The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant. In a private hospital room, Yue Chengfeng lay with his eyes shut, his once handsome and refined face stained with dark medicinal potions and wrapped in bandages and gauze, looking utterly dishevelled.
His breathing was even, yet his brow was furrowed, as if trapped in a disquieting nightmare.
Yu Zixuan sat by his bedside, holding the hand of Yue Chengfeng that was not connected to an IV drip. She pressed it to her cheek and whispered softly, "Chengfeng, I'm here. Don't be afraid."
Hearing Yu Zixuan's voice, Yue Chengfeng gradually calmed. The tight frown on his brow eased, his pale lips parted slightly, and a faint sound escaped, as if in pain.
Yu Zixuan's heart ached at the sound.
Even when awake, Yue Chengfeng hadn't cried out in pain. Instead, he had continuously comforted her, telling her not to be afraid.
Now, in his dreams, he had finally revealed his vulnerability before her.
Slowly releasing Yue Chengfeng's hand, Yu Zixuan stood and walked to the window on the other side of the room. She dialed a number from her contacts, "How is the matter being handled?"
"Before, to guard against Wen Jiu, most of the people on that line have been withdrawn. However, Uncle Yu Er has been causing trouble, clamoring for us to find a way to get his son out." The man on the other end of the phone said with a troubled tone, "Yu Yueqiang knows some of our secrets. If he remains in police custody, it's truly risky. Perhaps..."
"The dead tell no secrets," Yu Zixuan's voice was icy.
"What?" The other party was surprised that Yu Zixuan would decide to abandon this pawn. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Then what about Uncle Yu Er?"
"Discard him." Yu Zixuan's gaze was steady, her tone calm. "Since Wen Jiu is so insistent, give her an explanation. Preserving the overall situation is most important."
"But if we do this, the entire Yu family will be in danger. What about you?" The other party hesitated, "And that line of Uncle Yu Er's belongs to Miss Shen. If we push Uncle Yu Er out, what about Miss Shen..."
"I've already killed the person." Yu Zixuan said indifferently, "If she has a problem, let her come find me."
"Oh dear..." The other party was quite troubled, unable to let Miss Shen and Yu Zixuan meet for now.
It seemed they could only shift the blame onto Xia Qingtian.
After all, if it weren't for Xia Qingtian, Yu Yueqiang wouldn't have been arrested.
Qin Mei and Song Qi had also died at Xia Qingtian's hands. Miss Shen already hated Xia Qingtian to the bone, so adding Yu Yueqiang to the list wouldn't matter.
"I will handle this. Take care of yourself." After saying this seemingly caring remark, the other party hung up.
Putting away her phone, Yu Zixuan returned to the bedside and held Yue Chengfeng's hand that wasn't connected to the IV drip, murmuring softly, "Anyone who I want to protect, no one can touch."
Whoever touches them, dies.
News of Yu Yueqiang's death spread like wildfire. It was said that after being sent to the hospital, he was tortured to death in his hospital room. The joints of his right hand's fingers were broken one by one, his fingernails were all pulled out, and the skin on his hand was peeled back, as if punishing the hand that had touched what it shouldn't have.
He was rumored to have died from the sheer pain, but later autopsy reports indicated the presence of a large amount of prohibited drug elements in his blood, suggesting he may have died from self-inflicted injuries during a period of toxicity.
The hospital's surveillance footage did not capture any suspicious individuals, and no conclusive evidence was found in the environment, turning it into a mystery that captivated netizens.
Of course, this was a story for later.
Xia Qingtian learned of Yu Yueqiang's death the morning after the Yue family's commotion.
Originally, she had no intention of letting Yu Yueqiang go. She had researched his case; given his situation, with complete evidence, the lightest sentence would be a suspended death sentence.
Xia Qingtian had planned to quickly gather more evidence and ensure that scumbag Yu Yueqiang would not even get a reprieve, but be executed directly.
However, it seemed someone was more anxious than she was.
Was it a silencing?
When Xia Qingtian saw the crime scene photos sent by the police, she shut her eyes tightly, gasping for air.
It seemed to be more than just silencing; it was more like revenge.
If it were simply silencing, Xia Qingtian could still make a guess. But if it was revenge...
Considering the scoundrel Yu Yueqiang's character and demeanor, the scope of suspects widened considerably.
However, the methods were indeed brutal. Xia Qingtian estimated she would be having nightmares for the next few days.
"I'm sorry, I don't have any leads." Xia Qingtian looked at the police officers who had come to inquire with a troubled expression, "I was too tired yesterday and went to bed early. My maternal grandfather is also ill, and my eldest and second maternal uncles have been taking care of him. My youngest maternal uncle is still hospitalized. I'm afraid I can't help much with this matter."
"It's alright." The police officer closed the file and said, "If you think of anything, feel free to contact me."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work." After Xia Qingtian had the police officers escorted out of the Yue family home, she went to visit the Yue family patriarch.
The Yue family patriarch had already regained consciousness and seemed much better in spirits.
Seeing Xia Qingtian arrive, he quickly beckoned her to sit beside him, "Qingtian, how have you been resting?"
"I'm fine now." Xia Qingtian sat down and held the Yue family patriarch's hand, saying, "Grandfather, I returned too late yesterday and made you worry."
"It's nothing." The Yue family patriarch sighed, "It's good that you're back. It was dangerous yesterday, you must have been terrified."
"I'm alright." Xia Qingtian paused before recounting the events at the mine yesterday to the Yue family patriarch.
Shortly after she and the professional team entered the mine entrance, she heard a loud explosion. Before she could react, the experienced professionals pushed her into a recessed crevice in the mine wall.
The earth shook violently. The spot where she hid had a large rock wedged in, creating a gap.
Although her limbs were immobilized and the light from the entrance was blocked, it was certainly frightening.
Coupled with the heavy and stuffy protective suit, she soon felt a sense of suffocation.
During this time, she had also temporarily exchanged for a small item in the Celestial Selection Mall that allowed her to breathe and provided oxygen, but this could only ensure she could gasp for air. Being unable to move was still very vexing.
Although she could also exchange for items to break through the rocks and escape, the mine supervisor and the professional personnel who were with her were also buried under the rocks at that time.
She was not a professional. It wouldn't be difficult for her to break through the large rocks and escape, but if it caused a secondary collapse or the falling of the large rocks, the mine supervisor and the accompanying professionals would have no chance of survival.
Thus, Xia Qingtian was stuck in that crevice. After an unknown amount of time, the rescue team finally arrived.
The mine supervisor and the professional personnel were also not seriously injured, only that their time in oxygen deprivation was longer than Xia Qingtian's. By the time they were rescued, they had already lost consciousness and were sent directly to the hospital.
Xia Qingtian only had time to thank the grim-faced Third Young Master Lei before quickly taking off her protective suit and rushing back to the Yue family with Xia Shang and Erya to report her safety.
Who knew that the second uncle's family would take advantage of the situation, and Xia Qingtian happened to run into them.