Chapter 91

Qiu Yang’s gaze fell upon Yu He.

In just one week, not to mention that I had no intention of laying a finger on Yu He in the first place, even if I were to really play with him for a whole week, it’s not like he would drop dead, right?

Can’t even wait for a single day?

It seems that Fu Yunzheng is unwilling to go through any unnecessary procedures. A single termination letter, he’d rather dissolve the twenty-some years of good relations between the Fu Corporation and the government of J country than allow Yu He to spend one more day by my side.

No negotiation, just a notification via a termination letter.

Only Fu Yunzheng has the confidence to do something like this.

Qiu Yang asked himself and knew deep down that he wouldn’t be able to do it.

Staring at Yu He’s slender neck, Qiu Yang unconsciously licked his lips.

Such a handsome face, a person so cherished by Fu Yunzheng, must be even more fun to torment.

Especially, what kind of expression would the always calm and composed President Fu have when he sees Yu He injured?

Qiu Yang’s throat was incredibly dry, and violent emotions surged within him.

This won’t do.

Reason told Qiu Yang that there were plenty of others he could play with and torment, but the beautiful one in front of him was off-limits.

Confusion appeared in Yu He’s bright eyes as he wondered why Qiu Yang kept staring at him.

Qiu Yang diverted his gaze, “I’ll take you back to Yun Su at three in the afternoon.”

Yu He raised an eyebrow, “Thanks for Manager Qiu’s hospitality.”

Qiu Yang loosened his collar, walked to the front door to check if the security door was locked, ensuring Yu He couldn’t leave: “I’m going upstairs to play for a while; if you find it noisy, just stay downstairs.”

Seeing Qiu Yang’s suddenly flushed face, Yu He felt that Qiu Yang was acting very strange.

He was excessively excited, and his eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.

This was not a good sign.

Yu He leaned back cautiously, carefully saying, “Manager Qiu, you should take care of your health.”

“Are you worried about me or the little kid upstairs?”

Qiu Yang ruffled his hair in agitation, sweat forming on his forehead, his eyes gleaming wickedly as he sized up Yu He from head to toe. He took a step forward and grabbed Yu He by the collar of his shirt, “If you’re so concerned about him, why don’t you take his place?”

Yu He raised his hands in a gesture to show that he had no intention of meddling.

That kid is clearly willing to be involved with Qiu Yang. Regardless of their reasons, they both have something to gain.

I’m not Zhao Pan’er, and I’m not here to save anyone from their plight.

I’m drifting in this world myself and quite happy about it, what right do I have to meddle in that boy's affairs?

“Manager Qiu,” Yu He's eyes were indifferent as he calmly met Qiu Yang’s gaze: “Anger harms the liver. Please, calm yourself.”

With a strong push, Qiu Yang sent Yu He back into his dining chair, standing in place, breathing heavily.

Yu He felt like Qiu Yang was exhibiting symptoms of some sort of illness. He subconsciously reached for his phone to search for information on a medical forum’s internal network. His fingers twitched slightly before he realized his phone was not with him. He lamented not having studied his profession more thoroughly. Although he had several guesses regarding Qiu Yang's symptoms, he couldn’t be sure what was actually happening.

Nonetheless, given Qiu Yang's excessive excitement, Yu He did not provoke him any further.

As time ticked away, Qiu Yang’s emotions gradually stabilized. He stopped paying attention to Yu He and turned to go upstairs.

Yu He lay on the sofa, continuously telling himself that it was better not to get involved.

Qiu Yang had already promised to take him back to Yun Su at three in the afternoon. Being able to leave Qiu Yang's grasp in one piece was already a stroke of luck, so it was better not to meddle further.

With the back of his hand resting on his forehead, Yu He closed his eyes, trying to persuade himself.

Qiu Yang’s reputation was well-known; since the young boy had dared to come here, he was obviously ready to deal with Qiu Yang’s terms.

Yu He chanted in his mind: Respect personal choices, respect personal choices, respect personal choices.

When Yu Qingyan came to find you, you were annoyed too, right? So why the hell do you want to play the savior now when it’s someone else’s turn?

Not everyone is Fu Yunzheng—

Another voice in his mind said.

Yu He’s heart quivered slightly as he sat up from the sofa, cursing himself for being influenced by Yu Qingyan, and headed upstairs.

The rosewood staircase had a sense of antiquity to it, somewhat worn out. Perhaps due to being in the shade for many years, the color was a deep, dark red.

The Dream of the Red Chamber

The staircase's colors were dim and gloomy.

Under the rendering of the dark red color, it easily conjures up images of large patches of congealed blood, exuding an ominous aura everywhere.

The massive staircase spiraled upwards, as if leading to hell itself.

As Yu He stepped onto the staircase, even the touch beneath his feet felt sticky and thick.

He casually picked up the bronze deer antler sculpture at the corner of the staircase.

Yu He's heartbeat quickened.

He had been in numerous fights; brawling was second nature to Yu He, but he had never encountered someone like Qiu Yang before.

There was a bloody and lethal aura about Qiu Yang.

Even though Qiu Yang was no longer young and had long passed the age where a man's combat ability is at its peak, the sense of oppression that came with his age and experience was indescribable. Although Yu He was reluctant to admit it, he was indeed intimidated.

This intimidation had nothing to do with physical capability; it was entirely psychological, with the elder exerting a natural hierarchical pressure on the younger.

Facing Qiu Yang now, Yu He felt as if he was fourteen again, facing Yu Shiquan. The twenty-year-old Yu He was no longer afraid of Yu Shiquan, but perhaps it would take him growing up a bit more to be able to handle someone like Qiu Yang with ease.

Qiu Yang did not restrict Yu He’s movements. In Qiu Yang’s eyes, Yu He was nothing more than an overly beautiful canary, clinging to Fu Yunzhen’s side, posing no threat whatsoever.

This contempt angered Yu He, but it also scared him.

Yu He could only clench the neck of the deer antler statue in his hand, drawing courage from it.

Turning onto the staircase, ambiguous sounds similar to last night’s echoed faintly down the corridor.

Yu He sighed in relief, his tense back suddenly collapsing.

Having relaxed from the high tension, Yu He's back muscles cramped up, twitching in pain. He found it somewhat amusing that he had overthought things. Qiu Yang had seen many people at Jinse Tai, and most of the time, he was a normal guest. What were the chances that Yu He would encounter Qiu Yang in one of his rare moments of madness?

In any case, it was a relief that nothing had happened.

Yu He turned around to go downstairs, putting the sculpture back in its place. The statue made a muffled sound as it hit the base.

Shaking his arm, Yu He picked up the sculpture and fiddled with it again.

The bronze-cast sculpture was quite hefty, weighing approximately 50 to 60 pounds. If it were to suddenly hit someone, it would undoubtedly be lethal. Just moments ago, his mind had gone blank, and he had grabbed whatever was within reach without considering the consequences. Only now that he had calmed down did he realize how impulsive he had been.

Fu Yunzhen was still waiting for him in Yun Su; Yu He couldn’t afford to lose his life over Qiu Yang.

As his tension eased, a wave of exhaustion swept over him. Fatigued, he lay back down on the sofa and unknowingly fell asleep.

Yu He slept deeply.

Although the soundproofing of the villa wasn’t the best, theoretically, one shouldn’t be able to hear noises from the master bedroom on the second floor while in the living room on the first floor.

Yet, Yu He suddenly woke up.

Upon waking, everything around him was eerily quiet.

This disrupted sleep schedule didn’t relieve his fatigue; instead, it left Yu He feeling anxious and short of breath.

Despite feeling unwell and groggy, Yu He’s eyes were remarkably clear. He was certain that he had been awoken by a noise.

He had heard a short, sharp wail.

In the past, had he heard a wail in the middle of a dream while staying in this somewhat aged villa, Yu He would have most likely thought he was experiencing a nightmare.

But today, Yu He’s mind didn’t wander towards the supernatural.

He lifted his head, looking in the direction of the winding staircase.

A strange intuition told Yu He that something was amiss on the second floor.

Even in today’s materialistic world, one cannot deny that some people inexplicably have premonitions before major events occur.

At this moment, Yu He’s sixth sense was screaming a warning at him, telling him not to go upstairs.

As long as he stayed right where he was, nothing would happen.

However, just like in horror films where we can never understand why the protagonists walk towards darkness in eerie settings, Yu He found it difficult to explain the motives and intentions behind his own actions.

Even though he had weighed the pros and cons in that moment, he still decided to go, without looking back.

Yu He glanced towards the kitchen. The knife used to cut the salted duck eggs at breakfast was lying on the countertop, but Yu He did not go to grab it.

He didn’t take anything with him, just walked straight up the stairs.

As he stepped on the staircase twice, Yu He’s state of mind shifted completely. In his uncertainty about whether something had happened or not, he felt extremely tense.

However, at this moment, when Yu He had a clear premonition that the incident he was worried about had already occurred, he became as calm as if he were indifferent.

It turned out that his tension wasn’t rooted in facing his fears, but rather in harboring hope.

Yu He hoped that the little boy could safely leave this old villa.

It seemed unlikely now.

With an expressionless face, Yu He stepped onto the slightly eerie staircase.

When he pushed open the door, the scene inside was completely different from what Yu He had imagined.

The bed was in disarray, but there was no one around.

Qiu Yang was sitting comfortably on a wicker chair by the window, wearing a white undershirt and smoking.

His expression was relaxed, as if nothing had happened.

Seeing Yu He, Qiu Yang showed a hint of surprise on his face: "What’s up?"

The room had a bad smell, a mix of cigarette smoke, the musty odor of aging furniture, the sweat and stench from Qiu Yang’s body, and a faint industrial perfume scent, blended with an odd odor.

Yu He didn’t want to ponder what the strange smell was, but fortunately, he didn’t seem to smell any blood.

The mixed odors were overwhelming, each one assaulting Yu He’s nostrils, significantly affecting his judgment.

Yu He looked around: "Where’s the kid?"

Qiu Yang took a puff of his cigarette, casually responding, "He must have left."

Yu He stared at Qiu Yang: "Which way did he go? I’ve been downstairs the whole time."

Qiu Yang blew out a smoke ring; the light blue smoke ring dispersed as he slowly said, "I saw you were sleeping, so I didn’t call you."

Yu He’s heart skipped a beat.

Cold sweat broke out on his back all at once.

The door was bolted from the inside; it’s impossible for such a heavy armored door to open without making any noise.

That kid never left; why would Qiu Yang lie?

Yu He thought no one had come downstairs, yet Qiu Yang knew he was sleeping there.

This could only mean that... while he was asleep, Qiu Yang had come down to check on him and then silently returned upstairs.

Why did Qiu Yang need to come down to check on him?

And where was the little boy?

This realization of danger after the fact sent chills down Yu He’s spine.

Qiu Yang continued to smoke as if nothing had happened.

Yu He knew he should leave now and wait for Qiu Yang to drive him back to Yun Su.

If something really happened to that boy, Yu He would be the first one Qiu Yang would silence. A smart person would not probe at this moment.

Seeing Yu He still standing at the door, Qiu Yang stood up and said, “I’ll take you back to Yun Su now.”

Yu He closed his eyes, steeled his heart, and said through gritted teeth, "Mr. Qiu, I studied medicine."

As soon as he said this, the relaxed atmosphere in the bedroom suddenly froze.

Qiu Yang’s gaze changed instantly, he repeated in a deep voice, “Yu He, I am taking you back to Yun Su now. Are you coming or not?”

Yu He clenched his fists, knowing he had to make a choice at this very moment.

Qiu Yang took a deep drag of his cigarette and compromised again, "If you just go back obediently, I promise to steer clear of you and Fu Yunzhen in the future.”

This was almost a clear indication for Yu He to play dumb and stop asking about the little boy's whereabouts.

But the more Qiu Yang conceded at this moment, the more alarmed Yu He became.

Is the boy still alive?

Cold sweat ran down Yu He’s forehead as a voice in his head kept telling him to just turn around and leave, to go back and plan with Fu Yunzhen. After all, there would be traces left behind, and they wouldn’t let Qiu Yang get away with it.

Confronting Qiu Yang right now, can you even make it back alive?

This is none of your business.

Yu He, let’s go.

Yu He turned around stiffly.

The image of the shy boy flashed quickly through Yu He's mind.

Damn.

Yu He suddenly turned around: "I am a medical student, Mr. Qiu. Let me save him, I promise I won’t tell anyone, I swear."