Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Chen Ji had booked the earliest flight, a 7:30 a.m. departure. Due to the last-minute booking, only business class seats were available, forcing him to grudgingly pay full price. He arrived at the airport at half past midnight, rented a portable charger, and settled into the comfortable business lounge. Just as he was about to drift off, hunger struck.

—Ugh, I came all this way, achieved nothing, got half-killed with exhaustion, and spent a fortune on a ticket! I should’ve just been less firm in refusing Zhao Chengying at the club. Eating something before leaving would have been so much better!

Chen Ji was filled with a measure of regret.

He got up, went to a convenience store, and splurged on a charging kit, a cup of instant noodles, and two seasoned eggs. After eating, he bought a milk tea, found a sofa in the lounge, and comfortably fell asleep.

Meanwhile, in S City, several families were far from comfortable.

Zhou Nan and Xiao Lifan were admitted to the hospital. One had three broken ribs and a thigh gash requiring nearly thirty stitches; the other suffered a triple fracture in his left arm and extensive abrasions. Most critically, both were in a coma. The cause of the accident was under urgent investigation.

Dashcam footage and street surveillance showed that because Xiao Lifan had a fever and headache, Zhou Nan took the wheel. Less than twenty meters after they set off, the two seemed startled by something, screamed, and then the accelerator was floored, causing the car to crash into a roadside flowerbed and overturn.

Alcohol was detected in both their systems, and the accident was provisionally attributed to drunk driving.

Yun Shaoyang’s situation was even more alarming. The hospital received a call and rushed to the hotel. Hotel staff led the doctors to open the door, only to find the bathroom awash with blood and an unconscious person on the floor. The hotel staff were terrified, fearing a fatality. It was only after the doctors confirmed he was alive that they breathed a sigh of relief. Before they could even process the situation, the Yun family arrived.

After the hospital examination, it was determined that Yun Shaoyang had a comminuted fracture in his right leg, a concussion, and numerous superficial injuries—but no life-threatening danger. The Yun family immediately launched an investigation to find out who was responsible. When Chen Ji left, he hadn’t bothered to conceal anything, practically making it obvious that he was the prime suspect.

The problem was, the Yun, Xiao, and Zhou families happened to converge at the hospital. After comparing notes, they realized all three incidents were connected to the same matter.

The three wives harbored complex emotions.

Their children messing around outside, not picky about gender, was one thing—as long as it was consensual. But this time, they had resorted to outright coercion and ended up beaten like this—they absolutely deserved it! The car crash was also karma! Still, seeing their children so severely injured, being their own flesh and blood—and only children at that—their hearts ached.

While the three wives were discussing the matter, an assistant quietly reminded Mrs. Yun, "Madam, we’ve found out—the young man’s surname is Chen—Chen Ji. He used to be the team leader of the programming group at YouShen Company in S City. After resigning, he returned to Y Province. This time, he was invited back to S City by the young master of the Fan family…"

The assistant briefly outlined Chen Ji’s background. Since all three families were in the same embarrassing predicament, and with Mrs. Yun’s tacit approval, he shared the details of the day’s events. The three families already had some inkling, but not as clearly as the assistant explained.

Mrs. Yun felt too ashamed to seek revenge. She even wondered if she should go and apologize.

Suddenly, the assistant pressed his earpiece, listened for a moment, and said with a serious expression, "Madam, surveillance footage reveals something related to Young Master Zhou and Young Master Xiao."

Mrs. Yun said, "Tell me."

The assistant nodded. "Surveillance shows that after Mr. Chen left the hotel, he took a taxi to a location less than a kilometer from where the two young masters had the accident. During the journey, Mr. Chen passed the accident site, glanced at it, and less than three minutes later, asked the driver to change direction and head to the airport. Currently, Mr. Chen is in the airport lounge."

These few simple sentences made the three wives turn pale. By all accounts, Yun Shaoyang was beaten by this young man—he was outmatched, and his injuries were entirely justified. He would’ve deserved it even if he’d been killed for it. Zhou Nan and Xiao Lifan had left midway—they were in a car accident, which had nothing to do with the young man. But he happened to pass the accident site? And immediately changed direction after seeing the accident?

He shouldn’t have known Xiao Lifan or Zhou Nan, let alone their license plate numbers.

So, was it a coincidence?

…But could it really be such a coincidence?

The young man’s deliberate glance was too obvious. Even without any concrete evidence, it made people suspect his involvement—especially since it was said he recently had eye trouble and couldn’t see? Why did his walking and looking around seem completely normal?

As the three pondered, a doctor suddenly came and said, "Is Xiao Lifan’s family here? Please come with me."

Mrs. Xiao nodded to the other two wives and hurried in. In the private ward, Xiao Lifan lay deathly pale, his eyes blank. Before Mrs. Xiao could speak, she saw Xiao Lifan suddenly struggle: "Let me go—ah—help—there’s a ghost—!"

He saw Mrs. Xiao: "Mom—! Mom! Save me—! There’s a ghost! A ghost—!"

"Don’t come near me! I never harmed you! Why are you haunting me? Ah—! Back off—! Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me—! Help!"

Mrs. Xiao, horrified, turned to the doctor: "Doctor, what’s wrong with my son?!"

The doctor explained to Mrs. Xiao that the specific cause was unknown and required further examination. The reason for inviting her in was to determine whether Xiao Lifan still had the cognitive ability to recognize relatives…

At the same time, Zhou Nan exhibited similar symptoms. The two families immediately realized something was seriously wrong. Mrs. Yun, after witnessing their tragic state, turned her gaze to Yun Shaoyang, who was still unconscious. Thankfully… At that moment, Mrs. Yun actually felt a sense of relief.

"The young master’s anesthesia hasn’t worn off yet," the assistant whispered. "Madam, why don’t you go back and rest? I’ll stay here."

Mrs. Yun hesitated for a moment before nodding. Exhausted, she returned home. It was already past 3 a.m. The moment she stepped inside, the vase by the entrance suddenly shattered.

The sound wasn’t loud, but it startled Mrs. Yun—for some reason, she felt like she was being watched.

She stared at the shattered vase and called for someone to clean it up. Just as help arrived, her husband came downstairs. Mr. Yun was wearing a slightly wrinkled suit, as if he had accidentally fallen asleep and been abruptly awakened. He asked, "How’s that brat?"

Before Mrs. Yun could answer, Mr. Yun suddenly said, "Why is the gourd-shaped vase broken?"

Mrs. Yun walked over. Neither of them was young anymore, and staying up so late had left them both exhausted. "I don’t know. It shattered as soon as I opened the door… That brat is getting more and more outrageous. Old Yun, you have to do something about this."

Mr. Yun narrowed his eyes at the thought. If Yun Shaoyang hadn’t been seriously injured, with bones broken, he would’ve given him a good lesson. The older he gets, the less he knows what he’s doing—how could he dare do something like this!

Mrs. Yun asked, "What about that young man?"

Mrs. Yun leaned in to take a look. Although the surveillance footage was clear, it only showed a side profile. Now, seeing Chen Ji curled up asleep on the lounge sofa, still wearing the fashion-forward suit those boys had forced him into, his features—usually overshadowed by his intense, dark eyes—were fully revealed in his sleep, incredibly handsome.

Mr. Yun frowned. "We’ll compensate him later and make Shaoyang apologize to him."

Throughout the entire matter, Mr. Yun never mentioned Zhao Chengying. Zhao Chengying’s feelings for Chen Ji were not his business—young people’s romantic entanglements weren’t worth discussing openly. But their illegal behavior was a different story—thankfully, it hadn’t led to disaster. If left unchecked, they would become completely lawless!

Just then, a phone ring broke the silence in the living room. The couple froze. Suddenly, Mrs. Yun felt chilled to the bone. She shivered and grabbed Mr. Yun’s hand as he reached for the phone. "Don’t… don’t answer."

Mr. Yun indeed didn’t pick up. "What’s wrong?"

Mrs. Yun clutched her chest. "I suddenly feel chilled to the bone… my heart is racing. Don’t answer…"

Mr. Yun and Mrs. Yun waited as the shrill ringtone echoed through the living room, lasting an unnerving three minutes before stopping. The moment it ceased, they both let out a long sigh of relief. Suddenly, Mr. Yun’s phone rang.

He looked down—it was his friend. "Zhang Ziran, what are you doing calling so late?"

Zhang Ziran had been friends with Mr. Yun for many years. He looked very serious. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Did the gourd in your house break?"

Mrs. Yun was nearby. "Yes, it shattered inexplicably just as I returned."

Hearing Mrs. Yun’s words, Zhang Ziran frowned. Mrs. Yun had a very yang-heavy bazi. The gourd was only supposed to react to yin energy—why would it break because of her?

"How did it break?"

Mrs. Yun was also very familiar with Zhang Ziran. She said, "I don’t know. It broke as soon as I entered. No idea what happened…"

"What’s going on?" Zhang Ziran said quickly. "Sweep your phone camera around the house."

Mrs. Yun did so. Zhang Ziran saw that everything seemed normal and asked, "What did you do today?"

At this, Mrs. Yun felt angry again. "It’s because of Shaoyang! He was beaten up and hospitalized—a comminuted fracture in his right leg. I just got home!"

Coming back from the hospital—that seemed normal… Zhang Ziran paused, then suddenly asked, "Is he okay?"

He paused again and repeated, "Is he still alive?"

Mr. Yun said impatiently, "Are you that bored in the middle of the night?"

Zhang Ziran said with a half-smile, "Didn’t I tell you Yun Shaoyang would face a deadly fate at twenty-three? You didn’t believe me, did you? Well, look—it’s come true, hasn’t it?"

"Fortunately, it’s just a leg. What foolish thing did Yun Shaoyang do this time? I’ve said it before—his impulsiveness is exactly like old Yun’s when he was young…" As he spoke, Zhang Ziran began performing a divination, still joking with the couple. But suddenly, he stopped short, his expression turning grave. "Which hospital is Yun Shaoyang in?"

"Yun Shaoyang’s deadly fate isn’t over yet! It will unfold within three days!"

Mr. Yun didn’t believe in such things, but Mrs. Yun did. She immediately replied, "He’s at Kanghui Hospital, twelfth floor. Zhang Ziran, don’t speak in half-truths. What do you mean by 'deadly fate'?"

"There's no time to explain!" Zhang Ziran said. "You two, meet me at the hospital!"

Author's Note:

A bit conflicted about whether Yun Shaoyang should die or not…

Chen Ji: A man who turned down property worth hundreds of millions of yuan but stressed over a plane ticket that cost four or five thousand yuan, ending up only eating a cup of instant noodles.