Thank you @Limb for the kofi (*^ ‿ <*)♡
Bonus chapter 1/2
Chapter 14: Accident
His fingertips landed on the skin, and the sensation was uneven; it was clearly a long, narrow scar.
Shen Ci quietly withdrew his hand. Once Xie Yu was fast asleep, he traced the scar upwards along his spine. But he almost fully extended his arm into Xie Yu’s sleepwear and still couldn’t feel the end of the scar.
This was a very long scar.
Shen Ci’s fingertips trembled slightly. He silently turned on the small bedside lamp, then knelt on the bed, pinching the hem and lifting a corner of Xie Yu’s sleepwear.
In the warm yellow glow of the bedside lamp, he saw Xie Yu’s back clearly.
The young master’s back had beautiful lines, and his skin had a delicate, light shimmer, like fine silk. But on this silk, there were many crisscrossing scars.
There were whip marks, burn marks, and even knife wounds.
These scars were old, their colors gradually fading, and stretched by new flesh, blurring into large patches of reddish-brown and crimson, lingering on his back like dirt and tears on silk.
Shen Ci stared at them intently for a long time without saying a word.
How did Xie Yu… have these marks on him?
Who was Xie Yu? He was the eldest young master of the Xie family, a pampered nobleman. On a daily basis, he ate black truffle caviar and wore Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe watches. How could a young master raised in such luxury have such scars?
Shen Ci subtly lifted Xie Yu’s sleepwear further, exposing a larger area of skin. He adjusted the angle of the light and then leaned down, carefully observing the scars.
In pharmacology, there are experiments on scar tissue, and Shen Ci has done relevant research. He could generally tell that the scars had formed about a decade ago.
A decade ago, Xie Yu was still a child.
The hotel bedside lamp was a little dim, and the scar’s shadow was blurry. Shen Ci frowned and leaned closer.
The next second, his wrist was seized.
Shen Ci’s fingertips jumped.
Xie Yu grabbed him, rolled over, and opened his eyes, saying lazily, “What are you doing?”
He was still drunk, speaking with a thick nasal voice.
Shen Ci paused, “Drinking water.”
Xie Yu pulled his sleepwear down and laughed, “Drinking water? Why are you lifting my clothes to drink water?”
Shen Ci: “I brushed against them when I raised my hand.”
Assistant Professor Shen’s personality was too aloof; he was clearly not the type to pull someone’s clothes off in the middle of the night. Xie Yu didn’t suspect anything. He lay flat on his back, making space for Shen Ci, and complained, “You need water late at night? Go ahead.”
Shen Ci slowly got out of bed, pretended to pour water, took two sips, and then climbed back into bed. Xie Yu wrapped his long arm around him, hugging him like a big pillow, and rubbed his chin against the top of Shen Ci’s head: “Go to sleep; you still have class tomorrow.”
He slept soundly through the night.
*
The next day, perhaps because he went to bed early, when Xie Yu woke up, Shen Ci hadn’t left yet. He was sitting at the table, looking through documents.
Xie Yu sat up halfway, surprised, “You don’t have morning classes?”
Usually, whenever he woke up, Shen Ci was already gone.
Shen Ci closed his book: “Nothing important this morning… I ordered breakfast. Want some?”
He pushed over a tray with hotel breakfast; all sorts of pastries were neatly arranged on white plates. Xie Yu eyed him suspiciously, then got up to change, thinking, “Did Shen Ci take the wrong medicine?”
He was being so polite to him first thing in the morning.
Who knew that the next second, Shen Ci suddenly stood up, and then the mattress sank. He sat down next to Xie Yu, reached out to take the clothes, pressed them on Xie Yu’s shoulders, and said, “Let me help you change.”
Xie Yu: “…?”
His suspicion grew, and he scrutinized Shen Ci, his gaze probing. Shen Ci calmly held the clothes, letting the other party examine him, but his eyes were lowered, avoiding eye contact.
Xie Yu: “Are you asking for a favor?”
He propped his chin: “Tell me, what happened at the hospital? Just say it. If you ask me nicely a few times, and I’m in a good mood, I’ll consider helping you solve it.”
Shen Ci shook his head and said nothing was wrong, but his gaze fell on Xie Yu’s back. It was well-covered by his sleepwear, hiding any marks beneath the fabric.
Shen Ci: “According to the contract, I should do these things.”
Xie Yu thought to himself that there was something fishy going on. When had either of them ever strictly followed the contract, whether in the novel or outside of it? Young Master Xie always did as he pleased, messing around however he wanted, and Shen Ci was always cold as ice, never giving the original owner a good look. But now he was willingly coming over to help him change clothes?
He self-consciously straightened his collar, got out of bed, and went to wash up. The silk fabric draped down, completely covering his back: “I don’t need help. You finish eating and go do your experiments. Stay at school today. I have something to do later.”
Xie Yu really did have something to do. Xu Qingshan had already found a lawyer and finalized the donation plan for the Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital, waiting for Xie Yu to sign.
The two arranged to meet in the hotel conference room. Xu Qingshan brought a thick stack of contracts, and the lawyer accompanied them. Xie Yu casually flipped through them and signed.
He signed quickly and decisively, his handwriting strong and sharp, full of character.
Xu Qingshan was startled, his face full of disapproval: “You’re not even looking? Xiao Yu, you’re so easily fooled.”
Xie Yu chuckled, “I trust you.”
Many people in the novel’s world corresponded to real life, like his father and Xie Yuanshan. This Xu Qingshan felt familiar to him at first sight, very much like his uncle in the real world. They didn’t usually talk much, but when something came up, his uncle always unconditionally sided with him.
After signing the thick stack of contracts, the funds would be transferred to the hospital’s account on the next business day. Xie Yu capped his pen and casually asked the lawyer, “Are there any ways to sell luxury goods? I have some cars and watches I want to sell.”
The lawyers at this firm primarily served wealthy clients, including quite a few second-generation rich kids whose families had fallen on hard times and who frequently sold cars and watches.
Xu Qingshan, opposite him, was momentarily stunned: “Sell luxury goods?”
Xie Yu smiled: “To save some money for later.”
He got business cards from the law firm for secondhand luxury dealers. After contacting them, he returned to the hotel to inventory his assets.
The original owner had a home in Jiangcheng, but he always stayed in hotels. He would only go home when Xie Yuanshan returned from a business trip and specifically told him to. All his luxury goods were in the hotel wardrobe.
The system floated nearby, watching him pack various luxury watches with some curiosity: “Why are you getting rid of these things for no reason?”
Xie Yu: “I won’t be here for long.”
In the novel, Shen Ci had already been hospitalized several times by this point and needed antidepressants to survive. The early plot was halfway through, and the remaining plot would rapidly unfold, taking about two months to complete.
Xie Yuanshan had given him six months for the investment. In the novel, the original owner squandered everything within three months, and Xie Yuanshan, enraged, directly sent him abroad.
Xie Yu, however, hadn’t squandered anything. He had fully upgraded the psychiatric hospital’s hardware and software and instructed Xu Qingshan to replace all the ward mattresses. He was just waiting to be admitted by Shen Ci and comfortably retire there.
The destination of this money wouldn’t be hard to trace. Xie Yuanshan would find out within a month at the latest. At the same time, he’d also discover that Xie Yu had already signed a foolproof contract, and the money, once in the hospital’s account, couldn’t be retrieved. By then, Xie Yuanshan would be even angrier than in the novel and would throw his son abroad even faster.
Xie Yu calculated with the system, “Once I go abroad, Xie Yuanshan will surely torment me, control my living expenses, and make me come back to apologize and beg for mercy. But apologizing is impossible. I’d rather starve to death than apologize to him. Besides, I want to travel.”
The system was dumbfounded: “Travel?”
Xie Yu laughed: “Since I got this rare chance to be a well-off second-generation heir, why not go see the Northern Lights, penguins, and polar bears? I could also visit Easter Island’s Moai…”
He sighed with longing: “Once I return to my own world, I won’t have so much money or free time.”
The system looked at him, wanting to speak but holding back, then holding back but wanting to speak, finally saying tactfully, “It’s not impossible.”
—He was supposed to do a task, but he somehow turned it into a vacation.
Once he went abroad, Xie Yu would become merely background scenery in this book, without any plot. This period would be completely blank, allowing him free disposal. While the original owner had been impoverished and barely scraping by due to Xie Yuanshan’s control, Xie Yu could prepare in advance by saving up a fund.
Xie Yu was quite pleased, imagining this future life. He was sifting through the original owner’s luxury goods, estimating their value. The amount quickly surpassed two million and was heading towards five million. As he sorted, a kraft paper bag, neatly sealed with tape, suddenly fell out from a pile of luxurious gift boxes with gilded logos.
Xie Yu paused and picked up the bag.
The paper bag was small and unremarkable, the kind you could buy 40 for 10 yuan at a stationery store, yet it was carefully kept among a pile of luxury items, without even a folded corner.
The system leaned in: “What’s this? Why is it here?”
Xie Yu squeezed it but didn’t tear it open, simply putting it back and saying, “I’m not selling this. Leave it be.”
The system was surprised: “You haven’t even opened it, and you’re not selling it?” It suspiciously circled Xie Yu. “Do you know what’s inside?”
Due to the mapping relationship between reality and the novel, Xie Yu knew a lot of background information that the system didn’t.
Xie Yu clearly didn’t intend to say more. He put the kraft paper bag away and said, “Help me call the second-hand dealer.”
The system huffed and obediently dialed. The phone screen lit up silently, and the number was automatically entered.
Before it finished typing, the harsh ringtone sounded. Xie Yu flipped his phone open—it was Zhou Yang.
He pressed answer. Zhou Yang’s voice came through, and the surroundings were noisy, making it hard to hear clearly.
Zhou Yang said, “Young Master Xie, I have something to tell you. He Zhiyuan assaulted someone last night. Lin Yin is hospitalized.”
Xie Yu paused and asked, “He assaulted someone? Why are you calling me? Couldn’t he just settle it with money?”
Zhou Yang sighed, “Assault isn’t the problem; the problem is assaulting someone on the street, and it was recorded and posted online. Now there’s an investigation. He Zhiyuan doesn’t want a criminal record, so he offered a price for a private settlement, but Lin Yin isn’t satisfied with the price and won’t budge. Old He wants to find someone he knows to mediate and see if they can reach an agreement.”
Xie Yu scoffed, “If she’s not satisfied, then increase the offer. Does the He family lack that little bit of money?”
Zhou Yang: “He doesn’t want to tell his family, or his old man will scold him and freeze his credit cards, so he wants to handle it himself. Sigh, you know his playboy nature; he’s not flush with cash. Anyway, there aren’t many people who know both He Zhiyuan and Lin Yin, just you, me, and Shen Ci. My persuasion didn’t work. You should bring Shen Ci along to talk to her and see if it works.”
Xie Yu perfunctorily said, “Alright, alright, fine, fine, fine.”
He inwardly thought, “Serves him right.” He had never liked He Zhiyuan, but the original owner’s persona was that of a loyal, rich second-generation friend, and since Zhou Yang asked, he really had to go.
Xie Yu sent a message to Shen Ci, asking him to hurry over, and then drove straight to the hospital.
Lin Yin’s ward was in the third-floor VIP section. Xie Yu went up to the third floor and saw Zhou Yang sitting outside the ward, spacing out, from far down the corridor.
Xie Yu asked, “Where’s He Zhiyuan?”
Zhou Yang: “At the police station.”
Xie Yu: “.”
He said, “Lin Yin’s inside, right? I’ll go talk to her.”
Xie Yu pushed open the door, determined to just say a few polite words, stall for time, and then tell He Zhiyuan, “Can’t convince her; just hurry up and get the money ready.” But just as he stepped inside, Shen Ci arrived.
Assistant Shen had rushed over from school. His steps were extremely quick, his forehead covered in sweat. He hadn’t even taken off his lab coat, its hem fluttering with his strides, giving him a somewhat cold and ascetic aura.
Seeing Zhou Yang guarding the door, his body stiffened, and his tone became taut with an indescribable nervousness: “Who’s hospitalized?”
Xie Yu had given him the ward number but hadn’t told him what had happened.
Zhou Yang was startled: “Lin Yin is hospitalized… Assistant Shen, did you run here?”
Shen Ci’s lab coat was disheveled and fluttering, and the hair at his temple was slightly messy. His handsome eyebrows were furrowed, his expression faintly worried, and the sweat reflected the fluorescent lights with a glassy sheen.
Zhou Yang’s gaze was odd: “No, Assistant Shen, even if Xie Yu was hospitalized, why would you run like that?”
Shen Ci’s steps froze.
The author has something to say:
Shen Ci: Testing, worrying, and a little bit of inexplicable throbbing.
Xie Yu: Packing things, reading travel guides, preparing to run away.
Hmm, haha.