Chapter 83

"Uncle… be gentle… be gentle…" Guo Fatzi hurriedly called out, "I’m just a fat guy, not a monkey. I’m quite honest."

"Don’t bully the young master!" Chen Mo gritted his teeth.

"When have I ever bullied him?" Guo Fatzi felt somewhat wronged.

"You injured him last time," Chen Mo said in a low voice. "After the master left, you secretly told me, wasn’t it intentional last time?"

"Heaven and earth as my witness!" Guo Fatzi hurriedly called out, "Uncle, don’t blacken my name like this—last time, I just got distracted. That damn electric scooter had bad brakes, it’s not my fault."

"Uncle, when I hit him, I was stunned. I didn’t hit anyone else, but I actually… Uncle, be gentle… you’re going to tear my ear off."

"You even locked him in the room?" Chen Mo scolded again.

"That was an accident. I saw him sleeping soundly in the morning and didn’t wake him up. I was out for no more than half an hour, not locking him in for long!" Guo Fatzi hurriedly explained, "I didn’t do it on purpose."

"Don’t do such things again." Chen Mo shook his head and left with Wu Bai.

"My ear!" Guo Fatzi covered his ear, thankful that Uncle had finally left, and his good days were coming.

Inside the room, only Hou Zhi and Guo Fatzi were left. Hou Zhi thought for a moment and asked, "Fatzi, I really… didn’t expect he would suffer such hardships… sigh!"

"That Jiang family truly deserves to die." Guo Fatzi gritted his teeth, "If they fall into my hands, hmpf!"

"You mustn’t ruin the big plan." Hou Zhi said, "Although this matter was decided by the scholar, I always feel something is off. Think about it, why did it happen now, just when we were about to get what we wanted? If it weren’t for Uncle Lu’s precautions, we would have worked in vain this time."

Yang Kang took a shower, held his computer, and read a book in bed for a while. Guo Fatzi hadn’t returned, and he felt drowsy, falling asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, he felt a stuffy sensation in his chest and woke up with a start. As he moved, his head hit something hard. It was pitch dark around him, and he felt the rough, cold wooden bed beneath him.

Feeling around, he found a flashlight at the head of the bed and turned it on. A pungent, moldy smell hit his nose. Not far from him, there were piles of clutter, a mess of things he couldn’t identify.

"Trouble…" Yang Kang hurriedly got up and ran to the door, but it was locked from the outside.

"Uncle… Uncle… open the door…" Yang Kang pulled the door with all his might, but it didn’t budge. It was eerily quiet outside, as if he were the only one left in the darkness.

"Xiaoyue… Brother Jiang… Auntie… are you there?" Yang Kang shouted loudly, pounding on the storage room door.

He didn’t know how long he shouted, his voice hoarse, unable to call out anymore…

He hurriedly searched for his phone but found it missing. He vaguely remembered leaving it outside to charge, not bringing it in.

Without a phone, he couldn’t contact the outside world or call for help.

After an unknown amount of time, the flashlight’s light dimmed and finally went out, leaving him in complete darkness.

Hunger, heat, and the moldy, decaying smell made him feel like he was rotting. Perhaps, this was what death felt like.

"Dad… wait for me, I’m coming…" Yang Kang closed his eyes, feeling despair.

"Akang! Akang! Don’t be afraid, Dad is here!" Someone seemed to be shaking him, and he felt the familiar warmth of his father.

"Come, come, have some watermelon juice, sit down." His father’s voice seemed to be right beside him.

"No!" Yang Kang shook his head, his father was dead… the dead cannot come back to life.

"Akang, what do you want for lunch? I’ll go buy it later." A gentle voice seemed to be right beside him, like his father.

"Mr. Shao?" Yang Kang was stunned, looking up to see Shao Wenmo. "Didn’t you go abroad?"

"When did I go abroad?" A clear voice came, "You child, who are you angry with, running out in such hot weather?"

In a daze, the person wasn’t Shao Wenmo but Tang Chen.

"Akang, look, the birthday gift I gave you…" Tang Chen hung a jade pendant around his neck.

"Mr. Tang, why is it you?" Yang Kang was dazed, he had just seen Mr. Shao…

"Brat, paying debts is a natural duty… do you have a reason not to pay?" Tea and tea leaves were splashed on his face.

"Ah…" Yang Kang woke up with a start, hurriedly sitting up in bed.

Looking around, he was lying in his bed in the Ruyi Workshop, the bedside lamp on, casting a soft glow.

The soft, comfortable, thick mattress, a king-size double bed, the room’s air conditioning set to a comfortable temperature, neither too cold nor too hot, Yang Kang leaned back on the bed, sighing.

Looking down, he saw the "Pine and Snow" jade pendant. He took it off his neck, turned on the room’s main light, and held it in his hand.

Since his mother’s passing, his father had always feared he would be wronged. Every year on his birthday, his father would prepare a gift. This "Pine and Snow" jade pendant was his 19th birthday gift.

It was a high-quality glass-type jade with a pure, bright green color. Although it didn’t reach the level of imperial green, it seemed more vibrant and fresh.

The jade carver, known to be a famous jade artist in the country, skillfully used the white snowflake inclusions in the jade to create snowflakes and carved the green part into a pine tree. Despite its small size, it gave a vivid impression of lush, flourishing pine leaves when held up to the light.

When his father bought it, it cost 2.8 million, but he had to sell it urgently and couldn’t even get half the price, only 1.2 million.

His uncle and aunt had demanded the money too urgently, leaving him with no choice.

When his father learned he had sold the "Pine and Snow" jade pendant, the sorrow in his eyes made Yang Kang feel heartbroken, but what could he do if he didn’t sell it?

Now, being able to find it again and wear it, his father would be happy.

Although Tang Chen said he would give it to him, Yang Kang decided to find a porcelain worth four to five million and give it to him in return. He didn’t want to owe him a favor.

Perhaps it was because of this jade pendant that he had such a dream.

Thinking of this, Yang Kang sighed softly. Following Tang Chen’s advice, he took off the white jade pendant with the climbing clematis and planned to find someone to make a string to hang it on his waist. In ancient times, people wore such jade pendants around their waists, not on their necks.