A Sand Sculpture in the Red Dust - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Attempted Kidnapping Gone Wrong

　　Perhaps it was because Li Xiangfu had a thin waist and a pale face. Of the five thugs, except for the one who was kicked and leaned against the wall holding his stomach, the other three were besieging Qin Jin. Only a big man with gold teeth walked towards Li Xiangfu with a grin.

　　After tying his hair slowly, Li Xiangfu said seriously: “Actually, I’m quite good at fighting.”

　　There were too many people who had ill intentions towards him in the past, and there was no shortage of people who wanted to make things worse in a country dominated by women. In order to ensure his own safety, during the years when he was growing up again, Li Xiangfu was trained from being powerless to being able to fight wild boars with his bare hands.

　　He was not sure about the strength of the big man in front of him, but he was definitely not as strong as a wild boar.

　　With a chuckle, the big man took his kind warning as nonsense uttered because of fear, and immediately waved his arms vigorously.

　　The moment the stick swept over, it brought a gust of wind. Li Xiangfu calmly dodged sideways, grabbed the opponent’s wrist and twisted it hard. Screams and the sound of dislocation rang out almost at the same time.

　　After getting rid of the eyesore, he picked up the stick and went to help Qin Jin. With the help of the weapon, his fighting power instantly soared.

　　Seeing that things were not going well, Zhou Panbai kicked the big man who was screaming on the ground and said, “Take off your clothes. That guy is scared of naked people. He can’t fight you with his eyes closed.”

　　The big man endured the pain and took off his short-sleeved shirt with one hand, wandering around outside the court.

　　Zhou Panbai also unbuttoned his shirt and flapped the sides of his shirt like a moth.

　　“…”

　　The image of a man being dragged naked to a mass grave in winter gradually faded from his memory, leaving only the two particularly funny clowns in front of him. Li Xiangfu’s years of nudity fear was cured overnight.

　　Thanks idiot.

　　He thanked them from the bottom of his heart.

　　When the police arrived, the scene was in chaos, with people taking off their clothes and wailing… If it weren’t for the several big men lying on the ground, it would have been difficult to tell whether it was robbery or harassment.

　　Li Xiangfu was still looking at Zhou Panbai who was being taken away with reluctance, and he imitated the behavior of contemporary young people and made a heart shape with his fingers to show him.

　　Zhou Panbai was instantly enraged and tried to rush over while roaring, but was held down by the police.

　　Another police officer said: “If it is convenient, I need your cooperation to record a statement.”

　　The two had no objection.

　　Tianxi Ancient Village is full of narrow paths, and today is the Begging Festival, so there are huge crowds of people. After receiving the alarm call, in order to arrive faster, the police rode their motorcycles directly here. It was already very troublesome to escort so many prisoners.

　　Fortunately, the distance was not far, so Li Xiangfu asked about the approximate direction and said he would walk there.

　　This is the only option in special circumstances.

　　The situation attracted some onlookers. Li Xiangfu pointed to the front and signaled them to hurry up as he didn’t want to be watched.

　　Walking through the bustling crowd, he brought the topic back to the original purpose of coming to Qin Jin: “I just found out about your brother.”

　　He simply stated the facts throughout the process without any intention of shirking responsibility.

　　Qin Jin suddenly pointed to a place.

　　Thinking there was some sudden crisis, Li Xiangfu looked up cautiously and found that it was just a shop selling small lanterns.

　　As the name suggests, the focus of the Wish-Seeking Festival is to beg for wishes. However, the wishes here are very particular. One cannot make big wishes or wishes for life and death. Li Xiangfu rarely wishes on his birthday, let alone a festival. He is really not interested but because of Qin Jin, he took a second look.

　　At first glance, he could really tell what it was. There were dark patterns on the lanterns, which turned out to be lightning and thunder gods. They were different from the images in traditional stories, and looked a little scary and less majestic.

　　Seeing that he was staring at her, the stall owner waved at him and said, “Take one away.”

　　After paying, Li Xiangfu said, “This lantern looks a little weird.”

　　The stall owner smiled and said, “The Begging Festival was originally a festival for cursing people. People would write the names of the people they hated on lanterns and hang them up during thunderstorms, praying that the person would be struck by lightning.”

　　“……” That’s really auspicious.

　　The lantern was only the size of a fist, and it was sold for fifteen yuan. Li Xiangfu felt that he had been ripped off, and his steps were a little heavy. In addition to the one thousand yuan he had given to the village chief after getting information, he had overspent this time.

　　Noticing his detailed changes, Qin Jin said, “You can take it back as a souvenir.”

　　”That’s right…” Before he could finish his words, he suddenly realized that the topic had been changed. Li Xiangfu glanced at Qin Jin, but he really couldn’t figure out what the other person was thinking.

　　At this time, he admired Gao Xun a little. Working under such a boss, he would probably have to walk on thin ice all the time.

　　As his thoughts raced, he suddenly heard the person next to him speak in an overly calm tone: “Don’t worry about his affairs.”

　　His fingers suddenly tightened, causing the lantern to shake violently.

　　Li Xiangfu stopped and did not hide the surprise in his eyes: “Don’t worry about it?”

　　”At least not now.” Qin Jin stopped in front and turned around.

　　Li Xiangfu is not lacking in the ability to read people’s expressions and is very good at it. Qin Jin had conveyed his emotions very well… He didn’t want to talk about the past.

　　When they took another step, their shoulders were subtly staggered as they walked one in front and one behind.

　　Li Xiangfu didn’t like being surrounded by suspicion, otherwise he wouldn’t have chosen to talk about the matter directly before Li Anqing came.

　　As if sensing the moment when he frowned, Qin Jin said calmly, “In fact, you’d better pray that your memory will not be restored for the rest of your life.”

　　It sounded quite impolite, but it wasn’t said as a warning, but rather as advice.

　　After walking a little further, Li Xiangfu, who always advocated stopping at the right time, couldn’t help but ask the reason. When he didn’t hear the answer, he frowned and asked, “Don’t you suspect that your brother’s disappearance has something to do with me?”

　　If it were Li Huaichen and his friends going out on a trip, he would dig out all the possible details as long as his companions returned safely without his brother.

　　Qin Jin: “No need to doubt it.”

　　It’s not that he didn’t doubt, but that he didn’t need to. The difference between one word makes a world of difference.

　　After repeatedly pondering the ambiguous answer, they arrived at the door of the police station in a blink of an eye. The wall had gone through so many years that the entire wall had turned dark blue.

　　The policeman was very nice. He seemed a little sorry for asking them to leave and personally poured two glasses of water.

　　Zhou Panbai’s loud yelling came from the next room. After being yelled at to be quiet, he yelled even louder.

　　The police officer felt helpless: “This person seems to have some mental problems.”

　　This is indeed the case. Zhou Panbai is obsessed with making a name for himself, but he also has some of the sensitivity and fragility of a painter. The combination of the two has made him have a fragile heart.

　　After asking about the cause and effect, the police did not react much when they heard that it was due to cheating in the competition. But when they heard about the way Zhou Panbai wanted to deal with Li Xiangfu, their expressions suddenly became strange.

　　”He tried to defeat me through mental pollution.” Li Xiangfu let out a long sigh.

　　“…”

　　After completing the statement, they declined the police’s offer to send them back and returned along the same route.

　　On the way, Qin Jin suddenly said, “You still owe me a painting.”

　　When participating in a variety show, Li Xiangfu promised to send a potential painting of a future master, but was reminded by his ‘creditor’ and said embarrassedly: “I will do it as soon as possible.”

　　Finally, he asked him whether he preferred ink or oil painting.

　　Qin Jin shook his head slowly: “You can consider paying it back with a meal.”

　　Li Xiangfu did not accept the offer immediately. The other party had done him a great favor, and treating him to a meal seemed perfunctory.

　　”Li Xichun praised you as the ideal man in her circle of friends and even shared a photo of a meal she had with you.” Qin Jin squinted at him and said, “I’m a little curious.”

　　Li Xiangfu raised his eyebrows. Regardless of how Qin Jin saw her sister’s circle of friends, he must have been blocked.

　　•|•

　　The news that Zhou Panbai had hired thugs and attempted a kidnappingspread among the contestants that night.

　　The most surprised person was Judge Fang. He never imagined that Zhou Panbai, who looked like a dodder, was actually a poisonous snake. After being surprised, he felt quite regretful and secretly sighed that neither Qin Jin nor Li Xiangfu were in any harm.

　　Due to the unexpected incident, the field trip was postponed for one day to allow the frightened contestants to calm down.

　　In fact, Li Xiangfu was not frightened, but felt disturbed. The next day, each contestant came to visit once, and it was inevitable that he would get bored after dealing with so many people, especially when the judges expressed their concern in a slick way.

　　After sending away all the people who came to send their greetings, Li Xiangfu went out to buy the ingredients, borrowed the kitchen of the owner’s house, and prepared to fulfill his promise.

　　The two children curiously leaned on the door frame to see what he was going to do.

　　When frying soybeans, there would be a “pop” sound from time to time. The child covered his ears, clapped his hands exaggeratedly, and hid aside, but soon he could not help but come forward to smell the fragrance of the soybeans.

　　”What are you making a fuss about?” The owner came over and grabbed the two little ones, “Go back and do your homework.”

　　As they struggled unwillingly, he said to Li Xiangfu, “Someone from the TV station is here to see you. They came all the way from the city.”

　　Li Xiangfu filtered the soybean powder and looked outside: “TV station?”

　　”In this village, even the smallest things can be concealed,” the homeowner lamented the decline of morals, and then said, “Last night, a thug was sent to the hospital for treatment after breaking his arm. He kept cursing and saying that his employer was a psychopath who wanted to kidnap somebody just to lock them up and force them to watch a striptease show.”

　　”Word spread quickly, and someone had a relative working in the media, and they came here after hearing the news.”

　　“…”

　　As he was talking, someone came in carrying a camera.

　　There were several people and more than one media outlet. After finding out more, he found out that there was only one TV station and the rest were all newspapers and self-media.

　　Li Xiangfu didn’t want to be interviewed. Before he could say no, a girl with bright eyes and white teeth took the initiative to introduce herself and her purpose: “Hello, I’m a reporter from Cangyang TV. I want to interview you about what happened last night.”

　　She came with gifts and repeatedly stated that Li Xiangfu’s entire face would be mosaiced to ensure the security of his identity.

　　Not hearing any answer, the girl felt a little embarrassed and pondered over her words before continuing.

　　Li Xiangfu nodded at this time: “I only have one request, don’t exaggerate the facts.”

　　The girl was relieved: “Don’t worry, we also interviewed the police from the police station and one of the kidnappers about this matter. It’s not possible to make up a random story.”

　　“…”

　　The questions were written in advance, and the interview was completed quickly with one question and one answer.

　　In this era, TV stations have to compete with self-media for speed. If the time is short, the popularity will be snatched away. And the most eye-catching news every year is always the weird news, so there is also a selection of the top ten silly news of the year.

　　Within just a few hours, the relevant interview video was posted on major social platforms and midday news, and the kidnappers’ bizarre purpose immediately became a hot topic of discussion among netizens.

　　Evening, at Li’s house.

　　In the afternoon, Li Huaichen took Li Shasha to complete the admission procedures. He did not go to the company and had a rare dinner at home on time.

　　Mr. Li had learned from his eldest son last night that Li Xiangfu knew the truth. He frowned and asked, “Did he call again today?”

　　Li Huaichen shook his head.

　　Upon hearing this, the furrows between Mr. Li’s brows deepened, and he scolded, “He never makes me feel at ease.”

　　Li Shasha, who was eating quietly at the side, wiped the corner of his mouth and said, “Dad has already reported on the news that he is safe.”

　　“…”

　　The author has something to say:

Li Xiangfu: Every day in my life, I am healed by the villain’s gentleness.