The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 656 - 569 The Person We’re Looking For

Jian Si returned to the hotel and, after washing her face, she took out the documents to review again, compiling some of the doubts into a written summary.

Nan Zhan advised her to take a nap and rest, but her mind was so preoccupied with the case that she had no desire to sleep.

Beyond the case, she worried about someone who had left mysteriously on his own; she had no idea what he was up to, and vaguely, Jian Si felt it must be related to his real purpose for coming here.

She wanted to go out and look for him.

But as she shouldered her bag, she realized he hadn’t left any message. With Hengshan County being so large, where could she begin to search? Blindly heading out was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Jian Si felt increasingly restless, as if something dangerous was about to happen. She stood by the window, trying hard to dismiss those ominous speculations from her mind, but her irritation only intensified.

The area was notorious for its tough terrain and local complicity; it was natural for her to worry.

Unable to contain herself, Jian Si picked up her phone and dialed Nan Zhan’s number, but the call failed to connect. Her sense of unease grew stronger.

Nan Zhan got off on the way to buy a set of cheap clothes and shoes and deliberately messed up his hair.

When he got back on the vehicle, the driver couldn’t help but take a few more glances; the once dapper gentleman had suddenly transformed into a shabbily dressed slob. What on earth had happened to him in those mere minutes?

"We’re almost at Da’an Village," said the driver.

"How many years has this repair factory been here?" Nan Zhan observed the terrain along the way. Located in such a remote area, it indeed was a good hiding spot.

"Five or six years now, and business is pretty good."

"Do you know the boss?"

The driver shook his head: "Never seen him. He rarely makes an appearance. I heard he’s from the big city, ran here to hide from debts after a failed investment."

"Everyone calls him Brother Kui. Do you know his real name?"

The driver shook his head again: "I really don’t know that."

Nan Zhan thought to himself that with this level of secrecy, he was getting closer to the person he was after.

"Alright, here we are." The driver stopped the car at the entrance of the village. "The roads inside are too narrow for the car. Just walk fifty meters and you’ll see the sign for the Longxing Repair Factory."

Nan Zhan paid and got out of the car, putting on the hat he had just purchased.

As the driver said, the village roads were indeed narrow, only wide enough for one car. If two vehicles came in opposite directions, one would have to pull over, into a villager’s front yard.

As he walked to the repair factory, a small truck loaded with fruits and vegetables, presumably on its way to the county to sell goods, drove past him.

He had to step aside to make way for the truck as it passed by him.

Even after the truck had gone a good distance, Nan Zhan kept staring at it, feeling that something was amiss. But what exactly was not right?

Nan Zhan decided not to dwell on it as he could now see the repair factory. On a peeling sign hung the words "Longxing Repair Factory," with the characters for ’Long’ (prosper) and ’Repair’ becoming somewhat illegible due to neglect.

Nan Zhan stood in front of the outer iron gate and peered inside. The factory was filled with motorcycles and tricycles awaiting repairs, and four or five mechanics were working on the vehicles, seemingly absorbed in their work.

At that moment, someone noticed him and stood up: "Hey, here for repairs?"

Nan Zhan didn’t respond.

The man asked again: "Are you here to see Brother Kui?"

Nan Zhan remained silent.

The man got up and walked over, followed by the four or five other people who had stood up. They held big iron wrenches, iron rods, and machetes typically used in repairing.

Nan Zhan stepped back twice, pulled his hat down, and then turned and broke into a run.

Oh, he realized what was wrong with that truck.

"Don’t let him get away, chase him, chase after him!" Suddenly, a dozen or more people burst out of the yard, all armed, swarming out like bees.

As Nan Zhan came into the village, he had already secretly figured out the layout. Coming here alone, he naturally wouldn’t do so without a means of retreat.

The sky turned increasingly dark, and dogs barked intermittently throughout the village. Smoke began to rise from the chimneys of each household, and the scent of food started to waft through the air.

Nan Zhan kept running towards the east end of the village. Beyond it lay a dense forest, undoubtedly an excellent place to hide. However, he could not afford to leave the village right now. Da’an Village was connected to the outside world by only one road—the very one he had traveled on before. If he retraced his steps, with no cover, he would be spotted quickly. Running on foot, whereas the chasers might use vehicles, he would be at a disadvantage.

"He ran that way!" someone with an iron rod shouted, and with a whoosh, the crowd surged in that direction.

The two fastest runners had already caught up and swung wrenches at Nan Zhan.

Nan Zhan delivered a flying kick to the chest of one while simultaneously blocking the arm of another, twisting it downwards until a crisp snapping sound signaled a broken bone, leaving the man to scream in agony and collapse to the ground.

In the midst of the fight, several more people lunged at him, wildly slashing with their weapons at Nan Zhan. Kui Ge had instructed them to simply teach him a lesson before leaving, but each one of them was striking with lethal intent.

Even with his agile movements, Nan Zhan couldn’t avoid being injured when so many attacked him at once.

Luckily, the five or six who charged first were all downed by him, and those behind hadn’t caught up yet. He glanced at the bleeding cut on his arm and turned to continue running.

More and more pursuers joined the chase, causing a commotion that startled chickens and dogs throughout the village. Many villagers carefully peered over their walls to watch, but none dared to intervene, and with a lack of legal awareness, no one thought to call the police.

As his pursuers closed in, Nan Zhan considered darting into the woods, but suddenly he heard a faint voice: "The woods won’t do, they look dense from here, but just over this hill, there’s nothing but bare mountains."

He looked toward the voice and saw a teenage boy standing beside a haystack, his dark, large eyes fixed on him, "Hide in my house."

Nan Zhan took a quick glance behind him and decided to trust the boy, turning his steps towards him.

～

Nan Zhan didn’t know how long he had been in this well, his legs numbed. He heard the chaotic footsteps and voices above.

Soon, the footsteps receded followed by the sound of barking dogs.

The well was dry with mud at the bottom, so he couldn’t stand up straight but had to spread his legs and brace against the narrow walls. It was a torturous pose for his tall frame in the cramped space.

But the quiet allowed Nan Zhan’s thoughts to clear up. He was almost certain Kui Ge had fled, likely in that small truck that had passed him when he first entered the village.

At the time, he had found it strange but hadn’t pinpointed what was off until standing at the gate of the Longxing Repair Factory; then it dawned on him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

It was the wheels.

That truck was loaded with vegetables, mostly lightweight spinach and celery, but the tires were heavily flattened, indicating something much heavier hidden beneath the vegetables, possibly a large sum of money or heavy luggage, camouflaged by the lightweight greens.

The driver must have been Kui Ge himself, having gotten wind of trouble ahead and packed up to flee before Nan Zhan’s arrival.

Fear reveals a guilty conscience—why else would he run?

While at the repair factory gate, Nan Zhan also noticed something fishy. The mechanic closest to him was supposedly working on a motorcycle’s airflow meter, a precision electronic component, yet wielded a large wrench, a mismatch that would have been obvious to anyone with even a slight understanding of auto repair.

That man’s gaze was also nervously fixed on the entrance as if he was watching, waiting, excited.

Looking through the window inside, he saw a group of seven or eight people huddled together.

With so many motorcycles to repair, how could these people afford to idle together chatting?

Thus, Nan Zhan was certain his presence had been betrayed, and these men were readying to harm him. Had he entered the repair shop, he would likely be dead, hacked to pieces by now.

The well lid overhead trembled and then was pushed aside, revealing a small head peering in, "They’re gone, you’re safe now."

Nan Zhan looked up to a slice of dark blue sky, the stars shining exceptionally bright with a dim moonlight.

He and the boy sat on the edge of the well, with the boy’s Shiba Inu lying beside them.

Nan Zhan’s phone had no signal. The boy mentioned that the signal here was inconsistent, and nearly every household had a landline, but not his.

Nan Zhan asked, "Why did you help me?"

The boy stroked the Shiba Inu beside him, head lowered, "The group chasing you is from the repair factory, right? My dad used to work there. One time while inflating a tire, it exploded, killing him instantly. My dad was always meticulous and would never make such a basic mistake. The only explanation is that the air pump was faulty. But after the accident, the repair factory placed all the blame on my dad. They have connections up top, so my dad died in vain, not getting a dime in compensation. My mom left for another city when I was three, and now I live with my bedridden grandfather who suffered a stroke. We’re drowning in medical debts."

In the moonlight, the boy’s features were clear and bright, his eyes filled with deep resentment.

"So, you hate them?"

"Yes, I hate them. But what can I do? The boss of the repair factory has always been bullying the village, and everyone here is too scared to speak out."

"Have you seen Kui Ge before?"

The boy nodded, "I’ve seen him, but only once. It was before my dad died. I happened to see him talking to my dad when I went to deliver food. He never shows his face around the village,

"Is this him?" Nan Zhan pulled out a portrait he had been carrying and showed it to the boy.

"Yes, that’s him," the boy asked in surprise, "How do you have his portrait?"