Chapter 46: Sophistry

Chapter 46: Twisting Logic

"Still not letting go?"

Chu Yan shook their interlocked fingers, exasperated.

"Even if you're my sugar daddy, you can't act like this in public. Is this what they teach you at that club?"

Who knew this man had such potential for shamelessness?

Fu Junhang immediately took offense, his tone accusing, like someone confronting a scumbag.

"What kind of player talk is this? Am I really that embarrassing to be seen with?"

Chu Yan just laughed.

He seriously suspected that this man had been attending some kind of training lately—he was acting more and more like a professional escort.

"*I'm* the scumbag?"

"Aren't you?"

Fu Junhang said with mock seriousness.

"You didn't act like this before. Every time we met, you’d stick to me like glue—sitting on my lap while eating, sleeping in my arms, in bed when—mmph—!"

Chu Yan hastily covered his big mouth. How could he just blurt out anything?

Flustered and guilty, Chu Yan glanced around, terrified that someone might have overheard the man’s shameless talk.

He didn’t notice the smirk on the man’s face as his mouth was covered—until a tongue flicked against Chu Yan’s palm.

"Ah! You—you—!"

Chu Yan’s scalp crawled, and he snatched his hand back in shock.

This man had definitely been sneaking off to some sketchy escort training, learning how to seduce men.

"Are you insane, Wang Xing? If you dare do that again, I’ll fire you!"

Chu Yan’s face flushed red with anger.

"Then don’t put your arms around other men from now on."

"You’re not even the male escort I hired—who I hug is none of your business!"

Fu Junhang, as if he’d been waiting for this, grabbed Chu Yan’s hands and pressed them to his chest. "I *can* be."

Chu Yan immediately gave in. "No, you can’t. I’m going to be a respectable person from now on."

"A decent patron still counts as a decent person."

"Twisting logic."

This man had changed—Chu Yan couldn't keep up.

How to put it? He’d become shameless.

"I don’t care. From now on, you’re not allowed to hug any other man besides me!"

Chu Yan was stunned by his unreasonable demand, his face flushing uncontrollably.

Weren’t they supposed to have a proper professional relationship? Why did this feel like flirting?

"Alright, alright. At best, he’s just a friend I just met. It’s not what you think."

"Besides, in that situation, *anyone* would’ve helped him. You can’t just push someone away."

This jealousy was ridiculous.

Total jealousy.

But Fu Junhang insisted.

"*I* would."

Chu Yan was at a loss for words. This conversation was getting nowhere.

"Wait, you—"

"What about me?" Fu Junhang squeezed his palm. "Aren’t I great? Don’t I have impeccable morals? Aren’t I a catch?"

"No—are you *sick*?"

Chu Yan was completely serious.

Fu Junhang: "..."

Sulking, he muttered, "What a scummy ex-patron."

"Getting dressed and acting like nothing happened—and you still say you’re not a scumbag."

Was this something he could just say out loud?

"Shut up!"

What a petty man.

He seemed perfectly normal, yet he had this hidden romantic side.

"Anyway, didn’t you notice how that man was looking at Lu Zhaoyang earlier?"

Mentioning the earlier man instantly awakened Chu Yan’s inner gossip. Based on his experience, that man’s feelings for Lu Zhaoyang were definitely more than just a professional concern for his artist.

But Fu Junhang completely missed Chu Yan's excitement, frowning in confusion.

"Notice what?"

"That guy on the motorcycle—he’s *definitely* into Lu Zhaoyang."

Chu Yan’s mind was already coming up with stories—silent devotion for love, years of longing finally rewarded…

And then—

"Oh," he said.

Fu Junhang wore a look that screamed *"Who cares?"* instantly killing Chu Yan’s buzz.

"Besides, my eyes only have room for you. You're the only one I see. I don’t notice anyone else," he added.

Chu Yan: "...Stop right there, cut the corny talk!"

Is it because he's getting older?

If Fu Junhang knew what Chu Yan was thinking, he'd probably lose it.

By the time the two left the field, it was completely dark. Chu Yan had to return to the shack to pack his things. The guests' assistants had arrived in the afternoon, but Chu Yan had told Liao Jian that he had found a new assistant and asked him to wait in town to save the hassle.

Just then, Fu Junhang received a message from Jiang Lvshen.

"We're here."

"Stand by."

After unexpectedly discovering something unusual deep in the back mountain in the afternoon, Fu Junhang had already scoped out the surrounding area. He had designated a meeting spot for Jiang Lvshen and his team, planning to lead them along a prearranged route to the back mountain cliffs to spring a trap on the suspects.

"I have something to take care of. You good on your own?"

Fu Junhang had originally intended to accompany Chu Yan to retrieve his luggage, but Jiang Lvshen and his team had already arrived. Since those guys were so jumpy, every minute delayed increased the risk of being discovered.

With dozens of crew members still staying in the village, it was best not to tip anyone off.

Chu Yan was surprised. "Work-related?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, go ahead. I'll grab my things and come back."

By the time Chu Yan reached the shack, it was pitch black. There were no lights in the yard, and the interior was equally dark.

Chu Yan felt a twinge of doubt. Hadn’t Second Young Master Zhou said he’d wait for him? Why had he left first?

The eerie quiet made Chu Yan uneasy, and he instinctively went on guard.

He pushed the door open but didn’t rush inside. Instead, he first scanned the room with his flashlight before stepping over the threshold. He then headed toward the bedroom where his suitcase was.

But the moment he pushed the door open, a hand suddenly reached for him. Without thinking, Chu Yan grabbed a nearby chair and slammed it.

With a loud *thud* and a howl of pain, the chair struck the shadowy figure squarely on the head.

Chu Yan turned and ran, but at the same time, another dark figure cursed and lunged after him.

Just then, Zhou Yun’s panicked shout rang out from inside the room.

"Run! Go get help—mmph!"

Zhou Yun barely managed two words before he was gagged again, but it was enough for Chu Yan to recognize who was inside.

Zhou Yun was in there—and he was being held hostage.

In the chaos, Chu Yan hesitated for just a second, and the pursuer caught up to him.

The room was pitch black, and in his fluster, Chu Yan completely forgot the safe path he’d taken earlier. He accidentally bashed into a wooden table, his entire leg going numb from the impact.

"Still trying to run?"

The man chasing him latched onto Chu Yan’s arm.

Chu Yan grabbed the first thing on the table and swung it behind him.

With a loud *bang*, a kettle exploded—Chu Yan had once again smashed it perfectly onto the man’s head.

"Damn you... asking for it—"

The man was badly hurt, his speech slurred, and he swayed unsteadily as if about to collapse.

Chu Yan was about to strike again when suddenly, the lights in the room snapped on.

Now he could see the situation clearly. He had just crashed into the table leg, and an unremarkable middle-aged man was gripping his arm tightly, glaring at him through gritted teeth. A stream of bright red blood oozed from his scalp down his forehead, soon dripping past his eyes.

The man wiped his face roughly, smearing blood all over his forehead.

On the other side, a pale-faced Zhou Yun was being dragged out of the bedroom by another man—the one who had turned on the lights.

"Put that down," the man snarled, "or I’ll cut him."

"Mm—no no, uncle, let’s work this out!"

Zhou Yun’s lips quivered in fear.

The man held a small knife to Zhou Yun’s fair neck. His forehead was also swollen—no doubt thanks to Chu Yan’s earlier chair strike.

"Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll put it down."

Chu Yan kept his cool.

"Damn brat, you’ve got good aim."

The two men exchanged glances, muttering curses before glaring at Chu Yan.

"Didn’t expect a pretty boy celeb like you to hit so hard."

Chu Yan gave a tight smile. "Thanks for the compliment, heh."

Seeing that Chu Yan hadn’t escaped and was now caught, Zhou Yun’s hope died.

"I told you to run! Now we’re toast."

Chu Yan rolled his eyes. "Why didn’t *you* run? Do you just enjoy being held hostage?"

"Hey, Xiao Yan Yan, didn’t know you had such a mouth on you."

"Better late than never."

"Ugh, you—"

"Shut it!"

The two men had finally had enough and quickly bound them both.

Zhou Yun was out of luck—his assistant had offered to grab his stuff, but he’d refused, wanting to go with Chu Yan instead. But when he arrived at the shack, Chu Yan wasn’t there. Before he could even send a message to ask, the two men had jumped him from behind.

Zhou Yun had been terrified—if they wanted cash, fine, but what if they had other plans?

To his surprise, the men simply tied him up and grilled him about Chu Yan’s location.

Zhou Yun quickly realized that these two men must have been staking out the place, knowing that he and Chu Yan were staying here. However, he still couldn't pin down their motives.

He had initially planned to play for time. Their luggage was still here, and as long as Chu Yan didn’t show up while he himself didn’t return for a long time, his assistant would surely notice soon. With so many people from the production team and the villagers around, these two men wouldn’t dare try anything.

But Zhou Yun hadn’t expected that despite their deceptively simple appearance, these men were pretty sharp.

They accurately found Chu Yan’s WeChat on Zhou Yun’s phone and messaged him, telling him to come back and that they were waiting for him here.

Zhou Yun immediately knew they were screwed.

When he heard Chu Yan returning, he had wanted to warn him, but his mouth was tightly covered by one of the men. To Zhou Yun’s surprise, though, Chu Yan was sharp as a tack.

But being alert didn't matter now—both of them were tied up.

In the room, Chu Yan and Zhou Yun were trussed up hand and foot and dumped in a corner, shivering.

The two middle-aged men stood before them.

Chu Yan observed their faces—they actually looked quite honest, with dark skin, the kind of tan from years of farm work under the sun, not naturally dark.

So they were probably villagers. But why would villagers want to kidnap them?

Chu Yan made himself keep cool and figure a way out.

The two men checked their faces against something on their phones, confirming they had the right targets, then produced two syringes right in front of them.

"Hey guys, why are you really doing this?"

Chu Yan pushed again, since they hadn’t answered earlier.

"Isn’t it for money?"

Zhou Yun added, "If you want money, just say so. Yours truly has plenty. No need for such methods."

Chu Yan quickly chimed in, "Exactly! Do you even know who he is? The spoiled rich kid of the top-tier Zhou family. Money's the one thing he's got."

The two men paused, a flicker of panic in their eyes, but they quickly composed themselves.

"What’s a fancy city boy doing in our backwater? Got nothing better to do?"

Chu Yan and Zhou Yun shared a look—so it wasn’t about money.

Chu Yan pressed further, "If you don’t want money, why stick your necks out like this? What are you after?"

"Right," Zhou Yun added. "This village has at least a hundred villagers, not to mention our production team’s a small army. If they notice we’re missing, they’ll come looking soon. You’ll be toast."

"Why don’t you let us go now? We promise not to call the police."

"Are you living under a rock? What you’re doing is illegal, you know?"

"You’ll go to jail!"

Chu Yan realized Zhou Yun was a real motormouth, but right now, their good cop/bad cop routine was surprisingly well-coordinated.

Unfortunately, their words didn’t intimidate the men at all. They didn't bat an eye, even scoffing at their attempts.

"Enough. Cut the crap. You think we don’t know you’re trying to pump us for info?"

"We won’t say anything."

They had been instructed beforehand—just complete the task, no unnecessary words. The more they said, the more mistakes they’d make.

Damn, these guys were full of surprises.

As they spoke, the syringes were filled with something unknown, but Chu Yan’s instincts screamed at him—they absolutely couldn’t let this stuff into their bodies.

"The hell is in there? Even if you’re going to kill us, at least let us die knowing why. I don’t want to be a ghost who doesn't know why he's dead."

Zhou Yun was shaking like a leaf.

"Uncles, don’t do this. It’s a crime."

"Yeah, uncles. You could be our dads. You must have kids around our age too, right? How could you bear to do this?"

They tried reasoning and appealing to emotions, buying time minute by minute.

Mentioning children seemed to hit home. A shadow of doubt crossed the men’s eyes.

One of them looked at the syringe in his hand and sighed.

"Ah, just your tough luck. Or blame your production team for choosing our village to film in."

The other even patted Zhou Yun’s cheek almost kindly.

"Don’t be scared. This is something good—it’ll send you to paradise. The kind that gives you wings."

"Yeah, it’s quick. You won’t feel any pain. You’ll die happy, even high as a kite."

Holy shit.

Chu Yan suddenly remembered the poppies he’d seen everywhere that afternoon, and the creepy vibe near the cliff wall behind the mountain.

A terrible thought hit him.

Was this… drugs? The kind of lethal dose that could kill quickly?

If his fear earlier had been partly an act, now he was scared shitless.