Chapter 43 Fire and Chaos
～～＜A chaotic dividing line＞
Time seemed to be stretched out, and every second was accompanied by a violent heartbeat. Su Yan knew that he had to be quick and finish everything before Huo Shen noticed anything unusual.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His eyes once again scanned the smart control panel, which clearly marked various areas, including the kitchen.
The plan quickly formed in his mind. He couldn't directly trigger the alarm in the study or living room; that would be too obvious. The kitchen, a place where smoke could be produced "accidentally" without immediately arousing Huo Shen's suspicion, was the best choice.
He pretended to go to the kitchen to get some water, then walked naturally through the living room. As he passed the smart panel, his body cleverly blocked any possible camera view (if any). Drawing on his memory from his previous covert observations, his fingers made a few quick and stealthy movements on the touchscreen—he temporarily disabled the kitchen area's smoke alarm (preventing it from directly triggering the entire building's alarm and spraying water), but activated the kitchen's local sound and light alarms separately.
After doing all this, he quickly walked into the kitchen, took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and quietly stuffed a small piece of flammable cotton pad (soaked in a little makeup remover oil) brought from the guest room into the crack of the oven, set the heating time to the shortest possible time. Then he immediately left the kitchen, returned to the carpet in the living room, and picked up the album as if he had never left.
The whole process takes less than two minutes.
He had just sat down, his heart still pounding, when he heard a sharp, rapid alarm from the kitchen! At the same time, a red warning light flashed at the kitchen door!
Almost at the same time, the study door was slammed open, and Huo Shen rushed out with a frosty face. His first reaction was to glance sharply around the living room, his eyes instantly locked on Su Yan, who seemed to be petrified.
"What's going on?!" His voice was filled with displeasure and vigilance at being interrupted.
Su Yan hugged the album, hunched his shoulders, and his face was truly (at least partially) panicked: "No... I don't know, there was a sudden noise in the kitchen..."
At this moment, the apartment's internal communication system also rang. It was a hurried inquiry from the security room downstairs. Huo Shen frowned and quickly ordered into the communicator: "Send someone up to check the kitchen! Confirm the situation!"
Chaos arrived as expected.
Two bodyguards and a servant quickly ran up and rushed to the kitchen. The shrill sound of the alarm echoed in the room, disrupting the usual order and tranquility. Huo Shen's attention was briefly drawn there. He stood in the middle of the living room, staring towards the kitchen with a gloomy look.
Now is the time!
While everyone's attention was drawn to the kitchen, Su Yan slipped into the study again, like a slippery fish, using the sofa as cover. This time, his goal was even more clear—that diary! He needed to verify that terrifying hypothesis!
His heart was pounding like a drum, yet his movements were incredibly swift. He squatted down again, used the key to unlock the secret compartment, and pulled out the black notebook. He flipped directly to the page that recorded the events surrounding Ah Xi's incident, his eyes sharp as a torch, reading carefully, word by word, without the rush of last time.
[…The kidnappers wanted information, and my father gave it to them… They promised to release me… Why did they lie to me…]
[…covered in blood…the last time he looked at me…he said, 'Brother, it hurts'…]
[…It’s my fault… If I could have stopped my father… or… I should have changed the information… I clearly had a chance…]
"Change the information"!
"I clearly have a chance"!
These words were like a red-hot iron, burning Su Yan so much that he could hardly hold the diary!
Huo Shen actually considered replacing the actual technical data back then?! He had a chance to save Ah Xi, but in the end... he failed? Or... for some reason, he didn't do it?
Was it because he couldn't disobey his father? Or was it because... that information was so important to Huo that it even cost him his own brother's life?
Ah Xi's dying words, "Brother, it hurts," and the look in her eyes became Huo Shen's eternal nightmare. His guilt stemmed not only from his failure to save her, but also from the fact that he once held a glimmer of hope but ultimately lost it! He might even feel that his own hesitation or incompetence indirectly led to Ah Xi's tragic death!
This is far more serious than simply "father betrayal"! This is the pain and guilt that comes from his own choices (or lack of choices)!
Su Yan finally understood the tragic and desperate past buried beneath the iceberg in Huo Shen's heart. His hatred for the leaker was not only hatred for the external enemy, but also a transfer of hatred for the "powerless" or "wrong choice" self back then!
At that moment, the kitchen alarm stopped abruptly. The bodyguard's voice could be heard faintly: "Mr. Huo, the oven overheated and ignited some debris. We've already dealt with it. It was a false alarm."
Su Yan shuddered, quickly stuffing the diary back into the secret compartment, locking it, and putting the key back in his pocket. He had to leave immediately!
He had just stood up and had not had time to catch his breath when the study door was pushed open again.
Huo Shen came back and stood at the door. His expression was even gloomier than before. His eyes were like searchlights, instantly catching sight of Su Yan, who was standing in front of the desk with a pale face.
This time, his eyes were no longer probing, but filled with a cold storm that almost solidified into substance.
"You, are here as expected."
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