Yang Feilong and Lou Yimo sat in the taxi, a playful glint in his eyes. He mused, "Is he following us, or is this a coincidence?"
Of course, he didn't mention this to Lou Yimo.
After all, Lou Yimo was currently worried about her father's safety.
Half an hour later, as the car continued, the car behind them was still following.
At this point, Yang Feilong was certain that the guy named Xu Qing was indeed tailing them. The possibility of coincidence was too slim, as they had made many turns in the past half hour.
"I wonder if he's after me or Lou Yimo?" Yang Feilong wondered. If it was him, that person was too petty. If it was Lou Yimo, then that guy was even more outrageous.
"How far is it to your place?" Yang Feilong asked when they reached a certain point.
"Three kilometers!" Lou Yimo replied.
"I'll get off ahead and you can send me your location once you get home!" Yang Feilong said. "I'll come over later."
"Okay." Lou Yimo was curious but didn't ask. She assumed Yang Feilong had his reasons for getting off here.
Soon, the car stopped.
Yang Feilong got out with his belongings. The taxi took Lou Yimo to her home, while Yang Feilong headed towards a more secluded path.
"Hmm?" Xu Qing, in the car following them, frowned as he watched Yang Feilong get out from a distance.
These two weren't together? That was normal. They were just friends, perhaps former classmates, not a couple. He felt a sense of relief, though he couldn't quite explain why he was so interested in Lou Yimo. She seemed so pure, and pure and beautiful girls were always captivating.
"Sir, should I follow the man or the woman?" the taxi driver asked.
Although Xu Qing had claimed Lou Yimo was his girlfriend earlier, he now suspected she might be involved in an affair. Since they had separated, he wasn't sure whether to follow the supposed "other man" or the woman herself.
Xu Qing closed his eyes and quickly said, "Keep following!"
In that brief moment of closing his eyes, he had figured it out. Since they knew each other, he could get Yang Feilong's contact information from Lou Yimo. So, if he could get Lou Yimo, he could find an opportunity to teach Yang Feilong a lesson later!
"Hmm? Follow? Okay!" The taxi driver nodded and continued to follow the car ahead.
Seeing this, Yang Feilong's brow furrowed.
"He's still following Lou Yimo?" Yang Feilong's brow twitched, then his gaze turned cold. "How desperate for a woman must this guy be!"
Just as he was about to follow, the other car made a U-turn and left.
"Hmm?" This made Yang Feilong's eyebrows shoot up. "He gave up?"
Going back a little in time, Xu Qing received a call in his car. After hanging up, he gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, "What rotten luck! You guys are lucky!"
Then he said, "Stop following. Take me to Qinling Road!"
"Uh, okay!" The driver, though unsure why the passenger had changed his mind, prioritized the customer and didn't ask further questions.
Xu Qing had no idea that he was the one who should consider himself lucky, not Yang Feilong and Lou Yimo.
This was because he was completely unaware that Yang Feilong had already identified him, and Yang Feilong's strength was far beyond anything he could imagine.
...
When Lou Yimo got out, she sent Yang Feilong her location.
Her family lived in a three-story house, but unfortunately, it was located outside the third ring road of Qinglan City, a rather remote area. It wasn't valuable. However, there were rumors that Qinglan City was planning to develop the area beyond the third ring road. If that happened, they might get compensation in the form of several houses. But for now, there was no demolition, so her family's financial situation wasn't good.
"Mom, Dad," Lou Yimo called out as she pushed open the courtyard gate.
Soon, a middle-aged woman emerged from the main hall. One could vaguely tell she was beautiful in her youth, but the hardships of life had clearly aged her. She was already fifty years old.
"Momo, didn't I tell you not to come back if work is busy? Why are you back again?" Lou's mother said with a hint of reproach, taking the rolling suitcase from Lou Yimo's hand.
Lou Yimo's return had not been communicated in advance, a case of acting first and reporting later.
"How can I focus on work when Dad is injured?" Lou Yimo sighed.
"Didn't I tell you that your dad is fine now?" Lou's mother said with a wry smile.
"Then why won't you let me video call? Where is my dad?" Lou Yimo huffed.
"Your dad is in his room." Lou's mother's expression was a little unnatural as she spoke.
Lou Yimo quickly went inside. Upon seeing her father, tears streamed down her face. "How could my dad become like this!"
What met her eyes was a figure swathed like a mummy, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
"Sigh." Lou's mother offered a bitter smile.
"Who did this?" Lou Yimo asked furiously.
"I don't know. We called the police, but they couldn't find out anything." Lou's mother shook her head helplessly. "A while ago, your dad was coming home late from work on an deserted road. Someone dragged him off his bicycle, put a sack over his head, and beat him severely. He's been in a vegetative state ever since!"
"Vegetative state?" Lou Yimo trembled all over and collapsed onto the ground.
Lou's mother also couldn't help but shed tears. She had cried a lot these past few days, but seeing her distraught daughter, she was infected with sadness and her own grief resurfaced.
They only had Lou Yimo as their daughter. Recently, her daughter's work had been going well, and they were both very happy. Who would have thought they would encounter such a misfortune?
"Did my dad offend someone?" Lou Yimo gritted her teeth. "And they retaliated against him?"
"You know your dad's temper. He's a good-natured person, he's never lost his temper with anyone. How could he offend anyone?" Lou's mother sobbed.
"But who beat my dad, and so severely? Wuwu." Lou Yimo looked at her father, who was lying in bed as a vegetable, and felt increasingly distressed.
Their family had always been kind to others, but they never expected to encounter such an unforeseen disaster.
"Why aren't you continuing treatment at the hospital?" Lou Yimo asked her mother.
Lou's mother bit her lip and lowered her head.
"Is it because you ran out of money?" Lou Yimo asked sadly.
"Yes. We've spent hundreds of thousands over this period. Our savings are gone, and we've borrowed from all the relatives we could. I even thought about mortgaging the house, but the hospital said that even with constant medication, there's no guarantee he'll wake up. There was nothing I could do but bring your father home."
Upon hearing her mother's words, Lou Yimo felt a pain in her chest so intense she could barely breathe.
Biting her lip, a thought crossed her mind: "Whoever can save my dad, I'm willing to be their servant and repay their kindness for the rest of my life."
She longed to see her father wake up normally, and for that, she was willing to pay any price!
Just then, a voice sounded from outside the courtyard gate: "Is Lou Yimo at home?"
Lou Yimo froze for a moment, then something dawned on her, and she suddenly stood up.