Chapter 2 Does it hurt? Holding a needle is more painful than holding a knife.
The teahouse across the street has a private room on the second floor, from which you can get a complete view of this rented house.
Youzhen took a sip of the jasmine fragrance. Her senior brother, Zhou Yuanli, sat opposite her, adjusted his glasses with one hand, and looked at her with a pair of strategic eyes behind the lenses: "You actually left so quickly last night. I thought the brothers would have to beat him up a few more times to vent their anger."
Youzhen didn't seem to care: "It's raining so hard, I'm already feeling cold. You want to watch your performance by the roadside?"
Zhou Yuanli reminded her, "He didn't notice anything, did he?"
The name 'Xiao Qi' flashed through her mind, but Youzhen denied it: "No, he's been testing me."
Zhou Yuanli sat up straight and reached out to press down on her teacup: "Youzhen, you must remember, never be soft-hearted when dealing with your enemies."
Youzhen turned her gaze back to him, and after a long while, she smiled and said, "Of course."
Having received her affirmation, Zhou Yuanli reverted to his arrogant demeanor: "As long as the Xia family's assets remain in his hands, he will eventually make a comeback. Taking advantage of his current blindness is the best opportunity to gain his trust and infiltrate his inner circle."
The curtains opposite were drawn back, and Zhou Yuanli waved his hand dismissively: "Go ahead, these curtains were opened just for you."
Just as Youzhen was about to get up, Zhou Yuanli suddenly grabbed her, raising his eyebrows: "Wait, are you going to give him my clothes to wear?"
Youzhen glanced at the man in the white shirt opposite her and said condescendingly, "But I don't have any men's clothes in my room."
Zhou Yuanli looked at her with amusement: "Xiao Jiu, I don't lend my clothes to just anyone."
He spread his palms out, waiting to receive the money.
Youzhen, both amused and annoyed, slapped his palm: "You're such a miser!"
As Youzhen carried vegetables and fruits downstairs, before she even reached the other side, she noticed some unfamiliar faces in various corners. Although they were all in plainclothes, she could tell they were monitoring something.
She couldn't immediately determine whether the group was after her or Qin Lingchuan.
She reached the alley entrance, turned a corner, and walked back, but no one followed her.
It seems they've come for Qin Lingchuan.
If he's not one of my senior's men, he's probably one of Boss Li's men.
They arrived so quickly!
Her plans were disrupted, and she needed to find someone to help her.
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The sudden change in light inside made no difference to Qin Lingchuan. Last night, he slowly made his way back to the room, unable to sleep soundly, his stomach churning, and unsure how to maintain appropriate boundaries with her.
Just as dawn was breaking, he heard the door open.
Qin Lingchuan reached for his phone by the bedside, his fingers first touching a chain-like object.
He touched the shape; it was the necklace he had given to Youzhen. He had held it in his palm and played with it many times. He knew every little ornament inside and out.
She still refused...
Qin Lingchuan immediately stood up, but as he opened the door, he hesitated, unsure of what to call her. Perhaps calling her "Xiao Qi" was too intimate?
He had only called her name with deep emotion during the last time he was lost in passion.
It's understandable that she wouldn't admit it.
So he cautiously asked, "Are...are you there?"
No one answered.
He pressed himself against the wall and felt his way to the door next door, which was open—had she left?
A huge sense of regret weighed on my heart.
Last night, I just couldn't control myself. If she doesn't want to admit it, then don't force her.
She's gone, and he can't see her now. Where is he supposed to find her? He can't accept losing her again.
Qin Lingchuan groped his way back, and the chair that had been knocked over by the wall had been put back in its place. He protected his stomach with his left hand, as there was a table at just the right height to hit his lower abdomen, so he had to be extra careful.
After touching it for a while, he finally found it. The corner of the table was soft to the touch and had no sharp edges. He ran his fingers around the edge of the table and then went back to touch the chair—it had the same feel.
All the furniture in the room was covered with anti-collision strips.
A warm feeling mixed with bittersweetness welled up in his heart. She was still so considerate and thoughtful, doing things for him without his knowledge.
He walked back and forth, trying to get used to the layout of the room as quickly as possible.
A short while later, the doorbell rang.
Qin Lingchuan immediately went to open the door from the kitchen; he didn't want to appear as a man who needed constant care in front of his woman.
He stopped in his tracks as he reached the door. If it were Youzhen, she would have a key and wouldn't ring the doorbell.
He went back and hid a kitchen knife, then opened the door a crack.
Sure enough, what surged forward was a murderous intent.
Five or six men in black slammed the door open and began attacking. Qin Lingchuan, using the sound to pinpoint their location, first dodged two of them, and then, sensing a gust of wind, decisively struck.
He quickly took down the two men, then blocked with the back of his blade, producing the sound of clashing weapons.
They all carried weapons.
The intense fighting likely reopened the wound on my shoulder. Although the pain in my abdomen wasn't as severe as last night, it still lingered.
Surrounded by three or four people, they gradually lost ground.
He could feel another person rushing up beside him, but it was too late to dodge.
Just as she was about to be stabbed, the person next to her suddenly cried out and fell to the ground. Youzhen accurately struck the person in the lower back with the handle of her umbrella.
"Qin Lingchuan! Watch out behind you!"
Qin Lingchuan immediately ducked to avoid the sneak attack from behind, then grabbed the man's waist and threw him away.
The people who came cried out in pain and lay on the ground, unable to get up.
In desperation, Youzhen cried out.
Qin Lingchuan rushed forward and hugged her with delight: "Youzhen! It's you! This time, let's see how you deny it now!"
Now that it's exposed, there's no need to bother anymore. Youzhen forcefully pushed his shoulder away, saying bluntly, "I've already told you, please don't make jokes like this anymore."
Qin Lingchuan took a step back and groaned. He opened his collar and saw that the wound had indeed reopened, and he would probably need to be stitched up again.
But he still held her hand: "You're not mute? Your voice is just like hers, so why say you aren't?"
Youzhen, mindful of his injury, twisted her wrist but couldn't break free, so she didn't push him away and let him hold her.
“I didn’t say I was mute. I said my voice was damaged, but it’s healed now. There are many people in the world with similar voices, so please stop mistaking me for her.”
The faster she spoke, the harsher her tone became.
Qin Lingchuan hurriedly let go of her hand: "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I won't make this mistake again."
He hadn't completely calmed down from the panic he felt when he discovered she wasn't there, and as long as she stayed by his side, he wouldn't rush to force her to admit it.
Qin Lingchuan murmured, "It's good that you're back! I woke up and didn't see you, I thought..."
Youzhen put the vegetables and umbrella she was holding on the table and said coldly, "I just went out to buy groceries."
Hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway, and more than a dozen people surged in from outside the door. Qin Lingchuan moved closer to Youzhen, silently protecting her.
"Master! I'm late!" Qin Lingchuan relaxed his guard when he heard Tao Bei's voice.
"Qin Lingchuan?!" Youzhen hurriedly helped the man beside her who was losing strength, and Tao Bei also rushed forward to support him.
The men subdued all the men in black and took them outside.
"Master, it's my fault for being incompetent. Dr. Huang is waiting at the guild hall. Let's go bandage the wound first, and then heal the eye."
As Youzhen was pondering what excuse she should use to go to the club with him, she saw Qin Lingchuan lean back on the sofa and shake his head: "No need, I'll stay here. I'll go back after I've recovered. Just ask Dr. Huang to come here."
When Youzhen heard him say that, she went to get the first-aid kit.
Tao Bei glanced at the living room, somewhat disgusted: "How can this be done here? Not to mention the small size of this place, we don't even have morphine for stitches."
Qin Lingchuan had already taken off his left sleeve very cooperatively: "It's just a minor injury, what kind of morphine do you need?"
Tao Bei was still worried: "Then... I'll stay and take care of you. Will Miss Ruozhen be able to manage alone?"
Qin Lingchuan frowned: "What did you call her?"
Miss Ruozhen?
Xia Youzhen's twin sister. When the two are present, to avoid confusion, the people below refer to them by their first names rather than their surnames.
Tao Bei wasn't unfamiliar with You Zhen, so how could he...?
"She is Miss Ruozhen. What's wrong, sir?"
Youzhen came out at this moment, and Qin Lingchuan waved for Tao Bei to leave.
Tao Bei understood and simply said, "Then I'll set up security around here so it won't disturb you and... Miss Xia."
Tao Bei thought he was being clever by changing the way he was addressed.
Qin Lingchuan's jaw tightened. Had he really mistaken someone for someone else?
Her voice, skills, and feelings are exactly the same as Youzhen's. Who else could it be but her?
Youzhen thought he was nervous, and finally a hint of human emotion appeared in her voice: "Don't worry, I'll be quick."
When the needle was inserted, Qin Lingchuan still trembled uncontrollably.
Seeing the cold sweat on his forehead and temples, Youzhen softened her grip and made her hands even more steady.
After retracting the line, Qin Lingchuan let out a sigh of relief.
The white shirt was stained with blood, the bright red glaringly obvious. Youzhen wanted to get him a clean shirt to change into, but then remembered it belonged to her senior brother and probably still carried his unique scent. She glanced coldly at the man on the sofa and remained silent.
Qin Lingchuan pursed his lips and said, "You're more ruthless with a needle than with a knife."
Youzhen half-squatted in front of him, tilting her head back to wipe his sweat: "Does it hurt a lot?"
Qin Lingchuan chuckled: "It's alright, it doesn't hurt."
Youzhen hesitated. She had hoped to take this opportunity to return to the guild hall with him and begin investigating the truth of the matter as soon as possible. Why did he seem so unhurried? Wasn't the guild hall busy?
He also sent people to keep an eye on her movements, making it inconvenient for her to contact her senior brother.
Qin Lingchuan, wanting to ease the tension, asked her, "What did you buy?"
Youzhen got up, took four steps, and heard the sound of plastic bags rubbing together.
On the way back, he took five steps. Qin Lingchuan silently noted this down in his mind, when suddenly several objects were stuffed into his hands.
“It’s for men, a razor.” Youzhen paused, then lowered her voice. “The one on your right hand is scar removal cream. You can use it as you see fit.”
Qin Lingchuan tightened his right palm and smirked.
Over the next few days, Youzhen went out at irregular intervals every day to find out how many people were following her and how to shake them off.
When she returned before dinner, she brought some spare ribs for Qin Lingchuan to help him recover.
As soon as I entered, the range hood was running. Qin Lingchuan, wearing an apron, was actually chopping vegetables.
He was tall with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and there was something really out of place about him wearing that little apron.
Before she even reached the kitchen door, Qin Lingchuan knew it was her: "You're back?"
Youzhen: "Are you cooking?"
"Yes, I can't let you cook for me every meal. Just a moment, there'll be one more dish ready soon."
Youzhen walked to his side; there were several new wounds of varying lengths and depths on his fingers.
She looked at the food in the pot; it was what she used to love to eat.
Qin Lingchuan's voice was full of satisfied laughter: "Are you hungry?"
Youzhen suddenly gave a silent, cold laugh and walked back to the living room.
Xia Youzhen, haven't you learned it yet? This man used this trick to fool you from the very beginning. Don't be moved by this cheap show of affection anymore.
Remember your mission.
He was kind to her only because he treated her like an older sister.
He couldn't see it, but Tao Bei could. The fact that she revealed the location of their employer to Tao Bei earlier than planned meant that she had one more witness to prove that she was Xia Ruozhen.
Qin Lingchuan must be very unwilling that it wasn't Youzhen who died.
A note from the author:
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Another story up for pre-order: "The Male-Abuse Protagonist Came Knocking" [doge][laughing]
GuGu is a professional writer of stories that torture male characters by having children, updating 20,000 words a day and maintaining perfect attendance every month.
She specified the male protagonists' pregnancy periods, number of pregnancies, delivery duration, and difficulty level in her story, and then she messed it up...
The aloof beauty, dragged down from her pedestal by a scheming woman, ran away with her baby and four children;
The burly, dark-skinned man grinned and grimaced: "Update faster! You got writer's block when I was about to give birth, and I've been in pain in bed for three months!"
The aloof master, who had been betrayed by his disciple, suppressed a muffled groan. His wrists were bound by iron chains as he begged her to let the child down quickly.
Gugu made the male protagonist a little more comfortable, and the readers accepted the story, gave negative reviews, and warned against it—a smooth little combo.
There was no other way; for the sake of earning two cents a day, Gugu had no choice but to kill them off.
A gloomy vampire, heavily pregnant, humbly begged her to torture him to death, clinging to just a sliver of hope for survival.
The cold-blooded tyrant smashed the memorials all over the ground and issued a city-wide warrant for her to be imprisoned and forced to write.
Enraged, GuGu emptied its drafts, deleted the database, and ran away.
Meimei woke up after a full night's sleep and opened the door—
The male protagonists stepped out of the book, each one heavily pregnant, and stood at her door...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
