Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Lu Huainan drove steadily, occasionally glancing at the backseat. Seeing Shen Muyun still, he finally relaxed. He had initially thought of going straight to the hospital, but then reconsidered: if they did, rumors would surely spread by tomorrow, and finding the real culprit might prove difficult, which would be troublesome. The best course of action was to return home.

Lu Huainan glanced at his phone as the screen lit up. He pulled over, got out, and only then answered the call.

"Hey, Huainan, where are you and Muyun? Why did it take so long to answer?"

"We're on our way to my place. He's asleep, so I stepped out to take the call. Are those people under control?"

Shen Liuyun was slightly taken aback. Rumor had it that Lu Huainan never brought anyone home—this was an exception. Could there truly be something between him and Muyun?

"Well, they're under control, but we'll need Muyun's cooperation. He looks like he needs some rest right now. Thank you so much."

Lu Huainan chuckled. "Liuyun, it's nothing. I've contacted my family doctor; he should be here soon. Let's stay in touch if anything comes up."

Lu Huainan hung up, got back into the car, and noticed Shen Muyun in the backseat still motionless. A strange sense of possessiveness began to stir within him, and he shook his head.

The butler was already waiting at the entrance. As soon as he saw Lu Huainan's car, he hurried over.

Lu Huainan walked around to the passenger side, picked up Shen Muyun, and carried him out of the car.

"Mr. Lu, as you instructed, I've prepared the guest room and called Dr. Qi. He's waiting inside."

"Take him to the master bedroom—my room. He's seriously injured and needs proper care."

The butler sighed softly. He had never seen Lu Huainan bring anyone home before, and now he had brought back a man, showing such attentiveness. He didn’t dwell on it further.

Lu Huainan paid no attention to the reactions of those around him and quickly walked inside.

Gently laying Shen Muyun down, he noticed the bruises on his otherwise handsome face. Dr. Qi, standing nearby, coughed lightly.

"Ahem, President Lu, let me examine him."

"Go ahead. When I brought him out earlier, I took a quick look. It seems to be mostly superficial injuries. He's unconscious probably due to anesthetics or sedatives. Take a look."

Qi Beichen sat down on a nearby chair and carefully removed Shen Muyun’s clothes. The sight of the shocking wounds made him gasp.

Seeing the injuries on Shen Muyun’s body, Lu Huainan’s eyes flashed with an indescribable emotion. Thinking back to what had happened earlier, he blurted out, "I was too lenient with them. Brother Yun ended up like this."

Qi Beichen carefully examined Shen Muyun’s wounds. Although some areas looked severe, they were mostly superficial. The most serious injury was to his waist, which was covered in bruises.

"President Lu, I personally think we should get an X-ray of Mr. Shen’s waist to check for any fractures or cracks."

Lu Huainan nodded. "Okay."

Shen Muyun’s consciousness gradually returned. He cracked his eyes open slightly, vaguely hearing Lu Huainan talking about going to the hospital or something.

"Water..."

Lu Huainan accurately caught Shen Muyun’s faint voice. He picked up a glass of water nearby and motioned for Qi Beichen to step back a little.

"Can you drink it yourself?"

The cool, pleasant male voice made Shen Muyun instinctively lean closer to Lu Huainan. He looked up and met Lu Huainan’s deep gaze, only then realizing what he was doing. He weakly pressed a hand against Lu Huainan’s arm, lacking any strength.

"Um, that’s not what I meant," Shen Muyun said, startled by how hoarse his own voice sounded.

Qi Beichen, watching the two of them, felt it was inappropriate to stay any longer. What was this? Was he part of their play, or was he just being fed a mouthful of gossip? But it seemed like quite the scene—better to retreat from the front lines as soon as possible.

"So, President Lu, the next step is wound debridement and an IV drip. I'll go prepare the medication now. You two... when it works for you..."

Shen Muyun immediately understood the implication in Qi Beichen's words. "Dr. Qi, well, anytime is conv—"

Before Shen Muyun could finish, Lu Huainan cut him off. "Dr. Qi, just leave the prepared medication at the entrance. I know how to give a shot."

Qi Beichen quickly packed up his things. "I've left the wound-cleaning medicine and gauze here. President Lu, the debridement should be done quickly. Also, Mr. Shen might develop a fever. If it gets serious, just contact me."

Lu Huainan nodded. "Thank you, I understand."

Qi Beichen grabbed his medical kit and hurriedly left the awkward situation. The vibe between these two felt off—definitely off.

Hearing the door click shut, Lu Huainan set the water cup aside, took some cotton swabs from the nightstand, carefully dipped them in the water, and gently moistened Shen Muyun's lips.

"Since you can't drink, does this feel a bit better?"

Shen Muyun's heart fluttered, and an unusual blush spread across his pale face. "Well, I, uh, yes, it does feel much better."

Lu Huainan took out tweezers and alcohol swabs from the medical kit. "Brother Yun, the wounds need to be treated, or they'll get infected. How does your side feel?"

"Probably just superficial wounds. If it were a fracture, I doubt I could move."

Lu Huainan looked at the long red mark across Shen Muyun's waist and abdomen and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Shen Muyun hesitated. "Uh, ah, no, not really. It doesn't hurt."

Lu Huainan held an alcohol swab with the tweezers and gently passed it over the wound on Shen Muyun's abdomen. A sharp, stinging pain made Shen Muyun hiss.

"Brother Yun, just hang in there. How did this happen?"

Shen Muyun bit his lip, steadying his voice. "I was just struggling to escape, but I failed. They tied me up and hit me with a whip. It's nothing serious."

Lu Huainan nodded. "You know, when I first went in and saw you sitting in that chair, I was relieved I got there in time. Also glad those kidnappers weren't too clever, and thankful that factory area used to belong to the Lu Group—I’ve been there several times."

"I have to thank you for this, but you and my brother's celebration party was ruined because of it..."

"Brother Yun, what's a celebration party compared to you? You're the most important."

"Ah? What, I..."

"It's nothing. When your brother found out you were kidnapped, he was frantic about rescuing you. I happened to be nearby and joined in."

Lu Huainan carefully treated the wounds. The originally white cotton balls turned bloody, and the torn flesh on the abdomen was a shocking sight. Pushing down an unexplained agitation in his heart, he finished treating the wounds bit by bit, then bandaged them up.

"Brother Yun, how did you manage to escape?"

"Me? I just took down one of them when they weren't paying attention. But I was dizzy the whole way and underestimated their fighting ability."

"So that's how it was. Brother Yun, your combat skills are pretty impressive. When I first went in, I noticed those guys had already been dealt with. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to get you out so quickly."

Shen Muyun nodded sheepishly.

Lu Huainan held up the IV needle and waved it toward Shen Muyun, then inserted it. It felt like a mosquito bite, almost unnoticeable.

"Huainan, it's getting late. I’m pretty much set here. You should get some rest too."

Lu Huainan shook his head. "I’ll wait until the IV drip is finished. I’m not too tired yet."

Shen Muyun didn’t press further. He closed his eyes, recalling what had just happened. His mind was still a bit fuzzy, but he also thought about the system's main task: to win over Lu Huainan. Given how Lu Huainan was acting now, it was hard to believe he had no feelings for him. But he kept saying it was just brotherly affection. His head ached from thinking about it—better to rest for a while.

Seeing Shen Muyun fall asleep again, Lu Huainan glanced at the IV bottle—still more than half full—and curled up beside him for a quick nap.

Shen Muyun slept restlessly, one bizarre dream after another.

“What’s your name, squirt?”

“You're the little one! You’re only two years older than me! I’m Lu Huainan. And you?”

“Wow, your name is so beautiful! Is it the ‘Huainan’ from ‘the oranges born south of the Huai’?”

“Yes, that’s the one. And you? Why won’t you tell me your name?”

“Me? I’m Shen Muyun—the ‘Muyun’ from ‘spring trees north of the Wei River, evening clouds over the eastern river.’ How does it sound? Nice, right?”

Shen Muyun saw it clearly—it was unmistakably a young Lu Huainan and his younger self. But according to the memories he'd inherited, the two had never crossed paths. No, this is just a dream—how can I take it seriously?

“Huainan! Run!”

Shen Muyun bolted upright. Opening his eyes, he saw Lu Huainan still asleep by the bed, the IV only half finished. Outside, the sky was gradually brightening. What did that dream really mean?

Sensing movement from Shen Muyun, Lu Huainan lifted his head immediately and checked the IV bag—good, he hadn't slept through it. Rubbing his eyes, he murmured, “How did I fall asleep?”

“You were too tired. And you haven’t even gotten your wounds treated?”

“They’re nothing serious, just scratches. I’ll take care of them later. Dr. Qi is in the guest room next door—if anything happens, he can come right away.”

Suddenly, Shen Muyun felt a wave of dizziness. It shouldn’t be from the anesthetic. Even Lu Huainan before him seemed to see double.

Noticing Shen Muyun’s unusual state, Lu Huainan quickly touched his forehead. “Oh no, you're burning up!”

Seeing his flushed face only confirmed his suspicion. Qi Beichen was right—Shen Muyun had developed a fever.

“Brother Yun, stay put. I’ll go get Dr. Qi right away. It might be an infection—we'll figure out what to do.”

Lu Huainan rushed out of the room immediately. Watching his retreating figure, Shen Muyun mentally shouted, “System, come out! There must be a signal here now.”