Reservoir Dogs chapter 111
Kidnapping
Xiao Zhou’s birthday was in December, a cold month, marking the end of a year when everything was dormant and not yet awakened.
But this year was worth celebrating for him because he had been reborn, clearing his past injustices and becoming a pure person again.
His mother said they should have a grand celebration for this birthday to dispel bad luck, so that no misfortune would cling to him in the future. Xiao Zhou, being the most filial and obedient, agreed to everything his mother said on such trivial matters without any objections.
Moreover, he was getting busy himself. With Jiang Chengyuan having nothing to do, he was preparing to resume his studies.
After the case was settled, his story was widely reported, garnering much public sympathy. Since he was not at fault, the previous punishment of expulsion seemed too severe.
Later, the school sent someone to contact him, asking if he would like to return and enroll in the new semester in September. During this time, he could take some online courses to prepare. The school could also use the case’s publicity for some media exposure.
It was a win-win situation, so Xiao Zhou naturally agreed. Correspondence courses were somewhat different from self-study.
Everything was progressing in an orderly manner.
Jiang Wenxing’s case was sentenced, with a three-year imprisonment for manslaughter. Jiang Wenhao received multiple penalties due to the severity of his actions, and despite Jiang Heng’s best efforts, he barely managed a suspended death sentence.
Meanwhile, the financial products guaranteed by the Jiang family suddenly collapsed, and depositors came to demand their money, leaving a huge debt.
The Jiang family’s business suffered severe blows, losing two sons in an instant, causing Jiang Heng to turn gray overnight.
Lin Shen’s law firm, which handled all the Jiang group’s legal affairs when Jiang Chengyuan and Jiang Heng were on good terms, held many ticking time bombs.
Now, they exploded one after another, from employment contracts to business disputes and equity issues, leaving Jiang Heng overwhelmed.
Although the Jiang family had a vast business empire, its downfall was due to its size. It often lacked sufficient liquid funds, always needing to rob Peter to pay Paul. The vast number of industries was like dominoes; toppling one caused a chain reaction. If they had time to recover, it would be fine, but no one gave them that chance.
Banks, seeing the Jiang family mired in lawsuits and financial troubles, closed their doors and refused loans. Even close business partners only shared wealth, not adversity. With a significant funding gap, few could step in.
In just two months, Jiang Heng was on the verge of bankruptcy. The final blow came when he took a high-interest loan in a desperate attempt to turn things around, only to be caught in a financial crisis, losing everything in the stock market. To protect his family, he jumped off a high building, ending the life of a once prominent business tycoon.
Jiang Chengyuan was pleased with this outcome, as there was nothing left to threaten him.
Due to Jiang Wenhao’s confession, his case had to go to trial. He had previously been pressuring the court to suppress it, but now he could go only through the formalities and clear his name.
…
Planning to have a grand birthday celebration, Xiao Zhou went to the market to buy lamb under his mother’s remote guidance.
As he turned into a small alley, he suddenly sensed a sneaky shadow flash by, and the next second, someone approached him.
He turned alertly, and just as he was about to react, he recognized Jiang Wenxing. In that moment of hesitation, someone else appeared behind him, and he felt a numbness in his arm as something pricked him. The drug acted quickly, and before he passed out, Jiang Wenxing caught him.
When he woke up, Xiao Zhou found himself lying in the backseat of a van. The car had already stopped, and outside was a dark night scene.
His hands and feet were tied, and his mouth was sealed with tape. Xiao Zhou tried to sit up, but without proper balance, he nearly fell off the backseat, making a noise.
Hearing him wake up, Jiang Wenxing snapped out of his daze, turned around to look at him, and then climbed from the driver’s seat to the backseat to help him up.
Xiao Zhou avoided Jiang Wenxing’s touch, staring at him angrily.
Jiang Wenxing spread his hands helplessly under Xiao Zhou’s glare, “Don’t be like this, I won’t hurt you. I have no intention of doing anything to you.”
Jiang Wenxing looked haggard, with stubble on his chin, greasy, unwashed, and uncut hair, wearing a thin long-sleeve shirt. “Do you want some water? There’s no one around here, no one will hear you even if you shout. If you promise not to shout, I’ll take the tape off.”
Xiao Zhou shifted his gaze from him and leaned back on the car seat. Looking out the window, he could only see a large area of abandoned buildings. He nodded.
Jiang Wenxing leaned over and gently tore the tape from Xiao Zhou’s mouth, as if afraid of hurting him. Then he quickly grabbed a bottle of water and two buns from the front seat. “There’s nothing good to eat here, just these two buns left, one with red bean paste and one vegetarian. Which one do you want?”
Xiao Zhou ignored his attempt to please, “Why did you tie me up and bring me here?”
Jiang Wenxing awkwardly withdrew his hand, his eyes somewhat muddled, “Don’t worry, I’ll only keep you for two days. After that, I’ll let you go.”
“Why?” Xiao Zhou couldn’t understand, “What’s the point of this?”
“Don’t worry, I don’t want to hurt you. I know I wronged you, but I’ve lost everything. My family went bankrupt, my dad jumped off a building. I booked a ship and plan to leave here in two days.” As he spoke, he choked up like a child.
Xiao Zhou frowned, “Weren’t you sentenced? Did you escape from prison? What about your mother?”
“I faked a heart attack and escaped during medical treatment. If I’m caught again, it’s over. I have to leave. My mom will be fine; someone will take care of her.”
Jiang Wenxing said faintly, “My dad left some money that wasn’t found. No one knows about it. As long as I can escape, I’ll make a comeback.”
Xiao Zhou fell silent. After Jiang Heng’s company went bankrupt, many creditors were waiting for the company’s assets to be auctioned off to recover their losses. Ordinary people were among those affected, and even tens of thousands of yuan could be a huge burden. Yet Jiang Heng had left a way out for his son.
After sharing his plan, Jiang Wenxing seemed to regain some hope, wiping his tears and then caring about Xiao Zhou’s condition, “You should drink some water. The drug has side effects; it’s best to metabolize it quickly.”
At that, Xiao Zhou realized his limbs were indeed weak and sore.
Jiang Wenxing opened the bottle and brought it to Xiao Zhou’s mouth to feed him.
Knowing Jiang Wenxing meant no harm and was indeed thirsty, Xiao Zhou opened his mouth to drink, wanting to gather some strength.
After drinking, Jiang Wenxing wiped Xiao Zhou’s mouth with a tissue.
Xiao Zhou, however, shrank a bit, avoiding his approach. “You’re about to leave. Why risk kidnapping me?”
Jiang Wenxing casually replied after capping the bottle and putting it back, “Because I want revenge. My dad shouldn’t die in vain.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
Jiang Wenxing turned his head and smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s not about you. You don’t need to do anything, just stay here with me for two days. I might never come back, so I might never see you again.”
After speaking, he sighed deeply, “Xiao Zhou, I had no choice but to blame you before. I always regretted it. If I had admitted it, my brother would have been in trouble. He’s still young; I couldn’t let him be in trouble. Don’t blame me, okay?” He leaned over and placed his hand on Xiao Zhou’s thigh. Despite his haggard appearance, his face was still handsome, with eyebrows drooping, looking somewhat pitiful.
Xiao Zhou lowered his head, his expression cold, without any sympathy.
He retracted his leg and leaned against the car wall, “If you really feel sorry, let me go. I’ll pretend I never saw you and won’t report you.”
Jiang Wenxing retracted his hand and returned to his nonchalant self, “I believe you won’t report me, but I’m sorry, I really need you to stay here for two days.”
Xiao Zhou had nothing more to say. He glanced at the front seat and found that his phone, keys, and wallet were neatly placed on the passenger seat by Jiang Wenxing.
They weren’t discarded, indicating he indeed planned to release him and wasn’t just saying it.
Xiao Zhou felt even more puzzled. Did Jiang Wenxing really just want him to stay for two days? What was the point? What if something went wrong and his whereabouts were exposed? What was the need to take such a big risk?