Chapter 1 Kidnapping?
"I told him a long time ago that he and Song Xiaodan weren't a good match, but he wouldn't listen..."
"Alright, he's already this drunk. Just let it rest."
Drowsy, Shen Jiannan was awakened by the loud chatter. He tried to open his eyes to see what was happening, but before he could, a sharp pain shot through his head.
Pain!
It hurt!
It felt as if countless needles were piercing his skull. The pain caused his temples and the back of his head to throb violently.
"Hsss..."
Shen Jiannan groaned, recognizing the familiar signs of a hangover.
But how could he be drunk?
He remembered that after getting drunk that one time years ago, he had never touched alcohol again. Alcohol might offer a temporary escape from one's troubles, but it also paralyzes the nerves and, in the long run, causes serious damage to the brain.
His profession—and his own self-control—wouldn't permit him to get drunk.
"What's the big deal? She's just one woman! If she wants to go abroad so badly, then let her go. It's not like the world will stop spinning without her. Look at him now, drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Does he even look like a man anymore?"
"Peng San, you don't understand..."
"What's not to understand? Just look at him now..."
"..."
The room was about a dozen square meters and rather dilapidated, with patches of green mold creeping up the corners. Near the door stood a rickety, black wooden cabinet with a few worn-out clothes thrown messily on top of it.
The ceiling was bare cement, devoid of any decoration. From its center hung a rotating fan that looked like it should have been a museum piece.
Below the fan, empty wine bottles and leftovers littered a rickety, round wooden table. The table took up so much space that it made the small room feel even more cramped.
The air was thick with the stench of liquor. Two young men, both in their early twenties, were talking around the table.
Both wore the same style of old, faded yellow-green military uniform. One was fair-skinned and looked refined, while the other was dark and stick-thin. The skinny one was visibly angry, and the fair-skinned young man was grabbing his arm, trying to calm him down.
What the hell is this?
I can't have been kidnapped!
Shen Jiannan opened his eyes, calmly scanning his surroundings before narrowing them again. He had no idea where he was, but he was certain he didn't recognize the two men in the room.
Finding himself in this strange environment with these unfamiliar people, his instincts told him to stay quiet and observe.
"You don't understand. After four years, how can he just let go so easily?"
"Can't let go? She let go of him just fine, didn't she? So what's he going to do, drink himself to death? Is that how he'll finally let go? If he's a man, he should stand up and show that girl that there are plenty of other women who would want him!"
"..."
*Song Xiaodan*, he thought. *Sounds like a woman's name. A four-year relationship, letting go, drinking himself to death...*
"So there are still naive fools like that in the world!"
Shen Jiannan narrowed his eyes, scoffing internally.
From what the two young men were saying, he pieced together a rough idea. It seemed their friend had been dumped by a woman named Song Xiaodan, and they'd all gotten together to drink about it. Now, with the drinking done, they were complaining loudly, emboldened by the alcohol.
But even as he scoffed at the situation, Shen Jiannan's heart began to pound with a sudden unease.
For a man without money, a breakup is a crime against his very existence. For a man with money, having multiple lovers at once is perfectly normal. If you get dumped, it's a sure sign that you just don't have enough cash.
The dilapidated room looked like something straight out of the last century. Even the clothes on the two men at the table—those yellow-green military uniforms—were from that era.
Poor. Everything here was just poor.
Poverty breeds desperation.
So, a naive poor boy gets dumped by his girlfriend for being broke. He calls two friends, they get drunk, and decide to go into the kidnapping business.
But that's not right. If this was a kidnapping, why weren't his hands and feet tied? Were they just clueless amateurs?
This couldn't be Shanghai. The "Magic City" was one of the most prosperous metropolises in Asia; you wouldn't find an old house like this, something from the 90s, there. And those clothes... only people in remote, rural areas would wear something like that.
If he wasn't in Shanghai, where had he been taken?
Shen Jiannan frowned. He had a vague memory of closing a huge position, then going with his secretary, Shang Mimi, to a hotel for a celebration. But after that... nothing. It was as if his memory had been wiped clean, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall a thing.
Calmly squinting as he scanned his surroundings again, Shen Jiannan's heart sank. There was no sign of his secretary anywhere.
People desperate enough to kidnap someone were capable of anything.
Shen Jiannan didn't dare to make a rash move. He was surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place. And judging from their conversation, there were at least three of them here.
If this truly was a kidnapping, acting rashly would only put him at a greater disadvantage. The best course of action was to figure out where he was first, then look for an opportunity to escape.
At least, for now, his movements were not restricted.
"Peng San, what are you doing? Calm down..."
Suddenly, the two young men's argument seemed to escalate. Through his slitted eyes, Shen Jiannan saw the thin, dark-skinned one storm towards him.
Had they realized he was awake?
Before he could figure out what was happening, a dark-skinned hand with bulging veins shot out and grabbed him by the collar. He felt himself being lifted forcefully.
"Will you get a grip?! Look at yourself, Shen Jiannan! Take a good, hard look at the state you're in!"
With the hand twisting his collar, Shen Jiannan found it difficult to breathe. His first instinct was to push the hand away, but he abruptly froze.
A mirror was shoved in front of his face. Its frame was covered in green corrosion, and the oval glass set in the middle looked like something from the 1990s. But it was the reflection in that mirror that left Shen Jiannan utterly stunned.
In the mirror was the face of a young man in his early twenties. He had fair skin and delicate features that could have been handsome, but his center-parted hair and sallow complexion gave him a thoroughly dissipated look.
Shen Jiannan subconsciously reached up to touch his own face and watched as the young man in the mirror did the same.
This is not my face. And these clothes are not my custom-made suit.
Boom...
Like a thunderbolt exploding in his consciousness, Shen Jiannan suddenly understood. After a full minute of stunned silence, he shoved away the hand gripping his collar and scrambled toward the door. As he looked around wildly, his eyes landed on a wall calendar.
It was a thick calendar, brand new and perfectly intact. The top of the first page had several rows of text printed in bright red.
Gengwu Year
Wuzi Month, Xinwei Day
1991-01-01
Lunar Calendar: November 16
Tuesday