Lin’s father was frying meatballs when the phone rang.
After all, what’s a Chinese New Year without the warm, fragrant aroma of meatballs filling the house?
But halfway through the call…
The spatula dropped from his hand with a loud clatter.
＊
At the Sixth Hospital of Beijing.
Lin Zhiyu lay half-reclined on the hospital bed, a bandage on his forehead, his face a bit pale from blood loss. Fortunately, his injuries weren’t serious.
He gently patted Xie Youzhou’s head, whose eyes were red with worry, and spoke softly to comfort him.
“I’m fine, don’t worry…”
Xie Youzhou clung tightly to Lin Zhiyu’s hand, his voice trembling. “I’d rather it were me with a broken head than my gege…”
“But you’re hurt too. How could I not worry?”
Lin Zhiyu held his hand, his gaze tender.
“We should be grateful. If you hadn’t reacted so quickly and been such a skilled driver, I might have…”
“Gege! Say ‘bah bah bah!’” Xie Youzhou interrupted, horrified.
Lin Zhiyu was taken aback, then chuckled lightly.
“All right, I bah bah bah… bah bah bah!”
“Is it convenient to take your statement now?”
A voice sounded from the doorway, and a short-haired policewoman entered. It was Li Yuqing, whom Lin Zhiyu had met after a previous explosion incident.
“Yes, of course,” Lin Zhiyu replied.
Li Yuqing approached, her face filled with concern.
She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated.
Lin Zhiyu laughed softly, trying to reassure her. “Don’t worry, it just looks bad—it’s just a cut from the glass. No concussion or anything.”
“That’s a relief.”
Li Yuqing exhaled, visibly calming.
“Have they finished the checkup?”
“Yes, everything’s fine. How about the driver of the car we rear-ended?”
“No injuries—just a damaged bumper. The insurance company is handling it.”
“I’ll take care of any damages or inconveniences,” Xie Youzhou offered. “Could I get his contact information?”
Li Yuqing nodded, then opened her notebook.
“Let’s start with your statement. Can you describe what happened with the truck?”
…
After about ten minutes, they finished the report.
Before leaving, Li Yuqing shared some preliminary information about the two trucks involved in the accident.
Both Lin Zhiyu and Xie Youzhou were shocked to learn that the driver of the large truck and the cement truck behind them were both drunk.
They exchanged a glance, silently conveying a shared realization.
Something felt off.
If the truck hadn’t surged forward, the cement truck’s sudden acceleration would still have put them at severe risk. Without Xie Youzhou’s quick reflexes, superb driving, and the empty suburban roads, they might not have survived.
Lin Zhiyu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Before leaving, Comrade Zhao had given him a special document with instructions to call a specific number if he ever sensed imminent danger. The department would respond immediately.
Perhaps… it was time to use those rights granted by the state.
Noticing his gege’s thoughtful expression, Xie Youzhou gave his wrist a gentle squeeze.
“Gege, call them. I’ll start working from my side. Let’s coordinate.”
“All right.”
Just as Lin Zhiyu responded, hurried footsteps and muffled sobs echoed from the hallway.
Looking up, he saw Lin Zhaoqiu and Father Lin rushing toward him, looking disheveled.
Lin Zhaoqiu immediately threw herself at his bedside, crying loudly.
Lin Zhiyu reached out and patted her head gently.
“Brother is fine. Don’t cry.”
“You scared me, ge… you scared me to death…”
Father Lin’s eyes were red, and his lips quivered. “You shouldn’t be sitting up like this. Lie down and rest…”
“Dad, I’m fine. I’ve been checked thoroughly. It’s just a cut from some glass. Thanks to Xiaoyou’s quick thinking, we weren’t hit directly.”
Father Lin’s tears streamed down his face as he grasped Xie Youzhou’s hand. “Thank you, son, thank you…”
“Uncle Lin, please, no need for thanks,” Xie Youzhou said, humbly returning the handshake. “Protecting my gege is my top priority.”
Father Lin gazed at Xie Youzhou with tearful admiration. This was the right person for his child—a good, reliable partner.
“Xiaoyou!”
Moments later, Xie’s mother arrived, rushing into the room. After checking that her son was unhurt, she turned her attention to Lin Zhiyu and, seeing only minor injuries, sighed with relief.
“How could this happen? So careless.”
“Auntie, it wasn’t Xiaoyou’s fault. The truck driver was drunk. Xiaoyou did everything he could. Without him, I might not be here.”
“Gege, don’t say that!” Xie Youzhou said urgently.
“Fine, fine. I bah, bah, bah,” Lin Zhiyu replied, playfully appeasing him.
He hadn’t expected everyone else, including Father Lin and Lin Zhaoqiu, to join in, spitting lightly in his direction.
Lin Zhaoqiu even chided him, “Ge, stop jinxing yourself!”
“That’s right. No need for such talk,” Father Lin added, clapping his hands together and bowing toward the window. “May my son live a long life.”
Xie’s mother smiled, joining in. “It’s the New Year—let’s avoid talking like that.”
Surrounded by their admonitions, Lin Zhiyu couldn’t help but nod sheepishly.
All right…
He was in the wrong. Point taken.
Once everyone was certain he was okay, they helped him out of bed.
Then, they all returned to Lin’s home.
After all, the two families had planned to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner together that afternoon.
It didn’t hurt to start a little early and enjoy an extra lunch together.
Father Lin used the liver he’d meant to stir-fry later to make a nourishing soup for Lin Zhiyu, encouraging him to drink more to regain his strength.
Seated next to Lin Zhiyu, Xie Youzhou made sure his bowl was always full, sparing him the effort of reaching for anything.
Though a bit embarrassed, Lin Zhiyu’s heart brimmed with happiness…
He was deeply content with his life.
But he couldn’t ignore the looming threat that hadn’t yet been neutralized.
As long as those responsible were out there…
True peace would elude him.
*
After lunch, Lin Zhiyu went straight to his room and retrieved the special document.
Following its instructions, he made the necessary call.
Meanwhile, Xie Youzhou powered up his computer, his face set with grim determination. Earlier, he’d concealed his anger for the family’s sake, but now, his focus sharpened.
Hortez.
The Ruan family.
He knew that this so-called accident was no random event.
Anger stirred within him—anger at himself for letting his guard down and failing to notice the warning signs.
How could he have relaxed before Hortez and the Ruan family were completely out of the picture?
With resolve, he began tracing the recent movements and contacts of the two truck drivers.
Neither driver had the skills to cover their tracks thoroughly.
Soon, he found that one had left an arrogant comment on a video, boasting that he was about to “strike it rich and have any woman he wanted.”
Digging deeper, Xie Youzhou traced the man’s financial transactions in the following weeks and found some irregularities.
Finally, before New Year’s Eve dinner, he discovered surveillance footage of the driver retrieving a package from a street trash can.
Following the trail, he found the person who had planted the package.
As soon as the face on the screen appeared, Xie Youzhou’s eyes narrowed coldly.
At the same moment, Lin Zhiyu finished his call and walked into the study. He noticed the screen and asked, “Xiaoyou, are you investigating the drivers?”
“Gege, do you recognize this person?”
Lin Zhiyu’s face darkened as he leaned in. When he recognized the face, his eyes widened.
“Tian… Tian Yunhao?!”
“I remember seeing him when I waited for you at the school gate. Didn’t realize you knew him.”
Xie Youzhou’s expression was grim.
“Gege, do you have any issues with him?”
Lin Zhiyu’s face hardened as he took a seat. “On the last day of finals, I caught him cheating, thanks to the monitoring program you developed. But that was six days ago.”
“Six days ago?” Xie Youzhou quickly entered new commands. “But this footage is from ten days ago.”
“So, his revenge isn’t because of the cheating incident,” Lin Zhiyu said coolly, confused. “Then why is he involved in a murder plot?”
“Hopefully, that’s a question the police can answer.”
But Xie Youzhou didn’t call the authorities immediately.
He still needed to investigate the other driver and didn’t want to alert his targets prematurely.
However, these minions weren’t his primary concern.
The main priority was capturing Hortez and his associates.
*
That evening, the two families gathered for New Year’s Eve dinner, enjoying the meal and each other’s company.
Despite the bandage on his head, Lin Zhiyu’s appetite was unaffected.
The Spring Festival Gala played on TV, featuring comedy skits one after another. Lin Zhaoqiu complained that the shows weren’t as good as in previous years.
After dinner, Lin Zhiyu and Xie Youzhou returned to their work.
They spent the next three days tirelessly following leads until the third day of the New Year. By then, Xie Youzhou had uncovered the backgrounds of both drivers and pinpointed Hortez and the Ruan family’s location.
Hortez was holed up in a small region of State F, living luxuriously with Ruan Jiaojiao and her family.
He had established himself as a local tyrant, heavily involved in the drug trade and exploiting the surrounding cities as drug-production hubs.
The impoverished locals had become trapped in addiction, treated as expendable resources.
While the people around him suffered, Hortez and a handful of corrupt officials thrived.
With his wealth, he purchased the most lavish villa in the area, planning to build an estate to indulge Ruan Jiaojiao in a life of luxury.
But despite this, Ruan Jiaojiao was miserable.
She hated the impoverished country and despised her confinement, despite the status he lavished upon her.
Repeatedly, she tried to reach out to the outside world, but each attempt led to brutal consequences for her family.
The first time, she’d attempted to borrow a phone, and when caught, Hortez had cut off one of Ruan Yanzheng’s hands before her eyes.
The second time, she’d tried to steal a map from Hortez’s subordinates. When that failed, he had personally scarred Ruan Yanwei’s face in front of her.
After a third escape attempt, foiled by her own family, Hortez still punished Ruan Yanzheng and Ruan Yanwei, crippling one leg each.
“Who’s to blame but yourselves for failing to convince my Jiaojiao?”
