Even If I'm Reborn as a Cute Dragon Girl, I Will Still Make a Harem

Book 5: Chapter 233: Atonement

“I... I’m really a horrible person.” Chen Xing kept wiping his tears, feeling as though he was at the lowest point of his life.

“Uncle... Thou art...”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to comfort me. Just let me cry for a bit. I’ll feel slightly better after this.” Chen Xing stood up and looked at Tadashi for a long time, his eyes slightly red.

After a moment, he looked like he had just made some major decision. He suddenly turned and headed toward the door.

“Wang Defa’s drunk. He won’t be coming over for a few hours. You should rest. Don’t think about escaping. This is an abandoned factory in the eastern suburbs. The nearest town is two kilometers west. There’s a creek and a large reed swamp on the way there. It’s a good place to hide but there are a lot of snakes and bugs in the summer, so don’t even think about hiding yourself there.”

With that, Chen Xing opened the door. The light from outside spilled into the room, illuminating Tadashi’s confused face.

“Also, this door is so worn out that it won’t even lock. I’ll be checking in on you every two hours. If I catch you trying to escape, I’ll break your legs.”

With a loud bang, Chen Xing slammed the door shut. The noise was so forceful that it startled Wang Defa, who had been drowsy from drinking in the next room.

His angry curses echoed, but soon everything quieted again, leaving Tadashi alone in the dark.

Tadashi was still a little dazed. The loud noise from the door had made him flinch instinctively. To his surprise, the rope binding his hands together had loosened on its own.

Tadashi raised his hands and saw the angry red marks around his wrists. After letting his blood flow for more than ten minutes, he managed to move his hands normally again.

He flexed his fingers and found no abnormal stiffness.

Tadashi clenched his fist gratefully and murmured, “Thank you, Uncle.”

The ropes around Tadashi’s feet were soon untied as well. The prolonged tightness of the restraints had left his feet numb, and when he stood, it felt as if he were stepping on clouds.

As a result, he stumbled and collapsed again.

Fortunately, as Chen Xing had said, Wang Defa was already drunk and wouldn’t come to check on him for another two hours.

Even if Tadashi fell and made a loud noise hitting the chair, no one would come into the room.

Out of caution, Tadashi grabbed the rope and stayed on the ground for a while, making sure no one was coming.

Once he was certain, he carefully stood up again. Luckily, his feet recovered quickly. Though his abdomen still ached, it didn’t affect his movement.

Tadashi quietly pulled open the door... The harsh light made him squint instinctively, but soon the scene outside came into view. The corridor was dimly lit, though cobwebs covered much of it, indicating the place had indeed been abandoned for some time. It was strange that there was still electricity.

From the yelling he had heard earlier, Tadashi deduced that the room they were in was to the left.

Logically, the exit would be in that direction as they were keeping watch on him and making sure that he wouldn’t escape.

He crouched low and moved slowly along the hallway wall, heading left. As he moved, he passed a room with a window where the loud snoring of someone was coming from within.

At a moment like this, Tadashi could afford no hesitation. He gritted his teeth and leaped into the creek.

As soon as he plunged into the water and before he had time to stretch his limbs, Tadashi suddenly heard furious shouts... and the unmistakable roar of an engine starting up behind him.

“Crap.”

His face drained of color. He hadn’t expected to be discovered so soon after his escape.

“Is that nice uncle all right? Don’t tell me he’s been...”

No, he should be fine. That nice uncle was essentially an accomplice to the kidnapper. Even if the kidnapper realized he had gone missing, he would likely come after him first instead of suspecting his companion.

The most important thing now was to get as far away as possible and call the cops.

With that thought, Tadashi ignored the burning pain in his wounds and swam with everything he had, desperately pushing toward the opposite bank.

◆◇◆◇◆

When Chen Xing entered the room, Wang Defa was slouched in his chair, holding an empty wine bottle and dead asleep.

He looked like an old mountain pig who died from eating and sleeping.

Chen Xing walked over, picked up a bottle from the floor, and stared at it with a disdainful smile.

“How am I supposed to trust someone who gets knocked out by dirt cheap wine?” He casually tossed the bottle into the trash and walked past Wang Defa, reaching for his own bag.

Inside the bag was the last twenty thousand dollars he had withdrawn from the bank. He intended to give it to his wife so she could buy herself a nice dress and the new sneakers their child had always wanted.

After that, he tidied up himself.

Perhaps with his persuasion skill and face, he might still be able to make a break in the sales industry, even if he had to start from the very bottom.

It would be a tough climb, but he had risen from being a small-time salesman to where he was today. Starting over now was just repeating another cycle.

It would be hard, but at least it was honest work. He had just realized that, at his age, the most important thing was learning to be content. His downfall had come because of his dissatisfaction and greed. It had brought him to this point, nearly ruining his wife and child’s lives forever.

As a father, as a husband, it was a great, unforgivable sin. And now, he needed to atone for it.

“Manager Chen, have you thoroughly interrogated that little beggar already?”

Chen Xing froze, his hand still gripping the bag.

He turned slowly with a stiff expression, only to find Wang Defa standing behind him, his face dark and stern.