Chapter 147
That night’s experience was the first time Su Bin felt a sense of crisis and panic, far stronger than the disappointment he had felt after attending a banquet with Allen in City D.
Because of William’s actions, he realized that his relationship with Allen wasn’t unique in this world. There were others eyeing his position. If Su Bin didn’t perform well, Allen could easily choose another “partner” who was willing to listen to him and obey him.
It was strange; the world was never short of independence and autonomy, yet some people chose to actively give up themselves in search of a sense of belonging…
But Su Bin admitted that this sense of belonging was indeed addictive. Often, with such a powerful and omnipotent presence, Allen would guide him to make the right decisions and never make mistakes… It always made one feel particularly secure.
After that night, Su Bin’s paranoia led him to imagine many possible scenarios.
He worried that William might come back to trouble him, or that he might still be resentful towards Allen and do something to tempt Allen privately. Worst of all, he feared that William might use “Hua Zhi Xin” to put pressure on “Boss Su”…
In the early days, Su Bin still vaguely felt that a few burly men were following him. He nervously asked Allen if those people might be sent by William for revenge.
Allen simply said one word: “No.” And that was all he said.
As Allen had predicted, everything remained calm after that, as if that night’s events had occurred in another dimension.
Of course, William’s matter did not end so simply.
After learning of Allen’s existence, William seemed to be invigorated, driven by an unrelenting desire. Su Bin’s actions had also made William somewhat resentful—a hidden masochist who only wanted to be abused by someone he acknowledged…
William didn’t personally seek out Su Bin again. With his ability, he could easily send someone to track Su Bin, find his residence, and trace Allen based on his movements.
Su Bin was on high alert but lacked the means to protect himself, whereas Allen did.
Having encountered countless instances of being stalked by obsessive admirers since childhood, Allen had already arranged for bodyguards to protect Su Bin secretly and had sent investigators to track William’s movements.
The better Allen protected Su Bin, the more it stimulated William and fueled his desire to submit and follow.
For a month, William kept making small moves—he had visited the medical school at M University, gone to their home, and at one point even tried to kidnap Su Bin… though the kidnapping attempt failed.
Regarding Allen’s matters, Allen could ignore them, but when it came to Su Bin being harmed, he couldn’t stand it. He waved his hand and exerted pressure from above, giving William a near-fatal blow…
Su Bin knew nothing about all this.
A month later, Allen suddenly told Su Bin, “You don’t need to look for a location for the experimental store anymore.”
Su Bin thought Allen was stopping him from opening the store and panicked, “What? Why? We just finalized a location and were about to sign the lease!”
Allen, knowing a bit about the locations Su Bin had considered, said, “There’s a better location.”
Su Bin: “Where?”
Allen: “Hua Zhi Xin.”
Hearing this name, Su Bin’s heart leapt—his first reaction was that Allen must still be in contact with William privately!
Jealousy flared up inside Su Bin as he frowned at Allen, unsure of what to say.
Allen flicked his forehead with force and laughed lightly, “What are you thinking?”
Su Bin rubbed his forehead, feeling frustrated, “I don’t want to cooperate with Hua Zhi Xin.”… He hated William!
Allen covered his mouth with his fist and coughed lightly, “Hua Zhi Xin no longer exists.”
Su Bin: “……” (⊙..⊙) What?
After visiting “Hua Zhi Xin” in person, Su Bin realized what Allen meant—“Hua Zhi Xin” had closed down!
At noon, the shop was shut, the golden sign had been removed, and passersby were curious about how this once popular high-end Chinese restaurant had suddenly closed.
In China, feng shui is important. A decade-old store with consistently booming business, located in the best spot, with “Hua Zhi Xin’s” accumulated popularity… Allen was right; there was no better location for “Boss Su’s Experimental Store.”
However, Su Bin felt no joy. Instead, he felt a twinge of reluctance.
Although William had deceived and used him, he hadn’t caused him any substantial harm.
If Allen was using that night’s events as an excuse to escalate personal grievances into unfair business competition, it seemed a bit… cruel.
But this sense of reluctance didn’t stop “Boss Su” from moving into “Hua Zhi Xin.”
A few days later, Su Bin received a notice from the agency handling the store, asking for his opinions on the experimental store’s decor style.
A month later, “Boss Su’s Experimental Store” opened to great acclaim.
Su Bin’s inner conflict was overshadowed by the excitement of the opening and the students’ enthusiasm. He was so busy with the new store’s signature dishes that he had little time to think about William.
And that person seemed to have truly vanished from Su Bin’s world, never appearing again.
During the annual Christmas season, Yang Chengzhe and Qi Xin returned to their home country, leaving Su Bin and Allen alone.
After a few days of relaxation, Allen planned to take Su Bin on vacation.
“You have one day to handle the restaurant’s management issues. We’ll leave the day after tomorrow.”
“So soon?” The sudden vacation plan caught Su Bin off guard. Having spent almost a year without leaving City M, he had focused most of his attention on the restaurant and was reluctant to let go, “How many days are we going? When will we be back?”
Allen didn’t answer. Su Bin had to quickly delegate tasks to Qin Chao.
Qin Chao laughed, “I took a month off after graduation to travel. You’ve been working non-stop for a whole year, so it’s time to relax and have some fun. Don’t worry about the restaurant; you can leave it to me. After all, we have phones, and if there’s any issue, I’ll call you!”
The night before their departure, Su Bin noticed that Allen had packed three large suitcases filled with various supplies, including dry food, medications, and books.
“Where are we going? Why are we bringing so many things?” Su Bin was puzzled. These supplies could easily be bought in most cities, so why did Allen need to bring them? And as for the books, with smartphones and laptops available for reading, didn’t bringing these books add unnecessary weight?
Allen didn’t answer these questions, and Su Bin had to suppress his curiosity and remain silent.
He knew Allen was unlikely to reveal anything, just like the time he had taken him to a seafood restaurant at the port.
Seeing a small leather suitcase in the corner, Su Bin had a bad feeling. When Allen went to take a shower, Su Bin secretly opened it and found a whole box of… strange items! QAQ
Shaking, Su Bin quickly closed the suitcase, his cheeks burning with embarrassment, and crawled into bed, hiding under the covers.
Since they were leaving the next day, Allen didn’t do anything to Su Bin, and they both had a good night’s rest.
The next morning, Robert loaded the suitcases into the Bentley and they set off.
They didn’t go to the airport or the train station; Robert drove north—no wonder Allen had packed so many heavy bags!
It was Su Bin’s first time on a “long-distance car” trip, and he was excited. At first, he used his phone to navigate their route.
Based on the direction, Su Bin guessed they might be heading to the northern highlands to see snow-capped mountains, cliffs, or perhaps castles.
Along the way, he occasionally looked at the scenery outside the car, played some mobile games, and even took a nap with his head resting on Allen’s lap. When Su Bin woke up, it was pitch dark.
It took him a moment to realize it wasn’t dark outside; Allen had put a blindfold on him…
Just as he reached to remove it, Allen stopped him, holding his wrist and chuckling softly.
Allen’s laughter sounded a bit strange, causing Su Bin to tense up involuntarily. “Allen?”
“Hmm?” Allen’s voice and breath were reassuring, and Su Bin relaxed a little.
“What place are we at now?” Su Bin asked.
“I’m not telling you.”
“……” Of course, it’s this guy’s quirky humor!
Although Su Bin felt safe in Allen’s arms, this situation made him imagine all sorts of scenarios.
He remembered a TV show from his childhood where the leader of an evil cult would blindfold martial artists to prevent them from escaping and to keep them from recognizing their way out. And he had read about a cult in a documentary that would blindfold people and take them to a remote location to prevent escape…
Could it be that Allen was doing the same thing, taking him to some secret place to lock him up? (=_=)
But then he remembered he had a phone that could provide navigation!
Country B was so small that you could cross it on foot; what was there to worry about?
The car moved slowly, and the interior had a slight vibration, suggesting that the road was not in great condition and was winding. After what felt like a long time, the car finally stopped.
“We’ve arrived,” Allen said, removing the blindfold from Su Bin.
Su Bin sat up suddenly and looked out the window. To his surprise, he saw a nearly desolate wheat field!
Because it was winter, there was nothing growing, just bare land. In the distance were grayish-brown mountains stretching along the horizon, seeming like the end of the Earth…
…What, there are places like this in Country B? (OAO)
Su Bin quickly pulled out his phone to check the location on the map, but the screen lit up to show a very conspicuous word at the top—“Searching for signal…”
Su Bin was exasperated! (o皿o)
Robert opened the car doors and unloaded the luggage.
When Su Bin got out of the car and turned around, he saw a stone house behind him. It looked like an old farmhouse from hundreds of years ago, simple and dilapidated.
…No way, was Allen really planning to vacation here? Or was it just for a night?
As Su Bin fervently hoped it was the latter, Robert bowed to Allen and Su Bin, saying, “Your Grace, I wish you a pleasant holiday. I will be here to pick you up on time in two weeks.”
Su Bin: “……” Two, two weeks… fourteen days! (O皿O)
Then, Robert drove away, leaving Su Bin in stunned disbelief…
