Chapter 55 Breaking Free (1)

After the weekend, Yun Zhan obediently returned to school.

I had double-repaired again last night.

Shi Mingyue's wounds had almost healed, and Yun Zhan opened his eyes wearily, feeling completely drained.

In the afternoon, sunlight slanted through the long corridor of the administration building and fell on the door of the last office.

Since the principal stepped down last time, their teachers have also changed, and Yun Zhan is not very familiar with the current homeroom teacher.

Yun Zhan knocked on the door and entered. A faint smell of tea smoke filled the air. The teacher had a kind face, but a shrewd glint was hidden in the corner of his eye.

"Here you are."

He pushed up his reading glasses, took out a gold-embossed invitation from the drawer, the edge of which bore the blue diamond logo of Boshan Technology, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"I was very satisfied with the report you wrote at the last Boshan Technology press conference, and the radio station also thought it was good."

He smiled gently, but then lightly pushed the invitation towards Yun Zhan. The corner of the paper made a very light "snap" on the table, which sounded somewhat jarring.

"This is a showcase of the company's latest bionic robot, held at the Boshan headquarters."

The teacher paused, his gaze behind his glasses sweeping over Yun Zhan's fingertips, and added meaningfully, "You happen to be interested in these things, this is a rare opportunity."

When Yun Zhan touched the invitation with his fingertips, his fingertips felt inexplicably numb and slightly hot.

She looked up, but the teacher had already regained her gentle demeanor and even considerately closed the folder for her.

“If you write this well, the school will apply for a special scholarship for you. Also, Chairman Pei is going there, so you can go on the way.”

Yun Zhan nodded, but a chill ran through his heart: Boshan Technology, special scholarships...

How could such a good thing fall into her lap? But she accepted it nonetheless.

As Yun Zhan walked out of the office, he looked down at the invitation. This invitation was not a formal invitation, but a fishing hook.

And she was the little fish that had been targeted.

21: "You know something's wrong, do you still want to go?"

Yun Zhan: "This is most likely Shi Boshan's idea. I'll only know what they're planning when I get there."

It is said that fortune favors the bold, and high risk comes with high reward. She currently knows too little about Shi Boshan and Shi Shaoxuan, and is in a passive position in terms of information. She doesn't even know how much information the other side has about her.

"The mere fact that Shi Boshan knows me is enough to make me worry." Yun Zhan took a deep breath; she still didn't know when the other party had started investigating her.

After his first encounter with Shi Mingyue? Or when he infiltrated the Shi family home? Or perhaps... he was investigated right after the start of the semester.

In the afternoon, Yun Zhan didn't notice that the school's official WeChat account had already posted the news of her and Pei Yanxi's participation in the meeting.

Shi Mingyue's phone received a notification. She opened it and saw that it was from the school's official website.

The screen displays a picture and text post that was just published on the Minton School's official WeChat account.

The title is in striking pink font:

[School Board Member Pei Yanxi and reporter Yun Zhan represented our school at the Boshan Science and Technology Exhibition]

Two pictures are attached:

One picture shows the school gate, where Pei Yanxi is seen draping a trench coat over Yun Zhan's shoulders, the corners of the coats overlapping, creating an ambiguous interplay of light and shadow.

The other image is a map of the Boshan Technology Robotics Exhibition, with a thoughtful addition at the end of the image and text: "This exhibition is fully sponsored by Boshan Technology."

Shi Mingyue's fingertips paused on the screen; she dialed so fast that the keystrokes were almost inaudible.

"beep--"

When the call connected, Shi Mingyue's voice was low and tense: "You're going to the exhibition with Pei Yanxi?"

When it came to Yun Zhan, Shi Mingyue couldn't remain completely calm. Last time, they had attended the meeting together... Shi Mingyue's eyes darkened for a moment; she didn't even have the right or the courage to ask Yun Zhan whether he had kissed Pei Yanxi.

There was a brief commotion on Yun Zhan's end, then he lowered his voice and said, "It is true, but it has nothing to do with her. Don't overthink it, and whatever you do, don't come over."

Shi Mingyue's throat tightened, a surge of jealousy welling up inside her, but she could hear the seriousness in Yun Zhan's tone.

Shi Mingyue took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice steady: "Reason."

"Why did you go with Pei Yanxi? I...I don't like you being with her."

Yun Zhan paused for half a second, then lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard: "I suspect Shi Boshan set up a trap, and the target could be me or you. Your arrival is exactly what he wanted."

The phrase "the target might be you" was like ice water poured on Shi Mingyue's heart, instantly extinguishing her jealousy.

It turns out he was worried about himself.

Shi Mingyue gripped her phone tightly, but her voice softened: "Fine, I won't go. But if you suspect he's targeting you, then you shouldn't go either."

She paused, her voice low and husky yet firm: "You know Yun Zhan, I can't bear to see you get hurt, and you're not allowed to go."

Shi Mingyue completely trusts Yun Zhan, and she will accept any unbelievable things he says.

“Shi Mingyue, I have something to investigate myself, so I’m telling you honestly, I have to go this time. I’m sorry… I can’t agree to your request.”

The call ended, the screen went dark, reflecting Shi Mingyue's somber pupils, like a lake sealed by the night, calm on the surface but churning with sadness and worry beneath.

She looked up at the dark shadows of the trees outside the window, her fingertips silently tracing the unhealed teeth marks on the side of her neck, where Yun Zhan's warmth still lingered, reminding her of the tenderness of that night.

At the exhibition.

The lights from the exhibition hall's dome fell like a layer of cold frost onto Yun Zhan's shoulders.

As soon as she stepped into the venue, Shi Boshan looked up from the second-floor platform, a barely perceptible smirk playing on his lips.

"She actually came. I thought she'd be a little wary." Shi Shaoxuan scoffed. Did Shi Mingyue like this kind of person?

Shi Shaoxuan looked at Yun Zhan with the gaze of a hunter seeing his prey step into a pre-laid net, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The staff immediately came forward, bowing and leading the way: "Miss reporter, please come with me."

As soon as she finished speaking, another red carpet stretched out in the opposite direction, and Pei Yanxi, surrounded by two security guards in black, walked straight towards the VIP lounge.

Pei Yanxi turned around, her gaze meeting Yun Zhan's through the crowd. Her brows furrowed slightly, like two twin flowers that had been forcibly separated.

The hall was bustling with people, and the robotic arm was rotating as it demonstrated. Yun Zhan was left behind, like a small boat pushed ashore on a lonely reef by the tide.

Pei Yanxi paused, turned around to walk back, but was blocked by Shi Boshan.

"Shi Boshan, you also climbed up from the bottom, why are you still treating people differently? Yun Zhan is someone I brought with me, she wants to come with me." Pei Yanxi glanced coldly at Shi Boshan. This man was full of bad intentions, so she naturally wouldn't dare leave Yun Zhan alone in the hall.

Shi Boshan lowered his voice, so that only the two of them could hear: "It is not appropriate for outsiders to know about the affairs of the Pei family and the Shi family. Yun Zhan comes from an ordinary background, and involving her will only be detrimental to her."

His tone seemed concerned, but it contained an undeniable sharpness.

Pei Yanxi's eyes darkened, her instincts instantly suppressed by reason.

She took a deep breath and finally nodded, but then raised her hand to remove the lapel pin from her bodyguard's collar and personally fastened it inside Yun Zhan's collar, her fingertips lightly touching the cold metal: "This is a brooch from the Pei family. I'm keeping it for you. Don't take it off. I'll have the bodyguards protect you."

Pei Yanxi looked up and whispered in Yun Zhan's ear, "Don't be afraid, no one will go against me."

"Thank you, senior." Yun Zhan stood there obediently, waiting for Pei Yanxi to straighten her collar.

"Good boy, wait for me a moment, I'll take you out for dinner tonight." Pei Yanxi smiled and reached out to pat Yun Zhan's little head.

After saying that, she followed the staff to the VIP passage, but kept turning back every few steps, her gaze fixed on Yun Zhan.

The lights in the hall came on again, and the robot demonstration reached its climax. Yun Zhan stood in the center of the crowd and looked down at the small lapel pin inside his collar.

Just then, flames suddenly burst into the center of the platform.

The fire shot up from the bottom of the display stand, like a red dragon being released, instantly licking the plastic shell of the robot model.

"Fire?" Yun Zhan panicked for a moment, a sense of unease rising in his heart.

She immediately took out her phone to call Shi Mingyue, only to find that there was no signal.

"As expected..." Yun Zhan bit her lower lip; she knew something was amiss.

Thick smoke billowed, alarms blared, and the entire venue was engulfed in red light.

The crowd shoved and screamed, like waves crashing against rocks.

Pei Yanxi's bodyguard grabbed Yun Zhan's wrist and whispered, "Miss Pei ordered me to protect you. Come with me!"

Cold smoke rushed towards them. Yun Zhan was shielded in the arms and rushed out of the fire through the side door. The lapel pin on the inside of his collar flashed in the firelight before being swallowed by the thick smoke.

Meanwhile, Shi Shaoxuan sat in his car, in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras, and lit a cigarette.

He pressed the last button on the signal jammer, instantly cutting off the venue from the outside world; then he casually sent the "sudden fire at the convention center" notification to various platforms.

While Shi Mingyue was reading at Mingyue Villa, her phone suddenly popped up with a message about a fire. The photo showed thick smoke billowing from the Boshan Technology Exhibition.

Her fingertips froze, and she abruptly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

She immediately dialed Yun Zhan's number, only to be met with a cold, mechanical voice repeatedly saying, "The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable."

Shi Mingyue recalled Yun Zhan's words before he left. This could very well be part of Shi Boshan's plan, but what if it really was...?

The moment Shi Mingyue saw the flame on her phone screen, she heard her heart pounding out of control.

She dared not gamble, dared not gamble whether Yun Zhan had been engulfed by the sea of ​​fire, dared not gamble whether Shi Boshan would really dare to lay a hand on Yun Zhan.

Shi Mingyue slammed the door shut as she stormed out, her voice icy cold: "Prepare the cars! All of them! One convoy will exit through the main gate of the manor, while the other convoy will take a secluded path that leads to the back of the mountain and is rarely known."

She took a side road, using the traffic on the main road to confuse her. If Shi Boshan really had a problem, then at least she wouldn't be in the car.

The villa's garage was instantly illuminated, and several black SUVs drove out.

Before leaving, Shi Mingyue left a text message for Shi Ke, saying that Shi Ke was currently away on a business trip, and that if anything happened to him, her father would definitely send someone to protect her in time.

Shi Mingyue sat in the passenger seat of the lead car, the windshield wipers were swung wildly, and the mountain road was winding and sharp, but she kept urging, "Faster!"

Just as they rounded the last bend in the mountain road, the lead car suddenly broke down with a muffled metallic crack.

The driver swerved sharply, and the car came to rest across the slippery road.

Shi Mingyue pushed open the door and came downstairs; the cold rain instantly soaked through her shoulders.

She looked up and saw a blinding high beam following closely in the rearview mirror. It was a black sedan with its license plate obscured by the rain.

The car door opened, a black umbrella was raised, and a person walked slowly under the umbrella, their leather shoes splashing in the puddles, creating tiny, chilling sprays of water.

Shi Mingyue squinted, raindrops rolling down her eyelashes, but they couldn't wash away the sudden chill that rose in her eyes—Shi Shaoxuan.

He stopped two steps away, slightly raising the edge of his umbrella, revealing a gentle smile, but his voice sounded cold against the sound of the rain: "Little sister, why are you in such a hurry? Who are you going to save?"