Gentlemen's Friends

Chapter 43 Part 3: Three ([-])
Qu Tongqiu didn't eat for two meals yesterday, he was so hungry that he ate all the fruits in the room, and added a lot of sugar and milk to the tea, he felt a little shy after eating.

It is true that Ren Ningyuan would never touch these free foods, and kept them like a display that changes every day, but it is not that he does not understand Ren Ningyuan's consideration for his little self-esteem.

When he was full, Qu Tongqiu sat and wondered where Qu Ke would go.The place where I lived before, the school, the house of relatives, the house of classmates, the house of teachers...the more possibilities there are, the more aimless they become.And it would be fine if I went to these decent places, I was afraid that the child would get angry and go to some dangerous place.

Ren Ningyuan opened the door and came in. Seeing him sitting in a daze, he said, "They just swiped their cards in an underground shopping mall. But it's raining so hard, are you sure you want to go and have a look?"

He was too eager, and Ren Ningyuan had to remind him on the way: "We followed them only because we were worried, not chasing fugitives. They are all independent, so don't be too nervous. It will be the same if you look for them tomorrow."

Qu Tongqiu nodded: "I know. I'm just worried that she's going out, she's in puberty, and she has troubles. If she encounters bad guys, or some kind of danger..."

Ren Ningyuan smiled and said, "You are too nervous to be a father."

"It's better than you not being nervous at all!"

"Well then, we need to neutralize it."

Qu Tongqiu looked at the man's smile, a little dazed.He used to admire Ren Ningyuan so much that he didn't even dare to talk back, and later he wished he could scold and fight. Now what kind of atmosphere is this kind of conversation, he really can't classify it.

The rain is getting bigger and bigger, and it is reasonable that the rainstorm does not last long, but this rain has darkened the sky for a while, and there is no trend of getting smaller.The car the two were sitting in was stuck on the road for a long time, and it was almost impossible to move an inch.

When they got out of the car, the rain caught both of them off guard.Everyone took an umbrella when they left the hotel, but no one expected that the rain would be so heavy.Umbrellas are almost useless. After walking for a while, most of my body is already wet. In the vast rain, I can't even see the road in front of me clearly.

Qu Tongqiu didn't know where he was as he walked, and felt Ren Ningyuan reach out to pull him.

In the blinding wind and rain, holding Ren Ningyuan's hand tightly, he managed to walk to the entrance of the underground shopping mall.

After avoiding the torrential rain, the two people finally took a breath, their bodies were already soaked, and even Ren Ningyuan was a little surprised and embarrassed. Looking at the sky and the water on the ground, he frowned and said, "It's raining so badly." Not quite right."

"I have lived here for so many years, and I have never seen such heavy rain."

A lot of people came one after another, all of them were wet. Everyone came to this big shopping mall to shelter from the rain. No one was willing to go out in the rain. Ren Ningyuan said: "It seems that Xiao Ke and the others are still inside It's gone. Let's go in and find it."

The two of them entered the shopping mall. Although it was already summer, when the air-conditioning blew, goose bumps appeared on their wet bodies, and Qu Tongqiu shuddered several times.

Ren Ningyuan looked at him: "Is it cold? How about buying a coat?"

"No need!" Buying clothes when it's raining, how can he be so delicate.

"Then eat something hot to warm up. A cold will be troublesome."

"Aren't we here to find Xiao Ke?"

Ren Ningyuan walked to a nearby restaurant: "It's raining so hard, they won't be able to leave for a while, so don't be in a hurry. Just think about how to release Xiao Ke later. If she appeared in front of you now , what are you going to say? Are you ready?"

Qu Tongqiu was at a loss for words for a moment, he really didn't finish the draft.

Ren Ningyuan ordered two servings of hot noodle soup and paid for it first. The price was not expensive, so he sat down and thought while eating.

Cold and hungry, he was engrossed in eating, and suddenly heard Ren Ningyuan say: "It seems to have entered water."

"Huh?" Lifting his face from the noodle bowl, he looked at his feet, and there was indeed a thin layer of water.

The underground shopping mall is low-lying, so it's not unusual for some rainwater to seep in. Qu Tongqiu said, "The rain is really heavy." He ate noodles again.

However, in the time he ate the remaining half bowl of noodles, the water had reached his ankles.

Qu Tongqiu looked at his feet in a daze, but Ren Ningyuan suddenly stood up and pulled him back: "I can't stay here anymore, let's go."

"It's not that serious..."

During the time of hesitation, the water obviously rose again. Although some customers were still eating as if nothing had happened, and some were still shopping, some of them had already put down their things and went out.

Qu Tongqiu hurriedly followed him for two steps, and asked, "What about Xiaoke and the others?"

"They'll know how to run."

"No, I have to remind them, what if they are in a deeper place and can't react?"

Ren Ningyuan took out his mobile phone in a concession, and dialed a few more times. After the last try, he got through, probably because he just turned on the phone and wanted to make a call.

"Qu Ke, are you in the mall? Your father and I are also here... The water is flooding in, so hurry up and go to the exit with Le Ling... Hello? Hello?"

Qu Tongqiu looked at him nervously, Ren Ningyuan put down the phone, frowned and said, "It seems that the phone has been dropped."

Before I walked out of the restaurant, the water was already up to my knees, and it was coming fast.Slow as Qu Tongqiu realized something.Originally, the water only came in through the cracks in the door, but the current rate of inflation is probably because the door has been flushed open.

This is not rainwater, but the river water poured in from the nearby moat.

The water was too fierce, and the crowd gradually became a little chaotic, but they still maintained a certain order and evacuated.The salespersons at the nearby counters were all saving their own products, but some counters suddenly floated up, and all kinds of beautifully packaged bottles and jars fell into the water. This scene finally made the people soaked in the water panic.

Everyone scrambled to squeeze out, some twisted their feet, some were too frightened to run, some were hit by the floating counter, there was a mess of crying and shouting, and everyone lost their sense of proportion.

The terrified crowd kept rushing through them. A lost child stood in the water and cried "Mom". Qu Tongqiu could only pick him up and hold him high. Fortunately, the mother soon I found it, thanked him, and took the child away.But after such a delay, he and Ren Ningyuan were separated.

After barely moving forward in the water for a while, another person fell down and struggled twice, but couldn't get up. When Qu Tongqiu pulled her up from the water desperately, the woman's face turned pale with fright.

Qu Tongqiu took a few steps with one foot shallow and one foot deep, but he couldn't see Ren Ningyuan left or right. He suddenly panicked and couldn't help shouting: "Ren Ningyuan! Ren Ningyuan!"

There was no response to his voice in the din of the venue. Qu Tongqiu stood and suddenly wanted to look back. He didn't know if Ren Ningyuan tripped or was trampled. I couldn't get up...the water was up to my waist.

Turning around and staggering back in the chill that covered his back, he hissed, "Ren Ningyuan! Ren Ningyuan!!!"

After walking a few steps, someone suddenly grabbed his hand.

As soon as he raised his eyes and met those eyes, Qu Tongqiu mentioned that the heart in his throat finally fell back into his chest cavity, but it was still beating wildly inside, and he couldn't make a sound for a while. After two seconds, he said: "That's great, you're fine..."

"I can't get through that side," Ren Ningyuan grabbed him, "Follow me this way."

This time, the hands of the two people never separated again. The river rushing into the underground shopping mall has become a torrent.

And in that fierce struggle, the arena was suddenly pitch black.

power cut.

Qu Tongqiu was swallowed by fear in an instant amid the water overflowing his chest and the sudden darkness.

There was no strength in his body, his mind went blank, he couldn't remember which direction the exit was, how long it would take to get there, and whether it would be too late... He felt a little suffocated, and his feet began to cramp.

"nothing."

At this time, only Ren Ningyuan's hands and voice can be so firm and calm: "Follow me, we will be there soon."

Qu Tongqiu trembled uncontrollably: "Mmm..."

"I'm holding you, don't let go."

"Um……"

Finally stepped on the stairs, it was Ren Ningyuan who supported him and let him go up first.Qu Tongqiu's mind went blank, his legs trembled a little, but Ren Ningyuan still walked steadily, helping him to go up.

The huge underground shopping mall behind him was gradually completely submerged, and there was no more light or sound.

A lot of people gathered in the square outside, they all escaped, and they didn't leave because the streets were already full of waves.The buses were all parked, and many vehicles only showed yellow or white half in the water, and the owners had already abandoned their vehicles and swam away.

Everyone was dumbfounded in this unprecedented torrential rain. It was just a rain, but the world changed in an instant.Many people were numb and dazed by the sudden disaster, and some girls were so scared that they cried and shivered while hugging each other, feeling desolate for a while.

Ren Ningyuan still tightly interlocked his fingers, looking down at his pale face.

"Are you ok?"

"Um……"

"Don't be afraid, the water will recede. It's okay."

"Um……"

Qu Tongqiu gradually regained his strength, and suddenly remembered something: "Where are Xiao Ke and Le Xiao? Have they escaped yet?"

He wanted to make a call, but found that the phone had already been soaked to the point of being unusable. Qu Tongqiu panicked for a while, and began to identify one by one in the crowd, calling the names of those two people non-stop.

After searching for a while without finding anything, Qu Tongqiu turned his head and asked, "Where were the two of them before they came out?"

Ren Ningyuan looked at him, but still replied: "Buy things in the supermarket downstairs."

Qu Tongqiu felt cold all over his body, and after being stiff for a while, he forced his lips to move: "Well, will that..."

"Will not."

No matter how true this categorical answer was, Qu Tongqiu's weak legs were barely able to stand firm because of it, and Ren Ningyuan's hands were warm and strong, allowing him to retain a little reason in the boundless fear.

"Let's go over there and look for it."

When I walked around to the parking lot at the back, it was already flooded. A large number of parked cars were soaked in water, and the water was getting higher and higher. Some of the cars that were more than half submerged still had their lights on. I don’t know if the owner is still trapped in it. Qu Tongqiu hurried over, Ren Ningyuan called him from behind: "Be careful in the water!"

He also knew that there might be problems with the circuit, and he might get an electric shock at any time if he was soaked in the water, but he couldn't care less, so he waded through the water and walked in, and then he heard Ren Ningyuan's voice following behind.

Sure enough, there were still people in one or two cars, but the doors couldn't be opened and the windows weren't enough to escape.Two people helped them escape, and the water began to slowly flood the car windows.

Seeing that the windshield wipers of the car were still moving, Qu Tongqiu waded through the water with difficulty. When he got closer, he could vaguely see a man and a woman, who seemed to be suffocating while sitting. Softened, he shouted repeatedly: "Ren Ningyuan, Ren Ningyuan!"

Ren Ningyuan helped, and with all his strength, the car door finally opened.The people inside struggled to get out, and they were relieved with difficulty, thanking them all the time.But not Qu Ke and Le Xiao.

When Qu Tongqiu returned to the safe place on the edge, he was exhausted, and he couldn't tell whether he was relieved or disappointed. He just stood there blankly, his eyes gradually turning red in silence.

Ren Ningyuan put his arms around his shoulders comfortingly, and in his silent sobs, stretched out his arms to hug him.

"They'll be fine."

The man's head was held in his arms, and he could hardly restrain himself anymore, trying his best to hold back his voice.

"Qu Tongqiu, you trust me."

The man was still trembling in despair, and reached out to grab the clothes on his back.Ren Ningyuan hugged him tightly.

"father!"

The two quickly let go of their hands and turned to look.

Two figures also came staggeringly from the other direction.

The man's eyes widened, and he was about to cry with joy. The girl who ran over in the rain threw herself into his arms, hugged him tightly, and burst into tears.

"Scared me to death... Dad, I thought you were still inside... We searched for a long time... Scared me to death..."

"I, I also thought... It's fine if you're fine, it's fine..."

The four of them reluctantly returned to the hotel where Ren Ningyuan stayed at late at night, all exhausted and in a mess.

Ren Ningyuan booked three more rooms, and everyone went to take a hot bath, and then got together to eat something and drink some wine to calm down.

Everyone was so exhausted that nothing could be said, and indeed nothing had to be said.

Just like a hug from Qu Ke let him know that he will always be his daughter's most important relative, the human nature in the disaster is transparent, and many subtle feelings that were originally entangled, suspicious and worried about each other are now clear and clear.

Everyone was relieved.

Whether he ran away from home, or whether his biological father was not an adoptive father, it was no longer a big deal.

Qu Tongqiu also felt that he really no longer hated Ren Ningyuan.Shui Li Na held him firmly, held up his hand, and had already paid off what was owed to him.Even the feeling of admiration and admiration slowly returned to him.

Even though so many things have happened, Ren Ningyuan is still a person worthy of his respect only by virtue of his courage and calmness.

Everyone went back to rest. Qu Ke was still in shock, so he must accompany her.Qu Tongqiu chatted with her for a long time before she fell asleep peacefully.

On the way back to the room, Qu Tongqiu thought for a while and knocked on the door of Ren Ningyuan's room.

Ren Ningyuan opened the door and came out with a tired face, Qu Tongqiu quickly said: "I accept."

Ren Ningyuan seemed to open his eyes wide.

"I accept your last proposal. We will raise Xiao Ke together. Xiao Ke needs me, and she can't bear to part with you. Let her have two fathers."

Ren Ningyuan looked at him for a while, smiled and said, "Okay."

They reached a consensus, but Ren Ningyuan's reaction was far less joyful than he had imagined, which also made him slightly puzzled.

(End of this chapter)