"Huh?" Lai Jiangtian felt as though his ears were stuffed with feathers. Why did that man sound so anxious? His footsteps looked hurried, too.
Whatever. Lai Jiangtian paid him no mind and continued watching the people downstairs as if enjoying a show.
Yan Zhiyi came down from the second-floor terrace. He had only been delayed for a moment, but Xia Shule was already nowhere to be seen.
Fortunately, this was his own home, so he knew his way around.
But he had no idea which room that man had taken Xia Shule to.
Around a corner, he happened to run into the same bartender again. The bartender was so guilty that he shuddered at the sight of Yan Zhiyi.
Yan Zhiyi blocked his way, his eyes cold as ice. "Where's the guest from earlier?" he demanded.
He carried the formidable authority of a man used to being in charge. A mere stare sent pressure crashing over the bartender like a tide, suffocating him.
Even so, the bartender forced himself to remain calm, his voice trembling. "Wh-what guest? Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
The bartender's legs had already gone weak with fear. The man before him had an overwhelming presence, and he barely held himself together as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His employer had said he could only let people in if they gave the password. He didn't dare make a mistake. There was far too much money at stake to ruin this.
Compared to anything else, money mattered most, of course.
"The kid in the burgundy suit."
"Sorry, I really don't know!" The bartender was almost scared enough to wet himself, but he still didn't dare reveal a thing.
Yan Zhiyi's expression suddenly changed, and he reined in his crushing presence. "Didn't you say it was a heavy dose this time? Hurry up. I'm in a rush."
The moment he revealed that crucial detail, the bartender relaxed, no longer caring whether he had given the password. He wasn't even afraid anymore, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
After all, only their own people knew about the heavy dose. This man had to be one of the clients!
The bartender wiped the sweat off his face. Why hadn't he said so earlier? He'd nearly scared him into wetting himself. With a sheepish smile, he said, "This way. Follow me!"
After successfully escorting him inside, the bartender left to collect his money from the boss, his steps light.
The room was tucked away in the most secluded corner of the first floor.
Yan Zhiyi stood at the door, his disgust for that cheap bastard only growing.
This room? This was the room Jiang Gechen had stayed in when he visited the Yan Residence as a child. Ever since that incident, no one in the family had set foot in it again.
Apparently, he had brought Xia Shule here because he knew no one would come.
"Xia Shule?" Yan Zhiyi entered the room. It was frighteningly quiet, as though no one had ever been there.
A strange smell lingered in the air, something like a drug, though little of it remained.
There was no reply.
"Xia Shule."
Still not a sound.
"Xia Shule, it's me. I'm not here to hurt you."
No one answered. Only a muffled groan came from the bathroom.
"Xia Shule!"
Yan Zhiyi followed the sound and opened the door, stunned by the blood-red sight before him.
In that instant, his heart seized. The drastic contrast between how Xia Shule had been before and how he was now struck him hard.
Xia Shule lay curled up on the floor, his suit jacket soaking in the bathtub. Yan Zhiyi guessed he had tried to cool himself down with cold water, but it hadn't worked.
He had slashed his wrist with a shard of the shattered mirror. As though even that hadn't been enough to clear his head, his arms were covered in scratches from his own nails.
Blood seeped through his white shirt.
He was wounded all over, his lips bitten bloody, yet he still couldn't hold back a whimper.
At the sound of Yan Zhiyi opening the door, Xia Shule seemed to curl up even tighter. He was so thin, such a small bundle.
In such a short time, he had become an entirely different person.
Yan Zhiyi's heart trembled. It was hard to describe what he felt at that moment.
It was as though this person had shattered before his eyes. Suddenly. In an instant.
He strode forward, intending to help him up. "Xia Shule, are you all right?"
Xia Shule trembled and shrank back. Just like this. This was exactly how it had happened in my last life!
Please let me go, Jiang Gechen. Why do you have to do this? I've already taken a different path, so why is this still happening?!
Jiang Gechen, you bastard!
Fear brought tears to his eyes. They fell to the floor and mingled with his blood.
"Don't touch me. I don't want to die... please let me go... sob... why can't I escape it, even now?" Xia Shule kept repeating "I don't want to die" in a trembling voice, as though trapped in a nightmare.
As he lay on the floor, what he saw wasn't the bathroom, but scenes from his previous life playing out again.
On this same day in his previous life, he had been in just as wretched a state. A large bed, unfamiliar faces, and his own blood flashed through his mind.
No... I don't want to go through it again!
I have to kill Jiang Gechen myself! Hatred surged through Xia Shule.
"Xia Shule, open your eyes. It's me." Yan Zhiyi's hand hovered in midair. Clearly, his words weren't getting through.
Seeing him lose more and more blood, Yan Zhiyi grabbed his shoulders. "Didn't you say you don't want to die? If you bleed out, you really will!"
The forceful grip dragged Xia Shule back to reality. Trembling, he raised his head and saw the gardener with the ice-cold face.
His eyes instantly cleared.
Thank goodness! Thank goodness! It isn't that filthy bastard. It's the gardener.
It changed. It really changed! It's real. I've managed to rewrite my life!
"It's you! Thank goodness... thank goodness..." Overwhelmed with excitement, Xia Shule laughed and burst into tears.
His body was growing colder by the moment, unable to withstand such violent emotional swings.
His strength gave out, and Xia Shule collapsed into Yan Zhiyi's arms, his face utterly bloodless.
Yan Zhiyi swiftly scooped up his legs and lifted him into a bridal carry.
He was impossibly light.
His arm dangled at his side, still bleeding.
Yan Zhiyi gently laid Xia Shule on the soft bed, as though the slightest force would shatter him.
Seeing his drowsy eyes, Yan Zhiyi's tone grew stern as he made a call. "Get the family doctor here. The first-floor guest room."
An ambulance would take time to arrive. The family doctor needed to stop the bleeding first.
"Don't fall asleep." Yan Zhiyi held Xia Shule's face and gave it a little shake. His unfocused eyes were already impossible to read.
Only an hour ago, Xia Shule had been so full of life, his large eyes shining with a hint of anger.
Now, he was barely conscious.
Yan Zhiyi tried talking to him to keep him awake.
"Was Jiang Gechen the one who drugged you? Aren't you two close?" Yan Zhiyi asked.
Yan Zhiyi had never tried to hold someone's attention like this before, nor did he know how to find a topic. Everything he said came out stiff and awkward.
"How did you... know?" Hearing Jiang Gechen's name brought Xia Shule back to himself a little. "He can't wait for me to die... I didn't think... he'd go this far."
"How did he do it?" Yan Zhiyi had been watching Xia Shule the whole time and knew he hadn't eaten or drunk anything.
Bringing it up made Xia Shule so angry he nearly sat up. He truly hadn't expected Jiang Gechen to be so shameless!
"He... fuck! He actually had... that bartender... hold a towel soaked in drugs... over my mouth and nose... that bastard didn't hold back. It kicked in right away..."
Xia Shule had gone the whole evening without eating or drinking and had almost escaped it, only for that bastard to resort to force!
When it came to dirty tricks, he still couldn't beat the original novel's male lead.
Yan Zhiyi frowned slightly. As expected of Jiang Shou's son, he was exactly like his father.
Looking at the weakened man before him, Yan Zhiyi had already made up his mind.
Xia Shule's consciousness gradually blurred. He forced himself to say, "He'll kill me... he definitely... will."
With that, Xia Shule passed out completely. At the same time, the family doctor burst through the door, his forehead covered in sweat from his haste.
If I'd arrived too late, it would've been a disaster!
Only with considerable effort did he finally manage to stop the bleeding. The small face that had once been fair and rosy was now deathly pale, without a trace of life.
Yan Zhiyi stood to one side, considering Xia Shule's words.
Why was he so certain? What grudge lay between them? Judging by how ruthless Jiang Gechen had been, it seemed to be a serious one.
Apparently, their relationship wasn't what everyone thought it was.
"President Yan, the ambulance is here!"