DASFAM_87

Ten minutes earlier—

Dense clouds had blotted out the last sliver of daylight.

The assistant, Guo Wangquan, sat in the car, leaning forward to take in the ominous sky, "Fourth Young Master, looks like it'll probably rain soon."

Shang Queyan had just replied to Bai Xu's message. He gazed out at the abandoned residential buildings in the distance, swallowed in darkness, and found himself unable to sit still any longer.

"Xiao Guo, stay here and wait for my brother and the others," He unbuckled his seatbelt while opening the car door, "I'll go take a look around the area first."

Guo Wangquan, worried, said, "Fourth Young Master! You really shouldn't go alone! You just got fitted with this new prosthetic, it still needs time to adjust, and if it starts raining, this gravel road will be hard to walk on."

Shang Queyan understood his assistant's good intentions, but he genuinely couldn't put his mind at ease about Old Master Shang, "Don't worry, I can manage."

Shang Yanxiao and Bai Xu had already set out with the police, and either way, they'd arrive in about ten minutes.

With that, he got out of the car.

Guo Wangquan understood the stubborn streak running through his boss to the core, and could only follow his instructions, "Alright."

Shang Queyan closed the car door and headed in the direction indicated by the tracker. The new custom-fitted prosthetic leg felt a bit tight, making it difficult to take large strides for the moment.

A fierce wind howled across the wasteland, the dry reeds rustling against each other, the sound alone carrying an unexpectedly oppressive weight.

Just as Shang Queyan approached the abandoned residential area, the faint sound of an engine starting up suddenly reached him. Through the gap between two rows of buildings, he caught sight of a silver-black van speeding away.

"……"

Shang Queyan instinctively sensed something was wrong, and immediately cut through the small path between the two rows of houses. The car from before had already vanished without a trace, but it still led him to an unexpected discovery—

the last row of abandoned houses sat diagonally above, directly facing the road below.

On the slope right then, two figures stood out clearly. The aging Sun Chuan was struggling and exerting himself to push Old Master Shang's wheelchair, attempting to flee up the slope to the road.

Shang Queyan, seeing that the tracker on his phone hadn't moved, realized something was off. Clearly, the other party had sensed something and was now planning to escape with Old Master Shang.

If Sun Chuan got away now, finding him afterward would be no easy task.

Realizing this, Shang Queyan shouted, "Sun Chuan! Stop right there!"

A long-unfelt sharp friction pain shot through where his prosthetic connected, but he had no time to spare for it now, simply rushing forward as fast as he could.

"……"

On the slope, Sun Chuan, hearing this furious shout, was so startled his footing slipped an inch. He'd never expected the Shang family to arrive this quickly!

For a moment, he couldn't tell who exactly was coming after him, and could only throw all his strength into pushing Old Master Shang up the slope.

Unlike Sun Chuan, Old Master Shang recognized from that single shout alone that it was his youngest grandson coming. He worried about Shang Queyan's legs, while also not wanting Sun Chuan to keep 'fleeing' with him in tow.

A faint glint flickered in the depths of Old Master Shang's eyes, and seizing the moment while Sun Chuan was too tense to notice, he slightly shifted his fingers toward the wheelchair's electric control panel.

Sun Chuan was getting on in years after all, and the combined weight of Old Master Shang and the wheelchair was no small burden, this short, steep slope had already cost him a great deal of effort.

By the time he'd successfully pushed Old Master Shang up onto the road, Shang Queyan had already caught up to the bottom of the slope.

"Sun Chuan! Stop! You won't get away!"

"……"

Ignoring the warning, Sun Chuan pushed Old Master Shang forward on the road, intending to run, only to find, to his shock, that he couldn't move it forward—

Old Master Shang had used every ounce of strength he had to press down on the electric wheelchair's brake button, hoping to buy time so his lagging youngest grandson could catch up.

Raindrops, long held back, finally began to fall.

Catching sight of Old Master Shang's covert action, Sun Chuan's temper flared instantly, "You old fool who refuses to die!"

With that, he savagely wrenched Old Master Shang's hand away.

—Clang!

Old Master Shang's arm, yanked away and slammed back down, accidentally struck the wheelchair's forward control button.

Sun Chuan, momentarily caught off guard, let go of his grip, standing there dazed for a moment. Almost in the blink of an eye, the wheelchair, which had been stationary, suddenly lurched forward, sliding diagonally toward the front edge of the road!

"……"

"Grandfather!"

Just as Shang Queyan reached the top of the slope, he saw the scene unfold before him. Ignoring the searing friction pain at the amputation site, he gritted his teeth and broke into a sprint, chasing after them!

Old Master Shang watched helplessly as he slid toward the edge of the slope, his stiffened arm still unable to move, pressed firmly down on the forward control button.

Shang Queyan felt his own heartbeat hammering up into his throat, thinking that he'd never run this fast in his entire life, yet still wishing he could go faster, even faster still.

Just as he reached out and grabbed hold of the wheelchair's handle, the prosthetic leg, not yet fully adjusted, suddenly buckled under the excessive speed, and his entire body went flying off the edge along with Old Master Shang in the wheelchair.

—Boom!

A crash of thunder fell abruptly, and along with it came the sound of heavy weight slamming down the slope, jolting Sun Chuan's eardrums.

He hurried to the edge of the road to check, only to see Old Master Shang and Shang Queyan both lying at the bottom of the five-or-six-meter drop, the former completely unmoving, the latter dragging his battered body forward.

"……"

Overwhelming panic spread through Sun Chuan from the depths of his heart.

He looked frantically around the empty road on both sides, muttering under his breath, "Not me, this wasn't me, it's, it's the two of you, grandfather and grandson, who brought this on yourselves!"

Sun Chuan had no intention whatsoever of going down to help. Instead, he turned and bolted in the opposite direction.

...

The pouring rain blanketed the already dim road.

Shang Qishun had successfully switched to another vehicle, leaving via a side road with no surveillance. The hired driver, Old Yue, circled back with the van to the same deserted stretch of empty road—

partly as a diversion, drawing attention away from the car Shang Qishun was riding in, and partly to pick up Sun Chuan and Old Master Shang, who'd left through the back door.

Less than half a minute later, he spotted Sun Chuan fleeing alone down the road.

Old Yue's gaze fixed on the figure, and he spoke into the Bluetooth earpiece that had stayed on the call the whole time, "Boss, it's just the one guy named Sun."

"……"

A breath laced with barely-contained anger came through the earpiece, and within three seconds, the decision was made, "Get rid of him."

A flicker crossed Old Yue's eyes, "That'll cost extra."

"Clean it up properly, triple the pay."

"Generous of you, boss."

Old Yue hung up the call and started the van, slowly trailing after the man.

—Honk honk!

Sun Chuan, already unable to run any further, was gasping for breath, exhausted.

Hearing the horn, he flinched in alarm at first, but once he made out the license plate, his face lit up with the relief of someone who thought he was about to be picked up.

That sense of relief lasted barely five seconds before it turned into a scream of terror that never had time to escape his throat.

—Crash!

The vehicle, accelerating at full speed, sent him flying more than ten meters, then ran straight over his body.

The torrential rain washed the rapidly spreading bloodstain wide open, forming a portrait of death.

...

The Capital Central Hospital, the bright red light above the emergency room glared painfully.

Xie Qi had bought a few bath towels nearby and gotten some hot water, rushing back in a hurry, "Third Young Master, Young Master Bai, why don't you dry off first? Or maybe just change into dry clothes?"

Having been soaked in the downpour for so long, Bai Xu, Shang Yanxiao, and Shang Queyan were all drenched through.

Shang Yanxiao took the towels first, wrapping one around Bai Xu beside him, "Are you cold? Go change first?"

The early spring thunderstorm still carried a bone-chilling cold.

Bai Xu shook his head, taking the other towel from his lover's hands, "I'm fine, dry yourself off too."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the right, gesturing for Shang Yanxiao to go to Shang Queyan—

On the bench in the corridor, Shang Queyan sat just as soaked through, his hands pressed against the edge of the bench, trembling uncontrollably, the backs of his exposed hands covered in scrapes and bloody marks.

Beyond that, his jacket and shirt were stained with patches of blood.

Shang Yanxiao frowned and approached, crouching down in front of Shang Queyan, "Queyan, why don't I have your assistant take you to get an X-ray and have those wounds treated? Bai Xu and I will stay here with Grandfather."

"No, I'm not leaving!"

Shang Queyan's hands pressed down hard against the edge of the bench, yet they wouldn't stop shaking, his whole body teetering on the edge of extreme emotion.

"Brother, it's all my fault, I ran too slow, I, I just couldn't hold on." He lowered his eyes to look at his empty pant leg, his eyes rimmed red, "After all this time, I, I'm still useless."

If anyone else had gone to chase after them on the scene, perhaps Old Master Shang wouldn't have been hurt at all.

"……"

Shang Yanxiao draped the towel over Shang Queyan's shoulders, patting his back, forcefully suppressing his own anguish, "It's not your fault."

If anyone was to blame, it was him, the older brother, for arriving too late!

"……"

Bai Xu noticed the veins standing out on Shang Yanxiao's neck from the sheer effort of restraining himself, understanding that deep down, his lover must be feeling even worse than Shang Queyan right now, and couldn't help feeling a sting in his own eyes.

The officer in charge approached, "Mr. Shang."

Shang Yanxiao quickly reined in his emotions, steadying his expression as he stood up.

The officer spoke directly, "While our team was conducting a sweep, they found Sun Chuan's body about six hundred meters west of the accident site on the road."

"……"

What? Dead?

At these words, Bai Xu and Shang Queyan's expressions both changed at once.

Shang Yanxiao said gravely, "How did he die?"

"He was struck by a vehicle, then run over a second time. The preliminary assessment points to ruptured internal organs and severe blood loss, but since the section of road where it happened is an abandoned stretch where construction was halted partway through, there's no surveillance footage installed there."

"We've expanded the search radius and are checking for suspicious vehicles on the surveillance footage from nearby roads. We'll inform your family as soon as we have specific information."

"Understood."

The words had barely settled before footsteps echoed down the hall.

Shang Keshu, having received the news, hurried over with Old Madam Shang, with Shang Keyi, equally panicked, trailing close behind.

Bai Xu stepped forward in Shang Yanxiao's place to greet them, "Grandmother."

Seeing Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao soaked to the bone, and Shang Queyan covered in blood and wounds, Old Madam Shang felt a stab of unbearable pain in her chest.

"What, what on earth happened? Every single one of you, how did you all end up like this? Where's your grandfather?"

For the first time in his life, Bai Xu found it this difficult to speak, "...He's still in emergency surgery."

Xie Qi, who'd already learned the full story, stepped in to explain, "Old Madam, Sun Chuan apparently discovered the tracker hidden in Grandfather's watch, and tried to flee with him."

"After Fourth Young Master spotted them, he pushed Grandfather's wheelchair out toward the edge. Fourth Young Master, with his mobility issues, grabbed hold of it and went over the slope along with him."

"……"

The string of prayer beads in Old Madam Shang's hand snapped instantly, scattering across the floor with a clattering sound.

Bai Xu, recalling the meaning behind this string of prayer beads, felt his heart lurch violently, instinctively crouching down to gather them up.

Shang Yanxiao sensed the fear behind his lover's action, "A' Xu?"

Before Bai Xu could respond, the door of the emergency room opened once again, and the doctor who walked out was none other than Zhang Changxu, on duty that night.

At the sight of him, Shang Yanxiao and the others rushed forward at once, even Shang Queyan, supported by his assistant, hopped closer on one leg.

Only Bai Xu, as though sensing something, gripped the prayer beads tightly in his hand and rose slowly.

Zhang Changxu met the anxious gazes around him and removed his mask.

Unable to bring himself to look directly at Old Madam Shang, he could only force the words out toward his friend instead, "I'm sorry, we did everything we could. My condolences."

Old Master Shang's life had already been pulled back from death's door once before. Now, having suffered a fall like this, by the time he'd been rushed to the hospital, his vital signs had already been dangerously weak.

At his age, there was simply nothing more that could be done.

"……"

Old Madam Shang understood the meaning behind these words, and in an instant, blood rushed to her head and she collapsed in a faint.

"Mother!"

Shang Keshu and Shang Keyi hurried to support her, tears streaming down both sisters' faces in identical fashion.

The breath Shang Queyan had been forcing himself to hold suddenly gave way, and unable to support himself any longer, he collapsed to the ground, only able to suppress his sobs with everything he had.

Off to the side, the assistant could only watch in helpless anxiety, "Fourth Young Master! Are you alright?"

Zhang Changxu looked at Shang Yanxiao, who still hadn't reacted, "Yanxiao, I'm sorry, I..."

Shang Yanxiao spoke hoarsely, "I know. You did everything you could."

With that, he turned instinctively, seeking out his lover's presence.

Standing apart from the crowd, Bai Xu felt the prayer beads, once the smoothest and most well-worn, now digging painfully into his palm. Meeting his lover's gaze, he forced out a difficult breath—

Why?

He'd already worked so hard to change so many things, so why couldn't he avoid this outcome after all? And what about everyone else?

What about Shang Yanxiao's future? Would that outcome remain unchanged too?

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