Chapter 404 - 417: Trouble Stirs 4
After An Ning saw Hua Cheng climb out the window to escape, she retracted her spiritual power and waited for him at the entrance.
Meanwhile, Hua Cheng silently climbed down a rope from the second floor. He gathered up the rope, then crept into the back garden.
Confronted with a wall covered in rose bushes, Hua Cheng dug a pair of gloves and a helmet out of a hidden corner. After putting them on, he forcefully parted the thorny branches to create an opening and squeezed through.
Having successfully escaped, Hua Cheng desperately wanted to throw his head back and roar in triumph. However, his sense of self-preservation kicked in, and he quietly slipped away, hugging the wall.
Escaping his house was just the first step. The real challenge began when Hua Cheng approached the guard post.
Ever since returning from Shili Gou, Hua Cheng had been trapped at home by his mother and forced into a relentless series of blind dates.
He wasn’t even allowed to leave the property, so he was on the guards’ blacklist. If spotted, he was to be stopped.
An Ning spotted Hua Cheng hesitating near the gate before he noticed her. She watched as he pulled a floral bandana from his pants pocket and tied it around his head.
Then, An Ning witnessed a stunning transformation.
After tying the bandana, Hua Cheng took out an eyebrow pencil and began outlining his brows and eyes, adding a few beauty marks for good measure.
But he wasn’t done. He proceeded to apply lipstick and face powder.
It was amazing that such a small pocket could hold so many things.
Once his disguise was complete, he deftly retrieved a basket from behind a tree, hooked it over his arm, and began to sashay toward the guard post.
To say he was well-prepared would be an understatement.
With confident strides and not a hint of nervousness, Hua Cheng successfully blended into a crowd of people heading out, joining in their gossipy chatter.
The people chatting with him were left wondering just which family this nanny belonged to, and why she looked so peculiar.
Only a yard away from the guard post, Hua Cheng brazenly greeted the guards with a wide grin and walked right past them.
Once outside, Hua Cheng expertly turned left and headed toward the local market. An Ning followed him.
Just as Hua Cheng was excitedly hopping around and pulling off the bandana, An Ning caught up to him.
"Hua Cheng!"
"AAAAH—"
Hua Cheng let out a shriek that could have split the heavens; it felt like his soul had leapt out of his body and he had to snatch it back himself.
"An-An-An-An Ning—what are you doing here?"
Hua Cheng clutched his wildly pounding heart, asking in confusion, "Didn’t your classes start? Skipping on the first day? You’ve got some nerve."
Hua Cheng didn’t mean it as an insult; he was genuinely impressed.
An Ning had no time to waste. She grabbed Hua Cheng and pulled him into a narrow alley.
Hua Cheng’s playful demeanor vanished. He immediately sensed that something was wrong. The only person who connected him and An Ning was Jiang Xia.
"Jiang Xia?"
"Where’s the old house you and Jiang Xia used as a hideout when you were kids?"
Hua Cheng didn’t answer immediately, but he didn’t hesitate for long.
"I’ll take you there."
A flicker of the "Crown Prince of Beijing" finally appeared in Hua Cheng’s demeanor. Forgetting all about his makeup, he immediately led An Ning away.
It turned out the old house Jiang Xia had mentioned wasn’t far from Hua Cheng’s home, just a little out of the way.
An Ning kept her spiritual power extended the entire time. As they got closer, the range of her senses expanded. Following Hua Cheng’s directions, she suddenly broke into a sprint.
Hua Cheng didn’t know why, but he trusted An Ning—or to be more precise, he trusted Jiang Xia.
Running ahead, An Ning felt a murderous urge rise in her for the first time.
Inside the dilapidated house, it was dark and damp, shrouded in cobwebs. The floor was a mire of mud and animal droppings.
More than a dozen grayish-black rats scurried back and forth, while a dense carpet of insects crawled over the ground in a coordinated swarm, fighting over something.
And at the center of this scene was a lone figure, seen from behind.
CRASH! A section of the ruined stone wall collapsed. The sound of falling debris made the figure in the center roll away, brandishing a palm-sized knife as they warily faced An Ning, who had just appeared in the doorway.
"An Ning?"
The voice was hoarse and dry, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. But seeing the chapped lips and the familiar face, the tension in An Ning’s heart finally eased.
"Could you look any more pathetic?"
An Ning picked her way over the rubble. Jiang Xia put his knife away and stood up, hunching over slightly.
That posture...
"Injured again?"
An Ning walked over, annoyed, and grumbled, "You’re so useless. You always manage to get yourself hurt."
"Heh heh..."
Jiang Xia just gave a wan smile, offering no explanation as he let An Ning check him over.
"It’s just a scratch."
"Bullshit! A scratch is still an injury, isn’t it?"
An Ning lowered her hand, feeling a bit more at ease. It truly wasn’t a major injury. He must have taken a hard blow, but his ribs weren’t broken.
"Jiang Xia—"
Hua Cheng finally caught up, and the moment he saw Jiang Xia, his fury exploded.
"Who did this? Oh, right, it has to be that old bastard Jiang Dongcheng! I’ll fuck his... father-in-law! That old fossil!"
Hua Cheng’s abrupt swerve in cursing injected a dose of comedy into what should have been a somber reunion.
Despite the filthy surroundings, the three of them sat on the ground without a second thought.
"When did you get here? Was Jiang Dongcheng the one who injured you? And do you know your spot at the university has been stolen?"
An Ning’s three questions stoked Hua Cheng’s anger even further, but Jiang Xia spoke before he could start swearing again.
"I arrived two days ago. Jiang Dongcheng had people posted at every major intersection, and they cornered me."
"He wanted to trap me, but I got away. They chased me all the way here."
Jiang Xia recounted it casually, but the hardship implied was enough to make one’s teeth ache with rage.
Calling Jiang Dongcheng an animal would be a compliment.
"I heard that Jiang Dongcheng’s son from his second marriage is a year older than you, has the same name, and even looks a bit like you. And now he’s trying to corner you at every turn. So, am I right to assume this imposter Jiang Xia has terrible grades?"
"Pah! ’Terrible’ is an understatement. He’s the bottom of the barrel, dead last in his class. With parents like that, what do you expect them to produce!"
After his rant, Hua Cheng quickly looked at Jiang Xia. "Not you, obviously."
Jiang Xia deadpanned, "I wouldn’t have thought twice if you hadn’t clarified."
At Jiang Xia’s words, Hua Cheng shrank back and decided to just listen quietly to the two power players.
After Hua Cheng’s confirmation, An Ning continued, "So, Jiang Dongcheng has been planning to have his other son, Jiang Xia, replace you for a long time. But why didn’t he just deal with it at the source? It would have been much easier to just sabotage your scores secretly, wouldn’t it?"
"Because of you."
Jiang Xia’s eyes shone with immense pride.
"Your arrival changed everything. The moment our scores were released, Shili Gou was on the radar of every major university. Swapping us out became much more difficult."
’I see,’ An Ning thought. ’This year’s difficult college entrance exam questions also played a part. No one could have predicted the questions would be that difficult.’
"So isn’t Jiang Dongcheng worried? Isn’t he afraid you’ll expose him or cause a scene?"
’Jiang Xia has never been one to back down, and Jiang Dongcheng should know that.’
In response to An Ning’s question, Jiang Xia lifted his shirt, revealing a wound. It wasn’t deep, and it hadn’t reached the bone, but the scar...?