Chapter 39: The Little Rabbit Brainwashing Himself

Chapter 39: The Little Rabbit Brainwashing Himself

Ye Yuanqing, after a whole day of rest and at her most spirited, didn't want her grandson to leave. They chatted about family matters, engrossed in conversation, only reluctantly letting him go when a nurse reminded her it was time to rest.

Yiyang smoked a cigarette downstairs, walking back and forth to air out the smell before returning to the hotel. Reaching for his key card to swipe, he suddenly noticed the door was ajar.

Without much thought, he raised his hand and effortlessly pushed the door open with just one finger.

"Le Le, why didn't you close the—?" Before he could finish, the empty room startled him, sending a shock through his heart.

No one was in the bathroom. The mobile phone was on the bedside table, the cup half full of water, shoes beside the bed, but one pair of disposable hotel slippers was missing.

Yiyang picked up a jacket, grabbed Le Yan's mobile phone, and went downstairs to the reception, hoping the best-case scenario was that the little rabbit, feeling bored alone, went to look for him...

But then, why didn't he take his phone? Why no call, not even a single message?

Thus, Yiyang himself dismissed the best-case scenario.

Hotel surveillance footage couldn't be accessed casually, so Yiyang reported to the police and decided to look around nearby while waiting.

Passing by the front desk, he suddenly stopped, took a deep breath, and asked, "Excuse me, have you seen a man in dark blue pajamas? Black hair, about this tall." Yiyang raised his hand to his chin to indicate the height, adding, "Looks in his early twenties."

The receptionist silently recalled, noting that there weren't many guests checking in at that late hour, and she had a vague recollection of who came and went.

"There was one, but he was with two others, both wearing black coats." Seeing his urgency, the receptionist sensed something was amiss and asked with concern, "Sir, is something wrong? Do you need us to call the police for you?"

Yiyang, instead of answering, asked back, "Do you remember how long ago they left?"

"Well… about half an hour ago."

Half an hour earlier.

Le Yan was hesitant, initially planning to stay put behind his locked door, but was swayed by the mention of 'Mr. Yiyang'. Through the peephole, he saw two men, one tall and heavyset, the other lean but quite short, probably a head shorter than Le Yan…

Nonetheless, the people at the door knew Yiyang's name.

They must know each other.

The taller one seemed more amiable and spoke politely. The shorter one, perhaps due to his thinness, had a gaunt face and a large frame, his gaze scrutinizing and sharp, not someone to be trifled with…

The rabbit consciously avoided the gaze of the lean man, facing only the taller one, "Whom are you looking for?" He cautiously held the door, repeating the question. At the slightest hint of something amiss, he was ready to slam the door shut without hesitation.

"Looking for you. Mr. Yiyang sent us," the taller one said, pulling out a phone from his pocket, sliding open a chat, and playing a four-second voice message.

"Fifth floor, room 5016, tell Le Yan to put on a coat when he goes out, it's cold."

That was Yiyang's voice, slightly slurred with drunkenness, but unmistakably him. Le Yan tried to glance at the chat screen, but the taller man, not noticing his peering head, had already turned off the display.

"Isn't Yiyang at the hospital? Where did he go?"

Le Yan stood motionless against the door frame, still not planning to go downstairs.

It was already very late...

The lean man, with a cold expression and a hint of urgency, said, "Mr. Yiyang is on Qihua Road and has instructed us to pick you up quickly."

Qihua Road…

What road?

Whether it was Qihua Road or Bahu Road, the rabbit had no idea where exactly it was. These three words, just like these two men, were unfamiliar to him, and he hesitated.

He even felt upset, saddened that Yiyang didn't return from the hospital to find him but went somewhere else instead.

The tall man, with a smile, explained, "Mr. Le, Qihua Road isn’t far, just a few minutes away. Our car is downstairs, and we came specifically to pick you up. It’s good to be cautious, but you really don’t need to worry. In a society governed by law, and with surveillance cameras everywhere, no bad person would be so foolish."

Right. A society governed by law.

The cautious rabbit asked one last time, "Did Mr. Yiyang really send you?"

"Yes."

"Wait a moment, I’ll put on a coat," Le Yan still planned to call Yiyang for confirmation before going.

But just as the rabbit turned around, the lean man abruptly grabbed his wrist, "Mr. Yiyang has prepared a coat for you in the car. You can just come down with us."

The sudden restraint shocked the rabbit, making him shudder. He looked up, visibly upset yet afraid to speak out, as his wrist was tightly gripped, painfully so.

"You…" The rabbit tugged at his hand, frowning at him.

"Duan Wu, what are you doing grabbing him like that?" The tall man unceremoniously slapped Duan Wu’s hand away, pushing him aside, and immediately apologized to the rabbit, explaining, "He’s just impulsive. We're essentially running an errand for Mr. Yiyang, and there are penalties for delays."

"I don’t really want to go," Le Yan held his left wrist, perhaps feeling the effects of alcohol, his head aching slightly. He swayed a bit and politely said, "Thank you for making the trip. I’ll call Mr. Yiyang myself."

Hearing this, the tall man furrowed his brow slightly, a fleeting unusual expression in his eyes. Suppressing his impatience, he exhaled silently, maintaining a calm tone, "You won't be able to reach him by phone. Mr. Yiyang is drunk at Qihua Road. Why else would we be sent to pick you up? He insisted you come; nobody else will do."

"Ah?"

The tall man coaxed, "That's how it is with drunk people, a bit difficult to handle."

"Yiyang is drunk…" Le Yan hesitated again.

Yiyang must be feeling lonely and helpless, especially after getting himself drunk...

Le Yan, now anxious, took large strides, asking as he walked, "Is Qihua Road really not far?"

"Not far."

A silver sedan was parked at the hotel entrance. Aside from the driver, there was a woman in the back seat. The tall man helped Le Yan into the car, saying, "They'll take you there. I have other matters to attend to."

"Ah?" The only person he felt familiar with was not going with them...

The rabbit, unable to control his anxiety, covertly observed the driver and the woman beside him. Only after the stern-looking lean man sat in the passenger seat did Le Yan lower his head and fiddle with his fingers.

After driving for about five or six minutes, Le Yan softly exclaimed, "Wait, I didn’t bring my phone."

"It's fine," the woman said, "We're close, almost there."

The view outside the window was nearly deserted, with an occasional car speeding by. Despite the row of street lights, the long road remained dim.

How close is 'close'? Three hundred meters? A kilometer?

The rabbit felt a growing void in his heart, fear mounting with every passing minute in the company of strangers.

Yet the thought of going to find Yiyang made these fears somewhat bearable.

Sitting in silence for a while, the alcohol still affecting him, Le Yan felt dizzy and uncomfortably warm, politely asking, "Could we open a window? It feels a bit stuffy."

"Sure, go ahead."

The woman, not looking up from her phone, casually replied. After Le Yan opened the window, she tucked away her phone and initiated a conversation, "Just arrived in Yicheng, haven’t gone out yet, right?"

"Yeah."

Le Yan leaned against the backrest, his head tilted as he looked out the window. However, needing to maintain eye contact for politeness, he reluctantly turned towards her.

He noticed the woman looked familiar, yet couldn't pinpoint exactly how. Many humans shared similar features – sharp chins, high nose bridges, large eyes, and plump lips.

Her medium-length brown hair was held back with a clip, dressed in a casual grey tracksuit, with a pair of black-framed glasses resting on her nose. Despite her stern appearance, her voice was soft and sweet…

The woman said, "First time here? You should really enjoy Yicheng. Oh, and the food here is famous."

"I’ll try it tomorrow."

"Go to the west side of the city, more variety there."

Le Yan nodded, his mind preoccupied, making time seem to drag on endlessly. He felt like he had been sitting in the car for a very long time, every second torturous. He couldn't help but grumble internally – how could their 'close' be so far away!

He didn't bring his phone, or more accurately, the short man didn’t let him! Without a phone, Le Yan couldn't check the time, but he knew car displays showed time, like Yiyang's did.

As they talked, the rabbit glanced at the display screen.

It was originally a music interface, now showing navigation with a winding green route. The moving white dot represented their car. As the car turned a corner, and the navigation adjusted, Le Yan caught sight of the destination.

‘Scientific Institute of Yicheng Animal Research’

Those few words struck like a bolt from the blue. Instantly, Le Yan’s breath hitched in fear. His mind went blank, the woman's voice next to him turning into an indecipherable buzzing, loud and annoying.

Le Yan gripped the sleeve of his pajamas, unable to control his trembling.

The Institute. They were heading to the research institute. Panic surged through the rabbit, his throat dry, legs starting to go numb.

No, he couldn’t panic too much, or he might give away his ears.

Le Yan, his ears ringing with fear, repeatedly reassured himself internally, "Just stay calm, as long as I'm calm, there's nothing to fear. What's happened has happened, don't panic, think slowly, there will be a way out..."

The little rabbit, as if brainwashing himself, clung to the hope of a turnaround. His trembling hands finally began to steady, leaving the cuffs of his sleeves damp with sweat.

The woman, oblivious to his distress, moved on to another topic, "I've heard of you before. You're Shen Qing, Dr. Shen's student, right?"

The rabbit silently reassured himself, 'It's public information, listed in the records, nothing to be afraid of.'

"Yes," Le Yan replied unnaturally, his voice trembling, with a hint of tears. He cleared his throat in an attempt to disguise it, repeating more clearly, "I was Dr. Shen's student; he was a great person."

Despite rehearsing the line, it still came out shaky and tearful. The woman, not sensing anything amiss, even patted his shoulder, "It's all in the past now, don't be too sad. Your teacher wouldn't want to see you like this."

"Thank you."

The touch from the woman nearly made Le Yan cry out in fear. His eyes brimmed with tears, thankfully concealed by the dim light of the car.

The winding mountain road made Le Yan pretend to feel nauseous. He asked them to stop the car, but the driver remained silent. The woman pulled a crumpled black plastic bag from the net pocket behind the seat and handed it to him, "If you feel like throwing up, use this bag."

"But…" Le Yan clutched the bag, "I’d feel embarrassed to just vomit in it..."

"What's there to be embarrassed about? Most people get carsick."

"Oh…" The rabbit's heart raced even more, knowing that if he didn't act soon, he'd lose any chance to escape.

As the woman continued sharing about the fun places in Yicheng, she turned to find Le Yan trying to open the car door. Panicking, she grabbed his hand without hesitation.

"What are you doing!" she demanded loudly, her tone fierce and strict, a stark contrast to her earlier gentle and intellectual demeanor. Like a ghost haunting the night, ready for mischief, she shed her disguise to reveal her true, impatient, and ferocious nature.

The rabbit choked on a sob. The woman's grip was strong, her eyes glaring intensely at him. Le Yan felt as if he had reverted to his rabbit form, losing the ability to think. Staring at the massive figure before him, her mouth opening and closing, she seemed ready to devour him at any moment.

"Trying to run?" the woman sneered, tightening her grip, "Do you think you can make it?"

Le Yan, completely panicked, reached for the door handle and pushed open a gap, struggling to break free from the grip on his wrist, "I want to get out, let me out now!"

The woman reached over, grabbing the door handle, attempting to slam it shut. Le Yan, refusing to give in, trapped his hand in the doorframe. The slamming door painfully caught his four fingers, bringing tears instantly to his eyes.

The rabbit, holding back the pain, clung to the doorframe, kicking the door forcefully, "Let go, I said I want to get out, stop the car!"

The rabbit's strength was formidable; the woman couldn't restrain him. Duan Wu, in the front seat, turned back and was solidly kicked in the face by Le Yan’s flailing legs, his nose instantly bleeding.

In those few seconds, the driver glanced back to see the rear door completely kicked open, the chilly night wind brazenly rushing into the car.

Realizing Le Yan was still struggling to get out and unable to lock the door, the driver, in a fit of rage, slammed the steering wheel, cursing, "Damn it, can't even hold down one person, and you expect to get paid!"

"If you think you can do better, then come here!" the woman snapped, desperately clinging to Le Yan's pajamas, buttons popping off in a flurry. The driver reached out with one hand, quickly and viciously grabbing Le Yan’s ankle to drag him back into the car.

Half of the rabbit’s body was already hanging out of the car in mid-air. Catching a glimpse of the passing greenery, he sensed a glimmer of hope and struggled even more fiercely.

The fabric in the woman's grasp gradually slipped away. In desperation, she yelled, "Do you want to die? The car’s moving so fast, you’ll be killed if you fall!"

Le Yan, beyond reasoning, felt like his tail was caught. All he wanted was to break free and escape.

The speeding car grew increasingly unstable, not only running a red light but also swerving left and right to avoid obstacles. After a sharp turn, inertia flung the rabbit out of the vehicle.

Then, with a loud crash, the sedan collided head-on with an oncoming long-distance bus, the front of the car instantly crumpling into scrap.

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"My baby, oh no, no, no."