Chapter 17
Huo Junyan laughed angrily, “Your temper has grown.”
Secretary Wu knocked on the door and entered with the doctor. Chu Ci glanced at Huo Junyan and obediently accepted the doctor's examination.
My elbow was badly scraped, and the blood that had seeped out had already congealed.
While the bloodstains were being cleaned, she seemed oblivious, staring intently at the doctor's movements. When she saw the doctor turn over a piece of skin to rinse it, she even turned her face to examine it closely, prompting the doctor to glance at her a few more times.
Huo Junyan sat on a single chair some distance away, sneering to himself. This woman was so ruthless to herself.
After treating one elbow, Chu Ci cooperatively rolled up her other sleeve and stretched it out a bit so that Huo Junyan could see it clearly.
She actually regretted her earlier outburst.
Every second that Xingxing goes missing increases the danger; she shouldn't have provoked Huo Junyan.
After her falling out with Lin Muchen at Zhou's company, the two had no contact. She wouldn't send such a message for no reason; she must know something.
However, Lin Muchen's phone has been unreachable since yesterday.
She couldn't take the initiative to contact Zhou Yubai and Yao Shengjie. It was like a psychological game; by delaying the process, the other party's psychological burden would actually be reduced.
If Chu Ci had called immediately after Xingxing was taken away, they might have acted rashly in their shock and anger.
Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the other party has ulterior motives and believes that the Huo family is likely to compromise.
If it's just to get revenge on Chu Ci, I'm afraid Xingxing...
Chu Ci shuddered in horror. The doctor loosened his pressure on her ankle. "Does it hurt here?"
"Um, oh no," Chu Ci glanced at Huo Junyan, "My leg isn't injured, I just bumped my elbow." She touched her bandaged elbow.
The doctor stood up and said, "Don't get the wound wet. It will heal in a week. What you need most right now is to rest more."
Secretary Wu placed the clothes on the coffee table and quietly left the office.
Seeing that Huo Junyan showed no intention of getting up, Chu Ci prepared to go to the restroom outside to change her clothes. Just as she took a step with her bag, Huo Junyan's phone vibrated.
She stopped abruptly, her heart pounding, staring intently at him, her eyes filled with barely suppressed anxiety.
Huo Junyan lowered his eyes and walked out with his phone in hand, and Chu Ci immediately followed.
He stopped, not looking at her, but answered the phone, "Um... the bottom price is 7 yuan... I'll take them all, as many as you have..."
The news wasn't related to stars; it involved trade secrets, so Chu Ci retreated to avoid it.
She waited until he finished his call before speaking, "I'm going to the restroom outside to change my clothes."
Huo Junyan snorted coldly, "The room is yours."
“No need,” she refused quickly, but seeing his face darken, she added, “This place is too big.”
I feel very insecure changing clothes in an office that's several hundred square meters in size.
He gave her a deep look, then pushed open the wooden wall behind the desk and next to the bookshelf, revealing a hidden door leading to a bedroom.
Before Chu Ci could say anything more, Huo Junyan strode outside.
The bedroom and office are decorated in the same cool color scheme, with a full wardrobe filled with haute couture items, a few books on the bedside table, and...
She approached out of curiosity and discovered it was a toy stretcher about the size of a thumb.
Was he lying here taking apart the toy car with the stars?
Chu Ci changed her clothes and came out of the bathroom. There was a knock on the door, and she quickly opened it. "Is there any news about Xingxing?"
Her features were exceptionally striking, especially her eyes, which were captivating with their inner and outer curves. A single glance from them seemed to steal your heart. But at this moment, her face was deathly pale, and her long, curled eyelashes were glistening with tiny drops of water, making her look broken and helpless.
Huo Junyan suppressed his unusual emotions and handed him the water glass, saying, "You need to rest."
“I don’t need to rest,” he paused, took a glass of water, drank half of it, and casually placed it on the narrow table to the side. “I can provide clues.”
"you say."
Chu Ci's face lit up with joy. "Zhou Yubai has always wanted to completely control the Zhou family business. I ruined his plan, so he must hate me. But he's a man who can bend and stretch."
Glancing at his expression, her voice softened, "If it were him who took Xingxing away, there would still be room for negotiation, but if it's Yao Shengjie, who has placed all her hopes on Xingxing these past few years, I shouldn't have led her to doubt me."
Chu Ci felt a wave of weakness wash over her, a lightheaded feeling like she had a cold, but she was still conscious. She tried to shake herself off, saying, "It should be done gradually..."
Her consciousness gradually faded, and her body slumped softly towards Huo Junyan.
He picked her up and said, "The sooner the boil bursts, the better. The longer you lie, the longer..."
Chu Ci didn't hear what was said next. Everything went black before her eyes, as if she were in a black hole, eerily quiet. She ran forward, left and right, but there was nothing in any direction, and no end in sight.
Suddenly, she realized she was dreaming.
I tried to call out, attempting to wake myself from the dream, but the black hole swallowed all sound, and all my efforts were in vain.
After a long while, a sound suddenly came from the surroundings—
"...I told you not to investigate..."
Suddenly opening her eyes and sitting up abruptly, Chu Ci immediately looked at the long table. In her hazy state of consciousness, she realized there was something wrong with the water. She glanced at the time and realized she had slept for four or five hours.
"You drugged me?"
Chu Ci's bright eyes darkened with anger as she slammed the water glass down on his desk.
Huo Junyan was holding a document when he saw her rush out with a water glass, and he quickly hung up the phone.
Glancing at the water glass and then looking up at her, Chu Ci belatedly realized that she was in the wrong regarding the drugging incident.
Her gaze shifted, landing on the documents in his hand. "Is there any news about Xingxing?"
Huo Junyan, however, had no intention of letting her off the hook. He picked up his water glass and said, "This is prescription medication from a doctor."
Chu Ci blinked. "What are you holding in your hand?"
He stood up, placed the file face down on the table, and approached her step by step until he cornered her in front of the bookshelf. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Sleeping pills from legitimate sources."
The implication is that the drugs she gave him back then didn't come from any legitimate source.
Chu Ci looked up, her heart racing, her cheeks flushed, and her body felt hot and humid as if controlled by a Gu worm. She longed to reach out and hug him.
She steeled herself, bent down, slipped under his arm, and grabbed the document he was holding.
The original intention of the Chu Ci was to divert attention, but unexpectedly it turned out to be a DNA paternity test, with a result of 99.9%.
It turned out that he didn't completely believe her, and instead went to get a paternity test done.
With her back to Huo Junyan, Chu Ci's eyes flashed with a hint of mockery. The heat in her eyes vanished abruptly, and when she turned around, she had suppressed all her emotions, her smile bright and clear, even carrying a touch of innocence.
"You didn't believe what I said, but you did the test yourself, so you should believe me now."
She smiled throughout her speech, but the smile didn't reach her eyes; it was as if a thin mist had veiled them.
Huo Junyan was about to explain that he hadn't done the test, but Chu Ci grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Can we save Xingxing now?"
What did she think he was doing? A deal? Did she really look down on him that much?
The words of explanation stuck in his throat, flames burning in his chest, "Of course I will save my son."
Chu Ci felt relieved.
He simply pushed her away, took a few steps forward, put his hands in his pockets, and turned his back to her.
Chu Ci stood still, her gaze fixed on the paternity test, her thoughts in turmoil.
The landline suddenly rang.
Chu Ci instinctively wanted to answer, but then looked at Huo Junyan. He strode over, leaned forward completely across the large desk, and picked up the receiver.
"We have news about the child."
-
Karimata Strait.
The helicopter landed on the island using the lights of the temporary runway. The cabin door opened, and Huo Junyan jumped out first, supporting Chu Ci with both hands as they got off the helicopter.
The powerful wind from the propeller tousled their hair, but at that moment they cared about nothing else; they were simply parents eager to see their child.
Huo Junyan held her wrist and led her half-running onto the speedboat. Huo Zixi was also on the speedboat.
"We have already quietly surrounded them, and Master Qin led his men to sneak up on them."
They received the worst news—Yao Shengjie had brought the stars to the Karimata Strait, the place where Zhou Shaoqing had his accident.
Sitting on the speedboat, the night sea breeze cut like a knife against her skin. She hugged herself tightly, lowered her head, closed her eyes, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
I don't know if it was from the cold or from fear, but my teeth were chattering.
Suddenly someone pulled her into their arms, which seemed to warm her up a little.
She knew it was Huo Junyan.
The only sound was the roar of the speedboat engine; no one spoke.
Soon, the sea surface shimmered like shattered silver, and the cruise ship, like a bright moon in the night, hung in the darkness.
The speedboat came to a stop on the leeward side, and it was Zhou Yubai who threw down the rope. Huo Junyan got up and caught it. Their eyes met in the night, and in just a moment, he secured the rope to the bollard.
Huo Zixi also secured the tail cable.
Zhou Yubai put down the springboard and reached out to Chu Ci, "I never expected Auntie to do such a thing. My dad and I tried to persuade her, but she wouldn't listen to anything we said."
Huo Zixi grabbed Zhou Yubai's hand and boarded the cruise ship. He turned around and grabbed Chu Ci's wrist. Huo Junyan was behind her, and he pushed her up with both hands supporting her waist. Chu Ci boarded the cruise ship smoothly.
This was the first time the two had met since their big argument and falling out.
Chu Ci assumed that their next meeting would be at some bidding event. She had no intention of letting Zhou Yubai off the hook so easily, and she knew that Zhou Yubai would not let her off the hook either.
I never imagined that our next meeting would take place in the Karimata Strait.
“She didn’t suddenly go crazy; she’s been keeping an eye on my movements.” Chu Ci suppressed her discomfort and stared at Zhou Yubai.
"You doubt me?"
Huo Zixi shoved Zhou Yubai, "You've ruined Chu Ci so badly, shouldn't I suspect you? If it weren't for you, would Chu Ci and Xingxing have encountered such a madman? If it weren't for you, she would have regained her memory long ago."
"Recover your memories? Don't you have any memories?" Zhou's father suddenly appeared, followed by Lin Muchen.
He looked at Chu Ci, then at Zhou Yubai, "What happened?"
Chu Ci didn't want to waste time and went straight to the point, "I'm not Shen Que, my name is Chu Ci. I happened to be on the ferry five years ago. After I woke up, I didn't receive proper treatment and lost my memory. When the rescue team pulled me out, I had Shen Que's passport in my pocket. I don't know why that happened."
Zhou's father was both shocked and angry, and his expression changed.
"You've all conspired to deceive me?"
"Where is my son?" Huo Junyan glared at Zhou's father, having neither the mood nor the time to listen to their calculations.
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