Chapter 58 No Escape

Chapter 58: No Escape

The plan went through over a dozen revisions before it was finally finalized.

Li Wangyue had been busy lately, not getting enough rest, and was running a slight fever.

Coming out of the meeting room, he rubbed his temples, wanting something hot to drink to feel better.

The water in the break room was still boiling, the quiet space filled with a faint hum.

Li Wangyue covered his mouth and coughed lightly.

Someone handed him a cup of warm water from the side, along with a packet of cold medicine.

Li Wangyue looked up.

Zhang Qiaoyuan had already torn open the cold medicine packet and brewed it for him.

"Thanks." Li Wangyue nodded, his voice hoarse.

Zhang Qiaoyuan didn't say much, just prepared the medicine for him and said, "You really push yourself too hard. At least take care of yourself."

"Yeah." Li Wangyue had heard this kind of talk too many times, and it didn't really get to him anymore.

"But you've got a knack for it. You actually came up with a plan that pleased him." Zhang Qiaoyuan couldn't help but praise him as he handed over the cold medicine.

After Li Wangyue finished drinking, the water just boiled. Zhang Qiaoyuan naturally took his cup and poured another one.

"Glad that's settled." Li Wangyue said. "Now that this is done, I can get some more rest."

Li Wangyue remembered Professor Liu griping while grading student assignments, which sparked an idea. He worked that into the restaurant owner's wish for a "flowing water brings wealth" effect, cleverly turning the water into a flowing mist. It not only created a visual sense of flow but also immersed people in the experience, hitting the owner's desire for good luck.

He'd pulled a lot of all-nighters, constantly revising drafts, looking at images, hunting for inspiration, his mind tense and his sleep poor.

"You look awful."

Zhang Qiaoyuan tilted his head and reached out to feel his forehead.

Li Wangyue was slow to react and didn't pull away.

"You're burning up, you have a fever." Zhang Qiaoyuan stood up and grabbed his coat. "Wangyue, you need to rest."

Li Wangyue waved his hand. "It's nothing, I..."

"Don't say a word." Zhang Qiaoyuan was rarely serious, frowning as he pulled him up. "Take the afternoon off, get some rest at home. I'm taking you back, or I'm taking you straight to the hospital."

His stern tone almost made Li Wangyue laugh, but he went along with it anyway.

Zhang Qiaoyuan took him back. As soon as they entered, the place was spotless, with only a few packed boxes on the floor, and the bed was stripped of its bedding.

Li Wangyue apologized for not being able to offer him water, said he'd just rest on the sofa, and told Zhang Qiaoyuan to go back.

Zhang Qiaoyuan looked around, frowning slightly.

"You're moving?"

Li Wangyue just hummed in agreement. "Moving today."

He said it so casually, like he didn't see anything wrong with it.

Zhang Qiaoyuan let out a frustrated laugh.

"You're sick today, you had to go to a damn meeting, and you're moving. If I hadn't brought you back, were you planning to go to work this afternoon? And now you want me to leave?"

Li Wangyue listened blankly as his voice got heavier.

After a moment, he saw a flicker of reluctant pity in Zhang Qiaoyuan's eyes.

Zhang Qiaoyuan lifted a box. "This is way too light... I'll help you move."

He grumbled under his breath, but when he saw the rabbit plushie hanging on Li Wangyue's suitcase, his expression softened a little.

Li Wangyue said, "It's no big deal. The new place is really close, and I don't have much stuff."

"It's not about it being a big deal. It's about whether you see me as a friend." Zhang Qiaoyuan said very seriously. "If you see me as a friend, let me handle this, just like that day you helped me drop off the outline."

With that, Li Wangyue didn't refuse anymore.

He needed to rest, so Zhang Qiaoyuan left, but came back a while later, bringing him medicine.

Li Wangyue was too out of it from the fever to get up, but luckily the couch was big enough. Zhang Qiaoyuan helped him get the blanket out and covered him.

Li Wangyue wanted to say thank you, but he kept having nightmares, drifting in and out of consciousness like he was on a rollercoaster, his head splitting from the pain.

Zhang Qiaoyuan sat by the couch, feeling his forehead to check his temperature, saying nothing.

Li Wangyue drifted off again.

Probably because he took the medicine in time and got some good rest, he felt a lot better when he woke up. The evening sunset streamed in, lighting up the living room so it didn't feel so empty.

A message from Zhang Qiaoyuan had come in two hours ago, telling him to call when he woke up so he could help with the move.

Li Wangyue looked at the medicine on the table and the glass of water. He picked it up and drank it down, then called Zhang Qiaoyuan.

A few small boxes were quickly loaded into the car. Li Wangyue sent him the address. Zhang Qiaoyuan set up his phone. "You said it was close, but it's a ten-minute drive."

"Ten minutes is close." Li Wangyue smiled indifferently.

"But you were sick!" Zhang Qiaoyuan muttered disapprovingly.

Li Wangyue sat in the passenger seat and said, "Thanks for the medicine. I feel much better after taking it."

"The main thing is you need to rest." Zhang Qiaoyuan turned the steering wheel.

The scenery outside flew by. It was rush hour, traffic was heavy, and Zhang Qiaoyuan was clearly not patient enough, so he took a longer, more remote but faster road.

Li Wangyue cracked the window open.

As the car turned a corner, a black car was parked by the roadside not far ahead.

Li Wangyue glanced at it, then looked away.

Zhang Qiaoyuan looked around. "Why is it parked here without even the hazard lights on..."

Li Wangyue took another look.

It was a very common model. This really wasn't a place to park, but it was just sitting there by the road, and he couldn't see if anyone was in the driver's seat.

Li Wangyue was confused too, glancing front and back, but there was no one there.

Zhang Qiaoyuan drove a short way, and as they rounded the next bend, Li Wangyue saw in the rearview mirror that the black car that had been parked behind them turned on its lights and started following at a leisurely pace.

Zhang Qiaoyuan wasn’t the most patient guy, but he drove steady and not too fast, and the black car hung back at a moderate distance, neither passing nor speeding up.

Li Wangyue couldn’t help but look back.

Zhang Qiaoyuan spotted the car in the rearview mirror too and muttered something under his breath.

Just as he looked away, a shadow darted right in front of them.

“What the hell was that!” Zhang Qiaoyuan slammed on the brakes.

The sudden stop threw Li Wangyue forward, the seatbelt digging into his chest and making his heart pound.

The shadow had two eyes that glowed a faint red in the headlights. Zhang Qiaoyuan squinted and said in disbelief, “There’s a fox here…”

The fox’s tail hung low, swaying gently, as it darted out from somewhere along the roadside, stared warily at the car for a moment, then slipped back into the bushes.

Zhang Qiaoyuan apologized, “Sorry about the sudden stop, you okay? You feel alright?”

Li Wangyue shook his head, just lowering it to settle the queasy tightness in his chest from the jolt. When he looked up, he saw in the mirror that the black car had slowed down.

Zhang Qiaoyuan drove through a tunnel and turned onto a side road. Li Wangyue looked back again, and the black car stayed on the main road, gradually fading into the distance.

Li Wangyue tightened his grip on the keys in his hand, deep in thought.

The car pulled up to the building, and Zhang Qiaoyuan hopped out cheerfully to grab his luggage.

This apartment was just a temporary spot for him, so he hadn’t found anything too great—it was an old complex with crappy soundproofing.

“If you’re a good sleeper, it’s fine, but if you’re not, it’s a real pain,” Zhang Qiaoyuan recalled his own experience. “I almost had a nervous breakdown for a while because the upstairs neighbor had a kid who was super loud.”

Li Wangyue said, “It won’t bother my rest.”

Because he didn’t rest at all.

Zhang Qiaoyuan nodded. “Good. You still have your meds? Don’t forget to take them after you eat.”

“Okay.”

Zhang Qiaoyuan looked around, saw there wasn’t much he could help with, and politely declined Li Wangyue’s invitation to stay for a bit.

“I gotta go. You’re not feeling well, so I won’t keep you,” Zhang Qiaoyuan waved. “Don’t see me out, go back inside. It’s cold out. If you wanna thank me, just buy me dinner sometime.”

Li Wangyue smiled. “Yeah, for sure.”

“See you Monday?” Zhang Qiaoyuan grinned. “I’ll text you tomorrow anyway. If you don’t reply, I’ll figure you’re burning up and passed out, and I’ll come over myself.”

Li Wangyue was both amused and exasperated. “Alright, I’ll be fine. I feel a lot better now.”

After seeing Zhang Qiaoyuan out, the living room was empty and quiet.

Li Wangyue sat on the sofa, wanting to take some medicine, but his stomach was empty, so he ordered takeout to fill it first.

After taking the medicine, the drowsiness set in again. Li Wangyue didn’t want to go to bed, so he leaned against the sofa, draped a blanket over himself, and used his laptop.

He opened the SDA Association’s official website. Earlier, Zhang Qiaoyuan had asked if he was an SDA designer, and he figured if he qualified, it’d make working together easier.

He flipped through a couple of pages when his phone rang.

Not many people would call him at this hour, and Li Wangyue instinctively felt a pang of fear.

It was Zhang Qiaoyuan’s assistant.

He hadn’t interacted much with this person, but Li Wangyue’s heart suddenly pounded.

He answered the call, and the voice on the other end was very somber: “Teacher Li, can you come to the hospital? Something happened to Qiaoyuan.”