Redemption - Novelbike

Zong Rui glanced at Jia Ying beside him, noticing that, like the other girls, she was stunned, staring blankly as the young man approached her. Seeing this scene, Zong Rui’s subconscious impression of the boy inexplicably dropped by 40 percent. Why? Even Zong Rui himself couldn’t say. All he knew was that he was already starting to feel an inexplicable aversion toward the young man.

The boy finally stopped in front of the two of them, gazing at them with apparent curiosity. Zong Rui couldn’t help but speak up, “May I ask what you-”

Before he could finish, the boy waved his hand dismissively, a sly smile spreading across his face. “I’m not here for you,” he said, “I’m here for the young lady. If you’re busy, please feel free to leave. I have some private matters to discuss with her.”

Hearing this, Zong Rui’s remaining 60 percent favorable impression of the boy instantly plummeted to 20 percent. Despite his efforts to stay composed, his tone grew noticeably colder. “I’m afraid that won’t do. I’m her… classmate. If anything happens to her, I won’t stand for it. After all, this world has its fair share of people who look good on the outside but are rotten within, don’t you think?”

At this moment, Jia Ying suddenly snapped out of her daze and chided Zong Rui, “You’re going too far!” Then she turned to the boy and said, “This is my friend. If you have something to say, you can speak openly.”

The boy gave a small smile and said, “That’s alright. I prefer not to discuss private matters in front of strangers.” Seeing Zong Rui’s expression darken further, the boy shrugged with feigned pity and added, “How about this? After school, please wait at the school gate. A white stretch limousine will come to pick you up. We can go somewhere private to talk. Agreed?”

With that, the boy turned and walked away leisurely, leaving Zong Rui looking stormy and Jia Ying puzzled. When he had taken about twenty steps, Jia Ying suddenly called out, “Wait! How do you know I’ll come?”

The boy stopped, turned his head back, and gave her a sly smile. “Because I know the secret of your father’s death.”

Having said that, the boy abruptly quickened his pace, leaving a stunned Jia Ying and Zong Rui behind as he dashed out of the school gate. Jia Ying, recovering from her shock, turned pale and shouted, “Stop!” She then sprinted after him with Zong Rui. But just as they reached the gate, a sleek white stretch Lincoln limousine abruptly pulled up. The boy opened the car door, climbed in swiftly, and turned to the two of them giving chase, flashing a faintly mocking smile. “I’ll be waiting for you. Don’t keep me waiting!” he called out.

Then, with a final flourish, he closed the car door. The vehicle immediately revved up and sped away, leaving the breathless pair behind in its wake as it disappeared down the street…

“Damn it!”

During the lunch break, Zong Rui, growing angrier the more he dwelled on it, finally slammed his fist on the desk. The impact sent the water cup on the table hopping, splashing water everywhere. Across from him, Jia Wei, the class president and his best friend, leapt in surprise, nearly choking on the plain bread he was chewing on.

“What happened?” Jia Wei asked, still chewing his food.

“Nothing,” Zong Rui said after grabbing the cup and taking a big gulp of water. “Just saw an annoying fly first thing in the morning, that’s all.”

Jia Wei stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth, swallowed it hard, and said, “I’ve been feeling pretty off today too-like a fever or something, totally lightheaded. Not to sound superstitious, but I can’t shake the feeling that… something’s about to happen. You know, like one of those bad omens or whatever.”

Zong Rui put down his cup, his expression turning thoughtful. “This sounds weirdly familiar… Something’s definitely not right. Hey, where’s Jia Ying?”

Jia Wei shrugged and replied, “Everything’s been off today. Everyone’s unusually irritable, emotions running way too high, fights breaking out all over the school. Did you know there’ve already been over thirty incidents of physical altercations today? That’s more than the total for all of last year. As student body president, Jia Ying wouldn’t just stand by and let that slide. She’s probably already stepped in to deal with the troublemakers herself.”

A worried look crossed Zong Rui’s face. “She’s been out of it all morning because of that mysterious guy earlier. But how does he know who killed Jia Ying’s father? Could it be that-”

Jia Wei frowned, interrupting. “What’s going on? Are you caught up in something serious?”

Zong Rui shook his head and replied, “Forget it. No point dwelling on this now. Hey, speaking of which, you’re eating so little today. Just one slice of plain bread for lunch? Are you really okay with that?”

Jia Wei gave a bitter smile. “This morning, for some unknown reason, the Breissel Company announced a sudden large-scale relocation from the outskirts of the city. My father, who is a core researcher there and carries a lot of company secrets, was forcibly taken away by the company’s security when it all went down. He wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye or take any personal items with him. They said the company would send someone to collect and transport the rest of our belongings to the new location soon. Since it happened so suddenly, I had no time to prepare, so I only managed to grab one slice of bread on my way out. I still don’t fully understand what’s going on.”

Hearing this, Zong Rui abruptly stood up. “Breissel is relocating? Something this big, and no one knows about it?”

Zong Rui’s shock wasn’t unwarranted. The Breissel Company was a prominent multinational corporation specializing in biopharmaceuticals and renowned internationally. It had established a branch in Nanhai City, making it the only Breissel facility in all of Country Z. When Breissel set up operations in Nanhai City, it brought immense economic benefits to the once-struggling region. Take the city’s shipping industry, for example-Nanhai, a coastal city with a port that connects to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, had never seen much activity. But after Breissel arrived, the port’s shipping volume tripled, with ships bearing the company’s signature red-and-black cross emblem arriving in droves.

Breissel’s presence didn’t just boost logistics; it also eased unemployment in the densely populated but land-scarce city and drove local economic development. Beyond economic contributions, Breissel invested heavily in public infrastructure, funding the construction of roads, seaside parks, and schools while providing long-term sponsorships for underprivileged students. The company was also deeply involved in various charitable activities. As a result, Breissel was held in high regard in Nanhai City-nobody had a bad word to say about them. Even Zong Rui’s father, Zong Li, the Deputy Director of Nanhai City’s Public Security Bureau, often praised Breissel enthusiastically. A sudden departure of such an influential company would undoubtedly have a devastating impact on the city, which explained Zong Rui’s disbelief.

Jia Wei shrugged. “I have no idea. But I might have to transfer schools soon to go with Breissel. My father is still working for them, after all.”

Zong Rui sighed with regret. “If you leave, the rest of high school will be seriously tough to get through. Anyway, since you didn’t eat enough and I haven’t had a meal yet either, let’s head to the school cafeteria. My treat!”