“Bear?”
When he heard that Su Pu had become mute, Su Hui immediately booked the next flight home, eager to see the little mute’s foolish, dazed expression.
Su Pu had gone completely blank—now he was utterly useless to them, right?
No matter how sweetly Li Jichuan spoke, he surely wouldn’t take a fool as a husband, right?
Hahaha!
Su Hui happily stepped out of the terminal—only to be suddenly grabbed, a hand clamping over his mouth, eyes covered, and shoved into a car waiting nearby.
He was terrified, his heart pounding. The car drove on, winding and turning endlessly, with no sign of stopping.
Where were they taking him?
Did they even know who he was? Kidnapping him like this—he was a relative of the Li family!
In panic, Su Hui’s legs kicked wildly, hammering at the car door.
“Behave!”
A fist landed hard in his stomach from the passenger side. Su Hui gasped in pain.
Several more punches followed, acid rising in his throat. But his mouth was gagged, so the bitter, sour liquid churned inside him, making him feel even sicker.
He was dizzy, disoriented, his mind spinning.
After a long while, the blindfold was removed, and the gag loosened.
The world was dark, lit only by the car’s headlights.
Anderson and John stood backlit, watching him squint against the glare.
“The last time we met, I warned you—don’t provoke Su Pu again, or else…”
Su Hui vomited, his stomach still churning.
“I-I didn’t provoke him…”
This time he hadn’t done anything, just recorded a video.
John stepped forward, kicked Su Hui’s jaw, and cursed.
“We’re not here to play games with you. Li Jichuan wants you to remember clearly: when you were a kid, did you ever see Su Pu holding a toy bear?” Anderson said.
Su Hui lay on the ground, gasping, coughing up dust.
“I-I could never remember… cough, his toy…” he said in broken sentences, frowning in frustration.
“Can’t remember, huh? Fine, we’ll help you…”
Anderson climbed into the car and started the engine. John stepped back into the shadows, out of the headlights.
A press of the gas pedal, and the SUV charged straight at Su Hui.
“Ahhhh!”
Su Hui had thought they were just angry and wanted to scare him, like last time. He never imagined they truly meant to kill him.
And indeed, they were deep in the mountains—no cameras, and he had snuck back into the country. Even if he died here, no one would find him anytime soon…
Su Hui was terrified, his mind racing at lightning speed—and it actually made him remember Su Pu’s toy.
“I-I-I remember! A white bear! A white bear!”
He shouted, but the car didn’t slow down, still barreling toward him.
“Are you crazy? I said I remember!”
The next moment, the SUV screeched to a halt just a few centimeters from Su Hui’s face.
Anderson poked his head out of the car.
“Say it. Just like that…”
Shivering, Su Hui scooted back a little.
“It was the first time we met. There was a plush bear on Su Pu’s bedside table. That time, he and his mom were sent to the hospital, and my dad and I went to see them…”
In fact, Su Pu only ever had that one toy, so it wasn’t hard to recall.
“Later, he transferred high schools and stayed at my house for a while. My dad saw him sleeping with a plush toy, said it wasn’t manly, and threw it away…”
He remembered because the mute kid had been so heartbroken at losing his beloved toy. He refused to eat dinner, rummaged through the trash, and even went to the waste transfer station in the middle of the night.
Eventually, the staff there found him, and Su Fengxian brought Su Pu back home, where he got a beating for it.
Su Hui nodded. “That’s all I know. Can you let me go now?”
On the other end, Anderson said “Mm,” then looked at John. Time to wrap up for the night.
“Fine, you can go,” Anderson said.
Freed, Su Hui struggled to stand, staggering toward the car.
But Anderson reversed the vehicle instead.
Su Hui was stunned. “What’s going on? Didn’t you say you were done? Already hit me, now still not satisfied?”
“You really wanted to kill me?”
Anderson laughed absurdly. “Not quite.”
John yawned, sinking back into his seat to sleep.
“We’re leaving. You can wander around slowly,” Anderson whistled as he turned the SUV smoothly, sliding out of Su Hui’s reach.
“Ahhh—”
Dusty and exhausted, Su Hui collapsed to the ground. He reached into his pocket.
Damn, when did they take my phone?!
After hanging up, Li Jichuan couldn’t help but take Su Pu’s hand.
The boy was still soft and gentle; asleep, he could be held however he wanted, without the slightest resistance.
Li Jichuan smiled softly. Soft or hard, Su Pu was destined to be his partner. Every encounter felt like a thread of fate binding them together.
“It’s okay if you forget me,” Li Jichuan murmured, holding Su Pu’s hand to his lips for a delicate kiss.
“Su Pu, forget me, and let’s meet again.”
“Hi, I’m Li Jichuan. No matter past, present, or future, I am your husband.”
“I will always love you.”