Wound

Lu Yan had almost forgotten that Yu Zechuan had planted a listening device in his phone. There might even be a tracker in it. It would only take the other man minutes to get here.

Yu Zechuan and Xue Jin were birds of a feather. There was no question whom Yu Zechuan would help, and there was no way Lu Yan could fight both of them at once.

If Xue Jin were dying, Yu Zechuan would definitely save Xue Jin.

But what if he were dying instead?

In that split second, countless thoughts flashed through Lu Yan's mind. He could strike first and kill Xue Jin, then deal with Yu Zechuan. But his body did the opposite. The hand around Xue Jin's throat slowly loosened, deliberately leaving him an opening.

"Bang!"

Xue Jin's eyes flickered. Seizing the chance, he punched Lu Yan to the floor and pounced on him. In the struggle, they accidentally hit the wall switch. The lights snapped off, and the room was swallowed by darkness, leaving only the sound of wind and rain tossing outside.

In the dark, Xue Jin picked up the syringe that had fallen by the foot of the bed and drove it straight into the back of Lu Yan's neck. Struggle flashed in his eyes. "I don't want to kill you either. But you insisted on seeking your own death!"

By the faint light from outside the window, Xue Jin had expected Lu Yan to panic. Instead, the corner of his mouth slowly curved upward, revealing a smile Xue Jin couldn't understand. "Who says I'm definitely going to die...?"

Xue Jin froze. "What do you mean?"

But Lu Yan didn't answer. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. In the final second before he lost consciousness, he heard a tremendous bang beside his ear, as though someone had viciously kicked open the door to his apartment.

Xue Jin's knife was already aimed at Lu Yan's throat. Hearing the noise, he instinctively turned around, only to be caught off guard by a kick that sent him crashing to the floor, his head spinning.

Xue Jin thought it was one of Lu Yan's helpers. Struggling to his feet, he gripped the dagger in his right hand and stabbed viciously forward, pinning the other person against the wall. A muffled groan of pain sounded in the dark.

"Crash!"

A bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the night sky, turning the room bright as day.

Only then did Xue Jin see the newcomer's face clearly.

Brows drawn tight with pain. Dark, sharp eyes. Pale lips pressed into a line.

"Zechuan?!"

Xue Jin's face changed dramatically. He clearly hadn't expected Yu Zechuan to suddenly appear. His wrist trembled, and the bloodstained dagger fell to the floor with a sharp clang. "Why are you here?!"

Yu Zechuan clutched the wound in his abdomen with his left hand and grabbed Xue Jin by the collar with his right, suppressing his fury as he snapped, "Who told you to come here and kill him?!"

There was no question who that "him" referred to: Lu Yan.

Xue Jin was even angrier. "Yu Zechuan! I told you from the beginning that we had to get rid of Lu Yan! But not only did you refuse to kill him, you even let him go! Do you know that if he leaks the information, you could end up in prison again?!"

The words "go to prison" struck straight at Yu Zechuan's sore spot. He dragged Xue Jin close and glared at him. "This is none of your business!"

Yu Zechuan didn't want Xue Jin's hands stained with blood. Not in the slightest.

He knew that once someone set foot on this road, there was no turning back.

Yu Zechuan's voice was icy. "Lu Yan can only die by my hand. Take your knife and get the hell out. Getting Jiang Boyun to sign that island project is what you should be doing!"

With that, he shoved Xue Jin away and kicked the bloody knife hard across the floor. His eyes gleamed coldly in the darkness. "Get out. Now!"

Xue Jin pressed his pale lips together.

When he left that rented apartment, Xue Jin's mind was still a muddle. Cold rain lashed his face, making him shiver. Standing downstairs, he couldn't stop himself from looking up. Only then did he finally understand Lu Yan's cryptic smile before losing consciousness, and a chill ran through him.

Had Lu Yan calculated that Yu Zechuan would come save him?

Of course Lu Yan hadn't calculated it. There were too many variables in this world. He had even prepared himself to die a second time. But since someone like Yu Zechuan had been willing to let him go, he certainly wouldn't want Xue Jin to kill him.

Another stormy night.

Another awakening on the sofa in a rented apartment.

Lu Yan opened his eyes in a daze. Looking at the dim yellow light overhead, he briefly thought the System had helped him be reborn. But the pain from the bruise at the corner of his mouth reminded him of one thing with brutal clarity:

He had successfully survived Xue Jin.

"Hiss..."

Lu Yan frowned as he sat up from the sofa. Before he could make sense of the situation, a low, grim voice sounded beside his ear. "Watch your mouth. If you spout any more nonsense, next time I won't wait for Xue Jin. I'll kill you first."

Lu Yan paused and looked up. A man in a black hoodie sat quietly opposite the sofa. He must have come through the rain; his clothes were saturated, dark and damp. A wet lock of hair had slipped down, and his pale face was half-hidden beneath the black hood. From the left, he looked gloomy and beautiful. From the right, there was an inexplicable dark scar.

Like a crack in pristine porcelain, enough to draw a sigh of regret.

"Yu Zechuan?"

Touching the injury at the corner of his mouth, Lu Yan was surprised by his arrival, but not all that surprised. He glanced around the room and asked instinctively, "Where's Xue Jin?"

"Gone."

Yu Zechuan would never say anything nice. He seemed to have stayed only to make sure Lu Yan was still alive. Seeing that Lu Yan was awake, he rose to leave, but as he passed the sofa, Lu Yan suddenly caught his wrist.

"You're leaving so soon?"

Yu Zechuan lifted his eyelids to look at him. "If you want to die, I can oblige."

Tsk. Why was he so fierce?

Lu Yan was worried Xue Jin might come back, so he wanted Yu Zechuan to stay a little longer. Pointing at the bruise on the corner of his mouth, he looked thoroughly put out. "He beat up my face, and he stuck me with a needle. My whole body hurts. I don't have any strength at all."

Having a pretty face really did give a person an advantage. Even with a bruise at the corner of his mouth, Lu Yan was no less pleasing to look at. When he gazed at someone so pitifully, they couldn't bear to say a harsh word to him. They would only be left utterly bewitched.

Unfortunately, Yu Zechuan was no ordinary person. Hearing this, he pinched Lu Yan's chin and raised a hand to pull down his hood, fully exposing the scar on the right side of his face. His tone was mocking. "Messed up your face? Do you even know what that means?"

Lu Yan: "..."

He had nearly forgotten. This guy's face was more seriously messed up than his.

Yu Zechuan's fingers tightened in warning. "If you don't want an identical scar, behave yourself."

Lu Yan felt it was necessary to ask about what had happened last time. Adjusting his tone, he asked with the aggrieved air of an admirer, "Why wouldn't you let me come with you last time?"

Yu Zechuan told the truth. "You're useless."

Lu Yan: "..."

He was so pissed.

Lu Yan felt the scant money left in his pocket, covered his injured face, and continued to play pitiful. "Then what am I supposed to do about this injury on my face?"

He seemed to be hinting at something frantically, though not all that obviously.

Yu Zechuan pulled his hood back on and shoved both hands into his coat pockets. The posture made him look especially silent and withdrawn. Irritably, he said, "Go to the hospital yourself."

Lu Yan flopped back onto the sofa and secretly opened his eyes to look at him. I'd like to, but I don't have any money. "But I still have work tomorrow. There's a first-aid kit at home. How about you help me put some medicine on it?"

That worthless bastard Xue Jin was obsessed with stabbing people with needles. Lu Yan still hadn't recovered. He got dizzy whenever he stood, was so exhausted he could barely breathe whenever he spoke, and didn't even have the strength to tend to his own wounds.

Yu Zechuan nearly laughed in anger at Lu Yan's words. It was already kind enough that he hadn't killed him, and now Lu Yan actually wanted him to treat his injuries? "Lu Yan, do you really think I don't dare kill you?"

Lu Yan immediately behaved. "You should go. It's raining outside. Want me to give you an umbrella?"

Yu Zechuan: "..."

Yu Zechuan gave him a cold look and turned to leave the rented apartment. The door shut with a dull bang. Unfortunately, the lock had been broken when the door was kicked in, so it wouldn't close at all. It could only remain half-shut, leaving a narrow gap.

Lu Yan lay motionless on the sofa. A few minutes later, he cautiously got up to look outside and made sure Yu Zechuan had really left. He touched the broken lock, his eyelids twitching wildly. How was he supposed to sleep tonight? Security in this area was terrible. It would be just his luck if a burglar broke in to rob and murder him.

Lu Yan's palm had been cut by the dagger, but thankfully the wound wasn't deep and the blood had already scabbed over. He nudged the sofa toward the door, planning to make do for the night and find someone to replace the lock tomorrow. But as he bent down, he suddenly noticed scattered drops of blood on the floor, trailing all the way out the door.

"..."

Lu Yan was certain the blood wasn't his. His hand was cut, but not badly enough to drip blood everywhere. Xue Jin wasn't injured either, which meant it could only be...

The night was still, and the sound of rain grew ever clearer.

Lu Yan took the elevator downstairs. After only a few steps, he spotted a familiar figure at the mouth of the alley ahead.

The man was leaning against the wall, his body sliding weakly down. His right hand clutched his abdomen tight, while his waist bent lower and lower despite himself. Icy liquid rolled down his pale, bloodless cheeks, and it was impossible to tell whether it was rainwater or cold sweat.

Xue Jin's stab hadn't gone deep, but Yu Zechuan had still overestimated his physical condition. He tipped his head back slightly and closed his eyes, trying to steady himself against the sharp pain. Then a shadow suddenly fell over him. Clear raindrops were blocked by a black umbrella, their patter against it dull and indistinct.

Yu Zechuan frowned and opened his eyes. Lu Yan stood before him, holding the umbrella. "You're hurt."

It was a statement, not a question.

"It has nothing to do with you."

Yu Zechuan's voice was icy. Summoning what strength he had, he pushed himself up to leave, but after only two steps, Lu Yan dragged him back. His body collided with Lu Yan's burning chest, and a teasing voice sounded beside his ear. "Mr. Xue looks pretty refined. Who knew that when he goes crazy, he stabs even his own people?"

Lu Yan was clearly rubbing salt in the wound after getting his way.

At that moment, Yu Zechuan had only one thought: He should have let Xue Jin stab this sharp-tongued bastard Lu Yan to death!

"Shut up!"

Yu Zechuan shoved Lu Yan against the wall. This time, he was truly angry. But Lu Yan unexpectedly gave a pained grunt, and the umbrella in his hand suddenly tilted and fell.

"Splash!"

The downpour abruptly drenched them from head to toe. Yu Zechuan froze for a rare moment. He instinctively looked up, his vision slightly blurred, but the smile on Lu Yan's face was utterly real.

"Sigh..."

Lu Yan lounged against the wall, lowering his eyes with a faint smile, like some seductive demon. He raised both hands in surrender to Yu Zechuan. The wounds on his palms were obvious, and his voice was helpless. "Easy. I'm hurt too."

It hurt so much he couldn't even hold on to the umbrella.

Neither of them had escaped this rain. Neither had escaped that knife. In that sense, they were fellow sufferers.

Lu Yan glanced sidelong at the other man's brows and eyes, then spoke softly. "Yu Zechuan, come to my place and wait out the rain..."