CH 258

When Lin Chen woke up, he was surprised by the environment he found himself in.

As he realized that he could react with surprise to his surroundings, it indicated that he had recovered somewhat from his disordered mental state.

He lay on a hospital bed that was as white and soft as a cloud. Outside the window, there was a vast blue sea, and the morning sunlight turned the surface of the sea into a flawless, pure color. Everything seemed boundless and immense, making humanity appear tiny like specks of dust and allowing many important matters to drift away with the wind.

This magnificent scenery was perfect for relaxation and recuperation. However, Hongjing wasn’t located near the sea, and apart from Xing Conglian, no one else could find a similar privileged place. But Xing Conglian wasn’t the type to go against his own will in urgent situations.

So, what had happened during the time when he had experienced mental problems? Lin Chen pondered for a moment, feeling a splitting headache. It was a very melodramatic ailment, but it was undeniably real. He felt that he couldn’t concentrate his thoughts, so he exerted some effort to force himself to avert his gaze from the view outside the window.

He rubbed his forehead and attempted to sit up, but soon realized that something was off with his body.

The soreness in his muscles and joints couldn’t be faked. What was more, just because he hadn’t eaten pork didn’t mean he hadn’t seen a pig run*. In any case, Lin Chen’s initial reaction was that Xing Conglian was a bit beastly or had some peculiar preferences. The key issue was that his technique really wasn’t good…

*Proverb referring to not having experienced things personally but have heard of them, seen them, and have a little understanding.

As Lin Chen thought about this, even the simple act of sitting up felt unbearable.

The entire hospital room was spacious, and Xing Conglian wasn’t present. The sunlight outside the window became glaring, and he couldn’t help but close his eyes.

……

Zheng Gong was the doctor in charge of monitoring Room 801. From the moment Lin Chen woke up, he had been observing the patient’s reactions.

To be honest, Lin Chen appeared surprisingly calm for someone who had just arrived here for the first time.

He watched as Lin Chen woke up and looked towards the sea, showing a relaxed and serene expression. Zheng Gong knew that the mental state of this important patient had improved somewhat.

He ticked off a few boxes on his tablet, then looked up, realizing that the patient was attempting to sit up.

As trained professionals, they wouldn’t rush in like enthusiastic healthcare workers to help someone sit up quickly. Zheng Gong carefully observed Lin Chen’s body movements and found that, apart from slightly delayed reactions, there was no coordination issue with Lin Chen’s physical movements.

Just as he made this judgment, he saw Lin Chen suddenly close his eyes.

The young man on the hospital bed furrowed his brows, gripping his forehead tightly, as if experiencing fragmented flashback scenes, appearing confused and in pain.

Zheng Gong immediately entered the room, wearing a stethoscope as he approached Lin Chen’s bed. He tentatively called out to him twice, but Lin Chen didn’t react immediately.

“Lin Chen, can you hear me?” he repeated.

At this moment, the patient on the bed opened his eyes, appearing clear-minded and determined.

“I can hear you clearly,” Lin Chen managed to squeeze out these words with some difficulty.

“Sir, I’m handling some matters, and I will take care of you,” Zheng Gong concisely stated. “Now, I need to conduct some examinations for you.”

To his surprise, Lin Chen didn’t show any resistance or ask for a detailed account of the cause and result. He simply nodded, appearing very calm and understanding.

“Understood, thank you,” Lin Chen said, lying back down and looking up at him. “Could you please hand me my phone?”

Zheng Gong nodded and noticed an ordinary-looking phone next to the flower vase on the bedside table. The color of the purple daisies was beautiful.

He picked up the phone and placed it in front of Lin Chen. “Is this it?”

“Yes.” Lin Chen took the phone, nodded in gratitude, and moved his fingers on the screen. Zheng Gong thought that he was probably going to call the big boss.

But just then, he noticed that Lin Chen’s fingers suddenly paused, as if he had seen some important message. Lin Chen’s gaze became resolute.

……

Xing Conglian quickly descended the stairs.

Whether it was Wang Chao or Huang Ze, or even the old man carrying the urine bag, they annoyingly followed behind him, constantly asking where he was going. But Xing Conglian didn’t want to listen to any of them.

The text message on his phone showed that Lin Chen had woken up over two hours ago, but he had been busy dealing with Zhourui and hadn’t seen this message.

The fact that Lin Chen woke up when he wasn’t there was completely unexpected.

He was now extremely agitated, and the voices behind him became even more unbearable.

“Boss, wait for me, I have something to tell you!” Wang Chao shouted.

“Don’t think I don’t know, Xing Conglian. Why do you want to buy Zhourui!” In the empty stairwell, Huang Ze asked him loudly, “Why are you doing this? Do you know that your behavior is unbecoming?”

Not only that, but the old man he casually brought along had also become a big trouble as he hurried to reach Lin Chen’s side.

“I’ll buy it if you want me to, but you’ll have to allocate funds for personnel. Give me your Xiao Liu. I’ve had my eye on him for a long time,” the old man said, chasing after him like this. “But first, you have to take me to the hospital. I didn’t bring any money when I left!”

Xing Conglian was being chased by these three individuals, and when he reached the fire door in the stairwell on the first floor, he suddenly stopped and turned around, looking at the three people behind him.

He patted Huang Ze’s shoulder first. “Does it have anything to do with you what I’m going to do? Moreover, I just realized that, Inspector Huang, you have a strong old lady attribute. In that case, please take care of this old man for me.”

He looked at the old man and pointed at Huang Ze, saying to the old man, “If you need anything, ask him. His family is very wealthy.”

“What about me, Boss!” Wang Chao interrupted. “Give me a chance to speak.”

“As for you…” Xing Conglian looked at Wang Chao. “Whether it’s the end of the world or an alien invasion, you better have something important to say.”

“I really do have something—no wait, it’s not me, something is happening on the internet!” Wang Chao was so flustered that he couldn’t even speak properly.

Xing Conglian opened the fire door in the stairwell and stepped into the lobby. “You have one minute from here to the outside.”

“That’s how it is, Boss,” Wang Chao said. “I’ve been monitoring the Deep Web. Although it’s difficult to monitor, well-known underground forums are within my control… ” Comrade Xiao Wang proudly stated.

“Get to the point.”

“Just now, I discovered that these underground forums have seen a surge in new users. They seem to be inquiring about something, and there may be a major event happening in the Deep Web.” Wang Chao swallowed his saliva but didn’t dare to pause for too long. “More importantly, in some reply threads, there are regional maps of Hongjing and neighboring provinces in our country. I don’t understand the language, and the translations are a mess. Can you take a look and see what’s happening, and if it’s related to our case here?”

When Wang Chao said the last sentence, Xing Conglian knew that he wouldn’t be able to rush to Lin Chen’s side immediately.

He turned around, grabbed Wang Chao’s ear, and questioned him, “You’re not usually this proactive in your work. What would happen if you told me a minute later? Would the world be destroyed?”

But Wang Chao’s reaction surprised Xing Conglian. The young man wasn’t looking at him but seemed to be staring in astonishment behind him at the lobby lounge.

“What’s wrong? Is something happening again?” Xing Conglian furrowed his brows. “Can you stop being so jumpy?”

Wang Chao opened his mouth, pointed behind him, but couldn’t say a word.

Xing Conglian slowly turned around and saw a slender figure.

Wearing a white shirt, black pants, and matching canvas shoes, the person stood by the sofa in the lobby, calmly looking at him.

It was Lin Chen.

Xing Conglian’s first reaction was embarrassment. After the first night with a lover, everything should be normal, from kissing to saying “I love you”. There was nothing wrong with the script.

Moreover, he had put Lin Chen through so much trouble. The floor-to-ceiling window he had prepared, and the vast sea view were all meant to alleviate the awkwardness of this moment when Lin Chen woke up.

But in the current situation, he certainly couldn’t rush over and embrace Lin Chen for a kiss. Besides, the way Lin Chen was looking at him now, calm and indifferent, made it difficult for him to determine what kind of attitude Lin Chen had toward him.

Xing Conglian had never felt so uncertain before. The fear of losing something must be one of the side effects of being in love.

His heart was beating very fast, and there were only a few dozen meters between him and Lin Chen, but for him, it was undoubtedly one of the most anxious moments in his life.

But in the current situation, he certainly couldn’t rush over and embrace Lin Chen for a kiss. Moreover, the way Lin Chen was looking at him now, calm and indifferent, made it difficult for him to determine what kind of attitude Lin Chen had toward him.

Xing Conglian had never felt so uncertain before. The fear of losing something must be one of the side effects of being in love.

His heart was beating very fast, and there were only a few dozen meters between him and Lin Chen, but for him, it was undoubtedly one of the most anxious moments in his life.

He was extremely nervous, but unconsciously, he had already started walking towards Lin Chen.

Just then, he suddenly felt that something was amiss around him. He stood still and turned around, almost colliding with Wang Chao behind him.

Not only that, Huang Ze and the old man were also following closely behind him, one on each side.

These three individuals simply wouldn’t leave him alone.

Xing Conglian took a step back, creating some distance between himself and these people. He pointed at them and warned, “Stay right here. Don’t move, don’t follow.”

After saying that, he turned to leave, but he still felt uneasy. He abruptly turned back, staring at the three individuals behind him who were leaning forward, “Dare to come closer, and I’ll kill you.”

Zheng Gong stood by Lin Chen’s side and experienced a similar awkward situation as Xing Conglian.

He saw the boss preventing others from approaching and felt that he should take the opportunity to leave, like the driver, Master Li, who had already disappeared.

But if he left now, would it seem too obvious?

Just as he hesitated, the boss was already standing in front of him.

He quickly lowered his head, only to hear the boss ask in a gentle voice, dripping with tenderness, “Why did you come here? Is your body alright?”

Of course, these words weren’t meant for him, but he couldn’t help but shiver uncontrollably. That soft voice made goosebumps rise all over his body.

Zheng Gong took a step back, feeling that he shouldn’t hesitate and should slip away immediately. But just then, the boss’s tone changed, coldly saying, “Did you bring him here?”

Such a cold remark was undoubtedly directed at him. The boss could change his demeanor in an instant. But in the current situation, anything he said would be wrong.

He stiffly raised his head, wanting to explain, but Lin Chen took a step forward, stood in front of him, and said very chivalrously, “I asked them for help.”

Zheng Gong felt like the current situation was simply repeating in a cheesy TV drama. It seemed amusing when he watched it while eating melon seeds and watching TV, but going through it himself was agonizing.

Sure enough, Lin Chen still looked weak. Xing Conglian wouldn’t get angry with Lin Chen; he would only take it out on them.

“Why didn’t you inform me before coming here!” Xing Conglian said.

“Because I told them that I am the one in charge of family matters,” Lin Chen said gently.