Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape from Life and Death

Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape from Life and Death

#What kind of café doesn't even serve stir-fried pork with green peppers?#

Lu Yan pulled Yu Zechuan out of the café directly. Perhaps to hide his awkwardness, he coughed softly and suggested, "Forget it. Let's just order takeout back home."

Yu Zechuan gazed at the road ahead, lost in thought. He slipped his hands into his coat pockets in silence. After a moment of fumbling, he suddenly said, "I'll go buy a lighter."

Without thinking, Lu Yan offered, "Let me get it for you."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized his captive status. However, before he could suggest they both go, Yu Zechuan casually dismissed him with, "Stay here. You'll bear the consequences if you run."

With that, he turned and walked straight to the 24-hour convenience store at the street corner. Dressed in dark clothing, Yu Zechuan's figure nearly blended into the night as he disappeared in an instant.

Lu Yan stood still, scanning his surroundings. Cars flowed continuously on the roads, while the brightly lit mall bustled with people, their chatter echoing far and wide.

It had been a long time since he'd experienced what a normal life was like. Recalling the past, only the endless torment of illness came to mind, with the scent of hospital disinfectant lingering in every breath.

Lu Yan decided to sit on a bench nearby. Cross-legged, he leaned back lazily, staring blankly into space. In the adjacent square, a group of young skateboarders were having fun. Among them, a short-haired girl circled around him repeatedly, unable to resist stealing glances at him. Her fair cheeks flushed pink, radiating the innocence and vitality of her youth.

Lu Yan offered her a gentle and charming smile, causing the girl to turn her head away in bashfulness, sliding out of sight with a soft "slish" sound.

Love is in the gaze, the desire to draw near, only to flee in panic in the end.

"Vroom—"

Lu Yan's phone, nestled in his pants pocket, suddenly vibrated. He furrowed his brows slightly, surprised that he had the device on him. Pulling it out, he saw the glaringly obvious three characters on the screen: "Manager Chen."

He tentatively answered, "Hello?"

Before he could bring the phone to his ear, an enraged bellow echoed from the other end, almost as loud as if it were on speakerphone, "LU YAN!!! Do you want to ruin your life?! Why didn't you reply to my message in the work group yesterday?!"

Lu Yan moved his head away from the phone and rubbed his ears. "Sorry, Manager Chen, my phone was broken yesterday."

To his surprise, Manager Chen became even angrier, slamming the table audibly through the call. "Broken phone? You can still post about your heartbreak on social media and party with friends till dawn with a broken phone?!"

Lu Yan: "..." Misjudgment.

Manager Chen: "Get your ass here tomorrow for overtime!"

Lu Yan's eyelids twitched. He couldn't even avoid overtime in this game world? "Is there extra pay for overtime?"

Manager Chen retorted, "I'm not firing you, and you still dare to ask for overtime pay?!?"

Without hesitation, Lu Yan declined, "Not going."

Manager Chen was taken aback, unable to believe that Lu Yan would refuse him. "Why?"

Impatient, Lu Yan replied, "Because I've been kidnapped!"

With that, Lu Yan hung up and threw his phone into the shopping bag. Come on, he didn't even know if he'd survive until tomorrow, let alone go to work overtime. Who could do that while being held hostage by criminals?

"Why don't you escape?"

A cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed behind him, enough to scare the timid to death.

Lu Yan instinctively turned around and, as expected, found the System appearing. Surrounding its black heart were countless blue-purple electric currents, as if they were the energy it relied on to exist.

Lu Yan tilted his head in confusion. "Why should I escape?"

The system hovered near his ear, its voice seductive like a devil tempting someone into damnation: "Your mission is to stay alive; fleeing is also a way to live."

"This is a bustling area. If you escape, Yu Zechuan won't be able to catch up."

Lu Yan fell silent upon hearing this, seemingly tempted. The system chuckled softly and said, "Guess why Yu Zechuan suddenly left? He did it to give you a chance to escape."

"Someone like him only shows weakness for an instant. Miss this opportunity, and you might never get another chance."

As the night grew cooler, the system's fading voice in the air seemed to infuse even the oncoming breeze with a hint of blood.

Yu Zechuan leaned against a roadside fence, his disheveled hair hiding his expression. He lit a cigarette, the rough texture of the lighter wheel turning as a blue flame ignited in the depths of his eyes. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back and slowly exhaled a pale cloud of smoke, as if expelling his very soul.

Yu Zechuan smoked leisurely, not seeming to be in a hurry to return or buy a lighter at a convenience store. He calculated the time, waiting roughly ten minutes before discarding the already extinguished cigarette butt in a trash can and retracing his steps towards where he had come from.

Lu Yan should have run by now, Yu Zechuan mused.

He had deliberately led the other man to this busy district, secretly slipped his phone into his pocket, and used the excuse of buying a lighter to leave. If Lu Yan didn't take this chance, it would be foolish indeed.

But as Yu Zechuan strolled back, he spotted a familiar figure sitting on the side of the road, causing his expression to shift.

There, Lu Yan was seen sitting nonchalantly on a bench with his legs crossed, attentively watching the elderly couples dancing in the square. His gaze shifted casually, and he suddenly spotted Yu Zechuan. He immediately stood up, shopping bag in hand, and walked over. "Well, did you manage to get the lighter?"

His tone was as usual, as if he hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Yu Zechuan stared intently at Lu Yan, as if trying to read his mind. "You've been here the whole time?"

Lu Yan was momentarily taken aback. "Didn't you tell me to wait here? What's wrong?"

But Yu Zechuan didn't respond. He turned his head away, furrowing his brow. "Never mind, let's go back."

Without another word, Yu Zechuan flagged down a taxi by the roadside, and both of them got in, maintaining an eerie silence. The system silently appeared in Lu Yan's ear, its voice tinged with malevolence. "Why didn't you run?"

Lu Yan had now learned to communicate with it through his thoughts. "Why should I run?"

The system gritted its teeth. "If you don't run, you'll die!"

Lu Yan offered a faint smile. "If I run, I'll be the one who dies."

With that, he turned his head to look out the car window. A silver-gray sedan was parked quietly on the side of the road. Behind the wheel sat a gentleman with an urbane demeanor, dressed in a well-tailored blue suit – none other than Xue Jin.

The scene flashed by the car window too swiftly to be caught, but Lu Yan still recognized the figure. He calmly spoke to the system,

"Yu Zechuan doesn't trust me."

"If he lets me go and I inform Jiang Boyun, his grand plan for revenge would crumble."

"How could he possibly let me go?"

On the contrary,

"Yu Zechuan has always wanted to kill me."

"It's only because of the love I pretended to have and my care for him throughout the night that he hesitates, unable to find the right moment to strike."

"If I had truly escaped, Xue Jin would have immediately brought me back."

And what awaited Lu Yan then would be a more gruesome and hopeless death than the one in the first game.

"And you," Lu Yan fixated on the black heart flying towards him, his words laced with ambiguity, "you also want me dead."

The system was taken aback.

Despite not knowing the reason, Lu Yan could sense the system's ill will towards him. How could such an ill-intentioned system genuinely help him survive?

This pointed to only one thing: if he truly fled, death would be imminent.

Lu Yan smiled faintly and whispered, "I'll never trust your words, so there's no need for you to interfere with my judgment, you black-hearted devil."

Black-hearted devil – that was the friendly nickname Lu Yan had coined for the system.

The system was like a black heart, devoid of any human expression. Nevertheless, its trembling form betrayed a suppressed anger as it coldly spat out, "Lu Yan, I hope your cleverness doesn't become your downfall!"

With those words, its figure turned translucent before vanishing with a whoosh into thin air.

Inside the car, darkness prevailed. The warm yellow streetlights outside reflected on the car window, casting a vague shadow. Yu Zechuan couldn't resist stealing a glance at Lu Yan, who, in turn, tilted his head at the right moment. Their eyes met in mid-air, and Lu Yan's lips curved gently, sending ripples of tenderness and adoration across his features.

Look, how deeply I love you.

Every fiber of Lu Yan's being seemed to whisper those words. His gaze was indulgent, like an invisible web that could gently enfold Yu Zechuan within.

Unable to bear the intensity of that look, Yu Zechuan's hands clenched involuntarily on his knees. Just then, the taxi pulled up to the apartment building, and Lu Yan paid the fare with his phone before they both alighted.

"Sorry, I didn't realize how it happened. I accidentally brought my phone out when I left today."

Lu Yan sounded apologetic, as if he was afraid Yu Zechuan might misunderstand. He handed over the phone directly, "Don't worry, I didn't do anything. I just took a call from my boss."

Taking the phone, Yu Zechuan unlocked it in front of Lu Yan, casually scanning through the call logs. "What did you talk about?"

Lu Yan replied, "Nothing much, just that I need to go back for overtime."

Yu Zechuan countered, "Are you sure you didn't mention being kidnapped?"

"..."

Lu Yan paused, suddenly remembering the eavesdropping device in his phone. He smiled at Yu Zechuan, showing no sign of panic, "Don't worry, even if I did, he wouldn't believe it. Who can make a call while being kidnapped?"

Indeed, that would be quite impossible.

Yu Zechuan didn't dwell on the matter further. He gave Lu Yan a casual glance before turning to head downstairs toward the apartment. In his pocket was a knife, its edge digging into his skin from being concealed for too long, yet he had yet to find an opportunity to draw blood.

Yu Zechuan had been searching for a chance to kill Lu Yan all along.

If the other party managed to escape, it would prove that Lu Yan's words were all lies. If they truly liked him, why would they run away from his side? Wouldn't one want to be constantly attached to someone they liked?

Unfortunately, Yu Zechuan's attempt failed, and even Xue Jin, who was secretly tailing them, proved to be of no use.

Yu Zechuan wasn't sure whether he felt more disappointed or irritated. After all, he still had many tasks to attend to. Having someone he couldn't kill nor release by his side was indeed troublesome.

Lu Yan followed Yu Zechuan, noticing the quickening pace of the latter's footsteps until he suddenly stopped. Lu Yan nearly bumped into him, barely managing to brake in time.

Lu Yan sensed something amiss and asked sharply, "What's wrong?"

Yu Zechuan didn't turn back. With both hands in his pockets, his chiseled features were obscured by the shadow of his cap as he suddenly spoke:

"Lu Yan, don't follow me anymore."