The car drove slowly along the road, as if without purpose.
After an unknown amount of time, Duan Xiu heard Lou Yuming say, "Let's go abroad."
Given his current situation, going abroad was the only way to protect himself.
Duan Xiu understood this as well. He pursed his lips, realizing that Lou Yuming had known all along, just as he had predicted.
"Uncle Lou, I..."
He wanted to explain, to defend himself, but Lou Yuming suddenly turned to look at him, his tone serious: "You should know what should and shouldn't be said. Keep this matter buried, and no one will ever discuss it again. I don't want to hear you mention it again, understand?"
Duan Xiu was stunned: "...I understand."
Duan Xiu later learned that it was Old Mrs. Zhang who had ordered Lou Yuming to capture him and bring him back to the Zhang family, for reasons everyone understood.
But Lou Yuming did not do as commanded. He had indeed captured him, but he had also let him go.
To be able to escape from Lou Yuming's grasp, it was probably proof of genuine innocence. After all, he was Zhang Qi's uncle, a member of the Zhang family, and naturally had to protect his nephew.
But in truth, no one knew that Lou Yuming had tacitly allowed it. He had also arranged for the person who saved Zhang Qi at the time. While losing a life was too much to handle, making Zhang Qi suffer a bit was acceptable. It also served to draw attention away from the Duan family.
All of this was orchestrated by Lou Yuming's unseen hand from behind the scenes.
The reason?
It was simple.
A life for a life, and one leg was practically a bargain for him.
And so, Duan Xiu proposed going abroad and, under Lou Yuming's arrangement, enrolled in a prestigious school with top-notch security, ensuring he wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming after him.
Duan Xiu's mother, due to the shock of the incident, became disoriented and would talk to herself.
It took several years of treatment for her to gradually recover, but her physical and mental health was never the same.
Zhang Qi's leg, of course, was fine. Old Mrs. Zhang had issued a decree: any hospital that failed to cure him would be shut down. With such a threat, no doctor dared to hold back.
Zhang Qi was indeed fortunate to have been sent to the hospital in time. After two years of recovery, he was back to normal.
Upon hearing that Duan Xiu had gone abroad, Zhang Qi laughed heartily and called Duan Xiu a coward, never realizing that Duan Xiu was the very reason for his leg injury.
Later, when Zhang Qi went to college, he found a new distraction and forgot all about Duan Xiu. This new distraction was Song Xi.
...
The unexpected mention of past events.
Although Duan Xiu didn't react dramatically, he didn't escape Lou Yuming's keen observation.
Lou Yuming said in a calm tone, "Why, after all these years, have you still made no progress?"
Duan Xiu lowered his head, not daring to speak.
Lou Yuming gazed into the distance, and a figure suddenly appeared, frantically using a menu to hide their face.
Lou Yuming furrowed his brow, squinted, then called over a waiter and whispered something. The waiter nodded, turned, and left.
Duan Xiu asked, "Uncle Lou, what did you say to the waiter?"
Lou Yuming's eyes were perceptive, his magnetic voice laced with a hint of amusement, "I told him there's a mouse in the restaurant that likes to play hide-and-seek. Catch it, and don't disturb the other guests."
"A mouse!" Duan Xiu's eyes widened, as if he believed it, "Where? How can there be a mouse? Is this restaurant so unsanitary!"
Lou Yuming calmly looked forward, "A very large one, with pretty long legs."
Duan Xiu was so startled he almost jumped out of his chair.
On the other side, Song Xi had not yet realized she had been exposed.
She was even smugly thinking that her disguise, which even her fans couldn't recognize, would surely be undetectable by Lou Yuming.
Who was he having dinner with? Song Xi was utterly confused.
"Miss."
At that moment, a waiter approached, perfectly blocking Lou Yuming from view.
Song Xi had no choice but to avert her gaze.
"Miss, have you decided what you'd like to order?"
Since she had entered, she hadn't even ordered a glass of water.
Song Xi chuckled awkwardly, her voice muffled by her mask. She deliberately lowered her tone to avoid being recognized.
"I'll order now."
Song Xi stared at the menu, paused for a second, then flipped the inverted menu 180 degrees.
She seemed to feel the waiter's exasperated gaze.
Damn it, how expensive!
Song Xi's hand almost dropped the menu in disbelief when she saw a salad priced at 266.
"Miss," the waiter urged her.
Song Xi took a deep breath, enduring the pain, and ordered a salad.
"Our sushi platter is one of our signature dishes, and it's currently on discount. Would you like to try it, Miss?"
The waiter pushed hard, seemingly displeased that she had only ordered a salad for two hundred yuan.
The smile under her mask turned into a bitter one. Under immense pressure, Song Xi hesitantly said, "Then... I'll have it."
"Certainly, please wait a moment."
After the waiter left, satisfied, only Song Xi was left to suffer.
She saw the sushi platter, which was 34999 after the discount.
A platter for over thirty thousand after a discount!
Song Xi felt drained of all energy. She rested her head on the table, heartbroken, wishing she could beat her chest and stamp her feet.