The Bai family seemed afraid of being haunted by something unclean and transferred Bai Ruan to another hospital overnight. Feng Yan searched the entire Imperial Capital like a madman but never found him.
The sun shone brightly, and a few sparrows chirped outside the hospital room.
"Thanks, bro." Sitting in his hospital bed, Bai Ruan smiled contentedly, apparently finding it especially satisfying. "I feel so much better now!"
"Does your leg still hurt?" Tao Zhiyan asked.
Their staged car crash had gone slightly wrong. The car had accidentally clipped Bai Ruan's leg as it drove past, leaving him with a hairline fracture.
Tao Zhiyan had been so startled when he saw it that he had barely managed to keep from giving himself away.
"Nope! It stopped hurting ages ago!" Afraid Tao Zhiyan would blame himself, Bai Ruan quickly took his hand and said, "It was my fault. My foot hurt that day, remember? I was a little slow getting out of the way."
Tao Zhiyan nodded.
Then Bai Ruan looked at Feng Ze, who stood by the wall checking his phone.
The man wore casual clothes today. Sunlight streamed through the window, and the shadows of his long lashes flickered. The contrast of light and shade made the defined muscles of his forearms look particularly sexy.
"Thanks to you too, big bro!" Bai Ruan thanked Feng Ze, holding Tao Zhiyan's hand as his eyes curved into crescents. "He was right about you. You really are a good person!"
Without Feng Ze, they could never have found such a skilled racing driver to play the driver responsible for the crash, much less gotten an entire private hospital to play along.
At his words, Feng Ze looked at Bai Ruan and gave a slight nod. "Speak up if you have any problems in the future."
Then his gaze settled on Tao Zhiyan, and he raised his phone. "I'm going outside to take a call. Let me know when you're done."
"Okay." Tao Zhiyan nodded.
Only after Feng Ze left did Tao Zhiyan pull out a chair and sit down. "What are you planning to do now?"
"Me? Go abroad."
Bai Ruan said, "I got an acceptance letter from New York University before, but I didn't go because of Feng Yan. I've already gotten back in touch with the school."
Tao Zhiyan let out a breath, finally feeling reassured.
Bai Ruan had good grades and was smart. With further studies abroad, he might well achieve something remarkable.
They sat and chatted for a while before Tao Zhiyan got up to leave.
Before he left, Bai Ruan took a book from his bedside cabinet and handed it to Tao Zhiyan. "Help me give this to Feng Yan."
Tao Zhiyan glanced at the cover-The Book of Male Virtue 2.0.
"...Pfft." Tao Zhiyan couldn't help laughing. "Okay, I'll give it to him."
Bai Ruan pressed his lips together. After a long moment, he took Tao Zhiyan's hand again, looked up, and thanked him sincerely. "Bro, thank you so much for helping me. Without you, I don't even know whether I'd still be alive."
He had so much he wanted to say, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't know how to express them. After struggling for a long time, all he said was, "I hope everything goes your way."
Tao Zhiyan lowered his gaze to Bai Ruan's eyes. His pale irises were bright and clear, full of sincerity.
A breeze lifted the curtains behind him and stirred the ends of his hair. Tao Zhiyan nodded gently and replied:
"And I wish you a bright future."
It was getting late, so Tao Zhiyan and Feng Ze had lunch nearby before their driver took them home.
As the car approached the villa's gates, they could see a crowd gathered outside from a distance. There were men and women, mostly young people, all red-faced and arguing about something.
Only when they drew closer did they notice reporters at the gate, aiming their cameras at a girl.
The girl was sobbing her heart out, holding a standee high as she shouted, "Feng Yiqian, you criminal, go to hell!!"
Then, with a loud rip, she tore the standee apart, threw it on the ground, and jumped onto it, stomping furiously.
Huh?
Tao Zhiyan's attention was caught.
What's the gossip? What's the gossip?
Feng Ze looked up at the name but otherwise showed little reaction.
The driver, however, widened his eyes. "Wait! Did that girl just shout the third young master's name?"
The third young master?
Tao Zhiyan remembered. The third young master did seem to be called Feng Yiqian. He had debuted as a child actor, had both looks and acting skills, and had won more awards than he could count. He was an enduring star in the entertainment industry, the biggest of the big names.
But what did the third young master have to do with being a criminal?
Before Tao Zhiyan could figure it out, he spotted several police cars parked outside the Feng family home. Some officers had gone inside to search the house, while others were questioning the household staff.
"What's going on?" The driver was dumbfounded by the number of officers. "Why are there so many cops? Who broke the law???"
Tao Zhiyan was just as confused. He turned, about to ask Feng Ze.
The car came to a stop, and Feng Ze immediately opened the door and got out.
Tao Zhiyan hurried after him.
The reporters gathered at the gate took barely half a second to react before hoisting their cameras and snapping wildly at Feng Ze.
"President Feng! President Feng! What are your thoughts on your brother being suspected of taking drugs and sleeping with fans?"
"President Feng, did you already know your brother was taking drugs?"
"President Feng, do you take drugs?"
"President Feng, given your overseas connections, have you supplied your brother with drugs?"
"..."
"..."
The questions came in every variety, growing more outrageous by the second. Desperate to meet their quotas for the day, quite a few reporters crossed the police cordon and surged forward en masse.
Yet Feng Ze, at the center of the storm, didn't spare them so much as an extra glance. Cold as ice, he kept his eyes straight ahead and strode up the steps.
Unable to pry a word out of Feng Ze, the reporters turned their attention to Tao Zhiyan, thrusting their cameras into his face.
Equipment collided, people shoved, and flashes went off relentlessly as they crowded around Tao Zhiyan.
"Sir, sir, are you a member of the Feng family?"
"Sir, please answer us. Do you know-!" Before the reporter could finish, Feng Ze suddenly turned and looked at him.
The reporter froze.
Shit, President Feng is looking at me? There are so many reporters here. Why is he singling me out?
Tao Zhiyan was shoved off balance again and again. He had barely steadied himself when several flashes shot straight into his eyes, making them ache.
Before he could react, a warm hand covered his eyes.
With a gentle turn, the man drew Tao Zhiyan into his arms, completely shielding his face.
A faint scent of tobacco lingered around his nose. Tao Zhiyan could distinctly feel the vibration in the man's chest as a low voice sounded above his head:
"You're photographing a private citizen too?"
Feng Ze swept the reporters with an icy gaze. He was tall, with striking, aggressively handsome features, and his imposing presence made their hearts pound.
He looked down at them, forceful and brooking no challenge. "Which paper are you from?"
The reporters froze, cold sweat instantly breaking out.
Seeing that they had restrained themselves, Feng Ze withdrew his gaze and led Tao Zhiyan into the house.
Then he let Tao Zhiyan go.
Feng Ze was a clean freak, so when he saw the state of the house, he wanted to slaughter Feng Yiqian.
The place had been turned upside down. Even the sofas had been moved, and almost every cabinet and drawer stood open.
Quite a few officers were still searching inside. They hadn't even spared the trash, dumping it on the floor to examine it carefully.
Feng Yiqian stood in the middle of the living room.
He had makeup on and wore a red suit with nothing underneath, draped in extravagant chains. One look made it obvious he had been brought here straight off the stage.
At the sight of his eldest brother, Feng Yiqian first ducked his head sheepishly, then flashed Feng Ze what he considered an exceptionally charming smile. "Big bro, long time no see. Miss me?"
Feng Ze: "..."
"Hehe, big bro, you're as handsome as ever!" Feng Yiqian kept shamelessly prattling on. "I've missed you to death, my dear big brother! Come give me a kiss~"
Feng Ze: "..."
Watching this, Tao Zhiyan pressed his lips together.
Forget the kiss. Your big brother looks ready to walk over and kill you!
Of course, Feng Yiqian had also noticed Feng Ze's expression was off. He gave two dry chuckles and quietly straightened up, his face falling as he begged for help. "Big bro! I've caused you trouble! Save me, aaaah!"
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