z’s stitches had not yet been removed, but he could already get out of bed and move around.
Ou Yunchen, however, insisted on pushing him in a wheelchair along the corridor.
z: "Brother, let me walk on my own. I lie in bed during the day, and at night, when you come, I can finally leave my room. And you still won't let me walk by myself."
Ou Yunchen took out a handkerchief and wiped the saliva from z's mouth.
z: "Brother, I'm not used to you being like this. You used to hit me or kick me. Now that you're taking care of me, I feel uneasy."
Ou Yunchen: "Isn't it natural for an older brother to take care of his younger brother?"
z: "Although this feeling is really nice, I'm just not used to it."
Ou Yunchen: "Rest well. When the doctor says you can have your stitches removed, then we can spar again."
z: "Brother, wipe your mouth."
Ou Yunchen handed him the handkerchief, letting him wipe it himself.
The reason z drooled whenever he spoke was because he had not yet adapted to the feeling of his entire face being wrapped in bandages.
To prevent soft tissue displacement, his entire chin was encased in plaster.
z: "Brother, it's so good to see you..."
Ou Yunchen: "Me too..."
z: "Brother, are there only the four of us left among the adopted sons?"
Ou Yunchen: "Yes. If Maggie hadn't told me you were alive, I would have thought there were only three left."
z: "I really miss our old days. Although every mission was life-threatening, we were so excited when we returned alive."
Ou Yunchen: "What's there to miss? We were just dogs fighting for others."
z: "No, it's because being with my brothers was the happiest time for me."
Ou Yunchen: "z, have you ever thought about what you would do if you weren't an adopted son?"
z: "Be a star, perhaps. I was the dance king among our adopted sons!"
Ou Yunchen: "Do you still want to be a star now?"
z: "No..."
z's voice trailed off sadly. Since his disfigurement, he no longer dared to look at puddles on rainy days or linger by shop windows.
Sometimes, he would even startle himself when he saw his own terrifying face...
Ou Yunchen: "When you're better, whatever you want to do, I can help you."
z: "Brother, can technology really restore my appearance now?"
Ou Yunchen: "Of course. You are using the best medicine in the world."
z: "That's wonderful. When my face was burned, I wished there was a medicine in the world that could heal me. Brother, is this medicine very expensive?"
Ou Yunchen: "Not expensive."
How could it not be expensive? Each square centimeter cost three hundred thousand yuan!
To repair eighty percent of z's skin, at least ten full-body injections were needed. Five million yuan would definitely be spent. Ordinary people could not afford it at all.
z: "I wish all burn patients could use this medicine..."
Ou Yunchen inwardly sighed. This was the brother he knew, unchanged after so many years. He was kind and always thought of others.
And the greatest taboo for adopted sons was kindness, because it would make them lose their killer instinct and become indecisive...
z: "Brother, you're amazing now. I heard from Mr. Yang here that you're a very famous entrepreneur. Brother, are you very rich?"
Ou Yunchen: "No, our house is just a bit large. It takes more than two hours to drive from the kitchen to the living room."
z laughed heartily, then clutched his chin, crying out in pain repeatedly.
Ou Yunchen: "Alright, your free time is over. Go back and rest."
Ou Yunchen escorted z back to his ward. z whined that he was bored and wanted to watch television.
Just as Ou Yunchen turned on the TV, a news report was being broadcast.
***
"Interruption for a breaking news report. At 6 PM this evening, a private restaurant in the suburbs caught fire, leading to an explosion. Firefighters are still working to extinguish the blaze. Police are investigating the specific casualties and the cause of the fire."
***
Ou Yunchen stared at the video on the news, stunned. Wasn't that Lan Gongzi?!
Lan Gongzi was fine when he left. How could there have been a fire?!
Ou Yunchen immediately took out his phone and dialed Fan Zhijie's number. It was off after several attempts. He tried calling Xiao Gouzai, but it was the same.
z: "Brother? Do you know this place?"
Ou Yunchen: "I have something to attend to. I'm leaving now. Rest well."
***
Leaving the sanatorium, Ou Yunchen immediately drove to Lan Gongzi. By the time he arrived, the fire had been extinguished, and Lan Gongzi had been reduced to ruins.
Ou Yunchen's unease drove him to try and cross the police line but he was stopped by a police officer.
Ou Yunchen: "Where are the people from Lan Gongzi?"
The police officer looked at Ou Yunchen and asked, "Do you know anyone here?"
Ou Yunchen: "I've eaten here before. I've met their proprietress. How could there have been a fire?"
Police Officer: "We don't know about the proprietress, but two men are presumed to have died in the fire."
Ou Yunchen: "Where are they?"
The police officer impatiently pushed Ou Yunchen.
Police Officer: "They've been moved. Go to the hospital to see."
Ou Yunchen looked at Lan Gongzi in despair. It was gone, everything was gone. The precious clues and evidence in Fan Zhijie's hands had all turned to ash in this fire.
No, Fan Zhijie and Xiao Gouzai wouldn't have died for nothing. Ou Yunchen cast one last glance around Lan Gongzi. He would definitely find the culprit who caused this fire!