6:30 PM.
Gong Yue concluded his video conference, checked the time, and realized it was getting late — he promised Ye Shanshan that he would return early today.
Anticipating being followed by Ye Shanshan and having her talk incessantly for half an hour after returning home, Gong Yue’s expression lightened a bit. After organizing his documents, he activated the internal communication, “Tell the driver I’ll be downstairs in five minutes.”
After a few seconds, the voice of Mr. East came through the communicator, “Sorry, sir, Wu, the driver, asked for leave around 4:00 PM today. At that time, you were in a meeting, so it wasn’t reported to you.”
Gong Yue’s hand, resting on the computer power button, paused. He looked at the blinking green light on the communicator, and his pupils had a momentary contraction.
After a few seconds, he spoke again, slowing down his pace, “In that case, thank you for taking me home today. We’ll leave in five minutes.”
After a subtle “click” sound, the communication was terminated. Gong Yue leaned back in his chair, caressing the ring on his finger — since the time when Ye Shanshan personally helped him put it on, he had never taken it off.
A minute later, Gong Yue sent a message to Chris, “Have someone follow.”
After receiving a reply, he opened the locked bottom drawer, which contained an 84-style miniature pistol and a thumb-sized metal box.
Efficiently loading the pistol with bullets, Gong Yue then opened the metal box. Inside were seven capsules, each containing a miniature locator capable of sending signals without being hindered by regular shielding systems. Gong Yue picked one up, activated it, and placed it in his pocket.
At this moment, precisely five minutes had passed. Gong Yue stood up and walked out of the office. He said to East waiting at the door, “Let’s go.”
The two took the elevator together to the underground parking lot. East opened the back door of the car for Gong Yue. After Gong Yue was seated, East took the driver’s seat.
The sky had darkened, neon lights flickered, illuminating the bleak rows of trees shedding leaves. Gong Yue observed the familiar street scenes, playing with the golden pendant on his phone. Suddenly, he asked,
“How’s the traffic?”
East glanced at the car screen and spoke in a normal tone, “There’s a traffic jam ahead. Taking a detour might be faster. Sir, do you want to take a detour?”
Gong Yue nodded after a moment, “Yes, take the fastest route.”
So, at the fourth intersection, the turn signal of the Maybach that Gong Yue was riding lit up, and they entered another street. Following closely, Chris squinted and also turned the steering wheel.
“Seems there’s a problem. Notify the second team; tighten security on the car.”
※※※
Inside the car, the atmosphere was somewhat quiet. Gong Yue shifted his gaze from the window back inside and started a conversation, “I heard your mother was hospitalized last month.”
“Yes.” East didn’t know why Gong Yue suddenly brought this up, feeling his heart rate inexplicably accelerating. He glanced at the rearview mirror, where Gong Yue was currently reading a newspaper. Trying to keep his tone light, Ernest continued, “But she only stayed for two weeks and has already been discharged. It’s just some chronic illnesses of old age, recurring, but nothing major.”
Gong Yue nodded nonchalantly, the “rustle” of flipping pages drawing attention, “Your father must be quite worried, I presume?”
The tone sounded like chatting casually to pass the time out of boredom.
East hesitated before speaking, “My parents divorced when I was young, and I haven’t seen my father for many years since then.”
“Sorry.” After Gong Yue finished speaking, perhaps feeling that he had touched upon East’s privacy, he didn’t say anything more, and the atmosphere quieted down again.
Twenty minutes later, Gong Yue closed the newspaper, looked at the diminishing neon lights outside the window, and asked, “Is this the right road?” After asking, he noticed a momentary stiffness in East’s expression.
“The navigation says this is the right road.”
Gong Yue carefully folded the newspaper and placed it in the storage compartment before speaking, “Is the navigation still working? It’s strange, my phone signal has disappeared.”
East’s grip on the steering wheel tightened momentarily, and he broke into a forced smile, “My phone also seems to have no signal, perhaps it’s just a signal issue.” Putting the pendant phone into his bag, Gong Yue’s voice was low and chilling, “East, you’ve been with me for several years. You should know how I usually treat traitors.”
Before East could respond, he felt a cold, hard metal object against the back of his neck. Fear seized his heart instantly as he realized it was a gun!
Looking into the rearview mirror, Gong Yue met East’s constricted pupils and spoke slowly and deliberately, “Do you want to give it a try?”
Meanwhile, Chris, watching the Maybach ahead, suddenly saw it brake abruptly and stop by the roadside, causing a grating sound as the tires scraped against the ground. He glanced ahead and then put on his headphones, saying, “I’ll go check it out; you guys stay in the car.” With that, he grabbed his weapon and got out of the car.
Standing in front of the silent car door, Chris knocked on the rear window. After a few seconds, the door was opened from the inside, revealing the scene inside the car. Gong Yue’s hand holding the gun was steady, clearly dominating Eastt.
“They’re here,” Chris nodded, opened the passenger door, and sat inside, saying, “Young Master.”
“Alright,” Gong Yue responded before turning to East, “Speak up, what’s going on?”
When Eastt saw Chris appear, he knew he had been exposed at some point. Feeling the gun against the back of his neck, he took a trembling breath and said, “What do you want to know.”
Gong Yue lifted his eyelids slightly, “You tell me.” With a slight movement of his finger, there was a clear “click” as the pistol was chambered, compressing the air in the car instantly and making it difficult to breathe.
East closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time before a bitter smile appeared on his lips, “Yes, I know.”
He organized his thoughts, “My parents divorced when I was in elementary school, and the court awarded custody to my mother. The man was a university professor, a professor of bioengineering. However, because his research area was not valued, he resigned from the university in anger and completely cut off contact afterward.”
When Gong Yue heard the words “professor of bioengineering,” his gaze sharpened. However, he was patient and didn’t rush, waiting for East to continue. “Last month, my mother was hospitalized. After she was discharged, she told me that my father had visited her. I was surprised, but later I found out that about a year ago, he had resumed contact with my mother, and they frequently met. Through conversations with my mother, I discovered that he often inquired about my schedule.”
Chris glanced at Gong Yue and then asked East, “Four months ago, during the accident, did you mention the Young Master’s schedule in front of your mother?”
“Yes, I also found out that I casually mentioned it then. I said I had to get up early to pick someone up at the airport, and the next few days would be busy.” He didn’t expect that it would be exploited by someone with malicious intentions.
East took a deep breath, his voice trembling, “Two days ago, my mother disappeared, and that man threatened me to cooperate, otherwise he would kill my mother.”
So, he compromised.
Gong Yue didn’t care about these details. With a pensive look, he tightened his grip on the gun, “Your plan.”
East didn’t intend to conceal anything, “Cut off the signal, block the positioning system on the car, raise the barrier, release the gas that causes unconsciousness, take you to the designated location after you lose consciousness, and then I can leave with my mother.”
Chris sneered, “It’s ridiculous. Aren’t you afraid they might kill you to keep it a secret?”
East’s tone was bitter, “I have no other choice.”
He had disclosed Gong Yue’s schedule, which led to the car accident. Therefore, if he had confessed this earlier, he would likely have been controlled by Gong Yue. After that, his mother’s safety would not have been guaranteed.
Gong Yue looked out at the night sky and asked East, “Where is your designated location?”
East mentioned an abandoned resort, which was remote but not far from the highway.
“How many people do they have?”
East shook his head, “When I met that man, he had three armed men with him. I’m not sure about the total number.”
Gong Yue looked at Chris, “How many people did you bring?”
“Ten, including me. The second team is on standby and can head straight to the abandoned resort.”
Gong Yue nodded, “Send a message to Shanshan, telling her I’ll be home late, and let him go to sleep without waiting for me.”
Saying that, he put down the gun against East’s neck. “Next, cooperate with me, and I’ll ensure the safety of your mother.”
※※※
In the study.
Ye Shanshan lay flat on the floor, feeling a bit like a scallion pancake without scallions, feeling a bit down. It was already eight o’clock, and Gong Yue still hadn’t returned, nor had he sent a message.
Fearing the worst, Ye Shanshan realized that the hasty dinner he had eaten earlier had already been digested, and now he felt cold, hungry, and exhausted.
Life was so difficult!
Caught between continuing to play dead or getting up to find something to eat, he hesitated for a long time, feeling his empty stomach. In the end, he decided to temporarily halt the battle of playing dead and focus on closing the window to keep out the chilly wind.
Feeling regretful, as if the male lead was already on stage but the other actor was still missing, Ye Shanshan sighed deeply — it seemed that the synchronization between him and His Majesty had disconnected.
Turning over and standing up, Ye Shanshan straightened his wrinkled clothes, spat out the warm artificial blood bag from his mouth, and moved his stiff limbs.
Just as he was about to go downstairs to find food and replenish his energy for the upcoming battle, he suddenly heard a special notification sound from his phone.
For the sake of authenticity, his phone was lying under the bed, and Ye Shanshan, with his buttocks raised, retrieved the phone. He found that the screen was lit up with the message “Unknown contact.”
Feeling a jolt in his heart, Ye Shanshan quickly opened the message and entered the nine-digit password as prompted, only to see the contents of the message, “I’ll be home late; you go to sleep first, don’t wait for me.”
Reading the contents of the message repeatedly, Ye Shanshan furrowed his brows tightly, feeling anxious.
He was very familiar with the system that sent the message, which could bypass the communication company’s satellite and directly connect to the Gong family’s own signal path when the phone signal was blocked. It was usually used as a means of seeking help.
But now that Gong Yue was using it, it meant that there was no phone signal in his current location. Either the location was too remote for signal coverage, or it was being deliberately blocked. The former possibility could be ruled out because the signal coverage near City B was comprehensive. That left only one possibility — Gong Yue was in danger.
Ye Shanshan put the blood bag on the nearby table and picked up his phone, quickly descending the stairs while calling Gong Yue, but his call couldn’t be connected.
“Uncle Butler, can you please contact Chris for me?”
After trying twice, Butler Hawk shook his head, “Can’t get through.”
Hearing this answer, Ye Shanshan didn’t know whether to be nervous or relieved. Since both of them couldn’t be reached, there were two possibilities. Either Chris had betrayed them and taken Gong Yue away, or Gong Yue was in danger but had a plan, and Chris was already cooperating.
Standing in place for a while, deep in thought, Ye Shanshan tightened his grip on his phone. “Uncle Butler, please prepare the car for me. I need to go to Gong Yue’s office.”
※※※
On the other side, there were only Gong Yue and East left in the car.
Taking the glass bottle handed over by East, Gong Yue was about to open it when East asked, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll attack you after you lose consciousness?”
Gong Yue glanced at him, “You wouldn’t dare.” With that, he unscrewed the bottle and inhaled the gas inside. Although he only inhaled half of it, Gong Yue felt his vision gradually blur, and soon he lost consciousness.
East laid the unconscious Gong Yue flat on the back seat and then firmly gripped the steering wheel.
When Gong Yue regained consciousness, he didn’t immediately open his eyes. Instead, he controlled his breathing and pretended to be unconscious. It was very quiet around him, and he felt like he was lying on a leather bed. He was probably already transferred to the resort. Feeling around, he confirmed that the pistol was still on him.
Since the last time he found out that his blood sample had been taken away, all leads had been cut off. His only guess was that this might be related to the god-making plan and Gong Yue’s experiments.
And this time, the other party came knocking again. It was easy to speculate that since no special characteristics were found in the blood sample taken during the car accident, the other party wanted to confirm it again. Or perhaps his blood’s special characteristics had been detected, and the next step of the plan required his “participation.”
At that moment, there was suddenly a burst of intense arguing, sounding like it was coming through glass and not very clear.
“Don’t cling to these ridiculous ideas anymore! You can’t succeed! I’ve brought the person, and we weren’t followed. I don’t care where you take the person next, I just want to know where Mom is!”
—This was East’s voice, although it was somewhat unclear, Gong Yue could confirm it.
Not knowing what the other person said, East’s emotions seemed to be getting out of control, “Since you divorced my mom, you haven’t been my father anymore! You have no right! Now, tell me where my mom is, right away!”
The other person’s voice also suddenly raised, sounding like a middle-aged man,
“Why don’t you believe in your father? What I’m doing is a great cause! I’m creating a god! As long as I find the basic gene map, I can succeed and make those who once mocked me and looked down on me all kneel and worship me! My dear son, you can join us and create miracles with me!”
Gong Yue’s breath momentarily stopped, creating a god, a basic gene map?
“What gene map? Are you really crazy? There is no god in the world!” East’s heart skipped a beat. He had previously reached an agreement with Gong Yue that he would start with his own father to get more clues. But now, the emotional aspect of this matter was somewhat unexpected to him.
“I’m not crazy! My investors provide the most advanced equipment, the most cutting-edge team. As long as we find the basic gene map, I can recreate the god-making plan, become the greatest scientist in the world!”
Upon hearing this, Gong Yue pressed the signal transmitter in his hand, then sat up, gripping the gun in his hand.
※※※
Ye Shanshan was sitting in Gong Yue’s office, listening to the recording of Gong Yue and East’s conversation.
The recording was short, only four sentences in total. After playing it, Ye Shanshan played it again, listening to the slowed-down pace of Gong Yue’s speech — it was clear that the big boss had sensed something, but he didn’t refuse East’s proposal.
Moreover, the surveillance showed that after Gong Yue and East got in the car, Chris followed with people. Thinking for a moment, Ye Shanshan opened the bottom drawer, and sure enough, the pistol was gone, and one of the micro-trackers in the metal box was missing.
At this point, Ye Shanshan finally relaxed.
Leaving the office and returning home, Ye Shanshan grabbed a lollipop and comforted his startled heart.
He took paper and pen and started drawing something he didn’t know what, suddenly speaking, “Uncle, please inform Yuli Hospital to prepare for emergency treatment for severe injuries, just in case.”
Butler Hawk nodded and made the call.
For the next few hours, Ye Shanshan rolled back and forth on the sofa in the living room, feeling restless. Unfortunately, he didn’t know the situation with Gong Yue or Chris, and most importantly, even if he could determine their location, he couldn’t rush over. What if he disrupted His Majesty’s plan?
He felt like a ball of yarn being played with by a cat, all tangled up.
As the night wore on, Ye Shanshan sat on the sofa with wide eyes, holding a cushion, staring at the door blankly. Suddenly, the piercing sound of a phone ringing interrupted the silence.
Ye Shanshan nearly jumped up. After answering the call, he spoke cautiously, “Hello?”
“Mr. Ye, I’m Chris. We’re currently on our way to Yuli Hospital with the Young Master. He’s been shot in the arm and has fallen into a coma.”
Taking a sharp breath, feeling his heart tighten, Ye Shanshan’s mind immediately flashed back to that night when Gong Yuer ran towards the laboratory engulfed in flames.
Trying to calm himself down, Ye Shanshan didn’t say much, “I’ll come over right away, please take care of Gong Yue.”
※※※
When Ye Shanshan and Butler Hawk arrived at the hospital, Gong Yue was still twenty minutes away.
They found the hospital director first. Since they didn’t know the severity of Gong Yue’s injury, Ye Shanshan requested surgery to ensure that Gong Yue could receive the most effective treatment as soon as he arrived. At the same time, he demanded that all those who knew about Gong Yue’s injury keep it confidential and not reveal it to anyone, including the rest of the Gong family.
After that, he contacted another assistant in Gong Yue’s name, explaining that East had been temporarily dispatched overseas, and instructed the assistant to temporarily assume the position of chief assistant and prepare all pending documents for tomorrow’s handover to Butler Hawk.
Then, he asked Butler Hawk to contact Zheng Dong and ask him to help arrange leave from the film crew on his behalf. If that wasn’t possible, they could consider giving up on the role altogether.
After arranging everything one by one, Ye Shanshan sat in a chair, absentmindedly picking at the chair with his fingers, contemplating if there was anything else he had missed.
Butler Hawk handed a candy to Ye Shanshan. “Mr. Ye, you’ve done well.”
Ye Shanshan took the lollipop, tore open the wrapper, and said seriously, “Gong Yue has encountered some trouble, and I want to ensure that he has nothing to worry about.”
Author’s Note: Ye Drama: Let me tell you, you missed out on a big show by not staying overnight!
Gong Boss: Can we perform it again?
Ye Drama didn’t say anything, just flopped onto the ground pretending to be dead.
Gong Boss: …
———————
My “金” and “主” have been erased from memory and harmonized. I can’t use the words “金” and “主,” so what should I change the title to in order to comply with the core socialist values? What a difficult task!!!
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
