A new dawn painted the eastern sky as golden sunlight filtered through the cherry blossom trees standing before Long-Ying-Ting Apartment. With the birth of a new day, the sleeping city slowly awakened. Residents bustled about with their daily routines.
Yet today, Long-Ying-Ting felt different.
Dozens of guards dressed in black stood stationed around the apartment, creating an unusually tense atmosphere.
Inside Shi-Han's apartment, Jun-Yu lay unconscious on the sofa.
Shi-Han was curled up beside him, hugging him tightly, her head resting against his chest.
The burning heat radiating from Jun-Yu's body felt as though it was scorching Shi-Han's own heart. It seemed that whatever pain Jun-Yu was enduring, she was suffering twice as much just by watching him.
Throughout the entire night, Shi-Han had tirelessly placed cool, damp cloths on his forehead to reduce his fever.
Even in his feverish delirium, Jun-Yu kept murmuring over and over,
> "Papa... I hate you... I need you, Papa... I miss you, Papa... I miss you... But I didn't do anything wrong... Why did you punish me like this? You destroyed everything I had... Papa... I hate you..."
Even in his unconscious state, the horrifying image of his shattered laboratory continued to haunt his dreams.
As he muttered those words, his body trembled uncontrollably.
His handsome face was flushed red from the alcohol, while his lips had turned pale. The storm of resentment hidden within his soft, trembling voice shook Shi-Han to her very core.
Whenever she stood before Jun-Yu, her heart would always melt like wax.
But seeing the person she cherished in such a miserable state completely broke her.
Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.
Only one question echoed repeatedly inside her mind.
"What happened to you, Jun-Yu?"
Shi-Han had no idea that Jun-Yu's secret laboratory was located beneath Long-Ying-Ting.
The previous evening, she had gone to the Verne Club to bring Xiao-Tong home.
Exhausted both physically and emotionally, Xiao-Tong had fallen asleep almost immediately after arriving at the apartment.
Unsure of what else to do, Shi-Han had covered Jun-Yu with a blanket and stayed beside him throughout the night, embracing him while repeatedly placing cold compresses on his burning forehead.
It was now nearly ten o'clock in the morning.
Jun-Yu still hadn't regained consciousness, although his fever had dropped slightly.
Shi-Han gently brushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead before softly stroking it with her hand.
Then she went to freshen up.
She had barely returned when the apartment's doorbell rang.
Shi-Han glanced once toward the sleeping Jun-Yu before walking to the entrance.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Hao-Ran and Wen-Hao standing outside.
The moment Hao-Ran saw her, he rushed forward and hugged her excitedly.
Hao-Ran: "Sis! Surprise! How have you been? Look, I came without telling you! Aren't you happy to see me? What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?"
How could Hao-Ran possibly understand the pain buried inside Shi-Han's heart?
The people she loved most were burning before her eyes like a raging volcano.
She herself was being consumed by the flames of love.
The tears in her eyes had only just begun to subside, yet the emotions inside her heart were so overwhelming that the flood could burst forth again at any moment.
Forcing herself to remain calm, Shi-Han spoke in a serious tone.
Shi-Han: "Of course I'm happy you came. Come in... both of you."
She turned and walked back inside.
But the moment the usually composed Wen-Hao looked toward the sofa, his eyes landed on Jun-Yu's unconscious figure.
In an instant, flames of fury seemed to ignite within his eyes.
His gaze turned blood-red with anger.
Jun-Yu was slowly beginning to regain consciousness. His index finger twitched slightly. As a little strength returned to his body, he tried to turn over. After lying on the sofa in the same position all night, every muscle ached. But Jun-Yu had never been used to sleeping on a sofa. The moment he rolled over, he lost his balance and fell onto the floor.
The unexpected and rather comical incident broke the heavy atmosphere. Hao-Ran, with his childlike personality, burst into laughter. Realizing that Jun-Yu had finally regained consciousness, a faint smile appeared on his face. However, Jun-Yu's eyes were still heavy with sleep.
Hao-Ran walked over to him, gently patted his face, and said with a grin,
Hao-Ran: "Hey, hey, wake up! Don't sleep on the floor like this. Go sleep on a bed instead. Sis, who is this guy? He's completely drunk. Hey, get up! Can you hear me?"
As soon as Hao-Ran got close, he caught the strong smell of alcohol.
The moment Jun-Yu heard the word "drunk," Wen-Hao's expression darkened. His voice turned cold and stern.
Wen-Hao: "Why is Jun-Yu, the sole heir of Xin-Xing Company, in your apartment? And on top of that, he's drunk. Shi-Han, have you completely lost your sense of dignity?"
Wen-Hao knew Jun-Yu very well because he was the manager of a rival company. However, he had no idea that the Long-Ying-Ting Apartment actually belonged to Jun-Yu's family.
While Wen-Hao was speaking, Hao-Ran helped Jun-Yu sit up. Sitting on the floor with half-open eyes, Jun-Yu heard every single word.
The moment Wen-Hao's comment reached his ears, a surge of anger rose inside him.
With unsteady steps, Jun-Yu slowly stood up. In a hoarse, exhausted voice, he said,
Jun-Yu: "I'm not anyone's heir anymore. And Shi-Han... thank you for bringing me here. I'm going to sleep now... I'm so tired."
With those words, Jun-Yu walked out of Shi-Han's apartment.
Shi-Han didn't try to stop him. She assumed he was simply returning to his own apartment on the fourth floor.
But one question lingered in her mind.
"How does Wen-Hao know Jun-Yu?"
She turned to her brother.
Shi-Han: "Brother, this apartment building actually belongs to Jun-Yu. He lives on the fourth floor. I think he had some kind of conflict with his family. Last night, Xiao-Tong and I found him in that condition and brought him here. He didn't want to come here at all, but I couldn't just leave him outside, so I brought him to my apartment. But... how do you know him?"
Wen-Hao: "Xin-Xing Company is Yi-Xing Company's biggest rival. How I know him isn't important. What's important is that you stay away from him. Don't get involved with him in any way."
After a brief pause, he continued,
Wen-Hao: "One more thing. Your university's Cherry Festival is coming up soon. From now on, Hao-Ran will stay with you. After the festival, if applications for the Computer Science program open, help him enroll at Shanghai University. I'll get going now. Bye, Hao-Ran."
With that, Wen-Hao turned around and left.
He had only come to Long-Ying-Ting to drop Hao-Ran off.
"Stay away from Jun-Yu? What did Brother mean by that?"
Shi-Han's thoughts became a whirlwind.
"I've already given him my heart... my soul... I can't imagine a single moment without him. Every breath I take is because of Jun-Yu."
"What should I do now?"
"Jun-Yu doesn't even know that I'd be willing to give up everything for him."
"Will he ever understand how deeply I love him... or will he deceive me the way Chen-Yu did?"
"But... I haven't even confessed my feelings yet."
"Should I listen to my brother and walk away... or should I tell Jun-Yu how I truly feel?"
"First... I need to find out whether he already has a girlfriend."
"But even if he does... would I really be able to let him go?"
After Wen-Hao left, countless questions flooded Shi-Han's mind.
Yet none of them had an answer.
Suppressing her emotions, another worry suddenly struck her.
Had Jun-Yu really gone back to his apartment?
Or had he collapsed on the staircase?
With his fever and drunken state, was he lying unconscious outside his door on the fourth floor?
And more importantly...
What had actually happened to him last night?
She needed answers.
Without another thought, Shi-Han hurried upstairs two steps at a time.
There were only a few flights of stairs between the third and fourth floors.
Jun-Yu had left only a few minutes earlier.
Considering how unsteady he had been, he shouldn't have gotten very far.
Yet...
There wasn't a single sign of him anywhere.
Growing anxious, Shi-Han walked to the door of Jun-Yu's apartment and rang the doorbell.
A few moments later...
The door slowly opened.
Standing before her was a face she had never seen before.
Forcing a polite smile onto her face, Shi-Han spoke.
Shi-Han: "Auntie, where is Jun-Yu? Jun-Yu lives here, right? Could you please tell me if he came home a while ago?"
The moment Mei-Xue heard Shi-Han's question, she frowned slightly. She thought to herself,
"Who is this girl? How does she know Jun-Yu? Jun-Yu has never paid attention to girls before. But this girl's appearance is truly beautiful. She looks like a fairy. Could she be my daughter-in-law? If she is Jun-Yu's girlfriend, that wouldn't be a bad thing at all."
Mei-Xue: "Jun-Yu hasn't returned home since yesterday. But who are you, young lady?"
As soon as Mei-Xue finished speaking, Shi-Han's heart skipped a beat. She immediately understood that Jun-Yu had not returned to his apartment.
Although worried, Shi-Han politely replied,
Shi-Han: "What? Jun-Yu didn't come home? Auntie, I'm Shi-Han. I live on the third floor of this apartment. Jun-Yu is my best friend. He stayed at my apartment last night."
Hearing this, Mei-Xue grabbed Shi-Han's hand and said,
Mei-Xue: "What? We've been searching everywhere for him, and he was only a few floors away from us, at your place? But where is he now? He hasn't come here! Why did you let him leave?"
A clear look of panic appeared in Mei-Xue's eyes.
Seeing Mei-Xue's anxious expression and hearing her questions, the doubts in Shi-Han's mind became even more complicated.
Trying to stay calm, Shi-Han asked,
Shi-Han: "Auntie, I don't understand what happened that made Jun-Yu act this way. Why are you so worried as well? If you don't mind, could you please tell me everything?"
Mei-Xue: "Come inside. I'll tell you."
With that, Mei-Xue held Shi-Han's hand and gently pulled her inside the apartment.
Mei-Xue began telling Shi-Han everything that had happened the previous day.
But Shi-Han's thoughts were somewhere else...
They were trapped inside Jun-Yu's wounded heart.
After hearing the entire story, Shi-Han felt a deep sense of guilt.
She lowered her eyes and thought to herself,
"Why didn't I understand Jun-Yu's feelings? If only I had realized that something was wrong with him..."
"It wasn't just that he was upset... he had a high fever too. In that condition, what did he even consume last night?"
"I couldn't even make him take his medicine yesterday."
"What should I do now? What am I supposed to tell Auntie? That Jun-Yu has a fever? Where should I even start looking for him?"
"God... please give Jun-Yu the strength to endure this."