The bathroom was already running hot water, and the dressing table was filled with brand new clothes—from underwear to coats, all in the right sizes.
Half an hour later, Feng Yulan, having washed off the mud, put on soft cashmere home clothes and sat in the small dining room in front of the fireplace.
The table was filled with steaming mushroom soup, perfectly toasted sandwiches and fresh fruit.
She couldn't remember the last time she had a proper meal like this.
"Is it to your taste?" Ye Qingliu appeared at the door at some point, having changed into a dark blue home suit. He looked more like an ordinary high school student—if you didn't look at those overly sharp eyes.
"That's...that's great." Feng Yulan almost bit her tongue. "My mother-in-law..."
"The wound has been re-treated, and antibiotics are being administered intravenously." Ye Qingliu sat down across from her. "Doctor Chen said there's no danger to her life, but she needs to rest."
Feng Yulan finally felt relieved: "Master Ye, I really don't know how to thank you..."
"Just call me Qingliu." The boy took a sip from his water cup. "Why did you end up in that situation?"
Feng Yulan's fork faltered in mid-air. What was she supposed to say? That they were being hunted by drug lords? That there were wanted posters posted all over the country? Would this wealthy young man, whom she had only just met, believe it?
"We... messed with the wrong people." She was vague.
Ye Qingliu suddenly smiled, and that smile inexplicably sent a chill down Feng Yulan's spine. "Ms. Feng Yulan, 32, was formerly an accountant at a textile factory. After the factory closed, she became a cashier at Huimin Supermarket. Her husband, Zhang Shuo, is a lawyer and has been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking."
Feng Yulan's blood froze instantly. The fork fell onto the plate with a crisp thud.
"Don't be nervous." Ye Qingliu took out a tablet from his pocket, swiped it a few times, and pushed it to her. "The Ye family's intelligence network is quite well-informed."
Two wanted posters appeared on the screen—for her and Zhang Shumin. Below them were a series of news reports: "Prominent lawyer Zhang Shuo arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking," "Police wanted two women in connection with the case," and so on.
"You're lucky." Ye Qingliu put the tablet away. "If I hadn't happened to come back from cram school tonight and taken that old route..."
Feng Yulan trembled all over: "Will you...will you call the police?"
"Call the police?" Ye Qingliu said as if he had heard a joke. "The Ye family has never needed to rely on the police to handle anything. Besides..."
He looked directly at Feng Yulan with his gray-blue eyes. "Jin Wancheng and I have some issues."
Jin Wancheng—the man with the gold watch—was mentioned so casually. Feng Yulan's heartbeat quickened: "Do you know him?"
"Not really an acquaintance." Ye Qingliu's voice cooled, "But his recent actions at the Beishan project have crossed the Ye family's bottom line."
Feng Yulan had no idea what the Beishan project was, but she keenly caught the coldness in Ye Qingliu's eyes when he mentioned Jin Wancheng.
The fire crackled in the fireplace, yet she felt a chill run down her spine. The power and confidence emanating from the words of this seemingly gentle young man was beyond her comprehension.
"Why help us?" she asked with courage.
Ye Qingliu didn't answer immediately. He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the blurry mountain silhouettes in the rainy night. "Two reasons. First, I hate people like Jin Wancheng. Second..."
He turned around. "You are innocent. I can see that."
Feng Yulan's nose felt sore. This was the first time since they had escaped that someone believed in their innocence.
After Ye Qingliu left, the maid took her to Zhang Shumin's room. The medical room was even more professional than Feng Yulan had imagined, with all kinds of advanced equipment.
Zhang Shumin lay on a bed in the center of the hospital, her shoulder wound bandaged and receiving an IV. A middle-aged, bespectacled doctor, Dr. Chen, was checking the data from the monitor.
"Her blood pressure has stabilized, but she's still feverish," Dr. Chen told Feng Yulan. "I've given her a sedative so she can get some sleep."
Feng Yulan sat down beside the bed and gently held her mother-in-law's hand. Zhang Shumin's palm was no longer burning, but still warmer than usual.
Her brows were furrowed and her lips trembled from time to time, as if she was saying something in her dream.
"Beishan...don't...files..." Zhang Shumin suddenly uttered a few words vaguely.
Feng Yulan froze—it was the word Ye Qingliu mentioned! She subconsciously looked towards the door, but fortunately no one heard it.
"Mom, it's me, Yulan." She leaned over and whispered in her mother-in-law's ear, "We are safe, in the home of a man named Ye Qingliu..."
Zhang Shumin's eyelids trembled violently, and she suddenly opened her eyes: "Ye...home?" Her voice was hoarse but clear, and a hint of emotion flashed in her eyes that Feng Yulan could not understand.
"Do you know the Ye family?" Feng Yulan asked in surprise.
Zhang Shumin didn't answer, but closed her eyes tiredly: "Be careful... don't trust too much..."
Before she could finish her words, she fell back into a drug-induced sleep. Feng Yulan was completely confused and could only gently smooth her mother-in-law's hair.
Late at night, Feng Yulan, arranged by the maid to sleep in the guest room next to Zhang Shumin, found the bed incredibly soft, but she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Outside the window, the heavy rain has stopped, and the moonlight shines through the clouds, casting mottled shadows on the expensive handmade carpet.
In the early hours of the morning, Feng Yulan was awakened by a slight noise. She tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it. There were footsteps in the corridor and the sound of hushed conversation.
"...The Jin family has already found their way to Qingxi Town." It was the voice of the burly man.
"Faster than expected." Ye Qingliu's voice was calm and composed. "Notify the security department. Cuihu Villa has entered level one alert."
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