APR 21

Seeing that Yu Zizhuo remained silent and seemed somewhat swayed, Xiao Lao Dao quickly seized the opportunity, saying, “It’s just a phone call. It won’t take much of your time.”

Yu Zizhuo: “One more word and I’ll shoot. Kneel properly.”

“Alright, I’ll kneel properly.” Xiao Lao Dao had already cursed this stubborn, unreasonable cop eight hundred times in his heart, but on the surface, he remained obedient.

Yu Zizhuo took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts to the number labeled “Landlord Zhang,” and dialed.

He asked a few brief questions, and as he received the answers, his brows gradually furrowed. “Are you sure? There really was someone named ‘Zhong Su’ who lived here before?”

The landlord replied firmly over the phone, “No mistake! About eight years ago, he lived here with another… uh… young man. They looked tough, but they were actually quite reasonable. Thanks to them, our neighborhood was much safer back then—thieves didn’t even dare to break in.”

“However,” the landlord added, sounding puzzled, “I don’t know why he suddenly moved away midway. The other guy stayed alone for another year before moving out too.”

“…Alright, I understand. Thank you.”

Yu Zizhuo hung up, his gaze hesitantly falling on Zhong Su’s still-youthful profile. A flicker of doubt crossed his mind: If this person really lived here eight years ago, how could he… look so young?

But the landlord had no reason to lie, and the information matched up.

Yu Zizhuo instinctively suppressed this strange thought and quickly uncuffed Xiao Lao Dao before turning to help Zhong Su.

His tone and attitude had completely changed, now filled with remorse and self-reproach. “Little brother, it turns out you’re not a bad guy after all. I’m really sorry, I was too impulsive earlier and acted without asking for the full story.”

“Are you okay?” He supported Zhong Su’s back, carefully helping him to the sofa. “Sit here and rest for a bit. I’ll call an ambulance right away.”

Zhong Su’s lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. An intense dizziness swept through his mind like a hurricane, leaving him in pain and disoriented.

The ambulance soon arrived downstairs, its piercing siren blaring incessantly.

Yu Zizhuo picked Zhong Su up and jogged downstairs. Zhong Su leaned against him, his cheek pressed against Yu Zizhuo’s firm, warm chest, feeling the solid muscles beneath the fabric.

A paramedic, already waiting outside in a dark blue reflective uniform, hurried over upon seeing Yu Zizhuo carrying someone. “Over here! Let’s get the patient onto the stretcher first. Are you a family member? What’s wrong with the patient?”

Yu Zizhuo rushed over but kept his hold steady, carefully placing Zhong Su onto the stretcher bed while answering rapidly, “It’s not an illness, he hit his head on the floor and bled a lot.”

Only when the ambulance’s interior lights illuminated Yu Zizhuo’s face did the paramedic notice the blood seeping from his head as well. He quickly handed him a piece of gauze to press against the wound. “You’re injured too. Get in the ambulance and sit down—we’ll take you to the hospital for treatment.”

Soon after, Zhong Su felt himself being wheeled into the ambulance. He heard the paramedic repeatedly asking, “Sir, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes and look at me?”

But Zhong Su couldn’t respond or make any corresponding movements. His eyelids grew heavy, and before they even reached the hospital, he fell completely unconscious.

Zhong Su opened his eyes, his head throbbing with pain, and saw the fluorescent light on the ceiling. Immediately after, a strong smell of disinfectant filled his nostrils.

Turning his head to the side, he saw Xiao Lao Dao’s round face and Yu Zizhuo’s handsome one.

Before he could speak, Xiao Lao Dao, seated by the hospital bed, noticed his movement and exclaimed excitedly, “Bro, you’re finally awake! Oh man, I thought you weren’t going to make it!”

Yu Zizhuo’s face lit up with delight as he called for the doctor, “Doctor, he’s awake, could you please check on him?”

“No need to rush, I heard you.”

Shortly after, Zhong Su saw a doctor in a white coat approach him, pull a small flashlight from his chest pocket, and switch it on, directing the beam straight into his pupils.

Zhong Su instinctively turned his head away, avoiding the harsh light.

“Good photophobia response,” the doctor nodded, gently pressing around his head as he examined him. “Do you feel dizzy now? Any nausea?”

Zhong Su’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his voice hoarse as he replied, “Not dizzy, no nausea… but I’m very thirsty.”

The doctor turned to Yu Zizhuo and Xiao Lao Dao, who were gathered nearby, and instructed, “You can give him some water.”

“Based on the examination and CT scan just now, there’s no significant damage to the patient’s brain. However, since he fainted, we suspect a mild concussion. He needs to stay overnight for observation. If no other symptoms appear, he can be discharged tomorrow. Understood?”

“Got it, thank you, Doctor.” Xiao Lao Dao expressed his thanks and quickly picked up some water for Zhong Su.

“Here, bro, drink slowly and don’t spill it.”

Zhong Su had little strength in his hands and could barely hold the cup. He took a small sip, moistening his chapped lips, and finally felt a bit better.

Seeing him struggle to drink, Yu Zizhuo looked even more guilty, his voice softening. “Little brother, you must be in a lot of pain, right? It’s all my fault—I didn’t verify the situation properly.”

“Do you want to contact your family? Or get a more thorough check-up? Or maybe rest in the hospital for a few more days?”

A barrage of questions made Zhong Su’s headache worse. “Stop, don’t say anything more. I can’t answer.”

Yu Zizhuo, like a scolded puppy, looked pitifully at Zhong Su. “Alright, I won’t disturb you.”

Xiao Lao Dao seized the moment to add fuel to the fire, accusing, “Officer, it’s not that you didn’t verify the situation, you didn’t even give us a chance to explain. You just charged in, shouting and ready to fight. Who could handle that?”

“I don’t deny that mistake.”

Yu Zizhuo took Zhong Su’s hand, pressed a business card into it, and gazed at him earnestly. “Little brother, this is my card. Whatever compensation you want, I’ll do my best to provide it.”

His eyes were as clear as a forest after snowfall, devoid of any trace of menace.

Yet, looking at him, Zhong Su felt a strong sense of dissonance. When this police officer had been beating his head relentlessly, he hadn’t seemed this kind.

Zhong Su withdrew his hand, his eyes scanning the business card that read “Yu Zizhuo, Probationary Inspector.” His brow furrowed imperceptibly.

“Inspector Yu, is it? Just call me Zhong Su. As for compensation or anything like that, forget it. I don’t need it.”

Zhong Su paused briefly, his voice raspy and deliberately distant. “Pay the medical bill, and then you can go.”

He disliked getting involved with the police, it brought nothing but a heap of trouble, with no benefits whatsoever.

Yu Zizhuo’s innocent, round eyes widened even further, as if he couldn’t comprehend Zhong Su’s words. “Why won’t you accept compensation? This is clearly what I ought to do.”

He seemed like a naive child raised strictly by the book, treating moral principles as gospel—hate evil as you would an enemy, apologize for mistakes, and compensate for harm caused.

Thus, Zhong Su’s icy “No need” sounded to him like a stern reprimand. He couldn’t understand it, nor could he easily accept it.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lao Dao was convinced that Yu Zizhuo was only being so meek and apologetic because he feared Zhong Su would report him for violent conduct and land him with disciplinary action.

Chin lifted arrogantly, his tone grew even more provocative. “Officer, apologies need the right atmosphere, don’t you think? Can’t you hear my buddy doesn’t want you here? If he says leave, then scram. Standing around with that hulking frame of yours, are you here to apologize or to intimidate?”

As he spoke, he actually reached out and gave Yu Zizhuo’s shoulder a shove, but failed to budge him.

Ignoring Xiao Lao Dao, Yu Zizhuo leaned closer to Zhong Su instead, gently brushing aside the sweat-dampened strands of hair on his forehead.

Feigning ignorance of the previous exchange, he said cheerfully, “Alright, you’re right. It is quite late now. Rest well, little brother. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

The smile in Yu Zizhuo’s eyes brightened, carrying an air of unwavering certainty. “I have a feeling we can become very good friends.”

Zhong Su lay frozen on the bed, momentarily stunned by the sudden intimacy.

By the time he processed what had happened, Yu Zizhuo had already stood up, nodded at Xiao Lao Dao, and left the hospital room.

“Hey… you—” Zhong Su’s words caught in his throat, left unspoken.

What kind of lunatic just touches a stranger’s face out of the blue?

Seeing that Yu Zizhuo had left, Xiao Lao Dao immediately plopped down on the edge of the hospital bed, making the frame groan under his weight.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, he clicked his tongue and grumbled, “Zhong Su, you were out cold, so you didn’t see. The moment that cop heard you were just here looking for someone, his face went pale, scared you’d get hurt and he’d be held responsible. At least he had some conscience, bringing you to the hospital instead of pinning some theft charge on you.”

His tone then shifted to one of exasperation. “But you’re too soft! Why let him off so easy? You should’ve made him cough up three or five thousand for your recovery. We can’t just take this loss lying down.”

Zhong Su shot him a look as if he were an idiot and replied flatly, “Extort thousands from a cop, then have him hold a grudge, dig up our names, addresses, and find out we’re just errand boys for a gang, so he can keep an eye on us and bust us every chance he gets?”

Xiao Lao Dao froze for a second before it finally clicked. “Oh… right!”

He clutched his head in frustration. “No wonder that guy was so ‘nice.’ When you were out, he kept asking me the name of the friend you were looking for, saying he’d help track him down. Thinking back, it’s obvious he never believed our story, he was just fishing for information…”

Zhong Su didn’t pay close attention to Xiao Lao Dao’s subsequent words. He rubbed the gauze on his forehead, the rough texture helping him focus a little.

Though he had been lying on the ground unable to get up, he had overheard some of the conversation between Yu Zizhuo and the landlord and knew that Chen Huan was unharmed.

Zhong Su pinched his index finger, calculating: Now he neither knew where Chen Huan had gone nor had any way to find out. Searching aimlessly like this was no different from looking for a needle in a haystack, it would yield no results.

Given Chen Huan’s capabilities, even if the Jiu Zhong Society had disbanded, he wouldn’t be living poorly.

At this thought, he slowly let out a breath, suppressing the restlessness and helplessness in his heart. What he needed to do most now was adapt to his current identity and settle down, rather than waste time searching for someone.

Just then, a sudden phone ringtone sounded.

Zhong Su didn’t react, but Xiao Lao Dao jumped as if scalded, frantically patting his pants pockets until he finally pulled out a white flip phone. The phone vibrated insistently in his palm.

“Oh! I almost forgot about this thing!” He sighed in relief and handed the phone to Zhong Su, saying, “Here, Zhong Su, your phone. Answer it quickly. I specially went to your place to get it earlier, and I also packed some clean clothes and a towel for you.”

“My phone?” Zhong Su took the device and saw the screen displaying a contact named “Kou Jun.”

The moment he pressed the answer button, the call disconnected, immediately followed by an incoming text message.

Frowning, he opened the message.

Xiao Lao Dao curiously leaned closer, asking, “Why didn’t you answer? Who was calling you?”

Zhong Su raised the phone, showing the screen to Xiao Lao Dao, and said, “Forget about the police matter for now, who is this person threatening to kill me if I don’t repay the money?”

On the screen, a line of threatening words stood out starkly: 【Final three-day warning. If you keep delaying repayment, I’ll send someone to chop you up.】