You Mingxu’s cheek pressed against the cool leather of the car seat. She felt someone feed her a sip of water, followed by a sharp sting in her arm as a thin, cool liquid was injected into her body.
Alarm bells rang in her mind, but her eyes could only open to a slit. She felt Yin Chen gently stroke her head.
She asked, “What… did you inject me with?”
His voice, clear and deliberate, sounded right by her ear: “A nerve paralytic agent. Are you feeling better now? You should be coming around.”
You Mingxu remained silent.
Her body still felt utterly weak, like a lump of collapsed cotton. She didn’t know what else he had done, but her consciousness, which had been on the verge of fading, gradually regained a sliver of clarity. She lay still with her eyes closed, breathing slowly, and when she opened them again, she found herself lying on the back seat of a car moving steadily through the night. Yin Chen was driving.
Judging by the surroundings, they were still near the Xiuzhu Yayuan residential area, seemingly on a narrow road outside the complex, lined with parked cars and moving slowly. You Mingxu’s heart felt as silent as falling snow. Her fingers dug weakly but desperately into the leather seat.
“Are you scared?” he asked.
You Mingxu ignored him, focusing on regulating her breathing and trying to regain some strength.
He didn’t seem to mind. Unlike the wild and ruthless demeanor he had shown before, his voice now sounded heavy: “Where would you like to go? How about Jiangcheng, your hometown?”
Jiangcheng—the home of You Mingxu’s maternal grandparents.
She still didn’t respond.
At least there was a trail to follow, which was better than disappearing without a trace.
Yin Chen asked again, “Do you dislike me? Do you hate me?”
Though her mind was still foggy, You Mingxu suddenly understood: the person before her was likely nearing madness.
Again, she didn’t answer.
He coaxed softly, “Say something.”
Not wanting to provoke him into doing something extreme, You Mingxu replied, “I don’t know.”
He fell silent.
The car continued forward. They were about to reach a wider road, bustling with traffic. Once they merged into it, it would be like a fish returning to the sea—easier to evade capture.
“I feel terrible…” You Mingxu suddenly cried out, “I can’t breathe… Cough… Stop the car! Pull over!”
Then she saw his hands tighten silently on the steering wheel, but he remained motionless, and the car didn’t slow down.
“I know you’re suffering,” his voice grew even heavier, as if suppressing some obscure, surging restraint. “Endure it a little longer. By my side, you’ll be safe.”
Damn it! You Mingxu cursed inwardly. Madman!
She gave up pretending to be in distress and struggled to think of another way to escape. Then she thought of Yin Feng, and her heart jolted. Casting caution aside, she asked, “What about Yin Feng?”
Yin Chen’s tone turned much colder than before: “Didn’t you see? I blew him up. Teacher Fan said he would definitely profile me and go to those houses. And look, he really went. Hah… Should I say, ‘the devil is mightier than the law’? It’s perfect. Before we left, I sent him where he belongs. Actually, you know—I could have killed him long ago. But his death today is just right.”You Mingxu's heart grew colder with each word, a chill that felt as if it were being devoured by a black blizzard. Subconsciously, she refused to believe Yin Chen's words, refused to accept that Yin Feng was dead just like that. But he wasn't wrong—Yin Feng had indeed analyzed and concluded exactly that about his behavior. So it was Fan Shuhua who had devised this plan... and that apartment had indeed exploded just moments ago. Could Yin Feng have escaped at the critical moment? If he really... You Mingxu suddenly didn't dare to think further, feeling only a blinding emptiness in her vision.
"If he's dead, I will never let you go," You Mingxu said quietly.
Yin Chen snorted with a cold laugh.
Silence fell inside the car.
They were about to exit the narrow path, entering open, wide space.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Two figures dashed out from the roadside. Yin Chen, as if he had eyes on his back, reached out a large hand and grabbed You Mingxu. She tumbled from the back seat, and by the time she regained her senses, half her body was dragged to the front while the other half remained in the back, like a fish laid out on a cutting board, utterly at his mercy. One of his hands rested on her face, her head almost nestled in his embrace, a slight weight pressing against her scalp. Though You Mingxu couldn't see it, she instantly understood—it was a gun.
At the same time, Yin Chen slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a halt.
This realization made You Mingxu's heart race wildly.
He had been intercepted.
Who had stopped the car?
Struggling against his restraint, You Mingxu used all her strength to turn her neck slightly, straining to look up. Yin Chen seemed to notice her movement but didn't restrain her head. Instead, he lifted her chin slightly, allowing her a clearer view.
Through the car window, she saw two familiar figures standing about ten meters away. The alley was dim, the glass blurry—she couldn't make out their expressions clearly, but she could vaguely see that both held guns aimed at the car. That was likely why Yin Chen had been forced to stop. They had nearly ended up destroying each other.
The moment she saw that one figure, her eyes stung sharply. Overwhelming joy and heartache flooded her heart simultaneously.
He hadn't been killed in the explosion, and in such a short time, he had chased after her alive.
He had seen through everything, and once again, he had recklessly rushed to her side.
Yin Chen's expression, however, could only be described as severe. Seeing Yin Feng alive and well, intercepting him right on his escape route, felt like being slapped hard across the face once more. So, even the revenge plan Fan Shuhua had crafted for him had failed? Yin Feng had indeed followed her predictions, tracking him to this neighborhood, with half a step already into the death trap—Yin Feng analyzing Yin Chen's behavior, Fan Shuhua analyzing Yin Feng's. Yet, in the end, Yin Feng hadn't pushed open that door? Was his younger brother's mind even more profound than Professor Fan's? More formidable than Professor Fan? In their latest confrontation, he had lost to him again!
A familiar sense of defeat surged in Yin Chen's heart—one that had accompanied him throughout his growth, always brought by Yin Feng. He let out a cold laugh, forcefully pulling You Mingxu entirely into the front seat, half her body now in his embrace. He lightly tapped the pistol's trigger while whispering soothingly, "Don't be afraid. He can't separate us."
You Mingxu felt the hairs on her neck stand on end.
Outside the car.Sweat dripped down Yin Feng’s forehead, almost falling into his eyes, but he remained motionless, his gun aimed precisely at Yin Chen’s forehead. He didn’t even want to take a closer look at You Mingxu’s appearance—one glance would be unbearable for him. As a result, his expression grew even colder, his two dark eyebrows sharply defined and settled, making him appear utterly resolute.
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