Xu Shaoqing drove the company’s commercial van. Holding a black umbrella, she escorted Su Xingyan to the back seat and asked cautiously, “President Su, where are we heading now…?”
Shaoqing didn’t dare ask too much. She hadn’t quite figured out what was going on either. According to her investigation, that villa seemed to belong to President Yan Chong. But President Yan… had kept President Su locked up? Shaoqing found the whole situation utterly mind-boggling! Not only was she shocked that President Yan could be so criminally bold, but she was even more stunned because…
That was President Su, who had always stood high above everyone else! How did Yan Chong dare treat President Su like that…
Sitting in the back seat, Su Xingyan closed his eyes in weariness. The light rain outside splashed onto his face. He pulled out a handkerchief to gently wipe it away while mulling over Shaoqing’s words. Just as Yan Chong had said, the area outside the company building was undoubtedly filled with enraged crowds right now. Going there now would only turn him into a target for public outrage.
After a moment of silence, Su Xingyan suddenly asked, “What about the driver at fault? Is he still in the detention center? Any news from the police?”
“The driver doesn’t seem to be talking. Considering the massive public backlash, the police have been refusing reporter interviews. Their official stance is ‘no comment’ and asking everyone to wait patiently for updates. Only on the day of the incident did a reporter arrive at the scene and capture photos of the driver getting out of the vehicle.” Xu Shaoqing pulled up the news report from that day. “Supposedly, the driver kept repeating that he didn’t mean to do it and asked if Sun Bailang was alright.”
“Sun Bailang? The child involved in the accident was named Sun Bailang?”
Su Xingyan’s brows furrowed slightly. “How did he know the name?”
“Netizens guess his student ID badge must have fallen out. The accident happened near the school. However, this news report lacked emotional provocation, so it didn’t trigger widespread discussion…”
Qingming season brings drizzling rain. The sky hung dark and heavy, as if it might collapse at any second.
After throwing a wild, futile scene, the couple, Sun Jianbang and his wife, ultimately carried the body of their son, Sun Bailang, back to Sun Village to hold a modest funeral. On the day of the funeral, the sound of suona horns echoed from one end of the village to the other, accompanied by wails that pierced the sky.
Following the address Shaoqing had uncovered, Su Xingyan walked toward the Sun family home. As he stepped onto the muddy trail leading into the village, Su Xingyan heard the villagers cracking sunflower seeds while clicking their tongues, lamenting the Sun family’s tragic luck, to finally get an only son after so much effort, only for him to be struck dead. The driver and CY were deflecting blame to one another, and after so many days, not a single soul had stepped up to take responsibility…
“So pitiful. The child couldn’t be saved, and I heard they still owe several hundred thousand in medical bills. Hundreds of thousands! How many crops do the Sun couple have to sell, how much land do they have to till to make that back? Though, I heard it was also Sun Bailang being mischievous, he suddenly darted out from the roadside. Forget a car, even a person wouldn’t have reacted in time.”
“I heard his mother couldn’t let it go. She consulted with Old Li’s family and plans to arrange a ghost marriage for Sun Bailang so he’ll have a companion down there in the underworld, that girl from the Li family has been gone for thirty years now, if they team up…”
The rain trickled down steadily.
Listening to the pitter-patter of rain on his umbrella, Su Xingyan took a soft breath, tightened his grip on the handle, and continued walking toward the mourning hall. An old woman dressed in black knelt in front of the spirit tablet, weeping heart wrenchingly. Su Xingyan presumed she must be Sun Bailang’s mother.
Walking up beside her, Su Xingyan slowly crouched down, pulled out a handkerchief, and gently handed it to her. “My condolences.”
“Thank you.” Sun Wu Lanying seemed to have been crying for a long time; her eyes were swollen red, and even the hand reaching for Su Xingyan’s handkerchief trembled uncontrollably. Sun Wu Lanying sobbed as she looked up at Su Xingyan. Oddly enough, this man possessed an elegant, crisp demeanor, with features so exquisite one couldn’t look away. Such a refined person clearly didn’t belong in a place like this. “You… who are you…?”
“I…” Su Xingyan lowered his eyelids, carefully picking his words. “I’m from CY headquarters. I came today because I wanted to…”
The moment Sun Wu Lanying heard the letters CY, her pupils dilated sharply. She had little education and knew nothing about the complex workings of the big city, but she knew that the ones who killed her son were that driver who hadn’t shown his face to this day, and CY, the company that built that defective car! It was them who ran over and killed her young son!
“You still have the nerve to come here?! Where have you people been all these days! Are you dead?! My husband went to your company to demand an explanation, and your people beat him out the door! Fine! FINE! Since you dared to come today, I’ll send you down to be buried alongside my son!”
Sun Jianbang cursed hysterically while pacing frantically around the room as if searching for a handy weapon. The onlookers hurriedly tried to hold him back, but he shoved them aside with an iron hoe, striding aggressively toward Su Xingyan.
Su Xingyan hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction. Caught off guard, he felt a sharp gust of wind sweep past his face before his body was suddenly pulled tight into an embrace. Sun Jianbang’s high-raised iron hoe landed on the newcomer with a heavy thud. Su Xingyan’s eyes trembled. Looking up, sure enough, he saw Yan Chong’s wild, arrogant face.
“…Yan Chong? You… why are you here?”
Su Xingyan had guessed Yan Chong would see the note upon returning home, but he hadn’t expected him to follow him here.
“Why shouldn’t I come? Leaving a note and thinking you can just run off? Su Xingyan, shaking me off isn’t that easy.”
Yan Chong’s handsome brows knitted together, yet his dark eyes bore a flirtatious smile as he looked at Su Xingyan. The smile made Su Xingyan’s heart tighten, almost instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Yan Chong. Then, before Sun Jianbang’s next strike could fall, Su Xingyan turned to shield Yan Chong, raising his gaze to glare fiercely at Sun Jianbang.
“We came today to solve the problem. Representatives from CY’s legal team and reporters will be arriving shortly, if you’d prefer the police to arrive instead, feel free to continue.”
Su Xingyan supported Yan Chong with both hands, his delicate brows furrowed and his gaze burning intently as he stared at Sun Jianbang’s raised iron hoe. As he spoke, Su Xingyan covertly shielded Yan Chong behind himself.
Yan Chong narrowed his long, narrow phoenix eyes, quietly observing Su Xingyan’s sharp side profile. When Su Xingyan loses his temper, he really is formidable, Yan Chong thought. That innate arrogance of his can probably only be glimpsed when he’s angry.
Sun Jianbang still glared with wide, bloodshot eyes, holding the hoe high, teeth grinding in hatred. Sun Wu Lanying took advantage of the moment to rush over, grabbing Sun Jianbang’s arm to snatch the iron hoe away. “Don’t be reckless! Oh, I told you not to be reckless! Bailang just passed away, don’t argue in front of him. Let Bailang have some peace, let him leave in peace!”
She turned back around, wiping her tears as she asked, “Are you really here to fix this? How do you plan to handle it? My son is already dead, what are you going to do about it!…”
The rain poured down onto the roof with a loud wash, sounding like a crying infant.
Su Xingyan hadn’t anticipated the Sun family being so emotionally volatile. Realizing no meaningful communication could happen right now, he used his concern over Yan Chong’s back injury as an excuse to quickly support him into the Sun family’s guest room, intending to wait for Shaoqing to arrive with backup. Su Xingyan requested some bruise liniment from Sun Wu Lanying to apply to Yan Chong’s back.
The dark suit jacket was removed. Holding the liniment, Su Xingyan saw Yan Chong’s muscular, fair back marred by a striking, thick red welt, deep in color, almost purplish. He wondered if the bone had been injured.
Su Xingyan’s brows knitted tightly as his fingertips lightly touched the bruise. “Does it hurt badly? Is the bone damaged? If it’s fractured, I’ll call an ambulance right now.” As he spoke, Su Xingyan reached for his phone to dial.
“It’s not that dramatic… Apply the ointment first, then we’ll see.” Yan Chong pressed down on his phone holding hand and turned his head to look at Su Xingyan. Su Xingyan’s features were naturally gorgeous, right now, with his brows slightly knit and his eyes brimming with emotion, he was breathtakingly captivating. Yan Chong watched silently for a moment before letting out a soft laugh. “Taking a hit from a stick won’t kill me. Why are you so anxious about me? Could it be…”
Yan Chong likely wanted to tease him to lighten the mood, but Su Xingyan cut him off with a cold glance, instantly shutting him up.
“You still have the energy to talk, so it seems you really won’t die.”
Su Xingyan had been genuinely worried, but hearing Yan Chong speak so casually, he let out a long breath and gave him a displeased glare. “Haven’t you trained in combat? You didn’t need to block that for me just now.” Su Xingyan frowned, looking up at him. “What was that? Playing the pity card?”
“Yeah, a pity card. Did it work?”
Yan Chong looked at him with a half-smile, offering a full confession.
In truth, Sun Jianbang’s hoe had been too close just now. If he hadn’t shielded him with his own body, Su Xingyan would have definitely been hurt. Su Xingyan was delicate, taking a heavy strike would have been far harder on him. Better to take it myself, Yan Chong had thought.
Outside the door, the spring rain continued to patter against the slate pathway.
Su Xingyan remained silent. Digging out a generous scoop of the liniment with his slender fingers, he pressed it onto the bruise on Yan Chong’s back with some force, making Yan Chong let out a pained grunt. The Su family had built their legacy on martial arts academies; in his youth, Su Xingyan’s father was constantly injured. When it came to applying medicine, knowing how to be gentle or how to inflict pain. Su Xingyan was long adept at it.
The rain kept falling.
Yan Chong’s sharp brows knitted tight, cold sweat continually beads on his forehead, though this time, he didn’t cry out in pain. When he was truly hurting, he tended not to make a sound. Observing his pain, Su Xingyan silently eased his pressure.
“…And what about you? Aren’t you playing a pity card of your own right now?” Yan Chong sensed Su Xingyan’s gentler touch. “Why come alone? You knew the legal team and reporters were coming soon, so why not wait for them? You clearly knew the Sun family harbors a deep hatred toward CY.”