Chapter 77: Putting Knowledge to Use; Faking Illness to Escape
A spark of inexplicable, indescribable joy flickered in Si Jinyan’s heart.
He almost forgot the purpose of his visit. He took a step forward and said with a hint of awkwardness, “Why are you here? Are you looking for me?”
“You’re overthinking it.”
Shen Yunqian frowned as he watched the other man approach. Before he could dodge, his wrist was seized by a strong grip.
Si Zheng pulled him close to the bedside and then let go, turning a displeased glare toward Si Jinyan. “What are you doing here?”
In Si Jinyan’s line of sight, the tall, slender figure was blocked, replaced by a face that, while no longer young and looking weak, was still handsome.
Si Zheng’s emotions were too volatile; he couldn’t stop coughing into his fist.
Si Jinyan suddenly snapped out of it, stung by his father’s sharp, guarded gaze.
Ignoring the stifling, uncomfortable sensation in his chest, his words came out cold and harsh: “I’m here to make sure you weren’t kidnapped or died outside, embarrassing the Si family.”
Si Zheng showed no mercy in driving him away. “You’ve seen me now. Please leave.”
The communication style between this father and son was truly appalling.
The smell of gunpowder in the room seemed to turn physical. The assistant who followed him in stole a glance, lowered his head, and silently retreated two steps out the door.
Realizing something, Si Jinyan’s eyes turned toward Shen Yunqian in interrogation, his tone certain: “You came to find him for Lu Xunye, didn’t you?”
Shen Yunqian ignored him, bowing his head respectfully to Si Zheng. “I’ve disturbed you, Uncle. I’ll be going now.”
Hearing the other’s response, he walked directly around the man at the foot of the bed. As they brushed past each other, Si Jinyan blocked his way and repeated, “You haven’t answered me.”
Shen Yunqian’s silence only confirmed Si Jinyan’s suspicion. He pressed closer. “How did you know he was here?”
“You want to know?” Shen Yunqian lifted his eyelids slightly.
Si Jinyan’s pupils trembled. The hand gripping the other’s arm involuntarily loosened its strength. That brief moment of daze allowed Shen Yunqian to coldly throw his hand off.
What followed was a single sentence: “Are you even worthy?”
Si Jinyan was stunned into place by those words, unable to believe that this cold-tongued person was Shen Yunqian.
After speaking, Shen Yunqian instinctively checked the expression of the man on the hospital bed, a fleeting look of regret passing through his eyes.
Seeing that the father wasn’t angered by his scolding of the son, Shen Yunqian breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately pushed the person blocking his way aside, intending to leave.
“Stop right there!” Being ignored for so long caused Si Jinyan’s suppressed emotions to explode. He chased out of the room in a few strides, reaching out to grab Shen Yunqian’s wrist.
In the pin-drop quiet hallway, a crisp snap rang out as something broke and fell to the floor.
Shen Yunqian’s wrist felt empty, and his breath hitched.
The skin where the bracelet should have been was now bare. He turned around. Under the light, the diamond-encrusted chain lay quietly by Si Jinyan’s feet.
Si Jinyan retracted his gaze from the floor and saw Shen Yunqian staring at him. The corners of his mouth curled up imperceptibly.
“I said I was also a victim. Yes, what I did was wrong, but I already know I was wrong. I want to make amends. Can’t you just give me a chance?”
“Are you really going to throw away our childhood friendship? For a man?”
Si Jinyan took a step closer, closing the distance. He pressed his hands onto the youth’s shoulders, making his voice as soft as possible.
“I know you can’t bear to leave. I promise I’ll treat you as well as I did before.”
“Lu Xunye isn’t right for you. You’re just being fooled by him. Come back with me, and I won’t hold what happened between you two against you.”
“Do you like me?” Shen Yunqian looked him in the eye.
“I—” Si Jinyan was at a loss for words.
“You really think too highly of yourself. Do you think you’re money? That everyone has to like you?”
Shen Yunqian forcefully brushed the hands off his shoulders, only to have his wrist grabbed again.
Si Jinyan leaned in even closer. He could feel something small under his leather shoes.
He didn’t care. He said seriously, “If you like money, I can give it to you. Lu Xunye is nothing more than a pawn for the Lu family. Besides, no one even knows if he’s dead or alive right now. He’s probably long dead.”
Shen Yunqian said coldly, “Let go.”
“Am I wrong?!”
Seeing him so stubborn, Si Jinyan’s anger spiked.
“If he isn’t dead, why hasn’t he shown his face? It’s because he was just playing with you! We both know what kind of person he used to be. His bad nature is hard to change. Did a few days of acting fool you?”
“Or are you just that desperate for a man? Then what the f*ck have you been acting so pure for these past few years!”
Shen Yunqian’s gaze moved from his wrist in the air to the other’s face. The burning body heat transferring to his skin felt disgusting.
…
Two people talking in the distance saw this scene and ran over in a panic.
Halfway there, Si Jinyan’s assistant was surprised to see that the representative from the client’s side was also so frantic. “Aren’t you waiting for your boss?”
The other didn’t answer. By the time they arrived, they saw Shen Yunqian slap Si Jinyan across the face and break free, saying something they couldn’t hear.
Si Jinyan’s face was knocked to the side. He touched his burning cheek and pushed his tongue against it, watching displeased as Shen Yunqian bent down to pick something up.
He huffed coldly and mocked, “Watching me sleep with others made you jealous too, didn’t it? Acting all noble on the outside, but you’re just a sl*t who can’t live without a man behind the scenes!”
“Damn, what the hell are you saying!” A stranger suddenly lunged out from nowhere and shoved Si Jinyan away.
Si Jinyan stumbled and was caught by the person behind him. He looked back and realized it was his “missing” assistant.
“President Shen, are you alright? You absolutely cannot be hurt, or I won’t be able to face the company when I go back.”
Si Jinyan’s assistant’s face twitched. He quickly let go, looking at the “client” across from them who was now full of concern and anxiety toward Shen Yunqian.
“I’m fine.” Shen Yunqian handed the broken bracelet to the man beside him. “Make sure you get this repaired.”
“Understood.” The man seemed to remember something urgent. He leaned in and whispered a few words into Shen Yunqian’s ear.
Shen Yunqian’s expression changed instantly. “Let’s go.”
All Si Jinyan could see was the two of them whispering so closely in front of him. It stung his eyes. Seeing Shen Yunqian ignore him to leave was more than he could bear. He ignored his assistant’s attempts to stop him and rushed forward.
“Did I say you could leave?” He grabbed Shen Yunqian’s shoulder from behind, demanding, “Who is this man next to you?”
Pushed to his limit, Shen Yunqian grabbed the hand on his shoulder, turned, and drove his knee upward. “Get lost!”
With that, he snatched the car keys from the man beside him and sprinted away down the hallway.
The two assistants stood there, dumbfounded.
After a long while…
Staring at the empty end of the hallway, the humble assistant quickly helped his boss, who was half-kneeling on the floor with a pale face, to his feet.
His eyes darted toward his boss’s lower region and quickly snapped away. Stuttering, he didn’t know what to say, eventually hesitating, “P-President Si, there’s a relevant department right here. Do you want to…?”
Si Jinyan gave him a cold look and punched the wall, gritting his teeth. “Shen. Yun. Qian!”
In the outskirts, near the cliff edge
Shen Yunqian parked the car and ran to the edge. His eyes scanned the wild grass everywhere before landing on the bottomless depths below.
When the call connected, he asked directly, “Where is he?”
The assistant on the other end had the accelerator floored. Perhaps because the window was down, Shen Yunqian could clearly hear the whistling wind.
The man replied hurriedly, “The police were there two hours ago. We aren’t sure if it was Mr. Lu who called them. Please wait, we’re almost there.”
The moment he finished, Shen Yunqian heard the sound of sudden braking and the sharp screech of tires skidding on the road. His heart skipped a beat as he gripped his phone.
He thought they had crashed, but the next second, a stuttering male voice came through.
“Um, President Shen… there’s a red light.”
Shen Yunqian was speechless. “…Safety first.”
The faint sound of rustling grass reached his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, Shen Yunqian saw a shadow flash through the gaps in the brush.
He lowered his gaze and toyed with his button. “You don’t need to come. Go find Pei Huaizhi. I’ll head back on my own.”
Before the confusion on the other end could be voiced, the call was cut.
The man waiting at the red light stared at the countdown. The moment it turned green, he suddenly snapped to his senses.
“Oh no!”
In a windowless room, a single lamp dimly lit a small area. Intermittent coughing broke the silence.
“Is he faking it?”
A tall bodyguard stood with his back to the light, casting a long shadow over the bed as he suspiciously studied the person leaning against the headboard. The already dark room felt even gloomier with him blocking the light.
Hearing this, Lu Xunye coughed even harder, as if he were trying to hack up his lungs, effectively cutting off whatever the doctor was about to say.
“Shut up. If you cough again, I’ll cut your vocal cords.” After the bodyguard’s vicious threat, he looked back at the doctor for an answer.
“Hmm… his temperature is just a bit low, nothing else seems wrong. But this coughing is so violent, it doesn’t seem like a normal cold. It’s a bit strange.” The doctor frowned, looking puzzled.
The bodyguard’s suspicious gaze lingered on Lu Xunye. “Don’t try any tricks. You aren’t getting out of here.”
Lu Xunye didn’t answer. He kept his mouth shut, only letting out a small cough when he couldn’t hold it anymore. In no time, his face turned a bright, stifled red.
This image of being gravely ill yet enduring in silence out of fear of those in power was so convincing that both men began to doubt themselves.
“Sigh… could it be caused by another illness?” The doctor took a small flashlight and a tongue depressor from his medical bag and approached Lu Xunye. “Open up, let me see.”
“…” Lu Xunye acted deaf. His coughing gradually subsided. His hand, buried under the blanket, was already gripping the handle of a fruit knife he had hidden.
“Head up, open your mouth.” The doctor leaned in slightly, preparing to put the tongue depressor in his mouth.
The light from the flashlight made Lu Xunye squeeze his eyes shut in discomfort.
He knew perfectly well he was faking it and that no illness would be found. In his guilt and anxiety, he couldn’t help but shrink back. The moment he moved, the bodyguard noticed.
The burly man didn’t hesitate to pinch Lu Xunye’s face, forcing his mouth open. He then looked at the doctor and commanded heartlessly, “Check him.”
The doctor, wearing a white coat and a mask, had eyes full of seriousness and professional focus.
Though he didn’t approve of the bodyguard’s behavior, he reflexively tried to soothe Lu Xunye. “It’ll be over soon. No need to be so nervous.”
Lu Xunye glared at the man pinching his face, his hands shaking with rage.
Should I stay quiet and let him check, or fight to the death? These two thoughts bounced back and forth in his mind.
“Ah—” The doctor drew out the sound, signaling for Lu Xunye to mimic him.
Lu Xunye felt the cold object pressing down on the base of his tongue, triggering a biological gag reflex.
In a daze, a wave of warmth truly surged up from his throat.
The two men in front of him widened their eyes in horror, staring at Lu Xunye in shock.
The pressure on Lu Xunye’s chin vanished. He looked blankly at the two who had jumped back in unison. His gaze shifted to the doctor’s white coat, which had been spotless two seconds ago and was now splattered with blood.
He slowly wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Looking down, he saw a patch of crimson. No words could describe his current state of mind.
…Damn, I’m really dying, Lu Xunye thought.
While he was dazed, he spat out another mouthful of blood, terrifying the people by the bed.
The doctor panicked. “There’s no other way but emergency care. Get a stretcher and get him to the hospital immediately!”
Seeing the guard hesitate, the doctor shoved him. “Go! If we wait any longer, he’s going to die!”
The bodyguard was terrified of Aunt Fu’s blame, so he ran out to call for help. Before leaving, he dropped a final warning: “Don’t let him die.”
Even after seeing the guard leave, the doctor didn’t fully relax. He frantically tried to stabilize Lu Xunye’s condition. However, the moment he turned around, his vision went black, and he fainted.
Lu Xunye caught him and threw him onto the bed. He looked toward the other side of the room. “When did you get back?”
The System giggled. [How did you find out?] It bragged, [How was that? I’m amazing, right? They were definitely scared to death.]
“…” Lu Xunye spat a few times, clearing the blood from his mouth. He had almost been scared to death himself just now.
He didn’t have time to think. He bent over and urgently began to strip the clothes off the man on the bed.
The System immediately covered its eyes. [Wh-What are you doing?!]
Lu Xunye ignored it. He pulled off the blood-stained white coat and messily threw it over himself. He put on a mask with great distaste, pulled the blanket over the doctor’s head, and swiped the man’s shoes as he ran.
Having finished, he grabbed the data cable on the System’s head and sprinted out of the basement. “Since you’ve upgraded, you’d better explain exactly what’s going on with the plot now!”
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