IJLHTW - 38

When Bai Yu saw Huo Ci in the hospital, his face turned pale. He leaned over her bed, ceaselessly asking, “What happened? How did you get shot out of nowhere?”

Bai Yu hadn’t been able to contact Huo Ci for the past few days and was almost frantic. Fortunately, he still had Yang Ming’s contact information. After sending a message, it took a while to get a reply, saying that Huo Ci was fine, but her phone was lost, and she needed to return to China to get a new one.

Bai Yu thought he’d talk to Huo Ci for a bit, but the call was quickly hung up.

If Yang Ming hadn’t contacted him today to come to the Military General Hospital, he really wouldn’t have known that she had been shot.

Shot, she was shot.

China’s public safety was so good that even a stabbing could make the news, so someone getting shot was truly a huge incident. He never expected Huo Ci to be involved in something like this.

Seeing tears welling up in Bai Yu’s eyes, Huo Ci scoffed, “Hold back those tears. I’m fine, aren’t I?”

“You’re bedridden, and you call that fine? Huo Ci, you’re incredibly bold, daring not to tell me about such a big matter. What do you even take me for?”

Bai Yu was genuinely annoyed. He and Huo Ci truly knew each other from humble beginnings.

When they first met, he was just a small-time assistant in the fashion industry, doing the most trivial work at the magazine, being ordered around all day. But he didn’t get annoyed, just quiet. Until one day, he met Huo Ci, who had come to the magazine for a photoshoot. She was a tall, slender girl, standing there coldly without speaking, her aura stronger than that of a model.

Bai Yu later learned that she was the person who had recently won a gold medal in an international photography competition. It was rumored that she had powerful backing and a very influential background.

But aside from being cold, Huo Ci never got angry at people easily. Besides work-related matters, she was very easy to talk to about other things. Even her meals were the same boxed lunches as the ordinary staff.

They met a few times like that, until one day, Bai Yu was ridiculed by some arrogant women at the magazine. Huo Ci called out to him, asking him to get something, which allowed him to barely escape.

When Huo Ci left that day, she asked, “Why don’t you be my agent? I happen to need someone to manage these trivial matters for me right now. I think you’re quite good at it.”

This was the longest sentence Huo Ci had spoken since they met.

In the following years, Huo Ci slowly became the most popular photographer. She was fiercely sought after by all magazines to shoot covers and major fashion spreads. More and more celebrities specifically requested her to shoot for magazines. She had tens of millions of followers on Weibo, and any post she made could trend. Her fans eagerly copied the clothes and shoes she wore.

The two had truly worked their way up from the very beginning, so he regarded Huo Ci like family.

That’s why he was angry, and when he got angry, he spoke like that.

Huo Ci raised an eyelid, looking at the man standing behind him, whose face was terribly grim. Bai Yu usually talked to her like this, but before, she and Yi Zecheng had no relationship. Now that they did, his words indeed bothered Yi Zecheng.

She quickly said, “I dropped my phone. Go help me get a new SIM card.”

“Is this about your phone right now? Don’t try to change the subject with me,” Bai Yu was about to pat her on the head.

But before his hand could even go up, his arm was seized. Yi Zecheng’s grip was strong, making Bai Yu’s face turn pale with pain. “Don’t pat her head.”

Bai Yu was really in pain; his face was twitching.

Huo Ci looked at his grim face and knew he had been scared by her casual remark last time. She felt both amused and helpless, and softly said, “It’s okay, he’s just playing around with me.”

Only then did Yi Zecheng release his arm.

Bai Yu looked at his cold face, genuinely startled. He had originally intended to demand an explanation, after all, a perfectly fine person had gone abroad with him and had been brought back horizontally. How much grievance had she suffered? But now, looking at that extremely cold, handsome face, he didn’t dare say a word.

So cowardly, Bai Yu cursed himself under his breath.

Fortunately, Yi Zecheng’s phone rang, and he went out to answer it.

Only then did Bai Yu complain to her, feeling wronged, “What kind of situation is this? Let me tell you, this time we absolutely have to make them pay. Pay full compensation. Luckily, you signed that contract before going abroad, and I specifically added a clause about personal safety protection. Now, in your condition, how many things will be delayed?”

Huo Ci looked at him expressionlessly: “So you’re afraid of delaying money-making opportunities.”

“Don’t try to set a trap for me,” Bai Yu glared at her. “You know I don’t mean that.”

Huo Ci’s face finally showed a hint of a smile. Fortunately, after a while, Yi Zecheng returned. He looked at Huo Ci with a touch of helplessness and softly said, “My family just called, asking me to go home. I’ve asked Yang Ming to find a caregiver for you. Lunch will be delivered by a special auntie. I’ll be back as soon as I go home.”

He said so many words in one breath, making Bai Yu’s eyes widen in surprise. He had interacted with Yi Zecheng a few times before, and this man was truly too cold; every twitch of his eyes and brows exuded an air of chill.

Standing there, he practically had four words written on him: “Don’t come near me.”

Then, he watched Yi Zecheng walk over, kiss Huo Ci on the mouth, and even ruffle her hair, softly saying, “Be a good girl.”

This display of affection was so childish.

After he left, probably having gone far away, Bai Yu suddenly jumped up from the bedside, spun around three times, muttering, “Holy moly, holy moly, am I blind? Was that just my imagination...”

Finally, he turned to stare at Huo Ci, asking, “Did you actually f***ing get him?”

He couldn’t be blamed for swearing; the world was simply too fantastical.

A month ago, when he sent them off at the Capital Airport, Yi Zecheng didn’t even spare Huo Ci a glance.

The girl lying on the hospital bed, however, looked unperturbed, calmly gazing at him and asking, “Is that strange?”

“And, we are mutually attracted, don’t always use ‘get’ or ‘not get’.”

“Do you know who his father is? Do you know how much assets his maternal grandfather’s family has? Do you know how many hundreds of millions he’ll inherit in the future?” It wasn’t that Bai Yu was materialistic, but although Yi Zecheng was low-key, there were still people who paid attention to him.

Last time, when Aili was rescued by them in Haiyan, there were several models present that day, and even Xia Yuanhang, the famously generous Young Master Xia, had suffered losses at their hands. Naturally, some people came to curry favor with Bai Yu and inquire.

At first, Bai Yu was vague and ambiguous, after all, the Mingsheng Group was a big backer, and he wouldn’t lose out. But there are no impenetrable walls in the world, and later he slowly learned that while his biological mother’s side was from the Mingsheng Group, his biological father’s side was from the noble families in Sijiucheng. His family members were all people who had fought, bled, and risked their lives for the Republic.

He was just a small business owner and really didn’t dare to get involved with such a powerful figure.

At first, he also wanted to persuade Huo Ci, but then he thought about it. Huo Ci was different from someone like him, who had struggled to make a name in a small city. Even if things went badly for her, she still had a good mother, and even though the mother and daughter didn’t have a good relationship, her mother’s subsequent husband was really no pushover.

If the two of them truly became a couple, it would be a true ascent.

Bai Yu never would have thought that a trip to Africa would actually make it happen.

Huo Ci looked at him and snorted disdainfully, “Vulgar.”

“Excuse me, Your Royal Highness, I am just that vulgar. Please forgive me,” Bai Yu no longer mentioned compensation now. With a wealthy husband, who would care about those trifles?

________________________________________

**

Yi Zecheng was called home by a phone call from Yi Huaize’s secretary, who said he needed to return home immediately. Yi Huaize’s temperament was like that; what he wanted done, had to be done now, without a moment’s delay.

He rode back to the compound in a car driven by his chauffeur. Because the car didn’t have a pass, Yi Zecheng rolled down the window. The sentry at the gate, seeing it was him, immediately snapped to a salute and let them through.

The Yi family lived in a small building at the back of the compound, with its own private courtyard. They had only moved there a few years ago; before that, they lived in the family building in the front, in a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment. The car drove along the tree-lined road, deep into the compound.

When they reached the entrance, he got out of the car and told the driver to wait there.

The main gate was open, and the young nanny was working in the courtyard. She looked up and saw him return, immediately exclaiming happily, “Brother, you’re back!”

The young nanny was in her early twenties, looked decent, was hardworking, and knew how to speak sweetly.

Yi Zecheng nodded at her and then went up the steps, pushing the door open to enter.

A light laugh came from the living room; there were guests.

Xu Di was laughing heartily when she saw someone walk in. After taking a closer look, it was indeed her son, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. She was both happy and surprised, rising to greet him, continuously asking, “Why are you back now? You didn’t even say anything beforehand. I would have asked Xiao Zhu to prepare dinner.”

Yi Zecheng was genuinely tired, having been on a plane for nearly twenty hours. He also had jet lag and was truly exhausted.

Xu Di noticed it too. She looked up and saw his eyes full of bloodshot veins, asking worriedly, “What’s wrong? Why are your eyes like this? Have you just returned from abroad? Then hurry upstairs and get some sleep.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than she saw the person sitting on the living room sofa stand up.

Yi Zecheng quietly hummed, saying, “I’m fine. You should greet your guest first. I’m going up to shower.”

“Don’t go up yet, at least say hello to her,” Xu Di waved her hand, calling the girl closer, and said, “This is Hailian, your Aunt Zuo’s daughter. She studied at Parsons School of Design in the U.S. and recently returned to develop her career in China.”

Before Yi Zecheng could reply, Xu Di turned to introduce him to the girl: “This is my good-for-nothing son. It’s rare for him to come home, and it just so happens you ran into him. Isn’t that a coincidence?”

Hailian stood quietly, looking at him, but her heart was pounding wildly.

From the moment he walked in, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. This man was simply too attractive. He wore an overcoat with a striped shirt underneath, and straight black trousers that made him look particularly sleek and well-proportioned. Hailian, being a design student, was used to seeing European and American male models, but now, looking at the man in front of her, although he didn’t possess the uninhibited beauty of those models, he exuded the profound and reserved charm of an Eastern man.

Truly, his every gesture was a poem.

“Hello, Brother Zecheng,” Hailian was also a naturally friendly person.

To her surprise, Yi Zecheng merely gave her a bland glance and a slight nod: “Hello.”

He didn’t even extend his hand, being incredibly cold.

Yi Zecheng looked at Xu Di, “You entertain your guest, I’ll go up first.”

Xu Di knew his personality; he was just like that, cold and indifferent. So she wasn’t anxious and let him go upstairs first.

Anyway, there was still a long way to go.

________________________________________

**

Huo Ci slept for a while, and then Bai Yu returned. He had arranged for her phone and SIM card. When he swapped the card for her, Bai Yu also instructed, “You should post something on Weibo first. You’ve been gone for a month and only posted one thing. How many fans are clamoring for more content?”

The person on the bed didn’t speak. To his surprise, as soon as the card was inserted and the phone booted up, a call came in.

Bai Yu saw Mo Xingchen’s name and chuckled, “This call is truly timely.”

He handed the phone to Huo Ci. As soon as she answered, before the phone even reached her ear, she heard a miserable cry.

Mo Xingchen wailed, “What are you doing? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

Upon hearing the crying, Huo Ci’s face turned cold. She immediately asked, “What happened?” Even Bai Yu, sitting by the bed, perked up his ears. Mo Xingchen was usually carefree, and it was rare to see her cry.

“Our leader committed suicide. What do we do now?”

Huo Ci’s heart sank.

The term “leader” referred to only one person for Huo Ci: their university dorm leader, Shao Yi.

In B University’s Medical Department dorm 406, there were two “fairies,” one “green leaf,” and one scholarly good person who always cared for each of them.

Now there was only one “fairy” left. Was another person going to be gone?