Chapter 55 The Little Prince
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“Are you free next Monday?”
It was Friday after school, and as Little Shiyu led Little Chu Feng, they arrived at the intersection where they would part ways.
“Do you want to come to my house and see the swallows?”
“Wow! Is it the swallow’s nest on the first floor that you mentioned last time?” Little Chu Feng was excited. “Have the swallow babies hatched?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it’s a deal!” Little Chu Feng was thrilled. Next Monday, his parents would be busy with work again, so he could sneak over to Little Shiyu’s house to play!
***
Weekend
Little Chu Feng’s busy and painful interest class began. He was scolded by his mother and teacher because he couldn’t play the piano well.
“Are you really practicing the piano seriously every night?” His mother was furious. “You sit in front of a piano that costs tens of thousands of dollars every day, but your mind is somewhere else! From now on, I won’t attend meetings on Mondays. I’ll pick you up from school and watch you every day!”
Little Chu Feng was startled. Monday! He had plans to go to Little Shiyu’s house to see the swallows. Monday was not an option.
“Mom…” Little Chu Feng tried to plead.
“Don’t call me mom! Chu Zhenfeng! Stop reading the newspaper and come here to take care of your son!”
His father impatiently put down the newspaper. “Okay, okay, practice the piano. I’ll pick you up from school every day after class. I’ve rearranged my schedule recently. I have classes in the morning…”
Little Chu Feng’s head buzzed, and everything went blank.
Dad was coming to pick him up from school, and Mom would be home early too, watching over him every day…
He couldn’t go to Little Shiyu’s house to play anymore.
Little Chu Feng looked at his tall parents in confusion, he opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
—-What to say?
Say “I don’t want to go home after school. I want to go to a classmate’s house to play.”
“Whose house? What classmate? Why do you want to go to someone else’s house instead of doing homework after school…”
“I want to see the baby swallows…”
“What baby swallows! There are birds everywhere. Come back and practice the piano…”
Little Chu Feng had already imagined what his parents would say to him. He felt it was pointless and silently swallowed all the words.
“Don’t just stand there! Go play the piano! Finish and then study English for tomorrow’s morning class!” His mother commanded.
Little Chu Feng, like a wound-up little robot, stiffly sat down on the piano stool and began today’s practice.
Sunday, 9:00 a.m.
Little Chu Feng, carrying his small backpack, sat upright in English class A, feeling bored.
9:00, 9:10, 9:18…
In the classroom, the children were clamoring, “Why hasn’t the teacher come yet?”
“Did the teacher forget?”
“Yes! The teacher didn’t come to class. Let’s go!”
Many children picked up their bags and happily left. “Let’s go, everyone!”
—-If the teacher remembered later and came to class, the students would have left, and today’s class would definitely be canceled.
Little Chu Feng also stood up and walked out of the classroom. He stood alone in the corridor of the English training class, surrounded by white tiles reflecting the morning light, with nothing on them.
Other children ran out in groups to play or walked home together. Little Chu Feng stood alone. He didn’t want to go home. Now, he had over two hours of free time.
—-He wanted to go to Little Shiyu’s house to play.
Today is already Sunday. Next week, Mom and Dad will come to pick him up, watch over him, and he won’t be able to go to Xie Shiyu’s house again.
Today is the last chance.
But Little Chu Feng remembered that Little Shiyu disliked him showing up uninvited. The first time he went on his own, Little Shiyu scolded him. The second time, he got lost in the alley, and Little Shiyu deliberately ran back from school to take him out.
Although Little Shiyu didn’t scold him the second time, Little Chu Feng felt that the roads near Little Shiyu’s house were like the witch’s castle in a fairy tale, and if he made a wrong turn, he wouldn’t find his way back.
Little Chu Feng wandered in the corridor with his backpack. If only he could call Little Shiyu. But there was no phone installed in Little Shiyu’s house…
“Tch—”
Little Chu Feng looked up and saw Sun Bing from English Class B running out. Their teacher didn’t show up today either. Sun Bing was surrounded by a few boys, and he was mocking another skinny boy:
“What’s so great about your spider? It’s just a small one. I saw one as big as a basin in my classmate’s bathroom last time!”
Sun Bing exaggeratedly gestured the size of a basin and pushed it towards the other boy’s face.
“You’re talking nonsense! Where would you find such a big spider?” The boy protected his glass jar. “This is a Brazilian tarantula I specifically bought from a pet store! You’ve never seen one before, so stop bragging!”
Sun Bing: “How am I bragging? Don’t believe me? I’ll take you there right now! Do you dare to come?”
“Of course I dare! What’s there to be afraid of?” The boy confidently challenged Sun Bing, putting his beloved tarantula pet into his backpack. “Let’s go! Lead the way!”
Sun Bing: “…” He actually didn’t remember exactly where Little Shiyu’s house was. The old city area was especially chaotic, and he had only been there once…
He glanced and saw Chu Feng standing in the corridor of Class A.
Sun Bing needed a favor, so he quickly called out, “Brother Feng! Hey, Brother Feng~! What a coincidence, haha! Your teacher didn’t show up either?”
Little Chu Feng: “…”
***
In the southern spring, the temperature rose very high, and the impatient cicadas had started chirping. In the old city area, old trees sprouted new leaves, moss covered the worn-out steps, and the cement-gray streets were dotted with green.
Little Chu Feng led the way at the front, with Sun Bing and a few boys following behind him, and the pedestrians headed towards Little Shiyu’s “castle.”
***
“Hey! Is Xie Shiyu not here?”
Sun Bing shouted in frustration.
The group arrived at Room 404 of the residential building, knocked on the door, but no one answered. They went down to the third floor, where they met an uncle.
“Looking for Little Shiyu? He’s not home.”
Sun Bing: “When will he be back then?”
“He should be back soon.” Ji Shiming from Room 304 looked at the four or five boys and smiled. His gaze intentionally or unintentionally fell on Little Chu Feng, saying, “With so many of you… it’s crowded here in the corridor. Why don’t you wait for him in that courtyard?”
After Ji Shiming finished speaking, he entered Room 304 and closed the door.
Bang—
The door closed.
The boys looked at each other and then continued downstairs to wait in the courtyard.
***
“Hey! When is that guy Xie Shiyu coming back?”
“Yeah, let’s not wait here. Let’s go play games instead!”
“Yeah, let’s go—”
Ji Shiming hid behind the curtains of Room 304, silently observing the group of boys in the courtyard. Sure enough, except for Chu Feng, who often played with Little Shiyu, the other kids couldn’t wait anymore.
In less than five minutes, the group dispersed.
Little Chu Feng stood in the courtyard of this residential building, carrying a small backpack containing his English textbook, accompanied by an old locust tree.
He didn’t want to go play games, nor did he want to go back with Sun Bing and the others. He just wanted to go see the baby swallows with Little Shiyu. If he didn’t see them today, he wouldn’t be able to come see them anymore once his dad started picking him up from school next week.
Sun Bing took a few steps out and glanced back at Chu Feng, who hadn’t moved.
“Aren’t you coming? Let’s go to the game hall—”
Little Chu Feng shook his head lightly.
Sun Bing scoffed disdainfully. He couldn’t understand why Chu Feng kept coming to play at Xie Shiyu’s house when it was so rundown and poor!
He called out to a few of his cronies and ran off.
In the courtyard, only Little Chu Feng remained alone.
Ji Shiming revealed a cunning smile.
He didn’t like to plan or arrange things deliberately. He preferred to go with the flow of fate and adapt randomly, experiencing the drama of life. If he specifically kidnapped this child, he would become an ordinary kidnapper, which was beneath him.
Moreover, it was clear from Ji Shiming’s investigation that the blue ribbon was not taken by Little Shiyu. The whole thing had nothing to do with the seven-year-old child. If he rashly targeted Xie Shiyu’s friend Chu Feng, it would only expose himself.
According to Ji Shiming’s investigation, Chu Feng came from a well-off family. His mother worked at the Education Bureau, his father was a university professor, his grandfather was the director of the government’s Finance Bureau, and his grandmother was the director of a top-tier hospital. If anything happened to this child, his family would not tolerate it and would surely investigate it thoroughly.
Ji Shiming preferred to continue his peaceful retirement life.
But whether others had a peaceful life or not was none of his concern.
Ji Shiming looked at his watch. 10:48.
Time is almost up. The pedophile in Room 104 will come out at this time to water the garden in the yard.
Remote and desolate, in a yard where no one can see, little Chu Feng stood there like a sweet lamb, completely defenseless.
At the same time, this time is also about when Little Shiyu returns home from Xinhua Bookstore.
With a smile, Ji Shiming pulled up the curtains silently, opened the door of Room 304, and slowly went downstairs…
The real devil never takes the stage like a clown but quietly admires the directorship of fate behind the scenes.
***
Today, Little Shiyu couldn’t concentrate on looking at picture books.
— He didn’t know why.
Little Shiyu frowned, closed the “Animal World” in his hand, feeling restless, his heart beating faster than usual.
Little Shiyu placed the book back, left Xinhua Bookstore, and headed home early.
***
The residential building was just ahead.
Little Shiyu’s heart beats faster and faster. He frowned. When passing by the convenience store…
Suddenly! Ji Shiming rushed out of the convenience store, covered Little Shiyu’s mouth, picked him up, and dragged him into the convenience store!
Seven-year-old Little Shiyu struggled in the uncle’s iron-like arms.
He actually knew in his heart that struggling is useless.
But if he doesn’t struggle, he will seem strange as a child.
Little Shiyu struggled like a naughty child, his limbs flailing around, mumbling unclearly:
“What are you doing! Are you sick…”
“Hush.”
Ji Shiming grabbed Little Shiyu like a kitten, quietly opened the back door of the convenience store:
“Look, Uncle has prepared a gift for you.”
Little Shiyu’s eyes widened suddenly.
Today is Sunday, and Chu Feng, who should be in the English class, unexpectedly appeared downstairs in his house!
Little Chu Feng stood in the small courtyard of the residential building, at the same time, the door of Room 104 creaks open–
From the side, the protruding beer belly first appeared from the door, and Sun Wencheng, the pedophile in Room 104, holding a hose, was about to come out to water the garden–
He looked up and saw little Chu Feng.
—-The pretty little boy from the alley last time.
Bang!
Without waiting for Little Shiyu to react, Ji Shiming suddenly closed the back door of the convenience store.
In front of him was a black iron sheet, and nothing can be seen!
“Little Shiyu, guess what? When the guy in Room 104 sees your friend, what will he do? At this moment, what are they doing where you can’t see?”
Little Shiyu stared at Ji Shiming tightly. His mouth was covered, his hands and feet were restrained, and his 7-year-old body simply could not resist the strength of an adult male.
Ji Shiming only spent a little effort to make the 7-year-old Little Shiyu unable to move. He squated down, smilingly:
“Little Shiyu, good boy, look at Uncle, you have to make the most important choice in your life now.
“Uncle believes you know who the guy in Room 104 is, you see, your good friend is in the yard, exposed in front of him. This time is different from last time in the alley. He only needs a little evil thought to drag your best friend, who you cherish, to his house. No one knows what he will do to your friend?”
Little Shiyu fiercely tried to bite Ji Shiming.
Ji Shiming immediately withdrew his hand, smiling: “Good boy, don’t act like an angry mad dog, otherwise I will misjudge you. Come, Little Shiyu, make a choice, tell Uncle, on the night of the fire, did you steal something from Uncle?”
“If you confess, Uncle will let you go to the small yard now, and you can protect your lovely good friend to your heart’s content.”
—-Of course, after confessing, I will kill you.
Ji Shiming didn’t say the second half of the sentence. He stared at Little Shiyu closely, waiting for him to speak.
This is actually psychological warfare. Ji Shiming calculated in his heart that behind Little Shiyu was an iron gate. If he opened that gate, he can go and save his little Chu Feng. But the premise of opening that gate is that Little Shiyu must confess.
And if he confesses, Ji Shiming will not hesitate to kill the child.
Ji Shiming speculated on Little Shiyu’s psychological state. At this moment, Little Shiyu cannot see the scene in the yard, only feeling the cold iron gate behind him. Every extra second he hesitates, his little Chu Feng was in more danger.
Ji Shiming knew very well that what people fear most was the unseen.
Unable to see, unable to hear, knowing full well but completely unable to stop it, the person in Room 104 is getting closer to his best friend, and Little Shiyu has no idea what will happen next.
“Of course, perhaps you’re harboring a hope that Room 104 won’t do anything,” Ji Shiming said, lowering his head. “Are you willing to bet?”
“Are you betting on the conscience of a pedophile, or are you betting on your own conscience?”
Ji Shiming added fuel to the fire:
“Little Shiyu, you may not know that according to the current law, only little girls can be r*ped, and little boys cannot. No matter how a boy is sexually assaulted, no matter how many times, he can only be prosecuted for indecent assault. For child crimes, the maximum sentence is only five years. If you plead guilty and have a good attitude, you can be released from prison in two or three years, but what about your friend?”
Ji Shiming squeezed Little Shiyu tightly to prevent him from moving, and continued: “The prince in the palace will not hate the country bumpkins. The rice fields, pigs, cows, chickens and ducks in the countryside, and the toads jumping in the ditch are all too new for the prince. He feels bored, depressed and suffocated in his growing environment. In his opinion, they are all so novel, so he comes to your house to play again and again.
“His family background, education, the people he’s known since childhood, it’s a completely different world from yours. Are you willing to let him endure such an experience? Do you think he can come out of it unscathed if he really goes through something like that? Room 104 might be out of prison in two or three years, but your little prince will be ruined for life.”
“Little Shiyu, you’ll have to make countless choices in your future life, and this is the first and most important one.”
“Come on, now be a good boy and tell Uncle, what were you doing on the night of the fire?”
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