Reservoir Dogs chapter 112
Purpose
It wasn’t until evening that Jiang Chengyuan realized Xiao Zhou had gone missing. At first, he didn’t think much of it when he couldn’t reach Xiao Zhou’s phone, which was turned off. However, throughout the day, he had an uneasy feeling. While bathing the dog, some foam got into its eyes, and he was almost bitten.
After a brief standoff with the wet and trembling dog, he threw a dry towel over it and wiped his hands before calling Xiao Zhou’s mother.
Xiao Zhou’s mother said that Xiao Zhou had promised to bring some lamb over that day but hadn’t shown up. She thought he might have been caught up with something.
Jiang Chengyuan frowned. Just then, he received a call from the office, informing him that Jiang Wenxing had escaped from prison.
Clutching his phone tightly, Jiang Chengyuan said, “Xiao Zhou is missing.”
“What a coincidence?” Lin Shen was surprised.
Jiang Chengyuan took a step back, pressing his fist against his forehead. “What do you think he’s trying to do?”
Lin Shen pondered for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe extort some money? He shouldn’t have a personal grudge against Xiao Zhou, right?”
Jiang Chengyuan thought of Jiang Wenxing’s previous covetous behavior and felt both angry and reassured that it wouldn’t come to hurting Xiao Zhou. Leaning against the wall, he found his thoughts in a chaotic mess for the first time, utterly clueless. “I can’t figure it out.”
“Should we call the police?”
“Let’s wait a bit,” Jiang Chengyuan said. “He must have a purpose.”
Jiang Chengyuan didn’t believe that Jiang Wenxing was the kind of person who would run away with a lover out of deep affection. The fact that he had once pushed his friend to take the fall and showed no remorse for years indicated that he was inherently selfish, cruel, and self-centered. Love could only be an accessory, never the main course.
So what was his purpose in kidnapping Xiao Zhou? If he wanted to settle a score, shouldn’t he come after him instead?
In the middle of the night, Xiao Zhou couldn’t sleep at all. Jiang Wenxing, lying beside him, was sleeping soundly, lying on his back with his head resting against Xiao Zhou’s, his hands crossed over his chest, and his legs curled up against the car door.
Jiang Wenxing’s method of tying him up was so professional that it didn’t seem like something a rich kid would do. Before losing consciousness, Xiao Zhou vaguely felt like he saw two people.
Feeling uneasy, he leaned against the rear window and looked outside. In the thick darkness, not a single star was visible. The shadows of half-finished buildings loomed like ghosts, and the wind howling through the high-rises sounded eerie and piercing, like the wails of ghosts and wolves. Jiang Chengyuan must have realized he was missing by now. What would Jiang Chengyuan do? How could he escape? What was Jiang Wenxing’s purpose?
He pressed his head against the car window, hoping the cold glass would cool his boiling brain. After a moment, he kicked Jiang Wenxing and called him to wake up.
Jiang Wenxing opened his eyes, sat up, and looked very awake, as if he hadn’t been deeply asleep.
Xiao Zhou said, “I need to use the bathroom. Help me untie this.”
Jiang Wenxing shook his head, saying, “I can’t overpower you.”
“Then what? Are you going to make me hold it in?”
Jiang Wenxing looked at him and smiled slightly. “You’ll have to take care of it here. If you need help, I can assist you.”
“You’ll help me?”
Jiang Wenxing grinned cheekily. “Yeah, I don’t mind.”
Xiao Zhou gave him a strange look and then suddenly smiled. “Do you really like me? Since when?”
The playful expression disappeared from Jiang Wenxing’s face. Avoiding Xiao Zhou’s gaze, he stammered, “I’m not sure. Maybe it was back in high school when I borrowed a film and invited you over to watch it. The omega in the film reminded me of you.”
Xiao Zhou was taken aback for a moment and then nodded. “That was quite early.”
Jiang Wenxing looked at him again. “I’m sorry.”
Xiao Zhou stared at him, his expression darkening slowly. “You’re interesting. You say sorry, but your actions show no remorse at all. You’ve completely ruined me. Did you know that my father died while I was inside? I didn’t get to see him one last time.”
Jiang Wenxing froze.
Xiao Zhou didn’t care about Jiang Wenxing’s reaction. It was as if he was talking to himself. “I had no friends inside, only one person who was kind to me. He later sacrificed himself to save me, was gang-raped, and then committed suicide sleeping beside me.” His face twitched slightly, and after a pause, he continued, “After I was turned into an omega, I was moved to a different cell. Because of the rejection reaction, I couldn’t adapt and was in pain, unable to sleep at night. The person your brother killed had once broken his little finger to help me steal painkillers from the infirmary. I never got to repay him for that.”
Jiang Wenxing’s face turned pale. “You have every right to hate me.”
Xiao Zhou’s gaze passed over him, indifferently looking out the opposite car window. “We’ve known each other for over twenty years. I always considered you a friend. I never thought you’d harm me. Maybe the world is just that absurd. The people you guard against are kind to you, while those you trust may stab you in the back. I know human nature is complex, with both dark and good sides. At least when we were friends, you never thought of hurting me, right?”
“Yes, I said it was out of necessity.”
“But so what?” Xiao Zhou sneered. “It’s easy to be a good person in good times. It’s the choices made in desperate times that are hardest. Some people maintain their principles and bottom line no matter what, while others will do anything for their own benefit. You say it was out of necessity, but that’s just because you see others as ants. Crushing them doesn’t matter to you. I was just unlucky enough to be the ant you sacrificed.”
“Even now, after you’ve done all this, you can still say you’re sorry while tying me up. So what’s the excuse this time? Is it because you’re afraid to face the consequences of your actions? Is it because your father’s life and your family’s wealth are more precious than the other two lives? Is it because you can’t stand falling from your high perch?”
Jiang Wenxing moved his lips slightly, then lowered his head, weakly, “You can be angry, you can say whatever you want. I’m sorry, there’s nothing more to explain.”
Xiao Zhou looked at him coldly, unmoved by his pitiful state, “Why be so hypocritical? You don’t actually feel sorry. Whether I forgive you or not doesn’t matter; you’ll never change. You leave behind a mess you created and run away, as cowardly as you were as a child, hiding for the rest of your life. Do you think you can make a comeback? Without your father, you’re nothing. Your life will only be more miserable than staying here.”
Jiang Wenxing, hearing this, looked up suddenly, his hands clenched into fists, trembling slightly, his eyes bloodshot, like a beast cornered in a desperate situation, “No! I took such a big risk; I have to get back everything I lost.”
“That’s right, you risked so much to escape from prison, so why go through the trouble of kidnapping me? What if something goes wrong?”
Jiang Wenxing looked at him, after a long moment said, “Are you trying to get something out of me?” He smirked coldly, “I’m not afraid to tell you, I want Jiang Chengyuan to pay the price.”
Jiang Wenxing stood up, his tall figure filling the narrow space of the van, blocking the dim light from the roof. He leaned slightly forward, “You just said so many grandiose things that sound quite reasonable. I admit I’m an evil person, using any means for my own benefit. But how much better is Jiang Chengyuan? You still love him, you’re still infatuated. My brother killed Chen Jin, and he helped my brother with excuses for money, just a different version of the same thing. If he hadn’t made a mistake halfway through and framed my brother, my brother would be out safely now.”
Jiang Wenxing suddenly grabbed Xiao Zhou’s shoulder, “I almost let you convince me, but I’m not convinced,” he pressed closer, his breath hot on Xiao Zhou’s face, their faces almost touching, “Why should he get away with so many bad deeds while getting everything he wants? If you want fairness and justice, shouldn’t he be in hell with me?”
Xiao Zhou had nowhere to retreat, pressed into the corner of the van, his back against the wall. The cold metal of the van felt like it was freezing through his thin clothes.
Jiang Wenxing looked at Xiao Zhou, mesmerized, reached out and touched Xiao Zhou’s face, then gripped his chin tightly, pulling him closer and kissing him. More precisely, it was less a kiss and more like a bite, holding his jaw, forcing his mouth open, pushing in his tongue.
Xiao Zhou was initially stunned and didn’t react. Once he did, he started to struggle wildly. His hands and feet were bound, making him seem like a fish on land, struggling in vain. But he used all his strength, breaking free from Jiang Wenxing’s grip, almost biting off half of his tongue. Jiang Wenxing was startled, quickly pulling back, his lips bitten, bleeding, and cursing in pain.
Before he could react, Xiao Zhou had already lunged at him, knocking him to the other side. Then, Xiao Zhou lunged forward, pinning him down, and then headbutted him forcefully.
Jiang Wenxing felt stars explode in his vision and was instantly knocked unconscious.
Xiao Zhou, kneeling and twisting, spat out a mouthful of bloodied saliva, his black eyes unusually cold.
He used his back to push against the seat and moved to the door, opening it and falling out of the van. He quickly stood up, jumping, and went to the driver’s side door, finding the knife in the storage compartment to cut the ropes.
Once his hands and feet were free, he began searching the van, finding an old flip phone, a bundle of haphazardly tied documents including fake passports with Jiang Wenxing’s photo but with different identities. He also found a gun under the seat. He was shocked, wondering how Jiang Wenxing managed all this. How could he not only escape from prison but also have these things ready? Did he have accomplices? If so, why was he alone now?
A faint sound came from the back seat, and someone was approaching.
Xiao Zhou glanced down and then suddenly turned around, aiming the loaded gun at Jiang Wenxing’s forehead.
Jiang Wenxing’s hand, holding the knife, froze, his body stiff and unmoving.
Xiao Zhou stared at Jiang Wenxing, every muscle in his face tense.
Jiang Wenxing paused, then asked, “What? Are you going to kill me?”
Xiao Zhou looked at him, “Do you think I’m afraid to?”
Jiang Wenxing thought for a moment, “It’s not that you’re afraid; you just can’t bring yourself to do it.”
“Is that so?” Xiao Zhou closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, unfamiliar emotions swirled in his black pupils. “Actually, I was wrong about something earlier. I’m not indifferent. I hate you.” His gaze locked onto Jiang Wenxing, each word clear and deliberate, his eyes bloodshot and veins on his forehead throbbing with agitation. “You destroyed me. I don’t understand why, when we meet again, you can act so nonchalant. Why can you live so easily after causing so much pain to others? Why do you shamelessly expect me to forgive you? And you even say you like me? Do you know how disgusting I find you!”
Jiang Wenxing looked at Xiao Zhou in shock, his hand gripping the knife hanging at his side, his entire body tense as he stared at the dark barrel of the gun pointed at him.
Extending further was the pitch-black gun handle and the pale hand gripping it tightly.
The muscles on Xiao Zhou’s face twisted in pain, and his eyes were pitch black. “Jiang Wenxing, I hate you to the core. You have no idea what I’ve been through. Why is it so easy for you to ruin a person’s life without any consequence? You’ve destroyed everything I had. I have no future, and my family has suffered. Even if you had killed me back then, I wouldn’t be as tormented as I am now!”
The hands were trembling, fingers tightly gripping the trigger, applying slight pressure, millimeter by millimeter, ready to fire.
The gun was loaded, and Jiang Wenxing knew clearly that it was fully loaded. A slight movement could cause it to fire accidentally.
He became nervous, cold sweat began to break out on his back, sliding down his spine and evaporating, taking away his body’s heat. His nose seemed to detect the acrid smell of gunpowder, burning his nerves, making him tremble uncontrollably.
Just one shot.
He really would die, and Xiao Zhou’s hatred felt so real.
Because the hatred was so deep, the threat of death was sharp and clear.
These two thoughts clashed in Jiang Wenxing’s mind. The first, like a monster, devoured all his thoughts, leaving only the dark abyss of the gun barrel in his view.
Shaking, losing control, the dampness of the scene.
Xiao Zhou watched as Jiang Wenxing’s expression changed from stiffness to panic and then to horror, finally collapsing as if his bones had been removed, and the air was filled with the smell of urine.
Jiang Wenxing’s face first froze, then turned to shame.
Xiao Zhou, expressionless, lowered the gun slightly and re-aimed.
A cool night breeze blew through the open car door, brushing the back of Xiao Zhou’s neck and drying the moisture on his face.
Breathing, steadying his hand holding the gun. He looked down at Jiang Wenxing, who was half-kneeling on the ground, the lingering hatred in his heart still unresolved. He hadn’t felt such intense emotions for a long time. He had always suppressed them well, airtight, content with the status quo; otherwise, everything would be like a flood breaking through a dam, uncontrollable. A part of him died in prison, while another part was revived by Jiang Chengyuan.
Everyone’s reaction to a death threat is ugly. Jiang Wenxing was no exception.
Xiao Zhou looked at him for a while longer, finally putting away the gun and binding him with the ropes scattered on the ground. He didn’t say a word throughout.
“You’re not going to kill me? Why?” After narrowly escaping death, Jiang Wenxing collapsed in the backseat, struggling to turn his head. “Even if you take me back, I won’t be sentenced to death.”
“Does hating someone mean you have to kill them? Or do you want me to kill you so badly?” Xiao Zhou asked.
Jiang Wenxing was momentarily speechless.
Xiao Zhou sat in the driver’s seat, eyes fixed ahead. “Live on. Everything will eventually be judged. I’ve seen many people die. Living isn’t necessarily easier than death.”
In the dim night, the car started and drove toward the city.