Jiang Nianyu glanced at Zhao Dong's retreating figure and smiled faintly. "I saw him. That guy is quite interesting; I like him."
"It's the first time I've heard you describe a man like that. Have you fallen for him?"
"Not really, but I'm reluctant to let him die."
"But Xiao Hongtian is coming tomorrow."
"Let him come. I'm actually quite curious how Lin Qingyun will choose between him and Xiao Hongtian."
Zhao Dong returned to the courtyard to find his parents had already retired for the night. He sat alone, smoking a cigarette, the flickering embers illuminating his blade-sharp features.
For the first time, Zhao Dong felt a sense of powerlessness and insignificance.
So, Lin Qingyun has such a significant background, and she even has such a prominent fiancé. I'm clearly just a minor character, so how did I get unwittingly dragged into these matters? Worst of all, I have no way to protect myself. In the eyes of people like them, I'm just an ant! I refuse to be treated like an ant, and I'm not ready to leave this world in my twenties! But... what can I possibly do?
With a light sigh, Zhao Dong returned to his room. Before going to sleep, he once again pulled out the Mystic Sky Technique from under his bed and looked it over. He shook his head with a wry smile. If only this thing were real.
As he stared at it, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He closed his eyes, completely unaware that faint strands of Spiritual Energy from the world around him were slowly seeping into his body...
「Meanwhile, in a hospital room at East Sea City's First Hospital.」
Wang Hao slammed his phone to the ground and roared, "Where the hell did Ji Tianya get to? I gave him a million to kill someone, so why haven't I heard from him!"
The woman in the adjacent bed, Liu Ya, spoke up, "Could Ji Tianya have taken your money and run? Killing Zhao Dong should have been a piece of cake for him!"
Wang Hao gritted his teeth, his expression savage. "He almost certainly ran off! I bet that bastard is wary of Zhao Dong's status as a veteran and is afraid of getting the military involved. But Zhao Dong has already been discharged, so what is there to fear? Damn it!"
At that moment, Wang Hao was utterly convinced that Ji Tianya had absconded with the money, completely unaware that the assassin's body had already sunk to the bottom of a river.
"So what do we do now?" Liu Ya asked.
Wang Hao's face darkened. "It seems we'll have to go after his parents. Master Wu already sent word that some big shots from Provincial City are coming to East Sea in the next couple of days, and we are not to cause any trouble. We'll deal with this after things blow over!"
Having said that, Wang Hao suddenly turned to Liu Ya. "Xiaoya, why don't you talk to Master Wu for me? Ask him to assign me two experts so they can just wipe out Zhao Dong's entire family of three."
Liu Ya looked at him with disgust. "You can forget that idea. You know what my uncle is like; I wouldn't dare ask him something like that so casually. If you want to ask, you do it yourself!"
Wang Hao gave an awkward smile. To put it nicely, he was a leader in the Dragon and Tiger Association, but only he knew his position was entirely due to his relationship with Liu Ya. Her uncle, Hong Wu, was the boss of the Dragon and Tiger Association, and that was the sole reason Wang Hao had a place in it.
After a moment's thought, Wang Hao said, "Liu Ya, that woman on the nightclub's surveillance footage who rushed in to save Zhao Dong... why do I feel like she looks like... Xu Yafei?"
Liu Ya gasped. "Are you crazy, Wang Hao? That's my aunt! Are you saying my aunt went to save another man? You must have a death wish for my uncle to kill you! Besides, Zhao Dong just got back from the military. How could he possibly know my aunt? Stop overthinking things!"
Wang Hao immediately fell silent, not daring to say another word. He knew that even though Xu Yafei was always cold to Hong Wu, Hong Wu absolutely doted on her. If he spoke out of turn, he really could lose his head.
That night, Zhao Dong did not sleep soundly.
When he woke in the morning, he heard a commotion in the small courtyard. He got up, dressed, and went outside. What he saw shocked him. Zhang Cuimei and Zhao Kangyou were on a tricycle loaded with fruit.
"Dad, Mom, what is this?"
Zhang Cuimei smiled. "Xiao Dong, your dad and I are going out to sell fruit. Why don't you sleep in a little longer?"
Zhao Dong looked at his mother's aged face, then at his father's worn-out clothes and walking stick. He felt a lump in his throat and nearly burst into tears.
All their hardships are because of me. If I were more capable, would my parents need to suffer like this?
He choked back his tears. "Dad, Mom, I'll find a job in the next few days. I'll support you from now on, so you won't have to work so hard anymore!"
Zhao Kangyou smiled kindly. "Dong, your mom and I know you mean well. You must be exhausted from your years in the military. Get some more rest and don't rush to find a job. Don't feel pressured; your parents are here to support you!"
With that, the elderly couple rode off. Watching his mother struggle to pedal the heavy tricycle, Zhao Dong's eyes grew hot.
I only have two or three months left to live. What will happen to my parents after I'm gone?
He smoked one cigarette after another in the courtyard as time slipped by. After a while, his phone rang. It was Lin Qingyun.
"Hello, what is it?" Zhao Dong asked in a low voice.
Lin Qingyun, who was driving, spoke gently from the other end. "I was thinking yesterday. Since we're getting married, we'll definitely have to live together, but we can't neglect your parents. So, I'd like to buy them a house. Give me your bank account number, and I'll send you some money so you can buy an apartment for them."
Zhao Dong's hand, which held the cigarette, froze. "When did I ever say I wanted to marry you?"
On the other end of the line, Lin Qingyun's face turned pale.
Zhao Dong then recalled what Jiang Nianyu had said the night before—that Lin Qingyun had a fiancé of high standing. An indescribable, frustrating emotion surged within him, and in a flash of anger, he blurted out, "Besides, don't you have a fiancé? If you're bored, go bother him, not me."
"Zhao Dong... you jerk!"
He abruptly hung up the phone, his heart aching with a stabbing pain. In the instant he ended the call, he heard Lin Qingyun's choked sob.
Zhao Dong smiled grimly. Lin Qingyun's fiancé will arrive tonight to propose to her. They'll soon get married, have children, and live a fairy-tale life together. And what am I? Just a useless ex-soldier with no car, no house, and not even a thousand yuan to my name. What right do I have to dream of being with a woman like Lin Qingyun?
Just then, his phone rang again. It was Lin Qingyun. He hung up immediately. She called several more times, and he was about to turn his phone off when a text message arrived.
"Zhao Dong, meet me at Venus Restaurant at 12 PM. I want to explain everything to you."
Zhao Dong stared at the message in silence. Should I go or not?
At eleven o'clock, he took a deep breath, stood up, and decided to go. Soon after, he hailed a taxi to the restaurant Lin Qingyun had mentioned.