Chapter 21

Chapter 21

What could it be?

On the way back to the hotel, Ruan Yunchu kept pondering this question.

But before the incident, he had been completely disregarded in the Ruan family and knew nothing about those secrets. Even Uncle Chen claimed to have no knowledge after hearing about it.

He was now one of Ruan Yunchu's people, so there was no reason to lie. The only clue lay with Ruan Jing, who had become a vegetable.

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhuo seemed quite interested. "The Ruan family was originally in the energy business. What secrets could they have? Could it be a hidden mine?"

That was obviously unrealistic.

Ruan Yunchu thought about it all day but couldn't come up with anything.

Before going to bed, Yan Zhuo, who had been playing games on his terminal, suddenly received a message.

"Come in."

He raised an eyebrow slightly, turned off his terminal, and pushed open the door to enter the room. He found the young master leaning against the headboard, still awake, his small face tense and looking somewhat nervous.

"What's wrong?"

He approached with concern, thinking something serious had happened.

But Ruan Yunchu's gaze slowly fell on him, and he said very seriously, "I have an important task for you."

"Go ahead," Yan Zhuo's expression also turned serious.

"Go back to Area A now and guard Ruan Jing until I return."

"Huh?"

Yan Zhuo was completely unwilling. Why would he abandon the beautiful and interesting young master to guard a living corpse?

Wasn't that nonsense?

"If the Ruan family really hid something, Ruan Jing is now the most vulnerable. If he gets taken, we'll be in a passive position."

Yan Zhuo clicked his tongue. "Young master, if there really is something, do you want to get there first?"

"No, I just want to earn merit," Ruan Yunchu's answer surprised him. "Since the alliance wants it, another group might also be targeting us. At least Ruan Jing can't be snatched from our hands, or we'll have trouble."

"Then I shouldn't leave. If they want something, they'll likely go after you first." Yan Zhuo's face darkened, clearly disapproving.

"They won't go after me. You go guard Ruan Jing."

"Like hell I will. Just send more people to watch him. How can a living person just—"

Before Yan Zhuo could finish, the person suddenly leaning in forced him to swallow the rest of his words.

Cool fingers landed on his cheek, and a soft kiss landed on the corner of his lips. Ruan Yunchu looked up at him.

"Just help me out, Yan Zhuo."

Catching a whiff of the light floral scent, Yan Zhuo's temples pulsed with tension. He felt like he was going crazy.

"You're really going to kill me."

He reached out and cupped that delicate face, his long fingers wrapping around both his cheek and neck, then forcefully kissed those moist lips, his tongue uncontrollably pushing into the soft, wet mouth.

Seeing Ruan Yunchu's slightly furrowed brows, a crackling electric current exploded in his mind, and his whole body couldn't help but get excited.

He wanted to go deeper, but Ruan Yunchu pushed against his shoulder, breathing heavily as he pulled back.

"That's enough. You should get going."

"Use me and then toss me aside," Yan Zhuo's voice was deep and hoarse, as if he wanted to devour someone. "It won't be that easy this time. When this is over, see you in Area A."

There was an obvious hint in his words, but Ruan Yunchu pretended not to understand.

"If Ruan Jing loses even one finger, I won't let it go."

Yan Zhuo let out a chuckle, stood up briskly, and the door closed softly behind him as he left the hotel.

The room fell silent. Ruan Yunchu leaned against the headboard, his breathing taking a long time to calm down. He touched his numb lips and couldn't help but chuckle.

Like a dog.

-

Inside the ward, instruments beeped steadily, but the person on the bed remained unresponsive. Yan Zhuo stood outside the window for half an hour, watching, utterly bored.

Someone walked over briskly from the side, and without turning his head, Yan Zhuo asked, "All arranged?"

"They've been assigned their areas according to the plan, but..." the person hesitated, "Isn't this too spread out now? It seems worse than before when they were just stationed upstairs and downstairs. Should we ask the young master?"

"Ask?" Yan Zhuo let out a soft laugh. "Do you think Young Master Ruan sent me here for nothing?"

"This..."

The person dared not say anything more. But the next second, he saw the man who had just been scolding him open his terminal and make a star call.

"However, this is a good chance to chat with the young master. I'll ask him. You can go now."

"..."

The person left reluctantly without another word.

Ruan Jing's ward was at the very edge, and due to tight security, no one came or went. Yan Zhuo leaned against the wall, and the beeping drone in his ear suddenly stopped. The familiar, soft breathing reached his ear, immediately making him feel restless.

"Young master, are you up?"

Some rustling sounds came from the other side, and he could tell the young master had sat up in bed. His expression at that moment was certainly quite impatient.

"How's Ruan Jing?"

"Him? He's fine, sleeping quite comfortably in bed. As for me, I'm stuck standing outside. Don't you feel sorry for me, young master?"

"I'll pity you when you drop dead from exhaustion."

Yan Zhuo felt genuinely wronged. "Young master, I arrived in the middle of the night and just finished deploying everything here, but those people you hired don't even trust me."

Ruan Yunchu didn't stand on ceremony with him. "Send me the deployment map."

With a ding, it was successfully sent.

Ruan Yunchu was obviously looking it over and was silent for a long time. Yan Zhuo turned up the volume and could hear the faint sound of breathing, along with the music that had been playing all night in the background.

He leaned against the wall, expressionless, but in his mind, he pictured the young master sitting on the bed every morning, dazed and lazy.

Ruan Yunchu probably doesn't even realize how cute he is in the morning.

Tsk.

Yan Zhuo couldn't help glancing back at Ruan Jing on the bed, annoyed as hell.

The person on the other end quickly decided. "We'll do it your way."

"I knew the young master would take my side."

"..."

Ruan Yunchu was quiet for a couple seconds, like he wanted to argue, but finally just said, "I won't be back in Sector A for a few days. Keep an eye on him. When I get back, I'll get someone to look into it."

"Okay, don't forget my reward."

Yan Zhuo's voice carried anticipation, deliberately acting like a lovestruck teenager.

Ruan Yunchu was clearly speechless and just hung up the call, ignoring that.

Only after hanging up did it belatedly hit him—the damn doctor by the young master's side. Realizing he forgot to deal with that guy before leaving, he got pissed.

He knew the young master wasn't the casual type, but what if he actually liked that gentle, harmless kind?

-

With a lot going on in Sector C, Ruan Yunchu spent the last few days hitting up hospitals and quickly got a handle on things. That day, after getting everything sorted and ready to wrap up, just as he gathered everyone, someone rushed in from outside.

Seeing the office packed, the person hesitated before speaking.

"Uh... Lieutenant General Peng is here!"

Ruan Yunchu was a bit surprised. The group of deans all lit up.

"Really? Then we should give him a proper welcome."

Ruan Yunchu frowned but didn't let them go. "Finish this first."

They exchanged puzzled looks but stayed.

"Over the past few days, I've looked into every part of this hospital. Sector C is a key development zone for the Alliance, and a direct route to the front might be set up. So I'm not satisfied with how this hospital is doing right now."

The dean's expression shifted at that.

"In that time, I've also decided you don't have what it takes. So I've hired another team to replace you."

"Are you kidding? I worked my way up from the bottom. This hospital got to where it is because of my work. You're just going to kick me out?"

"Yeah, right..."

Ruan Yunchu didn't rush to argue. When they were done, he said coolly, "My decision is final, and it's been approved by the shareholders. Pack your stuff and leave."

The office erupted in chaos—some people got so worked up they tried to shove him, but the bodyguards he'd arranged stopped them.

Ruan Yunchu ignored them, wheeling himself slowly toward the door, where he saw a worried Chen Quan.

"Causing a scene like this isn't a good look."

Ruan Yunchu didn't bat an eye. "Show them the evidence. If they keep making a fuss, I'll just hand it over to Lieutenant General Peng. He's right here in the hospital, isn't he?"

"..."

Chen Quan frowned slightly but still turned and entered the office.

Ruan Yunchu went downstairs and, with a doctor guiding him, reached the exam room.

Through the glass, he saw Peng Zhongying lying in the machine, looking totally cooperative.

He sat outside waiting for ten minutes. The inner door soon opened, and Peng Zhongying came out dressed, showing no surprise at seeing him.

"Mr. Ruan, you're at the hospital today as well."

"Yeah, sorting some stuff out." Ruan Yunchu gave a faint smile. "So what brings you here all of a sudden, Lieutenant General Peng?"

"Like I said, whenever I'm not feeling great, I come for a check-up. This hospital's pretty professional. The machine I just used—is that your new model?"

"Yeah. How was it?"

"It's pretty good, but could be more accurate. Heals fast though."

"Got it—we'll make adjustments."

Peng Zhongying smiled as they walked out, then seemed to remember something. "That bodyguard you had with you earlier—he's not here today?"

"You mean Yan Zhuo?" Ruan Yunchu chuckled. "He's back in Sector A. Something came up."

"I see..."

"Looks like Yan Zhuo made an impression on you."

Peng Zhongying laughed heartily. "I just think he's in good shape. If he joined the military, he could go far."

"If you want, you can reach out to him anytime. I won't hold it against you for poaching."

Ruan Yunchu said this deadpan, like he couldn't care less.

Peng Zhongying looked at his calm face and laughed. "Never mind. If he wanted that, he'd have enlisted on his own. Since he hasn't, it means his heart's not in it."

Ruan Yunchu didn't want to waste more time on this. Just as he was about to ask about something else, he heard a ruckus behind him.

Peng Zhongying stopped too and turned to look.

Ruan Yunchu glanced over, tone flat. "Just fired them. No big deal."

"Mr. Ruan, you're quite decisive. I hear they're very experienced—hard to find that kind of qualification."

"If their character's bad, no matter how capable, they're not worth keeping."

After saying that, Ruan Yunchu's expression flickered. Realizing something, he dropped the topic.

"Take it easy, Lieutenant General Peng. I've got other stuff to do—I'll head off now."

Peng Zhongying raised an eyebrow in surprise, then nodded approvingly. "Alright, see you when you're back in Sector A."

-

Chen Quan finally got those people out and came back to the office to find Ruan Yunchu slumped in his wheelchair.

"Young master, those people have been—"

"Arrange a starship. I'm heading back to Sector A today."

Hearing the urgency, Chen Quan was surprised. "Now?"

The sooner the better.”

“…”

An hour later, the emergency flight route application was approved, and Ruan Yunchu boarded the starship back to District A.

He was breathing heavily. He sensed the onset of his heat, but a strange flutter in his heart made him even more uneasy.

His intuition had always been sharp, and it didn’t take long for him to guess that something was about to go wrong with Ruan Jing.

-

Yan Zhuo lounged idly in the lounge. Having already beaten the mini-game on his terminal, he jumped back to the first level and finished it in a few moves, but he couldn't stop thinking about the reward he was owed.

He counted the days—three more until they could meet.

So annoying.

His mind wandered, but then his ears suddenly twitched. He instantly became alert and slowly got up, walking to the door.

The door slid open silently, and the corridor was deathly quiet. He waited a moment, then pushed the door open and stepped out, making no effort to hide his footsteps.

He directly pushed open the door of the next room. The bedside monitors were screeching in alarm, and two people were in the middle of moving Ruan Jing’s body. When they suddenly saw someone enter, they froze for a moment.

“Yo, kidnapping?”

Yan Zhuo laughed. The next instant, he saw a cobalt-blue electric current rapidly lash toward him. He dodged sideways, and before the opponent could react, he leaped forward and slammed a heavy punch into one of them, sending him crashing into the corner. His head slammed against the wall, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.

Seeing this, the other person quickly let go of Ruan Jing. Behind his mask, a pair of sinister eyes gleamed with bloodlust—clearly a ruthless thug.

“Rebels?” Yan Zhuo shook his wrist, which had gone numb from the sudden force, and then charged forward to attack.

The man was slightly shorter than him, but his body looked like an inflated balloon, his bulging muscles nearly bursting his clothes—clearly he had taken some kind of drug that temporarily enhanced physical strength.

They were at a standoff when suddenly intense sounds of fighting erupted outside the room.

Quite a few people had come.

Yan Zhuo found it interesting and stopped holding back. Seeing something thrown at him, he raised his hand and caught it, crushing the electric grenade into powder.

“You’re no match for me. Surrender.”

He curled his lips into a smile, and for a moment, an overwhelming pressure emanated from him that made one involuntarily want to submit.

Seeing the situation was bad, the man turned to flee.

Yan Zhuo frowned. Afraid that Ruan Jing might suddenly die, he first reconnected all the instruments before leaving.

Outside was already in chaos, but thanks to his earlier preparations, the figure in black was completely blocked outside. As soon as he went out, he was immediately protected by a group and began to evacuate.

He was clearly the leader of the group.

Yan Zhuo didn’t plan to give chase directly through the door. Instead, he smashed the closed window at the end of the corridor with his elbow and jumped out, ignoring the height.

He used the third floor to soften his landing, leaped, and rolled onto the grass, then rushed toward the gate. But out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a car screech to a stop.

The car door opened, and a wheelchair was slowly lowered to the ground. As soon as he recognized the face, Yan Zhuo’s pupils contracted.

Bang bang bang—three shots rang out in quick succession. He stopped in his tracks and saw several figures outside the gate fall to the ground.

The people who had fled in fear were quickly surrounded. Yan Zhuo’s breath was heavy. Ignoring everything else, he strode toward the car. Sure enough, he saw Ruan Yunchu slowly lowering the gun, his pale face still bearing a hint of cold sharpness.

Confirming that he was unhurt, Yan Zhuo let out a huge sigh of relief, but he still couldn’t control his temper. “Didn’t we agree I’d handle this side? Why did you suddenly come? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”

Ruan Yunchu looked up at him, his brows slightly furrowed. But Yan Zhuo ignored his expression and reached out to snatch the hot pistol from him.

His anger still unresolved, he bent down, gun in hand, when his cheek was suddenly kissed.

His body stiffened, and he froze for a long moment. “D-Do you think that’ll let you off the hook?”

But before he could say anything else, the young man had already cupped his face and pressed his soft lips against his, even tentatively slipping his tongue in a little.

Electricity seemed to explode in his mind. He forgot everything else, hooked his arm around the young man, and pulled him into the car.

The allied forces’ sirens wailed around them. He slammed the car door shut, settled him on his lap, and pressed his palm against the slender, soft nape of his neck, fiercely deepening the kiss.