novelraw Chapter 28 The "minor bumps" on Route 1.
Chapter 28 The "minor bumps" on Route 1.
Yalong, this tiny place, and the 22 lanes in half of it, which are even-numbered lanes, are only about the size of 40 standard football fields.
But this cramped and crowded "red" area is packed with nearly 20,000 people of different ethnicities!
So you're really good at hiding things, kid.
An uncontrollable surge of anger and a host of questions welled up within me.
"Raji!" Li Shuo couldn't help but shout out.
"It's absolutely garbage!"
Startled by the angry shout, Sun Yanzi looked at the bruised and swollen-faced Mr. M on the ground and nodded in agreement, thinking that Li Shuo was cursing these people.
But Li Mingyao immediately sensed something was wrong: "What's wrong!?"
Li Shuo suddenly pointed: "It's that 'Raji' who hid something in my violin case and then called the police to frame me!"
The Indian-American youth looked up at the sound, his face turning deathly pale. When he met Li Shuo's gaze, he turned and ran away like a startled bird!
Li Shuo instinctively wanted to chase after him, but Li Mingyao grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't go!" Li Mingyao said firmly, glancing at the old man.
The old man understood and nodded very slightly.
Several of his men quickly squeezed out of the crowd and chased after Raj in the direction he had fled.
"Leave this matter to your Grandpa Nian," Li Mingyao said in a deep voice, his hand still pressing on his son.
"Now, come with me to take Xiao Sun home. We've made such a scene, and it's so late. Don't let his family worry!"
The old man turned around and coldly shouted something in a mix of English and Hokkien to the Indian leaders who had come to bail him out, his tone leaving no room for argument.
In short, his rebuttal was domineering, but his insults were quite vulgar...
The other party glanced at the scene, then at the people the old man had brought, his expression shifting. In the end, he didn't dare to linger and reluctantly led his injured men away.
"Let's go." Li Mingyao patted Li Shuo on the back, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Let's go straight back, don't worry about anything else."
Li Shuo took a deep breath, suppressing the anger that had welled up in his heart for two lifetimes. He glanced at Sun Yanzi, who had been by his side and whose face was slightly pale, and then looked at his father and nodded.
"I understand, Grandpa, thank you for your help that year."
The old man in the flashy clothes smiled and indicated that he understood.
Li Shuo said no more and quickly left with Sun Yanzi, heading towards the car waiting by the roadside.
Looking at Li Mingyao, who was calmly following behind him, as if he was deliberately guarding him, Li Shuo felt very strange.
Why does it feel like my dad doesn't want his son to investigate this matter at all?
The three walked quickly to the car parked by the roadside. Li Mingyao, who was tall, glanced at the neon-colored car, then told the driver and security guard to call a taxi to lead the way, while he got into the driver's seat.
The car drove smoothly away from Geylang, which became increasingly noisy as the night went on.
Because Mr. Li was in the front row, the two people in the back row were silent for a moment.
After a moment of silence, Sun Yanzi spoke first, asking the question that Li Mingyao was also curious about.
"Li Shuo, how were you so amazing just now? Did you even learn kung fu?" She gestured, but couldn't find the right words. "It looked just like... in the movies, so fast and precise."
Upon hearing this, Li Shuo thought to himself... Hey~ Isn't that just like the one in the movie?!
But he still blurted out, "Oh, Senior Brother Lin Junjie, he's preparing for military service, right? He found a lot of those military training materials and videotapes, and I just followed along..."
"Okay, okay, I got it, stop talking!"
Sun Yanzi sighed, realizing that her senior brother Lin Junjie had really had a tough time.
Li Mingyao, sitting in the front row, looked through the rearview mirror and smiled slightly.
Although he was also curious, his son had always been a quiet learner and quick learner.
Since it's a skill that increases self-protection ability, after all these recent events, he, as a father, couldn't be happier to have it.
Of course, it's best to avoid having to use these things again...
Sun Yanzi then asked Li Shuo about his plans before leaving Singapore.
Li Shuo said that in the next few days, he would finish the arrangement and accompaniment for Sammi's songs, complete the formalities for the Singapore International School under his name, and then go to Hong Kong Island with his father to find a school for enrollment.
"Before you leave, could you teach me to practice those two songs? Also... the song 'Tears Become Poems' that we sang today was really good."
Sun Yanzi turned her head to look at him, her eyes shining brightly in the light and shadow streaming through the window.
"You like it?" Li Shuo stared at her deliberately.
"If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Sun Yanzi was taken aback.
Although she hadn't listened to the full version, she did quite like the song's melancholic feel.
Actually, she really likes to sing narrative songs.
She likes to infuse her voice with various emotions and then convey them in a storytelling style.
This kind of vocal performance, which evokes emotional resonance in listeners, feels fantastic!
I was somewhat looking forward to the song "Tears Become Poems" when I mentioned it... but I never expected that Li Shuo would actually give it to her as I had imagined.
Just as she was being stared at by his serious face, her heart skipped a beat for no reason. Then, Sun Yanzi smiled self-deprecatingly, said nothing more, and turned to look out the window.
As night deepened, the car drove past East Coast Park, and the road widened, allowing the salty sea breeze to seep in through the cracks in the car windows.
Perhaps it was what she saw and heard throughout the night that caused her emotions to fluctuate wildly, and now, as she relaxes, she feels exhausted.
At first I tried to hold on, but my eyelids got heavier and heavier and my head started to nod uncontrollably.
After a gentle turn, her head tilted slightly, completely losing its support, and rested on Li Shuo's shoulder.
Li Shuo's body stiffened slightly.
A shampoo scent mixed with a faint, unidentifiable fruity fragrance and a hint of a slightly sweaty woman's scent wafted into his high-bridged nose... It just smelled good, so good it was almost intoxicating.
The soft ends of his hair tickled his neck and cheeks.
Unaware of the situation, Li Shuo could only turn his neck to the maximum angle and glance out of the corner of his eye, and could only see the young lady's slightly trembling eyelashes... and then he couldn't see clearly anymore...
Because of its advantageous geographical location, Singapore is an important global port. As a result, the roads leading to the port on the outskirts of the city are often bumpy and uneven due to the heavy traffic of heavy trucks, causing vehicles to bounce from time to time.
Li Shuo felt the soft weight on his shoulder and unconsciously adjusted his body, paying close attention to it. Whenever there was a bump, he would gently move up and down with the force to make her lean against him more securely.
As the streetlights occasionally glided past the car window, Sun Yanzi closed her eyes, seemingly asleep. However, with each bump in the ride, the corners of her mouth would unconsciously curl up slightly, as someone deliberately took care of her.
Li Mingyao watched this scene through the rearview mirror...and a grin spread across his face...because he saw the girl secretly smiling...
After thinking about it... I quietly eased off the gas a little.
No matter how much they slowed down, the car eventually stopped downstairs at Sun Yanzi's house.
"We're here," Li Shuo said softly, shifting his shoulders.
Sun Yanzi woke up groggily, her lips were wet, and when she wiped her mouth, she realized she had actually fallen asleep!
Her face flushed instantly, and she hurriedly sat up straight: "Ah... I'm sorry! I..."
"It's nothing." Li Shuo smiled. "Sister Yan Zi, you should go back too, it's getting late."
Upon hearing "Sister Yan Zi," she paused for a moment, then said goodbye somewhat hesitantly.
I got out of the car, watched its taillights disappear into the distance, and then quickly vanished around the corner.
She stood there, the night breeze slightly cool, and for the first time, she felt a strange sense of irritation because of Singapore's small size and the scarcity of cars on the road. How could she be home so soon?
------
The back alley of Geylang, the corner of an old terraced house.
Taking advantage of the cover provided by the Yalong people and his familiarity with the terrain, Raj, who had escaped, moved a large piece of scrap wood, crawled into a secret room behind a hidden door, and locked it from the inside.
He lay sprawled on a folding bed in the secret room, panting heavily.
The plan was perfect: put the contraband in the violin case, split the money, find someone to identify the culprit, anonymously report the crime, and catch the perpetrator red-handed.
That rich kid from China should have been finished, but not only did he get away with it, he was instead hunted down by the Singapore police and Chinese associations.
To make matters worse, the middleman who directed him had a rather frightening demeanor, and he didn't dare to ask for the final payment, feeling that something bad might happen.
Just as I was getting anxious, I heard a rustling sound above my head.
Raji looked up in surprise at the iron bars of the only high-level ventilation opening in the secret room.
It makes a teeth-grinding, grinding sound.
A soft figure was squeezing in through the narrow opening, its arms and shoulders moving with an unusual sense of coordination.
As the dust settled, in the dim light, he could see the face clearly.
It's Ani, the very same "Indian Ani sister" that Xiaowei said was very soft.
She landed lightly, looked at Raj, and her eyes gleamed in the shadows.
If someone knowledgeable were to see this, they would surely marvel at the incredible flexibility this woman has developed through yoga!
"What are you doing here?! And why did you get involved in that fight? You thought you could extort some money, but you ended up getting me exposed!!"
Raji growled and grabbed an empty bottle, smashing it.
The shards of the bottle that splashed off the wall grazed Annie's forehead.
She hadn't been injured in the previous brawl, but now there was blood seeping out, though she didn't care.
"Little brother, I came to check on you because I was worried." She put down the water and bread. "They're looking for you everywhere... I feel like this time, things aren't going to go smoothly."
"None of your business!" Raj snatched the water bottle and gulped down the water, which dripped down his neck.
"Instead of wasting your time, sell more often! Your only brother ran away and needs money! Stop picking and choosing all day long... Do you hear me... Uh? Why don't you just crawl out the way you came... F**K! Don't open the door... Why do I feel so dizzy?"
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over me.
Vision blurred, water bottle felt heavier.
He strained his eyes to look at the water, then at his sister, Ani.
Finally, she opened the locked door to the secret room.
Ani stood by the door, her forehead covered in bright red blood.
Outside the door, several figures wearing dark raincoats and hoods stood silently.
The leader handed over a thick envelope.
She took it, but didn't open it to count the items.
He didn't dare look back at the limp Raji again, and stepped aside to make way.
But when he tried to leave, the leader grabbed him again.
"Don't rush off yet, I'll need you to close the door for me later."
Then those people "enveloped" Raj, who was already unable to move.