family had agreed to pay the ransom. They would have to wait another two days at most, and once they had the money, they would be released.

The mastermind was cautious and unwilling to reveal too much information. After finishing what needed to be said, he left with the two accomplices.

The door closed, leaving them alone again.

Only in moments like this did Zhang Qiran feel relieved that they couldn’t see each other’s expressions due to their blindfolds. He realized he was too close to Yan Hao, close enough to feel the other’s breath, so he quickly took a few steps back, creating some distance.

Yan Hao remained silent for a moment, lost in thought. Suddenly, he asked, “Is it your first kiss?”

Zhang Qiran didn’t want to answer that question, but he felt that his poor reaction couldn’t deceive Yan Hao, so he reluctantly admitted, “Yes.”

Yan Hao asked again, “Do you like men?”

Zhang Qiran was surprised and left speechless, wondering how Yan Hao had sensed it. Was he too perceptive? Or did he accidentally reveal his orientation? However, this time he didn’t confess; he only said, “That shouldn’t concern you.”

Yan Hao didn’t pursue the matter. He had initially suspected that Zhang Qiran was intentionally sent to get close to him, but his inexperienced response to the kiss didn’t seem like an act. Was his acting skills too good? Or did he really have no experience? Yan Hao thought there might be a chance to observe and probe further. He had thought he would reject kissing another man, but when he remembered catching a glimpse of Zhang Qiran’s red-bitten lower lip last night in the darkness, everything seemed to come naturally…

After a moment of silence, Yan Hao changed the topic, saying, “We saw the faces of their two accomplices. Do you think he will really let us go?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiran’s ambiguous feelings vanished, and his heart grew cold. “Do you know why they kidnapped you?”

Yan Hao knew the reason, but he replied, “I don’t know. But I know that once they have the money, there’s a good chance they’ll tear up the tickets and won’t let you go either.”

He intended to frighten Zhang Qiran. If the other person was indeed involved with them in order to save himself, he might reveal the truth voluntarily. But if it was just his misunderstanding, it didn’t matter. It could be considered an accidental encounter. After all, the two of them couldn’t escape without outside help. However, Yan Hao needed to determine whether this young man was an enemy or a friend.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiran was shocked and afraid. “But aren’t you the young master of the Yan family? How dare they… .”

Yan Hao calmly said, “Perhaps you have misunderstood something. Money isn’t all-powerful.”

Zhang Qiran remained stunned for a while, completely silent.

They still had no food that night. Later, Zhang Qiran suggested removing the blindfolds they were wearing.

Yan Hao asked him, “Aren’t you afraid?”

Zhang Qiran replied, “I am. But I don’t want to sit and wait for death. Even if we can’t escape, at least we should leave some clues. I can’t… I can’t do nothing and give up like this.”

Yan Hao didn’t expect that this scare would actually give Zhang Qiran the courage to act. However, it seemed that he had overreacted.

Yan Hao said, “Come here, I’ll help you remove it.”

So the two of them used the same clumsy method as last night to remove the blindfolds.

The weather that night was bad, with dark clouds covering the moon, making everything dim. When Zhang Qiran opened his eyes, he could barely make out Yan Hao’s silhouette. In this darkness, he slowly groped around every corner of the room. The surroundings were bare with cement walls and no furniture. There was only one door leading outside, and it was locked. The only place they could see outside was the small ventilated iron window in the corner near the ceiling, but the opening was too small for an adult man to escape through.

No wonder the kidnappers weren’t worried about them escaping. Even if they weren’t bound, they would probably have no way out.

Yan Hao had already understood the situation last night, so he just sat there without moving, allowing Zhang Qiran to try different things. But soon, he noticed that Zhang Qiran was sitting in a strange position in the corner and wasn’t moving anymore.

Yan Hao waited for a while and realized that Zhang Qiran was still in that position, so he asked, “What are you doing?”

Zhang Qiran whispered, “Cutting the rope.”

Yan Hao moved closer to take a look and stared for a while before noticing a small protruding screw in the corner. However, this screw was smooth and didn’t have much cutting effect. Rather than saying he was cutting the rope, it was more accurate to say he was grinding it. Moreover, the position of the small screw was not low, and the hands bound behind his back had to be lifted high. Anyone with some sports experience would know that this position would make the arms very sore.

Yan Hao thought Zhang Qiran was wasting his efforts but didn’t discourage him. He simply said, “It will take a long time like this.”

“If it takes a long time, then so be it. It gives me something to do, and I feel more at ease.”

Yan Hao didn’t say anything further and let him be.

It started raining in the middle of the night, and the air was filled with a damp soil smell. The raindrops tapped on the iron railing of the window, sounding like a lullaby.

Yan Hao glanced in Zhang Qiran’s direction and saw him still in the same position, but it was too dark to see clearly. He didn’t know if the young man had given up or was still trying to break free. He didn’t bother to intervene; he only watched for a while before closing his eyes and falling asleep again.

When it was about to dawn, the rain had probably stopped. There was no annoying sound of rain, making it the best time to sleep.

However, Yan Hao heard faint rustling sounds, and his alertness immediately awakened him. He opened his eyes and saw Zhang Qiran slowly moving towards him. The rope in his hands had already come loose, and his pale wrists were marked with deep indentations. It was because the rope had only been partially cut, and his hands had been pulling and struggling countless times.

Yan Hao glanced briefly, unable to express the emotions in his heart.

Seeing that he was awake, Zhong Qiran said, “Turn around, I’ll help you untie the ropes.”

Yan Hao turned to the side and asked, “You didn’t sleep all night?”

“Yeah,” Zhong Qiran answered easily, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

But Yan Hao clearly felt it. The hands that untied the rope were trembling severely, indicating fatigue and pain, and Zhong Qiran had gone hungry the whole night.

After his hands regained freedom, without thinking, Yan Hao turned around and held Zhong Qiran’s hands. It was a completely subconscious gesture, and even he didn’t understand what he wanted to do. He knew that Zhong Qiran’s actions weren’t for him, at most it was a shared hardship, but he still felt an unprecedented and strange tenderness, similar to pity, yet not quite.

Zhong Qiran seemed a bit startled but probably didn’t know what to do. He gently withdrew his hands and thought about untying the ropes on both of them.

Yan Hao noticed but said, “Wait.”

Zhong Qiran looked at him in confusion.

Yan Hao said, “Even if we untie them, we can’t escape. It’s useless to dismantle them.”

Although Yan Hao said this, he tore a small hole in the blindfold covering his eyes, then put it back on and adjusted the angle so he could see. As long as he had enough vision, it would suffice.

Zhong Qiran immediately understood his intention. Yan Hao was planning to seize an opportunity to act. Following Yan Hao’s example, he blindfolded himself again.

Yan Hao then re-tied his hands in the direction the ropes were wrapped, but without tying a tight knot.

At that moment, footsteps suddenly sounded outside, and without any warning, the door swung open.

The ropes Zhong Qiran had untied were still left in the corner. Although they weren’t in an obvious position, if they were discovered, their small actions would be exposed as well. All of Zhong Qiran’s efforts throughout the night would be in vain.

They needed something to divert the attention of the captors.

Yan Hao happened to have his back facing the door. With a quick wit, he covered Zhong Qiran with his body, blocking his hands from being untied, and kissed him directly.

Before Zhong Qiran could react, he had already been kissed. This time, it wasn’t blurry. Through the small hole in the blindfold, he clearly saw the expression on Yan Hao’s face as he kissed him.