The Aftermath and a New Drive

He turned his gaze back to the middle-aged man. They had encountered him a few times before, and naturally knew his name.

“Excuse me, are you Mr. Chen Lujun?”

“That’s me,” Chen Lujun affirmed, dusting off his clothes with a nod.

“Alright, I understand the situation now. You’ll give your statements shortly. After that, you’re free to leave.”

Having said his piece, the officer turned to leave. However, his gaze caught sight of a familiar figure.

“Lin Yiting?”

Upon hearing her name called, Lin Yiting’s expression immediately darkened.

She had once served a few years at the police station herself, and this man happened to know her.

“Spit it out, whatever it is.” She waved her hand dismissively, clearly not holding him in high regard.

He didn’t dare press further. Lin Yiting had a notoriously volatile temper during her time at their precinct, and he was afraid of provoking this ‘plague god.’

Once the situation was properly handled, Chen Lujun took out his phone to send a message to the driver.

After a long moment, there was no reply. Sensing something was amiss, Chen Lujun decided to call the driver directly.

The phone’s ringing echoed from nearby. He followed the sound, and there, wedged between several cars, lay a middle-aged man in a black suit.

A pool of blood stained the ground beneath him. Grisly bullet holes marred his back.

The ringing phone was emanating from his pants pocket.

Chen Lujun gazed up at the sky, his heart seething with fury, unsure where to direct his overwhelming rage.

He clenched his fist, as large as a sandbag. His eyes brimmed with a faint redness.

‘This matter absolutely won’t end here,’ Chen Lujun resolved in his heart. ‘Once this banquet concludes, I will launch an investigation. By then, neither those who pursued us nor the masterminds operating behind the scenes will escape.’

Returning to the others with a grim expression, Chen Lujun let out a helpless sigh.

Leaning against the car door, Lin Yiting had already observed the expression on Chen Lujun’s face. Seeing his crestfallen look, she knew it couldn’t be good news, and thus refrained from asking.

As he approached, Lin Yiting raised an eyebrow and inquired, “Are we leaving?”

In Lin Yiting’s opinion, the sooner they left, the better. She still had injuries, and an infected wound would only complicate matters.

The gunshots had ceased; the assailants were clearly subdued by the police.

Chen Lujun had already entrusted the follow-up work to the officers, meaning there was nothing left for them to do.

Chen Lujun glanced at her, then nodded.

“Can you drive?”

“Drive?” Lin Yiting frowned, then a realization dawned on her.

For Chen Lujun to ask such a question, it could only mean that the driver from earlier was already dead.

“Ah, don’t be too sad.” Lin Yiting patted Chen Lujun’s shoulder. She then meticulously examined the car, patting her prominent chest. “I have no problem with this car,” she declared with assurance, “but… I’m not free.”

“Money is no object.”

Watching Chen Lujun get into the car, Lin Yiting shifted her gaze to the two figures on the ground. At this moment, Lin Yi was still pinned beneath Chen Sishi.

Though Chen Sishi appeared slender, her weight on Lin Yi was enough to keep him pinned down.

Walking up to them, she gently patted Chen Sishi’s shoulder. “Chen Sishi, let him up.”

Chen Sishi remained unmoving, as if she had grown onto Lin Yi. She refused to let go, no matter what.

‘Lin Yi was hers, every part of him. How could she possibly let go so easily?’

With this thought, Chen Sishi even pressed her entire body against Lin Yi’s, as if to claim him entirely as her own.

Lin Yiting pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation. She had anticipated something like this and wasn’t about to reason with Chen Sishi. Once that girl went wild, she wouldn’t listen to a single word.

Reasoning with her was far less efficient than simply taking action. So, without a second thought, Lin Yiting grabbed Chen Sishi by her collar, pulling her off Lin Yi.

Afterward, she dusted off her hands.

“Alright, let’s go quickly. We’ll be too late otherwise.”

Closing the car door, Lin Yiting began checking for any malfunctions.

Their luck held; the bullets hadn’t pierced the car’s exterior steel plates. Perhaps there were too many vehicles around, or the assailants only managed a few shots, hitting non-critical areas.

The car slowly started. Lin Yiting drove it past the obstacles ahead, heading straight for the wide road.

Once back on the road, the car accelerated rapidly, blurring the surrounding scenery.

Gazing at the wide, desolate highway ahead, Lin Yiting freed one hand to wipe the cold sweat from her brow. Her wound still throbbed faintly, the white cloth already stained crimson with blood.

“There’s a hospital five kilometers ahead on this road. You should get yourself checked out there.”

Chen Lujun, in the passenger seat, had naturally noticed these details.

“Tell me, Boss Chen, does this count as a work-related injury?” Lin Yiting asked. She focused intently on the road ahead, using a teasing tone to distract herself. This helped to alleviate the pain in her hand.

Yet, cold sweat once again beaded on her forehead, an endless stream no matter how much she wiped.

She regulated her breathing, careful not to hyperventilate and impair her thoughts.

Just as Lin Yiting had to fully concentrate on the road ahead, the man’s voice finally broke through the silence.

“Well, I’ll cover your medical expenses this time. If you’re not satisfied, you can even have this car.”

“Ha, Boss Chen, you flatter me. I’m not used to driving a car like this.”

Lin Yiting understood that Chen Lujun’s last remark was a jest, and she responded in kind, with a playful tone.

Instantly, the heavy atmosphere in the car dissipated considerably.

****

After some time, the car arrived at the hospital. Lin Yiting and Chen Lujun exited, leaving the other two locked inside.

Chen Sishi silently leaned closer to Lin Yi. Lin Yi, however, was entirely preoccupied with his sister, leaving him no attention to spare for her.

It was under these circumstances that Chen Sishi easily drew close to Lin Yi.

Her head rested gently on Lin Yi’s shoulder, a sweet smile gracing her lips. A closer look, however, would reveal a far more terrifying emotion hidden within her aquamarine eyes.

It was a desire, an intensely greedy one. This greed knew no bounds; once she possessed Lin Yi, she would crave even more.

“Lin Yi, what are you looking at?” Her voice, soft as a breeze, rippled through Lin Yi’s heart. He turned to look at the silver-haired girl. The resistance he felt earlier seemed to have lessened.

After everything that had just transpired, Lin Yi actually found the girl quite agreeable. Her way of expressing affection, however, still startled him somewhat.

Scenes of the girl comforting him flashed through Lin Yi’s mind, and he felt a warm current spread throughout his entire body.