Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 74 (Part 3)
Translated by Pure
Chapter 74.3 Shen Tiantian let a world shattering cry.
Shi Nanxing reconfirmed the date of payment with Sha Peng. After hanging up the phone, he immediately notified his family, "I want to go abroad."
This was not the first time for him to go abroad; Shi Nanxing studied abroad in the past, and after the smuggling case in Qunnan was uncovered, he had also escaped to hide abroad. The Shi Family is already familiar with their child’s actions, but they were curious at the sudden request. "Why are you going abroad now?"
"My old classmate arranged a good project for me, and I will go to oversee its growth." Shi Nanxing's voice remained very calm. "If all goes well, I may settle there in the future. When you retire in the future, I will pick you up and take care of you all."
"Good! Good! Good!" Everyone in the Shi Family was overjoyed, "You’re finally seriously considering your life choices! What's the point of banging away clumsily in all directions with no overall vision? It should have been like this a long time ago, just like Xiao Chi in the Xiao family, you should be making an honorable living."
The moment he heard Xiao Chi's name, Shi Nanxing took a deep breath, suppressed his trembling jaw. Unaware, his family, on the other end of the phone, asked, "When are you leaving?"
"The sooner the better, preferably within this week." The payment date he agreed with Sha Peng was in two weeks. Shi Nanxing replied immediately and then added after a pause, "That project is very popular, so don’t tell anyone of this matter.”
He took a deep breath and added, "Don't talk about it to Qi Kai's family either."
Although the Shi Family were baffled by this, they were used to obeying his requests and didn't raise any objections. After putting down his phone, Shi Nanxing sat in the pilot seat of his car blankly, looking up at the vast sky of Yan City outside the window.
Suddenly, a manic-like frustration flooded into his mind. Shi Nanxing vented at the steering wheel, with nowhere to unburden himself, he opened his mouth and yelled out frantically.
Not long after, he regained himself and drove to Qi Family's house.
Qi Kai was ill, he had been lying at home with a high fever for two days. Shi Nanxing came to the door carrying a basket full of fruits. He smiled, said hello to Elderly Qi who came out to greet him, and went upstairs to visit.
Qi Kai's eyes lit up when he saw him, happiness seeped out his weak voice, "Uncle!"
Shi Nanxing stood at the door and looked at the room before entering. He sat on the edge of Qi Kai’s bed with a seldom-seen gentleness and felt his forehead, "Is it better now?"
"Much better." Seeing his grandfather had turned around and gone downstairs, Qi Kai looked at Shi Nanxing expectantly and asked, "Uncle, have you settled with Sha Peng? Has the cooperation been terminated?"
Shi Nanxing was briefly stunned, but soon recomposed himself and replied with a smile, "Yes."
His response carried no weight, but his nephew immediately believed it unconditionally. Looking at Qi Kai's face that quickly fell into a deep sleep after receiving his answer, Shi Nanxing fell into an absentminded state.
Shi Nanxing was not afraid of the law enforcement agencies. He was left unharmed during the smuggling incident in Qunnan because no force on the surface dared to put him through an in-depth investigation. He was the only single offspring of Shi Family, moreover he had the Qi Family as in-laws. The combination of these two powerful families protected him from all possible harm. However, not everyone took caution against him. For example, Sha Peng– desperate criminals like him only have money in their eyes. Once provoked, even the Heavenly King and Lao Tzu wouldn’t remain unscathed.
Jiang Qiaqia was nowhere to be found, and the money that was debited from the bank could not be recovered. In a short span of two weeks, Shi Nanxing could not risk wasting his time running through his connections to remedy this situation.
He had to go– go before Sha Peng found out that he had been tricked. For a moment just now, he hesitated whether to take Qi Kai with him.
However, the more people there were, the easier for mistakes to occur. If Sha Peng was to find his whereabouts, everything would be over.
F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!
Shi Nanxing stood on Qi Kai's balcony, allowing the cold wind to blow on his face while littering cigarette butts all over the floor. However, even the stimulating nicotine could not make him sober even for a moment. On the contrary, he became more and more confused, unable to fathom how things have come to this point.
As if God had opposed his very existence.
The song of his phone suddenly pulled him out of his daze. Shi Nanxing hurriedly answered it, to hear his mother's voice come from the receiver, "Xingxing, it has been arranged. The flight is scheduled on Friday. Before then, can you come visit us for a couple days? Grandma and I haven't seen you for a long time, we miss you so much."
"Okay." Shi Nanxing snuffed out the cigarette in his hand, and replied softly.
He didn't know whether Sha Peng would retaliate after he left. He only knew that once he left, he might never be able to step back on this land again.
He absentmindedly stared at the night sky and reached out to touch the cigarette case from his pocket. It was only then did he notice he had already run out of cigarettes. As he fumbled around, his hands suddenly felt a thick envelope in his other pocket.
Shi Nanxing took it out and looked at the date written on the envelope. It suddenly occurred to him that when he went out today, he had put on a coat that had been hanging on the coat rack for a long time. In his pocket were the photos of Xiao Chi and Lin Jingzhe, the ones he had wanted to find someone to send to the Xiao Family, but had to be put on hold due to the sudden announcement of a crematorium being approved by Wubao Mountain.
In this world, there were the unfortunate ones such as himself, who had to continuously drive down a bumpy road.
While some other people, like Xiao Chi and Lin Jingzhe, could escape punishment even though they committed such blasphemy.
After Shi Nanxing walked back from the balcony, Qi Kai was already awake. The latter was looking at him with eager eyes.
Shi Nanxing nonchalantly bid his goodbyes, but before leaving, he suddenly thought of something. He turned his head to Qi Kai and said, "Oh right. Don’t you know a capable person in Yan City? Give me his contact information."
Qi Kai curiously asked, "What do you need him for?"
Shi Nanxing smiled lightly. "For a trivial matter."
*******
As soon as Shen Tiantian left the school, she jumped on Lin Jingzhe like a baby koala and coquettishly complained, "Brother, I'm tired!"
Her cutesy act and voice was so sweet, as if submerged in honey. Now that she was being spoiled by Lin Jingzhe, her actions had also become increasingly outrageous; even from the short distance of school gate to the parking lot, she refused to walk. Lin Jingzhe was used to pampering her, so he turned his back to face her and said, "Come up, I'll carry you into the car."
Shen Tiantian felt as light as a feather, she happily put her whole weight on his back and kicked her feet in the air. Once Lin Jingzhe put her into the car, he also helped her fasten her seat belt. When he leaned over, Shen Tiantian saw a red thread hanging by his collar, and curiously stretched out her hand to pull it out– it was an amulet.
"Huh?" Although this poorly-made amulet didn't look like it was mass-produced, it seemed very familiar to her, as if she had seen something similar on someone before. Curious, she asked, "Brother, when did you start wearing this thing?"
Lin Jingzhe gently took the elderly's handmade talisman from her hand. Although he didn't believe in such superstition, it was Grandma Xiao’s heartfelt work, since the day she had put it around his neck, he had never taken it off. "I've been wearing this for quite a while now, what do you think?"
Shen Tiantian snickered and answered, "It's so ugly."
"You little brat." Lin Jingzhe pinched her face. He allowed the amulet to hang above his shirt and didn't stuff it back, after he went around to the driver's seat and started the car, he said, "I’ll take you shopping today."
He had made this promise to Shen Tiantian a long while ago, and had finally found a half-day worth of time today. Shen Tiantian was elated and cheered all the way to the mall, like a noisy little chick was finally able to take her first flight.
She hugged Lin Jingzhe's arm and plunged into the shopping mall. She wanted everything in sight. Lin Jingzhe, in a good-tempered manner, followed behind her to pay and carry her bag. They continued for a couple hours, but he never made a word of complaint.
The following conversation was constantly being repeated——
"Brother! Does this look good on me?"
"Yes, it looks great on you!"
"Brother!! I want this!!"
"Okay! We’ll get it!"
This kind of unconditional connivance and pampering submerged Shen Tiantian’s body and soul in a comfortable cloud-like state. It was not as if she didn’t have her own money to buy these nonessentials. No matter how stern Shen Juuying and Lin Runsheng were, they had never shorted her food and clothing expenses. However, such a matter was completely different. She was currently wearing the medium heels that Lin Jingzhe bought for her after he extravagantly praised her choice. Every step she took felt as light as a feather.
It's such a blessing to have an older brother! She had to flaunt this to Xiao Miao later.
Once they were done shopping, Lin Jingzhe drove her to an open-air cafe. He left the handbag in the car and sent Shen Tiantian to the cafe to find a good seating spot.
Shen Tiantian's back was brimming with joy as she pranced off into the cafe
Lin Jingzhe got back into the car to find a parking space, but after driving for a bit, his neck suddenly felt itchy.
He raised his hand to scratch the area, and the red thread holding the amulet suddenly broke. The amulet then fluttered onto his leg like a feather.
Lin Jingzhe hurried and reached out to pick it up when a strange wind blew into the wide open window. The wind directly blew the amulet, which he hadn't had time to hold firmly, out of the window.
Lin Jingzhe quickly cussed and watched the amulet fluttering in the wind from the corner of his eye. Recalling that this amulet was handsewn by the lovely Grandma Xiao, he quickly parked his car on the side of the road and went out to retrieve it.
The amulet laid quietly beside the tree on the side of the street. Lin Jingzhe supported himself on the tree and reached out his other hand towards it.
It was then when a violent impact sounded behind him. Caught unprepared, Lin Jingzhe staggered and almost fell. He balanced himself and turned his head to look back in shock.
A large red truck had crashed into the area where he had just parked his black sedan, smashing his much smaller car into a pile of scrap iron.
The two vehicles had completely fused together, but the big truck didn’t seem to be satisfied. Its tires had crushed his sedan’s roof, but the truck backed up unhesitantly and rammed back into his sedan two more times.
Screams resounded from passers-by.
Before Lin Jingzhe could react, he heard a sharp, almost cracking voice, "Big brother!!!!!!"
He turned his head and saw Shen Tiantian desperately running straight from the plaza to the scene of the car accident in bare feet.
Shen Tiantian did not see her brother, who was standing a little further away and hidden behind a tree. She howled and jumped onto the tattered car, trying to open the deformed door. Lin Jingzhe was momentarily dumbstruck, but immediately wanted to go out and tell her that he was still fine.
However, in the next second, surrounded by the gathering crowd, Shen Tiantian recklessly jumped up and grabbed onto the door of the moving truck, refusing to allow the culprit to escape.
The truck backed up a few meters in a random manner and finally stopped.
Lin Jingzhe was extremely frightened by her bold movements. Afraid that something would happen to Shen Tiantian, he ran over quickly calling his sister's name.
With a bang, someone fell out of the truck door and hit the ground. The man had blood dripping down his face, he crawled on the ground and desperately explained in horror, "I drank too much...I drank too much..."
"Tiantian!" Lin Jingzhe looked at the driver who had already been beaten black and blue, and shouted towards Shen Tiantian, who was about to commence a second round of beating.
Shen Tiantian's whole body shook, her ferocious expression receded like a tide. She stared blankly at Lin Jingzhe, who suddenly appeared in her field of vision unscathed, holding his amulet.
"Wahhh!!!!" She cried out, ran out from the crowd, and jumped into Lin Jingzhe's arms.
"Big brother!!!!!"
Though Lin Jingzhe was still in shock, he hugged her tightly, giving Shen Tiantian the reassurance she needed. He turned his head to look at the bloody and inebriated truck driver who was on the ground, trying to escape but was pinned down by passers-by. Panting anxiously, he gently stroked Shen Tiantian's long hair that was messed up due to her outburst.
"It’s ok, everything’s ok. Everything’s alright now."
