Chi Yu clutched his phone tightly. In the pitch - black room, the only faint light came from the phone screen.
He got up and switched on the floor lamp beside the sofa.
"Click."
The moment the switch was pressed, the room was instantly bathed in a warm - yellow light, which seemed to wrap up the unease deep in Chi Yu's heart.
The strange feeling he had just experienced subsided a bit.
Perhaps due to his deafness, a sense of vexation welled up in Chi Yu's heart.
Silence.
It was too quiet.
He could see the curtain fluttering in the wind and feel the temperature of the gentle breeze, but he couldn't hear the sound of the wind.
He could see Little Orange opening her little cat mouth and meowing at him, but he couldn't hear the "meows".
Everything around him started to seem less real because of the absence of sound.
For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was in a dream or in reality.
This feeling of being detached from reality gave him an unaccountable heart palpitation.
It was as if... as if he were the only one left in the whole world.
He hated this feeling.
Chi Yu took a deep breath. After inhaling enough oxygen, his mind instantly became much clearer.
Reason returned in an instant. Just as he was about to put down his phone, a sudden vibration came from his palm.
His gaze returned to the phone.
The screen showed Zuo Qiutang's number.
Chi Yu frowned. At this hour, Zuo Qiutang calling him suddenly couldn't be good news.
The phone kept vibrating in his hand. Chi Yu swiped his finger and answered the call.
A sound soon came from the other end.
The content of Zuo Qiutang's words was displayed in real - time on the screen.
"Brother Chi, Xiang Yun has run away."
Zuo Qiutang's voice carried a suppressed gloom and impatience.
But the text couldn't show his tone, so Chi Yu, separated by the phone, naturally didn't notice Zuo Qiutang's unusual impatience.
This was the imperial capital, not the border of Country A. He couldn't act according to his old habits and ways.
The moment he noticed Xiang Yun was missing, Zuo Qiutang had sent his men to investigate.
Unfortunately, this place was very different from Country A. Most of his men were almost all black - listed. Once they were detected by the Skynet surveillance system, they would surely be arrested.
Because they had to avoid the surveillance cameras, Xiang Yun soon managed to shake off the men completely.
Zuo Qiutang called Chi Yu immediately.
Chi Yu's face turned very grim as he looked at the words on the screen.
After he left the warehouse that day, he hadn't asked about anything related to Xiang Yun.
He had also told Zuo Qiutang to "restore her to her original state".
It had only been a few days. The operation on Xiang Yun must have been completed, but the recovery process would take a long time.
It would take at least two or three months.
It seemed that she was eager to leave.
"Was there anything abnormal before she ran away?"
Chi Yu asked.
Zuo Qiutang thought carefully for a while and shook his head. "There was no abnormality."
After thinking for a while, he added.
"She seems to feel no pain. Does that count as an abnormality?"
Hearing this, Chi Yu frowned tightly. "What do you mean by she feels no pain?"
Zuo Qiutang relayed what the plastic surgeon had said to Chi Yu.
"The doctor said that Xiang Yun was the most tolerant patient he had ever seen. Generally, plastic surgery doesn't involve making large - scale incisions all at once. Firstly, the patient needs time to recover and adapt. Secondly, doctors need to see if the patient will have any rejection reactions. He had never seen someone like Xiang Yun who had large - scale surgery but didn't utter a single sound."
Hearing Zuo Qiutang's words, Chi Yu's face looked even grimmer.
She wasn't immune to pain.
She was just extremely tolerant.
Chi Yu now understood why An Ya had approached Xiang Yun back then.
Because she was tolerant enough and tough on herself.
Chi Yu was now worried that Xiang Yun would undergo another surgery and he didn't know what appearance she would show up in.
By that time, they would be in a very passive position...
Chi Yu's understanding of Xiang Yun was only based on some written materials. He knew nothing about her as a person.
This was why he was completely at a loss after she escaped and couldn't think of any place where she might appear.
"Brother Chi, what should we do now..." Zuo Qiutang asked tentatively when he saw that Chi Yu had been silent for a long time.
As soon as he asked, he regretted it.
He felt useless.
He hadn't done a single thing perfectly as Chi Yu had instructed.
Zuo Qiutang was very self - reproachful and secretly swore in his heart that he would dig three feet into the ground if necessary to find Xiang Yun.
Chi Yu didn't have much energy to spare on Xiang Yun for the time being.
His current focus was on Qing Mian. After Qing Mian replied to him, treatment would most likely start.
He wasn't sure about the outcome of the treatment yet.
But the unknown was the most worrying.
Chi Yu didn't have much time to care about other things now.
He was silent for a while and then said into the phone, "Let it be for now. She hasn't fully recovered yet, so she can't leave the imperial capital for the time being. You've been tired these days. Take a break first."
Hearing Chi Yu's concerned words, Zuo Qiutang was filled with self - reproach. He wanted to refuse but then thought of Chi Yu's current physical condition. He didn't want Chi Yu to worry too much, so he could only nod.
"Got it, Brother Chi."
...
After Chi Yu hung up the phone, he checked the time.
It was five o'clock in the morning.
He opened WeChat.
There were no new messages.
He opened the chat window with Qing Mian.
There was still no reply.
The latest message was the kitten emoji he had sent an hour ago.
Did the rehearsal take so long?
Chi Yu clutched his phone tightly, hesitating whether to call Qing Mian directly.
Then he put down the phone.
With the performance approaching, she was already very busy practicing the piano.
Qing Mian had just picked up the piano again. Chi Yu didn't want to be a stumbling block on her path forward.
In the end, Chi Yu didn't make the call. He got up, opened a can of cat food for Little Orange, filled her water bowl, and then left Yuhaiwan.
...
...
Qing Mian was lying on a wide and soft sofa. The room was dim, but it wasn't the kind of darkness she was afraid of. She closed her eyes but could still feel the warm light in front of her. This light made her feel a little more at ease.
There was a strange male voice in her ear, coming from afar and then fading away.
Before long, she felt as if she had fallen asleep. Her body felt light, and there was nothing around her, just a vast expanse of whiteness.
Her feet were floating in the air. She looked down but still saw nothing. It was all white around her.
She couldn't see anything.
There was nothing.
Outside the room.
Si Moshen was standing at the door. Uncle Shen beside him looked a bit grim. "Third Master, are you sure you don't need to inform those people in the imperial capital about this?"
This was no small matter. Uncle Shen thought it was wrong to hide it from them. If something really went wrong in the end, they wouldn't be able to account for it.
Hearing Uncle Shen's words, there was not much emotion in Si Moshen's eyes. He just said calmly.
"It's not necessary."
This was Qing Mian's own decision. Since she wanted to hide it, he didn't need to tell them actively.
Anyway... those people would know sooner or later.