Chapter 008 A Secluded Occasion - Half-Awake (Part 3)

Yu Qingzhou exhaled, leaned back in her chair, and frowned as she stared at the printed manuscript spread out in front of her.

After a while, as if remembering something, he got up, lifted the glass cover on the desk, and pulled out a yellowed newspaper clipping.

That was a news report about a home invasion robbery and murder case.

The article devoted a large portion to describing the deceased's life. It was a great irony that a police officer died by his own gun, and as a result, the case caused a long period of social panic at the time.

Yu Qingzhou silently read those all-too-familiar words and phrases, a strange restlessness welling up in her heart.

His fingertip lingered on a line in the article, where someone had marked the words "burglary" and "shooting" in red, the dim red like rusty bloodstains.

...

The area in front of the cabinet was empty.

Yu Qingzhou stared at the wide-open wardrobe door for a while, then ducked inside and made room for herself by moving aside some clothes.

Just then, he heard the soft rattling of a keychain at the door, so he quickly reached out and pulled the cabinet door shut, leaving a narrow black crack.

He held his breath, listening to the sounds outside the closet... the sound of the door closing, the rustling of clothes being taken off, and suddenly, footsteps approaching.

The slippers creaked heavily on the floor, as if they were about to crush the wood.

Counting his heartbeats, which felt like they were about to burst out of his chest, he silently prayed that he wouldn't be discovered.

However, the footsteps stopped right in front of the wardrobe.

Seeing that her hiding place could be discovered at any moment, Yu Qingzhou couldn't help but gasp for breath, trying her best to remain still, but her body still trembled uncontrollably.

Just at this critical moment, the doorbell rang suddenly. The person outside grumbled and walked out with some dissatisfaction.

Seeing this, Yu Qingzhou leaned softly against the pile of clothes, his palms damp with cold sweat. He couldn't help but gasp for breath, feeling a little dizzy.

Before he could fully relax, footsteps sounded again. At the same time, he also heard a drawn-out, hoarse grumbling.

So it's here—

Yu Qingzhou's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly pressed himself against the wall to move into the corner. At the same time, an eye peered through the crack in the door, its eyeball moving and landing on his face.

It stopped moving.

It saw him!

...

Yu Qingzhou woke up from a nightmare.

I never imagined I would end up spending the whole night slumped over my desk.

He scratched his head, opened his phone, and dozens of unread messages popped up. He scrolled through them one by one, and most of them were from that crazy woman, Xun Xun.

A text message signed 'Godfather' caught Yu Qingzhou's attention. He blinked to make sure he was really awake.

I looked at it again carefully, and yes, it really does show 'godfather'.

Yu Qingzhou tentatively dialed the number back.

I felt a little uneasy without even realizing it.

After a brief silence, the call connected smoothly, and to everyone's surprise, a deep, resonant voice came from the other end: "Mr. Yu?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingzhou paused for a second: "I just saw the message, so—"

A soft laugh came from the other end: "So?"

"What do you mean by 'eating' in the message?"

Let's meet and talk sometime.

Shen Yun said casually, then added, "I'm very interested in that story."

Yu Qingzhou put down the phone, stared at the words "godfather" for a long time, and then let her finger hover over the editing interface for a while before finally giving up.

...

*"Why!"

Yu Qingzhou roared and pointed the gun at the man in front of her.

You're asking me why?

The man's dark eyes remained calm as he looked in this direction.

Just like that year, they met in that house.

Yu Qingzhou still remembers the warmth of the other person's palm and that reassuring touch.

Now those hands are bare and outstretched, exposed to me without any defense.

"If you want to avenge your father, I have nothing to say." The man said, closing his eyes as if giving up the struggle, his face showing an unbelievably calm and peaceful expression.

"Why? Huh?! What is it all for, damn it! What is it all for?!"

Yu Qingzhou screamed, the veins on his hand gripping the gun bulging. Everything was clear, but he only felt suffocated—the truth?

Is this the damn truth he's always wanted to know?

Yu Qingzhou pulled the trigger and fired several shots into the air.

After the deafening explosion, the whole world spun around him. He was panting heavily, his heart pounding like a drum, and then his legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees.

A white mist gradually rose before his eyes, and he clutched his clothes, panting heavily. Through his swaying vision, he saw Shen Yun slowly walking towards him, and then he knew nothing more. (Excerpt from p19)