Zhan Rong Xuan said to Zhan Feng, “Serve the meal.”
Zhan Feng went out, and shortly after, someone came in carrying a tray.
“Miss Xu, you can eat here,” he said, helping her set up the bedside table.
Xu Yueyao stopped looking at those four guys. Whoever they were, eating was the most important thing. Right now, she thought Zhan Feng was the most pleasant—attentive and polite.
When the lid was lifted, Xu Yueyao’s excited face turned to disbelief. She said pitifully, “Seriously, Zhan Feng, is this all I get to eat?”
Pfft! Chen Shen across the room burst out laughing, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the two of them, as if to say, “Isn’t this interesting?”
A Yan couldn’t help but laugh too, and even Jing Yi cracked a smile. They hadn’t expected that this type of girl would catch Zhan Rong Xuan’s eye.
Xu Yueyao looked at Zhan Rong Xuan with utter despair. It seemed like she hadn’t eaten all day, only receiving IV drips. Zhan Rong Xuan turned to Chen Shen and asked, “Is this all she can eat?”
Chen Shen was taken aback. “The first meal after surgery can only be liquid food. But tomorrow she can have more variety, as long as it’s light.”
Both had been shot, but looking at Zhan Rong Xuan’s lively state and then at herself, Xu Yueyao resigned herself to drinking the porridge. Perhaps because she was too hungry, she found the porridge quite good. After finishing one bowl, she signaled to Zhan Feng that she wanted another.
After dinner, Xu Yueyao leaned back against the bed. Zhan Rong Xuan formally introduced the three of them to her. Xu Yueyao knew them better than they knew themselves, so she remained calm. But since it was her first time meeting them, she didn’t dare say much—they were all sharp-minded, and saying too much could lead to mistakes. So, for now, Xu Yueyao pretended to be weak, lying motionless on the bed. She had intended to fake sleep, but within ten minutes, she actually fell asleep. When she woke up again, everyone was gone, including Zhan Rong Xuan. Xu Yueyao leaned against the bed, recalling the plot. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door opening. Could it be Zhan Rong Xuan returning?
Just as Xu Yueyao was about to get up, she suddenly saw a shadow—a man wearing a hat. Knowing it wasn’t Zhan Rong Xuan, she continued lying down, pretending to sleep, her hands gripping the blanket nervously.
The man’s footsteps slowly drew closer. Xu Yueyao held her breath, her mind racing. This scene wasn’t in the novel because, in the original story, she hadn’t taken a bullet for Zhan Rong Xuan. Their first meeting was when Zhan Rong Xuan was drugged, and she became his antidote. For the first time, Xu Yueyao regretted altering the plot—it had left her in a passive position.
Hearing the man still slowly approaching, Xu Yueyao’s hair stood on end again, as if this was her ability to sense danger.
In her mind, Xu Yueyao counted, “One, two, three,” then abruptly threw the blanket over the man’s head and scrambled out of the room.
The man struggled under the blanket, but suddenly the lights in the room turned on, and a group of people rushed in, subduing him.Zhan Rong Xuan looked at Xu Yueyao lying on the floor and hurriedly picked her up. Xu Yueyao was in tears; at this moment, she probably realized that Zhan Rong Xuan had used her as bait. Whether from pain or feeling wronged, Xu Yueyao silently wept, her tears falling onto the back of Zhan Rong Xuan’s hand, burning him and making his heart tremble slightly. Holding Xu Yueyao for the first time in his life, he found her light and soft, almost as if she had no bones. Looking at her tear-streaked face and the bleeding wound, he regretted tonight’s decision for the first time and shouted at Zhan Feng, “Call Chen Shen over.”
Soon, Chen Shen arrived and examined the wound. “The wound has reopened. Take her to the operating room.”
Seeing Xu Yueyao’s blood-soaked wound was astonishing even to Zhan Rong Xuan, who was accustomed to injuries. His own wounds were already scabbing over, and this was the first time he realized how different people could be—some could be so severely hurt. She shouldn’t have been injured in the first place.
As Xu Yueyao was wheeled away, Zhan Rong Xuan walked over and lifted the blanket, revealing Long Er—a man sent by his second uncle. Zhan Rong Xuan kicked him, sending Long Er crashing into the opposite wall before bouncing back and spitting blood.
Seeing Zhan Shao’s ruthless attack, Zhan Feng couldn’t understand what had come over him. Could it be because of Miss Xu? A slight smile curled at the corner of Zhan Feng’s lips—it seemed his young master was starting to care.
Zhan Feng quickly stepped forward to pry open Long Er’s mouth, but it was too late. Long Er had already bitten down on the poison hidden in his teeth and died.
“Zhan Shao, he’s dead,” Zhan Feng confirmed after checking.
The young masters of the Zhan family were each assigned companions from birth. Through a process of elimination as they grew up, the last one standing became their shadow—their protector. Long Er was the shadow of his second uncle, Zhan Yunzheng.
“Whether he’s dead or alive doesn’t matter anymore. If Second Uncle sent Long Er, it means he’s completely panicked. It seems we’ve finally hit his weak spot.” Zhan Rong Xuan glanced disdainfully at Long Er on the floor. “Move Xu Yueyao to another room.”
“Understood, I’ll arrange it right away. But what about Long Er?” Zhan Feng asked.
Zhan Rong Xuan turned to look out the window, gazing at the scattered stars outside, and said calmly, “It’s time to settle this. Send him to Zhan Yunzheng—after all, he was his man.”
“Understood. Take him out and deliver him to Second Master,” Zhan Feng instructed the people behind him. It seemed Zhan Shao was ready to bring this matter into the open.
In the operating room, Chen Shen was treating Xu Yueyao’s wound. This time, it was under local anesthesia. Though Xu Yueyao kept her eyes closed, she could feel Chen Shen moving the needle back and forth through her wound as if sewing fabric. She gripped the bedsheet tightly, enduring the discomfort, tears streaming continuously from the corners of her eyes.
Noticing Xu Yueyao’s tears, Chen Shen wondered to himself, Is this woman made of water? How can one person shed so many tears? But his hands never slowed down. With a final “Cut,” the suturing was complete, and Xu Yueyao gradually loosened her grip.
Chen Shen said to the nurse beside him, “Observe her for a while, then send her to the ward.” After a glance at Xu Yueyao, he left. Looking back at the slowly closing operating room door, Chen Shen fell into thought. For a moment, it felt as if Xu Yueyao’s vitality and spirit had vanished. He shook his head—why would he think such a thing?Xu Yueyao was moved to a different ward. When she entered, Zhan Rong Xuan was also there. Looking at Xu Yueyao’s newly bandaged wound and her pale face, Zhan Rong Xuan said, “Your injury today was a mistake. I had everything arranged—he would have been caught before he could touch you.” This was the first time Zhan Shao had explained his actions to anyone other than his grandfather.
Xu Yueyao, however, was not grateful. She thought to herself, So you’re blaming me for running around, huh? If everything was arranged, why didn’t you catch him from the start? Hmph, arrogant jerk. But on her pale little face, she forced a smile and said, “I am Zhan Shao’s person. It is my honor to be able to help Zhan Shao with his work.” See, isn’t that a nice thing to say? Remember what I did for you, so when the time comes to kick me out, the breakup fee better be generous.
Zhan Rong Xuan looked at her smiling face and found it somewhat grating. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and Xu Yueyao felt a chill. Was he not satisfied with that answer? Zhan Rong Xuan didn’t say anything more. He turned and left, and as he walked, he said to Zhan Feng, “Arrange for two people at the door and two more to take care of her. Didn’t she like having someone wash her face? Have that person from yesterday come every day.” Zhan Rong Xuan thought for a moment, then added irritably, “Arrange the rest as you see fit.”
“Understood, Zhan Shao,” Zhan Feng noted everything down.