Chapter 99

Lu Shenghui winced in pain, his face instantly turning pale, and cold sweat poured out like it was free.

His dark eyes were fixed on Ye Yunjian. The other woman's expression was terrifyingly gloomy; her eyes were red, and beneath her suppressed expression lay an almost insane hysteria, making it impossible to tell whether she or Lu Shenghui was more insane.

After a brief exchange of pheromones, Lu Shenghui let out a low groan, his expression twisting in pain.

Ye Yunjian pressed harder on her foot. "If anything happens to her," he said, his smile cold and distant, "you'll regret what you did today for the rest of your life."

Someone came up from behind Ye Yunjian. Ye Yunjian put down his feet and didn't give him a second glance. "Take him back."

After a brief moment of stunned disbelief following such a serious incident at the hotel, the lobby manager quickly recovered and immediately called security to assist. The lively atmosphere instantly turned into chaos. The shaken guests stood in a corner, taking a long time to recover, wondering, "Did someone get hit?"

An eerie silence fell over the area for a moment, then someone cautiously replied, "Miss Qiao seemed to be standing right there at the time."

After a moment of silence, another person spoke up: "I saw President Lu rush towards her."

There are many people with the surname Lu in Beijing, but there is only one Lu family related to Qiao Yu, and only that one person can be respectfully addressed as President Lu. After their emotions calmed down, everyone recalled the woman's black figure rushing towards the other person without any regard for anything during the chaos.

"Then they..." He paused, "...will they be alright?"

Both Qiao Yu and Lu Shangyi come from families whose mere presence can shake the capital. Such a terrible thing happened on a perfectly normal birthday; the girl was terrified and at a loss, only able to stare blankly at the still-flying dust.

Tang Shu snapped back to reality, her heart feeling as if it were being gripped tightly by a hand, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She lifted her foot to go over, but saw Jiang Mei, who had been sitting like a statue, suddenly move. Her eyes were slightly red, and her face, which had lost its childishness and begun to show maturity and composure, was full of stubbornness. Tang Shu saw her kneeling on the ground, moving the broken chandelier and stones without any regard for her image.

In just a few moments, those fair hands became ashen, with faint traces of bright red blood flowing out.

Tang Shu quickly got up and tried to persuade Jiang Mei, "Don't worry, Qiao Yu is very lucky, she'll be fine." Seeing that she was unmoved, she could only continue to comfort her, "She has encountered so many dangers before, and every time she has escaped unscathed and woken up safely."

Jiang Mei felt her eyes throbbing. She didn't know if Tang Shu's words were credible, but she knew that a voice in her heart seemed to be telling her that this time was different from any other time before.

It felt like she was going to lose him forever.

Tang Shu couldn't dissuade Jiang Mei, and subconsciously started shoving her along. After shoving her for a couple of times, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. "Really, why did you have to stop here? I should have dragged you to meet my parents earlier."

Jiang Mei turned away immediately, and Tang Shu trembled all over, quickly explaining, "Don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant. I have a girlfriend."

Jiang Mei then looked away. Tang Shu couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Glancing at the arriving firefighters out of the corner of her eye, she stood up and grabbed one of the firefighters, saying, "Please, you must rescue my friend. My friend will repay you even if he has to be a cow or a horse for me in his next life."

After a tense rescue, the two were quickly lifted into an ambulance and transferred to the best hospital. Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi followed without hesitation. Jiang Mei was about to leave when Tang Shu grabbed her arm, saying, "Don't you want to find out the truth?"

Jiang Mei hesitated, and Tang Shu added, "Anyway, I don't believe that a piece of this building would just collapse on its own."

In just a few seconds, the ambulance had sped away. Jiang Mei reluctantly looked away and asked, "What do you want to say?"

“Follow me.” Tang Shu led her around. “We’ll pull up all the hotel’s surveillance footage and check everyone who enters and leaves. I don’t believe we can’t find the murderer this way…”

“Not the murderer,” Jiang Mei suddenly corrected her, “but a criminal suspect.”

News of Lu Shangyi and Qiao Yu's accident quickly made headlines across the country. Madam Lu, who was taking a break, immediately spent a fortune to rent a helicopter and fly back. "Who did this?"

The person on the other end of the phone stammered and couldn't speak. Mrs. Lu lowered her eyelashes, already having some guesses in her mind. "Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you have to find him for me." Mrs. Lu said each word clearly, "I want to see him alive or dead."

In the CEO's office at Qiao Corporation, a woman's cell phone crashed to the floor. Mrs. Qiao felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, her vision blurred, and she tried to calm herself and leave the office, but the buzzing in her head made it almost impossible for her to lift a foot.

The assistant noticed the commotion and rushed in to support the petite woman. "Madam, are you alright?"

Shaking her head, Mrs. Qiao suppressed her panic and said, "Go to the hospital."

The car remained silent the entire way. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, the driver saw Mrs. Qiao quickly open the door and run out. The usually composed woman was now walking hurriedly, her usual calm and collected demeanor gone.

Indeed, even the strongest woman has a vulnerable side, and Qiao Yu is clearly Mrs. Qiao's Achilles' heel.

The hospital was surrounded by media. When reporters saw Mrs. Qiao, they instinctively wanted to approach for an interview, but upon seeing her expression, they involuntarily stepped aside. Beneath her feigned calm lay turbulent emotions, like a mother wolf seeing her cubs injured; at that moment, anything or anyone could ignite the ferocity within her.

Mrs. Qiao entered the hospital smoothly, her eyes fixed on the illuminated sign for the operating room, her hand holding the bag trembling slightly.

The assistant, sweating profusely, followed. "Madam."

Mrs. Qiao turned her head away, saying nothing, yet her presence terrified the assistant, who dared not look her in the eye. Under his boss's silent questioning, the assistant forced himself to speak, "Miss's injuries shouldn't be too serious." Noticing the woman's furrowed brows, the assistant quickly explained, "Because when the accident happened, President Lu rushed over and shielded Miss in his arms."

"Moreover, when the young lady was rescued, she only appeared to have suffered minor injuries. And Mr. Lu..."

A sense of certainty washed over me instantly. "I understand."

Looking up again, Mrs. Qiao stared at the closed operating room door and sighed softly.

Not long after, Qiao Jinghuai, who was away on a business trip, also returned, followed by Madam Lu. Madam Lu's eyes were glistening with tears. When she saw Madam Qiao approaching and about to speak, she shook her head and said, "I know everything. You don't need to say anything."

"Since Shang Yi has chosen Yu Yu, I will respect her choice. Now I only hope that she can wake up safely, talk to me, and chat about everyday things. That's enough."

She had already almost lost her daughter once, and she didn't want to experience that heart-wrenching pain of separation again. She didn't even want to think about the various possibilities that lay ahead. The only thing she firmly believed was that Shang Yi was doing this to save someone, so the King of Hell certainly wouldn't have the heart to take such a kind-hearted person.

As for Mrs. Qiao, who had also nearly lost her daughter, she didn't want to blame her, nor did she have the heart to. No one knows a daughter better than her mother; she knew her daughter's little thoughts perfectly well, and that was precisely why she couldn't be reckless and hurt her daughter's feelings.

Silence fell suddenly outside the operating room, a silence so profound it felt almost suffocating.

After taking Qiao Yu and Lu Shangyi to the hospital, Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi left. Song Wanzi stared straight ahead quietly. "Did Lu Shenghui do this?"

Ye Yunjian took a cigarette from the pack. Upon hearing this, she paused in her act of lighting it, then lowered her eyelashes again. "Hmm." She exhaled a puff of white smoke, holding the cigarette between her fingers, and stared at it with amusement. "The person is with me now."

In the blink of an eye, Song Wanzi's once charming and alluring eyes turned as cold as if they were covered in frost.

Ye Yunjian smiled silently. "Whenever she wakes up, his good days will end." With a smile on his face, Ye Yunjian tilted his head and asked casually, "What do you think?"

"Just don't lose it." The woman's reaction was excessively indifferent, as if she were stating something perfectly ordinary. After a moment of silence, Song Wanzi said again, "If you're tired, you can hand the person over to me, and I'll handle it."

Their eyes met, and they understood each other perfectly.

Lu Shenghui was plunged into darkness. He twisted his head from side to side and shouted, but no one answered. He tried to turn his wheelchair, but found that it had turned into a chair. Unable to move, he was forced to stay in place and wait for Ye Yunjian to appear.

Several days passed without Ye Yunjian appearing. Then one noon, a familiar-looking bodyguard walked in and said, "We've been asked by Madam Lu to come and take you home."

Lu Shenghui's expression finally changed.

He tried his best to refuse, but to no avail. Ignoring his wishes, he was forcibly taken back to the Lu family. The usually impeccably dressed Madam Lu looked haggard. She looked up at Lu Shenghui, her red eyes and exhaustion revealing the torment she had endured these past few days.

"Shang Yi has safely passed the critical period." Madam Lu smiled. "The doctors worked for more than seventy hours and finally pulled her back from the brink of death once again."

"Don't you think she's very lucky?"

Lu Shenghui remained silent, and Madam Lu seemed not to have expected his reply either, continuing on her own: "Back when you were still in my belly, you often stole her nutrients. I remember when you were born, you were healthy and had a rosy complexion, while she was nearly suffocated by your kick, and she was so thin and frail, like a malnourished little monkey."

"I remember worrying back then that she might not be pretty when she grew up, or that it would be hard for her to find a partner." As she recalled this, Mrs. Lu's smile softened, radiating a motherly warmth. But the next second, Mrs. Lu's voice turned stern, "I forgave you when you were young and impetuous, but you shouldn't keep challenging my limits!"

"She is my daughter! The daughter I carried for ten months and gave birth to!"

Lu Shenghui looked up, his eyes wide with astonishment. Madam Lu was utterly exhausted and too lazy to delve into her son's thoughts. "Qiaozhen will come to pick up your sister in a couple of days. After that, you don't need to get involved in anything related to your sister."

"You'd better stay in the Lu family until Shang Yi wakes up. You're not allowed to go anywhere." Madam Lu turned around, expressionless. "Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite."

Lu Shenghui seemed struck by a memory, his expression blank. Madam Lu stared at him silently for two seconds, then turned and left without looking back.

Hearing the unfamiliar yet familiar name after so long, Lu Shenghui's eyes lit up with excitement and joy. He hurriedly pushed his wheelchair into the elevator, carefully examining his reflection in the glass, and then called to the bodyguard beside him, "Go and buy me a new razor."

The bodyguard looked down at him, and Lu Shenghui bluntly rattled off a long list of items, saying, "I need them now."

The bodyguards naturally wouldn't make things difficult for him over such a trivial matter, and quickly called for preparations.

At the hospital, Qiao Yu hovered in mid-air, her face grave. "Why hasn't Sister Lu woken up yet? Wasn't she already out of danger?"

"Her life energy is too low," the system explained. "This injury has severely depleted her vital essence, so she probably won't wake up for a while."

“How can that be? She finally got everything she deserved.” Qiao Yu frowned. After thinking for a moment, Qiao Yu said, “Then you can transfer my energy to her. Anyway, it’s no use for me to keep it.”

"But……"

"There are no 'buts'," Qiao Yu interrupted the system. "Hurry up."

The system had no choice but to comply, but it insisted on explaining, "But if your energy decreases, host, something unexpected might happen."

Qiao Yu didn't take it seriously. What kind of accident could happen? It's impossible that they would send her back just because she was too weak in this world, right? But after thinking about it, she also felt that it was unlikely. This wasn't a child's game; how could she go wherever she wanted?

To her surprise, she actually guessed correctly by sheer chance.

Staring at the familiar room furnishings, Qiao Yu, as if on her deathbed, sat bolt upright, dumbfounded. The nanny who was taking care of her heard the noise in the room and tiptoed in. When she saw the lively woman, she was so frightened that she dropped the bowl of medicine she was holding to the ground.

Qiao Yu had just managed a smile and was about to greet the other person when the other person immediately turned around as if fleeing for their life. Then, her overjoyed voice rang out throughout the house, "Yu Yu is awake! Yu Yu is awake! President Qiao, Yu Yu is awake!"

"..." Goodness, how many years has she been in a vegetative state? She's getting this excited.

The villa immediately became lively, and Qiao Yu was surrounded by a group of people. After much effort, she convinced everyone that she was not feeling unwell, and food was immediately served. Overjoyed at having her lost item back, President Qiao was moved to tears. "From now on, whether you go to a foot massage, a massage parlor, or a bar or club, I won't care about you anymore."

"As long as you are healthy and safe, that's all that matters."

Seeing her father crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, Qiao Yu couldn't help but feel moved. "Dad..."

Mr. Qiao wiped away his tears and said, "My only request of you is that from today onwards, you are not allowed to touch my car anymore."

Mr. Qiao wiped away his tears and sniffed. "Do you know what? The car you crashed was a limited edition sports car that I finally managed to buy at a huge cost. There are only eight of those in the entire world!" He became more and more agitated as he spoke. "That's not all. Later, I spent nearly 100 million yuan to upgrade and modify it. It's my one-of-a-kind treasure!"

"Your collision wiped out hundreds of millions of my money and all my hard work! How many days of working day and night, pouring my heart and soul into it, would I have to earn it back?! Most importantly, it was unique, just like no two leaves in the world are the same. I can never find a replacement that is exactly the same!"

He stared at Qiao Yu, as if he hadn't said anything, yet it was as if he had said everything.

Qiao Yu: "..." Should I leave?

Fortunately, President Qiao quickly composed himself and carefully and ingratiatingly placed the porridge in front of her, saying, "Here, have something to eat first. Look at you, you've been lying down for so long, you've lost weight."

Qiao Yu was indeed a little hungry, so she ate a few bites.

Qiao Yu's family had always been well-off, so she had never worried about money growing up. After resting for a few days and recovering her health, Qiao Yu started meeting up with old friends to catch up. It took her about a month to tell everyone that she had woken up.

But after the excitement subsided, Qiao Yu stared at the brightly lit streets, a sense of loneliness lingering in her heart. She felt that perhaps she had become accustomed to the system's quiet chatter, so not being able to contact it now made her feel somewhat uneasy.

Whether it was because the system had completed its mission and left, it completely disappeared from Qiao Yu's world the moment she opened her eyes. Right now, she couldn't even inquire about Lu Shangyi's situation and could only speculate wildly.

She could only console herself that even if the system was incompetent, it should be able to save someone, since it had saved her in the same way.

A month has passed now, Lu Shangyi should have woken up by now.

A few months later, life gradually returned to normal. Qiao Yu used her busy schedule to cover up her worries about Lu Shangyi. However, as time went by, that figure and that face became clearer and clearer in her mind. She could even clearly describe every detail of the other person when she closed her eyes.

Qiao Yu sat up in bed, feeling disoriented and conflicted.

She turned on the room lights and sighed deeply, wondering how things were going over there.

Qiao Yu didn't sleep well all night, and the next day she came to the company with dark circles under her eyes. Her assistant stared at her in surprise for a while, and then asked gossipily, "Yu Yu, did you go out with another woman last night? That's strange!"

Raising her hand to slap her assistant's face away, Qiao Yu weakly lifted her eyelids and asked, "You and your boyfriend got back together?"

The assistant immediately put on a long face and said indignantly, "Who would want to get together with that bastard? He's probably already happily going to find his junior schoolmate."

Qiao Yu comforted her, "It's okay, goodbye is goodbye. The next one will be better, you'll find someone better."

The assistant wrinkled her nose and changed the subject, "Yuyu, why don't you lie down and take a nap? Otherwise, those old men will start gossiping about you in front of President Qiao again."

Qiao Yu was indeed getting restless. "Then you keep an eye on things for me."

She lay down on the large bed in the inner office room and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. While she was sound asleep, a deep, handsome face suddenly appeared before her without warning. Qiao Yu stared at Lu Shangyi in surprise, "Sister Lu?"

The other person's features were somewhat blurry, but their gentleness was still clearly visible. "My sister has gone abroad, and I'm doing well too. You don't need to worry about us."

Qiao Yu was a little stunned. The other person took two steps forward, and her appearance seemed to become clearer. "It's just that your Aunt Ye was very emotional. If I hadn't stopped her, there might have been a murder." The other person seemed to chuckle slightly as she said this. "And your Aunt Bai, who is quite old, also followed Ye Yunjian's reckless behavior."

"On the contrary, Song Wanzi is more mature and composed than them. Recently, your sister Song has been at the height of her fame, and most people don't dare to provoke her easily." The woman's voice carried a hint of laughter. "If this continues, she will overshadow me."

After a soft laugh, the other person suddenly became serious. "They all miss you." The woman's voice was low. "Me too."

Qiao Yu slowly opened her eyes. Her assistant rushed in, paused abruptly, and then pointed at her incredulously, "Yu Yu, what happened to you..."

Qiao Yu subconsciously raised her hand and touched the corner of her eye, finding it wet. Feigning composure, she put on her coat, saying, "I just dreamt of an old friend."

The assistant immediately said, "They say if someone misses you enough, they can even reach your dreams. Yuyu, are you dating someone behind my back? If you are dating someone, you can't hide it from me..."

The assistant's voice grew softer and softer. Qiao Yu sat on the bed in a daze, a subtle emotion welling up uncontrollably in her heart.

Qiao Yu initially thought that dreaming of Lu Shangyi was just an exception, but in the following days, she dreamed of Lu Shangyi more and more frequently. Until one day, he suddenly opened his arms to her, smiling, "Yu Yu, come here."

The other party's tone was gentle, without the slightest hint of coercion.

Without hesitation, Qiao Yu walked towards the woman, smiling gently, "Okay."