Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Growing Ambiguity

Pressing the answer button, Lin Shuhao’s methodical voice came through: "President Yu, Chen Ziyou's information has been sent to your email."

Leaving Hongxing coincided exactly with the evening rush hour. No matter how much Yu Luoxuan wanted to ignore the red lights and drive like a madman, it was impossible to fly through the long, congested stream of traffic.

However, he was not impatient at all. Watching the red lights flash ahead and the endless flow of people and vehicles, his mind drifted back to the information in his inbox. Chen Ziyou, 25 years old, the youngest professor at Shenzhen University, her elder sister Chen Ziwu...

As expected, she plagiarized your work. Is she coming to your door now to apologize? Unfortunately, you are no longer here.

The city lights flickered on as night descended.

Chen Yuyue waited alone at the school gate for a very, very long time. Watching the continuous stream of people passing by, her gaze was somewhat lost, but her black back remained straight and sharp. The kind words of a lady kept echoing in her ears: "Young lady, we only have one professor here named Chen Ziyou, but he has gone out on a research expedition. It will take about a month for him to return."

"Then can you check where he went for the expedition? Can he be contacted?" Chen Yuyue felt as if darkness were closing in. A month—how many more months did she have left?

"Oh dear, how could I possibly know exactly where he is? Mineral exploration takes place in deep mountains and old forests; it's hard to get a cell signal. I think you should just wait." And so, Chen Yuyue was once again turned away at the gate.

Having suffered two blows in a row, she was now quite composed. After standing there blankly for so long, she finally thought: No, I cannot let this world mislead me. Perhaps I don't even need the Old Madam's help to find the Imperial Seal.

Since the person who promised to pick her up this evening had not arrived, she might as well try taking the first step and finding her own way back.

If she got lost and couldn't return to that beautiful house, she wouldn't be the most tragic person involved. At this thought, a sudden mischievous impulse rose within her.

Bypassing the pedestrian bridge ahead, she walked leisurely along the street, taking the opportunity to admire the various brightly lit, magnificent shops and restaurants on both sides.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. On a towering building across the road, two glowing red simplified Chinese characters caught her eye. She understood them: "Pawnshop." Yes, those two words made her ecstatic; it no longer mattered what the sign in front of them said.

What mattered was that she needed to get to the other side immediately. With this thought, she ignored the speeding, non-stop vehicles and prepared to dash straight through.

However, just as a large vehicle honked past her, she was pulled into a powerful, broad, and warm embrace.

"Are you *** looking for death? Even if you want to die, you have to hand over the antidote to me first." Yu Luoxuan growled as he yanked her back to the roadside. In truth, he had been quietly following her since she stepped out, simply wanting to see where she was going. He hadn't expected the girl to be so bold, nearly getting crushed by that large truck; even he couldn't help but feel a pang of shock at the thought.

"Don't worry, I won't die. Thank you for your kindness." Chen Yuyue was not appreciative. With her skills, that vehicle wouldn't have even touched a single hair on her body. If he hadn't stopped her, she would have already obtained the banknotes.

"Ha, it seems I've meddled in someone else's business. I'm only doing this for the antidote, so don't flatter yourself. Where are you going? Get in the car." Yu Luoxuan released his grip on her and, feigning fury, opened the car door. His eyes, however, remained as mocking and clear as ever.

Chen Yuyue realized she had spoken out of turn. After getting into the car, she said in a low, embarrassed voice, "I didn't mean it that way, it's just, you know I have martial arts..."

"Fine, no need to explain. Just say where you're going." If she hadn't mentioned it, it would have been fine, but the moment she brought up her martial arts, he truly lost his temper. The humiliation, threats, and imprisonment of that night surged back vividly, making him feel as though his entire body were being scorched. He didn't want to wait a single moment for revenge, but now was not the time; his leverage was not yet in hand.

Sensing his anger, Chen Yuyue, knowing she was in the wrong, said unnaturally, "Uh... I want to go to the pawnshop across the street..."

Unexpectedly, Yu Luoxuan merely cast a glance at the "Fengyue Pawnshop" across the way, slammed the accelerator, and sped past.

"Hey, what are you doing? I need to exchange for banknotes!" Chen Yuyue panicked. She pressed her hands against the car window, unable to stop the pawnshop from "whooshing" past her eyes. In her agitation, she suddenly reached her hand toward the door.

Startled that she might jump out of the car, Yu Luoxuan quickly locked the doors. He used one hand to pull her body back into a proper position and said gently while looking ahead, "My name is Yu Luoxuan, not 'Hey.' Follow me, and you won't need to exchange for banknotes. If you feel uneasy about it, you can just give me your silver rings, and I will pay you the equivalent in cash."

Any normal woman sitting in this car and hearing such prince-like words would be overwhelmed with flattered joy, lose herself, and willingly sink into his charms.

But Chen Yuyue was quite the opposite—or rather, she was simply not an ordinary woman. At this moment, her entire attention was focused on the long, slender hands resting on her shoulders.

What kind of hands were they? An exquisite ring adorned a long, well-proportioned pinky finger. His sexy, wheat-colored skin matched the complexion of his chest, and his neatly trimmed nails had a healthy pink glow, like the luster of a pearl. The patch of skin where his hands pressed against her shoulders felt almost burning hot, as if on fire.

Perhaps because she had been staring too long, her face flushed, and she averted her eyes. However, she accidentally caught a glimpse of the faint smile playing on the lips of the man driving intently beside her. An ambiguous tension brewed in the small space, clashing with her embarrassment.

Yu Luoxuan seemed to sense her stiffness. He felt a inexplicable surge of pleasure in his heart, though he feigned embarrassment on the surface, saying, "Oh, I was just afraid you'd jump out. Even if your martial arts are peerless, you are still flesh and blood; jumping out would kill you."

"Oh, thank you." As the hand moved away, the heat on her body receded. Chen Yuyue felt a sense of relief; she stretched her stiff neck and quietly exhaled before asking, "Yu... Luoxuan, I didn't find the person. Tomorrow..."

"I know." Yu Luoxuan turned the steering wheel sharply to the right while watching the scenery outside.

"How did you know?" Upon hearing this, Chen Yuyue immediately became defensive, her eyes staring at him sharply like a bristling kitten.

Yu Luoxuan glanced at her sideways and let out a huff through pursed lips, "Even an idiot could tell. If you had found the person, would you have come out alone and almost gotten killed by a car?"

"I told you, I could have dodged it," Chen Yuyue argued stubbornly.