Chapter 87 Head Pat

Chapter 87: A Pat on the Head

Was he avoiding them? Was he truly avoiding them?

It was only after the system’s prompt that Yan Zhoubai realized this indeed seemed to be the case.

Logically, waking up to find everyone gathered around him, showing such concern, should have made him incredibly happy. Such a scenario was something he had never dared to imagine before. Yet, when he saw them surrounding him, he felt only a strange unease. At that moment, the only person he truly wished to see was Zhan Jiayu.

Yan Zhoubai fell silent, unsure how to answer the system’s question.

When Yan Zhoubai awoke again after another night’s sleep, it was already the next morning. This time, he hadn’t expected his elder brother and Bu Qiran to still be by his bedside.

“Big brother… why are you two… here?”

To be honest, Yan Zhoubai felt a little awkward. It was early morning, he hadn’t even brushed his teeth or washed his face, and these two were just sitting by his bed, watching him—it felt too strange. Was this really necessary?

“Yan Zhoubai, do you even realize you’ve just cheated death? You’re a seriously ill patient right now. Don’t assume you’re fine just because you can talk and breathe. Do you know how close you came to dying?”

Bu Qiran instantly flared up at Yan Zhoubai’s question. Where else were they supposed to be? Were they expected to leave a seriously ill patient alone in the hospital with no one to care for him?

Did Yan Zhoubai truly not take his own health seriously at all?

“I know, stop shouting,” Yan Zhoubai grumbled under his breath. Bu Qiran seemed perpetually displeased or as if he’d swallowed firecrackers all day. Who knew who owed him money outside?

Yan Anxuan shot Bu Qiran a glance, signaling him to be quiet if he couldn't speak calmly. Bu Qiran stiffened his neck, still looking somewhat defiant, but in the end, he said nothing.

Yan Anxuan didn’t look as haggard today as he had last time; he seemed much more energetic, though his mood still appeared somber.

“Little Bai, why would you ask that? Of course, we’re here to take care of you. After such a serious incident, how could we possibly leave you alone in the hospital?”

Yan Anxuan’s poor mood stemmed from Yan Zhoubai’s question—asking like that implied he didn’t consider them family. Coupled with Zhan Jiayu’s recent actions over the past couple of days, he found it hard to be cheerful.

But it seemed they truly had no way to handle this situation.

Yan Zhoubai smiled slightly but remained silent.

Of course, he knew he needed care, but his point was that it didn’t have to be the two of them personally. Couldn't a nurse have sufficed?

Especially Yan Anxuan—he was so busy. Surely company matters and the issue of their second uncle’s poisoning attempt required his attention. There was no need for him to stay here. When Yan Zhoubai had been sick before, they hadn’t acted like this.

“You don’t actually want us here, do you?”

Bu Qiran’s expression darkened suddenly as if he’d just realized something, his tone sarcastic, though upon closer listening, one could detect a note of panic in his voice.

Yan Zhoubai looked at Bu Qiran’s scowling face, blinked a few times, and stayed silent. The implication was clear enough: whether he wanted to see Yan Anxuan was uncertain, but he definitely didn’t want to see Bu Qiran.

“Damn! Yan Zhoubai, you really… you’re unbelievable! I’m telling you, you can’t do this, you can’t—”

Bu Qiran didn’t finish his sentence, as if he were stuck and didn’t know what to say next.

But Yan Zhoubai paid him no mind and turned to ask Yan Anxuan, “Big brother, can you tell me what’s really going on? Why did second uncle poison us?”

Yan Anxuan gazed at Yan Zhoubai for a few seconds before sighing.

“He did it because he was backed into a corner. The Yan Group’s refusal to provide funding was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“Second uncle’s company hadn’t been doing well for many years, but he was stubborn and always wanted to compete with our family, yet he always fell short. Too eager to achieve something, too desperate to make big money—a few years ago, when he was traveling abroad, he caught the attention of an overseas drug trafficking organization.”

“Drug trafficking organization?”

Yan Zhoubai was shocked again. Weren’t they talking about the poisoning? How had it suddenly involved a drug trafficking organization? What exactly had his second uncle been doing?

“In short, at first he’d only wanted to profit from the drug trafficking organization by helping them transport drugs into the country. But gradually, he became more deeply involved. He wanted to back out, but they wouldn’t let him go, and a large portion of his assets were tied up with them.”

“He wanted the Yan Group to provide funding to try to revive his company, attempting to use money to negotiate with them and cut ties. This was his last resort; he’d tried every other method, and nothing worked.”

“But the Yan Group refused to provide funding to his company. Recently, the authorities have been closing in on that overseas drug trafficking organization, and they’re about to investigate him. If he couldn’t make a quick break, he’d be the first one thrown under the bus.”

“His plan to seek help from the Yan family failed, meaning he had no way out. So, he simply wanted revenge. When he threatened me to let him into the banquet that day, he’d already resolved to drag us down with him.”

“But the people he wanted to poison were either me or Qiran, because he thought that would cause our parents enough pain and deal a heavy blow to the Yan Group.”

“So, Little Bai, you were collateral damage. You took that hit for me. If it weren’t for you, I’d be the one lying here right now.”

Yan Anxuan explained the entire story of their second uncle’s poisoning attempt in one breath. By the end, he couldn’t help but reach out and gently touch Yan Zhoubai’s cheek.

Even though he was fine now, the ordeal left Yan Zhoubai looking thinner still. His already small face now seemed so gaunt it appeared unable to support flesh.

His lips were pale and bloodless, making him look as if he had lost all vitality. Fortunately, after waking up, Yan Zhoubai’s eyes were still as bright as before.

Yan Anxuan didn’t dare imagine how much he would have hated himself if those eyes lost their light. How much he would regret being one step too late, for failing to protect him.

That day, waiting outside the operating room, his whole body had trembled. He might have appeared calm sitting in the chair, but his mind was elsewhere.

One moment he wondered what if Yan Zhoubai didn't wake up, the next he was scolding himself for such thoughts, insisting that Yan Zhoubai would be fine. These conflicting thoughts had nearly driven him insane at the time.

Thank goodness, Yan Zhoubai woke up.

Yan Zhoubai was utterly dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected such a huge situation—his poisoning had uncovered his second uncle’s involvement with a drug trafficking organization.

Had Bu Qiran been the one to tell him this, he would’ve thought Bu Qiran was deliberately messing with him. How could it be so unbelievable?

Yeah, how could it be so absurd? Even the system was astonished. Not only was the incident itself bizarre, but it also had no record of this plot point at all.

An event of this scale would have been a key plot point in the original storyline. After all, if their young host hadn't taken the blow, that poisoned drink would likely have been consumed by Zhan Jiayu. Why was there no record of such a plot point in its database? Could it be the butterfly effect again?

“Then… what do we do now?” Yan Zhoubai asked.

“Second Uncle has already been arrested. Charges of attempted murder and drug trafficking are confirmed. He’s not even trying to deny it, so he’ll definitely face legal consequences. You can rest assured.”

Yan Anxuan emphasized that the matter would be handled in a way that delivered justice for Yan Zhoubai.

“But now the police want to get more information from him about that overseas drug trafficking organization to take them down completely. However, he knows he has no way out, so he’s refusing to cooperate. He won’t say anything—not even about the organization’s domestic routes or other collaborators.”

“How could he do that!”

Yan Zhoubai was outraged upon hearing this. His second uncle had already done so many terrible things, and now that he’d been caught, he still refused to assist the police? How could he?

“So there’s nothing we can do? If that drug trafficking organization isn’t caught, it means they’ll continue harming more people.”

From a young age, Yan Zhoubai had been taught that drugs were extremely harmful and drug trafficking was a very, very serious crime. Everyone had a duty to assist the police, but his second uncle’s actions repeatedly surprised him. Yan Zhoubai’s sense of justice made him furious.

Yan Anxuan fell silent upon hearing this question, so Bu Qiran was the one who spoke up:

“There are ways, but that’s the police’s business, not ours. You just focus on recovering properly.”

Yan Zhoubai felt like they were still hiding something from him, but upon second thought, hadn’t they already said everything there was to say? He knew it all now.

Yan Anxuan suddenly asked a question that seemed random and out of left field to Yan Zhoubai.

“Not at all, no one could have expected Second Uncle to do something like this. Plus, it led to exposing such a large drug trafficking organization behind the scenes—nobody saw that coming.”

“That glass of wine…” Bu Qiran continued, unusually awkward. “That was originally handed to me. If I hadn't declined it, it wouldn't have ended up with you. So, in the end, it's my fault.”

Yan Zhoubai found it quite surprising that Bu Qiran would actually take responsibility like that.

“We haven't taken good care of you all these years you've been home. When Qiran returned, you were treated so unfairly, and now you nearly lost your life. It's our fault; we haven't been good family members.”

Yan Anxuan's voice sounded strained, like he was having trouble speaking.

“Don't be like that, Big Brother. Don't think that way.”

Yan Zhoubai felt that his big brother seemed like he was about to fall apart, so he reached out and ruffled Yan Anxuan's head.

Normally, he would never have been able to ruffle Yan Anxuan's head, but the distance and position were just right at that moment.

A pat on the head to say, “Don't be sad.”

“What if someone wanted to take you away from the Yan family? Would you go with them?”

Author's note: Here you go.