Chapter 696 — Visiting An Liwen
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
The kidney-harvesting ring he had built up through so much effort, wiped out just like that by the police? An Liwen was in agony—but that was not even the worst of it. The worst was that one of his own kidneys had been cut out, and barring any accident, that kidney was most likely inside Zhong Yongliang right now!
An Liwen had no intention of losing a kidney. He wanted to find Zhong Yongliang and trade it back—but he did not dare. A kidney mattered, yes, but weighed against his life it was nothing. Once the police learned that he was the head of the harvesting ring, what awaited him would be far worse than prison; execution by firing squad was a very real possibility!
So An Liwen was caught between a rock and a hard place, left to stew in his hospital room. When the police came to see him, he had to put on the air of a victim, pitiful and suffering beyond words... In fact he truly was suffering, so he gave nothing away.
Only his identity had not stayed hidden after all. An Liwen had thought of inventing a name, but that would only make things harder to explain once the police saw through it. Better to give them his real name; that was safer.
What An Liwen never expected was that two people he knew would come to visit him in his hospital room!
Chen Yuxuan had not expected Qiu Lingshan to call him of her own accord. He was thrilled, and at the same time uneasy and suspicious—what did Qiu Lingshan want with him?
Qiu Lingshan had not expected that among the list of victims Liu Wangli reported, there would be An Liwen—one of the once-famous Four Young Masters of Songshan! Of course, Qiu Lingshan had not a shred of goodwill toward pampered young masters like him, which was also why she felt not a trace of goodwill toward Chen Yuxuan. They did nothing but lean on their family name, throwing their weight around in public and posing as free spirits. Strip away the family's power, and what was left?
Chen Yuxuan had changed a great deal these past few years, but Qiu Lingshan still felt nothing for him. At most their relationship was a little better than before—ordinary friends, you might say. And since he was an ordinary friend, it was only proper that she inform Chen Yuxuan when something had happened to An Liwen.
Besides, loathe An Liwen as she did, he was still one of the more important figures in the city, and Qiu Lingshan had to pay him a visit in person.
Qiu Lingshan called Chen Yuxuan and asked him to go with her to the hospital to see An Liwen. However one looked at it, Qiu Lingshan asking him out alone made Chen Yuxuan happy! It was only that An Liwen should have had a kidney cut out by a harvesting ring that struck Chen Yuxuan as bizarre. Yesterday, when they were drinking, the man had been perfectly fine; today he was in a hospital bed. Chen Yuxuan found it rather tragic.
Qiu Lingshan was cold and aloof the whole way, her small face cool and utterly without warmth. Chen Yuxuan had plenty he wanted to say but no idea how to begin. He made a few harmless remarks, and Qiu Lingshan responded with indifference, leaving him nothing to do but smile bitterly.
It looked as though his chances really were slim! One remark from Qiu Lingshan in particular killed his hopes outright—he felt there was no hope for him in this lifetime!
"I've broken through to the late Yellow rank from the mid Yellow rank. What level are you at now?" At that moment, Qiu Lingshan was thanking Wei Zhao from the bottom of her heart. If not for him, she never would have broken through!
"I..." What could Chen Yuxuan do but smile bitterly? He had only recently advanced to the early Yellow rank; forget the mid stage, he had not even reached the peak of the early stage. Compared with Qiu Lingshan's late Yellow rank, the gulf was like heaven and earth!