Chapter 4

Dr. Jiang’s legs were starting to ache slightly, having stood by the door for quite some time, waiting for the right moment to enter.

Xia Wansheng’s throat burned fiercely, but he still forced himself to get up and politely declined, “No need, I’m fine.”

Yu Congyan ignored him, his expression remaining cold as he swooped in and lifted Xia Wansheng in his arms, placing him gently on the soft mattress. Then, he wrapped him up tightly like a Swiss roll.

He then moved to the door and instructed Dr. Jiang, “Check what else he might be allergic to, and test his brainwaves as well…”

To see where exactly his mental state had gone wrong.

From behind, Xia Wansheng weakly said, “I can hear you.”

Yu Congyan didn’t respond and stood with his arms crossed by the door.

Dr. Jiang approached the bed, setting down his somewhat bulky medical kit. Seeing Yu Congyan still standing by the door, he politely asked, “Could the family members please step aside for a moment?”

With high professionalism, Dr. Jiang swiftly completed the routine examination and removed his stethoscope. “Everything looks normal. It’s likely a sudden allergic reaction caused by a recent drop in immunity.”

While speaking, Dr. Jiang discreetly grasped Xia Wansheng’s hand beneath the blanket and slipped a small piece of paper into his palm, his eyes firm and resolute.

Puzzled, Xia Wansheng could only clutch the paper tightly in his hand.

After they left, Xia Wansheng raised the paper to read the bold words: “Qingjiang Law Firm Legal Aid.”

He sensed there had been a significant misunderstanding.

He thought to himself that he would have to find a chance to explain everything properly.

Just as he was about to tuck the paper into the drawer, his phone, which he had neglected until now, began ringing incessantly.

The anonymous number that had threatened him earlier was calling directly this time.

The voice on the other end was displeased: “You’ve been quite bold lately. What’s the matter? Scared now that death is near?”

“Who is this?” Xia Wansheng asked humbly.

“Are you provoking me?!” Yu Xuan snapped angrily. “What kind of spell did my worthless brother put on you? Don’t forget, I still have your dirty secrets!”

Xia Wansheng looked innocent. “You’ve got it wrong—I just forgot to add a note previously…”

“Stop arguing. Meet me at the usual place at six tonight. If you don’t show, don’t blame me for being ruthless,” Yu Xuan growled, then was about to hang up.

Xia Wansheng hurriedly stopped him, “So, where is the usual place?”

“Are you out of your mind?! Second floor of Cui Ming Building. Don’t think about pulling any tricks.”

Yu Xuan hung up, fuming. This person had a history of sneaky behavior, yet now dared to feign ignorance? Could he really have powerful backing?

The Cui Ming Building was a high-end, elegant riverside teahouse in the heart of city A, a place where many wealthy people liked to discuss business.

Xia Wansheng hesitated for a long time but didn’t use the Yu family’s driver. He cautiously walked to the edge of the Yu family villa grounds and hailed a taxi from the roadside.

He told the driver the destination and quietly gazed out the window, lost in thought.

At a red light, the driver glanced at the young man in the back seat through the mirror. He looked dazed and sickly, leaning against the seat with a slender back wrapped in a white shirt. He seemed deep in thought, absentmindedly wrinkling his collar with pale fingers.

Xia Wansheng stared out at the blue sky and white clouds, his litchi-shaped eyes half-closed from the sunlight.

He reached up to rub his eyes but stopped midway, suddenly remembering he was wearing contact lenses to better play his role.

His hand froze in midair, so he loosened his collar instead, pretending to have been short of breath.

“Driver, I’ll get off at the intersection up ahead,” Xia Wansheng interrupted the driver’s train of thought.

“Oh, okay,” the driver snapped back to attention but instinctively felt something was off.

The young man in the back seat was young but completely lacked any vitality in his gaze. He looked like someone ready to end his life at any moment.

The vehicle pulled over at the intersection. Xia Wansheng thanked the driver and was about to get out, but the driver called after him.

“Hey, kid,” the driver hesitated, “I’ve been through things myself. Just one piece of advice: don’t be afraid when trouble comes; it’ll pass.”

Xia Wansheng nodded, not fully understanding. “Thanks.”

Was this some kind of unexpected spiritual encouragement?

As the driver left, he painfully took off a lucky charm he had worn for years and handed it to Xia Wansheng, saying their meeting was fate and urging him to keep it.

A curious custom indeed.

Yu Xuan arrived unashamedly in his family’s luxury car, removed his sunglasses, and surveyed the surroundings with satisfaction, spotting Xia Wansheng already there.

This time, Xia Wansheng wasn’t dressed in loud reds and greens but wore a relatively low-key white shirt. His expression was cold, standing by the door as if waiting for someone.

Xia Wansheng wiped away his previous arrogant demeanor, exhaustion lingering between his brows. His aura softened, like lukewarm water, seemingly uninterested in anything.

Yu Xuan eyed him suspiciously, thinking it was a new tactic. He sneered, “That’s a quick style change. Now playing the world-weary white lotus? Is my brother into this lately?”

Xia Wansheng ignored the bait; there was no need to explain things to a villain. “You’re not here to chat, are you?”

Staying up late, hungry, just to have a conversation felt like working overtime team building.

“So eager to leave. Looks like Yu Congyan’s acting is impressive lately. About the suburban project bid—I need you to pull a switcheroo.”

“I didn’t have a choice before, but now…”

Xia Wansheng was about to refuse and risk angering the villain when Yu Xuan suddenly remembered something and pulled out a brown paper envelope.

He slid it across the table, fingers tapping confidently on the surface, his tone casual: “There’s five million in this card. Consider it an eye-opener.”

He was really offering money?!

Xia Wansheng was stunned, nearly betraying his own side on the spot.

Compared to empty promises from some system, this was real cash!

“Also, don’t forget I still have the photos,” Yu Xuan leaned back in his golden nanmu chair. “If you think of backing out now, it’s too late.”

Xia Wansheng was still struggling with his difficult choice, head bowed in silence.

He wasn’t even sure if it was too late to switch sides...

Yu Xuan was in no mood to linger. Before leaving, he leaned in and whispered a threat: “Don’t disappoint me this time.”

He then strode down the stairs, with nervous waitstaff hurrying after him, afraid something might go wrong.

After pondering deeply, Xia Wansheng finally reached out and touched the brown paper envelope.

Just as he was about to open it, the system, silent for a long time, suddenly appeared in his mind: [Notice: All currency in this book’s world is regarded as game currency. Upon mission completion, it will be converted at a rate of one ten-thousandth. Enjoy the game, host.]

One ten-thousandth conversion rate?! That was outrageously unfair.

Xia Wansheng felt another crushing blow; four million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand five hundred vanished without a trace. His sorrow was no act.

What a stubborn, humiliated little white flower, repeatedly threatened by villains and now driven to despair.

He calmly stood, reluctantly glancing at the card now worth only five hundred yuan, then slowly turned his gaze to the turbulent river beneath the railing.

Before he could take a step, someone suddenly rushed out and pressed him to the ground.

Above, Shen Xinghe almost broke his voice: “Hey, man, can’t we talk this out? Why jump into the river so easily?!”

Shen Xinghe had been secretly filming proof of infidelity next door and hadn’t reacted until he saw Xia Wansheng clutching the railing, about to jump. He dropped his phone in alarm and rushed to save him.

Fortunately, he arrived just in time.

Xia Wansheng felt a little breathless in this position and weakly turned his head. “Who are you?”

Shen Xinghe grew more surprised. “I was just at your place last week! I hope I’m not that unwelcome.”

“Sorry, I seem to have forgotten a lot lately…” Xia Wansheng coughed softly.

He wasn’t lying; anything not written in the book, he simply pretended not to remember, avoiding many troubles.

Seeing his emotions stabilize a bit, Shen Xinghe loosened his grip and helped him up, dusting off his clothes. He casually asked, “About that threat earlier—how do you plan to handle it?”

“I was about to deal with it…”

Shen Xinghe was exasperated. “You call that dealing? You’re just hurting your family and for what?”

“My family’s gone.” Xia Wansheng said quietly.

“Oh… sorry, I didn’t know…” Shen Xinghe’s voice dropped lower and lower, suddenly at a loss for words, wishing he could punch his own careless mouth.

“It’s okay. You’re right—I shouldn’t cause trouble for the restaurant owner.” Xia Wansheng glanced around and noticed the commotion had drawn the attention of the floor manager.

A circle of staff stood a few meters away, watching the two closely, ready to pull him away from the railing at any moment.

Things seemed to be escalating.

Xia Wansheng disliked being the center of attention, so he discreetly hid his reddened wrist inside his sleeve. “I’m leaving now. See you later.”

“Wait!” Shen Xinghe wasn’t at all comfortable letting Xia Wansheng go home alone. If something happened halfway, he couldn’t explain to his brothers. He hurriedly said, “I’m going to the Yu family for a business talk. I’ll take you there.”

Xia Wansheng didn’t refuse and got into Shen Xinghe’s sports car. They sped to his home, and for a moment, Xia Wansheng felt like an overdue delivery order. “Thanks.”

Shen Xinghe shook his head like a rattle drum. “No, no, no, it’s what I should do.”

They were close friends in life and death, and given the urgency, Shen Xinghe just wanted to find his brother and get to the bottom of things.

Back at the familiar Yu family estate, Shen Xinghe headed straight to the study. Urgently, he said, “Big brother, something’s wrong. Xia Wansheng’s condition is off!”

Before Yu Congyan could respond, Shen Xinghe poured out everything that had happened today, ending with, “If you really like him, you can’t just let others bully him like this.”

“So you mean,” Yu Congyan caught the crucial detail, “my big brother was the one threatening him?”

Shen Xinghe nodded. “No doubt about it. I saw it with my own eyes.”

That explained everything.

Yu Congyan’s expression turned serious. “I was going to talk to you about this on the phone earlier. You also came to the house last week. Have you noticed that Xia Wansheng isn’t quite the same as before?”

Shen Xinghe thought for a moment and affirmed, “Definitely. He changed his style, and now he looks much better.”

“I’m not talking about appearance.”

Yu Congyan clasped his fingers, his expression grave. “His mental state is off. He’s doing things he would never have done before. I don’t know what tricks he’s playing.”

Previously, Xia Wansheng had tried some sly tactics, like lingering longer in the study under the pretext of delivering fruit, but Yu Congyan always saw through his real intentions and mercilessly kicked him out.

After hearing about recent events, Shen Xinghe’s expression became complicated. “Maybe he’s just acting foolish out of love? It feels like he’s trying to get your attention.”

“Maybe. There could be other motives,” Yu Congyan said, wanting to believe in Xia Wansheng, but the last scenes from their previous life kept replaying in his mind, warning him how foolish his previous trust had been.

After their talk, they left the study. When Yu Congyan returned to see off guests, he found the old butler waiting at the door.

“Something wrong?” Yu Congyan glanced at Xia Wansheng’s bedroom. The door was tightly shut.

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

The butler looked like he had something to say. “Young master, as per your orders, I have been keeping an eye on Master Xia’s whereabouts. He…”

The butler hesitated. “He’s been locked in his room for over an hour and hasn’t come out.”