Chapter 120: The Kidnapping Diversion

Lin Qing paused, surprised to hear Su Yao suggest kidnapping him, but then nodded, agreeing to the impromptu abduction. He knew he had to accept the Saturday invitation, both for Liu Hong and to understand the reason behind Lu Tian’s changing head count. Yet, a knot of discomfort remained in his heart. It was akin to being compelled to undertake a task, not by choice, but by obligation or other external factors, leading to an intense reluctance to proceed. He yearned to escape, to run without a second thought. However, he was caught in a dilemma, with no valid reason to flee. Then, Su Yao suddenly appeared before him, extending her hand. Lin Qing grasped it without hesitation, realizing he now had an opportunity to escape. His heart instantly felt liberated. He wouldn’t remain trapped, struggling pitifully and helplessly.

“This is a wise choice,” Su Yao declared.

Seeing Lin Qing’s nod, the smile on Su Yao’s lips widened, becoming even more radiant. She didn’t cling to him further, but straightened up, ready to lead him away.

Yet, the direction of their escape seemed rather peculiar.

“Kidnapper, where exactly are you taking me?”

Lin Qing watched Su Yao lead him towards the mall entrance. He had been overjoyed at the prospect of not meeting Liu Hong, but now he tilted his head in confusion, wondering what Su Yao’s plan entailed.

Liu Hong had arranged to meet him on the first floor of the Yuxing Mall. Su Yao should have been taking him elsewhere.

This would avoid an awkward encounter with both Liu Hong and Liu Ying.

Liu Ying had been somewhat hysterical last time, appearing almost mentally unstable.

Lin Qing didn’t want Su Yao to encounter such a situation. It wasn’t out of concern for Su Yao’s safety, but rather a fear that Su Yao might entertain other, darker thoughts towards Liu Ying.

For instance, murder.

Su Yao’s homicidal urges were difficult to suppress and required constant vigilance.

Only then could they avoid opening Pandora’s Box and unleashing endless calamities.

Su Yao herself would be consumed by that very curse of calamity.

“I can’t tell you yet. Just follow me,” Su Yao replied, sidestepping Lin Qing’s question.

Su Yao did not directly answer Lin Qing’s confusion. Instead, she continued to pull Lin Qing forward. After they passed through the mall’s main doors and entered the first floor, the bustling crowd became even more pronounced.

Logically, with so many passersby, it would be difficult for Liu Hong to spot them.

But then.

Lin Qing glanced sideways at the excited Su Yao. With her exquisite features and striking figure, she was a magnetic focal point wherever she went.

She was instantly noticeable in any crowd.

People wouldn’t want to look away, instead observing her with greater detail.

Su Yao’s bright, intelligent eyes sparkled with life. When she looked at someone, they shone like stars, seeming capable of drawing a person into a dark abyss.

Her lips were soft and full, looking especially beautiful when she smiled.

“While I’m flattered by your fascination,” Su Yao suddenly interjected, “we have more pressing matters at hand.”

Her sudden words jolted Lin Qing from his daze. He immediately followed the direction Su Yao pointed, spotting Liu Hong, who, looking rather anxious, was meticulously adjusting his clothes.

Unlike his usual school uniform or casual attire, Liu Hong was dressed formally today, looking sharp in a suit as if attending an important meeting.

Lin Qing couldn’t help but stare, thinking, ‘It’s just a movie; does he really need to be so formal?’

Nevertheless, Liu Hong was tall, and the suit accentuated his imposing physique.

Coupled with his handsome features, this attire gave him the air of a societal elite.

It was a stark contrast to his previous ‘gangster’ vibe.

Among the bustling crowd, many girls boldly gazed at him, some even nudging each other, seemingly wanting to approach and ask for his contact information.

However, Liu Hong paid no mind to these girls, instead focusing intently on perfecting his appearance.

He was waiting for Xiao Yu to arrive.

Seeing events take a turn for the worse, Lin Qing’s heart sank. ‘It’s always the bad predictions that come true!’ he thought.

He had originally held onto a sliver of hope, believing that in the vastness of the mall’s first floor, an encounter would be unlikely.

Yet, fate had a peculiar way of intervening.

Lin Qing, unfamiliar with the mall’s layout, had planned to search for Liu Hong only after entering, even with the shared location.

However, plans rarely kept pace with unforeseen changes…

As Lin Qing pondered these thoughts, Liu Hong finished adjusting his clothes, then lifted a face brimming with anticipation, excitedly scanning his surroundings to see if the person he awaited had arrived.

It was at this precise moment that Lin Qing swiftly released Su Yao’s hand, then wrapped an arm around her slender waist, pulling her body sideways and flush against his with a single motion.

Su Yao’s face was no longer as conspicuous as it had been moments before.

Su Yao didn’t resist Lin Qing’s action. Instead, she very actively wrapped both arms around his neck, a smile playing on her lips, as if she wished to remain perpetually draped over him.

Fortunately, Lin Qing had grown considerably and was no longer his original height of just over 1.6 meters. Otherwise, Su Yao, at 1.75 meters, would have struggled to hang onto him.

Although there was still a height difference between them, it was no longer as ludicrously vast as it had been initially.

“Now, perhaps you can tell me where we’re going?” Lin Qing asked.

Su Yao, looking as if she relished the drama, made Lin Qing realize her mischievous streak had resurfaced. She simply wanted to see him flustered.

Feeling somewhat helpless, Lin Qing prodded her for their next move. Su Yao, his little shadow, surely had a plan rather than just aimlessly following him.

‘The fourth floor, is it?’

“Fourth floor.”

Fortunately, Su Yao did have a plan. After she uttered the destination, Lin Qing immediately swept her into his arms and headed for the fourth floor, making his way to the elevators, away from Liu Hong’s vicinity.

When the elevator arrived with a soft ‘ding,’ Lin Qing and Su Yao stepped inside.

At the same time, other people entered the elevator. The increasing number of passengers made Lin Qing glance down at Su Yao, who was still clinging to him. He felt their public display was inappropriate.

A middle-aged woman standing nearby wore a look of utter disdain, on the verge of openly criticizing them.

Just as Lin Qing considered letting go, Su Yao held on tighter, completely unfazed by the stares of others.

She even turned her head and planted a loud, smacking kiss on Lin Qing’s cheek, the sound echoing distinctly in the enclosed elevator.

This prompted the woman to roll her eyes even more dramatically. The other elevator occupants also glanced at Lin Qing and Su Yao, thinking, ‘These young people nowadays are certainly passionate and open!’

Some of the younger men, observing Lin Qing’s long, face-obscuring ‘visual kei’ hairstyle, grumbled to themselves, ‘It’s so unfair that someone like *that* has a girlfriend, and a goddess-level one at that!’

However, after Su Yao’s playful act, Lin Qing didn’t allow her to continue clinging to him. He reached out and gently pushed her away.

With Liu Hong out of sight, there was no longer any need for concealment.

If Su Yao continued, she might notice the uncontrolled acceleration of his heartbeat.

The moment Lin Qing pushed Su Yao away, her face was fully revealed, astonishing everyone in the elevator. ‘This girl is incredibly beautiful!’ they thought.

Even the woman who had been rolling her eyes quickly changed her tune. Seeing Su Yao’s extraordinary beauty, she swiftly averted her gaze, instead looking up at the numbers displayed on the elevator’s small screen. ‘Why isn’t this elevator getting to the fourth floor yet!’ she mentally grumbled.

Once people’s gazes fell upon her, Su Yao completely ignored them, continuing to cling to Lin Qing like stubborn taffy, impossible to shake off.

The boys who had been lamenting fate’s unfairness, upon seeing Su Yao’s beautiful face, transformed into ‘sour lemons,’ their hearts aching with envy.

“Damn it, not only does that visual kei guy have a girlfriend, but she’s a goddess! I’m so jealous!”

Lin Qing found himself helpless against Su Yao’s relentless clinging.

Fortunately, the elevator had reached the fourth floor, allowing Lin Qing to quickly usher Su Yao out.

The fourth floor of Huixing Mall was predominantly dedicated to entertainment and leisure, featuring everything from a cinema to a rock-climbing gym and an arcade.

“Alright, today, let’s have some fun!”

Upon reaching the fourth floor, Su Yao stopped teasing Lin Qing. Instead, she took his hand and led him towards the arcade nearby.

Lin Qing offered no resistance, obediently following Su Yao.

Once they entered the arcade, Su Yao immediately grabbed a small basket, pulled a discount coupon from her pocket, and exchanged it for three hundred game tokens.

Noticing Lin Qing’s curious gaze, Su Yao smiled. Then, she pulled out several more identical coupons from her pocket, gesturing that they could play to their heart’s content today.

“This place just happens to be owned by my family,” she explained. “With these internal discount coupons, we can play as much as we like.”

Due to Lin Qing’s family circumstances, Su Yao had already made arrangements from the start. She couldn’t openly declare that she would pay, yet she also didn’t want to add to Lin Qing’s financial burden. Thus, Su Yao devised the idea of using discount coupons as a substitute.

Although, even with the coupons, it wasn’t possible to exchange for so many game tokens all at once.

However, considering that the entire mall building was an asset of the Comet Group, a small arcade was certainly no obstacle for Su Yao to do as she pleased.

Su Yao knew there were many inconsistencies in her explanation and had prepared herself for an argument. Yet, Lin Qing asked nothing.

He simply stood silently, gazing up at the arcade machines as if in reverence.

Unable to see Lin Qing’s face and thus guess his thoughts through his expressions, Su Yao felt a pang of dissatisfaction.

Su Yao then reached up, parted the long hair from Lin Qing’s forehead, and secured it with a hair clip. Finally, she could see his face, which was filled with an expression of pure astonishment.

It was as if he was visiting an arcade for the very first time, having never seen such things before.

He hadn’t even noticed Su Yao brushing his hair aside.

Indeed, that was the truth.

Before Lin Qing was imprisoned, his mother had only taken him to parks and riverbanks, never on trips or other outings. Most of his time was spent at home reading.

His mother adored reading, and their home had once been filled with countless books. Yet, when Lin Qing returned after a decade’s absence, he found nothing.

To say their home was utterly barren would not be an exaggeration.

Now, seeing an arcade for the first time, Lin Qing found it both novel and unfamiliar.

His expression, like that of an inquisitive child, allowed Su Yao to quickly deduce that this was his first visit. With that, Su Yao took Lin Qing’s hand and began their arcade adventure for the day.

This was the age for play, and one’s natural inclinations shouldn’t be suppressed for any reason.

Moreover, the day’s interesting events were far from over.

The plan had already begun. She and Lin Qing, acting as bait, were emitting an enticing scent, drawing their prey to them, eagerly awaiting their hysterical roars.

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