Chapter 60 Believe Me

Chapter 60: Believe Me

Yin Rou hesitated for a moment, then gestured dismissively. "I don't need Fifth Young Master's help. Please leave."

Her expression was guarded, her eyes wary of Chen Yanlin. She simply couldn't bring herself to believe he intended to help her.

Chen Yanlin took a step back but didn't immediately depart. "Think carefully. If I leave, he'll only suffer more."

His words sent a chill down Yin Rou's spine. More importantly, he seemed to know what was afflicting her brother.

Still, she dared not trust him. Her voice was strained. "Please leave."

Her sharp tone and cold demeanor angered Chen Yanlin. He seized Yin Rou's chin, his mind flashing back to the dream he'd had after being disciplined by Chen Yanqing—a dream where, without Chen Yanqing's interference, a desperate Song Yinrou had tentatively sought him out. Faced with her timid attempts to please him, he had gradually developed genuine affection, truly wanting to cherish her. But later, his mother had sensed something amiss, lured him away, and had her sold off.

Chen Yanlin raised a hand to touch the tooth mark Yin Rou had left on his skin. He wanted to believe that dream was real—that Song Yinrou was always meant to be his.

Song Zean, unable to find his medicine, turned and saw the two speaking. After a dazed pause, he rushed forward and pulled Yin Rou behind him. "Who are you?"

Chen Yanlin subtly raised a brow. "You must be Fourth Brother."

"Get out. Get out!" Song Zean shoved him away.

Chen Yanlin was pushed back a few steps but didn't lose his temper. Dusting off his shoulder, he smiled. "Fourth Brother, why so unapproachable? I'm here to help you."

Song Zean's glazed eyes flickered, the cravings clawing at his insides. Yin Rou had never seen him like this.

Especially when Chen Yanlin produced a small packet from his sleeve—Song Zean's eyes lit up with desperate hunger.

"Brother, don't trust him!" Yin Rou blurted out.

"I don't trust him," Song Zean mumbled dismissively, yet his eyes remained fixed on Chen Yanlin. "Let me see if it's real."

Chen Yanlin smiled languidly and opened the packet. It wasn't medicine, but a finely ground powder.

"What kind of rubbish is that—"

Before Yin Rou could finish, Song Zean lunged forward, snatched the packet from Chen Yanlin's hand, and tilted his head back, pouring the powder into his mouth.

His frenzied actions made Yin Rou recoil in fright. But Song Zean smiled as if utterly satisfied, all his pain vanishing in an instant. He licked the residue from his lips, staggered back to a chair, and collapsed into it, closing his eyes as if sinking into bliss.

Watching the disturbing transformation, Yin Rou's fear reached its peak.

"What did you give my brother?!"

Chen Yanlin dusted the remaining powder from his hands. "It worked, didn't it?"

After they'd left the clinic, he had gone in and asked the doctor about Song Zean's condition. Based on the description, he'd guessed it was an opium addiction.

Opium was rarely seen in Great Yu, but it was widely cultivated in Ulan. Originally used to treat severe injuries and dull pain, its mind-altering effects had made it a substance even the healthy craved—and once addicted, there was no escape.

Chen Yanlin had seen many young nobles enslaved by the drug, their lives forever controlled by it.

A glint of amusement flickered in his eyes as he turned to Yin Rou, feigning hurt. "I saved him, not harmed him. You don't have to thank me, but you don't need to distrust me so much."

Yin Rou scrutinized his disingenuous expression. "Since when have you been so kind?"

"He is, after all, my Fourth Brother." Chen Yanlin glanced at Song Zean. "Blood is thicker than water, isn't it?"

Yin Rou let out a derisive snort. Chen Yanlin raised a brow. "What I mean is, Fourth Brother's condition won't be cured overnight. Staying in this inn isn't convenient. If he loses control again... The Chen family has properties here. I can arrange a residence for you. Once Fourth Brother recovers, you can figure out your next steps."

...

Yin Rou didn't move into the residence Chen Yanlin offered. Instead, she rented a small courtyard where she and Song Zean settled.

Chen Yanlin had been right about one thing—everything depended on her brother's recovery.

By the next day, Song Zean had regained consciousness. He stirred awake hazily, seeing Yin Rou asleep by the bed, and his eyes filled with remorse and tenderness.

When he reached out to stroke her hair, Yin Rou jolted awake. Overjoyed to see him conscious, she burst into tears. "Brother, you're awake!"

Her lips quivered as tears streamed down her face. "Brother, what's wrong with you? What illness do you have?"

Song Zean thought she already knew. He couldn't bring himself to admit he was an addict, controlled by the drug. Nor did he want his little sister to see him as a monster consumed by cravings.

"It's just lingering pain from old injuries. That's why I need medicine to ease it. I couldn't find it that day—did I scare you?"

Yin Rou nodded slightly, watching his eyes. "Do you need to take it forever?"

"Not once I've fully recovered."

Song Zean knew he was lying to himself. He couldn't quit. Just the thought made his body ache with craving.

He was filled with self-disgust, yet he couldn't resist the drug's pull.

Yin Rou seemed to believe him completely. "Then rest well, Brother. Your injuries need time to heal."

They stayed in the courtyard for several days. Song Zean's wounds healed relatively quickly.

Relieved, Yin Rou made conversation over meals about when they should resume their journey. But as she spoke, she realized she was the only one talking.

Quietly chewing her food, she turned to him. "Brother, are you feeling unwell?"

Song Zean's gaze flickered. "No."

The memory of his violent outburst flashed in Yin Rou's mind. Her eyelids fluttered. "I still have some medicine here."

Song Zean's response was immediate. "Where?"

Her throat constricted. She lowered her head and pulled out a small packet—the one Chen Yanlin had left behind.

The moment she extended her hand, Song Zean snatched it. Yin Rou curled her fingers slightly, her voice hopeful. "Once you take this, you'll be better, right?"

Song Zean smiled at her. "Of course."

Yin Rou nodded distractedly and continued discussing their plans.

Inwardly, she calculated how long Chen Yanlin's supply would last. Before they left, she'd have to visit another clinic for more.

But when she took the powder to the clinics in town, none had what she needed.

In desperation, she begged the doctors. "Please, think—where else can I find this?"

"This substance is rarely used in Great Yu, and it's prohibitively expensive. I had some in stock, but someone bought it all a few days ago. Try elsewhere, miss."

Coming back with nothing, Yin Rou realized Chen Yanlin's supply would last only one more dose. What could she do?

Worse, she noticed her brother's episodes were coming sooner. By evening, she saw him pacing like a caged animal in the room.

She couldn't let her brother have an episode—she had to find the medicine. She never wanted to see him like that again.

Backing toward the gate, she reached the courtyard and saw Chen Yanlin waiting there, as if he had timed his appearance perfectly.

"Where are you rushing off to?" Chen Yanlin asked as if nothing were amiss.

Yin Rou swallowed hard. "Do you have any more of the medicine you gave my brother?"

"What? Has Fourth Brother relapsed again?" Chen Yanlin said lightly, glancing past her toward the house.

"Give it to me," Yin Rou snapped, her voice strained, like a cornered animal.

Chen Yanlin smiled at her. "I gave you everything last time. There's nothing left."

Yin Rou's eyes blazed with fury. She had searched every clinic in town, only to be told the medicine had been cleared out in the past two days. It was obvious who was behind it.

Chen Yanlin's smile faded. "Well, I do have a little more."

He paused for effect. "But why should I give it to you?"

"You said... blood is thicker than water," Yin Rou whispered.

Chen Yanlin barked a laugh. "You actually believed that? Or are you pretending not to know? I did it for you."

His gaze raked over her, lingering, and a slimy chill seeped into her bones. She turned away without another word.

"Think carefully," Chen Yanlin drawled after her. "You know how rare this is. I don't need to explain that to you."

Yin Rou froze, trembling. Chen Yanlin stepped closer, leaning in, his breath hot on her ear, "You've seen it yourself—he won't last much longer. Soon, he'll be begging me for the medicine like a dog."

Yin Rou wheeled on him, her eyes glaring as if she could kill him.

Chen Yanlin's smirk vanished. "Do you want to see that?"

Footsteps approached from outside the courtyard. Frowning, Chen Yanlin turned—only to be met with a boot slammed into his chest. The force sent him staggering back, the metallic tang of blood filling his mouth.

Clutching his chest, he looked up to see Chen Yanqing standing there, his face thunderous. Chen Yanlin's face paled.

He had pulled out all the stops to erase Song Yinrou's trail, even creating decoy trails to misdirect them. Yet Chen Yanqing had found them so quickly.

Yin Rou stared at Chen Yanqing in disbelief, blinking as if he were an illusion. Then, with a gasping sob, she burst into tears.

Chen Yanqing opened his arms, and she rushed into them, babbling through tears, "You're here... you're here!"

He held her shaking body tightly, his eyes locked like daggers on Chen Yanlin. "Get out."

"Third Brother—"

"I said get out."

Chen Yanlin gritted his teeth, blood on his tongue, before sneering and stalking away.

"Brother, he—" Yin Rou grabbed Chen Yanqing's arm in a panic. "The medicine!"

She wanted to say that Chen Yanlin still had the medicine her brother needed.

Chen Yanqing took her hand. "I know."

He turned and barked over his shoulder, "Qing Feng, bring the doctor in!"

Qing Feng quickly led in a doctor in strange robes. Yin Rou heard the man ask Chen Yanqing, "Is the patient inside?"

"Yes, my brother is in there!" Yin Rou answered urgently.

Hope surged in her chest—perhaps this doctor could cure her brother. But then the doctor said, "Find a few men to come with me. We'll need to restrain him first."

Qing Feng gestured, and two guards immediately stepped forward.

Yin Rou's stomach dropped. She gripped Chen Yanqing's hand. "Why do they need to tie him up? He's still hurt! Isn't this supposed to help him?"

She stammered, frantic, her eyes red and brimming with tears. Chen Yanqing cupped her face, bending to meet her gaze.

It gutted him, but he had to tell her the truth. "Your brother isn't sick. But I will find a way to cure him. Do you understand?"

From inside the house came guttural howls, the sounds of struggle and crashing. Yin Rou's chest clenched, her sobs growing more frantic. "But... isn't the medicine supposed to help?"

Chen Yanqing leaned his brow against hers. "Trust me. Trust me."