Chapter 119
I still couldn't get through to her the next day.
After two consecutive days without receiving any news from Yingning.
After making proper arrangements for the project, He Zhiqian flew to Europe.
He arrived at the location of the last photo she took, in Serena, known as the "City of Passion," where the current exhibition of ancient patterns is being held.
He Zhiqian roughly guessed that she had come to Cerlina to see the exhibition.
He stood in front of the museum where the last photo was taken, asking the doorman if he had seen her in the photo.
The museum doorman shook his head. He saw countless visitors every day and didn't pay special attention to each one.
After thanking him, He Zhiqian went to inquire with the surrounding shops and stores one by one.
Every shopkeeper shook their heads, saying they hadn't noticed the person in the photo.
It wasn't until he went to a candy shop that He Zhiqian got the information he wanted.
“This girl bought candy before,” the white-haired old man said.
"Hello, may I ask how many days ago this happened?"
"It happened about three days ago."
He Zhiqian then asked the old woman if she knew where she lived, but the old woman shook her head.
“That beautiful lady only came to buy candy once,” he said honestly.
He remembered Ying Ning because when this foreign lady was buying candy, a gentlemanly-looking man asked for her contact information.
But she rejected him.
"Thank you." He Zhiqian's eyes darkened, and he gradually became flustered.
He was worried that something might have happened to her in Europe.
Could it be that she lost her phone, which is why I can't contact her?
He even temporarily put aside his projects and rushed to Europe to check on her safety.
As He Zhiqian was about to leave the candy shop, he noticed that a candy jar in the window was shaped like a maple leaf.
He thought of the red maple tree that the two of them had planted back then.
So he turned back.
When he came out of the candy shop again, he was carrying a bag of candy in his hand.
He Zhiqian walked slowly along the street, pondering where Ying Ning had gone.
He was deciding whether or not to go to the police station.
But then a voice was heard.
"Hey, here you go." A thug with a cross tattooed on his neck tossed a pearl earring to his partner.
"Ken, where did you get it?"
"I got it from a woman of Asian descent."
"A yellow woman?" Ken's friend whistled.
"Hahaha, Jamie's new batch of merchandise," Ken laughed.
They were Serena's underlings, who had heard that Boss Jamie had acquired a new batch of Asian "goods".
I heard it was an underground research institute that paid a high price.
Before the research institute was moved, all the valuables on the "goods" were looted.
He Zhiqian paid no attention to the two thugs walking past him until the man named Ken raised the pearl earring and examined it to see what its price was.
He Zhiqian suddenly noticed the somewhat familiar pearl earring out of the corner of his eye.
It looks like... exactly the same one she's wearing in the photo.
"Ken, have those Asians already been transported away?"
"It should be shipped out today."
Yellow race?
He Zhiqian noticed something strange in their conversation, and then looked closely at the earring in the hand of the man named "Ken".
Exactly the same.
It's exactly the same as hers.
Ken was chatting openly with his friend next to him again.
He Zhiqian sensed something strange in their conversation.
They refer to people as "goods?"
What's with this talk about physical constitution?
But that earring, like an incredibly strong thread, bound his heart tightly, layer upon layer.
The two people walked further and further away from the city streets, while He Zhiqian followed behind at a distance.
Until they turned into a somewhat dilapidated warehouse.
Ken and another person knocked on the door and went inside.
He Zhiqian hid around the corner and dialed his assistant's number, asking him to notify the local police station immediately.
He just hung up the phone.
I heard a lot of crying and shouting and the sound of being hit coming from inside the warehouse, but the people were not speaking the local language.
"Aaaaaah!!"
"Let me out, I want to go home."
"What you're doing is illegal!"
"Waaaaah..."
He Zhiqian's raven-feather color gradually fell into the abyss.
He had already guessed that it was probably a gathering place for a criminal gang.
The person crying and screaming in the warehouse must be the "goods" he was referring to.
He Zhiqian circled the warehouse and found a gap at the back door through which he could see what was inside.
He bent down and saw the scene inside the warehouse.
A group of people, whose faces were no longer visible and who were mostly dressed in tattered clothes, were queuing up and climbing onto the truck in order, under the stern shouts of a few thugs.
Their genders were almost unrecognizable because everyone had had all their hair shaved off.
"Get in the car quickly!"
"You idiots!" A thug with a gun maintained order.
He Zhiqian carefully observed the people who hadn't boarded the bus yet, scrutinizing the faces he could see...
It wasn't her...
It wasn't her...
It wasn't her...
He didn't know if he was feeling timid, but his heart was clenched with fear of seeing her.
He was also worried that if she were here, he would miss her.
He Zhiqian was planning to search for Ying Ning more carefully.
But they noticed someone approaching the back door of the warehouse.
He immediately ducked to the side.
The man cursed as he opened the back door of the warehouse and let a car drive out.
As soon as the warehouse door opened, He Zhiqian saw another group of people bound and huddled together in another open space inside the warehouse.
The last huddled figure in the group looked somewhat like her.
He Zhiqian panicked.
He glanced at the group of people in front of the car that had just driven off, and without hesitation ran to the other side out of their sight, intending to take advantage of their conversation in front of the car to get closer to the warehouse door and see if it was her.
He Zhiqian stopped at the corner and slowly walked towards the warehouse door.
They had only taken a few steps.
Before he could even see the figure clearly, he felt a cold metal object pressed against the back of his head.
The person behind me said something in English:
"We've caught another stupid pig."
*
Shen Yan looked at the height of the two-story building and the homemade bed sheet rope that had already been tied up.
After tying the rope around his waist, Shen Yan carefully climbed out of the window.
He could only use his arms and one intact leg to support himself.
Li Li watched from below, his heart pounding with fear.
He didn't know what method Shen Yan used to call Wu Xiao from the hospital and ask Wu Xiao to inform him that he had booked a plane ticket to Europe for him today.
Li Li looked around and found that there was no one there at the moment.
It took Shen Yan more than ten minutes to climb down the two-story building.
"Chen Yan!"
"The plane tickets are booked." Li Li handed Shen Yan the crutches that he had just lowered from the second-floor ward.
"Thank you, Brother Li."
“I’m definitely going to offend your father this time.” Li Li shook his head.
That's all he can do to help Shen Yan.
"Take care on your journey."
"Um."
Shen Yan hailed a taxi to go to the airport, but the taxi stopped just before they reached the airport.
"Young man, I'm sorry, there seems to be a traffic jam ahead."
The taxi driver kept staring at Shen Yan with curiosity as he got into the car.
This young man, with bandages on his legs and forehead, how did he manage to run out alone, leaning on crutches?
There was no one to take care of him.
He didn't look well.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan finally raised his head, which had been lowered since getting into the car.
He glanced at the road ahead; the airport wasn't far away.
"It's alright, let's stop here."
After paying the fare, Shen Yan stepped out of the taxi, leaning on his crutch.
It's not far from the airport, so the flow of people is quite large.
The bandage on Shen Yan's forehead and his posture of leaning on a cane were quite eye-catching.
He, who always paid attention to his appearance, seemed completely unconcerned about other people's opinions at this moment.
He awkwardly and slowly made his way to the airport.
As they passed the last intersection, Shen Yan suddenly saw a rose with reddish edges growing beside the street.
He hesitated for a second.
Anxiety enveloped him once again.
Shen Yan didn't know which day of the past seven years she left; it might be tomorrow, or it might be the day after.
It might be a year, or it might be a month.
However, if he arrives a day earlier, he might be able to see her sooner.
Perhaps, I will escape the ending of that absurd dream.
Shen Yan had been thinking about it over the past few days, and he still didn't know whether it was a dream or if he had really seen the future.
But even if he wasn't sure, he still went to her side.
He didn't want such a tragic ending to happen, even if there was only the slightest possibility of it.
Wait until the green light.
As the people around him gradually moved forward, Shen Yan slowly began to move.
He walked to a short intersection, but the weariness and restraint in the corners of his eyes were no longer concealed.
Shen Yan tried his best not to let his injured leg bear too much weight, so he could only move slowly.
Until the red light came on.
Shen Yan had barely made it to the end of the intersection when the airport was already in sight.
When Shen Yan arrived at the airport, he discovered that his flight had been delayed by half an hour due to turbulence.
He found a seat and sat down quietly.
When the boarding announcement came on, Shen Yan got up and prepared to walk to the boarding gate.
But then he saw Shen's father in the airport lobby, with the same bodyguard who had been guarding him in the hospital room.
When the bodyguard knocked on the ward door, he found that the person inside was not there, and immediately notified Shen's father.
Shen's father came directly to the airport.
Shen Yan immediately turned around, trying to avoid his father.
He was so close...
Then you can board a plane to Europe...
He wanted to see her as soon as possible.
I can't stay in the hospital to recover forever, just watching time slip through my fingers.
Shen Yan quickened his pace, wanting to get to the escalator on the second floor.
His use of a cane made him stand out too much in the crowd.
The bodyguards standing next to Shen's father at the airport entrance almost immediately noticed Shen Yan's disheveled appearance.
The group quickly caught up.
"Chen Yan!"
"You little brat, get back here!!"
"You little brat, what are you doing?!"
Mr. Shen was so angry that he almost swore.
Shen Yan walked faster and faster, stepping directly onto the escalator leading to the second floor.
He glanced back and found that his father was already quite close to him.
Shen Yan immediately used his cane on the escalator to walk up the stairs.
The escalator, which was over ten meters high, made Shen Yan sweat profusely.
He saw the elevator doors leading to the upper floors open.
Shen Yan panicked and went straight up the last escalator.
Unexpectedly, his cane landed directly on the junction of the escalator step and the moving step.
The cane slipped.
Shen Yan's body lost its weight.
It tumbled straight down the highest escalator.
Countless staircases repeatedly struck his wounded areas, showing no mercy.
The fracture in his leg was subjected to an almost unbearable force once again.
"Chen Yan!"
When Shen's father ran over, he saw Shen Yan tumble down the escalator.
When he landed on the ground, Shen Yan was in so much pain that he couldn't breathe.
The pain, like his bones were cracking, sent waves of cold sweat through his body.
Even the nerves that had been bumped in his neck were making him feel dizzy.
He curled up on the ground, and waves of mist gradually enveloped his vision.
real...
Oh, I remember...
Why...
He was just one step away at this moment...
Maybe I'll see her tomorrow...
The pain in his leg and the dizziness in his nerves trapped him in a dead end, unable to take a single step.
Shen Yan's eyes welled up with more mist, not from pain, but from self-mockery.
He suddenly remembered a friend who, after a breakup, had been drinking and lamenting about the passing of spring and autumn.
When you desperately crave a relationship that's not right for you, even the heavens seem to conspire against you.
*
Lu Yuzhou has been in a chaotic state of affairs lately due to the breach of contract issue.
As a small-time voice actor, how could he possibly escape unscathed when he went up against a major company?
Lu Yuzhou not only paid the training fees advanced by the company, but also a hefty penalty for breach of contract.
When Lu Yuzhou had free time each day, he would use the account "Jiyu" to send messages to Yingning, even though she was never online.
He learned from Weibo that she had gone on a trip to relax.
fine.
Get away from these troubles.
Stay away from people as outrageous as him.
Lu Yuzhou secretly saved the photos she posted a few days ago and also checked the comments below the posts.
He heard that the law firm she had hired had already sued nearly a dozen account holders who frequently vented their frustrations online.
Some accounts also issued apology statements.
Her comments section is now almost entirely filled with messages from her former fans, wishing her a happy trip.
Some people even suggested that she could create a travel guide.
Lu Yuzhou scrolled through the comments one by one, a smile playing on his lips.
Until he saw the latest comment:
"Ningning, why haven't you updated for several days?"
Lu Yuzhou's expression gradually turned cold.
It's quite strange, she posted a travel photo almost every day for the past few days.
There has been no news in the past few days.
Was something delayed you?
*
A month later, the Serena police, in cooperation with police forces from other countries, arrested a group of gangsters.
According to one of the underlings, they had provided a batch of "goods" to the underground research institute a month earlier.
When the police arrived at the underground research institute, everyone held their breath after seeing the images in the laboratories.
Almost everyone inside had their heads shaved, and their eyes were lifeless.
Some people's exposed bodies are almost all in an abnormal state of atrophy.
When Liu Zhu arrived in Europe and saw He Zhiqian...
I almost didn't recognize him.
The muscles in his upper body had disappeared, revealing only grotesque bones, and there was a long, scabbed scar on his left arm.
"President He?" Assistant Liu asked hesitantly.
"Hmm." His voice was a little hoarse, but thankfully he seemed to be in good spirits.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine for now." He Zhiqian's eyes were still bright, but he looked a little tired.
Liu Zhu thought to himself that perhaps President He hadn't been hurt too badly.
"Then let's..."
Should we go back to China?
Before Liu Zhu could speak, He Zhiqian interrupted him:
"Could you help me find out where Yu Yingning is?"
His voice was hoarse, but you could still hear a hint of worry in it.
Over the past month, after being discovered by those people, He Zhiqian was forcibly moved to the underground research institute along with the cargo convoy.
Almost every day was a struggle and a fight.
He Zhiqian didn't know what kind of injections those people had given these people.
Some people will cry...
Some people will break out in a cold sweat...
Some people, however, developed large patches of pustules...
After He Zhiqian struggled desperately, they tied him to a chair, and the scars on his hands were left from that time.
After the injection, his muscles gradually atrophied...
After that, their physical condition will be recorded daily.
He Zhiqian would observe everyone on his way to the "clinic," trying to find that figure.
Until one day, he saw a person whose back view bore a resemblance to his.
He saw her face clearly.
He Zhiqian finally felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.
This person just looks a lot like her from a distance.
It wasn't her.
fine...
It wasn't her...
He Zhiqian wondered if she could endure the days and nights spent at the research institute if she were really there.
She is a delicate epiphyllum flower that swells up easily from even the slightest bump.
We shouldn't get bogged down in this mess.
He was a businessman who pursued results and was unwilling to suffer losses, yet he was still willing to bravely step in for her even the slightest danger.
She's perfectly fine...
That's fine.
*
Shen Yan's leg injury worsened once again, and he was hospitalized again.
The doctor said that even after the injury heals, he probably won't be able to live like a normal person.
An even more serious problem is that when he fell, his neck hit the ground, which compressed the nerves in his spine, and there may be some more dangerous situations in the future.
Mr. Shen arranged for Mrs. Shen to stay in the ward almost all day, watching over Shen Yan.
He was not given a single chance to leave again.
Shen Yan watched as the leaves outside the window gradually turned yellow and then fell.
His legs are currently unable to bear weight.
Shen Yan could only struggle to think every day about whether that dream was real.
Could it be just my imagination?
Did I really have such a dream?
Is she alright now?
Was the seven-year story truly just a fleeting dream...?
During the months he lay in his hospital bed, he spent almost every day anxiously pondering, and gradually became thinner and thinner.
Seeing this, Chen's mother felt sorry for him and fed him a lot of nourishing soup.
But Shen Yan would only drink a little bit before putting it down.
Once again, I fell into deep thought...
It wasn't until Shen's father came again and saw that Shen Yan had lost even more weight that he flew into a rage:
"Chen Yan, why are you so silent all day long!"
"You can't even take care of your own health, and you want to go to Europe?!"
"If things continue like this, you'll be bedridden for the rest of your life. Forget about Europe, you won't even be able to leave this house!"
I don't know which sentence touched a nerve with Shen Yan.
He couldn't help but go find her...
He wants to see her.
However, whether those things are true or false is another matter.
It's only been a few months...
Maybe everything will be alright...
It's not too late...
From that day on, Shen Yan began to eat in abnormal amounts.
He kept drinking until he felt like vomiting.
Although Chen's mother was a little scared when she saw his appearance, it was still better than not eating at all.
It wasn't until spring came again that Shen Yan was finally able to leave the ward.
The next day, he boarded a plane to Europe.
He arrived at the location seven years in the future, following the scene from his dream.
But in the misty rain of that day, I met an unexpected person.
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