Chapter 18

Chapter 18

They got to the hospital late at night. It was obvious that Yang Zhongxu was indeed very afraid of death. It was only the 10th today, yet many plainclothes sentries were already deployed throughout the hospital.

Furthermore, according to the staff schedule, many renowned specialists were off duty that day, and there were no appointments available. This indicated that by the 17th, the hospital's foot traffic would be reduced by at least two-thirds.

"With so many buildings here, where is Yang Zhongxu most likely to receive treatment?"

While Xie Yunshen was still figuring it out, Yi Wuyi just pulled out his phone and made a call. "On the 17th, which building will Yang Zhongxu's treatment be in?"

It dawned on Xie Yunshen that the Yan family had its own intelligence system.

However, he didn't have the clearance for that kind of core intel yet.

In under five minutes, they called back.

"Got it." Yi Wuyi hung up and said to Xie Yunshen, "Building 13."

The two of them went across the hospital skybridge to Building 13. This was the hospital's main VIP wing, packed with surveillance cameras.

Moreover, the online virtual tour videos didn't cover this building, so they had to scope out the inside step by step themselves.

A hitman and a bodyguard, of all people, worked together perfectly today, executing their respective scouting missions with speed.

"Old Five, got it all memorized?"

"No problem."

"Let's check the top floor."

"Going directly to the top floor isn't good. Let's go to the hotel opposite to avoid looking suspicious."

Xie Yunshen: "Now that's professional."

Even better, the hotel opposite was one of the Yan family's chain hotels.

In other words, it was their turf.

Thus, first thing the next morning, Yan Shiqi got word from the hotel.

At 1 a.m. last night, Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi got a room at the hotel. They only got one room and didn't come out until 4 a.m.

Yan Shiqi's gaze fell on the two men standing at attention nearby, his fingers lightly tapping the desk twice.

They were standing a little too close together.

"Last night, the two of you checked into a hotel together?" Yan Shiqi got straight to the point.

"Pfft!" Yan Shizhou, who was eating nearby, choked, coughing as he looked at Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi, his face turning red.

Xie Yunshen looked genuinely clueless: "What's the matter..."

Yi Wuyi lowered his head: "I'm sorry, Mr. Yan. A Shen and I..."

He probably thought it was highly improper to have acted without Yan Shiqi's permission, which is why he apologized.

Xie Yunshen stared at Yi Wuyi with a mix of horror and confusion. Wait, what on earth are you apologizing for? What is there to be sorry about?

This is so easy to misunderstand, man.

Yan Shizhou abruptly stood up, shaking from head to toe, his chest heaving. His usually arrogant eyes were now locked on Yi Wuyi, his teeth clenched tightly as he muttered under his breath, "Damn it."

Yan Shiqi frowned deeply, his gaze intense.

And when his stare bore directly into Xie Yunshen, it sent shivers down Xie Yunshen's spine.

Xie Yunshen felt that if he didn't clarify things now, not even the Pacific Ocean could wash away his innocence.

So he began to explain: "...Is there a law against two guys getting a hotel room?"

Yan Shiqi: "..."

Yan Shizhou, his face dark: "No!"

Xie Yunshen: "Third Young Master, what are you getting so upset about now?"

Yan Shizhou: "..."

Yan Shiqi closed his eyes. "So, what were you doing checking into a room at 1 a.m.?"

Yi Wuyi and Xie Yunshen exchanged a glance and spoke simultaneously.

"Learning from each other."

"Of course, sleeping."

Yan Shizhou: "What kind of sleeping?"

Xie Yunshen: "The kind with your eyes closed! We didn't even open the condoms or toys in the room."

Yan Shizhou, gritting his teeth: "You didn't even take safety measures!"

Xie Yunshen: "????"

Are you okay?

Yi Wuyi sighed. When it came to making things sound worse, Xie Yunshen had a unique talent.

Yan Shiqi immediately seized the opening: "Old Five, you tell me."

Xie Yunshen's heart tightened, figuring Yi Wuyi would probably confess. He gave Yi Wuyi a look, signaling that the plan must not be leaked.

Yi Wuyi struggled for a moment before finally deciding to throw caution to the wind: "It was Xie Yunshen who said... he has a private medical condition and asked me to accompany him to see a doctor..."

Seeming to feel this was unfair to Xie Yunshen, he decided, for the sake of fairness, that they should both bear this stigma: "Actually, no... it's actually that... both of us have some private medical issues. We heard the andrology department at Central State Hospital is quite famous, so we agreed to go see a doctor together. After the consultation, we just rested for a bit at the hotel opposite."

Yan Shiqi closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. As he listened to Yi Wuyi, a smile appeared on his face.

Yan Shizhou sat back down and covered his face with his hands.

Xie Yunshen fell silent for a while: "..."

If we're going down, we go down together.

He was starting to get fed up with this world.

Maybe he should just transmigrate back...

With things having reached this point, even though Yan Shiqi clearly knew something was off, he could only turn a blind eye. The matter was considered closed.

Today was the Yan family dinner.

A long dining table was filled with the Yan family, from the oldest to the youngest.

Yan Shiqi sat at the head of the table, with Yan Shizhou two seats down on his left. The first seat on the left was reserved for the second young master, Yan Shiying, but he was a bit of a loner.

He missed nine out of ten family gatherings, and today was no exception.

To Yan Shiqi's right sat a refined middle-aged man, followed by his wife, his son, and further down, other uncles and cousins from the extended family.

It was clear that Yan Shiqi and Yan Shizhou both had a lot of respect for that middle-aged man.

"Third Uncle, is your leg feeling better?"

Wait, Third Uncle?

Shouldn't the Yan family's Third Uncle be dead?

Not long after the story began, members of the Yan family started having accidents, and the first to die were Third Uncle and his family.

The only mention in the book was Yan Shiqi learning from the butler that Third Uncle's family had died abroad.

But how they died, he'd forgotten.

"Much better, nothing worth mentioning, just some old ailments," Third Uncle said with a smile.

The attractive middle-aged woman beside him added, "What do you mean 'much better'? The pain is getting worse. I heard there's a young man named Lin Jin whose acupuncture skills are incredible. We wanted to ask for his help, but as soon as he heard it was the Yan family, he refused to come."

She looked at Yan Shiqi. "Patriarch, your word carries the most weight. Could you..."

Third Uncle immediately interrupted her. "Enough, don't say any more!"

Presumably, after the male lead snubbed Yan Shiqi at the Zhu family's birthday banquet, Third Uncle had already heard about it.

Third Aunt wanted Yan Shiqi to invite Lin Jin, but Third Uncle felt this would make the Yan family lose face in front of that kid.

Third Aunt simply smiled, and the others naturally shifted the topic.

Yan Shiqi remained silent.

Throughout the lavish dinner, he barely touched his chopsticks. He seemed to be looking at everyone, yet his gaze was distant, as if lost in deep thought.

Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi both stood nearby.

As the dinner concluded, Third Uncle looked at him approvingly. "You're Xie Ming's son, turning into quite a fine young man."

Xie Yunshen was taken aback, noticing that the man's walk was a bit off.

The other man thought he had forgotten him. "I used to hold you when you were a baby!"

Yi Wuyi explained, "After his brain injury, he has trouble remembering a lot of things clearly."

Third Uncle let out an "oh." "No wonder, it feels like he's a different person."

The older generation's eyes are sharp indeed.

But Xie Yunshen was moved. As someone who just idled around the Yan family, not a single member of the family looked down on him.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall how this Third Uncle had died.

Perhaps the book never explicitly stated it.

Finally, just before Third Uncle was about to leave, Xie Yunshen remembered.

"Third Uncle, does your family have a gardener with a very thick beard?" He stopped the car door from closing.

Sitting in the car, Third Uncle looked at him in surprise. "Yes, how do you know?"

"He's a serial killer."

The smiles on everyone's faces froze.

He remembered how Third Uncle's family had died.

Top Star Gate sent people disguised as ordinary workers to approach target families. After gaining their trust, they would kill the entire family, then frame it as mental illness, using conditions like mania to cover the true motive.

Author's Note:

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