Huayu 1992: Starting with the CCTV Young Singers Competition

Chapter 114 Motorcycle Horror, Desperate Escape Under the Iron Bar

Stepping off the stage, I entered the dimly lit area behind the side curtain.

Su Xiao almost lunged forward, suppressing her excitement as she whispered, "That was amazing, Han Jiang! You sang so well, I was completely mesmerized! And what you said later—it was so good!"

Lin Hanjiang smiled at her and took the bottled water she offered to moisten his throat.

"Sister Su, remember to include what I said in the edit."

"No problem, it will definitely be edited."

When he followed Su Xiao to the backstage rest area, he found that the atmosphere was completely different from after the first round.

The contestants backstage all stood up.

Upon seeing him approach, almost everyone stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on him.

There was no crowding around, no one asking questions or offering congratulations.

"Slap! Slap! Slap—"

They clapped in unison, as if it had been rehearsed beforehand.

Lin Hanjiang showed no sign of smugness. He nodded slightly, acknowledging those who were looking at him, and softly said, "Thank you."

"Thank you," he said, his attitude humble and sincere.

And so, as everyone watched them go.

Su Xiao took him to her office at the TV station.

The space wasn't large, and it was piled high with various videotapes, manuscripts, and competition materials, but at least it had a relatively independent area.

Su Xiao poured him a glass of water, while quickly organizing the documents on the table, and said, "Han Jiang, your performance today was absolutely perfect. You saw the judges' reaction, and you've now secured your place in the official competition."

But the real battles are yet to come: 60 to 30, 30 to 12, 12 to 6, 6 to 3, and finally the final round. All the songs will be performed in the original format, so the pressure will be even greater.

She glanced at her watch, her brows furrowing slightly.

"I still have to host the event to announce the results of today's auditions and do interviews. I'll probably be busy until quite late. I'm really worried about you going back to the hotel by yourself."

The potential problems raised in yesterday's Southern Daily report have resurfaced in my mind.

"Although it's not far, who knows—why don't you just wait for me at the station?"

After finishing his water, Lin Hanjiang put down his cup and shook his head: "Sister Su, you go ahead with your work and don't let it interfere with my schedule. I can go back by myself. It's broad daylight and there are a lot of people on the road. I'll take the main road and go straight back to the hotel. I won't wander around."

"Let's not."

"But I can't always have you with me. I'm not a child anymore. I'll be more careful."

Seeing his calm demeanor and recalling his courage in the face of the thugs, Su Xiao's worries lessened slightly, but she still instructed him, "Alright then, make sure you go straight home and lock the door. I'll come find you for dinner tonight after I'm done with my work, and I'll also tell you about the information regarding the invited participants in the official competition."

"it is good."

Lin Hanjiang agreed and got up to leave.

As he walked out of the Guangdong TV studio, the intense sunlight poured down without any obstruction, instantly making him squint.

"Guangzhou is great in every way, except for the sun, which is too hot."

Lin Hanjiang raised his hand to shield his forehead and muttered something to himself.

He recalled Su Xiao's serious instructions, and his gaze unconsciously swept over the hurried flow of people and vehicles around him.

The area in front of the TV station is fairly spacious, and the main road leading to the hotel is also quite wide.

Go to the Guangdong International Hotel, turn left after exiting, it's less than 500 meters away.

He's walked this road many times in the past few days; he could find his way back with his eyes closed.

What could possibly happen in 500 meters?

It was broad daylight, and the streets were bustling with people.

However, better safe than sorry.

"Forget it, let's not take the risk and just go back to the hotel to order food."

He wanted to go out to eat by himself, but then he thought better of it.

Having made up his mind, he tightened the canvas bag on his shoulder, stepped out and turned left, merging into the not-so-dense flow of people on the sidewalk.

This road isn't a main thoroughfare, but it's lined with shops on both sides—selling herbal tea, repairing appliances, and running small restaurants—and they're all doing pretty well.

Lin Hanjiang quickened his pace, eager to get back to his air-conditioned hotel room.

After walking about two hundred meters, I turned a corner with many potted plants, and the number of pedestrians became slightly less.

Not far ahead is the magnificent revolving door of the Guangdong International Hotel.

Just as his mind began to relax slightly...

"Buzz! Buzz!"

A sudden, unusually rapid motorcycle engine roar came from the side road behind us.

Not one, but two.

Lin Hanjiang's scalp tingled, and almost instinctively, all the muscles in his body tensed up as he turned around abruptly.

Two dilapidated red 125cc motorcycles, like mad dogs off their leash, sped out of a narrow alley on the right, their front wheels swung, and charged straight toward his sidewalk.

Both drivers were wearing dirty motorcycle helmets, obscuring their faces.

What left Lin Hanjiang speechless was that each motorcycle had a person on the back seat.

The two men weren't wearing helmets, revealing their fierce faces, their eyes like knives piercing his skin.

The most terrifying thing was that they were all holding iron rods about a foot long.

broad daylight!

A bustling street!

How dare they?

In the blink of an eye, there was no time to think.

The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.

Lin Hanjiang's pupils contracted sharply, and his mind went blank for a moment, with only one thought in mind.

run!

Run to the hotel!

He burst forth with unprecedented speed, his body springing like a spring as he hurtled toward the hotel entrance that was just inches away.

The canvas bag swayed violently behind me, almost slipping out of my hands.

The roar of the motorcycle engine drew near instantly, and the tires screeched as they rubbed against the ground.

The first motorcycle was almost parallel to him. The man on the back of the motorcycle grinned maliciously, swung his arm, and the iron rod whistled as it slammed down hard on the back of Lin Hanjiang's head.

Finished!

A shadow of despair descended.

At the critical moment, Lin Hanjiang did not rush forward to take the hit head-on. Instead, just as the iron rod was about to hit his head, he suddenly pushed off the ground with his left foot, and his body fell to the right front without warning, performing a disheveled but crucial roll.

"call!"

The iron rod grazed his ear and shoulder before striking the paving stones of the sidewalk with a crisp clang, sending sparks flying.

Lin Hanjiang felt a burning pain in his shoulder, probably from a scrape, but he couldn't worry about it.

The moment he collapsed to the ground, he mustered all his strength and let out a hoarse cry for help towards the hotel: "Help!"

"Murder!"

The voice trembled with fear, yet it was unusually loud.

That roll and shout bought him two crucial seconds.

The two security guards who were chatting in the shade at the hotel entrance were startled by the sudden cry for help and turned around sharply.

One of the older security guards immediately recognized the handsome young man from the north who had been coming and going frequently in the past few days.

When he saw the motorcycle that had suddenly stopped behind him and the thugs wielding weapons, his expression changed drastically.

"Ignore your mother! What are you doing?"

With a loud shout, the old security guard grabbed the rubber baton beside him and rushed over.

Another young security guard reacted quickly, shouting something urgently into his walkie-talkie while also drawing his baton and following closely behind.

The two motorcyclists clearly hadn't expected their target to react so quickly, nor had they anticipated the hotel security guards' decisive intervention.

They saw two security guards in uniform, holding batons, rushing towards them, shouting angrily.

Then look at Lin Hanjiang, who had already scrambled to his feet and was less than 30 meters from the hotel entrance.

A hint of hesitation flashed across his face.

"Walk!"

The thug driving the car at the front growled and suddenly turned the car around.

The two men with the iron bars glared fiercely at Lin Hanjiang, then reluctantly put away their bars and quickly got on their motorcycle.

"Buzz!"

The motorcycle engines roared again, and the two vehicles suddenly sped off, just as they had come, turning into another alley and disappearing in an instant.