Chapter 49: Jiang Lvshen

Chapter 49: Jiang Lvshen

The production crew stayed in Puli Village for two full days.

Initially, everyone was in a state of panic, bewildered and helpless. But they soon realized the police's focus was entirely on the villagers, and the crew had merely been unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire. This realization finally allowed them to relax.

Once relaxed, curiosity naturally took over, leading to a flurry of questions and inquiries. Eventually, Chu Yan pieced together the general picture.

There was a secret hidden in the cliffs behind the village, a secret known to all the villagers: a drug manufacturing facility.

Calling it a "facility" was a stretch; it was more like a makeshift lab set up inside a cave.

Three people worked there, described by the villagers as "doctors" or similar. They had arrived in the village five years ago by chance, noted its unique conditions, and struck a deal with the village chief to establish their so-called lab in the cave.

At first, they claimed to be researching a miraculous cure for cancer, promising to bring wealth to the villagers, save countless lives, and benefit the world.

The village was poor and remote, and its residents largely uneducated—70 to 80 percent were illiterate. Education wasn't a priority, and whether children attended school was of little concern.

It was precisely this ignorance and naivety that led them to believe the trio's lies about a wonder drug.

Especially after the three individuals genuinely brought about radical changes to the village, the villagers placed their absolute trust in them, almost worshipping them as deities.

Consequently, the villagers here were utterly obedient to their every command.

It was said that when the police took the three away, a near-riot erupted among the villagers. Many rushed forward, even assaulting officers, in an attempt to rescue them.

Chu Yan could only lament that, sometimes, ignorance truly could be deadly.

The truth, however, was far from a miracle drug lab. It was a small-scale drug production workshop.

The villagers believed they were producing some groundbreaking medicine, but in reality, it was merely easily obtainable illicit drugs.

Of course, a small minority knew the truth.

The village chief, for one, along with several villagers involved in the operation—after all, someone had to deliver the goods once the trio secured buyers.

After hearing the full story, Chu Yan finally understood why he had been kidnapped. Most likely, his accidental intrusion that afternoon had prompted them to consider silencing him.

It must be said, Zhou Yun was definitely implicated because of Chu Yan, but thankfully, he was unharmed.

Fu Zeyu, on the other hand, couldn't help but exclaim after hearing the tale, "Why did those three have to emulate a certain infamous drug lord? Couldn't they have learned something better?"

"This is Country C, after all, with the world's strictest anti-drug laws. Even major drug kingpins would steer clear."

By the evening of the third day, the production crew was finally cleared to leave. Chu Yan was surprised the police had sent someone specifically to escort them—until he saw Fu Zeyu's smug, gloating expression and understood.

Who would have thought that in just three days, Chu Yan would end up befriending two of the most notoriously extravagant scions from top-tier wealthy families? And it was practically forced, given that the two constantly bickered and insisted he mediate.

Chu Yan found it incredibly difficult to judge.

From a distance, Chu Yan saw a burly, buzz-cut man step out of a car. The way he closed the door was effortlessly cool and handsome, his demeanor exuding integrity.

He had a very handsome face and gave off a highly dependable impression.

"Captain Jiang!"

"Good to see you, Captain Jiang!"

Several special police officers immediately snapped to attention and saluted him, showing both respect and awe. The man merely nodded in acknowledgment before striding directly towards Chu Yan and the others.

"Here he comes, here he comes, someone's fiancé is here," Fu Zeyu whispered gleefully into Chu Yan's ear, his arm slung over his shoulder, his face practically radiating schadenfreude.

Zhou Yun glared fiercely at his two mischievous friends. "Shut up!"

Chu Yan made a zipping motion over his mouth, though his eyes couldn't hide their amusement.

It seemed even the notoriously unruly Second Young Master Zhou had someone he held in awe.

Zhou Yun, who usually loved to compete with Fu Zeyu, was now acting particularly awkward.

His fiancé's arrival didn't make him happy; instead, he seemed inexplicably cold and angry, appearing utterly unwilling to acknowledge the man approaching them.

But Chu Yan, standing right beside him, clearly saw the tips of his ears burning red, and his hand unconsciously gripping Chu Yan's arm tightly.

Incomprehensible. Truly incomprehensible.

Chu Yan still remembered Zhou Yun's furious reaction last night when Fu Zeyu had shared the gossip, in Zhou Yun's own words:

"What kind of bullshit fiancé? He's a block of wood! This young master has never liked him; just seeing him annoys me!"

"It was all arranged by my family. This young master has never acknowledged it! I'm not like you, Xiao Yan Yan, so foolish as to pursue some pure love and rebel against an arranged marriage!"

"Marriage is impossible, never in this lifetime. This young master has so many beauties around; any one of them is better than him. I'd have to be brain-damaged to marry a block of wood!"

"Hmph, you two stop gossiping. I don't like him, and he hates me. We both do our own thing. What's with those looks? Don't believe me?"

"Xiao Yan Yan, how dare you look at me like that? You're a love-struck fool! This young master is not like you, a love-struck fool; I don't accept any damn engagement!"

...

Chu Yan and Fu Zeyu exchanged a glance, silently conveying: "Sure, whatever you say."

Seeing the fiancé today, Chu Yan had to admit, he was indeed extraordinary. And somehow, they looked inexplicably compatible?

Zhou Yun was a pampered, rebellious young master, while Jiang Lvshen was a steady, reserved, rugged man. A truly captivating pairing, wasn't it?

Only, why had his gaze settled on Chu Yan and not moved?

"Fu Si," Jiang Lvshen greeted Fu Zeyu before his gaze shifted to Chu Yan. "You must be Chu Yan. Hello, I'm Jiang Lvshen."

So, this was the person who had Fu Zeyu so utterly captivated?

Jiang Lvshen had been consumed by curiosity. He wanted to see what kind of person, with what extraordinary qualities, could make someone like Fu Zeyu, of all people, finally open up.

Seeing him today, he was indeed strikingly handsome, especially his eyes—so clean and clear. His smile was even brighter, a complete contrast to Fu Zeyu's brooding intensity.

Interesting, very interesting.

Jiang Lvshen was truly curious: how had two such extreme personalities ended up together?

"Jiang Lvshen! This young master is still here!"

Zhou Yun suddenly roared, his eyes practically spitting fire.

This abruptly interrupted Jiang Lvshen's thoughts. He looked, somewhat bewildered, at his inexplicably angry young fiancé.

"What's wrong, Xiao Yun?"

This kid's rebellious phase was lasting far too long.

Zhou Yun merely glared at him hatefully, then turned and got into the car.

Jiang Lvshen was even more bewildered. "What kind of tantrum is he throwing now?"

Fu Zeyu stifled a laugh, a mischievous grin on his face. "Brother, you're his fiancé. If you don't know, how would we?"

Chu Yan also pressed his lips together to hold back a chuckle. He finally understood why Zhou Yun called his fiancé a "block of wood."

He really was quite wooden.

Tsk tsk tsk. Chu Yan suddenly understood the joy Fu Zeyu found in schadenfreude.

According to Fu Zeyu's secret revelation, Jiang Lvshen was five years older than Zhou Yun. When Zhou Yun was three, he first met eight-year-old Jiang Lvshen and immediately threw a fit, demanding Jiang Lvshen be his groom in their pretend wedding. Jiang Lvshen refused, but from then on, Zhou Yun persistently clung to him, insisting that when he grew up, Jiang Lvshen *had* to be his groom.

Their families were old friends, with very close ties. The adults found it amusing and arranged their engagement.

Little Zhou Yun was incredibly proud back then. According to Fu Zeyu, little Zhou Yun often showed off Jiang Lvshen in front of him, which infuriated little Fu Zeyu because he didn't have a fiancé who could outshine Jiang Lvshen.

Little Fu Zeyu even once threw a tantrum in front of Old Master Fu, begging him to find him an impressive fiancé, just to outdo little Zhou Yun.

However, unfortunately for him, his third brother happened to be home at the time. One look from his third brother was enough to scare him into submission—Fu Zeyu still dared not mention that incident to this day.

But as they grew older, Zhou Yun gradually became awkward, and their relationship grew increasingly strained. Zhou Yun, especially, became more resistant to the engagement, even brazenly living a playboy lifestyle.

As for Jiang Lvshen, after he enlisted, he rarely saw Zhou Yun for several years. After retiring from the military, he became a police officer, making him even busier than before, and thus, they had even less time to meet.

Given all this, it was normal for Zhou Yun to act awkwardly around him.

However, compared to Zhou Yun's awkwardness, Jiang Lvshen was much more straightforward. The way he looked at Zhou Yun had an unmistakable paternal air.

Like an elder watching a rebellious, disobedient junior.

This pairing was oddly captivating.

Ultimately, it was Jiang Lvshen who drove the three of them back to town. Since Zhou Yun had angrily claimed the backseat and Chu Yan had quickly taken the other spot, Fu Zeyu had no choice but to sulk in the passenger seat. Primarily, he wanted to continue gossiping about Zhou Yun with Chu Yan, but also, Jiang Lvshen's aura was a bit overwhelming; he felt that this man was cut from the same cloth as his third brother.

There was a generation gap.

Upon arriving at the hotel in town, Chu Yan deliberately slowed his steps to walk beside Jiang Lvshen. He hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject, but his restless heart wouldn't settle unless he asked.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Lvshen, seeing his demeanor, smiled and spoke first.

"Young Master, you want to ask about Third Master, don't you?"

"Third Master?"

Chu Yan was bewildered.

"It seems Third Master truly treats you differently. Before leaving, he didn't forget to tell me to bring you back safely—and forbade me from telling you about his injury," Jiang Lvshen said, unable to suppress a laugh. "Don't worry, that old man's life is tougher than nails. Even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take him."

But all Chu Yan heard was "injury." His already unsettled heart suddenly lurched in panic.

"He's hurt? How serious is it?"

"It's nothing, just a minor wound."

Jiang Lvshen couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the formidable Third Master Fu falling for such an innocent young man. It was karma, truly.

Everyone had their own karma.

And his karma was Zhou Yun.

Finally getting news of him from Jiang Lvshen eased Chu Yan's worries slightly. But if the injury wasn't serious, why hadn't he come to see him these past few days?

Chu Yan's phone had been recovered, with only one brief message on it:

Nine Million: [Something came up. Wait for me.]

After getting his phone back, Chu Yan had sent several messages, but there had been no reply so far.

His heart felt hollow—a mix of worry, resentment, and complicated emotions, some even a little melodramatic.

Chu Yan felt like he was becoming just as inexplicable.

After some thought, he changed the contact name to *Wang So-and-so*.

Belatedly, Chu Yan remembered Jiang Lvshen calling him "Third Master."

Was that his stage name?

Chu Yan knew many male escorts at clubs went by titles like "Young Master" or "Prince."

But how did Wang Xing, an escort, get tangled up with the police? Was he an undercover cop?

A cop going undercover as an escort?

It made sense, but—an undercover cop not only slept with his sugar daddy but also took nine million from him?

Wasn't that a serious breach of discipline?

Well, they had agreed not to interfere in each other's lives, but Chu Yan was growing more and more curious about him.

Chu Yan felt that, in front of Wang Xing, he was an open book—completely transparent.

But Wang Xing was like a sheet of black paper in front of him, densely covered in his story, yet Chu Yan couldn't read a single word.

It was frustrating.

Little did he know, the man Jiang Lvshen had described as having a "minor injury" had been unconscious for two days and had only just woken up.