Chapter 39 Key and Keyhole
——＜A cold dividing line＞
The cold key lay in Su Yan's palm, like a piece of burning coal. It represented risk, but also hidden opportunity. Su Yan forced himself to calm down and analyze it carefully.
Huo Shen carried it in his coat pocket, suggesting it was important and likely needed frequently or urgently. If it wasn't a safe key, what could it be? A drawer for important personal belongings? A hidden filing cabinet? Or perhaps... a key to a specific device?
He glanced at the guest room he was in. This place was obviously out of the question. The most likely places were Huo Shen's office and this apartment, especially the study, where Huo Shen spent most of his time.
Thinking of the study, Su Yan's heart skipped a beat. That was where Huo Shen handled core affairs. It was heavily guarded, but it was also the place most likely to hide secrets.
The opportunity arrived in the afternoon. After taking his medication, Huo Shen felt exhausted and, on the advice of his family doctor, returned to the master bedroom to rest. Assistant Zhou also left the apartment for an impromptu external meeting.
Only Su Yan and some servants were left in the entire space.
Su Yan knew it was risky, but he had no way out. Like a shadow, he slipped silently into the study. The study was still neat and tidy, and the huge desk was like the incarnation of Huo Shen himself, exuding an aura of inviolability.
His eyes quickly scanned the desk. Several locked drawers came into view. He took a deep breath, walked over, and tried to insert the key into one of the drawers.
No, the size and shape don't match.
He changed it, but it still wasn't right.
The third one...still failed.
Sweat dripped down his forehead. Had he guessed wrong? Wasn't the key used to open the study drawer?
Unwilling to give up, he scanned the study, carefully examining the bookcases, filing cabinets, even the decorations on the walls, trying to find any hidden keyholes.
Time passed by minute by minute, and any movement outside made him jump with fear. Just when he was about to give up and leave, his eyes accidentally swept to an extremely hidden corner under the desk, near the computer case.
There was a small, inconspicuous secret compartment there, the same color as the desk's wood. If you didn't squat down and look for it, you wouldn't even notice it. On the secret compartment, there was a keyhole that almost blended into the wood grain.
Su Yan's heart suddenly lifted up! He squatted down and inserted the key tremblingly -
Fits perfectly!
Turn it gently, and with a slight "click" sound, the secret compartment pops open!
There wasn't much space inside, containing only a thick, aged-looking black leather notebook and a... small, unlabeled white medicine bottle.
Su Yan first picked up the medicine bottle. He unscrewed the lid, revealing dozens of small, unlabeled white pills. He poured one into his palm and examined it carefully. The texture and color… were strikingly similar to the crumbs he'd found in the cracks of the safe!
Huo Shen was indeed secretly taking some kind of medication! And he hid it so secretly that even his family doctor might not know about it!
He suppressed his shock, carefully put the medicine bottle back, and then picked up the notebook. The cover of the notebook was a little worn, and it was obvious that it was often flipped through.
He took a deep breath and turned to the first page. Inside was Huo Shen's sharp and familiar handwriting, but the content of the record made his pupils shrink suddenly -
This isn't a work note, but more of a personal diary, or perhaps a record of emotions. The dates are sporadic, dating back seven or eight years.
**[July 3] My headaches have gotten worse. The medicine the doctor prescribed is ineffective. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and feel strange.]
**【July 29】I dreamed about him again...blood, lots of blood...I'm useless.】
**[August 4th] My father brought up another marriage proposal today. Ridiculous. In my current state, why would I bother causing trouble for others?
**[September 2] A new drug has been found that can temporarily quiet those voices. The side effects are significant, but worth it.]
[Recent Records]...Seeing him scared makes me irritable. I shouldn't scare him, but I can't help it. He's different from Ah Xi, I know... But sometimes, seeing him calms the beast in my heart for a moment...]
The contents of the diary were messy and depressing, full of pain, self-loathing, and struggle. Su Yan was horrified when he read it. He finally understood that Huo Shen had been under tremendous mental pressure and might even have suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and had been secretly taking medication to control it!
The paranoia, coldness, and loss of control that outsiders see in him may all be related to this. His obsession with Ah Xi is not only an emotional remembrance, but more likely a spiritual anchor, and he has become a substitute for this anchor by accident.
This discovery was like a double-edged sword. It revealed Huo Shen's most vulnerable side and made Su Yan realize that he was facing a dangerous person with deep inner scars, who was sometimes lucid and sometimes affected by his illness.
At this moment, clear footsteps were heard outside the study, heading towards the study! Was Huo Shen awake? Or was Assistant Zhou back?
Su Yan's face changed drastically. He hurriedly stuffed the diary and medicine bottle back into the secret compartment, pushed it shut, and locked it with a click. He just stood up and before he could catch his breath, the door handle of the study was turned!
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