Chapter 296 - 296: Brother, It Hurts
Chapter 296 - 296: Brother, It Hurts
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Gu Ci watched from the surveillance footage as Lu Zhizhuan had his meal. She leaned against the window, a smile creeping onto her face. Indeed, this was the way to go. If he remained stubborn and refused to yield, she would have a difficult time, wouldn’t she?
After all, she didn’t want him to die!
His survival meant that Third Brother could come back.
People who were sick often refused to acknowledge their own illnesses, but Gu Ci was different. She knew very well that she was sick, and she had wanted to save herself. However, midway through her journey to recovery, a car accident had turned her life upside down.
Did she still want to get better?
Watching the video, Gu Ci saw that after Lu Zhizhuan had finished his meal, he closed his eyes to rest. Gu Ci thought to herself, “No! She didn’t want to get better at all! This was just fine.”
After the end of the semester, Gu Ci didn’t have much to do.
Zhou Li invited her to make music together, but she declined. In her current condition, she couldn’t go a single day without Lu Zhizhuan. Gu Ci knew she was terminally ill, so she clung desperately to Lu Zhizhuan as her lifeline.
Only by holding onto this lifeline could she feel alive!
Gu Ziyu had met up with the Jiang family. The old lady and old master were the happiest. They had retired, tending to their garden and fish, traveling with their old friends for leisure. However, their old friends all had grandchildren, and Jiang Junlin didn’t have a significant other they could rely on. So, they especially liked Gu Ziyu, often sending gifts to their Blue Fields Villa. If it weren’t for the fact that both mother and son had exams recently, they would have visited more often.
They were thrilled when Gu Ziyu came for a short stay.
The old lady, however, was puzzled. “Why did you come for a short stay? Did you have a fight with your sister?”
“No, my sister is basically on vacation after her exams. She plays the violin all day and rarely comes home. There’s no one to cook for me,” Gu Ziyu sighed sadly. “I’m tired and I miss Grandma’s cooking.”
Little Gu Ziyu had a sweet mouth, which delighted the old lady. “Alright, tomorrow, I’ll make your favorite dishes. Do you want Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? Let Auntie Gui make it for you. Junlin loves this dish the most, and Auntie Gui makes it better than any Cantonese chef.”
The Jiang family had four chefs, specializing in Cantonese, Shanghainese, Sichuan-Hunan cuisine, and one exclusively for Jiang Junlin. Occasionally, when the old lady was in the mood, she would cook a few of her signature dishes with the taste of Old City A. Jiang Junlin loved them, but when he was a child, she used to pamper him by not including ingredients he didn’t like. Later, she stopped indulging him and refused to make any special dishes for him.
Gu Ziyu knew that the old lady missed Jiang Junlin. “Grandma, the other day, 1 video chatted with Junlin. He’s doing really well. When he comes back from his business trip, you should scold him for going on such a long trip. Grandma, you’ve been missing him like crazy.”
“No, no, as long as we have our precious Ziyu!” Old Mrs. Jiang said, “After Ziyu finishes his exams, Grandma will take you shopping for New Year’s goods and new clothes!”
“Okay, Grandma!”
Gu Ziyu readily agreed.
But right after they had dinner, Chen Liangdong called. He said that Pei Qiuying had voluntarily contacted him, and Chen Liangdong had already sent someone to establish contact with her. Gu Ziyu couldn’t leave the house easily, and if Pei Qiuying found out he was with MSS, things might get complicated.
“This person is full of tricks and never speaks the truth.”
Chen Liangdong chuckled. “I’m just letting you know. Focus on your exams, and we’ll handle these matters. After you finish your exams, we’ll upgrade the system before taking a break for the New Year.”
After hanging up the phone, Gu Ziyu couldn’t help but contemplate. Would someone as ruthless as Pei Qiuying really cooperate with National Security? What if her conditions were too harsh?
This woman had to die! She was like a hidden bomb, and they couldn’t be the ones to act against her. They were law enforcement officers. It would be better if it were the Black Eagles or the Triads who took care of her!
Gu Ziyu’s thoughts were particularly clear. He would first wait to see how much valuable information Pei Qiuying could reveal. If she didn’t provide much valuable information, she couldn’t be allowed to live.
Paris.
Ji Chi’s injured arm caused him to have a high fever due to a viral infection, and Jiang Junlin had been recuperating recently. He had lost too much blood and needed rest. There were no suitable blood bags in the safe house, and Ji Chi often went out in the snow to bring back hot food for him. Jiang Junlin had told him coldly that he didn’t need hot food; he could eat dry rations. Ji Chi went out frequently and was at risk of exposure, even though he had disguised himself. The dark web of the underworld was good at tracking people.
They stayed in the safe house, avoiding the internet and not venturing outside. Paris was so vast, and the city was teeming with people. They couldn’t conduct a blanket search.
Both of them were wounded and ill, almost fitting the description of “the weak among the elderly and infirm.” Jiang Junlin’s wound had become inflamed after he stitched it up, but fortunately, he had administered antibiotics to control the infection.
Ji Chi developed a high fever during the night. They had a light on in the safe house, and since he had slept a lot during the day, he was quite alert at night. Jiang Junlin watched as Ji Chi fell asleep and couldn’t help but wonder if Ji Chi would notice if he left the safe house. However, he didn’t have the password for the safe house. Entering and leaving the safe house required a password, and only Ji Chi knew it. He was afraid that if Jiang Junlin found out, he would change the password daily, and after three incorrect attempts, he wouldn’t be able to leave, effectively locking himself in.
The pain in his back served as a reminder that this was not the time to be reckless. His injuries were still not strong enough to support him leaving the safe house, and if he encountered a traitor, the outcome would be uncertain.
He was naturally cautious and didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.
“Brother, don’t go…” Ji Chi suddenly muttered in his sleep. He had always been very alert, fearing that Jiang Junlin might leave without a word, as if he had grown four pairs of eyes to watch over Jiang Junlin.
Therefore, Ji Chi never slept soundly.
Let alone dream!
But in his dreams, he kept calling out to his brother.
Jiang Junlin’s mood was complicated. He tried to divert his thoughts, but he couldn’t help recalling his instinctual reaction when the car overturned, and when they were being chased by bullets. Ji Chi had pushed him forward with one hand, and he had stood resolutely in front of him.
This little wolf, he was both hateful and…
“Shut up!” Jiang Junlin shouted harshly, wanting to wake him from his dream. But Ji Chi seemed to be having a nightmare, and he kept calling out for his brother in fear.
As Jiang Junlin listened to him cry out for his brother, his feelings were complex.
In the dark room, he had hated Ji Chi so much that he wanted to kill him. In the moment of the explosion, he had wanted to tear him apart.
After gaining freedom, he had thought about avoiding any contact with Ji Chi. He was truly fed up with Ji Chi’s personality. He was neither light nor heavy, and Jiang Junlin had even ended up in captivity.
His life was not just about Ji Chi!
He had more important things to do and no time to be entangled with Ji Chi.
But could he really kill Ji Chi?
Jiang Junlin had asked himself countless times, could he really kill him? When they first met, Ji Chi was a stunning young boy. Could he bring himself to do it? If there had been no separation between them, how much better it would have been!
Ji Chi could have stayed by his side, nurtured him well, and perhaps he and Little Cherry could have become friends, supporting each other. Then, he wouldn’t have to think about just one person all the time in his life..