Chapter 18: Whom Should One Trust?

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Cheng Xiangru desperately wanted to refute Leng Ying’s speculation, but the explosion had come at such a perfect moment—right after Leng Ying suggested that Boss Zhou and his men intended to blow up the smuggling tunnel.

So who was telling the truth?

Cheng Xiangru felt a sharp pain at his temple, as if sinking deeper into a quagmire. The more he tried to unravel the mysteries, the more entangled he became.

“What? You still trust that Goat Beard?” Leng Ying sneered. “Think carefully—if Goat Beard really was close to your father, why didn’t he come looking for you before? Why does he suddenly pop up now? Even if he was deeply attached to your dad, giving you some living expenses would be generous enough. How could he possibly bring you both to settle in Rong City and support you there? Doesn’t he seem overly attentive to you and your sister? Don’t talk about brotherhood; a man like him only trusts profit. He’s a businessman—calculating and shrewd. If he’s putting so much effort and resources into you two orphans, it’s definitely for some gain!”

Cheng Xiangru had considered these questions too. But Boss Zhou showed no interest in the expensive antiques down in the dry well, so what could he possibly want with two helpless kids?

They had nothing left but their lives.

Besides, when Boss Zhou brought him and his sister to settle in Rong City and arranged school for Cheng Yimo, he had already decided that even if Boss Zhou asked him to sell his life, he would agree without hesitation.

As long as his sister could live under the sun, no matter how deep the abyss of evil he had to fall into, he was willing.

Leng Ying watched Cheng Xiangru’s face shifting through emotions, her brows furrowed. “That Goat Beard is too strange; so many of his actions are baffling. If you keep following him, it’s really dangerous. Take this time—he wants to dig up the great Qing dragon vein in such a season. It’s absurd. He could easily wait a few months until the weather warms and the frozen earth thaws. Unless... he’s racing against time!”

She snapped her fingers sharply. “Right! Racing against time! It can’t just be them targeting the Qing dragon vein. There must be another group threatening them, forcing them to take this risk in this season!”

Cheng Xiangru suddenly looked up, stunned, staring at Leng Ying.

He had heard a similar guess last night, only the target was different.

Leng Ying’s eyes curved into crescent moons, smiling. “How about this—you trust me once, and I’ll take you to tear off Goat Beard’s mask and see who he really is.”

“No! I’m going to the county to buy a pump!” Cheng Xiangru said firmly.

Leng Ying seemed about to persuade him but then her eyes flicked, as if she’d thought of something, and she agreed readily. “Fine! Let’s do as you say—head back to the county first.”

The rickety vehicle jolted onward toward the county. Both sat lost in thought, silence stretching long without interruption.

Leng Ying was right. Unconsciously, Cheng Xiangru no longer noticed the foul odor inside the car. The warm, comfortable heat blowing inside dried his mouth and nose, but given his immense physical exhaustion, the car’s bumps, like a cradle, soon lulled him into a drowsy sleep, clutching his travel bag.

When cold, hunger, and exhaustion converge, the most irresistible is exhaustion.

The car slowly drove through the icy kingdom, beneath the snow lay the dragon veins of a bygone empire, and above, flakes layered in the biting wind.

Each snowflake was born crystal clear and pure, the most exquisite existence in the world, yet its fate was doomed from birth—it would shatter and scatter.

No one escapes this fate.

In his sleep, Cheng Xiangru had a nightmare: he was running through a pitch-black tunnel, carrying his unconscious sister on his back. Behind him, Boss Zhou chased, shouting, “Child! You have to believe me! I can give you everything you want!”

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Looking back, under the trembling flashlight glow, he clearly saw a gleaming knife, its tip stained with blood.

Suddenly, a cackling laugh echoed from above. He looked up and was shocked to see Leng Ying running upside down along the tunnel ceiling at incredible speed, about to catch up.

Ahead, a light appeared, growing larger until it became a blinding white flare.

Cheng Xiangru pushed himself harder, sprinting into the light. But suddenly, the ground vanished beneath his feet, and he and his sister plummeted downward.

The immense sensation of weightlessness felt like countless hands tearing at his body, trying to rip him apart...

He jolted awake, drenched in sweat, every muscle aching as if about to fall apart.

“Bad dream?” Leng Ying glanced at him while driving. “What kind of nightmare? Tell me, lighten the mood. This lousy car is so noisy—only the horn and speakers are silent. It’s unbearably boring.”

Cheng Xiangru took deep breaths, sweat slowly subsiding, his mood calming. “How long was I asleep? How much farther?”

Leng Ying pulled a bottle of mineral water from somewhere and tossed it to him. “Almost there, probably less than an hour.”

“Okay.” He nodded, sipping water, silent.

An hour later, the battered van rolled into the county. By the roadside, the roads were relatively flat, with houses lining the street, some shops exhaling warm steam, and local vendors selling ice cream along the way.

“Let’s find something to eat first. People here sleep early; once it’s dark, there might be nowhere to eat,” Leng Ying said, slowly pulling over and reaching for the keys to turn off the engine.

“You go ahead and eat. I need to buy a pump,” Cheng Xiangru said, trying to open the door, but it was locked.

Leng Ying muttered, “Stubborn mule,” then shifted gears and drove on, finally stopping in front of a supermarket.

The sunset bathed the snowy world in golden light; dusk was falling.

The overall tone of the world warmed, but the air grew colder.

The supermarket was small; lifting the thick curtain inside showed all the shelves.

Cheng Xiangru approached the owner, who was covering his nose, staring at him. “Do you have a pump?”

“No, no!” The owner waved his hand violently in front of his mouth, as if shooing flies.

Cheng Xiangru left helplessly and returned to the car.

“Didn’t get one?”

“No, not here.”

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“Alright! Let’s try another place!”

In a short time, Leng Ying took Cheng Xiangru to every supermarket in the county, big or small, but none had a pump.

At their wit’s end, they found a repair shop. After much pleading, the owner sold Cheng Xiangru a battered, dirty pump without a pressure gauge—a pitiful version—for a few hundred yuan, tears in his eyes.

“Now that we’ve got the pump, shall we find a place to stay?” Leng Ying suggested.

Cheng Xiangru shook his head. “Can you take me back?”

Leng Ying was a little annoyed. “You slept half the afternoon, snoring away. I’ve been driving all day with no rest. Don’t you know how to cherish the delicate?!” Then she sniffed herself, dejected. “No wonder, I’m no delicate flower—I stink.”

“I...” Cheng Xiangru was speechless, unsure what to say.

Through this journey, he clearly felt that Leng Ying bore him no ill will; in fact, she was quite kind to him.

But Boss Zhou had treated him well too, showing kindness to him and his sister.

Who should he truly trust?

“Can I... really trust you?” Cheng Xiangru asked, looking up with a complex expression.

Leng Ying burst out laughing. “Are you stupid? Who asks that? Come on, let’s find some clothes to buy. We both stink—dogs would turn their noses up, and restaurants might not even let us in. After we eat, we’ll go back.”

“Back where?” Cheng Xiangru was stunned.

“To Goat Beard’s place, of course.”

“Aren’t you tired? Shouldn’t you rest?” Cheng Xiangru felt a little guilty.

Leng Ying said lightly, “I’ll catch a nap on the way. We’ll be there soon enough.”

“Wait? You sleep in the car? Then who’s driving?”

“You are. Who else? Driving’s easy—just need hands, anyone can learn.”

“...”

Cheng Xiangru looked down at his hands and suddenly wanted to say: The kind of hands you mean, I don’t think I have them.