Part 2
He leaned against a tree, bent over with his hands on his knees, panting violently. Finally, he slid down powerlessly and squatted on the ground in a “let it be” manner, trying to negotiate with the equally breathless men not far away.
“Brothers, what grudge do I have with you? Why won’t you let me go? What price did that old lady offer you? I’ll give you double! Just stop chasing me, alright?”
The three of them were confused by his words. What old lady?
“Young Master Lu, we don’t intend to make things difficult for you, but if you run, we can’t answer to President Su. Please understand us and come back with us.”
“President Su?” Lu Xunye’s head felt like it was going to explode. Who is this character now?
“Which President Su is yours?”
“It’s me.”
The attention of the group was drawn to the sudden voice.
A handsome young man in casual wear stepped out from behind the bodyguards. “Long time no see, Young Master Lu.”
Lu Xunye opened his mouth and then silently closed it. [Dammit, you broken System! Why didn’t you tell me sooner it was this guy named Su?]
Su Zhuo was expressionless, casting a cold, indifferent glance at the man squatting under the tree with a look of surprise. He raised his hand in a gesture, his voice clear and emotionless: “Please take Young Master Lu back to the hospital.”
“Wait, wait, wait?!”
Lu Xunye was dragged back to the hospital without any power to resist, receiving countless strange looks along the way.
A moment later…
A loud sound echoed through the empty corridor.
Thud!
Lu Xunye was tossed onto a row of seats in front of the operating room.
“…”
Just as Lu Xunye was about to get up, a leg stepped onto the edge of the seat beside him.
His mouth twitched. He looked up and asked with a fake smile, “What is the meaning of this, President Su?”
If he hadn’t known the man was Shen Yunqian’s friend, he would have punched him long ago.
Su Zhuo didn’t miss the fire in his eyes and sneered. “Naturally, I want to ask if Young Master Lu knows Shen Yunqian’s whereabouts. I have business to discuss with him.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xunye’s anger vanished instantly. “Isn’t he… at his own house?”
“Heh, are you truly ignorant or just pretending? You were missing for a week. Do you think he could stay at home peacefully?”
Anger flared in Su Zhuo’s heart, and he kicked the leg of the bench, causing a violent noise. He then seized the back of the neck of the bewildered man sitting there, hoisting him up and slamming him against the glass door of the adjacent hospital room.
Lu Xunye’s front slammed into the solid door panel, making his head ring. Then, through the glass window, he saw the person lying on the hospital bed inside.
Shen Yunqian?
“See clearly now?” Su Zhuo pressed down on his neck, gritting his teeth. “If you don’t like him, then wait for him to wake up and tell him clearly yourself! Save him from repeatedly risking his life for you and being played like a fool!”
Lu Xunye drove his elbow back with force, grabbed the other’s arm, and blocked the incoming punch. His guarded gaze swept past the men about to surround him and landed on Su Zhuo’s face.
“What do you mean? What do you mean ‘risking his life for me’ and ‘being played like a fool’!”
“You certainly have a short memory. One moment you’re using Shen Yunqian’s phone to hang up on me, and the next, his neighborhood is on fire. Shouldn’t I ask you for an explanation?”
Su Zhuo pushed him away forcefully, his arm regaining freedom. He raised a hand to stop his men, signaling them to leave first.
Once everyone was gone, he stepped forward, pressing closer.
“The time between you hanging up on me and the fire department being dispatched was less than thirty seconds. Where were you during those thirty seconds? You just said Shen Yunqian was still there—what is that if not playing dumb!”
Lu Xunye was stunned. “You think I set the fire? Why would I do that? Do you have soap suds for brains! If it weren’t for me, Shen Yunqian would be dead by now.”
Su Zhuo was suspicious. “He imprisoned you, forced you… you don’t hate him?”
Lu Xunye snorted. “You know what he did wasn’t human. I’m being plenty kind by not demanding an explanation from him.”
Su Zhuo frowned, scrutinizing him. “You… just said you saved him? So… the person who knocked him out wasn’t you?”
“Cough.” Lu Xunye’s forgotten memories surged, and a wave of guilt appeared in his heart.
He brushed his slightly long hair aside to hide his expression. “Anyway, you haven’t said what’s going on with Shen Yunqian?”
Su Zhuo pondered for a moment. “You know he’s been investigating the Shen family’s affairs, right?”
“To find you, he pulled in the net early and spooked the people behind it, leading to the death of a key figure. Based on some clues, we suspect the person behind that and the person who kidnapped you are the same group.”
“To find you, because of a mere suspicion, Shen Yunqian went to the cliff edge even though he knew someone was deliberately luring him there. Personally, I hope you don’t blame him.”
[I’ve never seen him voluntarily approach someone like that. He’s like a stubborn ox; no matter how much you advise him, he won’t come back.]
Su Zhuo’s final words echoed in his ears. Lu Xunye crossed his arms, his gaze heavy as he watched the sleeping face of the youth on the bed.
“You’re truly not afraid of death. Didn’t you know that crazy woman’s target was you? The pit was already dug, yet you still jumped in. Just who am I to you, Shen Yunqian?”
Lu Xunye was lost. Is it really because of me?
[System, why hasn’t Shen Yunqian woken up? Su Zhuo said the doctors can’t find the reason for his coma. What’s the situation?]
[Sorry, Host. I don’t know either.]
Lu Xunye wasn’t surprised by the answer. He rubbed his chin, staring at the empty air.
[Then you should at least know about this countdown, right? Is it really a countdown to leaving this world? Have I really… finished the mission?]
This countdown had been floating before his eyes ever since the last notification. There were now less than two hours left.
Even as he asked, he didn’t believe he had finished the mission just like that.
The System was confused. [What countdown?]
“…” Lu Xunye facepalmed and let out a speechless laugh.
Then what the hell did you upgrade for?
He didn’t say it out loud, but the System could guess from his look, so it simply played dead and kept quiet.
Lu Xunye wanted to ask more but took a deep breath. [Forget it… Su Zhuo caught the people who cornered us in the city. He left in a hurry just now; did he find something out?]
[No. The person they caught had backup and escaped. However, they should still… be in the city. They’re too far away to pinpoint the exact location.]
[Why don’t you go back and upgrade again?] Lu Xunye said casually, not noticing when the System left.
He turned over Shen Yunqian’s hand, which was resting by his side, instinctively looking at his wrist. The cuts there hadn’t fully healed.
“Your healing is really slow.”
As Lu Xunye watched, he slowly leaned down, propping up his head. He studied Shen Yunqian’s face seriously, his finger tapping a tiny, faint pink mark under the corner of the other’s eye.
He said word by word: “Shen. Yun. Qian?”
As the words fell, several blurred images flashed through his mind, making his head throb with a dull pain.
He retracted his hand as if he’d been electrocuted, pressing it against the back of his neck where there had been no sensation for a long time. The scenery before him spun for a moment before the sound of a knock on the door pulled him back.
Lu Xunye pulled the door open, keeping the person outside. He studied the unfamiliar face. “Is something the matter?”
“President Su has asked me to invite you out for a talk.” Seeing Lu Xunye’s suspicion, the man added, “It’s regarding President Shen.”
Lu Xunye looked back at Shen Yunqian through the window and nodded. “Let’s go.”
The crowds on the road began to thin. The sense of wrongness in Lu Xunye’s heart grew, giving him an ill omen.
The System popped up. [Why do I feel a chill?]
Lu Xunye glanced at it and stopped, looking warily at the man leading the way. “Let’s talk here. What does Su Zhuo want with me?”
The man turned around slowly, pulling a cold, black object from his jacket and pointing it directly at him. A wicked smile spread across his face. “Young Master Lu, you really aren’t behaving.”
Lu Xunye’s breath hitched. He instinctively looked for surveillance cameras in the area. Unfortunately, there were none.
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