"Don't be rash."
Shen Qingqing could see the child's intentions were off at a glance.
An Qi hadn't expected her to see through him. He paused slightly, then said hatefully, "You don't need to say nice things. I am irreconcilable with you. You want to use me to threaten my brother, and I will never let you succeed!"
Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow slightly. "When did I say I would use you to threaten your brother?"
An Qi gritted his teeth. "You're in league with Fu Tingyi, so why pretend? I heard your conversation just now. Do you take me for an idiot?"
"It's come to this, and you still want to fool me?!"
"Is this interesting?!"
His handsome young face was filled with mockery. He didn't believe a single word the woman said.
Not even a punctuation mark.
Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu exchanged a glance, feeling a bit helpless. They had only meant to monitor Fu Tingyi's movements, but it had led to An Qi's misunderstanding.
Shen Qingqing took a step forward and said, "You don't need to be so nervous. Since you are Fu Tingyi's enemy, you should know that he and his son are not on good terms."
The young man remained silent.
"So you should know even better that we absolutely cannot be in league with Fu Tingyi."
Upon hearing this, An Qi seemed to understand something. He turned his head to look at Fu Jingshu, but his movement was a little strenuous as his arms were held behind him.
He glanced at Fu Jingshu out of the corner of his eye.
Shen Qingqing felt the pose was too uncomfortable, so she asked Fu Jingshu to let go.
Fu Jingshu hesitated for a moment, then released his grip.
Unexpectedly, a change occurred at this very moment.
An Qi turned and bolted without hesitation. The young man was already young, with long legs, and when he ran, it was as if the wind was beneath his feet, like he was riding a pair of fiery wheels.
He was as fast as a gust of wind.
Shen Qingqing reacted quickly, chasing after him. She reached out her right hand to grab An Qi's arm. He threw his hand off without looking back. To be precise, it was so sudden that Shen Qingqing almost didn't catch him.
This young man was surprisingly strong!
No wonder he could escape from those people. Fu Tingyi's men must have underestimated the young man.
If it were anyone else, An Qi would have escaped this time.
Unfortunately, he encountered Fu Jingshu.
Seeing Shen Qingqing stumble from being thrown and her brow furrow in pain as she moved her left arm, Fu Jingshu's eyes suddenly sharpened. He strode towards the young man and, with a long leg, kicked An Qi to the ground.
The fall was not light, and the young man's chin was grazed, drawing blood.
He covered his jaw and tried to get up, but felt a sharp pain in his lower back, making it impossible to stand. His hands were then restrained, and he was back in that familiar position.
Despair filled his heart.
This man was too strong. He had already used all his might, yet he still couldn't escape.
He was completely different from the useless guards who had watched him. He was strong, skilled, and fast. Most importantly, he possessed an astonishing aura.
An Qi lowered his head, dejected. "Tell me, what do you want?"
Shen Qingqing, holding her left arm with her right hand, walked forward and frowned. "Why do you insist on thinking we want something from you?"
An Qi glanced at her.
His eyes seemed to say: Are you asking a stupid question?
Shen Qingqing's mouth twitched slightly. "I told you, we are not in league with Fu Tingyi. Now, we can take you to see your brother."
An Qi's head shot up, his gaze fixed on her.
"What did you say?"
"Don't you want to see your brother?" Shen Qingqing asked.
Of course, he did!
An Qi dreamt of it every night. He had no idea where his brother was or how he was doing. He had only overheard some people saying that his brother was to become a pawn.
He didn't understand what the fate of a pawn was, but he knew it wasn't good.
So he had run out with all his might, but he had no idea where his brother was.
"You're not lying to me, are you?" like tricking him into returning and being imprisoned again...
Seeing An Qi's imagination straying as far as Mount Everest, Shen Qingqing said irritably, "Why would we imprison you? What would we gain by deceiving you? Is it necessary? You've already been caught by us."
She glanced at Fu Jingshu's iron-like grip. He hadn't even exerted much force, yet the young man was like a tied-up duck, unable to fly away.
An Qi thought she had a point, but still couldn't believe that someone was willing to help him.
"Why are you against Fu Tingyi? I heard he and his son are at odds, but you are still father and son. You're helping me? Do you know that if I called the police, Fu Tingyi would be guilty of unlawful imprisonment and hindering personal freedom, and he would go to jail!"
Would a son bear to see his father go to jail?
Fu Jingshu's voice was cold. "Jail is what he deserves."
There was not the slightest bit of worry or tenderness in his voice or tone.
An Qi still found it hard to believe.
Shen Qingqing said, "In any case, you have no other choice now. Whether we take you away to be imprisoned or to see your brother, you can't escape. Instead of struggling and doubting, making yourself paranoid, why not try to trust us once?"
She released her right hand and looked at her left arm, which was wrapped in gauze.
"You just touched my arm, and I haven't blamed you."
An Qi subconsciously asked, "What happened to your hand?"
"A hairline fracture."
An Qi gasped.
A hairline fracture, though just a small crack, was extremely painful. He had once fallen while playing soccer and lay in bed for two months. He couldn't take painkillers all the time and endured the pain for two months.
"You, doesn't it hurt?"
His features contorted as if he could feel the pain himself.
Shen Qingqing shrugged. Her left arm hurt slightly when she moved it inadvertently, but she remained impassive. "It hurts, but the wound needs to heal, which is inevitable. Alright, let's not worry about my wound. Let's go back. Your brother is very worried about you and has been waiting for you."
She exchanged a look with Fu Jingshu, and they led the young man outside.
As they were about to leave, Shen Qingqing said in a low voice, "I suggest you better not make any rash moves, because I don't want to hurt you, nor do I want to knock you out. But if you don't cooperate, to avoid trouble on the way and delay the time to see your brother, we'll have no choice but to do so. I don't think you'd want your brother to see you unconscious, would you?"
An Qi's nascent restless thoughts were immediately doused with a bucket of cold water.
He gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and finally became compliant.
However, if his little thoughts were still somewhat active at the beginning, then as they walked along the lively and prosperous streets, he gradually calmed down. When he had been taken away before, they had always gone to remote places.
There was only one dilapidated factory, and he had almost worn out his shoes running away from it.
If he hadn't grown up in the village since he was young, often climbing trees on the mountain, and hadn't slacked off on exercise after moving to the city, his physique and stamina would not have been as good. If it were anyone else, they truly might not have been able to escape from that desolate place.