Chapter 22

A biting wind whipped at his face. The pitch-black tunnel stretched as far as the eye could see. Pei Xingzhi, panting heavily, ran forward, leaning against the wall. He didn't know why he was running. A voice in his head urged him to hurry forward. The darkness behind him was like a man-eating beast, ready to devour him if he dared to pause even for a moment.

The uneven ground was covered with pebbles. Pei Xingzhi walked barefoot on them, the sharp points piercing his feet and leaving a clear trail of blood behind him. Pei Xingzhi was numb with pain, and his bloodless face showed that he was on the verge of death.

After running for an unknown amount of time, just as Pei Xingzhi felt his blood was about to drain from his body, a faint light appeared ahead. Pei Xingzhi followed the light, and slowly, the beam of light grew closer and closer. Just as he was about to touch the light, a pair of tattooed hands suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his neck.

The scene before him suddenly went black, and the beam of light in the distance reappeared, getting closer and closer, until it finally turned into a sharp knife that stabbed towards him.

Pei Xingzhi exclaimed and opened his eyes, only to be met with the glaring incandescent light on the ceiling.

"You're awake. How are you? Why did you go to such a remote place alone in the middle of the night? What if something happened?"

The darkness before his eyes slowly dissipated, and Xie Nanyi's familiar voice rang in his ears. Pei Xingzhi mechanically turned his head to look at Xie Nanyi in the direction of the voice, and upon seeing the vibrant life, he could no longer help but rush forward and hug him.

The warmth of a living person touched his skin, and Pei Xingzhi greedily snuggled into Xie Nanyi's arms, feeling that familiar scent.

Xie Nanyi felt the person in his arms trembling. He gently stroked Pei Xingzhi's head, releasing a small amount of pheromones to envelop him. The tart orange scent gradually faded, and the person in his arms slowly calmed down under his soothing touch.

Soothingly under Xie Nanyi's pheromones, Pei Xingzhi's breathing gradually became steady, and when Xie Nanyi looked down again, he had already fallen asleep.

He had only been awake for a few minutes when he fell asleep again. Helpless, Xie Nanyi picked him up and gently placed him on the bed. Just as she covered him with the blanket, Assistant Qin walked in with a stack of documents.

Just as he was about to speak, Xie Nanyi made a gesture, and Assistant Qin nodded, walked over and handed him the documents, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "They're from Fang Qingyong's side."

Upon hearing this name, Xie Nanyi paused in her work, flipping through documents, a rare hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.

"Wasn't he sold out by his eldest son? Why is he suddenly back?" Xie Nanyi glanced at Assistant Qin and blurted out this question out of the blue.

Assistant Qin couldn't help but exclaim "Huh?" when he heard him address him, but fortunately, he was a professional and immediately followed up with the next sentence before the "Huh" was even finished.

"He was indeed sold off, but his Omega father was quite capable, directly kicking the original wife of the Fang family out of her position, so he is now the legitimate son."

"The Fang family has enclosed a few courtyards in the urban village and done a few things they think are great, and they've really turned themselves into local emperors. How can Old Man Xie tolerate this?" Xie Nanyi snorted coldly. Old Man Xie was not unaware of the Fang family's business dealings, but he had become somewhat timid and hesitant as he got older.

"And you too." Having finished with her superior, Xie Nanyi wasn't about to let her subordinate off the hook. "Who does he think he is? You just repeat what I say? Can't you tell I'm being sarcastic?"

Assistant Qin: "..." I held back.

"What did Old Man Xie say about this?"

"Mr. Xie said that Fang Qingyong is the only capable son in the Fang family. Considering our past relationship, we should let him off the hook..." Assistant Qin looked at Xie Nanyi's face, and his voice grew softer and softer. He even swallowed the last few words.

"The only capable son? To give the Fang family a favor? What favor does the Xie family have to give the Fang family? Since he has already made his decision, why are you coming to me with these questions? Go find my father and let him handle it himself."

"Just tell him: 'You old geezer, you can't let your daughter-in-law suffer this fright for nothing.' Do you hear me? You must tell him this exactly as it was." With that, Xie Nanyi casually tossed aside the thick stack of documents in his hand and simply abandoned his responsibilities, becoming a hands-off manager.

"But..." Seeing that things were going badly and he wouldn't be able to explain himself to the big boss, Assistant Qin tried to salvage the situation again, but Xie Nanyi didn't give him the chance. She pointed to the door, signaling him to get out quickly.

"She's almost a daughter-in-law, and you can't even afford a dowry? Go back and tell the old man not to be so stingy with his daughter-in-law, or he won't have a big, fat grandson to hold in the future."

If Assistant Qin hadn't spoken up, things would have been fine, but once he started talking, Xie Nanyi chimed in with several more comments, until Assistant Qin felt like his career was about to end.

"That's settled then. Go back and have a good talk with the old man. Tell him what other requirements he has. If he doesn't fulfill them for his daughter-in-law, he can forget about having a capable son."

Assistant Qin carried a stack of things inside, and came out with several more stacks. He could clearly feel the pity in the eyes of the security guards outside the door. Assistant Qin straightened his back and hugged the heavy load in his arms even tighter.

A group of people earning just over ten thousand a month are pitying him, even though he's about to switch jobs to a million-dollar annual salary position. This crazy young master is no longer under his jurisdiction. It's just a pity for that poor Beta, who encountered such a lunatic without doing anything.

——

When Pei Xingzhi woke up again, it was already evening. His communication device was nowhere to be found, and there was no clear timekeeping device in the ward. He looked at the murky darkness outside, not knowing how long he had slept.

Closing his eyes, the scene of gushing blood immediately became clear. The cold blood splattered on his face, and when Pei Xingzhi opened his eyes, the coldness was Xie Nanyi's fingers.

"Why are you so scared? I'm not going to eat you." Xie Nanyi didn't miss the fear in Pei Xingzhi's eyes. He withdrew his hand and brought out the porridge he had prepared. "Your fever has gone down. Eat something. You've been sleeping for almost a day."

“You…zen…” Pei Xingzhi tried to speak, but his dry throat seemed to have experienced the same torment as that Omega, and he could only manage a hoarse sound as he struggled to speak.

"The doctor said you developed stress-induced aphasia due to a specific stimulus. It's only temporary, and you'll get better with treatment. You haven't eaten for over a day, so eat something to tide you over, otherwise your stomach will feel uncomfortable."

Pei Xingzhi had already caused a scene when he woke up in the morning, but he was clearly still recovering from the shock. After venting his emotions, he fell asleep again.

In just one day, Pei Xingzhi woke up and fell asleep at least seven or eight times. Compared to her helplessness when he first woke up, Xie Nanyi now had enough experience to deal with Pei Xingzhi's crying and fussing.

Pei Xingzhi's mental state was noticeably better this time; at least he looked like a normal person. He didn't let Xie Nanyi feed him; he simply took the porridge and drank it in small sips.

Pei Xingzhi always said that his hair was very unruly, with each strand having its own ideas and liking to fly around randomly, but Xie Nanyi did not agree with his point of view.

His disheveled red hair cascaded casually over his shoulders, the vibrant red making his pale skin appear even more fragile. Thick raven feathers drooped slightly, obscuring his bright eyes. At this moment, one would never guess that this melancholic beauty was actually a lively and cheerful little dog.

He still remembered how vulnerable Pei Xingzhi looked when he called him last night. His clear eyes were filled with Pei Xingzhi's image as he collapsed to the ground, crying and begging him to help him.

It was already 1 a.m. when he found Pei Xingzhi. The street was too remote, and due to some special reasons, communications had been cut off by special means. If Pei Xingzhi hadn't been lucky enough to dial his number the moment the signal was restored, he probably would have already become one with the blood and soil on the ground by the time others found him.

Xie Nanyi rested her chin on her hand as she watched Pei Xingzhi eat, a fake smile suddenly appearing on her face.

Pei Xingzhi is indeed very beautiful, but he looks better when he's smiling.

It felt uncomfortable to be stared at while eating, so Pei Xingzhi put his bowl down after a few bites and communicated with Xie Nanyi using gestures.

"You called me last night, so of course I'm the one who rescued you."

"Your smart bracelet? I think I had Assistant Qin put it away. I think your other things are with him too. I'll have him bring them back to you in a bit."

Upon learning that the bracelet hadn't been lost, Pei Xingzhi breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although he didn't know who those people were last night, as long as he had evidence, he wouldn't be afraid of not finding the mastermind behind it all.

Seeing that he was alright, Xie Nanyi was about to start settling her own scores.

"Why did you run out by yourself last night, and go to such a dangerous place? What if something else had happened? If you hadn't happened to contact me last night, you wouldn't even know how you died!" Xie Nanyi scolded him. Pei Xingzhi knew he was in the wrong, and surprisingly didn't throw a tantrum. Instead, he shook Xie Nanyi's arm and begged him for mercy in a coquettish manner.

"I'll let you off this time, but don't go out in the middle of the night again!" Xie Nanyi rarely saw Pei Xingzhi so obedient. He swallowed back his usual willful temper and couldn't bear to say another word to Pei Xingzhi.

Xie Nanyi thought about it and concluded that the problem ultimately stemmed from Chu Ling. If he hadn't been so incompetent, Pei Xingzhi wouldn't have gone out alone in the middle of the night, and if he hadn't gone out, he wouldn't have encountered this situation.

Therefore, the root cause of all this is Chu Ling's lack of ability.

His cooperation plan with Chu Ling is still under discussion.

"Do you feel any discomfort anywhere else? The doctor said you were traumatized, and the aphasia and other problems are all psychological and should recover in less than a week at most."

Pei Xingzhi shook his head to indicate that he was not feeling unwell, just a little sleepy.

"The doctor gave you a lot of sedatives, so it's normal to feel sleepy," Xie Nanyi explained. He helped Pei Xingzhi lie down, but just as he was about to sit back down, Pei Xingzhi gripped his right hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

Most humans have a chick complex; after experiencing a deeply memorable event, they may regard a certain person as an essential part of their life.

Pei Xingzhi was no exception to this custom.

Even if he had many prejudices against Xie Nanyi in the past, the moment he woke up from the bloodshed and saw Xie Nanyi's face, the tension he had been holding suddenly eased.

He knew that someone had finally come to save him.

In his current view, Xie Nanyi represents safety, and wherever Xie Nanyi is, there is safety. He doesn't want Xie Nanyi to leave his side.

"You go to sleep, I'm not leaving."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Pei Xingzhi finally closed his eyes in peace.

After a long and agonizing day, Pei Xingzhi finally managed to get a relatively peaceful night's sleep.

A note from the author:

Still judging by looks at a point like this? You'll regret it later.