Chapter 105

“Hiss… It hurts.” Jiang Zhihuo sucked in a sharp breath.

He hadn’t felt much when lying on the fire department’s air cushion, and the paramedics’ gentle probing hadn’t hurt much either. But as soon as he stood up, a throbbing pain started in his waist, abdomen, and arms.

“It’s likely a muscle strain or contusion,” a paramedic said. “Even with the air cushion, you jumped while holding Yun Xiaoxu, absorbing part of the impact for him. The injuries might not be immediately visible externally. Get him to the ambulance. Family member, support him over there, but don’t touch his arms. Take small steps.”

As the paramedic spoke, Jiang Zhihuo cautiously raised his eyes to glance at Yan Mu. His brow was slightly furrowed, the emotion in his gaze exceptionally clear—anger, even angrier than before.

Yan Mu came around and placed a supporting hand near Jiang Zhihuo’s shoulder. Jiang Zhihuo used the support to lift his own arm and rest it on Yan Mu’s shoulder, his fingers gripping the sleeve. He wiggled his fingertips slightly and took the initiative. “Yan-ge, I was wrong.”

“Wrong about what?” Yan Mu glanced at Jiang Zhihuo coolly. He was angry, but his movements remained gentle.

“I was just wrong,” Jiang Zhihuo said, his tone softening. “I made you worry. It won’t happen again. Mhm, to show my firm resolve, you can do whatever you want to me, in every sense of the word. Don’t be angry anymore, okay, Yan-ge? My God of Learning?”

Jiang Zhihuo was exceptionally sincere when admitting his mistake, the corners of his eyes crinkling into a slight curve. All his emotions were in his gaze. Yan Mu couldn’t say a word. He could only sigh and lightly kiss his hair. “I’ll hold you to that. We’ll talk after you’ve recovered.”

Jiang Zhihuo grinned, which pulled at the muscles in his chest, sending another wave of pain through him. He quickly wiped the smile off his face.

Then, his steps faltered.

He saw the couple standing by the ambulance.

Jiang Zhihuo had been avoiding one thing.

With Yun Xiaoxu kidnapped by Dai Hongtian, Father and Mother Yun were bound to come to the scene.

And he had no idea how to face the two professors.

When the professors saw Jiang Zhihuo, they staggered a step forward. Their gazes held surprise and worry, but also other, unspeakable emotions, as if they were trying to be certain, yet also seemed to have already confirmed it.

Jiang Zhihuo subconsciously lowered his head, wanting to hide, not daring to meet their eyes. His fingertips clenched tighter and tighter.

“Get in the ambulance, quickly,” the paramedics and police officers behind him said before he had time to think. “The injured need to go to the hospital first. Don’t waste time. Family members can’t ride in the ambulance. This is an emergency. If possible, we hope you can cooperate with the police first.”

The two professors thought for a moment and nodded.

Yan Mu helped Jiang Zhihuo into the ambulance. Without saying much more, he just ruffled his hair. “Go on.”

Jiang Zhihuo smiled.

In all the time they had been together, Yan Mu had never asked him too much about his past.

Why he leave? Why would he rather make a deal with Li Hao than go back? Why didn’t he dare to see the two professors?

In reality, many questions didn’t have that many answers. Some choices, regardless of whether they were right or wrong, reasonable or not, were simply the choices they made in that moment.

Cause and effect, right and wrong—none of it could be judged by anyone later on.

Yan Mu understood Yun Zhou, so he neither asked nor spoke of it.

His Xiao Zhou was so sensible, yet not so sensible at the same time.

Jiang Zhihuo lay on the gurney.

The ambulance was spacious enough to fit Jiang Zhihuo, Yun Xiaoxu, two gurneys, an emergency doctor, and a young nurse.

Due to the risk that the moving vehicle might cause impacts detrimental to their injuries, the paramedics required them to lie flat.

Yun Xiaoxu couldn’t lie still and tried to negotiate with the paramedics. “I’m fine! I’m really fine, I don’t hurt at all. I can still jump! Really, I can perform a theme song for you right now!”

The paramedic was always merciless with patients who didn’t follow the doctor’s orders. “It could be internal bleeding that you can’t feel yet. If you move again, you might never be able to perform a theme song for the rest of your life.”

“…” Yun Xiaoxu relented, aggrieved. “I’ll lie down, I’ll lie down.”

On the other side, Jiang Zhihuo didn’t say a word. The wounds didn’t hurt when he was lying down. He just stared blankly at the ceiling of the vehicle, his vision a vast white. The sound of the ambulance siren drifted in from outside.

Yun Xiaoxu stayed quiet for no more than two minutes before trying to sit up again. He was glared at by the paramedic and obediently lay back down. With nothing else to do, he called out, “Hey, top student.”

“Mhm,” Jiang Zhihuo was still in a daze.

Yun Xiaoxu tilted his head and asked directly, without beating around the bush, “You’re my older brother, right?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “I’m not.”

Yun Xiaoxu pointed out, “I heard them. You’re Yun Zhou.”

Jiang Zhihuo fell silent.

Yun Xiaoxu saw Jiang Zhihuo’s hand, which had been bandaged after some simple first aid. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ge, the way you came in just now was amazing!”

Yun Xiaoxu chattered on, “Are you a cop?! I was totally stunned when you jumped down holding me! And those hits you gave Dai Hongtian! So professional! Holy crap! Can you teach me?!”

“…” Jiang Zhihuo finally reacted, turning to Yun Xiaoxu with a helpless look. “I’d like to be melancholic in peace for a while, little celebrity.”

“Oh…” Yun Xiaoxu scratched his head. “I was just trying to liven up the mood. You’re unhappy, so I should be happy? I found my brother! I was saved by my brother! And my brother is so handsome! God, thinking about it now, I almost thought I was filming a cop movie, you know?!”

“Pfft.” The young nurse in the ambulance giggled, then quickly covered her mouth, realizing her unprofessionalism. “Sorry.”

Yun Xiaoxu said, “Hey, my bad. When I get excited, I talk a lot. The doctor won’t let me move, so all I can do is talk.”

Jiang Zhihuo looked at him. “I’m not your older brother.”

Seeing that his brother was finally reacting a little, Yun Xiaoxu smiled.

There was a small, thin cut on his face where Dai Hongtian had slashed him while threatening the two professors. It had just started to scab over, a hint of red seeping from the wound.

Jiang Zhihuo remembered a girl in their class group chat who had once posted a fan edit of Yun Xiaoxu. It was a video montage of his various expressions from the show, including a similar smile. The girl’s comment was: So cute and handsome! Adorable!

“You are!”

“I’m not,” Jiang Zhihuo said. “Our birthdays are on the same day.”

“Even on the same day, one of us was born earlier. Don’t get hung up on that. Just accept it when I call you ‘Ge’! Hey, by the way, you’ve seen the show, right?” Yun Xiaoxu’s mouth truly couldn’t stay idle, and he continued chattering away. “I really didn’t expect that part to get so much screen time. Um… you know, I used to be really jealous of you. After I went back, everyone only ever talked about you. I even… I even fought with Mom and Dad a lot because of it.”

“I… I don’t really know what I’m trying to say. It’s just, um…” Yun Xiaoxu paused, searching for the right words. “I just wanted to say sorry. And also, Mom and Dad have been looking for you this whole time.”

“Ge, Mom and Dad miss you a lot.”

People always say that audience appeal is a mysterious thing. Jiang Zhihuo suddenly understood why Yun Xiaoxu was able to climb from the lower ranks into a debut position.

He was too sincere.

He didn’t hide his emotions, wasn’t stingy with his words, and expressed his thoughts freely.

There was something about him that was naturally pleasant and relaxing, an innate part of his personality.

“I know.” Jiang Zhihuo’s lips curved into a faint smile.

The ambulance sped toward the hospital, traffic on the street parting to let it pass.

Yun Xiaoxu also broke into a silly grin.

In the beginning, Yun Xiaoxu didn’t know much about what had happened back then. He didn’t know or understand what kind of person Dai Hongtian was. All he knew was that one day, he suddenly had a new home, new parents, and a new environment. His name changed from Dai Xiaoxu to Yun Xiaoxu.

His parents never mentioned Dai Hongtian to him. He had asked, but was always put off with various excuses.

He couldn’t find Dai Hongtian, and his parents couldn’t find Yun Zhou.

The two professors had never intended for Yun Zhou to leave them, but one day, both Yun Zhou and Dai Hongtian disappeared at the same time.

Disappearing was all too easy over a decade ago. Buy a bus ticket, go to another city, or to a more remote village deep in the countryside. They could easily hide, never to be found by anyone.

The two professors spent a lot of time and asked many people for help.

They didn’t care about the money that had practically been stolen from them by Dai Hongtian. Whatever happened to Dai Hongtian was fine, and the money didn’t matter. What they wanted to find was Yun Zhou, the son they had raised for eight years.

But after a long time, they still had nothing.

Until one day, a criminal police officer found them.

“Someone has presented evidence of Dai Hongtian’s suspected child trafficking and extortion, and has provided a lead. We hope you can cooperate with the investigation.”

That day, for the first time, Yun Xiaoxu saw his parents look ecstatic.

When the police came to their home to collect evidence, his parents wanted him to stay in his room, but Yun Xiaoxu refused. At that time, he believed he was a part of the family and had the right to know the truth. So he tried to open the door or sneak out through the window.

He succeeded. And so he saw his parents grab the officer’s arm and ask, almost incoherently, “Who provided the evidence? Is there a child with him? Is he doing okay? Can we see him?”

But the officer shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen him.”

At the time, Yun Xiaoxu hadn’t understood his parents’ feelings. He was just consumed by jealousy and anger. He was jealous that Yun Zhou was still so fondly remembered by his parents even after he left, and jealous that the “father” he had once respected had taken him away instead of himself.

But now, bringing up the past felt so distant. The limitations of his age and the lack of proper education were unavoidable topics. He had been too naive, too foolish. Empathy and judgment had to be gradually developed through growth.

Neither Yun Xiaoxu, Jiang Zhihuo, nor the two professors was at fault. They were simply the victims.

Fortunately, Professor Yun had raised Yun Xiaoxu well.

“Ge,” Yun Xiaoxu had gotten used to calling him that. He had been awkward about it as a child, but being awkward about it now was pointless. He had internally condemned his younger, ignorant self, felt heartbroken for his parents who couldn’t find Yun Zhou no matter what, and wondered how Yun Zhou had managed to live alone all these years. He said with genuine emotion, “I suddenly really want to hug you.”

“No,” the paramedic beside them interrupted coolly. “Neither of you is allowed to move.”

Yun Xiaoxu: “…”

While Jiang Zhihuo and Yun Xiaoxu were being taken to the hospital, the two professors followed a police car to the station.

Although the economic losses from this vicious kidnapping were not significant, it had an extremely negative impact on public opinion. The authorities needed the family’s cooperation to release appropriate information to quell public speculation.

He Miaomiao’s team had been responsible for disarming the bomb and evacuating the crowd, so she naturally became the lead officer on the case. She quickly assessed the situation at the scene and worked with multiple departments to formulate a preliminary response plan.

She had someone bring Yan Mu to the door of the interrogation room. In a hurry, she spoke rapidly, “Young Master Yan, I need to go find Captain Li now. His people were also involved in the case, so we need to coordinate on some details. If you want to know what’s going on, you can listen from here, but you can’t disclose it to the public. I have to go.”

“Okay,” Yan Mu replied.

Inside the interrogation room, the officer conducting the questioning said, “We need to understand the full story. This incident has had a huge impact, and we may need to release some details to the public.”

“Yes, of course,” Father Yun nodded.

The officer pushed a file on the table toward the two professors. “This is the case file from back then.”

The file only recorded the investigation process and the verdict. For example, on X date of X year, someone reported the crime and provided evidence; on X date of X year, Dai Hongtian was arrested; on X date of X year, Dai Hongtian was sentenced to thirteen years in prison.

However, the file did not record the specific relationship between the parties involved and Dai Hongtian. The police had to get the details from Father and Mother Yun.

The two professors read through the file and exchanged a look. Mother Yun took a deep breath and, with great difficulty, began to recall every detail from that year.

“Eighteen years ago, in the hospital, Dai Hongtian maliciously swapped Yun Zhou and Xiaoxu.”