Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  That Special School was harsh in the discipline of their students.

  In order to prevent the students from escaping from their harsh rules and regulations, the instructors actually worked on shifts round the clock to guard the place. The school was also surrounded by high walls and barbed wire fencing.

  “I attempted to run away three times! The first time when I failed, I was so badly beaten up that I couldn’t walk for three days. The second time, I almost lost my life……”


  He gave a pause and narrowed his eyes slightly as he mourned over that terrible piece of memory. “The third time, I succeeded,” his voice sounded hoarse. “However, it was not because I’m really good at this. It was purely because Xie Wanwan sacrificed herself.”


  Xiang Wan’s heart sank.

  She held his hand back, tightly.

  Although there were only the three of them, it was still tough for Bai Muchuan to tell her about this.

  “That night, there were four instructors on duty. Two of them patrolled around the school whereas two were standing guard near the entrance. Xie Wanwan told me that she could help me take care of the two at the entrance. She told me…… to grab the opportunity and run away!”


  Xiang Wan looked into Bai Muchuan’s brooding expression.

  This was something that he had never mentioned to her before.

  Xiang Wan had never asked him about this in-depth. He didn’t want to tell her about it either.

  At that moment, she suddenly understood something from Bai Muchuan’s face.

  “Next to the duty room was the gate, which was locked all year round, even during the day. That night, I hid outside the duty room and when I saw Xie Wanwan waving her hand…… I dashed inside to take away the instructors’ clothes to take out the keys…… They were naked so they couldn’t chase after me……”


  “I ran very fast. When I got out of the main gate, I heard Xie Wanwan’s pained screams—”


  No wonder Xie Wanwan was rejective of physical contact.

  No wonder Xie Wanwan wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend and he didn’t object to it.

  Xiang Wan looked at him in shock. The feeling toward Xie Wanwan now…… got even more complicated.

  “I told her that I would definitely go back to save her…… Cough…… Cough, cough……”


  Bai Muchuan then started to cough violently.

  His shoulders moved as he coughed.

  He had lost quite a lot of weight during this period and his face didn’t seem as healthy and sunny as in the past.

  Now that he was coughing, he seemed paler; his eyebrows furrowed, the creases were obvious to see. His lips were peeling and he hadn’t been shaving his chin……

  Xiang Wan was distressed at that sight. She hugged Bai Muchuan although Cheng Zheng was there.

  Only then did she realize that Bai Muchuan’s body was stiff as a rock.

  “Bai Muchuan, you made good on your promise. All of the students were saved because of the two of you. Both of you are really brave.”


  “Yeah!” Bai Muchuan’s face had become calm. “During that period, I was frustrated as the adults who kept saying that they loved their kids, were not the ones who saved them from the horrible ordeal.”


  Cheng Zheng was startled and looked at him. “Dad was full of regret and had been blaming himself.”


  Bai Muchuan sneered. “So what if he did?”


  “He wanted to bring you back home,” said Cheng Zheng, “but, he was worried that history might repeat itself and you might get hurt again…… Uncle Bai was his best buddy and someone whom he could trust. Dad had your best interests at heart when he entrusted you to Uncle Bai—”


  Cheng Zheng might have wanted Bai Muchuan not to brood over what happened in the past by trying to explain what consequently happened.

  However, he had overlooked the point that the more he tried to explain Cheng Weiji’s acts, the more rejective Bai Muchuan would be.

  “It’s true that I became a fine man.” Bai Muchuan revealed a smile but one would have problems ascertaining if his smile was genuine or sarcastic. “If I was not with the Bai Family, many things wouldn’t have happened and I wouldn’t have gone to Red Thorn……” He looked at Cheng Zheng seriously. “Red Thorn is the unit that groomed me. If there was no Red Thorn, I, Bai Muchuan, wouldn’t be what I am today.”


  What a person had today was formed by a countless amount of yesterdays.

  No matter how many painful experiences he had gone through, all these experiences had molded him into who he was today.

  As long as one was able to endure and get over it, one would see dawn after experiencing the darkness.

  Bai Muchuan had learnt all of these during the days in Red Thorn.

  “So, I don’t feel hatred.”


  “No, you do.” Cheng Zheng felt it difficult to say that. “You’ve always felt hatred.”


  “.…… I only ignored you and him. It’s not hatred. There’s no need to hate those that I don’t care about.”


  Cheng Zheng took a deep breath. “Do you know why the moment you asked to get posted to Jin City, I also followed along?”


  Bai Muchuan just looked at him without much expression.

  “I actually didn’t want to come back from overseas,” said Cheng Zheng, “Dad’s the one…… he forced me to come back and go to Jin City.”


  “Why?” Bai Muchuan replied, “So he sent you to spy on me in case I’ll seek revenge?”


  Cheng Zheng puffed a sigh slowly. “Look at you. How can this not be hatred……”


  Bai Muchuan turned toward Cheng Zheng. Just when he wanted to talk, he started coughing again.

  “Alright, that’s enough!” Xiang Wan quickly stopped him as their stances and tones were starting to feel confrontational. She patted Bai Muchuan’s back and persuaded him. “Do calm down, you’ll still unwell.”


  “.……”


  A while later, Bai Muchuan stopped coughing.

  Xiang Wan took the paper napkin from Cheng Zheng and wiped Bai Muchuan’s forehead and mouth. Then she quickly changed the topic.

  “There’s something that I haven’t been able to understand.”


  “What is it?”


  “Ye Lun said something to me. He told me that if not for him, I would have been dead in the hands of Cui Ming…… This is really strange, right? Why did Cui Ming want to kill me? Also, why did Ye Lun protect me?”


  Bai Muchuan looked towards the emergency operating theatre and remained silent.

  Xiang Wan muttered softly, “Looks like…… I can only get an answer from him.”


  Bai Muchuan did not respond to that.

  The light in the emergency theatre was still on.

  The three of them sat on the chair and waited quietly.

  Xiang Wan started to feel tired. Bai Muchuan let her rest on his shoulders.

  She gradually fell asleep but was awakened by the ringing tone of Bai Muchuan’s mobile phone.

  When she opened her eyes, Bai Muchuan had covered her with his coat on her shoulders. She leaned against Bai Muchuan like a baby bird. Cheng Zheng was nowhere to be seen. There were only the two of them sitting outside the operating theatre.

  Xiang Wan yawned but she didn’t make any sound as she listened to Bai Muchuan talking on the phone.

  Over at the other end of the phone, Salimu’s voice was clear and crisp. “Boss, I’ve thought of everything I could but I can’t open the flash drive.”


  Bai Muchuan grunted in displeasure. “Oh, so there are also things that you’re unable to crack? Didn’t you used to claim that you could settle the security systems of the Pentagon within minutes if you want to?”


  “Cough, cough, cough……” Salimu laughed awkwardly then spoke in a serious tone. “This is not an ordinary flash drive. It’s not that I can’t open it. It’s just that if I crack it without the password, the flash drive will self-destruct the data inside…… I’m worried that I won’t be able to recover it.”


  “Alright, you should take a break and don’t force it.” Bai Muchuan paused for a while. “Maybe you might come up with another method for all you know.”


  Salimu chuckled. “Alright boss.”


  “.…… Why are you acting cute?”


  “Alright! Captain Bai, goodbye.”


  “Hmph!”
……

  When Bai Muchuan put down the phone, the doors to the operating theatre opened.

  Xiang Wan looked towards the doors and saw Cheng Zheng walking out.

  He was wearing a pale green uniform like the operating theatre personnel.

  “Bai Muchuan.”


  His tone sounded heavy and he suddenly looked towards Xiang Wan.

  “Ye Lun’s awake now.”


  “Mm.” Bai Muchuan glanced over at Xiang Wan before turning back to Cheng Zheng. “How is he?”


  “He might not last long,” replied Cheng Zheng, “he…… wanted to see Xiang Wan.”