When Xia Shule regained consciousness, the first thing he heard was crying.
He recognized his mother's voice. His mother was crying.
But his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn't open them...
"Who drugged my son? Investigate! Get to the bottom of it!" Xia Dunrong's voice was filled with anger, and he had clearly been crying too.
That was his father's voice.
Xia Shule moved his fingers. It hurts... It feels like my wrist is broken...
The hospital room was so noisy, yet so quiet. Only his mother's sobs remained.
Only heaven knew how terrified Ming Yue had been when she saw her son covered in blood! She had nearly fainted, and even now, her hands were still shaking!
"Mom..." I missed you so much.
Xia Shule didn't have the strength to say the rest. All he could manage was a faint call for his mother.
"Lele, baby, you're finally awake! Sob, sob! You scared Mommy half to death, do you know that?" The huge tears Ming Yue had barely managed to hold back instantly spilled down her cheeks again.
"I'm fine..." Xia Shule finally understood what it felt like to lose so much blood. He felt as though he had become a balloon, weightless and floating.
"Fine, my ass!" Ming Yue was both heartbroken and angry. She gently stroked Xia Shule's pale little face. "President Yan has already started investigating this. He'll make sure you get justice, baby."
"President Yan?" I've never even met President Yan. Is it because of Grandpa Yan?
"Yes. He said it happened at the Yan Family estate, so he would make sure you got an explanation." As Ming Yue spoke, she pressed a hand to her chest.
"Huh?" Xia Shule was a little confused. With too little blood reaching his brain, he felt he couldn't quite follow what was happening.
President Yan? Is President Yan the sort of person who deals with things like this? If so, he really is a responsible man.
But I really should thank that gardener from yesterday.
Once I'm better, I'll take him out for a meal first, then double the thank-you payment. Most importantly, this was a crucial turning point! If anyone other than the gardener had shown up, I'd have been done for. He saved my life!
Xia Shule spent two days lying in the hospital, bored out of his mind. Apart from lying there, all he did was listen to Doctor Xu's endless nagging.
During that time, he also pestered the gardener a little, but received no reply. He had no idea what the man was busy with.
He finally got discharged, but the nagging pursued him relentlessly. He couldn't shake it off.
Watching the messages from "Doctor Xu" keep arriving on WeChat gave Xia Shule a headache.
Doctor Xu, whose full name was Xu Wenchuan, was his attending physician—a young man who acted a little old-fashioned.
It felt like talking to his own grandfather...
Doctor Xu: Don't eat spicy foods, or foods that might aggravate your condition, such as seafood. Eat more blood-building foods. (I've told your parents this too.)
Doctor Xu: Your wrist will hurt every night. That's unavoidable. You can move it gently in moderation.
Doctor Xu: Don't lift anything heavy. This is very important. Be careful when bathing too, and make sure you don't get it wet.
Doctor Xu: I was worried you'd forget what I told you in person, so I thought putting it in writing might help.
Le Shuxia: Got it. Why are you acting like my mom?
Doctor Xu: Being unwell is miserable enough already. I don't want you getting worse.
Le Shuxia: Okay, got it, got it!
Sitting on the sofa, Xia Shule rotated his wrist. It hurt terribly.
I'd better get moving. The drugging is over, so the drowning isn't far off.
He had made it so obvious that he was close to the Yan Family Old Master, yet Jiang Gechen still dared to act so brazenly. That meant he wasn't afraid at all.
He still couldn't understand why Jiang Gechen hated him so much. Was it really just because of Song Dimu?
He really did need a more reliable, more secure backer.
Ouch...
Has that President Yan found any evidence yet? We both know perfectly well who did it. All we're missing is proof.
Maybe... I could ask the gardener? He probably doesn't know much either, but I could at least ask whether President Yan is busy.
But the gardener seems pretty busy too...
Whatever. I'll ask.
Le Shuxia: Gardener dear~~? Are you busy?
Yan Zhiyi was in a meeting when his phone chimed. Everyone in the conference room exchanged glances.
Yan Zhiyi hadn't intended to check the message, but he caught the character "Xia" out of the corner of his eye and picked up the phone almost without thinking.
He gave a cold snort at the message.
Gardener dear?
Y: No.
Xia Shule was waiting by his phone. Not busy? Then why didn't you reply to my messages for the past two days?
Le Shuxia: If you're not busy, why did you ignore me for the past two days? Thank you so much for that night. If it hadn't been for you, I'd really have been done for! Let me treat you to a meal?
Y: When?
Le Shuxia: How about today? Remember to shower... Otherwise I'll feel awful. Thanks for the effort!
Le Shuxia: [Kitten trying to please.jpg]
At the sticker, the corners of Yan Zhiyi's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. Still, everyone present could tell that their boss seemed to be in a very good mood.
A stir ran through the conference room. Who had ever seen President Yan looking so pleasantly cheerful?
Usually, he was like a stone-faced lord of the underworld, a truly fearsome presence.
"Continue," Yan Zhiyi said icily.
When the meeting ended, there were several more unread messages on his phone.
Le Shuxia: [Location: Quiet Silence Residence]
Le Shuxia: Here~ See you tonight! Room 108. I took allergy medicine in advance, so it should be fine even if you don't shower.
That afternoon, Xia Shule had given it some thought. The man was only a gardener and probably didn't have much say at the Yan Residence. Life was already hard enough for him, and here Xia Shule was asking him to shower.
So in the end, he had decided to take allergy medicine himself.
Yan Zhiyi gave a quiet, derisive chuckle. The big-eyed boy was surprisingly considerate of others.
"Li Changbin."
His special assistant, Li Changbin, appeared instantly. "President Yan."
"Prepare a slightly more casual outfit for me. It doesn't need to be particularly high-quality. Something ordinary will do."
Li Changbin had no idea what his boss was planning, but an order was an order. "Understood."
In under ten minutes, a clean outfit was delivered to Yan Zhiyi: a simple white T-shirt, dark coffee-brown straight-leg trousers, and a pair of white sneakers. Compared with his usual suits, it made him look ten years younger.
Even ten years ago, Yan Zhiyi had never dressed like this. He looked just like a college student.
Seeing that his boss was about to leave, Li Changbin reminded him, "The old master arranged for you to meet Miss Zheng tonight."
Yan Zhiyi remembered. It was a blind date the Yan Family Old Master had arranged for him, insisting that he attend tonight. The old man was far too impatient.
"He arranged it. Let him go himself."
"Ah... All right."
Watching his boss leave, the long-suffering employee reluctantly dialed the old master's number.
Meanwhile, Xia Shule arrived early and secretly ordered his favorite dishes. He would tell the gardener they were the house specialties. They were all delicious anyway. Who would know?
Just as the food arrived, so did his guest.
The gardener wasn't wearing a suit today. This outfit made him look much younger, and was easier on the eyes than yesterday's air of unruffled gravity.
"Sit down. I ordered the house specialties. Anything you don't eat?"
"No." Yan Zhiyi looked at the food on the table. Only one or two dishes were actually house specialties.
Xia Shule got straight to the point, rubbing his hands together like a fly. "I'm really, really grateful to you. If it hadn't been for you that night, I'd have been done for. You've made me owe you two favors! Other people couldn't get me, Xia Shule, to owe them a favor even if they tried. You're so lucky!"
"I'm telling you, I really know how to repay kindness. You've basically hit the jackpot. Just tell me what you want, and I'll do everything I can to make it happen."
"But... Before that, there's something I want to ask you."
Yan Zhiyi remained unruffled, with only a slight shift in his gaze. "Ask."
This stone-faced gardener! Xia Shule pouted. He's practically freezing me to death! Still, he was used to it. The man had been the same that night, only saying a little more when Xia Shule was about to die.
"Your President Yan... Has he been busy lately?"
At the mention of President Yan, Yan Zhiyi's gaze sharpened.
He had originally wanted to see whether Xia Shule would look down on him without knowing who he was. He hadn't expected the boy to merely be using him to find out about someone else.
I thought... it was genuine. So he's still just using me?
Yan Zhiyi's voice was cold and flat. "I'm only a gardener. I don't know."
"Okay. I was just asking. Let's eat!" Xia Shule lowered his head and ate. President Yan had said he would help, but clearly hadn't taken it to heart at all.
He would have to rely on himself for something like this. Perhaps President Yan had only said it publicly to keep up the wealthy family's respectable image.