Dear Mr Lu

by Usui Takumii

not mine, xiao yunyun translations. Beware Bl.

11. 61 to 70

Chapter 61

yun1yun yun1yun

4 months ago

As the car rolled, light and shadow, everything was upside down and chaotic, but Lu Chong felt that all his senses were focused, and he remembered some things from the past.

Or rather, some things that had been blurred before became clear and vivid again in his mind at that moment.

When the agreement had been made to meet again more than ten years later, the young man was almost happier than he was, so excited that he could not sit still, repeatedly reconfirming, "Since you said yes, don't forget me", "You must wait for me", "Since you said yes, you can't like others. The promise must be fulfilled, ah."

Infected with the teenager's excitement, he tried again, "Can't you tell me your address so I can come and find you?"

"I really can't."

"Then you should tell me your real name, right?"

"Ahem, this… you're called Jiuding, I'm called Bage, isn't it a good match?" (Jiuding (九鼎) – Nine Tripod Cauldrons, Bage (八哥) – Chinese starling, but the logic is probably in "jiu" meaning "9" and "ba" meaning "8")

He looked at the teenager blankly.

"Oops, well, then I'll tell you." The young man muttered to himself for a while and then said something vaguely.

He didn't hear clearly and hesitantly repeated, "Bug, Bug?" (虫 – chong – bug, insect)

"Yes, yes, Bug, you heard me right!"

He asked uncertainly, "Which character?"

"Bug for 'bug'!"

Would anyone have such a name? He felt cheated.

"Come on, don't get hung up on it, it's just a name."

"Then I'll be called Lu Bug from now on," he said, acting in a fit of pique.

"What?" The teenager was stunned.

He continued, "I'm changing my name."

"Why, why? Doesn't Lu Jiuding sound nice? And it's the name your parents gave you, so it's not a good idea to change it, right?"

"It was my dad who asked me to change it. He says that my current name is too heavy for the world to carry, and he wants to wash his hands of it."

"I see." The teenager was a little distressed, "So what is the new name your dad is going to give you?"

He gave the teenager a look, "He told me to think of my own."

"What kind of dad is that?" The teenager muttered and thought for a while, "Then you can't take it casually, think about it again?"

"I'll take the 'bug' character."

"Hey, you idiot, you will be laughed at like this! At least change the character, come on, let's go look it up in the dictionary and pick a good one!"

He was a little disappointed; even after saying this the teenager wouldn't say his real name?

But this loss was soon replaced by the novelty and joy of them two discussing a new name for him. They found a Xinhua bookstore and sat on the floor with a Xinhua dictionary to study it.

"Lu Chong? (重 – pronounced as chong when it means 'to repeat', or zhong, when it means 'heavy') No, it feels heavy to look at, people who don't know will think you weigh a lot!"

"What about this one? Chong? Lu Chong? (崇 – chong, sublime) Ah, why does it look like a sneaky ghost, ah?" (祟 – a similar-looking character, sui, means 'evil spirit', also a part of 鬼鬼祟祟 – guiguisuisui, means 'sneaky')

"There are so few words for this syllable, how about this 'chong' (憧 – unsettled)? It's a bit girly, isn't it?"

"How about 'chong' for powerful? (冲) Lu Chong? Heh, no, it's not good to have muscles without brains." The young man shook his head in disgust.

The young man kept flipping through the names and felt unsatisfied, while he just watched him from aside and smiled. He didn't care what his new name would be. Watching the young man frowning and racking his brain over finding a name for him made him feel content.

"What are you laughing at? Say something, it's a name for you!" The teenager glanced at him and kicked him.

"I don't care, you owe me a name anyway," he said peevishly.

The teenager puffed out his cheeks and glared at him before lowering his head and nudging the nose of the kitten he had smuggled in under his coat, "Look, Ribs, your brother Lu is a rascal, don't follow his example. Come on, let's choose together."

"Meow." The black and yellow kitten, only about the size of an adult's palm, meowed lovingly and kneaded the teenager's lap, really looking at the dictionary with its head tilted as if it could read the words.

The young man smiled and asked for a pen and paper to write on.

"Which one looks better?

"This one? Or this one?

"Which one do you like, Ribs? Point it out to me.

"Forget it, let's look at the meaning, the name must have some connotation, right?

"Ah, let's go with this one. Look at this character Chong (崇 – sublime), it's often used to indicate nobility and prosperity, and it's used with noble words, sublime mountains and so on, very imposing! It seems to be used less often for names, so we don't have to worry about namesakes. What do you think, Jiu?"

He looked at the paper full of "Lu Chong" and felt so happy that he didn't care what the character was. He still nodded demurely, "That's good."

"Okay, then you will be called Lu Chong from now on! In the future I'll look for you according to this, no more name changes, ah, or I won't be able to find you." As if he had finished a big job, the teenager joyfully put the kitten on his head and grabbed the kitten's front paws with both hands, "Let's go, Ribs, drive!"

The bookstore shop assistant's eyes widened, "Student, pets are not allowed…"

"Oops, run!"

They giggled and ran far away, like the most innocent children, and then the young man said, "Let's go play, I'm leaving tomorrow, I haven't played enough yet!"

The things the teenager liked to play with were also very childish, something like a yo-yo, something like bamboo dragonflies, something like marbles, all things that only children played with. He also liked to eat strange things, such as Ultraman noodles and Pop Rocks, and he liked to go to all the street stalls that were only frequented by primary school students.

Whenever asked why he liked those things, he would shake his finger and show a weird "you don't know anything about that, kid" look. Once his taste was questioned, he said, "I'm reliving my childhood, you know. You don't understand!"

It was just in time for a nearby town fair, so they ran there. Lu Chong followed behind and paid, and the teenager held the cat on top of his head with one hand and ate with the other.

In the end, he ate himself sick, got into the car and sighed dully in the elongated compartment, then pulled Lu Chong closer by his hand and said a moment later, "Jiujiu, no, Chongchong, I'm going to miss you". Then he said, "Exercise well and grow taller, look, you're a year older than me now and you're not even much taller than me. If I go looking for you later and find out you haven't grown taller, I'll cry."

Lu Chong listened to him with a black face, but when he quietly looked at himself, he saw that he was really not tall enough, nor strong enough.

A little discouraged and a little flustered, he whispered, "I'll work out."

He was not sure if the teenager was listening or not as he continued, "Take care of Ribs for me so that she lives a long life. When I come to you guys, I want to see her again."

The teenager held the kitten in his arms and stroked it reluctantly, "Right, and you, you have to take care of yourself too, you know? Don't look that you're only a year older than me now, by then you will be wow…" The teenager gestured in a very exaggerated way, as if he didn't know how to express himself, and finally promised, "Anyway, you'll grow old very quickly!"

Lu Chong was really gloomy now, "It can't be, can it?"

"Hmph, don't believe me, when the time comes, if you look too much older than me, you'll have something to cry about." The young man himself seemed worried and thought for a while, "No, I'd better come to you early. I've saved up a lot of New Year's money. Although Dad and Big Brother won't let me leave home, I can sneak away on my own. Anyway, you stay in Beijing, don't run around, otherwise I won't know where to find you."

The teenager muttered and muttered, and finally looked at Lu Chong and at the kitten, sighed, reached over and acted like a little big brother, stroking Lu Chong's head: "It's so unsettling, I wish I could take you all with me, I'll just raise you in the future."

Lu Chong was just about to agree, when the teenager added: "Unfortunately that's not possible. You have to be good and work hard. I've thought about it carefully. There are not many good people around you except for your father, you stay by your father's side, don't be like last time when you almost got killed, then there will be no me to save you… Also, don't miss me too much or you'll have a hard time and I'll be upset too."

Lu Chong hugged the cat with a sense of resignation and dismay at being about to be abandoned, and for a moment he had the urge to tie this young man to his side so he couldn't go anywhere. But he sensibly restrained himself, took the teenager's hand and whispered, "You be good too."

"Haha, I'm fine!" The teenager muttered something like, "It's just like closing your eyes and opening them again," and then said, "I'm just worried about you!"

As he said that, he looked ahead and saw something. His eyes widened, and then he lunged.

There was a little chirping sound.

The young man on top of him grunted in pain and went limp, and at the same time Lu Chong saw blood gushing out of the wound on his back frenziedly.

He looked up abruptly. The driver in front of him had a cold face and was about to shoot the gun with a silencer again.

Lu Chong lunged forward and fought with the driver for the gun in the small car. In the confusion the cat screamed and joined in the chaos, pouncing on the driver's face and scratching and biting him. Lu Chong took the opportunity to shoot and kicked the driver out of the car.

He drove the car farther away, stopped and climbed back into the back seat. The teenager was all bloody. The wound in his back wouldn't stop bleeding no matter how much Lu Chong pressed on it, and the cat kept meowing pitifully and urgently.

"Hang on, let's go to the hospital, let's go to the hospital right now!" Lu Chong was so cold that his whole body was shaking.

"Don't, don't rush." The teenager grabbed his shirt, "I, I'm not going to die, I'm actually…" He seemed to be trying to say something but his mouth opened and closed and not a word came out. He cried in anxiety, "Bugger it! "

Blood gushed out of the young man's mouth. Lu Chong cried too, rushing back to drive, with no thoughts on his mind but one word: hospital! Hospital!!!

Yet with a cat cry so sharp it pierced his eardrums, he looked back again only to shudder, his foot slamming on the brakes and the car almost going off the road.

Lu Chong grasped the steering wheel, looked stiffly ahead and listened to the sharp "meow". After two seconds, he turned his head a little bit and looked back. He saw it right. The back seat was empty, except for large blood-soaked areas. The black and yellow kitten smeared in blood ran around anxiously looking for something. But there was nothing.

Translator's note: So, you know now why Ribs reacted like that when she saw Luo Wencheng for the first time, right? She wanted to sit on his head again but probably miscalculated her weight

---

Chapter 62

yun1yun yun1yun

4 months ago

Astonishment, shock, panic… All these words were not enough to describe how he felt at the time.

He was frozen for a long time, then climbed from the driver's seat to the back seat, searching up and down; but the car was only that big, even if it was an extended version, and there was only that much room, so how would it be possible to hide a living person? And so quickly and easily, where could he have gone?

He wasn't in the car and he couldn't have gotten out of the car.

Just like that, vanished into thin air?

Lu Chong looked blankly at the kitten, and the kitten looked blankly at him.

They were both covered in blood, staring at each other in utter bewilderment.

"Meow!" The cat suddenly slapped his face with its paw.

Lu Chong woke up, his stagnant mind spinning, and then he subconsciously searched for something to wipe the blood from the seat.

No one must know, no one must know…

He wiped it twice and then tried to wipe the blood on himself, muttering, "What else is there to do, what else is there to do?"

Right!

He suddenly picked up the gun from the driver's seat, opened the door, and strode in the direction the car had driven from.

"Meow!" The cat jumped out of the car and ran after him.

He came to the spot where he had kicked out the driver. There was a puddle of blood on the ground, with traces of blood stretching all the way forward. He followed the blood trail to the river bank below, where the driver was stumbling forward.

His face expressionless, he raised the gun, pulled the trigger, and with a bang the figure in the distance fell to the ground with a thud.

The silencer on the gun had fallen off in the scramble earlier, and the shot was extremely loud. People were opening windows in residential buildings not far away. One of the women screamed, and others reached for the phone to call the police.

He glanced coldly that way, and several windows there slammed shut in a hurry.

"Meow." His trouser leg was tugged at; he lowered his head and picked up the kitten that had run up to his feet. He stroked its fur that was wet with blood and stuck together. The phone in his pocket vibrated and he realised he still had a mobile phone. In his panic earlier he hadn't even thought to use it to call for an ambulance or help.

The caller ID on the phone was one of his father's right-hand men, and when he picked it up, the other person's frightened, sad voice came through, "Come back quickly, Jiu Shao, something happened to your dad!"

He froze; his eyes felt sore but his face showed no expression and his voice was cold and hard: "Okay, I'll be right back."

He looked around blankly, looked down at the cat in his hands and said, "Ribs, let's go."

He went back to the car, which was still empty, as if everything had just been a dream.

Later, for a long time, he really thought he had had a dream. The young man came entirely from his own imagination, because he began to realise that he could not remember the young man's face and many details and conversations became blurred. When he asked people around him who had seen the teenager, the same thing happened to them. They only knew that there was that one person, but they couldn't remember exactly what he looked like.

The young man seemed to be very deliberate not to leave any traces of himself. He hadn't taken a picture, and everything he wrote would be destroyed on the spot. Lu Chong quietly took the blood and hair left by the young man for testing, but he couldn't extract any DNA.

And nothing the teenager had touched had any fingerprints.

Some things became more strange the more he investigated them, and some things became more difficult to understand the deeper he thought about them.

It was as if the teenager had appeared out of thin air and then disappeared the same way, and the only evidence left to prove he had been here seemed to be the cat he had picked up and the piece of paper with Lu Chong's name written on it that he had secretly hidden away.

He could not and dared not make a big show of looking for the young man; he could only wait.

As he waited, the paper turned yellow and was lost in an accident.

As he waited, the cat died too.

His heart went from cold to hot, and from hot to cold, and it seemed that he would wait until the end of his life.

And now, he suddenly realised that the person he was waiting for might have come to him long ago.

"Lu Chong, Lu Chong, wake up, don't sleep!" Listen, he was calling him.

Lu Chong struggled to open his eyes and vaguely saw a blood-stained face in front of him. He moved his lips to say something, yet his consciousness sank deeper and deeper uncontrollably, as if something in the abyss was pulling him down.

"Lu Chong! Lu Chong! Lu Chong!!!"

Luo Wencheng watched the man close his eyes, his head dropping onto his shoulder, and suddenly burst into tears: "Don't do this, Lu Chong, don't do this, wake up!"

As he said this, he raised his hand to support the smashed roof of the car that had been deformed by the impact of the steel, leaving barely any room in the driver and passenger seats.

Luo Wencheng could vaguely see a glimpse of the sky through the mass of steel pressing down on him, but no matter how hard he pushed or how much he shouted, it was impossible to change anything in the slightest.

Desperation, helplessness, fear, his heart was filled with these emotions and he finally froze, gasping.

He was half pinned underneath Lu Chong, his legs were clamped between the seat and the car, his only right hand still able to move couldn't find a mobile phone on himself or on Lu Chong. He had no choice but to stop and wait for help that might or might not come, and even if it came, it might have come too late.

"Lu Chong…" He carefully touched Lu Chong's face, not daring to touch his head that was covered in blood and still bleeding. He even felt that the whole head was deformed.

Only the breath that sprayed on his neck brought him a glimmer of comfort, letting him know that the man was still alive.

"Why are you so stupid?" He had lunged so desperately.

He didn't know if Lu Chong would have been so badly injured if he hadn't lunged over. No one could be sure of what would have happened in a crash as violent as that. All he knew was that if Lu Chong hadn't shielded him with his body, he wouldn't be so lightly injured now.

This man actually tried to protect him with his life at the most dangerous moment.

Luo Wencheng suddenly felt that all his previous obsessions, all his resentments, were meaningless.

Like or not like, accept or not accept, what was there to care about?

He would only ever remember the fact that Lu Chong almost died, while he had been protected by him and only slightly injured.

He looked up at the warped roof of the car and suddenly said, "Are you there?"

The car was quiet, and no sound came in response.

Luo Wencheng said, "I don't know what the hell you are, but I know you must be there, come out! Don't you want my hope and love? Come out!"

He didn't know exactly what that voice was, or if it could help him, but he could only hope for that now.

It was the only hope he had at the moment.

It was going to be bad for Lu Chong, and he had no choice.

"Come out, I beg you, give me some response, will you? I beg you to help me, I beg you to save this man beside me, he is dying. If he dies, I won't live anymore, and you won't have any more hope or love!"

Pleading or threatening, Luo Wencheng kept talking and talking. His voice was hoarse, but still there was no response, only silence all around.

Did he have to be about to die for that voice to appear? Or would it appear after he had died?

A flicker of madness flashed in Luo Wencheng's eyes as he struggled to twist his head to look at the hard, sharp curve of the deformed car door. He reached out and slashed, the delicate, soft flesh of his wrist breaking open, blood pouring from the wound.

He had also lost some blood from his injuries, and although most of the blood all over his body was Lu Chong's, there was also some of his own. In addition, he had been worried about Ribs before and hadn't rested much, and after shouting and screaming just now, his body was actually very tired. As soon as he cut his wrist, he felt dizzy, short of breath and light-headed.

He lowered his head weakly; it looked like he and Lu Chong were leaning against each other.

In a daze, his consciousness also began to blur, weakness, powerlessness, suffocation, cold… near-death sensation filled his whole body, and at that moment, the cold voice he was waiting so hard for finally came: "Target's life is detected to be under serious threat, renew it? "

Luo Wencheng was stunned. His consciousness seemed to be detached from his body. His body still had difficulty moving, but his consciousness seemed to float while the surrounding objects became blurred. It was as if he had entered another realm. He hurriedly said into the void, "Don't renew my life, I want to save this person beside me instead!"

"Beyond the scope of ability, request invalid."

Luo Wencheng gritted his teeth, "You can even reverse time and space, how can you not be able to save a person? Don't you want my love and hope? I'll give you both, but I don't want to continue to live, I want to save him instead."

He gasped; even though his consciousness was separated, he felt a heavy sense of powerlessness and exhaustion in his body that seemed to be very cold, "He is not dead yet, he is only badly wounded, if you can save someone who is dead you can surely save someone who is not yet dead. I beg you!"

The voice took a moment before saying, "This time the quality of your love and hope is better than last time. I can keep you alive for more than a year, do you want to exchange?"

Luo Wencheng was relieved, "So you can do it, can't you? If he's dead, what's the point of me living any longer?"

"Maybe he won't die."

"Can you be sure that he will live? Can you be sure that even if he is saved, he won't be left with sequelae of such a serious head injury?" Luo Wencheng smiled, "I don't want to live anyway, so now I'm trading hope and love that I don't intend to put to use for him to be well. Isn't that a bargain?"

He lifted his head and looked into the void, "Please save him for me."

A sigh seemed to ring out; in a space that Luo Wencheng could not see, there was a glowing blue screen with data flowing on it continuously, and then a page popped up with a line of words on it.

An extremely clear line of grey words:

Changing the target's fate, first time, failed.

Then, another line of words appeared under the grey words, and the cold, stereotypical electronic voice read it.

[Changing the target's fate, second version, rebirth…]

The voice paused and then added: [failed.]

On the screen, the end of the second line of words flickered a few times, and the word "failed" popped out, displayed there brightly, extremely dazzling.

The voice continued: [The target is automatically abandoned. The target's life has entered a 72-hour countdown. In accordance with the target's wish, the target's energy is absorbed and transformed into the restorative agent. The system mission failed, the system is about to be shut down and enter permanent hibernation mode.]

Luo Wencheng grunted and found himself back in his own body. The heavy coldness of his body almost made him pass out. He didn't die?

What the hell was going on here? Had the voice promised him or not?

He tried to call out to the voice again but couldn't even utter a word. Blood loss made him unable to stay awake anymore. Fortunately, there was a shout outside the car at this time.

"Sir! Young Master Luo!"

The voice was so indistinct that it seemed to come from an extremely distant place. Luo Wencheng could not hear whose voice it was, but with such a way of calling them, it must have been one of their own, right?

He smiled, glanced at Lu Chong and closed his eyes weakly.

---

Chapter 63

yun1yun yun1yun

4 months ago

In the early hours of the morning, at the same private hospital, the operation had been going on for seven hours.

The hospital had been blocked by Liu Weizhi inside and outside. Except for the necessary medical staff, all the others had been cleared and all the patients had been transferred to other hospitals. Liu Weizhi used all his forces in Haining to ensure the absolute safety of the hospital.

Liu Weizhi was busy with the things outside, his phone kept ringing, and he had to deal with the people in Haining who had heard the news, so he was physically and mentally exhausted after just ten hours.

When he had finished his work, he returned to the surgery room and sat down on the chair. His fat body collapsed, his face full of fatigue, gloom and worry.

At this moment, footsteps sounded from the other end of the corridor. He looked up, saw his two familiar partners and sighed: "There you are."

The visitors were none other than Zhou Yishan and Lao Ding, who had rushed over from Beijing. They were dusty and anxious, asking sharply as soon as they saw Liu Weizhi, "Where's Master?"

"He's still in surgery."

"How is the situation?" Lao Ding asked.

Liu Weizhi shook his head, "Seven hours, several resuscitations, the operation was interrupted several times. We don't know the details yet."

"Shit, who did this!" Zhou Yishan wanted to kill someone in anger but had no target, so he yanked Liu Weizhi's collar, "Is this how you protect Master?"

Lao Ding stopped him and told him to calm down. Liu Weizhi broke free and said blankly: "The truck driver died on the spot. It is very difficult to investigate. I can't be distracted now, so I called you over."

Lao Ding said calmly, "We definitely need to investigate, but that's not the point right now. What matters most now is Master's condition. Also, we got your news and rushed over immediately, but other people will surely get the news too and they will come over soon."

Thinking about those, Liu Weizhi frowned.

There were many capable people under Master, and the three of them belonged to the earliest group, were the closest to Master and had a good relationship with each other. There were also some who were promoted later, and there were also some old people left behind by Master's father.

There was no doubt about their loyalty, but they were not particularly harmonious with each other. When Master was around, he was naturally able to keep them under control, but now, in this situation, no one would obey anyone, no one would trust anyone, and it would be difficult to work together.

Although when Master came to Haining, he had already arranged their positions for everyone, if something were to happen to Master now, if he was killed and died, it would be completely different from him retiring peacefully. It would be simply impossible to have a smooth handover.

In addition, there were people from the Lu family, which was another camp. They did not share the same interests as Master, but were related by blood and had the right to inherit, or at least they had the right to claim the properties Master had inherited from his father. But after all these years, it was difficult to fully clarify which properties had come from where. In any case, those people would take advantage of the opportunity to bite hard in case something happened to Master.

"We have to prepare for the worst." Lao Ding said, "At the time of Master's accident, you were the only one by his side. If someone decides to use it and unite against you, the situation will be very bad. They might even claim that you were an accomplice to Master's death or a traitor, and manipulate it to increase their own prestige."

Liu Weizhi rubbed his forehead, "All this is nothing. As long as Master can wake up, none of it is a problem."

"I'm just worried that if we mess up, someone will fish in troubled waters. Anyway, let's investigate the truth as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Lao Liu, leave the defence of the hospital to me and Shisan and take the responsibility for the investigation. We will make this gesture first, so that people can't make trouble even if they want to," Lao Ding said.

Liu Weizhi considered for a moment and nodded.

Zhou Yishan walked around anxiously at the door of the surgery room and suddenly asked, "Didn't you say there were two people in the car? Where is that kid? Where did he go to hide?"

Liu Weizhi said, "Luo Wencheng lost too much blood. After resuscitation he is now fine. Zhou Qian is guarding him."

Zhou Yishan grunted, "I think we need to move that kid away. He was present when the car crash happened. Later on people will come and will say they want to interrogate him. There are a few who have a worse temper than me. In case it gets rough, we have to protect him."

"And what if Master wakes up and asks about him? If we send him away, we'll need to send more people to protect him," Liu Weizhi said. "Where else in Haining is safer than this hospital now?"

Zhou Yishan stopped arguing.

The three of them talked some more. Then, leaving Liu Weizhi here to keep watch, the other two went off to do their own thing.

Time continued to pass minute by minute.

The sky gradually brightened, and a new day began.

The doors of the surgery room remained closed.

However, all the people from Beijing who had heard the news landed in Haining and rushed to the hospital.

Luo Wencheng slept until noon.

He opened his eyes to a brightly lit room with the sun shining outside the window, and after a moment he sat up violently, falling back on the bed halfway.

He held his forehead and felt a layer of gauze. His whole body was dizzy.

"You're awake? You have a concussion, plus you have lost too much blood. You should not get out of bed."

Luo Wencheng heard Zhou Qian's voice and turned his head to look: "Where is Lu Chong?"

"Master is still being resuscitated." Zhou Qian said.

"Resuscitated…" Luo Wencheng grabbed his hand, "What's his condition and how long has he been resuscitated? What did the doctor say?"

Zhou Qian said, "Master has been in the surgery room for almost twenty hours. Originally, he was going to be released after the surgery, but the specialist team from Beijing arrived, so he didn't come out, and a group of people are now gathered there. I don't know what's going on."

Luo Wencheng was about to get out of bed when he heard this, but stopped halfway through getting up. He said to Zhou Qian, "Is there any food?"

"I'll go and get it."

After Zhou Qian left the room, Luo Wencheng lifted the quilt.

Under the quilt, a syringe was placed at his side. It looked very ordinary, the kind of one-millilitre syringe that was used in the hospital for blood tests, but it contained a light blue liquid.

The first moment Luo Wencheng saw the stuff, its effects came to his mind.

The restorative agent takes effect 24 to 72 hours after injection, saving and restoring the person as good as new, no matter how badly injured they are, as long as they are still alive.

He gripped it tightly at once, then pulled the needle out of the back of his hand and got up. There were new clothes by the bed and he took them straight away to change.

Zhou Qian came in with food: "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Lu Chong," Luo Wencheng said.

Zhou Qian was silent for a moment: "I'm afraid you can't go now."

Luo Wencheng rearranged his collar, "Why?"

"The access to the surgery room has been blocked off, ordinary people can't go there. And there are many people coming from Beijing, they won't let you see Master either."

Luo Wencheng slowly sat down and after a moment of thought asked, "Where is Liu Weizhi? I want to see him."

"It's useless for you to see him. Manager Liu is isolated from there too, and there are people investigating him now, saying that it was because of his poor protection that Master was attacked. They even suspect him of being a traitor."

Luo Wencheng frowned, "Then who else is there around Lu Chong?"

"It's Mr. Ding and Mr. Zhou, they came from Beijing in the early hours of the morning," Zhou Qian replied.

Luo Wencheng was a little more relieved, "Is there any other way? I must see Lu Chong."

"Who do you think you are to see Master if you want to?" There was a cold voice, and a tall, slender man appeared at the door of the ward. The man was around twenty-five or twenty-six, with a handsome face, but his eyes were extremely cold, looking at Luo Wencheng as if slashing him with a knife.

Luo Wencheng's face darkened slightly. This gaze was awe-inspiring. He felt a strong murderous intent coming from this man. He glanced to the side of this man's waist, where a slight bulge revealed a hidden gun; and a knife should be pinned to the outside of his right thigh.

Just as his gaze fell on the man's thigh, the man's hand already quickly slid there.

The speed was so fast that Luo Wencheng could barely see it. He only saw a flash of cold light approaching with killing intent. He quickly raised his hand to block it, but the next moment he was pinned down to the bed, one arm around his neck, the knife pointing at his eyes, just a few centimetres away.

He used all his strength to block the man's hand with the knife, but the opponent's strength was amazing, and the tip of the knife was still approaching little by little.

At this point Zhou Qian rushed over to help, and Liu Weizhi, who was one step behind, also shouted, "Ling Su, are you crazy?"

The two of them grabbed the man named Ling Su and tried their best to pull him away. Luo Wencheng turned to his side and coughed while rubbing his neck.

Ling Su sneered coldly: "Weak chicken."

Luo Wencheng slowly sat up; the gauze on his head and the gauze on his wrist were oozing blood again. His already pale face was even paler now. He looked miserably white, but his eyes were dark and cold. When he looked at Ling Su, the coldness in his eyes was no less than the other party's.

Ling Su was startled. For a moment, he almost felt that the person in front of him was an emotionless beast. He was provoked, and he would pounce on him and bite him the next moment.

Then he snorted; such a delicate child, he could crush him with one hand, what could he even do to fight for his life?

He shook off Zhou Qian and Liu Weizhi: "Why are you so nervous? If I really wanted to kill him, would you have time to stop me? Such a half crippled guy, how dared you guys feel comfortable letting Master go out with him alone?"

Liu Weizhi said with a cold face, "Just ask questions, don't move your hands."

Ling Su leaned against a bedside table, playing with the knife in his hand, "You were by Master's side when it happened?"

Luo Wencheng looked away from him, "…yes."

"You were in the passenger seat and Master was in the driver's seat?"

"Yes."

Ling Su gave a laugh "You're good enough to get Master to condescend to drive for you."

Liu Weizhi scolded, "Get down to business!"

"So Master was driving when the truck hit you?"

"No, right before that he suddenly stopped the car and spoke to me."

"What did he say?"

Luo Wencheng was somewhat stunned, recalling Lu Chong's expression and tone of voice at that time. Yes, what was he going to say to him then? With that kind of demeanour, what he was going to say didn't seem to be an ordinary matter.

He came back to his senses and said lightly, "It was a personal matter. The truck hit before he finished speaking." He raised his head and looked at Ling Su, "But what's the point of asking? Is it possible to analyse from the angle of the truck hitting us who the enemy is and who sent it?"

Ling Su's face twitched.

Luo Wencheng smiled sarcastically, "Or do you think I'm involved in this matter and that I have a part in harming Lu Chong?"

"It's really upsetting that Master is lying there between life and death, and you've slept on it and you're fine. Why are you so lightly injured when it's obvious you were in the same car?" Ling Su moved closer and bent down to look at Luo Wencheng.

"So that's why you want to kill me?" Luo Wencheng knew very well that just now this man was really trying to kill him. If he hadn't reacted quickly, if Zhou Qian and Liu Weizhi hadn't held the man off, he would have been dead by this time.

Ling Su straightened up, "If Master dies, I will really make you pay for it with your life. You'd better pray for Master to wake up."

After saying these harsh words, he went out. Liu Weizhi sighed and said to Luo Wencheng, "Now that you're awake, you'd better leave. There are many others like Ling Su who are angry with you, even more aggressive than him. It's not safe for you to stay here."

His face no longer had that Maitreya Buddha-like smile, his brow was furrowed and he did not show a trace of kindness to Luo Wencheng.

Luo Wencheng knew that Liu Weizhi was also angry with him, only he didn't show it too much. But Luo Wencheng didn't care, he didn't care how these people felt about him. He asked, "How is he?"

"The situation is not optimistic." Liu Weizhi said with a grim expression, "Mr. Lu has suffered a fatal blow to the head and there are many fractures in his body. For the time being his condition is stabilised, but it is hard to say what will happen next."

"Not optimistic, hard to say, aren't these the words doctors use to distract the family? What exactly is the situation, give me the bottom line."

Liu Weizhi was silent for a moment and said, "Right now, it seems that the best case scenario is a vegetative state if no miracle happens."

The exact words of those doctors and experts were that with such severe head trauma and such a large amount of blood loss, it was a miracle that he didn't die on the spot, and although they were lucky to stabilise the situation during the surgery, the probability that he would eventually wake up was very, very small, pathetically small.

Luo Wencheng's eyes widened slightly.

"A little bit more, and he would have been sleeping there with a ventilator inserted and actually brain dead. The best news now is that Master's desire to live is so strong that he might actually wake up, but even if he does…"

Liu Weizhi paused for a moment and said heavily, "He has severe brain tissue damage. A part of it was removed, and he is still suffering from ongoing cranial hypertension. The brain tissue will continue to be damaged, so even if he wakes up, he will never recover to his old self and will either be stupid or crippled, or both, period."

And that would already be the miracle of miracles.

Liu Weizhi said, "So leave while you can. If people turn on you, no one can save you."

Luo Wencheng lowered his head and sat for a while, smiling softly.

Liu Weizhi frowned, "What are you smiling at?"

Luo Wencheng touched the syringe in his pocket and said, "I want to see Lu Chong. I can save Lu Chong."

"You… what are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that I can save Lu Chong and restore him to his former self. Take me to see him."

"You're kidding, I don't have time for you." Liu Weizhi thought he was crazy.

"I'm not joking." Luo Wencheng said firmly, "I wouldn't joke about something like this. In this situation now, if I wasn't able to save him, would I have gone out of my way to see Lu Chong just to look at him or to kill him? You have to believe that I want Lu Chong alive more than anyone else."

Liu Weizhi looked at Luo Wencheng for a long moment. Luo Wencheng's eyes were firm and unblinking, meeting his gaze. Liu Weizhi laughed in exasperation; he actually thought for a moment the young man was telling the truth. "Then tell me, how can you save Master? He is not poisoned, he is not possessed, he is in a coma from a head injury. Will you go in there and chant an incantation to make him well?"

Luo Wencheng didn't care about his mockery and said indifferently, "I naturally have my ways. Have you forgotten that I once looked dead and came back to life in the end?"

Liu Weizhi frowned at the memory, "Was it a trick that time? Did you lie to Master?"

Luo Wencheng continued, "Also, you should know that I have a strange problem. Every time at midnight, my abdomen hurts as if it's a colic. Mr. Lu thought it was psychological, but it's not, my body is different from normal people. Anyway, just think I have a way to bring people back to life. The world is so big, what's so strange about something that you can't understand?"

Liu Weizhi was silent, thinking.

Luo Wencheng looked up and said, "Decide quickly, how long can Lu Chong last? What if his condition worsens?"

Liu Weizhi still couldn't believe him. What he said was so metaphysical that it sounded like a fantasy, yet in his heart he hoped that what Luo Wencheng said was true.

For only then could the best outcome occur.

Luo Wencheng could see his hesitation and finally said, "Lu Chong has protected me with his life. I won't harm him. And you know how he feels about me and how he trusts me. With his status, with his decisive character, if he had a choice now, guess whether he would choose to lie there and resign to his fate, waiting to end up either stupid or crippled even if a miracle occurs, or choose to trust me and take a gamble with me?

"Besides, I'm sure enough."

Liu Weizhi's face changed. Luo Wencheng was right about one thing. With Master's status and power, if he was really stupid or too badly crippled, he would become a puppet and a living target, he would lose all his dignity, and all those who were once under his feet or looked up to him with envy would be able to laugh at him with impunity. Liu Weizhi put himself in his place and felt that if he were to face it himself, he would go mad and he would rather end his life before that happened.

He gritted his teeth and said, "You wait!"

He went out to call Lao Ding and Zhou Yishan, the only two people who could support him and give Luo Wencheng a shred of trust at this moment.

Luo Wencheng let out a long sigh and his body went limp in exhaustion.

Zhou Qian, who had been standing quietly aside, brought the food to Luo Wencheng at this moment: "Have something to eat?"

Luo Wencheng looked at the steamed buns and porridge and shook his head, "I can't eat, give me a bottle of glucose."

"I'll go get it."

"Zhou Qian." Luo Wencheng called out to him, "Do you trust me?"

"I don't know, but I know Master believes you. I listen to Master." Zhou Qian said quietly. Under Lu Chong, he was just a small person, not as high as Liu Weizhi, Lao Ding and Zhou Yishan, nor did he have the qualifications to be as reckless and domineering as Ling Su, so he would not think too much, consider too much, he would do whatever Master told him to do.

If Master told him to follow Luo Wencheng, he would follow.

If Master told him to listen to Luo Wencheng, he would listen.

Master told him to keep Luo Wencheng safe, so even if everyone rushed to kill him now, Zhou Qian would still protect him to the last moment of his life.

Because he knew that was what Master needed him to do.

Luo Wencheng said softly, "Thank you."

Zhou Qian went to get a bottle of glucose for injection. Luo Wencheng poured it directly into his mouth and felt a little better. After a while Liu Weizhi came back: "Come with me, the excuse we will make is that you are Master's favourite person, so we let you go in and see if you can wake him up. In short, you shouldn't speak the whole time. No matter what anyone says, do not respond."

"Okay." When Luo Wencheng walked out of the ward, he suddenly staggered and clutched his heart.

"What's wrong with you?" Liu Weizhi asked.

After a few seconds, that palpitating feeling gradually disappeared. Luo Wencheng straightened up and shook his head. He slowly realised what was going on and asked Zhou Qian, "What time is it?"

"Two forty in the afternoon."

"Two forty…" That was the time of the accident yesterday, twenty-four hours ago.

Luo Wencheng said to the two men looking at him, "It's okay, let's go."

He followed Liu Weizhi to another inpatient building, where Zhou Yishan was already waiting at the elevator, chewing tobacco. He rushed over to look straight at Luo Wencheng, lowering his voice, "Can you really save Master?"

"I can," Luo Wencheng said.

"Shit, if you can, I'll call you Grandfather from now on! Come with me." He led Luo Wencheng upstairs, and Liu Weizhi and Zhou Qian were blocked out by the people guarding the stairs.

When they went up to the seventh floor, the floor of the intensive care unit, as soon as the elevator opened, there were so many people standing and sitting in the corridor outside the main door of the intensive care unit that one couldn't count them at a glance. When they saw Zhou Yishan bringing a stranger, they all looked over, their faces extremely unfriendly: "Zhou Shisan, who is this?"

"Someone more useful than you!" Zhou Yishan was too lazy to bother with these people and went to press the electronic code for the ICU door.

Before he could press it, someone came to stop him, "You're taking him in? We all have to press the button just to get a look in, why should he get in?"

"Just because he is the one Master saved with his own life?" Zhou Yishan said impatiently, "Didn't they say we have to wait for a miracle? What's wrong with me bringing him here to give Master a boost? You're all flies, you're here just to make noise or pollute the air, or you just wish for Master to die as soon as possible. It's good enough that a few of you have the right to press the button. Get out of here!"

Those people's faces turned red as they were scolded. Luo Wencheng looked over and saw the old and the young. Those who looked like they had been pampered all their lives should've been from the Lu family, and there were also some who were standing farther away, with the auras, even though restrained, still leaking cold and fierceness that no one could ignore. They should've been Lu Chong's men.

This was really a lot.

One of them, a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, said in a deep voice, "Right now, Master's condition is critical. It's not good for you to suddenly bring a stranger in, is it?"

"He's a stranger to you, but not to me, and even less so to Master. Should we let you get acquainted with him before we can go in? Who the hell are you?"

"You… Zhou Shisan, cut the crap, will you be responsible in case he has bad intentions?"

"Don't worry, I'll take responsibility. If he harms Master, I'll chop off my head, okay? And don't think badly of everyone you see. If there was something wrong with him, wouldn't that madman Ling Su have killed him on the spot?"

As he said this, he opened the electronic door of the intensive care unit and pushed Luo Wencheng inside: "Get in."

Inside the room Dr. Wang led Luo Wencheng to change into isolating clothes and continued to walk, "Master is inside."

It was a large ward, with beds placed against the wall, and Lu Chong was lying on one of them.

Lu Chong was unconscious, covered with a quilt, half of his chest exposed, with a tracheal tube in his throat and a ventilator attached. His chest was rising and falling, but it was impossible to tell whether he was breathing on his own.

Luo Wencheng slowly approached. Lu Chong's hair had been shaved off, revealing a bruised and swollen head with two S-shaped incisions on it. The edges of the incisions were tightly stitched together with black thread. His scalp resembled a bulging ball of skin, and there was even a tube in the middle of the incision, drawing a deep red liquid from the skull.

Luo Wencheng reached out and gently touched the skull, which was obviously supposed to be hard, but it felt hot and a little soft to the touch.

"This…" He had never known that a person's head could be made to look like this.

"Two pieces of the skull were removed because of cranial hypertension." Dr. Wang stood in the doorway without following him in, "I don't know what you're going to do, but you'd better hurry up. I'll be right outside."

As for letting Luo Wencheng in, Dr. Wang was actually the one who was most happy to see it happen. He was a doctor, he had countless patients in his hands, and he knew how serious Lu Chong's condition was. He also knew how many patients like Lu Chong would die in the emergency room and ICU every day in many hospitals of all sizes across the country. Even if the vast majority of them were in less serious conditions than Lu Chong, none of them survived.

A miracle? That's just an affectionate wish and an excuse to temporarily appease the people outside.

So even if it was chanting an incantation or witchcraft, as long as it saved Master's life, as long as there was a shred of hope, let it happen.

Luo Wencheng took out the syringe, stuck it into Lu Chong's infusion tube and slowly pushed the light blue liquid in. Watching the blue ingredient flow into Lu Chong's vein through the needle in the back of his hand, he let out a slight sigh of relief.

He looked at Lu Chong and said, "Tell me, what's the use of having a big family? It's hard for me to even see you, and I can barely get in even when I want to save you."

He looked at Lu Chong, who was supposed to be high and mighty, supposed to be elegant and dignified, and now was lying here unconscious, with tubes all over his body, so powerless over everything.

But it was okay, it would get better soon.

He lowered his head and took Lu Chong's hand. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he didn't know what to say. What he wanted to say seemed to have been said in the past, and he was in a very calm mood at the moment, so calm that it was even a little too much.

He finally said, "Lu Chong, I wish you get well. Wait for the one you are waiting for, and be happy."

He felt a finger move under his hand, but Lu Chong was still asleep as before, motionless.

Luo Wencheng looked at him steadily for a while, let go of his hand and walked out of the ward very simply. Dr. Wang was surprised: "So fast?"

"Within a day to three days, he will wake up." Luo Wencheng said, walked out and opened the electronic door. Outside there was an almost sword-rattling atmosphere. The person confronting Zhou Yishan had changed to Ling Su. As Luo Wencheng opened the door, all eyes shot straight towards him. Ling Su's gaze was particularly sharp.

Luo Wencheng walked out without his face changing and closed the door behind him.

Zhou Yishan saw him approaching, "Okay?"

Someone was quicker than him, grabbing Luo Wencheng by the collar and about to pin him against the door.

However, absolutely unexpectedly, Luo Wencheng stepped back, grabbed the attacker first and threw him against the door.

Luo Wencheng's move was born out of an over-the-shoulder slam. It was extremely fast. Ling Su was really thrown off guard. His body slammed into the electronic door, making a loud noise and even triggering an alarm. He reacted quickly and immediately counterattacked, but the next moment Luo Wencheng kicked him severely in the lower abdomen.

This kick was really cruel, and the hard toe of the shoe was no worse than some sharp device. Ling Su grunted and hit the door again and then dropped on his knees. Then there was a chill over his waist, his hair was pulled up, and something cold was pressed between his eyes.

Amidst the shrill sound of alarm, Luo Wencheng bent over slightly, grabbing Ling Su's hair with one hand and holding the gun he had taken from Ling Su's waist against his head with the other. "You can't do anything but attack me, didn't anyone tell you that's rude?" he said indifferently.

The circle of people around were shocked; Ling Su lost?

The unruly Ling Su, who liked to rely on his fists, had been subdued in a single movement? By someone who was much thinner than him and looked non-threatening?

Luo Wencheng suddenly let go of Ling Su and took a few steps back with the gun pointed at him, retreating from the shadows to where the sun shone outside the window.

He preferred to wear windbreakers, and today was no exception. The well-tailored coat set off his extremely slender and straight figure. His hand pointed the gun straight ahead, the sunlight glowed, illuminating his hair, and his pale face was half in the light and half in the shadows.

There was no expression on his face, his eyes were devoid of any hint of excitement and his aura was far more powerful and intimidating than that of Ling Su, who was kneeling there.

Almost everyone was convinced that the next moment he would pull the trigger, and some people moved faintly.

In the midst of the standoff, Dr. Wang came running from inside and shouted through the door, "Are you crazy, fighting here!"

He did something inside and the alarm soon stopped. Meanwhile, Luo Wencheng wrapped his fingers around the gun, spun it in his palm, removed the magazine, and the bullets crackled falling to the floor before he threw the golden pistol back at Ling Su.

The gun slid across the floor for some distance and stopped right in front of Ling Su, whose face literally changed colours in a spectacular manner.

Luo Wencheng walked towards the elevator, pressed the button, and said to Zhou Yishan, "I'll go first."

Zhou Yishan sneered, clapped his hands and said to Ling Su, "You've been swaggering around like crazy all day, and now you've kicked the iron plate. Did you really think you were invincible?" While following Luo Wencheng who stepped into the elevator, he added, "Come on, I'll take you downstairs."

As soon as the door closed, Luo Wencheng leaned back against the wall, his face pale.

Zhou Yishan was quite happy, "You're good, you've taken him by surprise and retreated after a single blow. And the best part is that you took his gun empty-handed. This is a great way to play the game."

He could see clearly: if it wasn't for Luo Wencheng withdrawing, in fact, Ling Su would have already been able to fight back. At that time, it would be Luo Wencheng who would be unlucky.

After all, the difference in physical strength and stamina was there.

If it weren't for Ling Su's contempt for the enemy, Luo Wencheng would not have succeeded in the first place.

Luo Wencheng pressed his heart that didn't feel comfortable and hooked the corners of his mouth, "Do you think I really wouldn't shoot?"

Zhou Yishan was startled.

Luo Wencheng said, "Just kidding. He messed with me first, I made him lose face, fair enough."

Luo Wencheng looked at the mirror on the wall of the elevator. His face in the mirror was calm, and his eyes were bottomless.

He knew that he really would have shot Ling Su just now if Dr. Wang hadn't shouted.

He slowly began to think back and realised that since waking up, he didn't seem to have any emotional ups and downs. Even when he was told that seeing Lu Chong would be difficult, he didn't feel much anxiety. Even when he saw Lu Chong lying there, he didn't feel too much of a shock, not even a hint of heartache.

When he succeeded in injecting the restorative agent into Lu Chong's body, he was only relieved, as if he had accomplished his goal, satisfied his obsession. There was no joy or any other emotion.

So naturally, when he finally walked away, he felt no painful reluctance to part.

He closed his eyes and stroked his heart. His love was gone.

Perhaps if at this moment Lu Chong stood in front of him with the person he loved, Luo Wencheng wouldn't feel the slightest bit of heartache and sadness, but would only give them an indifferent look.

He thought back again to Liu Weizhi's cold attitude towards him, and he really did not mind.

That Ling Su attacked him twice, but he was not angry. There was only the kind of hostility that demanded to fight back after being provoked, and to subdue the opponent.

He had become indifferent, just like when he was reborn, when he could even gamble with his own life, not caring about himself or others.

Was this because there was no hope in his heart, only cold darkness left?

He opened his eyes and said lightly, "That's interesting."

"What did you say?" Zhou Yishan didn't hear him clearly.

Luo Wencheng ignored him and whispered to himself: "I know it's not like this, but I can't mobilise the right emotions. On the other hand, I feel that this is only normal, only reasonable, only satisfying."

There was a ding when the elevator reached the first floor. Luo Wencheng looked at the blinding sunlight in the corridor outside and narrowed his eyes, "It's worse than the first time."

The first time he at least had emotions. While he didn't care about anything, he at least felt normal joy, sorrow, anger and happiness. But this time, there seemed to be nothing left.

---

Chapter 64

yun1yun yun1yun

4 months ago

Liu Weizhi arranged a place for Luo Wencheng to live under the guise of protection, but in reality it was surveillance. Luo Wencheng knew what Liu Weizhi was worried about. Liu Weizhi was still suspicious of him, and Luo Wencheng let him watch.

However, the next day, after Lu Chong's "miraculous improvement in condition", Liu Weizhi was very relieved.

When he got the good news from the hospital, Luo Wencheng said to the very excited Zhou Qian, "Let's go and have a look too."

But when the car reached the intersection in front of the hospital, Luo Wencheng said, "You should go in and have a look."

"You're not going in?"

"It's not appropriate for me to go in, it's inevitable that there will be another conflict, and it's just as well that you bring me the news." When he saw Zhou Qian's hesitant look, he smiled, "Go ahead."

After Zhou Qian left, Luo Wencheng sat alone in the car for a while, then took out his mobile phone and fiddled with it, threw the phone into the grass next to him and changed to the driver's seat. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. So, where are we going next?

He knew that he would be dead in the next two days. So little time, and Liu Weizhi was watching him, so leaving the country was impossible. And he was too lazy to toss and turn. Did it really matter where to die?

His state of mind was different, and his thoughts changed.

Now he wanted to wander around on his own and not be surrounded by people all the time.

He started the car and drove for just a dozen metres when he suddenly saw a man in glasses peeking from behind a tree not far from the hospital.

"Doesn't look good at first glance." Luo Wencheng looked at the man casually, and then his eyes changed a little.

This man…

Seeing that the man was about to leave, Luo Wencheng immediately drove his car to follow him.

The car was too big to follow a target, and after driving for a while, Luo Wencheng abandoned the car and followed on foot. The man walked all the way in front of him, and Luo Wencheng followed behind him, crossing street after street, crossing road after road, and finally entering an underground passage. It was when the man in front of him suddenly stopped: "Following all the way here, aren't you tired?"

Luo Wencheng stepped out of the shadows and looked at the man without hesitation, "Where is Fang Bude?"

The man's face changed. Fang Bude was the Chinese name that Professor Delang had chosen for himself casually after arriving in China. Very few people knew it. Who was this man and how did he know it?

"Who are you?"

Luo Wencheng smiled grimly, "The one who has come to collect a debt!" With that, he charged forward.

Fang Bude was a lunatic pharmacist from his previous life. The drugs he invented for unknown purposes were used to torture Luo Wencheng for years, keeping him neither dead not alive.

Originally, since Luo Wencheng had no way to find him, he could only forget about this revenge. But then he saw this man, the assistant who had been with Fang Bude, the one who had administered the drugs to him. Even in a sea of people, Luo Wencheng would never be mistaken when seeing this face.

The man did not expect Luo Wencheng to attack so quickly. He hurriedly took out a small flashlight-like object from his pocket, directed it at Luo Wencheng and pressed on the top of it.

A strange coloured gas was sprayed from it.

But the next moment Luo Wencheng whirled around and kicked the gadget away, dislocating the man's wrist in the process.

He swept a glance at the gadget that rolled away, still emitting the gas, and smiled coldly. Worthy of a researcher, what kind of messy poison was this?

If he was an ordinary person, coming across this kind of weapon with no idea what kind of gas it was, it would be impossible for him not to be wary. What if it was a highly poisonous gas or something? But Luo Wencheng didn't care. What was the difference? He was about to die anyway. He was at the end of his rope, and now he just wanted to beat the hell out of this bitch.

So he went and beat him up, and the man hastily parried. The man also gave him a couple of blows, but he was no match for the red-eyed Luo Wencheng who was looking at his enemy, and he was losing after two or three shots.

The man yelled and pulled out a knife. Luo Wencheng's face remained unchanged, and he didn't even blink when he was cut by the knife. This deadly posture scared the man, and he revealed a flaw. Luo Wencheng seized the opportunity to wrench the knife out of his hand, grabbed his collar and slammed him to the ground, then smashed him with a fist.

Luo Wencheng's blows were ruthless. The man screamed in agony and begged for mercy, but his head was soon bleeding and he was half conscious.

Luo Wencheng's hair and clothes were in a mess; there were knife cuts on his body. He gasped as he pinned the man to the ground: "Where is Fang Bude? Say!"

"Oooh…" The man spat out a mouthful of blood, "I don't know, I don't know…"

"Still trying to lie to me, are you?" Luo Wencheng swung his fist and was about to hit, when a sudden twinge of pain pierced his heart. He grabbed the clothes on his chest. The man seized this opportunity and crawled away on his hands and knees.

Luo Wencheng knelt on the ground, propping himself up with one hand and clutching his chest with the other, gasping for breath. Damn, what was this! Finally, his stomach didn't hurt at night, so he changed to angina pectoris during the day, right?

He glanced at the watch on his wrist. Two forty.

It was that time again.

But yesterday at this time it was just palpitations; now it was pain that was choking him. Was his heart going to just explode tomorrow?

He sneered; this countdown to death was quite chic.

The man ran a short distance away and then tossed the gadget spraying the gas on the ground, watching with trepidation.

Luo Wencheng looked at the object and tried to reach out, but the pain was so bad he couldn't move for a moment. The grey-green mist reached his nose, his vision began to blur, his head was heavy, and he saw the man pick up the knife on the ground and walk closer and closer, his face bloody and distorted. Luo Wencheng thought: I'm afraid I won't be able to wait until tomorrow.

From Luo Wencheng's perspective, everything around him was muted, the man's movements were distorted and slow, and all he could hear was the noisy hum of blood flowing through his veins. His eyelids drooped, his eyelashes trembled under the sweaty strands of his hair, and then he collapsed slowly and helplessly.

Hospital.

Intensive Care Unit.

The man in the bed opened his eyes with a jolt.

The sound startled Dr. Wang, who was excitedly and joyfully making data records, and he looked up and shouted in surprise, "You're awake, sir!"

From outside the ward, Zhou Yishan rushed in as soon as he heard the sound: "Master is awake? That's great! Oh God! No, it's Luo Wencheng, Luo Wencheng is amazing!"

He was so excited that he was incoherent and at a loss for words.

Lu Chong tried to sit up, only to find that there were all these miscellaneous tubes in his body.

"Luo…" He tried to speak and felt immense discomfort. What was that he had stuck down his throat?

Dr. Wang hurriedly said, "Sir, don't move, I'll check your body."

"Take it out!" Lu Chong vaguely said with difficulty, "Where is Wencheng?"

"He's here! He's fine! I'll have someone to go get him." Zhou Yishan hurriedly ran out to call for someone to find Luo Wencheng.

Twenty minutes later, Lu Chong was sitting fully clothed in the duty room of the intensive care unit. There were some photos on the desk in front of him. Those were his own photos before and after the surgery yesterday. The tragic close-up of his head was simply unbearable to look at. Even when Lu Chong saw it himself, he could only sentence the person in the photo to death.

Now, however, he was sitting here in good health, with almost nothing wrong with his body.

Dr. Wang stood next to the table with his hands down, unable to resist glancing at Lu Chong's head, and after a couple of seconds, unable to resist glancing again.

At this moment, this head was completely different from the one in the photo. The shape, colour and hardness had returned to normal. The drainage tubes had been removed long ago, leaving only two S-shaped incisions in the places where they had been, and even those turned into very healthy looking, lightly coloured scars.

With Dr. Wang's professional vision and a day of observation, the colour of these two scars was still in the process of gradually fading, and it was estimated that they would disappear without a trace in the end.

"It's incredible, everything is really growing well, even the bones are growing back, right under my eyes, just like a dream…" Dr. Wang muttered to himself secretly.

When Lu Chong woke up, Dr. Wang's spirit relaxed, and some muttering was not enough to express his shock.

Lu Chong was much calmer than him, but the shock in his heart was no less than Dr. Wang's.

He picked up the mirror and looked at the top of his head, then unwrapped the gauze from his throat, where the tracheal tube had been removed twenty minutes ago. Yet the opening there was already tentatively healing. This kind of regenerative power no human being could ever possess, nor could he.

He was silent for a long time.

"Sir, many people have arrived from Beijing and are waiting outside, should I tell them you are awake? And it's no secret that you were not well before. A few even came in earlier to take a look. Now you're suddenly so much better, how do I explain that?" Dr. Wang asked.

"Let's leave all that for now." Lu Chong put down the mirror. After understanding the beginning and end of the matter, he only wanted to see Luo Wencheng now.

Who the hell was he? Was he the same person back then or not?

Back then, that person appeared out of thin air and disappeared the same way. And the current Luo Wencheng who could bring him back to life almost from the dead was just as mysterious and hard to explain by common sense. Coupled with the coincidences and clues he had thought of before, Lu Chong was almost certain that they were the same person.

But if he was the same person, why hadn't he appeared for so many years? And why had he never mentioned anything about the past when he did appear? Had he forgotten? Why did he forget? The age didn't match up either, a whole ten years difference, was it as he guessed?…

No, as long as it was him, nothing else mattered.

As long as it was him!

The more Lu Chong thought about it, the more agitated he became. Zhou Yishan had not yet brought Luo Wencheng, but Lu Chong could not wait any longer, stood up and went outside.

He was in an extremely anxious mood, and at the same time he couldn't help but glow with happiness. His footsteps were almost breezy, and his former calmness and forbearance almost completely disappeared at this moment.

Dr. Wang hurriedly followed, "Sir, it's not a good idea for you to go out now, there are so many people outside." What's the difference between you going out like this and the walking dead?

Lu Chong suddenly stopped: "Hat."

"What?"

Lu Chong turned back to get a hat; his bald head was too ugly.

Dr. Wang almost collapsed; was this the time to be concerned about your appearance?

Okay, after all, it was understandable; Master was anxious to see his sweetheart after coming back from the dead.

Dr. Wang was so infected by Lu Chong's eager and brisk pace that his mood improved, "Ahhh, it's good to be young! It's good to be alive! It's good to be in love!"

Master came alive, and he also came alive with him, and the whole sky was bright.

But when Lu Chong was about to open the electronic door, he suddenly stopped.

There was a line of men guarding the door of the intensive care unit, expressionlessly blocking the people outside who seemed to be simply about to explode with anger and go crazy.

"Zhou Shisan, is he mad? Driving out all the doctors and nurses since yesterday, not letting anyone in. And now no one knows how Master is doing."

"From the way they act, I suspect that this incident was simply directed by them."

"I don't know if it was directed by them or not, but they won't let us in and they're letting that little white boy (meaning 'pretty boy') come and go! If it's okay, I'll chop off my head!"

"Is it for making a will? Look at that bawdy stance of Zhou Shisan."

"The problem is that he is not a woman. If he were a woman, he could have coaxed Master to leave a son or a daughter, or get married, there are ways to do it. But a man…"

"What's wrong with a man? As long as Master is willing to leave him his things, even if he is a demon, it's okay! Don't forget that Master has never set foot outside Beijing for so many years, and suddenly came to this Haining for a whole year, just for that little white boy."

"Shit, we've followed Master to life and death, and we're still no match for a pet that came out of nowhere?"

"Don't worry, my men will be here soon. They won't be able to cover the sky with their palm any longer. I'll be the first one to make that little white boy suffer!"

These were the noises made by the young and vigorous, in addition to a few mutterings from the old ones.

"Did Zhou Shisan go for that little white boy again?"

"Don't be so nosy. Lao Jiu takes that person very seriously."

"Even if he does, it's just a pastime. So he went out with him alone and look what happened!"

"I heard that it was because he wanted Lao Jiu to drive for him personally, otherwise with Lao Jiu's vigilance, even if there was no one following him, he wouldn't be that easy to get into trouble."

"I heard that he also ruined his own family. Unfaithful and unfilial thing, Lao Jiu is really confused, giving him everything."

"Did you notice that ruthless look of his in that fight with Ling Su yesterday? What a wolf cub!"

"If he really gets his hands on some will, isn't the Lu family going to raise a stink? No matter what happens, this scourge must be taken care of, and Zhou Shisan must be dealt with as well."

"Wait a little longer, wait for our people to arrive. When the time comes, we'll directly take Lao Jiu back to Beijing. Whether he's dead or alive, he'll stay in the old house. What about that Haining? We have to dispatch too many people to take care of it, we can't afford it."

There were twenty to thirty people outside, and apart from a small group of people who were still stable, the rest of them joined in the formulation of various "counterattack plans".

Because Zhou Yishan had driven away all the doctors and nurses yesterday and refused to let any of them in, some people couldn't help but suspect that Lu Chong was already dead inside, so they had barged in, quarrelling. None of them were good-natured people. Some drew their guns and some drew their knives. The scene was very ugly.

Although Lu Chong was later proved to be alive, everyone was left with a feeling of uncertainty in their hearts, and they had no trust in Zhou Yishan, who forcibly took away their weapons and brought some men to guard the entrance to the ICU.

Zhou Yishan knew they only had to wait a day or three, by which time Lu Chong would start to recover, and he was not afraid to take extreme measures when he saw hope. But these people didn't know, and they were all furious.

After everyone was waiting for a day in such a suffocating and anxious mood, Zhou Yishan finally came out and actually ordered to bring Luo Wencheng. The dissatisfaction in everyone's heart naturally broke out, and Luo Wencheng, who was the trigger, became the focus of their anger.

To say that they had any bad intentions wouldn't be true. Except for a few, most of them were loyal and at most a little selfish, but the bad thing was that when these words reached Lu Chong's ears, they were so harsh and heart-piercing that his inverse scale was touched.

The electronic door suddenly opened with a click. The crowd stopped talking and looked over, and then their eyes widened. Because the man they had come here to wait for, the man they thought should be lying half dead in bed, was now standing at the door, looking at them with a grim face.

Although they didn't mention it, they all actually had a number in their hearts about Lu Chong's condition, otherwise they wouldn't have been in such an agitated mood. As a result, this person they thought was dying suddenly appeared in front of them in good health, and although he was wearing a weird hat, he was definitely a real person. That physique, that look in his eyes couldn't be any better.

Before they could experience the shock, surprise, joy and many other emotions, a chill ran down their backs. Those who were glanced at by Lu Chong one by one froze in place.

Lu Chong unhurriedly walked out and looked at these people, "You guys, you're good."

He spoke slowly, but in this slowness countless small knives seemed to be wrapped, trying to cut off a person's flesh, full with a gut-wrenching coldness.

"Sir, sir…" Someone couldn't help but speak up.

Lu Chong looked at them icily. He had no time to bother with them now: "Don't you want to go in? Go in."

Dr. Wang hurriedly stepped aside and opened the door of the intensive care unit. The door was open, as if it was a prison cell.

When someone still tried to speak, Lu Chong gave him a look that made the man cower and silently scuffle against the wall. The man who had been shouting the most fiercely just now was wilted like a quail.

At that moment, Zhou Yishan came running, "Sir, you've come out?"

"Where's Wencheng?" Lu Chong immediately shifted his attention.

"Sir, that, we can't find him."

Lu Chong's face changed: "What do you mean you can't find him? Where can't you find him?"

"Right in front of the hospital." Zhou Yishan handed over a mobile phone. "This was found in the lawn in front of the hospital. Take a look at this video."

Lu Chong walked aside and turned the video on. Luo Wencheng's face appeared on the screen.

He was sitting in the car and holding up his phone to record it. The sun was shining. His expression was light, and his tone was casual and calm: "Lu Chong, when you see this video, I should have already left. I have other things to do, don't look for me, I won't come back. Just wait for the person you want to wait for. By the way, don't blame Zhou Qian, I was the one who deliberately distracted him. That's all."

The twenty-second video ended here, and it took Lu Chong a moment to understand what was being expressed in it.

He had left? How could he leave?

"The video was recorded an hour ago, he must not have gone far, go and find him!" If he had been angry a moment ago, now he was only panicked and anxious.

He immediately stepped into the elevator and said to those who wanted to follow him, "None of you are allowed to leave without my order!" At a time like this, how could he possibly let these people who were so hostile to Luo Wencheng out?

Zhou Yishan didn't bother gloating and said as they went downstairs, "He didn't go into the hospital. We've searched all around the hospital, but we can't find him. However, he left by car, so he can't hide from the surveillance on the road, it should be easy to find him."

But as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they got the news that Luo Wencheng had abandoned his car halfway. The car had been found but no one was there.

Lu Chong immediately rushed to the place where the car was parked, which was only a kilometre away from the hospital. When asked, the people in the neighbourhood said that they had indeed seen an outstanding looking young man who got out of the car more than forty minutes ago, and they wondered why such a nice car was just left there for so long.

"Which way did he go?" Lu Chong asked.

"Seems to be east?" Someone said uncertainly.

"He went east and turned right at the intersection. At that time, I was going to buy candy for my grandson. I walked all the way with the young man. I was very impressed, so I looked back and muttered to my wife, such a good-looking young man, why is he sneaking around?" An old man said.

"What do you mean sneaking around?"

"It's just that he seemed to be stealthily following someone, always staring forward for some reason."

Lu Chong's mind spinned. While sending someone to take down the surveillance videos of several surrounding shops, he sent other people to follow up along the said road.

At this time, the surveillance of the car along the way was also obtained. When all the videos were combined, it was certain that Luo Wencheng was indeed following a person, a man in his thirties who was wearing an ordinary suit and looked like an ordinary white-collar worker. The appearance was also very ordinary.

"Check who this man is."

There were no major roads around here, and the surveillance cameras were very limited, so Lu Chong dispersed the manpower he could mobilise, and almost all the nearby streets were filled with people searching. The crowd tactic was still very effective, and two hours later the underground passage was found.

By now it was already dark and the underground passage was almost empty, with only a few dim lights on and a few homeless people inside.

Lu Chong brought his men down with high-power flashlights, illuminating the underground passage so brightly that the homeless people were frightened.

Lu Chong waved his hand, and someone immediately went to question the homeless.

Lu Chong himself carried a flashlight and searched up and down the passage. The smell here was not good and it was messy, but he had a keen sense of smell, and especially after waking up this time, he was more sensitive than before – and the same was true about his sense of hearing, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to hear so many conversations through a thick electronic door a short while ago.

As soon as he came down he smelled the faint and still quite fresh smell of blood and an indefinable but odd odour.

Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks.

There was blood on the ground, a small amount that had dried and turned brown. He scanned it with a flashlight, and he could basically judge what kind of fight had happened here and what the situation was at that time.

"Two men… blood is new, no more than half a day… this shoe print, adult male, size 40…"

Luo Wencheng wore size 40 shoes.

Lu Chong squatted down and touched the half of the bloody shoe print on the ground. His heart was beating fast and heavy. He felt he was close to the answer, but had a strong feeling that it was not the answer he wanted.

Zhou Yishan came over and took a look at the ground, then at Lu Chong's face, and said quietly, "I'll go ahead and check."

"Sir." The man over there who was questioning the homeless people suddenly shouted, "There might be a clue here."

Lu Chong immediately walked over.

The man said, "When asked about these two, this child's expression was a little dodgy. He might know something, but he won't say anything."

It was a lame homeless man with a dirty child in his arms. The child was probably only three or four years old, skinny and burrowing straight into the homeless man's arms.

Lu Chong was anxious but still restrained himself and told someone to go and buy some food, then said to the homeless man, "Tell him that if he gives me the information I want, I will let you live in a big house, feed and clothe you both and send him to school."

The homeless man's eyes widened and he pulled the child in his arms and whispered something in a dialect that Lu Chong did not understand.

The child was less resistant, and under the temptation of food, he stumblingly expressed something in very incomprehensible Mandarin and various body movements.

It turned out that when the homeless man went out to beg in the afternoon, the child was hidden by him in a pile of cardboard boxes in the corner of the passage to sleep. The child was sensitive and woke up as soon as someone came in, but did not dare to come out and peeked without moving.

What he expressed, coupled with Lu Chong's own understanding, was that two people came in. The one behind pressed down the one in front and beat him, but suddenly fell down while clutching his heart. The other took the opportunity to pick up the knife, but the child didn't know if he stabbed him or not. Anyway, the other man stood for a while and made a phone call. It didn't take long for two more people to come and take away the one who fell down.

If there was Luo Wencheng among those two, it could only have been the one who came behind, but as far as Lu Chong knew, Luo Wencheng didn't have a heart condition.

"Young Master Luo had a heart disorder once after he woke up." A voice suddenly said. Lu Chong looked over; it was Zhou Qian. Lu Chong's face immediately distorted when he saw him, but thinking of what Luo Wencheng had specifically explained in the video, he didn't say anything in the end.

"When was that?"

"It was yesterday afternoon, Young Master Luo even asked me the time, it was 2:40, and the strange thing is that he seemed to understand something after hearing the time. Manager Liu was also present." Zhou Qian said, handing over with both hands an object he had just found in the corner, "This button should be from the sleeve of Young Master Luo's windbreaker."

Lu Chong's face changed as he took the button. Zhou Qian continued, "I just bought the clothes the day before yesterday, so I have a bit of an impression. If I take the button to the shop and compare it, I should get a more accurate result."

Luo Wencheng was fond of wearing dark green windbreakers; this button was dark green, and the workmanship was excellent. The windbreaker was a new summer style, mainly for sun protection. Everything from the fabric to the button material was special, plus the price was high. Not too many people should buy it, so it was easy to go to the shop to check.

Lu Chong clutched this button in his palm. His face was dark and the atmosphere was so stagnant that it was suffocating.

Zhou Yishan ran over, "Sir, there are a few drops of blood on the ground over there at the exit, but nothing else was found."

"How can there be nothing found when he was taken away from there?" Lu Chong was already on the verge of an outburst, "Where are the footprints? What about wheel marks?"

"The concrete ground, it's hard to get any clues. It is a small road at the exit and there is no surveillance. There is an abandoned shopping mall in the surrounding area, I'm afraid it's also hard to find witnesses." Zhou Yishan's voice got lower and lower, "If coming here wasn't a coincidence, then I'm afraid that the person who led the way had a plan."

This place was too suitable for killing people and destroying corpses and evidence.

In a bustling city like Haining, there weren't many places like this, except for the area in Beicheng. That man was obviously very familiar with Haining.

Lu Chong reached out and braced himself against the wall, breathing heavily.

Then he took out his mobile phone and dialled a few numbers.

Zhou Yishan listened in silence, his heart skipping a beat.

Blocking all highway intersections in Haining, stopping all flights and trains, no one with vehicles allowed to leave Haining, all departments in Haining cooperating with the action, and even a wanted notice…

One document after another was coming down, and they were coming directly from the north at the highest level. Tonight, and even longer in the future, the city of Haining would be completely in the hands of Lu Chong.

The consequences of such a big move, however, were also very serious. Lu Chong was powerful, but not to the point where his palm could cover the sky.

But Zhou Yishan didn't say anything.

After Lu Chong finished his phone calls, he only said two words to him, "Go ahead."

"Understood!" Zhou Yishan left quickly, and after he left, Liu Weizhi finally arrived, bringing with him a team of experts to investigate the scene.

"Sir."

Lu Chong waved his hand, and those people immediately spread out and got busy.

This night, there was a vicious fugitive on the loose in Haining. All routes out of Haining were blocked, the whole city was under martial law, even small local fishing boats were not allowed to go out to sea. A thorough investigation was carried out almost everywhere both by the men in regular clothes and the uniformed men.

People were terrified, and there were not enough words to describe the chaos of this night.

However, when the sun rose again, there was still no valuable clue.

The only useful information was that among the bloodstains in the underground passage, there was indeed Luo Wencheng's blood. The identity of another man was also found out, a doctor who had studied abroad and returned to Haining only a month ago, with a clean background and an innocent identity, no relatives or friends; and now his whereabouts were unknown.

Lu Chong immediately sent someone to investigate this man.

There was another clue, that is, the homeless child. Lu Chong asked to bring him and had a special person talk to him. The child finally revealed something more detailed again, including a name that Luo Wencheng had asked the man about. He asked where Fang Bude was.

It was not known how Fang Bude was spelled, nor was it known whether it was a person or a thing, a man or a woman, so it was almost impossible to start.

Lu Chong sat in his study, rubbing his forehead feebly.

He had been so excited and happy to go to see that person, thinking he was about to be welcomed to the fulfilment of his dream of more than ten years. So why did it become like this?

He picked up the phone on his desk and turned on the video again, the video he had watched countless times overnight. He remembered every word in it, every look in the eyes of the young man clearly.

"Why did you leave? Where the hell are you? Are you okay?" He muttered, his mind filled with a manic wish to destroy everything and a kind of hysterical frustration.

He wanted to shout, to hiss, to rage, but in the end it all dissolved into a deep sense of helplessness, of powerlessness.

"Sir." Lao Ding walked in, "What are you going to do with those people in the hospital? Ling Su, what are you going to do with him?"

Lu Chong didn't respond, propping up his head and not moving.

Lao Ding continued, "It's been two days since they arrived here, and half of the people in charge in the capital are missing. You have made such a big move this time. If you don't let them go back, the capital will be turned upside down."

Lu Chong raised his eyes and looked at Lao Ding for a long time.

Lao Ding continued, "Wencheng's whereabouts are unknown. He is still waiting for you to find and save him. At this time the rear must not be in chaos."

Lu Chong's eyes turned cold, and then he smiled: "Very good, very good, okay, call them over. And," Lu Chong stopped Lao Ding and added, "call Liu Weizhi over too."

Those who had been obediently locked up in the intensive care unit finally managed to get out, and within half an hour they quickly gathered in Lu Chong's study.

The room was full of people huddling together.

The atmosphere was grim.

Lu Chong looked at them, the old men, the young men and the so-called elders.

There were some faces that were not pleasing in the past, such as those in the Lu family who relied on the old to sell the old, who were always trying to control him or take advantage of him, such as the men left behind by his father who thought that their seniority was giving them the right to get higher and higher.

In the past he used to be calm because he didn't care, but now, he couldn't even look at these people.

And some of the faces that he had once found likeable were at the moment very annoying to look at.

"You," he pointed at Ling Su; he didn't actually remember the name of this young man, but he had the impression he was straightforward and bloodthirsty, and just about had his die-hard loyalty written on his face, "threatened to kill him."

The smile on Ling Su's face disappeared in a flash, his face turning pale with misery.

"You," Lu Chong pointed at Liu Weizhi, "monitored and controlled him."

Liu Weizhi lowered his head.

"You, all of you, said contemptuous insults, condescending and disdainful!"

Luo Wencheng wanted to come and see him, to save him, and he actually had to beg for it.

He was clearly right in front of the hospital, yet he told Zhou Qian that it was inappropriate for him to come in and that it would cause a conflict.

There might really have been other reasons for his departure, but was there this layer to it as well? Was the alienation and coldness emanating from him in the video partly a result of this?

As long as Lu Chong thought about Luo Wencheng being excluded from his own circle and subjected to cold treatment, he wanted to kill these people!

"The person I hold in the palm of my hand," Lu Chong said word by word, suddenly sweeping everything on the table to the floor, "is despised by you like that!"

---

Chapter 65

yun1yun yun1yun

3 months ago

Things fell to the ground with a crash.

No one dared to pick them up. Those who were hit didn't dare to say a word, did not move. The study was so quiet that only the sound of everyone's suppressed breathing could be heard.

At this moment, Lu Chong was like a ferocious beast that was ready to devour people, and no one knew who he would grab and tear apart next.

After a long time, Lu Chong closed his eyes and finally suppressed his anger, continuing: "My personal matters are not your business, and it is not your turn to interfere. I will not treat you badly if you do your own work, but if anyone messes with my people, don't blame me for being rude."

He said coldly and loudly, "Remember, this is a warning!"

Everyone nodded.

"Go back to where you came from, do what you have to do, don't say anything you shouldn't. Ling Su stays."

Ling Su was just about to take a step when he heard these words and his face turned white. He had always wanted to be able to work beside Master, just like Liu Weizhi and Zhou Yishan, but he was too inexperienced to be qualified for that. Now, it seemed that the opportunity had finally come, but he didn't feel a trace of excitement and joy.

Lu Chong stared at Ling Su, looking at him for a while before saying, "You go to the house next door. You're not allowed to set foot outside the house without my permission."

From the information he got, this Ling Su was the most hostile to Wencheng. Although that was because he felt that Wencheng had harmed him and now that he was well, this hostility should've been eliminated, Lu Chong was still unsure about Ling Su. He had to monitor him for a while.

Ling Su muttered "yes" with a white face.

Everyone went out. Lu Chong turned in his chair and closed his eyes wearily in front of the large glass window. After a while, he said to himself: "Actually, there is one thing I said wrong. I didn't hold him in the palm of my hand. I made him sad again and again. In fact, the person who hurt him the most was me, right, Ribs?"

Saying that name, Lu Chong froze for a moment and looked around his feet; there was no sign of the big cat. Yes, the big cat was gone, buried with his own hands three days ago.

And now, once again, the cat's owner was nowhere to be found.

Ding. Ding.

An old hanging clock in the study chimed twice. It was two o'clock in the afternoon.

Forty minutes to go.

Lu Chong felt that 2:40 must have some meaning. The closer he got to that time, the more panicked he felt, as if something very terrible was happening, not to him, but to Luo Wencheng. However, he could only watch time approaching minute by minute and couldn't do anything.

In one of the counties under Haining, at the maternal and child health centre of the county hospital, because of the martial law all over the city and the need to undergo strict checks when travelling, there were especially few people today, and the nurses were chatting, somewhat bored.

A middle-aged man with a gentle and elegant appearance walked in, and the triage desk nurse stood up, "Aren't you resting today, Director Li?"

"It's boring to stay at home. How many women are giving birth today?"

"Just two."

"Okay, I'll go and have a look." Director Li said with a smile and walked to his lounge.

He was the most well-known doctor at the maternal and child health centre, who also served as the hospital's vice president; but he had placed his lounge next to the delivery room, so that he could get there in time if an accident occurred.

After he swiped his card and entered, he locked the door, closed the curtains, pushed the sofa for resting out of the way, and surprisingly there was a small side door behind it. When this door was opened, there were stairs leading downwards. The more you went down, the brighter the light was. Below it turned out to be a small laboratory-like space.

No one would have thought that such a place would exist underneath the maternity ward of the maternal and child health centre.

The laboratory was a bit rudimentary, with various instruments scattered everywhere. It was obviously put into use while it was still under construction. A white man in a white coat and a Chinese man were doing something on the computer, and in a glass compartment in front of them, a person sat on a chair. His hands and feet were tied, and his head was inside a weird-looking large hood-like apparatus.

"Did Professor Delang have any luck?" Director Li asked as he walked over.

The old white man with messy blonde hair turned his head and said gleefully in English, "Excellent, this subject is fantastic, he is very sensitive to my medicine and the results are great!"

"Is that the drug that works on the human brain?"

"Yes, you know the human brain is very complex. To control someone, you know, we usually use hypnosis or something like that, but there are very few advanced hypnotists and the effects of hypnosis are often uncertain depending on the subject.

"But if we can completely erase a person's sense of self and turn him into a blank sheet of paper, then it's a very easy thing to scribble on that blank sheet."

Professor Delang literally danced while saying, "And this subject, you know? After I gave him my medicine, all his emotions were gone, happiness, sadness, pain, grief, all of them were gone! There was only one left, and that was anger. It was as if he had become a robot, any stimulus, verbal, written, patterns, moving pictures, none of them could make his brain react, except for the ones related to anger. It's fantastic!"

Director Li let out a glib, exaggerated "oh". "Is that so? It's the drug that you gave to dozens of people, only to turn them into idiots? Weren't you about to give up on it?"

Professor Delang's wrinkled face showed a hint of displeasure, but then he quickly smiled, "Yes, it's that medicine, but this time it's different, this time it will work!"

Director Li also smiled. This Professor Delang was a scumbag. He had a genius brain and invented all kinds of drugs. Most of those drugs had magical effects, but at the same time also had great side effects and needed to be repeatedly experimented and screened before they could be put into use.

The first experiments were done on animals, but the results were so different from those on humans that the old man thought it would be too much of a waste of time and his precious efforts and proposed to do experiments directly on humans. Over the years, his laboratories were set up in those grey areas abroad where people could be given a loaf of bread to volunteer, or easily coaxed into becoming subjects, and no one would care if there was one more or one less of them.

The experimental subjects that passed through Professor Delang's hands basically had no good end. Those who died on the spot were lucky, and those who were half-dead suffered the most. Some even had to be tortured for years before they could die.

But what did it matter? The effects of the medicine that Professor Delang was developing dictated that there was a golden master willing to provide him with the conditions for such acts.

As a rule, Professor Delang wouldn't have dared to come to China to do such a thing. But the proportion of Asian people among his experimental subjects was too small, especially the proportion of Chinese people, and Professor Delang frantically wanted such subjects.

The golden master behind him, that is, the boss of the boss behind Director Li, either couldn't do anything about it or also agreed with this idea, and sent Professor Delang to China this time under some official name, mainly to examine whether such a laboratory could be set up in China.

Director Li's laboratory here had been prepared a few years ago for this day.

But Director Li never expected that they would be so bold as to catch a person only a few days after arriving in Haining, and it would be the person who could turn the whole city upside down.

Director Li's face was a little gloomy, but he had to listen to his boss to cooperate with Professor Delang. They were now in the same boat.

Director Li looked at the man in the glass cubicle who was receiving all sorts of stimuli through the apparatus on his head. Although he couldn't see the man's face, he could also tell from his body and his hands tied to the armrests that this was someone with excellent external conditions. Director Li couldn't help but get a bit of a headache thinking about the fact that the city was boiling because of this man.

He asked Professor Delang what he was going to do next. Would he just keep experimenting?

"Yes, keep keep giving him the medicine and with the various stimuli, I will eliminate his last emotion, anger, as well and turn him into someone who is incapable of reacting emotionally or behaviourally to any stimulus. Then I will hypnotise him, and at that point, he will be the most obedient tool." Professor Delang said smugly. "He'll do whatever I want him to do. Just imprint on his mind that he has to obey orders absolutely, and that's it."

Director Li asked, "Is his memory still there?"

"Of course it's there. I haven't erased his past, I haven't erased his identity, from the outside he's still the same person he was before. But inside, in his mind he will become my complete slave. That's what's most perfect, isn't it?"

Director Li frowned, "His background is not simple, and the man behind him is not someone we can mess with."

Professor Delang said excitedly, "Wouldn't that be even better? This person is well educated, looks good, has a shrewd mind, a clean identity and a powerful background at the same time. These are the unique values he carries as a person, wouldn't it be a shame to erase them?"

"Are you sure he won't remember what you've done to him?" Director Li still sounded uncertain when he heard it. Just like that? Would it really be possible to catch someone and brainwash and transform him, to make him completely obedient and retain his memories and identity at the same time, and then release him as a manipulated puppet with his original identity? Could it really be done unnoticed and hidden from the world?

Professor Delang smiled broadly and said, "So this experiment is really perfect. I've succeeded halfway in less than a day. As long as I find a good hypnotist, don't worry, there will be no problem. Are the Chinese really a bit special?"

Professor Delang's gaze swept over Director Li greedily, and Director Li smiled and let him size him up.

He knew the old bastard wouldn't dare touch him. He had just arrived in Haining, and Director Li was the only person in the city who could cover up for him and help him. Without him Professor Delang and his assistant wouldn't last a single day in Haining.

Director Li glanced at the man working on the computer.

"Zhang Qingsong, the whole city is looking for you now."

Zhang Qingsong was the man Luo Wencheng had been following. He had a very upright and spirited name (qingsong – pine tree), but his whole personality was ordinary and had no characteristics. Hearing Director Li's words, he turned around and smiled, revealing a bruised and swollen face, "It's alright as long as I don't go out. So I'll still have to trouble you more in the future, Director Li. Just provide us with food and water and that will be enough, we already have all the equipment and medicine here."

Director Li snorted softly, and at this moment, the young man who had been sitting there quietly suddenly moved. He struggled frantically in the chair, but he couldn't move because he was tied up. His upper body bent and twisted, and a harsh scream came out of his mouth, as if he was suffering from great pain.

All three of them were taken aback. Professor Delang immediately asked Zhang Qingsong what he had done. Zhang Qingsong hurriedly said, "I didn't do anything!"

Professor Delang rushed over and removed the apparatus, revealing the pale, sweaty, handsome face of the young man. His head was tilting to one side, his neck hanging weakly. His lips were blue and purple, his eyes closed and motionless.

Professor Delang checked his pulse and breath and jumped to his feet: "Dead! How can that be? How can he be dead?"

Director Li was relieved instead. The man was big trouble, it was better if he died. He let out a laugh, "This isn't the first subject to die under your hands anyway, no need to get so excited."

"Anyone can die, but not him! The experiment is halfway done, where am I going to find a more suitable subject if he dies!"

If he couldn't find a subject, his project on the human brain would definitely be aborted; in fact, it was already a semi-aborted project that had been shelved for years, so the excitement in Professor Delang's heart at having found this subject was indescribable.

But how could this person suddenly die when he had been so careful?

Zhang Qingsong suddenly remembered something: "When I fought with him yesterday, he almost killed me, but suddenly seemed to have a heart attack, so I used the opportunity."

"You stupid bastard, why didn't you say so earlier!" Professor Delang yelled, "No, he can't die, bring me that medicine."

"Professor, do you want to use that thing?" Zhang Qingsong said in shock.

"Go quickly!" Professor Delang scolded and turned to Director Li, "Prepare the surgery room!"

Director Li frowned, "He's already dead." And this was a maternal and child health centre, right next to a county hospital, it was simply not equipped to perform such a life-saving operation.

"The heart that stopped is not the same as being dead! If it's not ready in five minutes, he'll really be dead!"

As he said this, Professor Delang tore off the shackles on the young man, moved him to the floor and started cardiac compression, yelling at Director Li, "Go! Do you know how much benefit this project will bring to the boss if it is successful? If this experiment is abandoned, I will put all the blame on you!"

Director Li frowned tightly and looked at the blonde old man gloomily. Although he hated this threat very much, he had to admit that he was afraid.

In the eyes of those who were high and mighty, if someone got in their way and made them unhappy, they would make others unhappy in turn. He didn't want to be the scapegoat when the time came.

He raised his hand to look at his watch, "It's 14:40. Within five minutes I'll have everything ready, but if this man still dies, then it's not my fault."

Luo Wencheng's mind was muddled. He remembered following the man to the underground passage and then fainting because his heart suddenly failed. But it wasn't like he was completely unconscious; he could hear that the man had called someone to transport him to another place.

They fed him some kind of drug, tied him to a chair, put a lot of patches on his head and then put a helmet-like thing on him. They seemed to be using this thing to stimulate his brain and said they were going to use him for some kind of experiment.

Luo Wencheng then realised vaguely that he must have been taken to Fang Bude's lair.

He was angry and unwilling, but there was nothing he could do; he had no control over his own body. It was as if he was trapped in a small place, unable to see anything or make any sound. After some silent hissing and cursing, he was tired and calmed down, waiting to see what that madman Fang Bude would do to him this time.

But he had no fear in his heart. He was dying anyway, what was there to fear?

He waited for a long, long time for any movement. He couldn't control his body, but he still felt it. He knew he was tied to a chair and he kept sitting there, as if forgotten. He wondered what it was all about.

Time passed minute by minute. He didn't know how long it took when a sharp pain enveloped his heart as if it was squeezed, and he was finally able to scream out in agony. The terrible pain lasted for more than ten seconds, and after it finally stopped, Luo Wencheng could no longer feel his body. He knew he was probably dead.

Fang Bude had gone to a lot of trouble to get him here, but he had died before he could start experimenting. It probably made Fang Bude vomit blood. It was a little comforting to think of it this way.

After a while, Luo Wencheng realised that nothing had changed about him. He still seemed trapped in some unknown place, he could not see, hear, speak or feel anything, but he did not dissipate either. Was this how one felt after death?

He wondered about it as time seemed to pass, a long, long time, and finally, another cheer reached his ears, "Alive! He's alive!"

Luo Wencheng was amazed. He was alive? How could that be?

But he did hear the sound and felt his body that was so weak and heavy that he couldn't move a finger.

Someone parted his eyelids and shone a blinding light into his pupils, and he blinked uncomfortably, whereupon the delighted voice in his ears became even more delighted.

Blinking weakly, Luo Wencheng vaguely saw two lamps above him and not far away from him were several people who were talking animatedly. He recognised two of them; one was the man he had followed all the way and almost killed, and the other, with a messy head of blonde hair, was, needless to say, Fang Bude.

Luo Wencheng had only one thought, to lunge forward and kill the man, but he couldn't move. The heaviness and drowsiness came over him like a tidal wave; he struggled a little and was forced into a dazed sleep.

This time, after falling asleep, he came to a place that was different from the invisible and untouchable place before. This time the space was filled with a glowing blue light, very soft.

As if floating in the air, Luo Wencheng looked around and saw a bright screen in front of him, from which the dazzling blue light in this space was coming.

"Hello, target." A cold electronic voice suddenly said.

This voice was familiar to Luo Wencheng. It was the same voice that had him reborn and helped him save Lu Chong.

"It's you, you're the voice? Where is this place? Why am I still alive?" Luo Wencheng inquired. Although he asked questions, neither his tone nor his heart had much sense of curiosity. It was not the effect of the unknown drug, but the fact that he had lost his normal human emotions since he woke up after the car crash.

Hope was something that might seem ethereal, but after a person completely lost hope, he would become misanthropic and apathetic, and nothing would interest him anymore. For Luo Wencheng, the only thing left was really only the negative emotion like anger.

"Hello, target. I am the system that changed your fate for you. You can call me System. You are dead, but because of my existence you have three chances to be resurrected. This is the third time. If you die again, this time it will be complete death, so please, target, cherish this life."

"The third time? Isn't it the second time?" Luo Wencheng asked.

"That's because I once sealed a piece of your memory according to the rules, and now I can return it to you."

After this voice said these words, Luo Wencheng felt a powerful suction. The scene changed and he appeared in a room. The room seemed somewhat familiar; he looked at it for a moment before he realised that it was the room he used to live in in the Luo family's house.

With a click, the door was opened from the outside and a teenager walked in, flung himself onto the bed and began to sigh.

Luo Wencheng's eyes widened as he recognised who this person was. Wasn't it himself? It was himself who was many years younger.

"Hey, it's so annoying, I'm not allowed to go here and there, what's so interesting about Haining alone?" The teenager grumbled sullenly as he flopped down on the bed.

Luo Wencheng recalled for a while, then looked at the layout of the room again, and remembered that this should be the time when he was fifteen years old.

Back then, he especially wanted to leave Haining to play somewhere else, but neither Luo Kaifang nor Luo Wenhao allowed it.

The two of them never allowed him to leave Haining. He could play as crazy as he wanted in Haining, but they just wouldn't let him leave the city. They said that if he left Haining, they wouldn't be able to take care of him if he got into trouble, and that Haining was the only safe place.

While understanding their intentions, Luo Wencheng was very depressed and bored, so he, Zhao Jiandong and others spent time eating, drinking and having as much fun as they could.

"Hello." Suddenly a cold electronic voice rang out in the room. Luo Wencheng was startled. His younger self on the bed was also startled, saying in a slightly childish voice, "Who is talking?"

"Hello, I'm here to change your fate. I don't have a name, you can call me System."

"Change my fate? System?" The young Luo Wencheng rolled over and sat up, looked left and right, then began to look all over the room, muttering as he did so, "Could it be that Dad and Big Brother see that I'm too bored and play pranks on me?"

The cold voice said, "No need to look, you won't find me, I have no entity."

The teenage Luo Wencheng pricked up his ears and listened, finding the voice was really three-dimensional and didn't seem to be coming from any direction. But he still searched the room and found nothing before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you really not made by Dad or Big Brother? What the hell are you?" The teenager, unafraid of anything, didn't show much fear when such an inexplicable voice suddenly appeared inside the room; what he felt was novelty.

"I am here to help you change your fate. You will go to prison at the age of eighteen, and after three years in prison, you will return to society, homeless and with no one to turn to. Suffering and cornered, you will eventually die a horrible death at the age of thirty-one," the voice said calmly.

"Nonsense." The teenage Luo Wencheng raised his eyebrows, "My family is the richest in Haining, my father and brother are the most powerful people in Haining, how could they let me go to prison and die tragically? Do you mean to say that the Luo family will collapse in the next three years?"

He didn't believe it for a second and once again felt that the voice must be a prank played by someone.

The voice didn't waver at the challenge, still calm and cold, "I can't provide too much information, but if you want to change your fate, you must believe me."

"Is that so? But for me to believe you, you have to come up with something to convince me, right? You just come out of nowhere and say that I will die a horrible death in the future, and you want me to believe you… that's not how you fool people." The teenage Luo Wencheng was completely unconvinced by the voice. He leaned against his desk, holding a headphone cord in his hand, spinning it around in a leisurely manner.

The voice fell silent, and after a while said, "What would it take for you to believe me?"

The teenage Luo Wencheng thought for a moment, "If you are some kind of system, and you can predict my destiny and help me change it, then you must be very powerful, right? Do you have any special skills? For example, take me through time and space."

The voice fell silent again. "I have limited energy. I can only travel ten years to the past or to the future."

"Is it really possible? Ten years, let it be ten years, let's give it a try."

The voice then asked him if he wanted to go ten years to the past or ten years to the future. Luo Wencheng thought for a moment with a serious look on his face, "You have said that I will be miserable in the future, so what am I going to do ten years later? You can send me back to ten years ago."

"Sending you back is fine, but you have to promise two things."

"You say."

"First, you can't do anything to change the trajectory of your life, so it's best to stay away from the environment you lived in as a child. Second, you must not get hurt in the past, especially if it's a life-threatening injury. After crossing over, the most my remaining energy will be able to do is to save your life and send you back to the present. If you are really seriously injured and dying, I will only be able to enter a dormant state when my energy runs out after sending you back, and block all your memories about me."

The young Luo Wencheng smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I promise you, I promise all of it."

"Do you want to cross now?"

"Yes."

"The crossing is about to take place, please lie down on the bed. After you go back to the past, you can only stay for a maximum of three months. If you want to come back, you can come anytime. After you come back, it will still be the same time as now."

The teenage Luo Wencheng complied and lay down on the bed. He still thought it was a prank and wasn't nervous at all, wondering what kind of scene the other party had prepared for him from ten years ago.

The next moment, however, his entire body disappeared on the bed.

Luo Wencheng watched the empty bed, his face expressionless. He was sure there was no such memory in his mind. If this image was true and such an event had really happened when he was fifteen, then it could only prove that after crossing, he had done something that changed the trajectory of his life, or suffered a serious injury that was certain to kill him.

The next moment, things in front of him turned around once again, and he was outdoors at night, outside the Luo family's villa. Judging from all those old style iron gates, railings and street lights, he must have followed his younger self on a crossing, that is, back to when he was five years old.

"Oh my god!" There was a cry of surprise, and Luo Wencheng then saw his fifteen-year-old self standing behind the corner. He looked at everything in front of him in amazement, touching everything around, "Oh my god, I really came to ten years ago, you didn't lie to me?"

The voice said coldly, "Remember, don't do anything that could potentially change the trajectory of your life, and don't let yourself get hurt." Then there was no more sound.

Only the young Luo Wencheng was left standing alone. On a quiet night, on the quiet street, he was the only one. After staying for a while, he seemed to finally accept this fantasy-like fact.

He walked around the villa and wanted to go in and have a look, but was worried that he could accidentally change his life. This system seemed really powerful, so if it said he would be miserable and down on his luck all the way to his death after he turned eighteen, then it should be true. He didn't want to live that way, didn't want to end up like that, so naturally he couldn't lose this system.

He walked most of the way around the villa, muttering to himself, and was about to leave when a suppressed cry suddenly came from a room on the first floor, followed by a woman's curse: "Crying again, I'll show you crying! You useless thing! You're not my son, get out of my sight!"

Then the sliding door of the balcony was opened and a woman came out holding a child by the ear, twisting his ear and shaking him back and forth. The child was pulled up and unsteady on his feet. Then the woman let go and pushed him so hard that he fell to the floor. She kicked him some more, went inside and poured a basin of water over him, then closed the door of the balcony: "Stay outside tonight."

The child whimpered, not daring to cry loudly, and hugged himself into a ball, shivering.

The teenager outside the villa, Luo Wencheng, watched in silence, for a while gritting his teeth and clenching his fists as he lowered his head and kept saying to himself, "Luo Wencheng, hold back, don't be impulsive. You can't go, you can't help him, you have to take your chance and change your fate when you get back."

And Luo Wencheng, who was floating in the air, looked with a cold face at the child on the balcony. That would be himself at the age of five, and the woman just now was He Mei, his mother, or his adoptive mother who had taken him away from his real parents.

He Mei died when he was over five, almost six years old. Before that, he had been abused by her day after day. He couldn't remember many details of it or how He Mei threatened him not to tell anyone about the abuse or he would be thrown out of the house.

He only vaguely remembered that he was very unhappy every day and always had many wounds on his body under his clothes. But he didn't dare to tell anyone and no one else in the Luo family found out about it.

At this moment, in the room next to the child, the door was opened, and a young man walked out and looked at the child curled up on the balcony through the opening in the carved wall, showing a mocking smile.

Luo Wenhao!

In an instant, Luo Wencheng understood everything. Yes, living in the same house, even in the next room, how could Luo Wenhao have never noticed that He Mei abused him? He was aware of it and took pleasure in it.

Even Luo Kaifang should have known, but Luo Kaifang only valued his eldest son from his original wife and despised his youngest son from his former mistress, so he would just pamper him superficially and not put in much thought.

Luo Wencheng looked at the travesty in front of him and thought of how he had been running after Luo Wenhao for over ten years, calling him Big Brother. He felt that he was really ridiculous.

The fifteen-year-old Luo Wencheng hadn't realised all this yet. He lowered his head for a while, rubbed his red eyes and turned away without looking up again. He wanted to save his five-year-old self, to give him courage, to shout at him to cheer up, but he couldn't do that, he had to leave.

Luo Wencheng followed slowly behind, looking at his downcast self in front of him.

At that time, Haining was not very lively yet. There were not many people on the road at night, and suddenly it was raining lightly. The teenage Luo Wencheng was in a bad mood and did not look at the road much, so he walked all the way to a slum area.

He didn't recognise where this was, but Luo Wencheng did. This was the edge of Beicheng. There were many poor people living in Beicheng back then, and the houses they rented were either those particularly shabby one-storey bungalows or shacks they had randomly built themselves. The conditions were miserable, hence it was called slums.

The young Luo Wencheng hesitantly turned his head, about to walk back. There were no street lights here, only dilapidated houses. The rain wetted the ground and it looked very dirty. It seemed that something unexpected would rush out of the shadows at any time.

Yet at that moment a furious scolding came from somewhere: "Running again, I'll show you running! Try to run one more time and I'll break both your legs!"

The scolding sounded so similar to He Mei's curses that the teenage Luo Wencheng hesitated for a moment and cautiously approached closer.

It was a small courtyard with three bungalows next to each other. From the one on the far right came the sound of punches and kicks and the man's cursing, but there was no crying or begging for mercy.

After a while, the door opened, and a strong man walked out carrying something like a rope, turned around and locked the door, then threw the thing in his hand on the ground, and walked into the house on the far left.

The young Luo Wencheng looked over the fence and saw that the object thrown on the ground was not a rope or a soft belt, but a hard steel whip made of many wires twisted together. It was stained with bright red blood, flowing down under the drizzling rain.

He covered his mouth at once and crouched there, not daring to move, until he was sure that the strong man was not coming out again after entering the house. Only then did he dare to stand up carefully.

He didn't know whether it was out of curiosity, or compassion, or simply because he was a newborn calf not afraid of the tiger, but instead of leaving, he wanted to see what kind of person was being abused in that shack on the far right.

Then he found a small window, moved a few stones to step on them and leaned over the edge of the window to look in. Luo Wencheng also drifted behind his younger self and looked in. Through the thin curtain of rain and by the faint moonlight, he could see that there was a person lying weakly on the ground, a teenager by the look of his figure.

Around fifteen or sixteen years old, his eyes were blindfolded, his mouth was gagged with a ball of rags, his hands were tied behind his back and his left leg was oddly twisted. His body was beaten bloody, and he lay on the ground motionless, almost as if he were dead, if not for the slight rise and fall of his chest.

Luo Wencheng choked; even though the light was dim, even though the distance was a little far, even though the man was blindfolded, he recognised at once that the man inside was Lu Chong.

Lu Chong in his teenage years.

---

Chapter 66

yun1yun yun1yun

3 months ago

Luo Wencheng was stunned. So, when he was fifteen years old, he travelled back to when he was five years old, and met Lu Chong at that time?

What kind of fate was this?

But why did Lu Chong never mention this matter?

While he was thinking about these things, it was like pressing the fast forward button. When he looked down again, his younger self had already crawled in through the small window and quietly untied the young Lu Chong who was lying on the ground.

Luo Wencheng was a little speechless. At the age of fifteen he had the audacity to crawl in and rescue a stranger without knowing what was going on and with the enemy nearby.

In fact, the teenage Luo Wencheng thought simply that the young man who was about his age must be the good guy, while that fierce and vicious man must be the bad guy. If he hadn't seen such a thing, it was fine, but now that he had, there was no reason to just walk away.

The fifteen-year-old Luo Wencheng was a good, righteous young man in his bones.

The rope tying Lu Chong's wrists was not a rope, but a thick steel wire, wrapped around so many times and so tightly twisted that it sank into the flesh, and Luo Wencheng used all his strength to unwrap it bit by bit.

While unwrapping it, he comforted, "Wait, I'll be done soon, were you caught by that man?"

The cloth blindfolding the young Lu Chong and the rag in his mouth had been removed. He whispered, "Thank you. I was tricked by my family. They want my life. Can you help me escape?"

Luo Wencheng, who had been abused by his "mother" as a child, immediately sympathised with this young man who had also been betrayed by his family: "Don't worry, I'm here to save you, we'll climb out through that window in a while."

He finally unwrapped the wire all the way, wiped the sweat from his forehead, helped the teenage Lu Chong up and asked him quietly, "Are you okay… hey, am I asking nonsense? Are you still able to walk?"

The teenage Lu Chong nodded; his blood-stained face could not be seen very clearly, but those eyes were as bright as the eyes of a lone wolf in the woods late at night.

Luo Wencheng suddenly looked at him, comparing his shoulders to his own. The other party's shoulders seemed to be wider. He had just crawled in through the window, squeezing hard, and the other party might not be able to climb out.

"You wait." He ran to the window and used the knife in his hand to scrape the wooden frame of the window, trying to make it bigger. Fortunately, he had a folding Swiss Army knife in his pocket that he had bought to look cool, otherwise he would have no tools at this moment.

The window was so high that it was almost at eye level, and while he hadn't felt it standing on the stones outside earlier, he was now exhausted just holding his hands up.

"I'll do it." The teenage Lu Chong dragged his broken left leg over and took the knife, holding the teenage Luo Wencheng's shoulder with one hand to stabilise his body. He had many scary deep and shallow wounds on both hands and arms, but with one stroke of the knife a large piece of the wooden window frame had been cut away.

Luo Wencheng whispered, "Wow, you're so strong."

Lu Chong dug the window wider and said to Luo Wencheng, "I'll send you out first."

Luo Wencheng instantly felt that this young man was completely different from those ungrateful bad guys on TV and that he had saved the right person. But he looked at the high window, then at the other man, who was about the same height as him, at his broken left leg, and said to him, "You can get out first. You are stronger than me, you can pull me out from outside. I am sure I can't pull you out."

He squatted down and patted himself on the shoulder, "Hurry up."

The young Lu Chong looked down at him, pursed his lips, grabbed the edge of the window with both hands and put his unbroken right leg onto his shoulder; then Luo Wencheng slowly stood up and pushed him towards the window.

Lu Chong used his hands and knees to crawl out with immense difficulty, making some noise as he rolled to the ground.

"What's the sound?" The words came from inside the shack on the far left. Lu Chong got up, stood up on the stones and said to Luo Wencheng inside, "Come out!"

Luo Wencheng grasped the edge of the window with both hands and propped himself up hard. Like a groundhog, he kept pushing up against the wall, but his arm strength was too weak. After he pushed his head out of the window, he no longer had the strength.

The young Lu Chong dragged him by both arms, pulling hard, and suddenly yanked him out of the high window. The two fell to the ground with a thump. Luo Wencheng pressed on Lu Chong. He didn't feel any pain, but the person he was pressing down on was almost smashed and his ribs were almost broken.

This time the commotion finally alerted the people in the house on the left, and three strong men ran out at once, one running to unlock the house on the right, the other alertly heading out into the courtyard. Luo Wencheng hastily pulled Lu Chong up and put his arm over his shoulder: "Run!"

The two of them didn't bother to hide their tracks and ran as fast as they could, with the burly man immediately chasing after them.

The alleyways in the slums were complicated. They took advantage of the terrain to escape for a short while. Seeing the distance between them and the pursuer getting closer and closer, Lu Chong suddenly said, "Give me the knife."

He took the knife from Luo Wencheng's hand, took a deep breath, pulled Luo Wencheng to a halt, turned around, raised his hand and threw the knife.

The distance between the two sides was no more than five metres. The knife stuck precisely in the throat of the strong man behind them, who fell straight down with wide eyes. The teenage Luo Wencheng's eyes also widened: "Wow, that was amazing!"

The two of them continued to run, kept running and running, and when they finally couldn't run anymore, they found a corner full of garbage and hid in it.

Not far away came the sound of two other men looking for them. They held their breath, not daring to make a single sound, and perhaps the heavens helped them as the rain began to fall harder and harder, and finally poured down in torrents.

The rain hid their breath, covered the traces of their arrival and made everything in the world a noisy chaos.

Suddenly, the young Luo Wencheng's eyes widened; what was that?

Lu Chong followed his gaze and saw a large black cat run from the distance through the rain, drop an object it held in its mouth next to the pile of garbage before turning and running away again.

"Meow…" The thrown object moved and let out a tiny cat cry.

"My ancestors, ugh!" The teenage Luo Wencheng hurriedly grabbed the thing. It was a small black and yellow kitten. He covered the kitten's mouth and made a silent gesture to it, "Shh, don't make any noise!"

Because the rain was so loud, the two big men didn't hear this tiny sound and only saw a big cat running past and didn't care. In the end neither of them found their way here; they came and went, eventually getting farther and farther away. Luo Wencheng breathed a sigh of relief and stroked the little kitten, "Good boy, we're safe." He leaned over and whispered, "They're finally gone… I haven't asked you yet, what's your name?"

The young Lu Chong looked at him and said, "My name is Lu Jiuding, and yours?"

"Jiuding, what an imposing name, my name is…" The teenage Luo Wencheng nearly blurted out his name, but finally braked dangerously and scratched his head, "My name is Bage."

The teenage Lu Chong gave him a somewhat suspicious look but didn't delve into it, "It's not safe here, we need to get out of here as soon as possible to find my people."

Luo Wencheng pointed to his bloodied leg, "Can you walk?"

Lu Chong's face was pale but showed no pain as he nodded, "No problem."

Luo Wencheng tucked the little kitten into his pocket, "Okay, let's go then."

"You're taking this cat with you?"

"Of course, it's so small and the rain is so heavy, it will die soon if we don't take it with us."

The two teenagers supported each other as they left the slums and made their way to the city. Lu Chong had trouble with his leg, so Luo Wencheng told him to find a safe place to hide while he went to the biggest hotel in Haining where he had to find someone to help.

Luo Wencheng followed them all the way, watching the two teenagers trudge through the heavy rain and watching his younger self help Lu Chong find a reliable contact. It turned out that Lu Chong had come to Haining on an errand for his father, but had been captured by a good brother of his father's who had set him up. The man didn't dare kill him at once but wanted to wait for the storm to pass first. It was safe to say that if Lu Chong didn't escape, he would certainly end up dead.

"Thank you, Ba…" Lu Chong, in a plaster cast, solemnly thanked him. After a moment, he was still unable to call that name.

"It's okay! It's good that you're safe now, go back and reunite with your dad." The teenage Luo Wencheng waved his hand grandly, his face blushing. He felt particularly handsome and proud of himself for saving the day.

"Where is your home? I'll have someone send you back, and when I get better, I'll make a formal visit to say thank you."

"My home, oh?" The teenage Luo Wencheng scratched his head, "That, that… I ran away from home, I can't go back for the time being."

"I see." Lu Chong politely didn't ask more questions but said with some worry, "Then where do you live now?"

Luo Wencheng couldn't come up with something to say.

"If you have nowhere to go, then how about…" Lu Chong paused for a moment, "How about coming to my house with me?"

"Your house? In Beijing, huh?"

"Yes. My home is very nice, my father is also very good-tempered, you will be very welcome. There are also a lot of fun places in Beijing. When my leg gets better, I can take you there. Of course I can also take you out before I recover. Have you ever been to Beijing?"

This sentence simply poked the teenager in the heart. He had never been outside of Haining in all his life. On second thought, staying in Haining was dangerous for him. What if he accidentally collided with the Luo family and changed the trajectory of his life? But after crossing over, it felt too bad to just go back, so the young man happily agreed.

He didn't notice Lu Chong across the room lowering his head slightly, with a smile of triumph appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Luo Wencheng, who was floating cross-legged in mid-air, raised his eyebrows. What had he missed? How could this scene be so much like a little fox abducting a big white rabbit?

The teenage Lu Chong was like this. He seemed to be hiding his thoughts deep down, but they were actually written on his face. Of course, now his level of awareness was much higher than that of his teenage self, who was naive and innocent from head to toe, and even helped to count the money after being sold.

At the same time Luo Wencheng felt a twinge of something strange. He couldn't figure it out until he saw his teenage self hold out the little kitten that looked familiar, asking if he could bring the cat to Beijing too and keep it at Lu Chong's house.

"Of course, you can." Lu Chong said, "Have you given the cat a name yet?"

"A name?" Luo Wencheng thought for a while, stroking the cat, "Look at it, you can feel every bone in her body. Let's call her Ribs!"

Ribs…

The cat called Ribs, the person met when he was young and in danger… a vague thought sprouted in Luo Wencheng's mind.

So, the person Lu Chong had waited for so many years, could it be… him?!

Luo Wencheng stayed still for a long time; his mind seemed to be filled with thoughts but he didn't seem to think about anything either. He should've been happy at this time. If that person was really him, then so many previous losses, entanglements, resentment, bitterness, everything untenable, would become resolved.

But he… couldn't really be happy; perhaps because he could already foresee the suffering ahead.

He followed the two young men to Beijing and watched his teenage self live happily every day in the Lu family. The teenage Lu Chong would often take him to places, never the same. When the weather was bad and it was not suitable to go out, they would do fun things in the old and spacious mansion of the Lu family, such as watching movies together, playing games together, drawing together, reading a book together, and raising the cat together.

The teenage Luo Wencheng might not know this, but Luo Wencheng, who was floating in the air watching all this, knew that the young man who was still called Lu Jiuding would make plans for the next day every night, trying to make all the activities warm, interesting and enjoyable, for fear of being boring.

The teenage Luo Wencheng was particularly envious of the teenage Lu Chong's fighting skills and wanted to learn a trick or two too, so the latter spent days making a training plan and hired several very good teachers. Once he was able to walk on crutches after more than two months, he even started teaching Luo Wencheng himself, all with immense dedication.

Luo Wencheng was very surprised. It turned out that he had learned these things before. He thought that all his skills came from the three years in prison. Now that he thought about it, he learned to fight very quickly. It should be because he had a foundation. Even if the memory in the brain disappeared, there were still some memories in the body.

Seeing the three month term approaching, the teenage Luo Wencheng was a bit reluctant to leave.

He put it off day after day and finally told Lu Chong in the last few days, "The time is almost up, I should go home."

Lu Chong smiled and said, "I still don't know where your home is, I'll take you there."

"Well, no, you can't go to my house."

The young Lu Chong asked cautiously, "Is it because the elders at home are strict?"

"Not really, the reason is quite complicated. Anyway, you can't go, and I won't come back again when I leave this time. We won't see each other again." When the young Luo Wencheng said that, he got sad himself and hastily smiled cheekily, "Don't miss me, thanks for your hospitality, I had a great time."

As he said that, he saw the face of the young man in front of him turn pale a little. He felt that he was simply a bad guy. The young Lu Chong was silent for a while and then said, "I'm going to find you anyway. Even if you don't tell me the address, I will find you."

"No, you won't find me."

"Then can you not go? My leg is almost completely healed, and we can go to school together." The teenage Lu Chong took his hand, "I don't want to take over my dad's business. My dad agreed, but his requirement is that my grades must be very good. We can study together and help each other. I'm going to be in senior school next, what about you?"

"I'm only in my third year." Luo Wencheng replied subconsciously.

"That's fine, I don't have a good foundation anyway, it's just right to repeat the third year with you." Lu Chong planned methodically, and if one didn't look at his white face and stiff fingers, one would think he was very calm.

"But I have to go home." The teenage Luo Wencheng couldn't bear to interrupt him, but that was all he could say.

The eyes of the young man in front of him gradually dimmed.

"Hey, that, don't be sad, you will meet other friends, I also have a lot of friends… Hey, say something, you're not crying, are you?"

The young man's bright and beautiful eyes were covered with a faint mist, the mist that could condense into water drops and roll down the next moment.

The teenage Luo Wencheng was a little panicked and had no idea how to comfort Lu Chong, circling around him, so anxious that he didn't know what to do.

Lu Chong lowered his head and said stubbornly, "I haven't had any friends since I was a child, and I don't want any other friends. I just want you."

These words were said in a low voice, and with a strange kind of firmness, and for some reason Luo Wencheng's ears reddened slightly as he listened.

He said, "Hey, you're older than me, how come you're more coquettish than me? Just think of it as me moving away. I had some great friends when I was a kid and played with them really well, but then they all moved away and I couldn't find them. It would be sad at first, but in time I wouldn't remember much, and then a new family would move in next door, and if there was someone about my age I would make new friends, just like…"

He thought for a long time about what he was going to say, "It's not like no one in this world will never be separated, just like no one will only like one person for the rest of their life."

The latter sentiment came from a movie they had watched together the other day, in which the hero and heroine had gone through so much, but in the end, instead of getting together, they each had a new love.

The young Luo Wencheng was very emotional, and remembered that his own father had many lovers outside. He liked one for a while and abandoned her after a while, and his mother who liked to abuse him was also very pitiful when he thought about it. There was also the eldest brother's biological mother, who was said to be depressed because of his father's cheating.

Although Luo Wencheng loved his father very much, he did not approve of or understand this kind of behaviour of falling in love, abandoning, and falling in love again.

But human beings, perhaps, were simply so fickle and greedy, weren't they?

He asked the young Lu Chong, "Lu Jiuding, do you think there is a person in this world who will only like one person in his life?"

Lu Chong looked at him and said with certainty, "There will be."

"I don't believe it. People's hearts change easily, they love one and love it to death during a period of time, but after a while, if they don't see it, the feelings will fade away. I've seen this sort of thing a lot. It would be nice to have someone who, after falling in love with someone, would never change his heart, no matter whether there is separation or death, through all kinds of difficulties, or through any length of time. Then such a person must be very, very strong and very, very determined in his heart."

Luo Wencheng sighed and said: "Hey, I probably wouldn't be able to do that. When I was little, I would sometimes like a toy very, very much, but after a while I would get a bit bored with it and then change it to another one that I liked… Hey, do you think I'm a natural philanderer?"

The young Lu Chong didn't know whether to laugh or to cry, "That's not the same."

"Really?" Although the teenage Luo Wencheng was hopeful, he still didn't think anyone in this world could really hold on to a relationship until death. Love was like that, and friendship was actually similar, right?

Anyway, he felt that although it was hard and sad to part now, it would be fine in time. They would each meet many, many different people, and slowly they would not miss each other anymore. Well, just get over the hurdle in front of them.

But the teenager in front of him obviously didn't think so. He said sullenly, "I won't, I won't make any other friends, I… only like you."

"Huh?" The teenage Luo Wencheng was caught off guard. The faint heat at the roots of his ears spread to his cheeks at once. He was a bit at a loss. For a moment he didn't know how to respond properly. Then he remembered that the distance between the two of them was not as simple as a few cities, it was a whole decade. It was quite scary to think about. He was so distressed that he squatted down and pulled the grass at his feet, "But if we don't see each other, you'll soon forget about me!"

"I won't."

"Yes, you will."

"I won't!"

"You will!"

The two stared at each other childishly as if they were quarrelling, and neither wanted to give in. Finally Luo Wencheng was defeated: "But it will be a long, long, long, long time before we can see each other," he used several "long, long time", and his tone was very strong: "Will you really not forget me?"

"No, no matter how long it is, even if it is a lifetime, I will never forget you." Lu Chong's features were deep and handsome, his eyes bright and persistent, and the teenage Luo Wencheng's heart felt as if something had pierced it. He could not bear to look away, so he stood up and said stumblingly, "Then, then I'll think about it."

For the whole next day Luo Wencheng was absent-minded. That night, he had insomnia. He tossed and turned in bed, muttering to himself, "He says he likes me, is that that kind of like? Why would he like me? We're both boys. Is it because I'm good-looking? No, he's better looking than me! Maybe he thinks I'm cute?"

A moment later, he rolled over again, "Hey, whatever, even if he likes me, how deep can it go? I'll be leaving soon, and for me, I'll be back in ten years later. Even if I go to him as soon as I open my eyes, for him it's already been ten years. Ten years is a lot of days, minutes and seconds, how many things can change, will he really remember me and like me then? We've only been together for three months!"

He kept sighing like a little old man, and after a while he rolled over and said excitedly, "But he said he liked me! I've been confessed to! And he said he'd never forget me for the rest of his life… what if, I mean what if, he really doesn't? That seems like… not bad either. I seem to like him too, and I'm happy and comfortable and relaxed with him."

"How about giving it a try then? I'll go to him when I get back. No, Dad and Big Brother won't let me leave Haining. Then I will wait until I become an adult. At the latest, at the latest, when I'm eighteen, I'll go to him, and if he still likes me at that time, I'll be with him. That's okay, right? If he doesn't remember me, or doesn't like me anymore, then forget it."

He laughed, but didn't laugh for long, then rolled over again and buried his head under the pillow, saying, "But then he'll be eleven years older than me, he'll be almost thirty when I'm an adult. We won't have a big generation gap, right? Will he think I'm too childish? Or maybe he'll have changed his mind so much after all those years that by the time I go looking for him, he'll probably have someone else he likes, maybe he'll be married and have children. Oh, won't that be too miserable for me?

"But if I let him wait all those years in vain, it seems too miserable for him."

It was heartbreaking to think about it.

No matter which way you looked at it, it was difficult.

That night, he tossed and turned, muttering to himself, one moment happy, the next sad, one moment determined, the next moment unable to resist the urge to retreat.

Luo Wencheng watched, floating in the air, his eyes a little distant. He didn't expect that he had had such a tangled period when he was a teenager.

In fact, neither he as a teenager, nor he later was gay, and although he had never liked girls, he had never had his heart set on any person of the same sex either.

But whether he was a teenager and was suddenly and solemnly confessed to by a good boy who said that he would wait for him for the rest of his life, remember him for the rest of his life, and like him for the rest of his life, or whether he was pampered by someone who took care of him in a hundred different ways after going through a thousand different things and felt unprecedented tenderness from the other party, it was hard not to be moved, right?

He had, surprisingly, fallen for the same person twice.

Whether as a pure, innocent teenager, or later when he was dark-hearted and resistant to everything, he could not escape the same fate.

Lu Chong was really his tribulation.

He looked down at himself again, watching his young self feeling shy and sad, watching himself being troubled and unable to resist the sweetness of temptation. Luo Wencheng understood those feelings, but at this moment, he could no longer empathise with them. And, in fact, he would like to tell himself that whether he was happy or not, whether he accepted it or not, it was meaningless because, soon enough, he would forget all about it.

And the agreement you made would only leave the one who still remembered it to guard it and to suffer for it.

He was suddenly curious to know what had caused him to lose this memory in the first place, so he continued to watch.

The next day the teenage Luo Wencheng, with two large dark circles under his eyes, told Lu Chong, the young man who hadn't slept all night either, that he accepted his liking but would not be able to return to him until ten years or more later.

He didn't even dare to tell the other party his name and identity; he was afraid that if the teenage Lu Chong went to him in the next ten years, he would accidentally change everything that had been established and thus lead to some accident.

In the end he was so worried about accidents that he said, "Fifteen years at the latest."

In fifteen years, he would be twenty years old, and no matter how much his father and elder brother controlled him, at the age of twenty he would always be able to stand his own against them, right? As soon as he had his freedom, he would definitely go to Lu Chong, and if he didn't, then some unforeseen accident must have happened.

"Then stop waiting for me and go and like someone else," he said to the teenage Lu Chong.

Lu Chong was very reluctant to make this agreement. Fifteen years was too long. He was not afraid of time, but he was unwilling to accept such a long separation.

But at the same time, he felt that there was always a way to find each other in advance.

He was a very determined man and would never give up on anything he was sure of. He said, "I will keep waiting."

The teenage Luo Wencheng was helpless: "Well then, if it comes to that, you go to Beicheng. Isn't there a piece of wasteland next to that slum area? Build a big amusement park there. I'll definitely go there when I see it, and we'll meet then."

Even if something happened, surely Lu Chong would still remember how he looked, right? Surely he wouldn't change much after more than ten years?

When they had made their agreement, the teenage Luo Wencheng was so happy that he repeatedly urged the teenage Lu Chong never to forget him. He was convinced that they would have a good ending as long as the other party did not change his heart.

He spent the few days he had left dragging the young Lu Chong around, hoping to make more and more memories.

He also helped Lu Chong change his name and gave him his cat to keep. He urged Lu Chong to protect himself in the future and never let himself get hurt again.

Like a little big brother, he was relentless in his long-winded instructions, and the more imminent the parting was, the more anxious Luo Wencheng became. He even wanted to take Lu Chong back with him to ten years later.

But there was no way, he couldn't stay, and Lu Chong couldn't go.

There was just such a long, long distance between them.

The two of them, immersed in the sorrow of their parting, didn't pay attention to the strange look of the driver in front of them, and Lu Chong, the teenager who should have been extremely alert, didn't notice anything. By the time Luo Wencheng noticed, it was already too late.

He didn't even think about taking a bullet for Lu Chong.

At that moment he knew he was finished; he had carefully held out for so long, and on the last day, he failed.

Realising that he might forget it all, realising that he might not be able to keep his promise, he tugged at the frightened teenage Lu Chong, trying to comfort him, even trying to tell him everything, but he didn't have much time left. The system forcefully stopped him from saying something about the time travel, and then mercilessly and decisively took him away from that time and space.

Ten years later, Luo Wencheng was back in his room, and his teenage self had reappeared on the bed. It was as if he had fallen into a deep sleep, and he opened his eyes somewhat in a daze, "Hey, didn't I just sit down, why did I suddenly fall asleep?"

He rubbed his head in ignorance, as if he had had a dream, but he woke up not remembering anything. There was a vague hint of what seemed to be fear and grief lingering in his heart, and he wanted to cry a little, but he didn't know why he wanted to cry.

"Was it the dream that was so sad?" He muttered blankly as he touched his pocket, "Hey? Where did the Swiss Army knife I just bought go?"

After rummaging through his pockets, he couldn't find it. He knocked on his head; he must have left it somewhere.

A shout came from downstairs calling him to dinner, and he answered, shaking his head to get rid of all the excess emotion before opening the door briskly and heading downstairs.

The door closed again, and only Luo Wencheng, who was floating in the air, was left in the room. He was silent for a long, long time.

The cold electronic voice reappeared: "This is the memory that you lost, and now I am returning it to you. I'm sorry, you were dying at that time and even if you told Lu Chong some information, you wouldn't have enough time to explain everything. It was impossible to predict what Lu Chong, who learned part of the truth, would do, and your past was definitely not allowed to change, so I stopped you from telling anything."

Luo Wencheng still did not make a sound.

The icy voice waited for a long time and asked, "Is there nothing you want to say?"

Luo Wencheng slowly let out a long sigh as if his consciousness had returned to his body.

"I feel so sad, but here," he touched his heart, "I don't feel sad here."

That was the saddest thing.

Translator's note: If you remember, in Chapter 2, Lu Chong remembers the process of finding Ribs differently. Why is that? With how carefully the author ties everything up it is certainly not a mistake. My guess is that it is a sign of how blurred and distorted Lu Chong's memories are by the system. Did he find the cat, or did his beloved find the cat? Did the cat's eyes look like Luo Wencheng's eyes – or were those his beloved's eyes? He can't be sure what is real, and his mind supplies a probable scenario.

Another point I find interesting about this flashback is the scene with Luo Wenhao in the previous chapter. It is not there just to show how mean Luo Wenhao is. It is actually an indirect answer to the question whether Luo Wenhao really didn't know how Luo Wencheng suffered in the previous life. He "didn't know" that just as he "didn't know" He Mei abused Luo Wencheng – that is, he knew and took pleasure in it.

---

Chapter 67

yun1yun yun1yun

3 months ago

Maternal and Child Health Centre.

Underground laboratory.

Luo Wencheng has been trapped here for more than two months.

When he came out of his fifteen-year-old memories, his consciousness returned to his current body, but he was still very weak and even rarely awake.

The system told him that this was because he was already dead, and the treatment that Fang Bude, that is, Professor Delang, had given him to save him was a small device implanted in his heart. It was an experimental stage thing, so it caused him to be in an unstable state of health.

When Luo Wencheng asked what the madman was trying to do to him to go to such lengths to revive him, the system told him what Professor Delang was planning and added, "Don't worry, these methods of his will not work on you."

If Professor Delang's methods were above the level of this society, then the system's methods were completely above the level of the civilised world. Luo Wencheng's emotions had been drained by the system, so how could a half-assed old professor do anything to him in this regard?

The only thing he could do now was to mess with Luo Wencheng's body.

However, if he found out that Luo Wencheng was not under his control at all, not to mention being a perfect experimental subject, and not responding to any of his methods, Professor Delang would definitely give up on Luo Wencheng, and then Luo Wencheng could only die.

So Luo Wencheng had to pretend, pretend to be what the old man wanted him to be. During this time, once he was in better shape, the other side would pull him in for tests.

He would put VR glasses on Luo Wencheng, showing all kinds of happy, sad, tragic, terrifying scenes with various extreme stimuli to check his reaction.

In Luo Wencheng's current state, he couldn't feel any emotions about the outside world, so he should have been completely indifferent, and he was indifferent indeed.

Sometimes Professor Delang would make him stand or sit there for a whole day. Emotionless and unable to feel discontent, Luo Wencheng would only feel hunger and fatigue, but at this time he was also supposed to be unable to express himself, so he often fainted when his body reached its limit.

Later on, Professor Delang would also bring him pictures of people Luo Wencheng knew, Luo Wenhao, Luo Wenjun, his university classmates, Wei Xingheng and Lu Chong.

When Luo Wencheng saw them, his brain waves remained unchanged, but if Professor Delang pointed to a photo and asked him to say who it was, he could say exactly who it was.

Day after day, with nothing but reflexes and instincts, Luo Wencheng became more and more like a robot.

Finally, one day, Professor Delang declared the experiment a success. He brought in a hypnotist to hypnotise Luo Wencheng for the final time.

Luo Wencheng's consciousness was pulled out of his body again by the system, and he watched indifferently as the hypnotist below him instilled in him the words "you must obey all of Professor Delang's commands", "Professor Delang is your master, your god, your everything", and "your life belong to Professor Delang". It was like watching a clown perform.

When it was all over and Luo Wencheng was back in his body again, he heard the cold, icy voice of the system say, "I can only help you so far. This is the beginning of your new life. From now on it is up to you. You must remember that your current body is only temporarily maintaining normal functions. If you want to live for a long time, you must rely on the means of the other party."

Luo Wencheng had to continue living by the same means he was resurrected.

For example, the first time he died, it was the system that used its energy to save him. That time, the system's energy was nearly depleted at the cost of him being stripped of his memories and continuing to live according to his proper destiny path until he died.

The second time, he exchanged his love and hope for a chance to be reborn, and his memories were not erased, but the price was that he had to keep exchanging love and hope for the rest of his life in order to continue living.

In the end he did not do this, so he died again.

And the third time, it was Professor Delang who brought him back to life, and although Luo Wencheng hated the old man and was disgusted with him, it didn't change the fact that he couldn't live without the other man, or rather without the medicine in his hands that had saved his life.

That was the price of resurrection. The existence of the system only provided him with the possibility. If he hadn't followed Zhang Qingsong at the time, hadn't been taken away by him, if Professor Delang hadn't chosen to revive him, he would be dead through and through by now. Even if there was someone else who helped him, he probably wouldn't have survived without Professor Delang's means.

The conditions for resurrection were harsh and the cost was huge.

After saying all this, the system did not make another sound, and Luo Wencheng knew that it had either left or gone dormant. In any case it would not appear again.

It was a pity he still didn't know what this system was all about and why it had chosen him to help.

Luo Wencheng's consciousness closed his eyes and the next moment his body opened them.

Professor Delang and the hypnotist were standing next to his bed.

He knew that his identity was still Luo Wencheng, he had all the memories and knowledge of Luo Wencheng, but at the same time, he had been given an overriding instruction that he had to obey Professor Delang, and under this premise, everyone else should be regarded as movable dead things in his eyes, just like NPCs in a game.

He thought for a moment, but kept his face calm and expressionless as he got up from the bed. Not even glancing at the hypnotist next to him, he bowed his head slightly in a submissive gesture to Professor Delang: "Master."

Professor Derain laughed loudly and shouted, almost without regard to his image, "I did it! I succeeded!" He rubbed his hands in excitement, looked at Luo Wencheng with avid eyes, examining him up and down left, right and left, and asked, "Who are you?"

"Luo Wencheng."

"Who am I?"

"Professor Delang."

"Who are you to me?"

"I am your slave."

"What will you do?"

"Obey all your commands."

"Kneel."

Luo Wencheng knelt simply.

Professor Delang laughed again, and so did Zhang Qingsong behind him. The man who had once chased after him and almost killed him was now a slave before his eyes, a dog. It was a really good feeling.

But the next moment Professor Delang pointed at Zhang Qingsong: "Who is he?"

Luo Wencheng raised his head, "The man I want to kill."

"Why do you want to kill him?"

"Nasty."

"So how do you feel now that you haven't killed him?"

Luo Wencheng thought for a moment, "Angry."

He said he was angry, but his face didn't look angry at all, and Professor Delang said to him, "How can I not see that you're angry? Show me anger."

Luo Wencheng then frowned and his face darkened, his eyes became gloomy and fiery, as if he could rise up from the floor at any moment and tear Zhang Qingsong's dog's head off.

Zhang Qingsong couldn't help but take two steps back in fear, his face white with fright.

Professor Delang laughed loudly, then suddenly became grim again, "How did you know the name Fang Bude?"

Luo Wencheng's face turned kind of blank and he said indifferently, "I don't know."

"Oh, do you really not know, or do you pretend not to know?" Professor Delang grabbed his hair and made Luo Wencheng look up at him, "Don't lie to me."

Luo Wencheng looked at him with pure, clear eyes and repeated, "I don't know, I'm not lying to you."

Professor Delang looked at him for a moment and then said, "Smile for me."

With that, Luo Wencheng curled his mouth. Then he was asked to show many more expressions, and he managed to do them all, only they were all a little stiff and unnatural.

The hypnotist next to him said, "His neurological reactions are still a bit sluggish now, and it takes special training to allow him to combine his current mental state with his past memories so that people can't see flaws. But it's impossible to fully restore his previous appearance. After all, the current him only has memories of the past and no emotions. All the emotional expressions he's making now are just his brain controlling his body and creating an illusion."

Professor Delang nodded, "That means that there is still a need to continue to observe, ah."

The hypnotist said, "Shall we hand him over to the boss?"

"No, what I give to the boss has to be perfect, I need to see more."

"But I'm afraid it's not possible to see anything just by looking at him."

"Then let him out into normal life. I can watch him by constant surveillance to determine if he's qualified or not."

"He seems to have a physical ailment?"

"Yes. It seems to be a heart condition, but no organic injuries can be found. Yet he must live entirely on the special pacemaker that I invented. This is the most troublesome bit, but, also, the most useful." Professor Delang said triumphantly, "If I find that he is unqualified, all I have to do is to press a button from a distant place and deactivate that tiny pacemaker in his heart, and the subject's heart will immediately stop beating like a car without oil or an air conditioner without electricity. There is no need to bother to use other means to control him. Don't you think it's perfect?"

The two men were discussing enthusiastically, and Luo Wencheng remained on his knees. His expression was blank, he was motionless as if he were a statue. But he was doing his best to understand the conversation between the two men. His English was not too good and the two men spoke so fast that he could only understand about a third of it, but with his own understanding pieced together, he could get the general idea.

In other words, the key wasn't some medicine, but the pacemaker that sounded like black technology?

"You're going to put him back in his original environment, right? I've heard that the people behind him are very powerful, isn't it too risky?" the hypnotist said.

"Some risks are worth taking. The only way to really see things clearly is to put him in his most familiar environment. If this model is effective, it will be the most successful brainwashing ever. We can even change the world." Professor Derain said with a flourish, "Hurry up and get him trained, I can't wait to get the results."

The end of December.

The weather was unusual this year. Winter came particularly early in Haining. It was already very cold at the end of December and there was even a light snowfall this morning.

People were either cursing the weather or rejoicing that it had finally snowed in Haining, where it was rare to snow.

The streets were bustling with activity. Tomorrow would be New Year's Day (January 1st), and people were either rushing back to Haining from other places or leaving Haining for a short reunion with their families back home. All in all, the streets were crowded and lively.

But these lively things had nothing to do with Lu Chong's villa.

It had been more than three months, and there was a dead silence here. Obviously there were people living here, but it felt like a city of the dead. The servants did not dare to breathe loudly when they did things. Even the small fountains in the courtyard seemed not to dare to spray joyously, and the flowers in the flower beds did not dare to bloom brightly.

It was as if something had sucked the life out of the villa.

Lu Chong hadn't had a good night's sleep in more than three months, and he was searching constantly.

Haining was initially blocked for travelling for two days without any result. After that Lu Chong's search spread from inside Haining City to the outside. The only clue was Zhang Qingsong, and eighteen generations of his ancestors, all his teachers, classmates and neighbours, everyone he had a relationship with, were investigated. There was even a high-priced bounty order, but there was still no slightest gain.

It was as if Zhang Qingsong had evaporated from this world, leaving no trace.

The same was true for Luo Wencheng.

Lu Chong was still holding on, but he felt that he was about to lose it.

He was about to go mad.

And this day, this afternoon, he finally got the tangible news. The man had been found!

He was almost dumbfounded for a moment before he got to his feet. His mind was blank as he headed out the door.

Fortunately, he didn't need to drive the car. By the time he reached his destination, he had already calmed down.

This was a fairly famous tourist attraction in Haining, called Fang Mountain. The car drove up the winding mountain path, and when it became impossible to drive, the group got out of the car and walked.

It was very windy on the mountain at an altitude of 500 metres; the air was heavy with humidity, the temperature was much lower than below and could make you shiver, and then fine snowflakes started to fall.

"Is he still up there?" Lu Chong asked as he climbed the mountain at a brisk pace.

"Yes, he's at the top. He's standing there, not moving, and he's not responding when he's called, so we don't dare make a move." It was Zhou Yishan who was talking. Of course he wasn't the one who discovered Luo Wencheng but he reported to Lu Chong first after Luo Wencheng was found. As the only person who has not had a conflict with Luo Wencheng or "couldn't get along" with him, Zhou Yishan had gained Lu Chong's greatest trust in the search.

The winding, slippery mountain road finally reached the top, and from a distance one could see a tall, thin figure in a dark green overcoat standing there.

It was a rocky area surrounded by a chain fence, with a few stone tables and benches. It was the highest place in Fang Mountain with the best view. Many people would come here on a regular basis to take pictures or draw, but in weather like today, this place was a bit dangerous.

Lu Chong recognised the figure at first glance, and also saw that Luo Wencheng seemed to be a little different from before.

He motioned for the others to stop and walked alone along a row of chains, stepping on the slippery, moss-covered rocky ground.

Then, he stepped onto the slightly smoother ground.

"Wencheng." He called out softly, restraining the urge to rush up and hug the man as he slowly walked over to him.

Luo Wencheng didn't look back at him, continuing to look down at the majestic mountains, the clouds and birds in the mountains, and the white flowing water in the valley. Unhurriedly, he said, "It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

Lu Chong turned his head to look at the man he had not seen for more than three months. Luo Wencheng didn't change much, was just a little thinner. A few snowflakes fell on his hair and eyebrows, melting in a moment, making him look somewhat crystal-like cold, unreal.

There were many things Lu Chong wanted to ask, but in the end he only said one sentence, "Are you back?"

Luo Wencheng turned his head slightly to look at him. His amber eyes seemed to be tinged with the snowy mist of the mountains, very near and very far at the same time. He smiled slightly, "Yes ah, I'm back."

---

Chapter 68

yun1yun yun1yun

3 months ago

When Lu Chong saw Luo Wencheng like this, he couldn't help but take him into his arms. The fear he had felt for many days finally disappeared. He almost choked up and said, "You're back, it's great!"

Luo Wencheng blinked, put his hand on Lu Chong's back, patted it, and pushed him away with a smile, "Didn't I say I wanted to wander around and see things? It's not a big deal, you're making too much of a fuss looking for me all over the city."

Lu Chong's excitement and enthusiasm were stalled by his bland attitude. Only after a while did he ask, "Are you still leaving when you come back this time?"

"Not necessarily, it depends. After all, as you know, my ambition is to travel around the world without any restrictions." Luo Wencheng pointed to the beautiful mountain scenery in the distance, then pulled up his collar as if to shield himself from the cold wind, "By the way, did you find out the cause of the last car crash? Was it an accident or did someone try to kill you?"

Lu Chong noticed his movements; his eyes flashed, he took off his coat and put it on Luo Wencheng, taking advantage of the situation to hold his hand.

"This matter is still under investigation."

"Then resolve it as soon as possible. It's too dangerous if someone is planning to kill you. You're lucky you didn't get any serious injuries that time, but it won't be necessarily so if it happens again." Luo Wencheng said with a concerned look, his fingers gently tickling Lu Chong's palm.

Lu Chong narrowed his eyes slightly and was silent for a moment, "I think so too. We'll get some results soon. Let's go down first."

"Good."

The path down the mountain was even more difficult to walk. Lu Chong walked on the outside, carefully protecting Luo Wencheng. The hands of the two were not separated throughout the journey.

Zhou Yishan, who was following them, couldn't understand why Luo Wencheng was talking so strangely. Didn't he know how badly Master was injured? He had saved Master's life, but now he was saying that Master had not been seriously injured, which was too strange.

And Master was also strange; why didn't he question Luo Wencheng and just agreed with his words?

Sitting in the car, Lu Chong took both of Luo Wencheng's hands and rubbed them, "Look at your icy hands, what were you doing running up so high, can't you see the scenery some other day?" He asked the driver to raise the temperature inside the car, while taking off Luo Wencheng's two wet coats and putting a blanket over him, and then put Luo Wencheng's hands under his arms.

The action was like flowing water, extremely natural. Luo Wencheng was brought into his arms as a result. He looked up, and Lu Chong took a towel to wipe his hair, very focused and serious.

"Where have you been all these days? You left without saying a word, you worried me a lot, you know? I thought you'd been taken away." Lu Chong's expression and tone of voice were extremely natural. "You know I have many enemies, so even if you leave in the future, you must tell me, okay? Even if I can't accompany you, I still have to send someone to follow you, otherwise how can I feel at ease?"

After he finished speaking and Luo Wencheng's hair was finished being wiped, he hugged Luo Wencheng's head and gave him a kiss on his forehead.

It was still so natural, as if they used to be very close.

Luo Wencheng's eyebrows almost twitched.

Very well, this person quickly accepted his hint and added a play by himself.

Luo Wencheng's original idea was to give the man a little hint to alert him; then the two would find an opportunity to communicate slowly, mainly to reveal information about the situation at hand, and then Lu Chong would help him get rid of that Professor Delang.

But Lu Chong chose the most intimate mode of getting along.

The two were covered with a blanket, cuddled together, with their hands pressed against each other's chest and stomach.

To waste this opportunity would be foolish.

Luo Wencheng ran his index finger lightly up Lu Chong's body.

Meanwhile, he spoke to Lu Chong: "Am I not good? With my skills, ordinary people can't deal with me."

Lu Chong pretended to reproach, "What if it's not ordinary people? You're too confident. Anyway, you'll have to follow me around at all times now."

[I have monitoring and listening devices on me, earring, collar, pockets.]

This was the first sentence Luo Wencheng wrote down on Lu Chong's body.

[Don't react abnormally, or I'll die immediately.]

This was the second sentence.

Lu Chong's arm, which was half-embracing him, tensed up for a moment. Then he immediately lowered his eyes to hide the murderous intent in them that had risen for a split second.

He asked casually, "What places have you been to these days?" Holding Luo Wencheng's hand under the blanket, he wrote gently on the back of his hand: [How to save you?]

"Just walked around casually, nothing much to tell."

"What do you want to eat later, I'll have someone make it so you can eat when you get there."

"Whatever, just have hot soup."

[The other party is convinced that I am brainwashed, but he is not entirely at ease. He wants me to spy on you, and may kill me if I fail, or if there is any doubt.] Luo Wencheng wrote.

[Kill how?]

[I've got something in my heart.]

Lu Chong was aghast; he had originally thought that Luo Wencheng had a bomb strapped to his body or something like that, but he hadn't expected…

In this way, it is impossible to rescue him first and then figure it out slowly.

[What else can be done?] He asked.

[Nothing for the time being, you just need to get along with me as if nothing happened. Within three days, I must install a camera in your study and bedroom. Prepare in advance.]

Luo Wencheng meant for Lu Chong to pack up the things he couldn't let anyone see or know about, but all Lu Chong could think about was how to make it look difficult for Luo Wencheng but then have the cameras installed smoothly. After all, with his status, there was no way he could let the people around him spy on him easily, it would be too unreasonable.

[Where is the person who controls you?] Lu Chong asked.

[He left the country three days ago.] This was the trickiest part. The professor was not a fool; even though he was confident enough, he still had a precautionary measure, allowing Luo Wencheng to appear three days after he left the country, so that even if something went wrong, he could still ensure his own safety.

Lu Chong's face darkened slightly. Three days was enough time for the other party to hide. He could send someone to track the opponent down, but if he was not careful in the process and let the other party realise that there was a problem on Luo Wencheng's side, the opponent might immediately kill him. So he couldn't do anything until he was completely sure.

This was too passive.

[Although that person has left the country, the hypnotist who hypnotised me is in the country and should be a very famous hypnotist. In addition, I was previously hidden in the basement of a hospital where there is a Director Li, who is in cahoots with those people.]

Luo Wencheng told all the clues he knew, including that the man was called Professor Delang, who specialised in developing strange drugs and was passionate about human experiments, and that he had a lot of power behind him. During their conversations, those people repeatedly mentioned that "Lu Chong is not that easy to mess with", but they didn't show much fear, indicating that the man behind them was not much weaker than Lu Chong, but not much stronger either.

Luo Wencheng's hands were almost stiff from writing so many words, and then the car arrived.

Lu Chong squeezed Luo Wencheng's hand to signal that he understood everything. He got out of the car first, then helped Luo Wencheng get out, very thoughtful and considerate, looked at him and said, "Welcome back, Wencheng."

Luo Wencheng smiled faintly, "Thank you."

After eating, Luo Wencheng went to his room to wash up, while Lu Chong called Zhou Yishan into his study.

"Sir?" Zhou Yishan waited for half a day without getting any instructions, but Master's face was clearly too solemn, looking like he wanted to kill someone, so obviously something big had happened.

But Luo Wencheng had returned, what other big things could there be?

Lu Chong was thinking, his fingers lightly tapping on the desk before he finally spoke, "Shisan, I want you to do one thing."

"Please say, sir."

"I remember some years ago someone put a bounty on my head on some foreign website. You go and post an offer like this, a high price for my life. Better make it look like it was done by someone with a certain big power."

"Sir?" Zhou Yishan was taken aback.

"I have my own reasons. Remember, this matter must be done by you personally, do not tell anyone. And in the future at home, even with me in private talk, you can't mention this matter. You can only talk about this matter outside, understand?" Lu Chong's tone was heavy, and as soon as Zhou Yishan heard it, he knew that this matter must be very complicated, so he immediately got serious.

Lu Chong added, "Also, withdraw all the people outside and reinforce the security around the villa. Tell the public that Wencheng has returned and I am worried that he will run away again."

Meanwhile, Luo Wencheng took several miniature cameras out of his coat pocket and placed them on his bed. There were more than ten of them; he took two of them and set them up in his room.

Professor Delang had ordered him to be under constant surveillance. Once he was out of surveillance, Luo Wencheng believed that he was not far from death. He touched the small black stud earring in his left ear, and then said with a straight face to the camera attached to the photo frame facing the bed: "Professor, I came back smoothly. I'll do better next."

After that he went to take a shower, and when he came out of the shower, Lu Chong was surprisingly already in his room.

Lu Chong held a bottle of red wine in his hand and shook it, "Let's have a drink?"

Luo Wencheng: "Sure."

"Your balcony here is not big enough, let's go to my room. Let's sit down and have a good talk."

Luo Wencheng paused, knowing that this was Lu Chong giving him a chance to install a camera in his bedroom: "Okay, I'll change my clothes, you go first."

After Lu Chong left, he changed his clothes, put the cameras into his pocket and left the room with a calm face.

---

Chapter 69

yun1yun yun1yun

3 months ago

When Luo Wencheng came, Lu Chong was already waiting on the balcony. The balcony was enclosed in glass and comfortably warmed by the air conditioner.

After a couple of drinks, Lu Chong was called out, so Luo Wencheng took the opportunity to install three cameras in his room, and when Lu Chong came back he pretended that nothing had happened. In fact, the two men knew everything when they looked at each other.

Luo Wencheng got up to say goodbye, but Lu Chong suddenly took his hand: "Stay tonight."

Luo Wencheng froze for a moment and said in a panicked, shy tone, "What are you talking about?"

But with his back to the camera he gave Lu Chong a quiet glare; the man knew there were cameras in the room!

Lu Chong laughed, stroking his head, "Just sleep with me, I haven't had a good night's sleep these days looking for you, shouldn't you make it up to me?"

He gently hooked his fingers. It was too difficult and risky for them to have private communication at other times, but if they were under the covers it was as good as under the blanket in the car. No camera could capture what they were doing.

Luo Wencheng lowered his head sheepishly, "Okay."

Lu Chong went to take a shower and came out. The two of them lay down on the bed and turned off the light.

Lu Chong held Luo Wencheng in his arms, and the void in his heart seemed to be filled all at once. He wanted to ask Luo Wencheng about the past, but now he couldn't mention anything.

He glanced at the stud in Luo Wencheng's left ear in the darkness and smiled a little, then asked about Luo Wencheng's future plans. Luo Wencheng said he was going back to school. As they talked, Lu Chong slipped an earplug into Luo Wencheng's right ear.

Luo Wencheng listened to the words Lu Chong had recorded in the earplug in advance.

Lu Chong now had two plans; one was to investigate Professor Delang himself and everything behind him, and the other was to increase Luo Wencheng's value.

The other side was only ordering him to do surveillance now, but if what he spied on was so important that the other side needed him to do more, they were bound to be unwilling to abandon him easily. On the one hand, it would buy them more time, and on the other hand, Professor Delang might contact Luo Wencheng more frequently, whether by phone or by sending people to contact him. The more contacts there were, the more entry points there would be for their side to investigate.

Lu Chong was prepared to work on both fronts at the same time, but a sudden move on their side would look suspicious. That was why Lu Chong arranged an assassination attempt on himself so that he would have a reason to make some big noise.

After listening, Luo Wencheng took out the earplug, took Lu Chong's hand under the quilt and wrote quietly: This isn't dangerous, is it?

What he asked about was the assassination attempt. Lu Chong didn't tell him that for it to look realistic he was really looking for a professional killer to try to kill him. He just said that everything was arranged by him and there would be no danger. It was just that Luo Wencheng should not leave the villa during this time.

The two of them had two sets of exchanges in public and in private, which was very labour-consuming and exhausting, and they felt tired after a while. Lu Chong really hadn't slept well for months, and Luo Wencheng, in Professor Delang's hands, had to pretend every day and was also very tired. The two soon hugged each other and fell asleep.

Luo Wencheng was hugged, but there were no waves in his heart and there was no change in his heart rate. He slept peacefully until dawn.

A few days later, Lu Chong was ambushed while he was out. He suffered a gunshot wound and was furious. Coupled with the last car accident, he was so angry that he used all his manpower to investigate and decided to go back to Beijing.

What he said to Luo Wencheng was that Haining was no longer safe after two consecutive attacks within a few months, and he had to return to Beijing to do some work.

"That can't be helped. It's a pity I still want to go to school," Luo Wencheng said regretfully.

Lu Chong nudged his nose, "Don't go to school. I'll get you a big studio if you want to paint, and you can help me do other things. After these two incidents, I suspect there are spies around. Now ah, the only person I can trust is you."

He looked like a dim-witted ruler, but in a few words he actually gave Luo Wencheng an extremely important identity. Luo Wencheng looked at him with a touched expression, laughing in his heart. The man was adding more and more small details to the script.

That night, Luo Wencheng finally received his first phone call from Professor Delang, in which he was told to follow Lu Chong to Beijing.

Luo Wencheng said, "Yes, but I heard that the Lu family's main residence is very heavily guarded. Those cameras might not be able to be installed, and what I have on me, I might not be able to bring in either."

"The one in your earring will definitely not be detected. Destroy the rest. Someone will contact you when you get to Beijing. Do whatever Lu Chong tells you to do and don't get suspected." Professor Delang ordered him; he seemed to be receiving instructions as he spoke.

Luo Wencheng hung up the phone and thought to himself: as Lu Chong expected, this was going to be a big game.

However, when he arrived in Beijing, the person who was supposed to contact him did not show up even half a month later, when Lu Chong ostentatiously stuffed something into his hand.

"What is this?" Luo Wencheng looked at the chip in a transparent box.

"Deep sea excavation technology, an amends gift from Chen Jingqiu to me," Lu Chong said.

"Chen Jingqiu, the head of the Chen family?"

Lu Chong pinched his face: "Smart. This guy's ambitions are higher than the sky but his guts are smaller than a mouse's. At the beginning, his eldest son and his brother-in-law ambushed me and almost blinded me. He was worried that I would settle the score with him and immediately got his brother-in-law killed to make amends for me. Then he turned around and stirred up trouble behind the scenes. That car accident in Haining was done by his men with his connivance. The post on the campus forum against you was also related to him. I told him today that he could either apologise to me, or I would bet most of my fortune to destroy the Chen family, send a car to hit him every day and find a killer to kill him, and he gave in."

"So this is what he's offering you as an amends gift? Just one technology?" Luo Wencheng asked.

"Baby, do you know how important deep sea excavation technology is?" Lu Chong said, "There are countless mineral resources in the deep sea but they can't be mined because of technical reasons. The Chen family has been researching this technology for over ten years. Although it's not mature enough, what's in this chip is definitely a global leading technology."

Luo Wencheng: "Is that so? Then what are you going to do with this thing? Find someone to continue the research?"

"No, I'm going to take it and give it away."

"Give it away?"

"My previous actions in Haining were too conspicuous and made some people at the top look at me badly, so it's just the right time to use this to go and make amends."

"Is the dignified Lu Jiuye also afraid?"

"Of course there are times when I'm afraid. I'm still afraid every day that you're not happy." Lu Chong said in a flirtatious tone, "You will go with me tomorrow, I'll introduce you to some people. By the way, that place is rather strict, no communication tools are allowed."

"Understood," Luo Wencheng said as he and Lu Chong looked at each other. There was no need for words to communicate what they meant.

After returning to his room, Luo Wencheng waited for a short time before a phone call came, still from the same long-unheard-from Professor Delang.

He was asked to pass on the contents of the chip to Professor Delang immediately.

Luo Wencheng looked at the chip and thought to himself, to draw out this old fox, some investment was definitely needed.

He turned on his computer, transferred the stuff over and asked if he was still going to follow Lu Chong to that very strict place tomorrow.

"Of course you go!" Professor Delang got the information and was clearly in a happy mood, "Luo, you're fantastic! Keep it up! I'm not sure how high the level of security at your national level is. Just in case, take the earring off tomorrow and report back to me when you get back."

"Yes." Luo Wencheng turned off his computer, took off the earring straight away and locked it in a drawer, and went out to see that Lu Chong was indeed waiting outside the door.

His gaze first fell on Luo Wencheng's left ear, "Took it off now?"

"I'm supposed to take it off tomorrow, but it's not that far off. He's too busy with the data I've passed him to keep an eye on me," Luo Wencheng said indifferently.

"That's too risky." Lu Chong reached out and rubbed his earlobe, then took him into his arms and said with a sigh, "But it's great that we've finally made a step forward."

It was not just a step, it was the biggest step of all.

Luo Wencheng let Lu Chong hold him, not breaking away or returning the hug, "You went to a lot of trouble for this, didn't you? Is that information real?"

"The information is real, but I asked a professional to modify it on the chip. This thing was not perfected in the first place, modifying some of it won't be discovered and it's enough for them to take a long detour." Lu Chong straightened up and lovingly touched Luo Wencheng's face, "When they don't contact you, I'm worried to death. If this doesn't attract their attention, I don't know what else to do. Look, my hair is falling out from worry."

These days, in order to act, to show that Luo Wencheng was the most important person in his heart, Lu Chong had said a lot of intimate words, even flirtatious words, and now these coquettish words were coming out of his mouth.

But when Luo Wencheng saw the hairy head lowered in front of him, his expression didn't waver, and inwardly he didn't want to laugh.

But the man in front of him didn't seem to realise this. He didn't care if he didn't get any rewarding words. He looked up at Luo Wencheng, his eyes calm again. One arm gently wrapped around Luo Wencheng's waist as he slowly lowered his head…

Although Lu Chong was showing intimacy these days, he had not done anything substantial. As an old-fashioned man with a conservative heart, he must have minded doing this kind of thing under surveillance.

Luo Wencheng looked at Lu Chong's face getting closer and closer, and thought faintly in his heart, such a pity, if he had done this back then, he would have definitely cooperated happily, but now…

He raised a hand, pressed it to the older man's shoulder and pushed him back.

Lu Chong looked at him, puzzled.

Luo Wencheng mentally chuckled without any emotion. Did he think it was a matter of course for the two of them to kiss?

"Since we don't have to beat around the bush, let's talk about the details of my current situation," he said.

Lu Chong also remembered the business: "I've arranged for someone to give you a full examination."

"That's not necessary…" Luo Wencheng paused, "You can check. I'd also like to know what's going on with this thing in my heart. But I have to tell you first that it shouldn't be possible to get this thing removed. Because without this thing, I would have been dead a long time ago."

He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, saying blandly as if he was talking about someone else, "That so-called professor has the remote control that can stop this little apparatus or something. I just need to get that remote control and make sure there's no second one in someone else's hands."

"So that's the only way you'll have to live on in the future?"

"That seems about right."

Lu Chong didn't speak again for a moment, just looking at him.

Luo Wencheng waited for a while, "What are you looking at?"

"Is it because you saved me?" Lu Chong touched his face and whispered, "Last time you saved me, you disappeared straight away for more than ten years. This time you were originally going to disappear too, but you happened to meet those people. Is that right?"

Luo Wencheng said subconsciously, "Not exactly like that, last time it was…"

He suddenly paused and looked at Lu Chong: "You…"

"Back then you said your name was Bug, but I actually misheard you, you said not Chongchong, you said Chengcheng, right?" Lu Chong stared hard into Luo Wencheng's eyes, "At that time, it was also you, wasn't it?"

---

Chapter 70

yun1yun yun1yun

3 months ago

Luo Wencheng did not immediately answer this question. Lu Chong then continued: "You first appeared in Haining. Later you mentioned that you had a father and elder brother. Your upbringing and appearance all indicated that you were born in a wealthy and powerful family. There were many such small clues. The most important thing was that, when you appeared again, Ribs was unusually warm to you, even… even when she was about to leave, she had to have you by her side to feel at ease."

Lu Chong said with a bitter smile, "Animals are much more spiritual than people. The little girl recognised you the first time she saw you. I didn't even think in that direction, although I also found you familiar in many ways and many things made me like you."

Apart from not remembering Luo Wencheng's face, there was also a big reason why he had always thought that the young man back then was not an ordinary person, if not from an alien planet, then from some mysterious race.

"I'm sorry, Wencheng, you have already come to me, and I didn't recognise you and did a lot of things that made you sad," he said gently and guiltily.

Luo Wencheng was uncomfortable hearing his words, silently turned his face away and whispered quietly, "Corny."

He couldn't help but wonder what Lu Chong's face would look like if he said that wasn't him. Would he be upset, shocked, and struggling like he had before?

Luo Wencheng felt his own emotions at the moment and realised that compared to the complete indifference at the beginning, he now felt a hint of intolerance towards Lu Chong and his sad emotions.

Was this a little bit of progress?

He couldn't help but glance at Lu Chong as he said lightly, "It's not your fault. I only recently remembered it."

Receiving this affirmative answer, Lu Chong was relieved, showing an almost silly smile, holding Luo Wencheng's hand tightly, not knowing what to say for a moment. He could only repeat: "This is amazing! This is amazing!"

Luo Wencheng then watched as Lu Chong's eyes slowly turned red and even glistened with water, and when he wanted to look away, he was embraced once again.

This hug was different from the past, and Luo Wencheng heard the pounding heartbeat in the man's chest. He couldn't empathise with it but did wait for Lu Chong to finish with his excitement with some understanding.

But one minute, two minutes, three minutes…

He patted the man, "Have you finished hugging yet?"

"Not finished hugging. Chengcheng, you're not going to leave me again, are you?" The man asked in a very vulnerable tone.

Luo Wencheng's teeth almost ached at the tone and the "Chengcheng": "Speak normally!" After a pause, he said, "I won't leave until I die."

Lu Chong laughed and pulled him closer, "I won't let you leave, let's go do the examination first."

Lu Chong had some suspicions about the power behind Professor Delang. After all, even the big shots were not all willing to touch or dared to touch such things as experimenting on humans. Coupled with the characteristics of the new drugs, the scope of suspicion was greatly reduced.

He had people keep an eye on the suspected domestic and foreign powers, and after two months, finally found that one of them was recruiting talents in the area of deep sea excavation. At that point, the target could basically be identified.

At the same time, the annual medical conference in Beijing was held, and invitations were widely distributed to well-known hospitals and well-known doctors across the country. A maternal and child health centre in Haining received one that invited Director Li to participate by name.

Because the case of amniotic fluid embolism rescue that Director Li personally performed successfully at the beginning of this year was praised all over the country, Director Li immediately became famous in China. For a small maternal and child health centre in a small county, this was an unprecedented honour. The director of the county hospital came to congratulate him.

Amidst the looks of admiration, congratulations and jealousy, Director Li embarked on a flight to the north.

After the plane landed, the organiser sent a special car to pick up Director Li, who happily got into the car and then arrived at the hotel.

The hotel was very nice, and Director Li decided to take a shower first and then sleep to replenish his energy.

However, as he washed, for some reason his head got heavier and heavier, and by the time he realised something was wrong he no longer had the strength to open the door. His feet slipped and he passed out on the floor.

The bathroom door was opened from the outside; there were several people there. Ling Su looked into the bathroom and waved his hand in front of his nose in disgust, while the others rushed in, picked up Director Li and took his clothes.

An hour or so later, a new Director Li appeared. He was dressed in Director Li's clothes, wearing Director Li's watch, and a make-up artist was working, making him look exactly like the real Director Li who was unconscious on the bed.

"Done." The make-up artist finally announced; the new Director Li was exactly the same as the old one.

Ling Su sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, taking a closer look at the face, "Out there, no one is allowed to make the slightest mistake, you know? Your Brother Ling almost got retired. This task is a hard-won one, so don't mess with me."

In order to be able to do his job again, Ling Su had to spare no effort sucking up to that kid surnamed Luo for three months. He was about to lose it. When Ling Su thought about it, his face turned a bit black.

The fake Director Li smiled, "Don't worry about it, Brother Ling." He was speaking with the exact same demeanour and tone as Director Li, no more no less.

Ling Su nodded and waved his hand at the two men, who then retreated.

Someone examined the unconscious Director Li up and down, inside and out, "Brother Ling, he definitely doesn't have anything on him that transmits a signal."

"Alright, wake up our friend." After Ling Su's words, someone threw a basin of icy water on Director Li's face.

Director Li woke up with a jolt, only to find that his limbs were tied up and several people in the room were surrounding him, looking extremely fierce.

"You, who are you?" He said in horror.

"Why be so surprised? If you walk at night, you will surely meet ghosts. Think of all the bad things you've done, you should have expected this day to come, right?" Ling Su said lazily, "Now start explaining everything you have done to anger God."

"What are you talking about? Have you gotten the wrong person?"

"Still refusing to tell, are you?" Ling Su sighed, seemingly helpless about the other party's lack of cooperation, "Then since you know Professor Delang, tell us about this one."

Director Li's face instantly stiffened; it was really about this matter.

Professor Delang had left China more than three months ago. Director Li thought it was all over, otherwise he wouldn't leave Haining and come to Beijing.

A few hours later, Luo Wencheng hung up the phone and continued to distribute the soil for the new potted plants, "Ling Su called, the professor's identity was confirmed. The person behind him is the same as the one we determined before. I'll have him report directly to you for details."

He filled one pot with soil and Lu Chong gave him the next empty one, "Actually if you don't like him…"

"I really don't like him much, the man is too aggressive, but that's a personal matter between me and him. Lu Chong, you don't need to quarrel with the people around you because of me. Ling Su is very efficient in his work, loyal to you and does everything without any personal feelings. He is an invaluable helper, it's a shame to hang him out to dry like this."

Luo Wencheng continued his actions, adding the fertiliser to the pots. Then he began to stuff the seeds into the pots, saying as he did so, "I know that you and the brothers under your command have had a bad time over the past six months or so because of me. It really was unnecessary."

Lu Chong used to be a liberal and magnanimous person, at least when it came to the people under his command; but since the car crash, he had become harsh and demanding, looking at everyone with displeasure, and even with Lao Ding and Liu Weizhi, the trust and intimacy of the past was gone.

Those people were not fools, they had their own thoughts. No matter how loyal the heart is, no matter how strong the relationship is, it can't stand too much grinding. Luo Wencheng didn't want to see Lu Chong destroy the solid part of his rearguard because of him.

Of course, the most important reason was that the way people looked at him when they happened to run into each other sometimes annoyed him.

It was as if he was some kind of a traitor who damaged the country and caused suffering to the people.

Not only did Lu Chong ask him to stay in the Lu family's old house, taking care of him in every way; basically, no matter what Lu Chong did, no matter how important the occasion was, he would bring Luo Wencheng along with him, and it was getting worse and worse.

Luo Wencheng now felt that some people seemed to be ready to "clear evil ministers around the ruling monarch".

In the end, it was because the difference in their social status and power level was too great that Luo Wencheng was tired just thinking about it. Obviously he should have been content. He knew that he should have lived his life to the fullest. He knew that Lu Chong was one hundred percent on his side. He should have felt more and more at peace and comfortable; but when he thought about it, those world-weary thoughts seemed to pop up every minute.

That Ling Soo, trying to find ways to see him all day long to make amends; Luo Wencheng was actually annoyed with him. He didn't hate the man, but he hated being bothered.

"Just assume I don't want to be the focus of conflict," he said.

Lu Chong looked at him in silence for a long time and said, "I didn't think about it well. I know what to do."

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