Chapter 56 Minor Car Accident

Chapter 56 A Minor Car Accident

Plan B was summarily rejected by Lin Yunshu.

His first instinct was to feed it straight into the shredder.

But as he looked at the neat handwriting and detailed content on those A4 pages—though the concept was outlandish, it was clearly prepared with genuine effort—Lin Yunshu’s heart softened slightly.

In the end, this dating plan, brimming with Zhou Yu’s earnest affection, was locked away in the bottom drawer. Lin Yunshu decided to reserve judgment on Plan A for the time being.

“Let’s just go see a play,” he said.

Plays were more suitable for normal human dates.

“Of course,” Zhou Yu said seriously. “As I said, you come first. If you say a play, then it’s a play. My plan can wait until next time.”

Lin Yunshu nodded. “Mhm, next time.”

In the adult world, “next time” usually meant there would be no next time.

“Since you agreed, let’s schedule it for the end of the year,” Zhou Yu immediately began to elaborate. “Tentatively December or January.”

Lin Yunshu: “???”

Zhou Yu pulled out his phone, ready to have someone arrange the itinerary.

Lin Yunshu’s eyes widened as if he could see cannibals and African sandstorms rushing toward him, short-circuiting his brain.

Moving faster than he could think, Lin Yunshu snatched Zhou Yu’s phone.

“Do you want to do it?” he asked.

Zhou Yu instantly fell silent, his expression one of utter disbelief.

Lin Yunshu breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, quiet.

He didn’t return the phone, holding onto it like evidence as he turned and headed toward the bedroom.

He had only taken two steps when he suddenly felt weightless.

Zhou Yu had scooped him up by the waist. In the dim light, Lin Yunshu saw fire blazing in the man’s eyes.

“Let’s do it.”

Zhou Yu declared decisively.

·

On the day of the play, the two didn’t leave together.

Zhou Yu had a last-minute meeting, one that didn’t require Lin Yunshu’s attendance.

Lin Yunshu hadn’t slept well the night before, so Zhou Yu let him stay home to catch up on sleep while he went to the office.

Lin Yunshu slept until eleven, got up slowly, ate something, and then ambled into the walk-in closet.

Staring at a rack of formal wear, Lin Yunshu found himself at a loss.

He realized he didn’t really have any clothes suitable for a date. Aside from work suits, he mostly owned simple hoodies and jackets—fine for everyday wear, but perhaps too casual for a first date.

And the colors were all dull and gray.

After rummaging through the closet for a long time, Lin Yunshu found himself questioning his own taste for the first time.

After half an hour, he managed to dig out a yellow sweater. He had no idea when he bought it—he couldn’t even remember it.

Lin Yunshu tidied himself, put it on, and stood in front of the mirror, realizing it made him look two or three years younger.

“Clothes really do make the man, just like a saddle makes the horse,” he mused.

“Are you up, baby?” A clear, cheerful voice came from the other end.

Lin Yunshu smiled silently. “It’s already afternoon. Do you think I’m a pig?”

“Just worried you might’ve been tired from last night,” Zhou Yu said shamelessly.

“…” Lin Yunshu quickly cut him off. “So, uh, is everything settled on your end?”

The subject change was too abrupt. Zhou Yu couldn’t help but laugh, feeling in unusually good spirits. “Yeah, all done. Should I come pick you up now?”

The theater was located between the company and home. After thinking it over, Lin Yunshu felt it wasn’t necessary to trouble him.

“It’s fine, you can head straight there,” he said. “I’ll drive myself. Let’s meet at the theater entrance. No need for you to go back and forth.”

“What’s the trouble? I’m happy to pick you up. Since when is it trouble?”

Lin Yunshu: “…”

This guy was getting smoother and smoother with his words. Lin Yunshu picked up his car keys. “Alright, I’m heading out now. I’ll wait for you at the theater.”

Without waiting for Zhou Yu’s reply, he hung up.

·

“Hello? Hello?”

In the office, Zhou Yu stared at the darkened screen, speechless.

Still too polite.

Lin Yunshu’s habit of being overly polite was practically ingrained in his bones. Was there anyone in this world who could change that?

Zhou Yu didn’t know.

But he was confident that if anyone could, it would probably be him.

“Boss.”

Li Xun walked in carrying flowers, suppressing an eye roll at the sight of his boss preening in front of the mirror.

“Here are the flowers you asked for,” he said in a professional tone.

“Alright, leave them there.” Zhou Yu didn’t turn around.

Li Xun set down the flowers and prepared to leave. But before going, he couldn’t resist adding, “That’s enough.”

“What?”

“I suggest it’s enough,” Li Xun sighed. “The hairspray on your head could withstand a Category 10 typhoon—it won’t budge easily.”

Zhou Yu: “…”

Li Xun braced himself and added, “Also, I personally think Secretary Lin would probably prefer a more natural look.”

“Is that so?” Zhou Yu finally gave Li Xun a glance. “Do I not look fresh now?”

Li Xun pinched his fingers together and forced a smile. “A bit overdone, just a little.”

Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow, skeptical but considering it, then turned back to examine himself in the mirror for a long time.

“Alright.”

He finally admitted that any more touching up would indeed look greasy. He stopped, gave Li Xun an appreciative look, and said, “I’ll trust you this once.”

With that, he picked up the flowers and left breezily.

Li Xun: “.”

He watched his boss’s straight-backed figure and head held high, letting out a long sigh.

***

His home wasn’t far from the theater, so Lin Yunshu didn’t rush. He got in the car, entered the destination into the navigation, and drove out leisurely.

The weather was nice today. It had rained last night, and now the sky was a clear, bright blue. There was still some water pooled on the road. Lin Yunshu rolled down the window halfway, and the damp breeze blew in, brushing against his face.

Zhou Yu had texted to say he’d already set out. Lin Yunshu, busy driving, glanced at the message but didn’t reply. It wasn’t until the next red light that he stopped and sent back an "OK" emoji.

Turning onto a quiet street, he saw few people around. The shops were silent. Winter was approaching, and dried yellow leaves piled up on the street corners.

The car moved along smoothly. Lin Yunshu’s gaze absently swept over the dried leaves when suddenly a small dog darted out from the roadside.

Lin Yunshu’s heart jumped.

It was too late to brake. To avoid hitting the dog, he instinctively jerked the wheel hard to the right.

Bang!

The tires screeched against the road. The car swerved out of the lane and crashed into a tree by the road.

The airbags deployed. Lin Yunshu’s vision blacked out for a few seconds.

The world fell into complete silence.

Fortunately, he hadn’t been driving fast today. After a period of ringing in his ears, his sight gradually returned.

The front of the car was pressed against the tree trunk, the bumper dented inward. There were no other cars on the road, and no extra pedestrians around.

The dog that had darted out was long gone.

Lin Yunshu let out a slight sigh of relief.

At least no one was hit, and no serious accident had been caused.

His heart was pounding violently, and his vision was blurry. Uncomfortable, Lin Yunshu frowned.

Onlookers began to gather around. Shopkeepers from the nearby stores heard the commotion and came out to see what was happening.

"Oh dear, what happened?"

"What's going on?"

"Looks like someone crashed..."

"How could they crash on a road like this? How were they driving?"

"Enough of that—let’s see if the person is okay!"

The roadside grew noisy. The shopkeeper, who was closest, ran over and leaned down to look through the car window.

Inside was a young male omega.

The omega was leaning over the steering wheel, his face not visible, only a pale chin and lips visible. But he didn’t seem like a reckless person.

The kind-hearted store owner opened the car door and called out cautiously, "Young man? Are you okay?"

A few seconds later, the young man slowly raised his upper body. His refined features reflected in the glass.

"I’m fine," he said, still somewhat dazed. He pressed his lips together uncertainly, but his manners were instinctive. "Thank you, I’m alright."

Lin Yunshu tested his arms and legs—everything seemed fine, but his head was still spinning, and he felt slightly nauseated.

"Can you move?" the owner asked with concern. "Maybe you should get out first?"

Lin Yunshu tried to get out, but moving made his dizziness worse. A deep, throbbing pain in his head made him almost vomit.

"No need..." His face was pale as he waved off the bystanders' help. "Thank you, I’ll just stay put for now."

He closed his eyes, waiting for the nausea to pass, then called the traffic police and an ambulance. Leaning slowly against the steering wheel, he lowered his head.

***

Outside the theater, couples were everywhere on dates.

Zhou Yu waited at the entrance, flowers in hand, his excitement unwaning like a high schooler on his first date with his beloved omega—both excited and nervous.

By his calculations, Lin Yunshu should have arrived by now.

But among the coming and going vehicles, Zhou Yu still hadn’t seen the familiar license plate.

He waited patiently a little longer but finally took out his phone.

The chat interface showed Lin Yunshu’s last message: an "OK" emoji. Not wanting to distract Lin Yunshu while driving, Zhou Yu hadn’t sent anything after that.

He hesitated for a moment, then typed: [Yun Shu, where are you now? I’m waiting for you at the entrance.]

No response.

Zhou Yu checked the time again. Based on when Lin Yunshu had left home, he should have arrived long ago.

A nagging worry crept in—something might have gone wrong...

He quickly dialed Lin Yunshu’s number. After a long series of rings, a robotic female voice announced that no one had picked up.

As the cold, automated voice spoke, Zhou Yu’s heart sank.

He frowned deeply, and his back began to sweat slightly as he anxiously dialed again, but still, no one answered.

With only ten minutes left until the play began, Zhou Yu couldn't stay put any longer.

The audience started filing into the theater, while Zhou Yu stood alone at the entrance, staring down at his phone. The late autumn sunlight deepened his serious expression.

He had already guessed that something bad had likely happened.

Just as he was about to call Lin Yunshu for the third time, his screen lit up—Lin Yunshu was calling him first.

Zhou Yu’s eyes brightened, and he quickly answered, "Hello? Yun Shu?"

The background noise on the other end was noisy, and Zhou Yu couldn’t hear Lin Yunshu’s voice, which made him ask anxiously, "Yun Shu? Say something."

"...Zhou Yu, hello?"

After a few crackling sounds, Lin Yunshu’s voice finally came through clearly.

Relieved that Lin Yunshu could at least speak normally, Zhou Yu’s tense heart eased slightly. "Where are you?"

Lin Yunshu seemed to say something, but his voice was faint and weak, and with the noisy background, Zhou Yu couldn’t make it out clearly.

He pressed the phone tighter against his ear, his palm growing sweaty. "Yun Shu, I can’t hear you clearly."

"I..." Lin Yunshu coughed and tried to raise his voice. "I’m at the hospital."

"What?"

Zhou Yu’s mind reeled. "What happened?!"

"It’s nothing serious!" Lin Yunshu quickly reassured him. "Don’t worry, let me explain."

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and hurried toward the parking lot.

"Okay, I'm calm," Zhou Yu steadied his voice. "Just tell me what happened."

"I..." Lin Yunshu said softly, "I had a minor car accident."

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Author's Note: I'm back, resuming daily updates. From now on, I'll update before midnight. This batch of pre-written chapters will last for a little while longer. I apologize for the long break [praying hands] (lying on the ground) (open to any punishment)