Chapter 17
The car's heating was cranked high, but it couldn't dispel the chill that seeped into Gu Jing's bones. Qin Yu sat beside him, his fingers swiping rapidly on his tablet, processing emails. His profile appeared cold and focused in the dim light of the car, as if the man on the terrace, who had revealed a corner of his madness, was just an illusion on a rainy night.
But Gu Jing knew it wasn't the case.
The words "hide in a place only I know" echoed in his mind like a magic spell, overlapping with the cold faces of the two men in black when Zhou Liguang disappeared.
He shuddered involuntarily.
Qin Yu seemed to notice, and his eyes moved away from the screen, falling on his still wet hair and pale face. He frowned, took out a clean cashmere blanket from the side, and handed it over.
"Wipe it dry." The tone was the usual command, without much emotion.
Gu Jing didn't answer, but simply tilted his head to look out the window. Raindrops slid down the glass, distorting the dazzling world outside.
Qin Yu's hand paused in the air for a moment, then he covered Gu Jing's head with the blanket without saying a word. His movements could even be described as roughly rubbing it a few times, as if he was wiping water stains off an object.
Gu Jing endured it stiffly without resisting.
The car fell silent again, with only the faint sound of the air conditioner and Qin Yu's occasional tapping on the screen.
Until the car slowly drove into the underground parking lot of Gu Jing's apartment.
The car stopped and the driver got out silently and waited.
Qin Yu closed the tablet and looked at Gu Jing, who was still looking out the window.
"Go ahead," he said. "Be at the company on time tomorrow. The audit summary report needs your signature."
Gu Jing didn't move.
After a few seconds, he slowly turned his head and looked straight at Qin Yu. The light from the car window fell into his eyes, reflecting a desperate, cold calm.
"Zhou Liguang," he began, his voice a little hoarse from the previous suppression, "where is he?"
Qin Yu seemed to have not expected that he would ask this suddenly. His eyebrows raised very slightly, and a trace of elusive emotion flashed across his eyes so quickly that it seemed like an illusion.
"He's where he should be." Qin Yu's answer was ambiguous and his tone was flat.
"Is the place he should be in prison or a grave?" Gu Jing asked, digging his nails deep into his palms, trying to find a flaw in Qin Yu's face.
Qin Yu stared at him, his eyes as deep as an ancient well, without any ripples. After a while, he suddenly laughed very softly, and there was no meaning in the laughter.
"Is there any difference?" he asked.
Gu Jing's heart sank suddenly.
"Your people took him away." Gu Jing stated the facts, his voice tense, "before the police arrived."
"Yes." Qin Yu admitted straightforwardly, "The debt he owes is more than just the legal debt."
"So he's dead?" Gu Jing's voice began to tremble.
Qin Yu leaned over, and the distance between them was instantly shortened. His bottomless eyes locked onto Gu Jing with a suffocating sense of oppression.
"Gu Jing," he said in a low voice, speaking each word carefully, "For some things, not knowing the answer is better for you."
His breath brushed against Gu Jing's face, carrying the coldness of cedar and a hint of danger.
"You just need to remember," he raised his hand, his fingertips almost touching Gu Jing's neck, hanging there in the air, bringing a cold shudder, "Now, you are under my control."
"Your safety, your Gu family, everything about you is my responsibility."
"As for the rest..." He paused, slowly retracting his fingertips, his eyes dark and unclear, "Don't ask. Don't touch."
The warning was clear and cold.
Gu Jing stared at his face so close, at those eyes that seemed to devour everything, and all his questions and anger froze in his throat. He had no doubt that if he continued to touch those forbidden areas, the man before him would drag him into the endless darkness without hesitation.
Qin Yu seemed satisfied with his silence. He sat up straight again and restored his previous sense of distance.
"Go up." He ordered again, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
Gu Jing seemed to have been freed from the spell that held him captive. With trembling fingers, he opened the car door. The cold air rushed in, making him shiver. He got out of the car, without looking back, and walked quickly towards the elevator hall.
It was not until he walked into the elevator and the metal door slowly closed, isolating him from the black car outside, that Gu Jing seemed to have been drained of all his strength. He leaned his back heavily against the cold wall of the elevator and gasped for breath.
Fear. An unprecedented fear, like an icy vine, wrapped around his heart, tightening ever tighter.
Qin Yu is not just a paranoid pursuer, nor just a cold-blooded businessman.
He might still be a criminal.
And I just made a deal with the devil.
In the next few days, Gu Jing lived like a frightened bird.
He went to work on time, numbly signing those increasingly cruel audit reports and layoff notices, playing the role of the puppet president Qin Yu needed. Every assistant who delivered documents and every employee he met in the corridor, he thought might be Qin Yu's eyes.
Qin Yu still showed up occasionally, sometimes suddenly arriving at the office, sometimes ordered somewhere late at night. His attitude was sometimes cold and hard, and sometimes he would reveal that creepy, possessive "gentleness," as if the momentary fragility and paranoia on the terrace were another face of his.
Gu Jing responded cautiously, not daring to show any signs of resistance or inquiry. He even began to cooperate, actively standing by Qin Yu's side when necessary, playing the role of the "protected" partner.
His obedience seemed to satisfy Qin Yu, and the surveillance eyes on him seemed to have decreased a little.
But this didn't make Gu Jing feel relieved. Instead, it made him even more terrified. He felt like he was being dragged step by step into a huge, inescapable vortex, and his bottom line was blurring.
Late that night, Gu Jing was awakened by the vibration of his cell phone.
It was that coded message again. It contained only an address: an abandoned nursing home on the outskirts of town.
No extra words.
Gu Jing's heart tightened instantly. Another such order. He glanced at the time. It was one in the morning.
To go or not to go?
He knew that if he didn't go, the consequences might be something he couldn't bear.
After struggling for a few minutes, he got up, changed his clothes, and left the apartment quietly.
When he hailed a cab and gave it the address, the driver gave him a strange look in the rearview mirror. The place was remote and had a bad reputation, having been abandoned for years and rumored to be haunted.
An hour later, the car stopped in front of the rusty gate of the sanatorium. Surrounded by weeds, the old Gothic-style building, in the darkness, looked like a dormant monster, emitting a gloomy atmosphere.
The driver took the money and turned around and drove away quickly without staying for a second.
Gu Jing stood alone in the cold night wind, looking at the black door that looked like a huge mouth, his heart beating wildly.
Why did Qin Yu meet in such a place?
He took a deep breath, pushed open the half-closed iron door that made a teeth-grinding sound, and walked in.
The inside was even more dilapidated than the outside. The hall was thick with dust and a musty smell. Moonlight streamed in through the broken windows, casting eerie, mottled shadows on the ground. Abandoned wheelchairs, scattered medical records, peeling paint on the walls...everything exuded the smell of decay and death.
Gu Jing turned on the flashlight on his phone, but the light was limited and could only illuminate a small area in front of him.
"Qin Yu?" He called out tentatively, his voice echoing in the empty hall, sounding particularly weak.
No response.
Only the sound of the wind came through the broken window, making a strange humming sound.
He walked slowly along the corridor and stepped on something with a crisp sound. He looked down and saw that it was a broken glass medicine bottle.
His heart beat faster and faster, and the feeling of uneasiness almost overwhelmed him.
What exactly does Qin Yu want to do?
Just as he reached the end of the corridor and was about to push open a half-closed door with the words "Isolation Observation Room" written on it—
“Hmm!”
A cold hand suddenly covered his mouth from behind! Another arm, like an iron clamp, suddenly wrapped around his waist and dragged him into a dark room next door!
Gu Jing was terrified and struggled desperately. He hit his elbow backwards, but it hit the other person's chest which was as hard as iron!
"Don't move!" A familiar voice sounded hoarsely in his ears, with a hint of rapid breathing and... suppressed pain?
It’s Qin Yu!
Gu Jing's body froze instantly.
Qin Yu's hand covering his mouth loosened slightly, but he still didn't let go. His hot breath sprayed on his earlobe, unusually rapid.
In the darkness, Gu Jing could feel Qin Yu's body pressed tightly against his back, his heartbeat was alarmingly fast, and he could even feel the slight tremors in his body.
What's wrong with him?
"Listen to me," Qin Yu lowered his voice very low, spoke quickly, and with a rare tension, "Someone is following you outside. Don't look back, don't make a sound."
Gu Jing's heart suddenly jumped into his throat! Someone was following him? From the city? Or...
Before he could think about it, he heard extremely light but clearly audible footsteps in the corridor outside!
There's more than one person! They're approaching this room with quiet steps!
Qin Yu's body tensed to the extreme in an instant, and the hand covering Gu Jing's mouth subconsciously exerted force. The other arm around his waist tightened even more, almost squeezing him into his bones and blood. It was a complete, protective confinement.
Gu Jing held his breath, not daring to move, and all his senses were concentrated on his ears.
The footsteps paused at the door.
A little moonlight leaked in through the crack in the door, and I could see the shadows of people swaying outside.
Gu Jing's heart was beating like a drum, and he could feel Qin Yu's heartbeat, equally fast and heavy, pounding against his back.
Time seemed to stand still.
A few seconds later, the footsteps sounded again, and seemed to go in the other direction of the corridor, gradually moving away and finally disappearing.
After waiting for a few long minutes and confirming that there was no movement outside, Qin Yu's tense body relaxed slightly, and the hand that was covering Gu Jing's mouth finally loosened and fell down weakly.
Gu Jing turned around immediately.
With the faint moonlight coming through the window, he saw Qin Yu's appearance clearly and immediately gasped!
Qin Yu's face was frighteningly pale, his forehead covered in fine beads of cold sweat, and his lips were even a little purple. He leaned against the mottled wall, breathing heavily and with difficulty. His right hand pressed tightly against his left abdomen, and between his fingers... a dark, ever-expanding wetness!
He was injured! And seriously injured!
"You..." Gu Jing's voice was stuck in his throat and he looked at him in shock.
Qin Yu raised his eyes and glanced at him. The expression in his eyes was indescribably complicated. There was lingering alertness, a hint of relief and fatigue, and some deep, intensely surging emotions.
He tried to stand up straight, but he groaned, his body swayed, and he slid down.
Gu Jing subconsciously reached out to support him, and felt a wet, sticky, and warm liquid!
It's blood!
"What happened?! Who hurt you?!" Gu Jing's voice trembled uncontrollably. He supported Qin Yu's body and let him sit down slowly against the wall.
Qin Yu leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was a cold murderous intent and mockery in his eyes.
"Who else could it be..." His voice was weak, but filled with deep hatred, "My...good father...finally...couldn't wait any longer..."
Qin Zhengfeng?!
Gu Jing's heart felt like it had been drenched in ice. Had the Qin family's internal strife reached a point where father and son were on the verge of murder?! And Qin Yu was here tonight to... protect him? To divert his pursuers?
So, those people who followed him just now were sent by Qin Zhengfeng? Their target was...himself?
The sheer volume of information and the bloody scene before his eyes overwhelmed Gu Jing's cognition. He looked at Qin Yu's face, which was growing paler due to blood loss, and at his hand pressing on his abdomen, which was constantly bleeding, and for a moment he didn't know how to react.
Hate him? Afraid of him? Or...
Qin Yu seemed to have exhausted all his strength, his head leaning back against the wall, his breathing becoming increasingly weak. He looked at Gu Jing, his eyes beginning to unfocus, but he still stubbornly and with difficulty raised his blood-stained hand, as if wanting to touch him.
"Fortunately..." His lips moved, his voice so soft that it was almost inaudible, "...you are okay..."
The bloody hand finally dropped weakly.
Gu Jing suddenly knelt on the ground, holding Qin Yu's slumping shoulders, looking at his tightly closed eyes and bloodless face, an unprecedented panic instantly gripped him!
"Qin Yu! Qin Yu!" He slapped his face hard, his voice filled with panic that he himself didn't even realize, "Don't sleep! Wake up!"
Can't die!
He can't die here!
Gu Jing frantically tore open Qin Yu's shirt, trying to check the wound. On his left abdomen, near his ribs, a hideous wound was oozing blood, as if it had been inflicted by a sharp object.
He took off his coat and pressed hard on the wound to try to stop the bleeding. The warm blood quickly soaked his coat and stained his hands red.
"Hold on... I'll call an ambulance..." He reached for his phone tremblingly.
A hand weakly held down his hand.
Qin Yu opened his eyes again at some point. His eyes were unfocused, yet filled with a surprising paranoia and clarity.
"No...can't call an ambulance..." His voice was intermittent, but extremely firm, "Can't...let anyone know...I'm here...injured..."
"You will die!" Gu Jing growled, his eyes red.
Qin Yu looked at him and actually smiled very lightly. The smile was weak but carried a hint of madness.
"I won't die..." He gasped, his eyes fixed on Gu Jing, "I haven't... waited until you... are willing..."
Before he could finish his words, he started coughing violently again, with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
Gu Jing looked at him, at his suffocating control and obsession that never relaxed even when he was on the verge of death, and his heart felt like it was being torn apart by something.
Hatred, fear, anger, and an indescribable, violent surge of emotions almost tore him apart.
He looked at Qin Yu's increasingly weak breathing and the blood that kept flowing out, and finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.
He took out the encrypted phone and, instead of calling the emergency number, dialed the only number in it.
The call was connected almost instantly.
"It's me, Gu Jing." His voice was hoarse, but with an unusual calmness, "Prepare first aid equipment and an absolutely reliable doctor. The address is the abandoned Sacred Heart Sanatorium in the west of the city. He is injured, seriously."
"Also," he paused, glanced at the dying man in his arms who was still staring at him with paranoid eyes, and said word by word, "Clean up all traces of your presence. I don't want anyone to know what happened tonight."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a second, followed by a respectful and efficient response: "Understood. I'll be there in ten minutes."
Gu Jing hung up the phone and sat down on the cold ground exhausted, still pressing hard on Qin Yu's wound.
Qin Yu looked at him, and a very faint, strange light seemed to flash in his distracted eyes.
Moonlight shone through the broken window and sprinkled on the two people. One was unconscious and dying, and the other was covered in blood. They sat in the ruins and darkness, like a weird and desperate painting.
Gu Jing lowered his head, looking at Qin Yu's pale but still handsome face, and his frowning brows even when he was unconscious. In the frozen wasteland in his heart, it seemed as if something was quietly shattering, accompanied by fear and blood, and giving rise to crazy and unknown buds.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
