Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 514

All the lost items were found.

Xu Xiuwen and Gu Pandi expressed their gratitude to Zhao Jinping and the police officers.

After that, the station chief escorted the three of them out of the police station.

Zhao Jinping’s car was parked by the roadside.

He seemed like he wanted to say something more to Xu Xiuwen, but upon noticing Gu Pandi beside him, he simply patted Xu Xiuwen on the shoulder and left.

Xu Xiuwen and Gu Pandi then returned to the hotel.

Back in the room, Gu Pandi said to Xu Xiuwen, “Xiao Xu, thank you for helping me find my suitcase and wallet, and even owing someone a favor because of it.”

“It’s fine. I’ll make sure to thank her properly.”

Not wanting Gu Pandi to dwell on the matter for too long, Xu Xiuwen changed the topic. “It’s getting late. Let’s go eat.”

Gu Pandi nodded.

She put her belongings away in the room, then the two of them headed out for a meal.

They found a restaurant near the hotel and ordered a few dishes.

After lunch, Xu Xiuwen and Gu Pandi walked back to the hotel, chatting and laughing along the way.

Since the hotel was close, they didn’t take a taxi and chose to walk along the roadside instead.

When they were about a traffic light away from the hotel, a black Audi suddenly pulled over.

Two men got out of the car.

Both were well-built, with muscular physiques and tanned skin.

They stepped in front of Xu Xiuwen, blocking his path.

“Mr. Xu, please come with us.”

Xu Xiuwen didn’t recognize these two men at all.

But they clearly knew who he was.

A bad feeling crept up his spine.

He frowned and asked, “Who sent you?”

The men ignored his question and simply repeated, “Mr. Xu, please come with us.”

Seeing that they wouldn’t answer, Xu Xiuwen attempted to bypass them and head back to the hotel with Gu Pandi.

“If you don’t tell me who sent you, I won’t go with you.”

“Mr. Xu, please don’t make this difficult for us.”

Once again, the two men blocked his way.

“What do you mean by this? I said I’m not going!”

“Mr. Xu, this isn’t up to you. Please get in the car.”

Xu Xiuwen had never been one to follow orders easily.

But this time, he chose not to resist.

Not because he was afraid.

But because he could tell these two men were not to be trifled with.

Although they were only around 1.75 meters tall, he knew that if it came to a fight, even with his enhanced physique, he wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

More importantly, he had Gu Pandi to protect.

As the saying goes—those who understand the situation are wise.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Xu Xiuwen decided to go with them and see who had sent them.

“I’ll go with you,” Xu Xiuwen said, “but I need to say a few words to her first.”

The two men exchanged glances before giving a slight nod.

Xu Xiuwen immediately pulled Gu Pandi aside.

Hearing that Xu Xiuwen was going with them, Gu Pandi became anxious and worried.

She said nervously, “Xiao Xu, you can’t go with them.”

“Aunt Gu, it’s fine. Just wait for me at the hotel.”

“But…”

Xu Xiuwen glanced at the two men from the corner of his eye, then lowered his voice and spoke quickly, “If I’m not back by nightfall, call Li and tell her what happened. Remember the number, 1xxxxxxxxxx.”

He repeated the number three times.

“Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Remember what I said.”

With that, Xu Xiuwen followed the two men into the Audi.

The car sped off, disappearing from Gu Pandi’s sight.

…

After getting into the car, Xu Xiuwen was asked to put on a black blindfold.

If it weren’t for the fact that they hadn’t taken out handcuffs or ropes, he would have almost thought he was being kidnapped.

This made him both curious and slightly uneasy.

He had no idea how much time had passed when the car finally came to a stop.

Xu Xiuwen was led into a building by the two men.

Since he had been blindfolded the entire time, he couldn’t see what the building looked like.

But he could sense that it was quite large.

They walked for a long distance before he was brought into a room.

He was told to sit down.

As soon as he sat, Xu Xiuwen immediately asked, “Can I take off the blindfold now?”

There was no response—only the sound of the door closing.

Xu Xiuwen swiftly removed the blindfold.

He quickly scanned the room.

It was a small space, less than 20 square meters.

At first glance, it looked very much like an interrogation room.

At the moment, he was the only one inside.

The two men who had brought him here had already left.

The door was an uncommon iron door, equipped with a window, but it could only be opened from the outside.

Xu Xiuwen was now certain—this was indeed an interrogation room.

He carefully recalled the details.

The two men who had brought him here were well-built, serious-looking, and expressionless, exuding a cold and disciplined aura.

They strongly resembled people who had served in the military.

His first thought was—had he been targeted by a special agency?

Could it be that someone had discovered his rebirth?

Had they captured him for research?

But that didn’t make sense.

There were plenty of people who had been reborn in those kind of novels.

Why would he be the only unlucky one to get caught?

It was illogical.

Or had he somehow offended someone?

Xu Xiuwen carefully combed through his memories.

He barely knew anyone in the capital, let alone had any enemies.

That didn’t add up either.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out who had brought him here.

In the end, he abandoned the pointless speculation.

He decided to stay calm and wait.

Since they had gone through the trouble of bringing him here, they would show themselves eventually.

Interestingly, they hadn’t taken away his phone.

But when Xu Xiuwen pulled it out, he realized there was no signal in the room.

He glanced at the time—more than half an hour had passed since he got in the car.

With nothing else to do, he casually opened his phone and started playing Snake.

Another ten minutes or so passed.

The iron door behind him creaked open.

Xu Xiuwen turned his head to look—two people walked in.

The man in front had sharp, rugged features.

Behind him followed a woman.

Xu Xiuwen took a closer look—and realized she was stunning.

She looked about twenty, tall and slender, with exquisite features and skin as fair as snow.

She was almost on par with Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu.

But what set her apart was the air of confidence and strength she carried.

The man sat down across from Xu Xiuwen.

The woman remained standing beside him.

As Xu Xiuwen sized them up, they were also scrutinizing him.

The man quickly spoke.

“Name.”

Xu Xiuwen was stunned.

So this was a real interrogation!

He didn’t act like a reckless fool refusing to cooperate.

On the contrary, he played along.

After answering several consecutive questions, the man suddenly asked, “What is your relationship with Li Haimei?”

Hearing the name Li Haimei, Xu Xiuwen froze.

His mind worked fast, and he immediately realized that his being brought here had something to do with her.

Could it be that she had gotten into trouble, and now they were investigating the people around her?

Xu Xiuwen had no idea what Li Haimei might have done.

But he did have feelings for her.

No matter what, he wouldn’t throw her under the bus.

The man across from him noticed his reaction and immediately frowned.

Before meeting Xu Xiuwen, he had already reviewed his file.

This young man wasn’t very old, yet in just one year, he had made more money than 99% of people would in a lifetime.

If nothing unexpected happened, his name would surely appear on the wealth rankings in the future.

Xu Xiuwen hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he didn’t immediately distance himself from Li Haimei.

Instead, he cautiously asked, “Can I ask why you’re questioning me about Li Haimei? What happened to her?”

The man remained silent.

The woman beside him, Qin Muni, suddenly snapped, “Just answer the question properly! Who told you to ask questions?”

Her voice was exceptionally cold.

The man beside her frowned at her. “Xiao Ni!” His tone was rather stern.

Qin Muni let out a soft hmph and fell silent.

The man repeated, “What is your relationship with Li Haimei?”

At this moment, Xu Xiuwen had calmed down.

Regardless of whether these people were really investigating Li Haimei or not, he couldn’t lose his composure.

He wouldn’t completely sever ties with her.

But he also wouldn’t admit to their romantic relationship.

So, he replied calmly, “Li Haimei and I are very good friends.”

Neither of the two people across from him spoke.

The next few questions were all related to how he met Li Haimei and details about her personal life.

Basically, everything was about her.

Xu Xiuwen answered them one by one—but all of his answers had been carefully edited.

Soon, the man finished his questioning.

He prepared to leave with the girl.

Xu Xiuwen quickly asked, “You’re done questioning me. Can I leave now?”

The man glanced at him but didn’t reply.

His expression carried a deep meaning.

Qin Muni, however, let out a cold scoff. “Just wait!”

Bang!

The door closed.

Xu Xiuwen finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He had acted calm, but that was just an act.

In reality, he was deeply worried about Li Haimei.

As the saying goes, “A day as husband and wife, a hundred days of grace.”

And he and Li Haimei had shared far more than just a single day.

Xu Xiuwen was not a heartless man.

How could he not worry about her?

But worrying was useless.

Those two had given him zero information about how long he’d have to wait or if he would be questioned again.

Xu Xiuwen felt frustrated.

Even a criminal deserved to know why they were being held.

Yet here he was, completely in the dark—no idea where he was, no idea who these people were.

…

On the other side,

Gu Pandi had witnessed Xu Xiuwen being taken away with her own eyes.

She was both anxious and scared.

She wanted to call the police, but she also worried that if the people were bad, alerting the authorities might make things worse for Xu Xiuwen.

In the end, she chose to follow Xu Xiuwen’s advice and went back to the hotel.

And so began the long wait.

This afternoon was the longest time Gu Pandi had ever spent.

…

After an unknown amount of time had passed,

Xu Xiuwen suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside the door.

The sounds grew louder, getting closer and closer, until they stopped right outside the iron door.

“He’s inside, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good, open the door.”

The next second,

The iron door opened from the outside.

Xu Xiuwen saw a man in military uniform, with a young man standing next to him.

The young man appeared to be in his early twenties, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a strong nose, and a handsome face that made it easy to take a liking to him at first glance.

Once the door was opened, the man in military uniform immediately stepped back to his position.

The young man walked into the room and shut the door behind him.

The young man sized Xu Xiuwen up from head to toe, and Xu Xiuwen did the same.

The young man wore a playful smile on his face, but there was a certain aristocratic aura about him.

Xu Xiuwen’s instincts told him that this young man was definitely no ordinary person.

He didn’t speak and waited for the other party to initiate the conversation.

As expected, the young man spoke first. “What’s your name?”

Xu Xiuwen answered calmly, “I’m Xu Xiuwen.”

“You’re my aunt’s boyfriend? You seem younger than me. How old are you?”

The young man’s tone was quite casual, not at all aggressive.

But his words revealed a lot of information.

First, he referred to Xu Xiuwen as his aunt’s boyfriend.

At his age, his aunt must be at least in her thirties, right?

Add to that the term “boyfriend,” and the earlier questioning of Li Haimei by the man and woman—it immediately clicked in Xu Xiuwen’s mind that the young man’s aunt was likely Li Haimei.

Xu Xiuwen first answered, “I’m nineteen years old.”

After a pause, he asked, “Is your aunt Li Haimei?”

The young man widened his eyes. “You’re only nineteen? My aunt is even bolder than I thought.”

Upon hearing Xu Xiuwen’s question, the young man hummed in acknowledgment and said, “You’re quick to react.”

When Xu Xiuwen heard the confirmation, he was stunned.

It seemed like things were developing differently than he had imagined.

Seeing that Xu Xiuwen didn’t speak, the young man took the initiative to explain, “You must be confused about what’s going on, right?”

“Yes.”

The young man didn’t hold back and slowly explained the entire situation.

After Li Heng’s explanation, Xu Xiuwen finally understood what was happening today.

The young man in front of him was named Li Heng, the son of Li Haimei’s older brother, Li Pingguo.

Li Haimei had left Kyoto and never returned to the Li family.

It had been over fifteen years.

During this time, Li Haimei had hardly been in contact with her family or friends from Kyoto.

However, today, Li Haimei suddenly contacted Zhao Jinping.

After receiving Li Haimei’s call, Zhao Jinping immediately helped resolve Xu Xiuwen’s situation.

Then, he turned around and informed Li Haimei’s brother, Li Pingguo, about the matter.

Li Haimei hadn’t contacted anyone from Kyoto in years.

To suddenly reach out to Zhao Jinping, and for a man, this caught Li Pingguo’s attention.

As a result, Li Pingguo investigated Xu Xiuwen’s files and data, and then sent people to “invite” him back.

The reason Li Heng came to find Xu Xiuwen was because he had just received a call from Li Haimei.

Li Haimei asked him to bring Xu Xiuwen out.

After hearing Li Heng’s explanation, Xu Xiuwen’s first reaction was one of disbelief.

Li Haimei’s background was too overwhelming.

It was only now that Xu Xiuwen realized Li Haimei was undeniably from a powerful family.

For the first time, Xu Xiuwen felt the vast gap between him and Li Haimei in terms of their identities and backgrounds.