Suo Ran's brows slowly drew together. "Who?" The man smiled beneath the mask. "Now that..." He reached into the pocket of his white coat. "would ruin the surprise." His gloved hand emerged holding a small metal cylinder no larger than his palm. He pressed a button with his thumb and faint green light blinked once. Suo ran's eyes narrowed slightly. "What's that?" The man glanced at the device before looking back at him. "Insurance."Before suo ran could say another word, the man casually tossed it onto the hospital bed. It landed near Suo ran's leg with a soft thud.
Instinctively, Suo ran looked down. At that exact moment, the man moved. His other hand shot forward with astonishing speed, driving a syringe toward Suo ran's neck. Suo ran reacted almost instantly. Despite of pain, he twisted his body to the side.The needle grazed the side of his neck instead of piercing it. "Tch..." the man muttered.Suo ran grabbed the attacker's wrist with one hand while shoving the syringe away with the other. Pain exploded through his abdomen as his stitches pulled, but he ignored it completely. "So this is your surprise?" Suo Ran said through gritted teeth.
The man's eyes showed a flicker of surprise. "You're faster than I expected." "You're slower than I hoped." Suo Ran replied coldly. The attacker suddenly drove his knee toward Suo ran's injured abdomen. Suo ran's expression tightened as he blocked part of the impact with his forearm, but the force still struck near the gunshot wound. And he felt pain shot through his body, forcing a muffled groan from his lips. The man's wrist slipped free.
Without hesitation, he swung the syringe downward again. Suo ran caught his arm just inches from his face. Their eyes locked. Neither spoke. Then, from outside the room, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. The man's eyes shifted briefly toward the door. Suo ran noticed that and faini smile appeared despite the pain. "Looks like..." he said quietly, tightening his grip on the man's wrist, "...your time's up."
The man's eyes remained calm, almost emotionless. "You think so?" he replied in an equally quiet voice. Before Suo Ran could react,the man suddenly twisted his wrist with surprising force, breaking Suo ran's grip before slamming his elbow toward Suo ran's chest. Suo ran immediately raised his arm to block, but the movement pulled sharply at the stitches near his abdomen. Almost at the same instant, the man's elbow drove hard toward Suo Ran's chest.Suo ran immediately raised his forearm to block. Bang! The impact forced him backward against the headboard. Pain shot through the gunshot wound near his abdomen, making his face pale for an instant. His breathing hitched, but he refused to make a sound. The attacker noticed the slight change in his expression. "Your injury is worse than I expected." he said. "You shouldn't be standing."
Suo Ran slowly straightened despite the pain and answered with a faint smirk, "Then you're going to be disappointed." The man's eyes narrowed slightly. "Still stubborn." Suo Ran didn't reply. He suddenly shoved the man's shoulder with all the strength he could gather. The attacker took one step back before immediately regaining his balance. The medical trolley between them shook violently and Stainless-steel instruments crashed onto the floor with sharp metallic clangs, echoing throughout the hospital room.
Outside,footsteps suddenly stopped. Someone knocked firmly on the door. "Doctor? Is everything alright in there?"Their eyes never left each other. Another knock followed, louder this time. "Doctor?" The attacker quietly glanced toward the door for only a fraction of a second. That single glance was enough. Suo ran lunged forward without hesitation. Ignoring the pain tearing through his abdomen, he grabbed the front of the white coat with one hand and slammed his forehead directly into the man's face.
The attacker staggered backward, one hand instinctively covering his nose. And blood slipped through his fingers. He looked back at Suo ran with genuine surprise. "You're stronger than the reports said."Suo Ran took a slow breath, pressing one hand against his abdomen before saying coldly,"You're weaker than I expected." The attacker's eyes darkened. "Confidence." He slowly removed the blood from his glove with his thumb. "It usually disappears after enough pain." Suo Ran gave a small shrug. "Try harder." The man's patience finally snapped and he rushed forward again, this time much faster than before. His fist shot toward Suo ran's injured side. Suo ran immediately turned his body. The punch narrowly missed the wound but struck his ribs instead.
Before the attacker could strike again, Suo ran grabbed the heavy medical trolley beside him and kicked it forward with his leg. The trolley rolled across the floor and slammed into the man's knees. He lost his footing for only a second, but Suo ran didn't waste the opportunity. He reached beside the bed, grabbed the tall metal IV stand, and swung it sideways with both hands. The attacker barely managed to raise his arm.*Clang!*The metal pole smashed against his forearm before bouncing away. The force drove him backward into the wall and framed medical certificate crashed to the floor beside him, its glass shattering into dozens of pieces.
Outside, voices immediately became urgent. "Open the door!" someone shouted. Another voice answered, "It's locked!" Heavy banging echoed through the room as hospital security tried forcing the door open. The attacker looked briefly toward the entrance before returning his attention to Suo ran. His calm expression had completely disappeared and now looked irritated.Suo Ran noticed it and faint smile appeared on his face despite the sweat forming across his forehead. "Running out of time?" he asked quietly. The attacker didn't answer. Instead, he suddenly reached into his coat.
Suo ran's eyes sharpened. He immediately picked up the fallen metal tray from the floor, ready to defend himself again. But instead of another weapon, the man pulled out a small black sphere no larger than a golf ball. He pressed it once before throwing it onto the floor. *Pop!* And Thick white smoke instantly burst across the room. Within seconds the entire hospital room disappeared behind a dense white cloud.
Suo ran instinctively stepped backward, coughing once as the smoke burned his eyes. His vision blurred completely. And Somewhere inside the smoke he heard rapid footsteps moving across the room. Then... silence. Outside, the banging became even louder. "Stand back!" one of the security guards shouted. *Boom!* The door burst inward and several hospital security officers rushed inside with weapons raised. "Mr. Suo ran! " one of them yelled. "Where is he?" Another guard switched on a powerful flashlight, cutting through the smoke.
The room gradually became visible again. They saw bed was overturned, medical equipment lay scattered everywhere, glass on the floor and entire window had been shattered. The attacker was gone.One security officer immediately ran to the broken window and looked outside. "Nothing!" he shouted. "He's gone!" Another officer hurried toward Suo ran. "Sir, are you injured?" Suo Ran slowly lowered the bent IV stand still clutched in his hand. His breathing had become noticeably heavier and blood slowly spread through the bandage covering the wound near his abdomen. Even so, his eyes remained fixed on the broken window. After several long seconds, he quietly said, "He never expected to stay."
The security officer looked confused. "Sir?" Suo Ran slowly walked toward the shattered window, ignoring the pain with every step. He looked down into the empty alley below before speaking again, "He came here to do one thing." He paused briefly. "Kill me." His fingers slowly tightened into a fist. "When that failed..." His gaze remained fixed on the empty alley. "...he escaped without hesitation." He fell silent for another moment before quietly adding, "Which means..." His expression hardened. "...someone knows I'm awake."
The elevator doors opened with a soft chime. Cai Lang stepped out without slowing down. The employees standing outside immediately straightened their backs and lowered their heads. No one dared greet him. His footsteps echoed steadily through the silent corridor until a young employee hurried around the corner carrying several thick files. Without noticing Cai Lang, the employee accidentally bumped into him. The files slipped from his hands and scattered across the floor.
The young man's face instantly turned pale. "B-Boss..." he stammered as he hurriedly crouched to pick everything up. "I'm sorry... I wasn't looking." Cai Lang lowered his eyes toward the scattered papers before looking back at the employee.His expression remained calm, but the coldness in his eyes made the young man shiver. "Do people here walk with their eyes closed now?" he asked quietly. The employee's hands trembled as he hurriedly gathered the last document. "No, Boss... It was my mistake. It won't happen again."
Cai Lang looked at him for another second before speaking. "If you can't even carry documents properly, perhaps someone else should do your job." The employee bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Boss. Please give me another chance." Cai Lang said nothing else. He simply walked past him toward his office.
Only after the office door closed did the employee let out the breath he had been holding. Another employee approached him and whispered, "Are you alright?" The young man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced a weak smile. "I thought I was going to get fired." Another colleague quietly looked toward the closed office door before lowering his voice even further. "Boss's mood is terrible today." The first employee nodded immediately. "I've never seen him this cold."
A woman carrying coffee glanced around to make sure nobody else was listening before whispering,"Something must have happened. Secretary Zheng isn't here either." Another employee frowned. "That's strange. Secretary Zheng always follows Boss." She frowned slightly as she looked toward the closed office door. "I've worked here for almost three years... I don't think I've ever seen Boss come back alone." Another employee adjusted his glasses and looked in the same direction with a puzzled expression. "That's strange." He folded his arms slowly. "Secretary Zheng always follows Boss wherever he goes. Even if Boss tells him to leave, he usually comes back within an hour."
The young employee who had just bumped into Cai Lang swallowed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you think... Secretary Zheng made Boss angry?" The man shook his head. "Impossible." His answer came without hesitation. "Boss trusts Secretary Zheng more than anyone in this company." Another woman standing nearby frowned thoughtfully. "Then maybe Secretary Zheng is handling something important." She paused before adding quietly, "Otherwise, he would never leave Boss alone."
The first woman looked toward the office door again, her brows knitting together with worry. "Whatever it is... it can't be something small." She tightened her grip around the coffee cup. "Didn't you see Boss's face just now?" Everyone nodded almost at the same time. One employee quietly muttered, "It felt like the temperature dropped the moment he walked in." Another gave a helpless smile. "I was about to deliver documents to his office." He immediately shook his head. "...I'll wait until tomorrow." The others couldn't help agreeing.The woman finally let out a quiet sigh and shook her head slightly, "Whatever happened... nobody should disturb him today." Everyone silently agreed before quickly returning to work.
Cai Lang pushed the office door open and walked inside without looking back.He stood motionless for several seconds before slowly taking off his black coat and throwing it onto the sofa beside the wall.His hands moved to the knot of his tie,loosening it with one smooth motion before pulling it free completely and placing it carelessly on the desk. He rolled up the sleeves of his dark shirt one fold at a time, revealing his forearms, then slowly adjusted the cuffs as though trying to distract himself from the thoughts filling his mind.He walked toward the window and rested one hand in his pocket while the other pressed lightly against the glass.
His eyes remained distant as he quietly spoke,"Where can I find you, Jun Wei?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "Where did they take you?" He slowly lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Suo Ran..." A bitter smile appeared briefly before disappearing just as quickly. "...You must hate me now." He rubbed his forehead. "You called me again and again..." His jaw tightened. "...and I ignored every single call." He laughed softly at himself, though there wasn't the slightest trace of amusement in it. "You probably thought I didn't care." He remained silent for several moments before speaking again in an even quieter voice. "...Maybe you were right." His fingers slowly curled into a fist. "If I had answered..." He stopped halfway through the sentence, unable to finish it. After a long silence he looked back toward the city lights. "You carried everything by yourself again." His eyes gradually became colder. "And now you're lying unconscious in a hospital while Jun Wei is still missing." He slowly shook his head. "No matter what happened..." His voice turned firm. "...I'll bring him back." Just then a gentle knock sounded from outside the office.
Just then, a gentle knock sounded from outside the office.Without turning around, Cai Lang spoke, "Come in."The door opened slowly, and the secretary stepped inside carrying several thick folders under one arm and a tablet in the other. As soon as he entered, his eyes instinctively swept across the office.He saw coat had been carelessly thrown onto the sofa.Cai Lang stood silently near window. The secretary quietly closed the door behind him and lowered his head. Boss never leaves his coat lying around... He never takes his frustration into the office... Something is definitely wrong today. Taking a careful breath, he walked forward and spoke respectfully, "Boss..."
Cai Lang slowly turned around. His cold gaze rested on the secretary for only a brief moment before shifting toward the doorway behind him. His brows slowly furrowed. "You?" His voice remained calm, but the secretary immediately felt the pressure behind those two simple words. Cai Lang looked toward the doorway once more before asking quietly, "Where's Zheng Rui?" The secretary froze where he stood and his heartbeat quickened instantly. What should I tell him? Should I say Secretary Zheng has disappeared for days? No... We still don't know what happened. If I say the wrong thing now, Boss will notice immediately. He lowered his head slightly before forcing himself to answer. "Boss..."
Cai Lang interrupted him before he could continue. "I asked you a question." His voice became noticeably colder. "Where is Zheng Rui?" His sharp eyes remained fixed on the secretary. "Why are you standing here instead of him?" The secretary tightened his grip around the folders, "Secretary Zheng hasn't returned yet."Cai Lang's expression immediately darkened. "Hasn't returned?" he repeated quietly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the secretary. The secretary nodded nervously and answered, "Yes, Boss."Cai Lang slowly walked toward his desk, every step calm but heavy enough to make the secretary's heartbeat quicken.
Reaching the desk, he rested one hand against its edge before asking without looking up, "When did he leave?" The secretary took a breath before replying, "Three days ago." Cai Lang lifted his head and looked directly at the secretary. "Three days?" His voice remained calm, but the secretary could clearly hear the danger hidden beneath it. "Yes, Boss!" he answered quietly. Cai Lang stared at him for several long seconds before asking again, "He left... without reporting to me?" The secretary immediately shook his head. "No, Boss. Secretary Zheng intended to report everything before leaving. He tried contacting you several times. He even returned to the company before he left. He told me to organize today's documents and wait for your return."
Cai Lang's gaze remained fixed on him. "What was so important?" The secretary hesitated briefly before lowering his head. "He didn't explain. He only said there was something he needed to confirm personally. He believed it wouldn't take long and said he would return before you did." The office fell silent once again.Cai Lang lowered his eyes and absentmindedly picked up a pen from the desk. He slowly rolled it between his fingers once... twice... then quietly placed it back exactly where it had been. "...So," he murmured to himself, "...he's been gone for three days." The secretary cautiously spoke again. "Boss... after Secretary Zheng failed to return yesterday, I tried contacting him several more times. There wasn't any reply. I also contacted the people he usually works with. None of them have seen him." Cai Lang slowly looked back at him. "Did he call me?" The secretary immediately nodded. "Yes. Several times."
Cai Lang's brows drew together. "And?" The secretary answered respectfully, "There wasn't any response." Cai Lang frowned slightly."No response?" The secretary nodded again. "You changed your phone number recently, Boss. The company's contact records were updated immediately, but Secretary Zheng had already gone out to handle work. He only had your previous number." Cai Lang quietly closed his eyes for a brief moment before letting out a slow breath. "Right," he said softly. "...I forgot."
The secretary continued, "He also left several messages with the reception desk. He said... if you returned before he did... please contact him immediately." Cai Lang remained silent, his expression unreadable. Several seconds passed before he finally spoke. "When he contacts the company... tell him to call me immediately." The secretary nodded firmly. "Yes, Boss." Secretary called zheng rui but he didn't pick up! He nervously looked at cai lang and said with shaking voice, "Boss...He is not picking up." Cai Lang slowly raised his eyes and looked at him. "Keep calling." The secretary nodded again.
Cai lang's fingers lightly tapped the edge of the desk before he slowly raised his eyes. "That's not enough." The secretary got scared and immediately straightened his posture. "Boss?" Cai Lang's voice remained calm. "I want everything Zheng Rui did during the past week." He paused briefly before continuing. "Every meeting, phone call and place he visited. And every person he met." His eyes grew colder. "I don't want a summary.I want every detail."
The secretary's expression became serious. "Understood." Cai Lang continued, "Check the company's vehicle records." "Building access logs." "Parking records." "Hotel reservations." "Restaurant payments." "Fuel receipts." "Surveillance if necessary." He looked directly at the secretary. "Even if it looks meaningless..." "...bring it to me." The secretary nodded firmly. "Yes, Boss." Cai Lang slowly folded his arms. "And find out where he was supposed to go three days ago." "Who assigned the work?" "Who contacted him?" "What documents did he take with him?" "I want every answer." The secretary carefully replied, "Some records may take a little time."
Cai Lang answered without hesitation. "Then don't waste time standing here." The secretary immediately lowered his head. "I'll start now." Just as he reached the door, Cai Lang spoke again without looking at him. "One more thing." The secretary stopped immediately. "Yes, Boss?" Cai Lang's voice became noticeably quieter. "Don't tell anyone Zheng Rui is missing." "Until I know what happened..." "...this stays between us." The secretary nodded without hesitation. "I understand." He quietly left the office.
Outside, the secretary closed the door behind him and finally let out the breath he had been holding. He rubbed his forehead with one hand before adjusting the folders in his arms. I've worked here for years... but Boss is even scarier when he speaks calmly. Before he could walk away, two employees looked up from their desks. One of them immediately noticed his pale face. "Secretary Li..." he asked quietly, "...are you alright?" The secretary forced a small smile. "I'm fine." The woman sitting nearby tilted her head. "Did Boss scold you?" The secretary immediately shook his head. "No." Another employee quietly lowered his voice. "Then why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" The secretary sighed softly. "Just focus on your work." The employees looked at each other. The woman carrying a stack of documents leaned slightly closer before whispering, "Boss has been in a bad mood since he arrived."Another employee nodded quietly. "I heard he almost frightened Xiao Chen into crying downstairs." Someone else sighed. "Something serious must have happened." The first employee glanced toward the closed office. "Do you think it's about Secretary Zheng?"
The secretary immediately looked at them. "Nobody discusses Secretary Zheng." His voice remained calm, but it carried enough authority to silence everyone. "Whatever you've heard..." "...forget it." The employees immediately nodded. "Yes, Secretary Li." Without another word, the secretary turned around and quickly walked toward the archives department. Nearly forty minutes later, he returned carrying another stack of files along with a company laptop and a portable hard drive. After knocking once, he entered Cai Lang's office again. Cai Lang was still standing beside the window exactly where he had been before. Without saying anything, the secretary placed everything carefully onto the desk. "Boss." Cai Lang slowly turned around. "Done?" The secretary nodded. "These are all of Secretary Zheng's activities over the past seven days." Cai Lang walked over and opened the first file.
Cai Lang opened the report and began reading from the first page. His expression remained calm as his eyes moved steadily across the neatly organized records. Monday's schedule appeared first.In Morning executive meeting.Then client negotiation. Warehouse inspection. Lunch with the legal department. Returned to the company before evening. Nothing unusual. He flipped to the next page without any reaction. Tuesday. Visited two suppliers. Reviewed quarterly reports. Signed several contracts. Attended an evening business meeting before returning home. Everything looked exactly as it should. Another page turned. Wednesday. Bank meeting. Inspection of a construction site. Dinner with an old business client and returned to the company to finish paperwork. Again... nothing seemed out of place.
Cai Lang continued reading patiently. Thursday's report contained company access records, vehicle logs, office entry times, expense reports, meeting schedules, and purchase approvals. Every detail was complete. Every movement was accounted for. Still... nothing caught his attention. He turned another page. His hand suddenly stopped.Near the bottom of the report was a section labeled Phone Records. Cai Lang lowered his gaze while the secretary quietly stepped closer. "Those are Secretary Zheng's outgoing calls over the past week, Boss!" he explained respectfully.
Cai Lang slowly scanned the list. The first several numbers belonged to company departments.Nothing important then one record immediately caught his attention. An outgoing call. Recipient... Cai Lang. Duration... No answer. He stared at the report silently. Directly beneath it was another outgoing call with different number. And call duration was five minutes and thirty seconds. Cai Lang's brows slowly drew together. His finger lightly rested on the page before he asked, "Whose number is this?"
The secretary immediately checked the attached report before answering. "We verified the registration." He paused briefly. "The registered owner..." He looked up carefully. "is Mr. Suo Ran." Cai Lang looked at secretary with confused face,"Are you sure?"
The secretary nodded without hesitation. "Yes, Boss. We confirmed it twice." He pointed toward the verification documents clipped behind the report. "The registration records, telecom information, and identification details all match Mr. Suo Ran."
Cai Lang remained silent. His eyes slowly returned to the unfamiliar phone number printed on the page. This isn't the number I know... His fingers unconsciously tightened against the paper. When did he change it? Why didn't he tell me? Another thought followed. No... If he really changed his number... then the calls I tried making afterward would've never reached him. His jaw tightened slightly. Was that why I could never contact him...?He stared at the unfamiliar number for several long seconds, trying to remember whether Suo Ran had ever mentioned changing his phone, but no matter how hard he searched his memory, nothing came back. He slowly exhaled. Or... was there another reason? His gaze gradually darkened. Did he change it because he wanted to cut off contact... Or because someone forced him to?
The secretary continued with pointing at document."According to the call records... Secretary Zheng first attempted to contact you." "He called your previous number three times." "There wasn't any response." "After failing to reach you..." "...he immediately called Mr. Suo." "Their conversation lasted approximately five minutes."Cai Lang remained silent.His thoughts began arranging the sequence again and again. Zheng Rui tried calling me first... When he couldn't reach me... he called Suo Ran instead. Why? What was so important that he immediately contacted Suo Ran after failing to find me? His eyes slowly settled on the five-minute call once more. What exactly did the two of them discuss? What happened during those five minutes? And why did Zheng Rui disappear afterward?