Chapter 42: Light Teasing.
"Thank you, We will be awaiting your arrival... No, it's fine we will have the cleaning crew do that... Yes. Okay, see you soon." Zen hung up the phone. He had just called his driver to come and pick them up. He didn't expect this whole thing to happen.
Zen was on the phone to Haru when there was a knock on his door. He answered to see men in black ski masks who dragged him outside and threw him into the back of a van and asked him for information about Haru. When he refused to tell them they began to torture him.
He managed to keep it together and only tell them certain bits of information. He wasn't entirely sure how they found out where he was but then thought they had probably tracked his phone.
"Hey give me your phone," Zen told Haru. He obliged and handed over his phone. Zen opened it up and took out the sim card and dropped it on the floor before handing it back to Haru. "They probably have your number saved and who knows how many of them there are. I will give you a new sim when we get back home. Make sure you tell all your contacts your new number."
They both waited for a while and discussed their own experience of being kidnapped. A few minutes went by and a black car pulled up followed by a white van. Zen and Haru both looked at each other for a second. They were no longer sure who was friend or foe. The driver of the car got out and took off his hat. It was the same driver who had dropped Haru off at school.
A look of relief washed over Zen's face as he recognised him. "Let's go home," Zen said to Haru as they both made their way over to the car and got in the back. The driver asked Zen a few questions. He seemed really concerned and kept asking them to report it to the authorities. Zen had to remind him of the situation he was in. Whether he liked it or not. The driver was now an accomplice. He helped them escape a crime scene. Even if they did report it every single one of them would be arrested.
As they reached the house Haru got out of the car. Zen stayed behind and handed a brown envelope to the driver and then got out. The driver waved goodbye and smiled before driving away. "What was that about? Haru asked as they both made their way inside.
"Just a little bonus money to keep everything that happened tonight a secret." Zen laughed as he pushed open the door. "Do you think it will work? Can you really trust him?"
"I hope so. He has been my driver for the past five years. If I couldn't trust him I would have gotten a new one. It's his decision. I just hope he trusts me enough not to tell anybody about this." Zen and Haru both walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. A few minutes later Xue came in timidly at first but then when she noticed it was Haru and Zen her tail began to wag and she jumped all over them.
Haru was glad that Xue was okay. They could have easily killed her if she tried to defend Zen. She was smart enough to hide herself away and believe that her owner would come back safely. Haru and Zen both talked in more detail about what would happen from now on. They sat there for a few hours into the early hours of the morning without checking the time. They both knew they had messed up when the sun started to rise.
Haru. Could last a few days without sleep. His cultivation would help reduce his metabolism and burn energy slower so he could stay mentally active for days on end. Zen ran upstairs without saying a word and tried to sleep for a couple of hours before he would have to go back to work.
Haru on the other hand gave his brain a break by cultivating. He closed his eyes and let Lao sing to him whilst he cultivated. With each word, the dragon language seemed easier and easier to decipher. The Eternal wisdom had definitely expanded his ability to comprehend and remember things. It would be a huge help for his exams.
Which reminded him. He had homework to do. He opened his eyes and it was light outside. took his phone out and checked the time. It was 12 pm already. He ran upstairs to tell Zen to wake up but there were no signs of him anywhere. He figured that he must have woken up and rushed into work as quickly as he could. Haru went into the kitchen and found a white envelope with his name on it. "Here is your new sim." It read. He opened it and put the sim card into his phone and then sent a text to Suyin.
"It's Haru I got a new number you should probably avoid using my old one." A few seconds went by before she opened it and began to type. "Where are you? Mrs. Evans thought that you were skipping class. Wait hold on a second I will ask to go to the bathroom."
A few more seconds went by before his phone began to vibrate. Suyin was now calling him. He answered it. "What happened yesterday? I saw your face all over the newspaper! Everyone has been talking about it all day. They said you tried to kill some old man. He is a famous cultivator or something. That can't be true right?"
He sighed. I knew this would happen. Haru thought before explaining the whole story to her. Leaving out the part about being kidnapped and killing them with his uncle of course. "So you aren't going to jail? Then where are you?" She asked concerned. "I'm at home. I uh, just woke up." He said sounding sure of himself.
"You just woke up? It's already noon. Are you coming in at all today?" She asked with a hint of frustration. "Uh, I don't think so. I was just going to take the time to relax for a while. I don't really want to explain myself to everybody who has seen my face on the front page of every news site."
There was a long pause until Suyin spoke again. "Okay. I will see you in twenty minutes!" She said before ending the call. Haru didn't even have the chance to discuss it with her but it now looked like she was coming over to his house. He just hoped she wouldn't get into trouble for skipping school. Around ten minutes went by before the house phone began to ring. Haru walked over and answered it.
"Hello. Is this The Hao residence? There is a girl at the gate claiming that Haru invited her over." The voice of the old man Haru had met his first day here came from the other side. "Oh, That must be Suyin. Yeah, let her in please." He said he was just about to hang up when he heard the man speak again.
"Oh, Haru? Would you like me to give her a ride? It's quite a long walk. I'm sure you don't want her to be worn out before she gets there." He said in a tone like he had a definite idea about what was going on. He didn't really think that they were going to do that, did he?
Haru knew what the old man was thinking and decided to play along with it. "Yeah, I certainly don't want her worn out before she gets here. Thank you for your kindness." He put down the phone and began to laugh. He knew what was going to happen as Suyin rode up to the house with him.
A few more minutes went by as there was a knock on the door. Haru ran to open it. Suyin was stood there looking really uncomfortable. Haru hugged her and looked over to the old man and held his thumb up toward him.
"What are you doing!? Wait you are probably upset about what happened last night? Here don't be upset!" She hugged him back getting the wrong idea entirely. They both went inside and sat down on the couch.
"This is going to sound weird. But I think that the security guard thinks that I'm your lover or something. He kept praising you and talking about how I'm the only girl you have brought home and told me that you talk about me all the time..." Suyin said with embarrassment.
Haru began to laugh and then explained that he had gotten the wrong idea and was hoping that she would get mad and clear it up. "I just really couldn't be bothered to correct him. I had a busy day yesterday I'm too tired to move." He lay back along the whole couch resting his head on Suyin's lap.
"You can't move huh? Then what about if I do this!" She began to tickle him. But nothing happened. Haru's cultivation had strengthened his weaknesses like pressure points and took away the ability to be tickled. He just lay there and pretended to sleep.
Suyin stopped out of disappointment that she didn't get the reaction she wanted. She threw herself back in frustration and accidentally hit Haru in the face with her hand during the process.
"Agh, Fuck I'm bleeding!" Haru fell on to the floor clutching his nose. Suyin began to lose her mind whilst apologising and asking to see if he is okay. She leaned down to get a better look but was too focused on Haru's face to see his hand flick her in the head.
"Ouch, why did you do that!" She jumped back with surprise. "That's for hitting me. Haru said moving closer to her. "And this is for caring about me." He moved closer to her watching her face turn red as he got closer inch by inch. She felt his breath against her face and gulped with anticipation. He then wrapped his arms around her and embraced her with a hug.