Chapter 128: A Call from an Old Acquaintance

I am recovering at home now, so I will write at my own pace, and you can read at yours. Two chapters a day are guaranteed. Thank you, everyone, for continuing to support me!

Laura was the plump girl who had been kidnapped together with Alisa. Although she had just endured a nightmarish kidnapping and witnessed a murder, she was cheerful by nature.

“Hi, Qiu! It’s so good to see you on video, but... where’s Davis? Where is that guy? Isn’t he with you?”

The plump girl was indeed straightforward. She went straight to the point without wasting a word. Apparently, after Davis helped the two of them escape, the two had developed feelings for each other within just a few days.

“You know how it is. He has his life, and I have mine. Er, I’ll pass your message on to him. Do you want his phone number?”

Qiu Fengyu suppressed a laugh as he spoke to the girl.

“Of course! Tell me. I’ll write it down!”

The plump girl turned around to look for a pen, while Alisa made exaggerated faces at Qiu Fengyu from beside the camera. Once Laura found a pen, Qiu Fengyu gave her Davis’s number.

He was happy to see things work out between Davis and Laura.

He did not want these people following him around only to end up with nothing. Whenever they had the chance to live peaceful lives, he would never drag them into those dark and dangerous affairs. It was time for Davis to withdraw. Once a man had a lover and a family, he could no longer keep living by fighting and killing.

“I’m going to call him now. Goodbye, Qiu. You’re a good man. Treat Alisa well—she’s a wonderful girl.”

As soon as Laura got the number, she abandoned Qiu Fengyu.

Alisa took the phone and smiled at him through the camera.

“Forget what she said. She’s crazy.”

“Er... I know. All right, Alisa. I’ll send you some videos and pictures. I have to get busy. I need to prepare a lavish Christmas dinner today. Goodbye, sweetheart!”

Qiu Fengyu ended the call with Alisa.

Tim had already taken up a shovel and begun clearing the snow. He had also piled some of it by the gate and built a huge snowman. In a stroke of originality, he had placed a cowboy hat on its head. It looked like a ridiculous, comical roly-poly toy.

“You’re suffering from arrested childhood,” Qiu Fengyu teased him.

“Boss, you can’t mock someone’s innocent childlike spirit. Everyone has one. It has nothing to do with age... Someone without a sense of wonder has no compassion.”

The man was clearly making an insinuation.

“Shut up, Tim. The fact that you’re still allowed to stay here proves how compassionate I am.”

“All right, you’re right.” Tim shrugged and spread his hands. “I was only saying. Don’t get so worked up.”

As they were speaking, three children suddenly came racing into the yard.

The place had become their favorite destination. The first thing they saw was the snowman in front of the house. Nicole let out a cry of surprise and stopped so abruptly that she nearly stumbled. Then she put one hand in her mouth and stared wide-eyed.

“We want to build a snowman too!” Danny shouted excitedly.

“How is it? This is my masterpiece.”

Tim knew his creation looked impressive, but he had no chance to show off in front of Qiu Fengyu. So he took the opportunity to boast in front of the children instead.

“Could you build one for me too?”

The little girl from the Mikura family timidly tugged at Danny’s clothes.

“Of course! No problem. Leave everything to me!”

Tim thumped his chest. He had the makings of a leader among children. Watching him being escorted outside by the three children, Qiu Fengyu could not help shaking his head.

Christmas dinner required all sorts of traditional Western ingredients, but Qiu Fengyu had no desire to figure out exactly what they were. He had prepared plenty of food—some Chinese dishes, some Western classics. In the end, it was a fusion of both cuisines. Whether it suited American customs or not did not matter. For the moment, there were only Tim and himself here, and he was the one who decided what they would eat. Tim had no say in the matter.

Christmas Eve dinner was the centerpiece of the holiday. Most of the people in the small town of Abilene had chosen tradition and stayed home to enjoy their Christmas feasts, though some had decided to travel.

By afternoon, Qiu Fengyu had finished preparing all the ingredients for an extravagant meal, waiting only for evening to show off his skills. There was far too much food for two people to finish. After thinking it over, he took out his phone and called Sheriff Ariel Coffin. She was spending Christmas alone, and the holiday might feel a little bleak for her.

“Hi, Qiu. It’s Coffin!”

Sheriff Coffin’s familiar voice came from the other end.

“Er, it’s me... Will you have any time off for Christmas?”

Qiu Fengyu paused before speaking.

“Of course. Every year around this time—during the Christmas season—I get a fairly long vacation. About half a month. Why? Is something wrong?”

Her voice sounded unusually relaxed.

“Well... you’re alone too, and if you don’t mind, you could come over here. You know, tonight’s Christmas dinner will consist of only Tim and me. I prepared far too much food, and there’s no way the two of us can finish it all. Would you like to join us? I mean, help us eliminate this delicious Christmas dinner.”

There was sudden silence on the other end.

Qiu Fengyu thought the call had been disconnected. He lowered the phone and checked, but the connection was still there. He raised it again. Neither of them spoke. After a long while, he heard a light, cheerful laugh.

“Thank you, Qiu. If I could fly back from Pattaya today, I think I would come to your place and enjoy Christmas dinner with you.”

“Pattaya? Thailand?”

Qiu Fengyu froze for a moment, then cried out in surprise.

“You went to Thailand? Good heavens! I haven’t seen you for only two days, and you’re already ten thousand kilometers away from us.”

“Yes. This is how I spend Christmas every year. If I had known you were going to invite me, I definitely would have stayed home. But... I’m truly sorry, Qiu. You have to understand, spending Christmas alone doesn’t feel very good. That’s why I chose to travel. At least this way... I won’t feel lonely.”

“All right. Have a pleasant journey, and Merry Christmas!”

Qiu Fengyu hung up.

Sheriff Coffin had actually gone traveling. That was somewhat beyond his expectations. After all, she had always kept to herself. Apart from going to the police station in Paso, she rarely even left Texas.

Still, everyone had their own lives. It was not something he needed to worry about.

Qiu Fengyu remembered that when he had first arrived here, he had been alone as well. If he had never met the Britt family, if he had never rescued Tim, would he have spent Christmas alone, just like Sheriff Coffin? Would he have gone traveling from place to place?

He thought about it, but there was no answer. For things that had never happened, the answer could only ever be hypothetical.

He sat alone on the sofa and turned on the television. Every channel was reporting on the Christmas festivities. The streets of the major cities were still crowded, with parade floats everywhere. There were also outdoor concerts, singing, and dancing performances.

Yet all of it seemed very far away from him.

While he was lost in thought, Tim came back inside. Just as expected, his clothes were covered in water stains. He had clearly had a wonderful time playing with the two little girls and the little boy.

“There’s quite a show going on in the town square,” Tim told Qiu Fengyu with a grin. “Aren’t you going to take a look? I watched for a while, and the performances were pretty professional. Apparently, the town government invited an artistic troupe from California. A lot of people have gone to watch.”

Qiu Fengyu made no reply. His eyes remained fixed on the television.

“Oh, right... April should be arriving around now. She set out yesterday, and even if she was delayed on the road, she ought to have arrived by now.” Tim looked at Qiu Fengyu with a mischievous smile. “What do you think that means?”

“What?”

Qiu Fengyu looked up at him.

“What are you thinking?”

“She likes you, Boss. I have to say, in that department, you and I are worlds apart.” Tim chuckled. “You know, at Christmas, people only want to spend the holiday with those closest to them. At least, that’s how I see it.”

“That’s how you see it, yes. But you’re not April. That much is beyond dispute.”

Before Qiu Fengyu could say anything more, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. He hesitated, then answered.

“Hey, my old friend! How are you? This is your dear friend, Ivan Chadov.”

A coarse laugh came from the other end.

“All right, I wanted to wish you well, my friend. Christmas is almost here. I heard you’ve settled down in the little town of Abilene. Congratulations!”

Ivan Chadov was the old Ukrainian who had brought Qiu Fengyu to America.

Qiu Fengyu’s brow furrowed. After a long pause, he asked in a low voice, “How did you get my phone number?”

“That was easy, my friend. I helped you obtain your green card. Through that, I can find out where you are and how to contact you. You know, with enough money, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish. America likes to advertise itself as a democracy, but its officials are just as corrupt as those in Ukraine. That’s true everywhere in the world.”

Another burst of laughter came from the phone.

“You didn’t really think America was some pure and spotless paradise, did you?”

Well, it had indeed been simple enough. Besides, Ivan Chadov wielded considerable influence.

Qiu Fengyu was silent for a moment.

“You didn’t call just to wish me a Merry Christmas, did you? If that’s all, I can hang up now. We agreed before that we were even.”

“No, no, wait, my friend. Merry Christmas. I sincerely wanted to say that to you. But... you know I’m a businessman. You saved my life, I trust you, and I know what you’re capable of. So... what I want to say is that we could do another deal.”

Ivan Chadov hurried to explain.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Chadov. We agreed before that once we arrived in America, you would go your way and I would go mine. It’s as simple as that. So... I don’t mind that you know where I am, but don’t come looking for me. I won’t accept any deals. I’ve already washed my hands of that life.”

His words carried a clear warning.

Ivan Chadov let out a regretful sigh.

“You don’t even want to hear what the payment would be? I guarantee it will be more than one hundred thousand dollars. You’ll definitely be satisfied. Of course... I won’t force you to do it. I just want you to know that this business is truly worth your while...”

“That’s enough, Mr. Chadov. Merry Christmas.”

Qiu Fengyu hung up.

To be continued.