Shu-Yang: "Thank you for doing so much for me. Just leave the food here; I'll eat it later. And before you leave, I have one request. Tell your guards to leave. I can protect myself."
The deep resentment in Shu-Yang's voice was impossible for Mei-Xue to miss.
Mei-Xue simply brushed her hands together and smiled faintly.
There was only one reason behind her smile.
Sometimes, even a tiger has to be trapped by a hunter.
Shu-Yang was perfectly capable of protecting himself. But what had happened to him that day at the bar?
Seeing Mei-Xue smile, Shu-Yang frowned.
His entire body seemed to burn with anger.
Still smiling, Mei-Xue said,
Mei-Xue: "Oh! My dear police officer, are you really this upset with me? But today, I didn't come here to win you over. I came to ask you for help. Why are you holding such a grudge, dear?"
"Besides, you haven't even asked about Jun-Yu once."
Mei-Xue had initially spoken with a smile, but as she continued, her voice became increasingly emotional.
Her words struck Shu-Yang's heart deeply.
He immediately became anxious and asked,
Shu-Yang: "Mamani, what happened to Jun-Yu? Is he okay?"
Mei-Xue: "Listen, dear. A lot has happened to Jun-Yu since he became the racing champion."
"First, Jun-Kai destroyed the laboratory that meant everything to him."
"Then, on that same day, the brakes on his motorcycle failed, and Jun-Yu crashed his bike."
"Overwhelmed by grief and shock, Jun-Yu drank like a man who had lost all reason."
"That same day, he left home."
"And he still hasn't returned."
"On top of that, our company is now facing a major crisis."
"Jun-Kai is also confined to his bed, consumed by grief and regret over what happened to his son."
Amidst everything Mei-Xue said, only one sentence echoed inside Shu-Yang's mind—
"Jun-Yu left home."
People usually come to a hospital to recover from illness and return to a normal life.
But Shu-Yang's situation was completely different.
Poor Shu-Yang had practically been imprisoned in the hospital by Jun-Kai, surrounded by his old trauma, security guards, and specially assigned nurses—as though the police officer himself were the patient who needed to be kept under surveillance.
Ever since Jun-Yu left the hospital after that racing incident, Shu-Yang had almost stopped eating and sleeping.
Once a handsome, fair-skinned young man with a strong, athletic build, Shu-Yang had gradually become painfully thin from illness, lack of proper food, and relentless emotional stress.
Looking at him now, it seemed as though the only thing keeping his human body alive was a single heartbeat...
And the hope of seeing Jun-Yu again.
Because of his poor diet and prolonged mental stress, Shu-Yang's blood pressure had become dangerously weak.
Those unexpected words suddenly hit him hard.
For a moment, everything seemed to spin around him.
A single thought kept echoing inside his head.
Shu-Yang suddenly broke into a dry cough and pressed a hand against his head.
Mei-Xue immediately rose from her seat and held him firmly.
In a weak voice, Shu-Yang whispered,
Shu-Yang: "Mamani... everything feels so strange. Why does everything seem to be spinning?"
Mei-Xue: "Calm down, dear. Please forgive me."
"As your mother, I failed to take care of you."
"But I was helpless."
"Not anymore."
"No matter how many guards or special nurses Jun-Kai assigns, they're making you mentally ill instead of helping you recover."
After regaining his composure slightly, Shu-Yang looked at her and said,
Shu-Yang: "Mamani, you're not only Jun-Yu's mother... you're my mother too."
"Otherwise, how could you understand what I'm feeling without me even telling you?"
"Please, Mamani... get me out of here."
"I can't breathe in this place anymore."
"I feel like I'm slowly dying here…"
Shu-Yang had barely finished speaking when Mei-Xue pulled him into her arms.
Amidst all the emotional turmoil, inner conflict, and physical suffering he had endured, Shu-Yang finally felt as though he had found his mother.
Mei-Xue: "Shu-Yang, come on, dear. Eat your food. No more sulking."
"Today, I cooked this myself and brought it here. Sit down. I'll feed you myself."
"Just look at what has happened to my son over these past few days."
Shu-Yang couldn't eat with his left hand, while the bullet wound had been on the right side of his chest, and his right arm was still bandaged and immobilized.
Mei-Xue had fed him before as well.
Recently, however, he had been trying to eat by himself with his left hand. No matter how caring a nurse might be, surely no one could feed a patient every single day.
While eating, Shu-Yang said,
Shu-Yang: "Mamani, I'm full now. You should go home and get some rest. I'm going to the police station."
Mei-Xue held another bite of food in front of Shu-Yang's mouth and began scolding him.
Mei-Xue: "Who told you to run around and push yourself when you're in this condition?"
"I know you're the only one who can reason with Jun-Yu and bring him back home. But right now, I'm dealing with the company's copyright case."
"Tell your Cyber Crime Department to investigate this properly: How could Lin Yuxin come to sell the series herself and then personally file a copyright claim against it?"
Shu-Yang lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and then replied,
Shu-Yang: "Even so, I'll have to take action eventually. Besides, Mamani, there are already so many cases piling up at the office."
"And have you eaten?"
"If you haven't eaten, I won't eat anymore either. You eat first."
Mei-Xue immediately scolded him again.
Mei-Xue: "Absolutely not."
"First, you'll give them directions over the phone."
"Second, you're going to finish all this food yourself."
"If you don't eat, where will you get the strength to recover? And how are you supposed to take action without any strength?"
Shu-Yang made a slightly playful expression and said,
Shu-Yang: "Whatever Mamani orders..."
"But I really don't feel like eating anymore."
"You know very well that my body is still under the effects of antibiotics."
"And what do you think will happen if I stay without eating for too long?"
★★★
As afternoon faded into evening, Jun-Yu's fever had finally subsided.
After sleeping for such a long time, the effects of the alcohol had completely worn off as well.
"But... where am I?"
The question immediately arose in Jun-Yu's mind.
"This room is completely unfamiliar. It doesn't feel like my own room. How did I even get here?"
Lost in these thoughts, Jun-Yu slowly sat up in bed.
Seeing him wake up, Shin-Yue immediately walked over to him and asked,
Shin-Yue: "Jun-Yu, how are you feeling now?"
Jun-Yu: "Who are you? And how did I get here?"
Although Shin-Yue knew Jun-Yu very well, Jun-Yu didn't know her like an ordinary person might know someone they had met before.
He asked in a rather serious tone.
Seeing Jun-Yu's stern expression, Shin-Yue inwardly clenched her teeth and thought,
"Shin-Yue! Shin-Yue, look at the person you've fallen in love with. Fine, he doesn't pay much attention to girls, but does that mean he wouldn't even recognize you? How could he not know that you're from their rival group?"
After questioning herself inwardly, Shin-Yue forced a faint smile onto her face and said,
Shin-Yue: "Jun-Yu, I'm one of your fans. You weren't feeling well, and you lost consciousness in front of my car, so I brought you here."
Jun-Yu: "Oh... thank you. Tell me, what do you want in return for helping me?"
Once again, Jun-Yu spoke to Shin-Yue in a serious voice.
His words left Shin-Yue conflicted again.
She questioned herself once more.
"Does Jun-Yu want to leave already? No... I can't let him leave like this. He's still not completely recovered."
Shin-Yue: "I don't want anything in return for helping you. But I do have one request."
Jun-Yu: "What request?"
Shin-Yue: "You're still not fully recovered. Please stay with me for a few days."
As Shin-Yue spoke, she carefully observed Jun-Yu and realized that he was extremely hungry.
But Jun-Yu didn't seem willing to admit it.
Instead, he seemed eager to leave.
Hearing Shin-Yue's request, Jun-Yu was already surprised—and her words left him even more astonished.
But before he could say anything, Shin-Yue walked toward the kitchen and said,
Shin-Yue: "Oh, right! Food! You stay here. I'll be right back."
With that, Shin-Yue quickly brought a bowl from the hot pot in the kitchen and placed it on the table.
Shin-Yue: "Look, you were very sick, and I don't know when you last ate. Please, eat something first."
"After that, you can make your decision."
The more Jun-Yu looked at Shin-Yue, the more surprised he became.
But at that very moment, his stomach was practically roaring with hunger.
He had last eaten lunch on the day of the race.
Nearly two days had passed since then, and not a single bite of food had entered his stomach.
Perhaps there was no greater torment in the world than the pain of hunger.
When Shin-Yue gently urged him to eat, Jun-Yu started eating without giving it much thought.
He quickly wiped his hands on his shirt and hurried to the dining table.
Shin-Yue hadn't even finished serving all the food yet, but Jun-Yu was already eating as though he hadn't seen food in days.
Shin-Yue: "Hey, slow down! Why are you eating so quickly? All the food is for you."
Shin-Yue spoke slightly louder than before.
The moment she did, the food caught in Jun-Yu's throat.
His mind seemed to immediately signal that Shin-Yue might be upset with him for eating so hurriedly.
Jun-Yu's fair, bright complexion turned red as he began coughing violently.
Shin-Yue immediately brought him a glass of water and gently patted his back.
Her voice filled with panic, she said,
Shin-Yue: "Jun-Yu! Jun-Yu, are you okay?"
"Oh, shit! I didn't mean to—look what happened!"
"Relax. Take a deep breath. I'm right here with you."
Shin-Yue: "Are you feeling better now? Eat slowly and talk to me."
Jun-Yu: "Thank you! By the way, what's your name?"
Shin-Yue bit her lip and said shyly,
Shin-Yue: "Oh! I'm sorry. I haven't even introduced myself to you. Hey, I'm Shin-Yue, a student in the Computer Engineering Department at Shanghai University."
Hearing Shin-Yue's introduction, Jun-Yu was surprised and thought to himself,
"So this is Shin-Yue—the girl whose name I once mentioned to Shi-Han. I told Miss Shakchunni that Shin-Yue was my best friend just to make her jealous. I wonder how Miss Shakchunni is doing now."
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Jun-Yu lowered his eyes.
For a moment, Shi-Han's face flashed through his mind.
The moment he thought of Shi-Han, sadness settled over his heart.
Shin-Yue couldn't understand why Jun-Yu suddenly looked so upset, but she could tell that something was clearly bothering him.
Shin-Yue: "What's wrong? Was the food not tasty?"
Her question pulled Jun-Yu out of his thoughts.
He looked slightly startled and replied,
Jun-Yu: "It's really delicious!"
"After eating your cooking, I was reminded of two people."
"Where did you learn to cook?"
The moment Jun-Yu asked her that, Shin-Yue remembered everything she had done over the past few hours.
After Doctor Chuang left, she had been placing a cool compress on Jun-Yu's forehead with one hand while preparing food with the other.
But she had no idea what Jun-Yu liked to eat.
So she prepared several different dishes in different ways, tasted them herself first, and only then served them to Jun-Yu.
Shin-Yue smiled softly at his words and said,
Shin-Yue: "Thank you!"
"I didn't know what you liked, so I cooked several different dishes."
"Anyway, you still haven't answered me. Are you going to stay here with me or not?"
The moment Shin-Yue finished speaking, Jun-Yu replied while taking another bite of food,
Jun-Yu: "How can I stay here?"
"There's nothing here that I like."
"Besides, you're a girl and I'm a guy. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to live in the same house?"
Hearing that, Shin-Yue said disappointedly,
Shin-Yue: "Oh... yes. You're right."
"Actually, you were so sick that I completely forgot about something."
"I was planning to order some clothes online after checking your clothing size."
"Anyway, come with me."
By then, Jun-Yu had finished eating.
He stood up from the table, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and followed Shin-Yue.
Shin-Yue led him into another room and said,
Shin-Yue: "I don't know anything about your likes and dislikes."
"But I know that you love riding."
"And I also know that you like racing."
"That's why I decorated this room according to my own ideas."
"I mean, I tried to imagine what kind of room a racer might like."
Seeing the room Shin-Yue had prepared for him, Jun-Yu was completely stunned.
Her behavior continued to surprise him.
The room was clearly meant for Jun-Yu, but it had been decorated with racing albums, robots, scientific equipment, and various other things related to science.
Everything had been arranged so perfectly that it almost seemed as though the room had been designed specifically according to Jun-Yu's preferences from the very beginning.
Jun-Yu: "Are you really just my fan?"
"I mean... you're incredibly caring."
"How did you know all these things I like beforehand?"
"By the way, I'm Jun-Yu, a Science student at Shanghai University..."
The moment he said those words, Jun-Yu's voice trembled.
The image of his destroyed laboratory flashed before his eyes.
But before Jun-Yu could continue, Shin-Yue quickly interrupted him.