Chapter Twenty-Nine

Qiao Ye took half a day off in the afternoon, but no one knows where he went. Tao Ran felt a bit uncomfortable with the emptiness beside him. His mood wasn't good, to begin with, and he even skipped dinner.

Finally making it through the afternoon self-study, Tao Ran dashed outside for the first time ever. He slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and as soon as he got on the bus, he asked, "Did Mr. Li ask about me during the day? "

"You can call and ask yourself, I'm afraid of disturbing the gentleman. I sent him a message this morning." This means that Li Zekun did not inquire further.

Tao Ran looked somewhat dejected as he powered on his cell phone and dialed a number.

Soon, it was connected. Tao Ran's heartbeat and the sound of the phone's notification synchronized in frequency, feeling a little nervous and also tinged with a slight sense of anticipation.

But his expectation was soon shattered as his phone call was abruptly cut off.

Tao Ran repeatedly dialed, but no one answered. He sat there with a look of confusion, his hands and feet fidgeting like a child's. After a long while, he cleared his throat and spoke up, "Uncle Wang, could you lend me your phone for a moment?"

Tao Ran dialed the familiar number using Old Wang's phone. After a few rings, the call was unexpectedly answered.

Tao Ran's eyes instantly turned red, and with a soft voice, he called out "Brother".

No one answered the phone at the other end. Tao Ran was afraid he would hang up, so he took the opportunity to blurt out: "Please don't hang up... I won't go out with anyone at night anymore. Please don't be angry. I really know I was wrong."

Someone finally spoke up over there, with a somewhat cold tone: "Aren't you annoyed?"

Tao Ran choked for a moment.

"I told you everything in advance, but you went against my wishes and didn't listen. And yet you have the nerve to call me?"

"No..."

"Tao Ran, let me tell you, I won't tolerate anyone by my side who doesn't listen to me. Don't think just because I'm being nice to you that you can take advantage of me."

Tears of Tao Ran fell with a pattern on the screen of her phone. The call had already been hung up on the other end.

He handed the phone back to Lao Wang and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He felt incredibly wronged but had no choice but to bear it on his own. In reality, he wanted to deceive himself and believe that Li Zekun was just overly concerned about him, worried that he might be unsafe if he got home too late or encountered someone bad. However, Tao Ran simply couldn't fool himself - he didn't know where the feeling came from, but he was certain that Li Zekun wouldn't act like this if he truly cared about him.

Li Zekun is not the type of person who would give someone the cold shoulder. When angry, it never lasts for more than half a day. Although phone calls keep coming in, Li Zekun would never hang up without saying a word. Rather, he would wait for someone to come and comfort him with a few kind words before finally ending the call.

Tauran's headache started up again, two months since the last time it hurt. This time it came suddenly and the pain was even more pronounced. However, this time was different from before. It seemed like a violent memory clash was fighting to surge out from confinement. There was a pinpoint of bright white light at the center of his brain, and what was reflected below it was his memory, his belongings. It was not the hostess man's, it was his.

Just the thought of it made his soul tremble with excitement, as if he had already glimpsed love and light from the tiny glimmer.

After a long while, Tao Ran finally calmed down, but his mind was still a mess, unable to sort out his thoughts or remember the exact details.

After hanging up the phone, Li Zekun turned around and went back to the private room. The straight-faced Qiao Ming, who had pretended to be serious before Li Zekun left, was now on top of the assistant who had followed him last time at the LOUIS VUITTON store. Li Zekun leaned against the door of the private room and watched with interest as Qiao Ming pinned down the man beneath him.

He seems to be called Chu Jiangyuan. He looks quite upright, but he can't compare to the delicate and beautiful type at all. I don't know how Qiao Ming's taste changed so quickly, now he's pressing down on even a man who's over 1.8 meters tall.

"... Master Qiao... He's back..." This person also has keen senses and even while being kissed, they can still feel the presence of Li Zekun.

Qiao Ming finally lifted his head, his glasses had been removed, and without lenses to conceal them, the wickedness and sinister aura in his long and narrow eyes were vaguely visible.

"If Young Master Qiao only has so little sincerity in his words, then there's nothing left to discuss. It would be better for me to just go directly to the Old Master's place tomorrow."

Qiao Ming laughed heartily and then said in a soft tone, "The old guy is already in his seventies or eighties, why do you want to look for him? Do you want him to help you find the cremated remains, or do you want him to pass on a message to that white moonlight after he goes down?"

Li Zekun's face turned gloomy.

"Okay, Mr. Li, cheer up. At least we're still talking, right?"

"I cannot do illegal things.", Li Zekun said calmly.

"I didn't force you to break the law with me! Of course, I know someone of your noble status definitely wouldn't want to associate with us and our unlawful ways..." Qiao Ming's tone shifted. "But... all I need is for you to give me a little bit of information, nothing too excessive, right?"

"I am not familiar with the people over there."

"Look, isn't this a great opportunity to connect and build our relationship?"

Li Zekun's brow furrowed deeply as he became greatly conflicted: "Cheng Xia's...ashes, do you know where it is, or do you have it?"

Qiao Ming hugged Chu Jiangyuan into his arms, without any concealment: "Is with me now."

Li Zekun deeply took a breath and said, "I'll go find someone, give me three months." Without waiting for Qiao Ming to respond, he turned around and left.

Chu Jiangyuan's gaze followed Li Zekun as he drifted away. Qiao Ming hooked his chin and chuckled, "What are you looking at?"

"What did you ask him to investigate?"

Qiao Ming kissed Chu Jiangyuan on the earlobe and said, "Follow me, and you'll be safer the less you know."