Chapter Forty-Six: Better to Fail at Stealing Than to Steal

The sudden turn of events caught both of the thugs completely off guard. The man with the gun collapsed to the ground along with the shattered pieces of the wooden chair, blood streaming down his head, and lay there motionless. Without hesitation, Zhang Can seized another chair and smashed it swiftly at the other man. That one, wielding a knife, tried to fend off the blows as he retreated hurriedly. His knife was much shorter than the chair’s reach, so Zhang Can’s chair struck him several times, each blow burning with pain. But this time, as he was prepared, the blows weren’t nearly as devastating as the first, and they did not incapacitate him.

Even so, Zhang Can didn’t dare relax. He didn’t know the condition of the man with the gun—if he woke up now, both he and Zhou Nan would be doomed. Clenching his teeth, Zhang Can resolved to take down the knife-wielding man in the shortest time possible.

But the man was nimble, dodging left and right, making it almost impossible to knock him out. With that knife in hand, one careless move and Zhang Can could be seriously hurt. After a flurry of attacks, Zhang Can was left breathless, exhausted from the chase. Pressed tightly by Zhang Can’s pursuit, the man suddenly darted into the room where Zhang Can and Zhou Nan had been kept, slammed the door shut with force, and braced it from the inside.

Zhang Can was stunned for a moment, but then a wave of relief washed over him. He wasted no time in fastening the iron latch and locking the door securely. Gasping for breath, he quickly turned back into the main hall and prodded the man with the gun with his foot. The man didn’t move, his head and face covered in blood. That blow with the chair had indeed been vicious—the gunman had taken a severe hit!

Worried he might have killed the man, Zhang Can bent down to check his breathing with a finger—fortunately, the man was still alive.

Only then did Zhang Can drag Zhou Nan toward the door, urging, “Zhou Nan, we need to escape now! If their boss and the others come back, it’ll be too late!”

Zhou Nan was so terrified she couldn’t even move her feet. The swiftness and ferocity of Zhang Can’s actions had left her dumbfounded. Zhang Can, dragging her along, led her out in a daze.

Once outside, they saw that the house was a two-story building on a mountainside, surrounded by hills. Only a single road ran before the main entrance—a narrow, rough track of stone and mud, barely wide enough for a car, with fresh tire marks visible in the ruts.

Zhang Can glanced around and pointed toward a path leading deeper into the mountains. “We’ll head into the woods. We can’t take the road; we don’t have a car and they’ll easily catch us if we do. As soon as we run into them, we won’t have another chance to escape.”

Naturally, Zhou Nan did not object, letting Zhang Can pull her headlong into the thick forest. Stumbling and struggling, they forged into the dense underbrush. Zhang Can managed, but Zhou Nan had never been in the mountains, never pushed through brambles before, and after a day and a night of fear and exhaustion, she had no strength left. She could only stagger on with Zhang Can dragging her, and it took them nearly an hour to reach halfway up the slope.

Breathless, Zhou Nan gasped, “I can’t… I just can’t go any further!” She slumped to the ground with her back against a tree, refusing to move.

Though anxious, Zhang Can had no choice but to let her rest. But just then, the roar of an engine echoed up from below. Zhang Can’s face changed instantly. “This is bad—they’re back!”

Even Zhou Nan went pale with fright, scrambling to her feet. The two of them plunged deeper into the mountains, and before long, angry shouts and curses drifted up from below—the pursuers were hot on their trail.

Since Zhang Can and Zhou Nan hadn’t gotten far, they could hear the voices clearly. Zhang Can looked back and frowned deeply.

Their escape route was marked with clear traces: bent saplings, trampled grass—it was easy to follow if one looked closely.

Zhang Can quickly pointed to the ground and whispered, “Zhou Nan, step carefully—stay on bare earth, don’t tread on the grass!”

Zhou Nan managed a few more steps before suddenly twisting her ankle, crying out in pain. Zhang Can grew even more anxious. The shouts of the thugs were drawing closer, and now Zhou Nan, already exhausted, had injured her foot!

He glanced down the mountain—though the trees blocked his view, the voices were getting louder. In desperation, he helped Zhou Nan up, letting her lean heavily on him. “Zhou Nan, you can’t sit down—we have to keep going! Come on, I’ll support you, just hold on!”

But after only a few steps, sweat was streaming down Zhou Nan’s face, her tears mingling with the pain. Choking back sobs, she pleaded, “Just leave me behind. You go—save yourself. I really can’t walk any farther, not even if it kills me.”

Seeing that she truly couldn’t go on, Zhang Can, frantic, swept her up in his arms and hoisted her onto his back, charging uphill as fast as he could, careful not to trample the grass. After less than a hundred meters, he was gasping for air, sweat pouring down his forehead and soaking through his clothes. Zhou Nan could feel it too—her chest pressed against Zhang Can’s back was damp with his sweat.

Meanwhile, the voices of the pursuers were growing ever nearer. Zhou Nan, trembling, whispered, “Zhang Can, put me down—you won’t get away carrying me. If you go alone, you might make it!”

“Shut up,” Zhang Can hissed. “How could I escape alone? If I left you to those animals, I’d sooner kill you myself!”

Though his words were harsh, Zhou Nan felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she hugged Zhang Can’s neck even tighter, resting her face against his. Whatever happened—life or death—she no longer cared.

Zhang Can was desperate. The sounds of pursuit were nearly upon them. If they were caught again, there would be no good outcome. Zhou Nan on his back felt heavier and heavier, like a mountain pressing down on him. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself onward, each step requiring every ounce of strength he had left. Suddenly, his legs gave out, and he tumbled into a nearby patch of undergrowth—only to discover that hidden beneath the tall grass was a pit, nearly a meter deep, completely concealed from above.

Even as he fell, Zhang Can held Zhou Nan tightly, twisting to shield her as they both tumbled into the pit. With both of them inside, there was barely any space left—and no strength left in their bodies. Zhang Can gulped for air, then forced himself to quiet his breathing. He reached up to pull the grass over the pit, covering them more thoroughly.

Their position in the pit was intimate: Zhang Can cradled Zhou Nan in his arms, their bodies pressed chest to chest, faces so close they could feel each other’s breath. There was no room to move—only to cling to each other.

The voices of the thugs drew nearer still; the boss’s voice rang out distinctly, “Find them—kill the man and dump him in the mountains, bring the woman back…”

Neither Zhang Can nor Zhou Nan dared make a sound. Face to face, flesh pressed against flesh, Zhang Can dared not look at Zhou Nan’s bewitching features. He squeezed his eyes shut, but her scent filled his nose, and the closeness of her body was overwhelming. At such a critical moment, his body betrayed him, stirring with involuntary desire.

Zhou Nan must have noticed. Her breathing grew heavier, her face burning hot against his. Zhang Can knew he couldn’t explain this, so he fought desperately to suppress the temptation. But human nature is strange; even in the most perilous circumstances, the allure between man and woman is difficult to resist.

Thus it is that men are drawn to such things: another man’s wife is always more desirable, a wife less alluring than a concubine, a concubine less tempting than an affair, and nothing so enticing as what one cannot have.

The six thugs came very close; in the height of tension, Zhang Can felt an inexplicable thrill. Ah, what did it matter now? His lower body seemed beyond his mind’s control—let it be.

The two familiar voices belonged to the men who had been left behind to guard Zhang Can and Zhou Nan. As they searched, they muttered to their boss.

“Boss, we only got caught off guard because of that news on TV. Damn it, if I catch that bastard, I’ll bury him alive!”

Their boss replied in a cold, grim tone, “Enough with the excuses, you two useless fools. We’ve been set up this time—the other side’s number is unreachable now. Looks like the girl’s identity really is as you said. Otherwise, Jin City wouldn’t be locked down this tight. We have to find her—she’s our only bargaining chip now. Forget about the money. We need to escape. Once we get out of Jin City, we’ll deal with her, and when things cool off in a few years, we’ll come back for revenge.”

The boss’s words were filled with venom and frustration, but also resignation.

Then the gunman spoke, “Boss, we never even saw the guys who hired us. Apart from a few phone calls, there’s no evidence, nothing to go on. How are we supposed to find them for revenge? There are millions of people in Jin City—how could we find someone just by their voice? It’s impossible…”

Another man muttered, “Are we really going to kill the girl? What a shame… She’s so beautiful, it’s such a waste…”

The voices faded as the group moved on, but Zhang Can and Zhou Nan didn’t dare move. From the tone of those men, it was clear—if they were caught, it would mean certain death.

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, the group circled back, cursing as they went, apparently giving up after failing to find them. Their footsteps grew quicker as they descended. The boss’s voice drifted up: “We need to get out now. If we make it, we’ll head north. I’ve got a cousin working construction in the northeast—we can hide out with him for a while…”

Only after the six thugs’ voices faded into silence did Zhang Can and Zhou Nan dare to breathe more freely. But Zhang Can whispered, “Let’s wait a bit longer—just in case they’re trying to trick us.”

Zhou Nan didn’t dare move. After another ten minutes of utter stillness, she nudged Zhang Can.

His face flushed red. He had truly meant only to be cautious, but now there was no way to explain himself, and his embarrassment only made it look more suspicious.

Zhou Nan, annoyed, gave him a hard shove but kept quiet—best to be safe.

Zhang Can clambered awkwardly out of the pit first, then helped Zhou Nan up. Both of them glanced at each other, faces crimson, thoroughly embarrassed.

Zhou Nan stifled a laugh and muttered, “I’ll settle accounts with you later!”

Though they weren’t out of danger yet, things were far better than before. Whether the thugs had truly fled or were just pretending, at least they were no longer in their hands.

Zhang Can checked their direction and said softly, “We can’t be sure if they’ve really gone or are lying in wait. The safest course is to keep climbing, circle around, and go down the far side of the mountain. It’ll be farther, but it’s the safest way. If we go back the way we came, that’s the most dangerous route.”