Overturned

Luo Ningsang had a lot he wanted to demand of him.

Why had he escaped from the hospital?

Why hadn't he come to the Police Bureau to find him first?

Why didn't he take his own health seriously?

And why hadn't he trusted them? Why had he insisted on using such an extreme method to escape their control?

But faced with Shen Yu's pale face and the glaring blood on his neck, his trembling lips could only manage, "Don't be scared. It's all right now. I'm here."

The Police Bureau had a first aid kit. After giving the cut on Shen Yu's neck some basic treatment, everyone's eyes fell on the thumb he had forcibly broken on his left hand.

But Shen Yu didn't feel much about it. He wasn't dead, was he?

"...Brother."

He opened his mouth, his voice surprisingly weak.

Luo Ningsang leaned closer. "I'm here."

Shen Yu recalled his brief glimpse inside the morgue: the corpse of someone who had died of suffocation. Oh, it was someone he knew, too—the receptionist who had pulled him into a conversation the first time he came to the office. Liu something, wasn't it? But if they needed a drug to erase the traces, that meant the victim hadn't been strangled. And with Luo Ningsang standing guard there, someone had pinned the blame on him.

No one could figure it out?

Well, wasn't that a coincidence?

He just happened to know.

"The corpse was injected with Thorn Coagulin, a neurotoxic injectable drug. It can cause intense tonic muscle spasms and metabolizes extremely quickly. Ordinary drug tests can't detect it."

Perhaps because he had fallen into thought, Shen Yu's mind was exceptionally clear at that moment. His voice was still weak, though, and only Luo Ningsang, leaning close to his mouth, could hear him clearly.

"...But this drug only works when injected together with Chailuophenol. It acts as an activator, while Chailuophenol is extremely difficult for the body to expel on its own. The drug those two had was meant to clear out the Chailuophenol residue."

Shen Yu's eyes were bright.

"As long as they find that, you'll be cleared, Brother."

"...Okay."

Luo Ningsang couldn't bring himself to say a single harsh word.

"Where is he? Where's Shen Yu?"

An angry voice that sounded particularly familiar to Shen Yu came from outside the crowd surrounding him.

Lin Xinluo had just squeezed her way in, and the sight of Shen Yu looking so listless broke her heart. When she saw who had arrived, her eyes lit up. "Over here, Dr. Xie!"

Shen Yu went rigid.

He thought about how he'd stolen Xie Shuyang's phone, tricked his student, and secretly run off against medical advice.

I'm really screwed.

Was he going to lecture me at my bedside again?

Xie Shuyang was dressed in ordinary clothes and looked a little travel-worn. He had hurried over as soon as he got off the phone, but the Police Bureau had sealed off several nearby streets, and he had been held up for ages before being let through. He had run all the way on foot, and his breathing was still somewhat uneven.

He pushed through the crowd, itching to crack Shen Yu's head open and see if there was nothing but water inside.

But he said nothing.

He took the first responder's place and tended to Shen Yu's wounds with a cold face. He was so angry that he didn't hold back when setting the bone, making Shen Yu grimace in pain.

That earned him a sarcastic remark.

"Oh? So you do know what pain is?"

Even so, he gentled his movements in the end.

Chu Jingsong stood to the side, gazing at Shen Yu in a daze.

Chu Sheng retreated to his father's side and discreetly handed him a phone. "The Bai Family's youngest son is awake. Should we go question him?"

Chu Jingsong gave him a kick. "If he's not dead, why haven't you hurried up and settled this? What are you waiting for?"

Chu Sheng looked at him resentfully.

Wasn't it you who came in and gave him a scolding, then, after realizing you'd scolded the wrong person, called Zhang Pushan in and pointed at me while scolding him all over again...? You said, 'If you can do the job, do it. If you can't, get lost.' How could kidnappers dare to ride roughshod over the Police Bureau? You called him useless. Even though I knew you were scolding Zhang Pushan, it still didn't sit right with me.

"Got it," Chu Sheng said aggrievedly. "I'll pay them a visit tomorrow."

He put particular emphasis on "pay them a visit."

Chu Jingsong tossed him a badge engraved with the character "Chu." "Do a good job."

Chu Sheng ran his fingers over the badge, hardly able to believe it. By the time he came to his senses, Chu Jingsong had already disappeared. His gaze passed through the crowd and landed on the blue-haired young man surrounded by everyone, his eyes closed as he pretended to be unconscious.

An indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

He turned and left, taking Xiao Nan and the other person with him.

After pretending for a while, Shen Yu had actually passed out. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the familiar room 1217.

Both hands were wrapped up like a mummy's.

An IV drip was attached at his wrist, making him somewhat uncomfortable.

His head hurt a little too, especially when the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Luo Ningsang's red, swollen eyes, brimming with tears that threatened to fall. Yet Luo Ningsang was looking at him with a perfectly serious expression.

It was... kind of funny.

Seeing that he was awake, Luo Ningsang raised the bed to a suitable angle, poured a glass of warm water, and held it to his lips. Shen Yu obediently drank.

"How many days have I been asleep?"

"A week. If you hadn't woken up soon, I was going to buy you a coffin."

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow. "Then I've saved you some money. You don't need to buy one now."

Luo Ningsang poked him in the forehead but ultimately said nothing, turning to another subject instead.

"They found Chailuophenol in that person. Xiao Qi and Nan Chuanming were taken away for investigation. The entire Ancheng Police Department was also searched inside and out, and a few more were uncovered."

Shen Yu wasn't surprised in the least.

Luo Ningsang put down the glass but still couldn't keep idle, pulling Shen Yu's blanket up a little higher. "They said they followed someone called 'Eroding Ash.' They usually contacted their superiors only through notes. Someone passing by might slip one of them a note with a time and place written on it."

"They're good at evading surveillance, too. We sent out someone willing to surrender as bait, and we drew someone out, but we didn't catch them. We alerted them instead."

As Shen Yu listened, it didn't sound like the sort of stupid thing Luo Ningsang would do. Sure enough, he heard the next sentence.

"That pig Feng Xingyi is so stupid his brain must be bubbling. He disobeyed orders and rushed in with his men. When questioned, he said he wanted to make up for his mistakes with a meritorious deed." Luo Ningsang's fingers cracked as he clenched them.

Shen Yu could tell that Luo Ningsang was genuinely furious—he was even swearing.

"But I suppose there's some benefit to it. At least they won't show themselves again for a while."

Having explained that, Luo Ningsang moved on to something else.

"Bai Xiaofan didn't die. He was only seriously injured."

Shen Yu pursed his lips.

What a pity. Why hadn't he died? Hadn't I hit him hard enough?

As if he could tell what Shen Yu was thinking, Luo Ningsang peeled an apple as he said, "You were gripping most of the glass shard in your hand at the time, with only a small part sticking out. So although all that blood on Bai Xiaofan looked alarming, the wounds weren't actually fatal."

"Chu Sheng—the one who shot at the person holding you hostage that day—paid the Bai Family a visit and searched and seized their old residence. Bai Xiaofan probably won't dare cause you any more trouble."

Shen Yu said, "Oh."

"You can't use either hand for a while. These bandages have to stay on for at least a week, and the same goes for the one on your neck. Also, try not to turn your head too far, and cut down on strenuous exercise." Luo Ningsang rattled on, while Shen Yu's eyes glazed over. How come someone else has taken over the lecturing?

"Xiao Yu!"

"Hm?"

"Did you remember everything I just said?"

"I did."

Shen Yu answered quickly.

Luo Ningsang stared at him for a long while before finally deflating. The tears came just like that, big drops rolling down his face one after another, leaving Shen Yu stunned.

"Stay in the hospital and behave yourself. If you do something like this again, your body won't be able to recover... I want to see my little brother healthy, Xiao Yu."

"Brother, I was..."

Shen Yu wanted to explain.

"I know. You were worried about me. But I'm your brother, and I'm older than you. Could you try trusting me? Believe that I can handle these things, hm?" Luo Ningsang gazed gently at Shen Yu with those dark eyes of his, drawing him in before he knew it.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."

A piece of apple was stuffed into Shen Yu's mouth. He chewed it; it was crisp.

Luo Ningsang patiently fed him the whole apple. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Shen Yu thought for a moment, then mentioned a name Luo Ningsang hadn't expected.

"Jiang Lian?" Luo Ningsang dredged the name up from the depths of his memory. "The case where Bai Xiaofan found someone to take the blame?"

"He wasn't taking the blame." Shen Yu overturned his own earlier theory. "Ji Jingxing was the killer."

Luo Ningsang knew Shen Yu wouldn't say that without reason. He peeled an orange for Shen Yu. "Tell me about it?"

Shen Yu ate a piece. It was incredibly sour.

He spat it straight out.

"I'm still missing a few things. Brother, can you help me look into it?"

"Sure."

Bai Xiaofan, who had been a millimeter away from dying and was now recuperating in bed, said, "..."

What do you mean, they weren't fatal wounds?!