The scenery outside the window grew increasingly unfamiliar. Ye Zhizhou sat up from the back seat, leaned closer to the front, and softly asked behind Li Qun's ear, "Uncle Li, where are you taking me?"
Li Qun was so startled that he slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a sudden stop. After steadying himself, he quickly leaned closer to the car door, widened his eyes, and looked at Ye Zhizhou with surprise. "Didn't you faint? Didn't you drink the soup?"
"I did," he smiled, his lips curling up, and he stared directly into Li Qun's eyes, his mental power slowly swirling. "But Sister in my dream told me not to sleep, so I woke up again."
"Sister...sister?" Li Qun's face turned pale, and his hand gripping the steering wheel trembled uncontrollably. His eyes gradually filled with fear, followed by a hint of determination. "Young Master, don't blame Uncle Li for being ruthless. It's just that you..."
Mid-sentence, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, and his gaze grew vacant, turning into an empty stare.
Retracting his mental power, Ye Zhizhou disheveled his clothes and hair, used a piece of cloth to activate the dashcam, and quickly switched to acting mode, appearing panicked. "Uncle Li, what are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
Li Qun's dazed eyes twitched, then suddenly turned fierce. He rushed over, grabbed Ye Zhizhou, tied his legs with a tie, and bound his hands with a data cable. He said menacingly, "I advise you not to struggle anymore. Behave and take the road, alright? Don't worry; it won't hurt. Uncle Li will make it quick."
Ye Zhizhou feigned a struggle, questioning in fear, while his face, hidden in the shadows, remained surprisingly calm.
In the reception hall of the party, in a corner of the lounge area, Yang Zhi managed to shoo away the fourth wave of clients who approached for a chat. He looked helplessly at Yun Ke, who was frowning with a cold expression, and advised, "Boss, Xiaoyang just felt tired and went home to rest. Plus, Li Qun is accompanying him, so everything should be fine."
"He doesn't usually get tired this early," Yun Ke said, still frowning, his eyes showing some worry. "I'm afraid he's not feeling well but didn't tell me." After thinking for a moment, still not at ease, he took out his phone and called Li Qun, intending to get more details.
Seeing this, Yang Zhi sighed and resigned himself to playing the role of a shield.
When he dialed, he got a message saying the phone was turned off. He clenched his phone tightly, a sense of unease creeping over him. He dialed Ye Zhizhou's number, disregarding whether it might disturb him.
This time, the call went through, but there was no answer.
Something was not right.
He stood up abruptly and walked outside. Xiaoyang wouldn't leave early without sending a text message, and Li Qun's phone was never turned off. His unease grew, and he felt like he had missed something important.
Suddenly, his phone rang, and the familiar name on the screen made him stop abruptly. He took a deep breath to steady himself and answered the call with a gentle tone, "Xiaoyang, are you home? Did I disturb you? You..."
"Is this a family member of Du Yang?" A stranger's voice, accompanied by a noisy background, entered his ears. The suppressed unease resurfaced, and his fingers twitched nervously. When he spoke again, his voice carried a hint of hesitation, "Yes, I am. May I ask..."
"This is Line 2 of Huan Cheng Road... car accident... one person dead on the spot... sent to the hospital... please..."
A ringing sound suddenly filled his ears, making it hard to hear what the person on the other end was saying. The air around him seemed to thin in an instant, and his heartbeat raced, causing a dull, throbbing pain.
Xiaoyang... Xiaoyang!
Ye Zhizhou was covered in blood when he was taken to the hospital. The doctors and nurses thought he wouldn't survive, but it turned out the blood on him was mostly from someone else. Only a small scrape on his forehead was his own.
"You're really lucky. In such a terrible car accident, you only got a minor scrape on your forehead," the traffic cop who handled the accident remarked, shaking his head in amazement. Seeing Ye Zhizhou looking scared and traumatized, he tried to comfort him. "Your family will be here soon. Don't be afraid. Do you want something to eat? I can buy you something."
Ye Zhizhou shook his head and hugged himself tightly, saying in a low voice, "I want to call the police."
"What?" The traffic cop was taken aback.
"I want to call the police." Ye Zhizhou raised his head, his face displaying just the right amount of fear and panic. He clutched himself even tighter, and his sleeve accidentally slid up, revealing the bruise marks on his wrist from being tied up. He continued, his words somewhat incoherent due to excessive fear, "It wasn't an accident. Uncle Li wanted to harm me. He said he wanted to kill me and that he had already tied up Lily sister. He wants to frame her."
The traffic cop was stunned by the information Ye Zhizhou had provided. Realizing that this incident was far from ordinary, he hurriedly called his superiors.
Yun Ke rushed to the hospital and was guided to the waiting area on the first floor. He spotted Ye Zhizhou curled up in a corner of a bench, and his heart relaxed for a moment before tightening again. He quickly approached and embraced Ye Zhizhou, checking him for injuries and saying unsteadily, "Xiaoyang, don't be scared. You're safe now, everything's fine."
Feeling the familiar warmth, Ye Zhizhou moved slightly, finally releasing his self-hug and instead grabbing onto Yun Ke's clothes. His body trembled involuntarily, and he said, "Yun Ge..."
"I'm here, I'm right here." Yun Ke saw Ye Zhizhou's distressed state and felt even more uncomfortable. He gently kissed his forehead, caressing his back to soothe him. "It's all right now, you're safe."
The traffic cop, who had come with his colleagues from the Criminal Investigation Division, cleared his throat awkwardly and took a step forward. He inquired, "Are you Mr. Yun, the one we spoke to on the phone earlier? I have some information..."
Yun Ke glanced at them, nodded as a form of acknowledgment, and continued his comforting gestures. He spoke softly while quickly taking off his coat and enveloping Ye Zhizhou in it, ensuring that his head was tucked into his neck to shield him from view. Only after doing all this did he turn back to the two men and asked, "Yes, it's me. What's the situation?"
The detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division were much more serious than the traffic cop. They got straight to the point, saying, "Based on the information provided by Mr. Du, we found Ms. Bai Li, who was unconscious, in a warehouse more than ten kilometers away from the accident site. Additionally, after reviewing the car's dashcam footage, we suspect that Li Qun may have been involved in intentional murder. Since the suspect is deceased, we would like to get more information from Mr. Du about the situation at the time."
The combination of words like "car accident," "abducted Bai Li," and "intentional murder" sent a chill down Yun Ke's spine. His demeanor changed instantly, exuding an aura of cold determination. Ye Zhizhou, feeling uneasy, moved slightly, prompting Yun Ke to quickly suppress his emotions. He patted Ye Zhizhou's back soothingly and addressed the police officers, "Xiaoyang is not in the right condition for questioning at the moment, I'm sorry."
The two police officers noticed the situation and were hesitant to proceed, considering Yun Ke's intimidating expression and non-negotiable stance. They exchanged a glance and then turned to investigate other leads.
Ye Zhizhou used his peripheral vision to watch the police officers walk away, then buried his face deeper into Yun Ke's chest, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Things had escalated, and this time, no one would escape unscathed.
After a short nap, Ye Zhizhou groggily opened his eyes to find himself in a single-patient hospital room, feeling refreshed and well-cared-for.
"Awake?" A familiar voice came from the bedside. Yun Ke tilted a glass of warm water towards him. "Here, have some water."
His throat was indeed parched, so he obediently took a few sips of water, cleared his throat, and asked, "Yun Ge, what about Uncle Li..."
"Don't worry about him," Yun Ke's eyes quickly filled with murderous intent, and his grip on the water glass tightened. Sensing Ye Zhizhou's anxiety, he quickly concealed his emotions, patting his back and saying to the police officers, "Xiaoyang isn't in a good condition for questioning right now. I'm sorry."
The two police officers noticed the situation and were hesitant to proceed, considering Yun Ke's intimidating expression and non-negotiable stance. They exchanged a glance and then turned to investigate other leads.
Ye Zhizhou used his peripheral vision to watch the police officers walk away, then buried his face deeper into Yun Ke's chest, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Things had escalated, and this time, no one would escape unscathed.
"Wait a moment!" Ye Zhizhou quickly turned his head to interrupt Yun Ke, fearing that he might say something that would lower the absurdly high "fall in love" probability to zero. He needed some time to think. "I feel a bit dizzy and would like to rest..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the hospital room door was abruptly pushed open, and Bai Li's high-pitched, accusing scream filled the room. "Du Yang! You shameless person! No wonder you've been acting weird towards me lately! You also like Yun Ge, don't you? You even tried to seduce him! Disgusting!"
Ye Zhizhou stared at the glowing screen, which was almost in front of his face, in utter despair. He realized that the soul flag representing Bai Li, which had slowed down earlier, was now fading and disappearing. He felt no joy in completing half of the mission.
This world... was in complete chaos.
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