Chapter 2: Enemy’s purpose is unknown

When Ji Yuming arrived at the parking garage pushing his luggage cart, this was the scene that greeted him—

Tong An’yu was squatting by a sewer drain near the driver’s seat, clutching her head and occasionally dry-heaving, a bottle of opened mineral water in her hand.

The man behind her was dressed all in black, his suit jacket showing what looked like traces of vomit, as if he’d gotten it on himself while helping her out of the car.

At this moment, he lit a cigarette and looked down at Tong An’yu, his gaze holding a dark, indistinct restraint.

Thanks to Tong An’yu’s frequent mentions, Ji Yuming recognized Lin Huaixu and knew that the two had a history.

He couldn’t figure out why Lin Huaixu was here, nor why Tong An’yu was suddenly dry-heaving.

He frowned and stepped forward, naturally placing a hand on Tong An’yu’s head, brushing the hair from her ear to check carefully: “Xiao Yu, is this related to him?”

With her mouth full of water, Tong An’yu couldn’t speak.

She quickly waved her hands, then gripped Ji Yuming’s arm tightly, afraid he would start a conflict with Lin Huaixu.

Lin Huaixu, cigarette between his fingers, sized up Ji Yuming.

The man before him had a scholarly air and refined features, his age indiscernible, but he was by no means an ordinary person.

The pin on his chest was from the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, and his travel-worn appearance suggested he had just returned from a business trip.

The little princess of the Si family had personally come to pick him up on a rainy night.

Their interactions were natural and intimate, and they could even discuss him, the ex, without any friction.

Lin Huaixu stubbed out the cigarette, which was still more than half-full, using an immense amount of force.

Only when the shredded tobacco had all fallen away did he speak: “Suspected mild concussion.”
“Take her to the hospital for a check-up.”

After speaking, he raised his hand and dialed a number, his tone somewhat stern: “Where are you?”

A few minutes later, another Brabus, heavy with the scent of rain, drove over a row of speed bumps and screeched to a halt in Area C.

A burly driver ran out of the car.

He wiped the beads of sweat from his square face with his palm and bowed his head respectfully, “Sorry, CEO Lin, I drove to T2 just now.”

“The rain was too heavy, I couldn’t see the road signs clearly.”

Tong An’yu stared blankly at the newly arrived Brabus.

She had never imagined it would be Lin Huaixu’s car.

So that was why the car had been driving so fast, it was coming to pick up Lin Huaixu, but had gone to the wrong place, which led to Lin Huaixu getting into her car by mistake.

But why on earth did Lin Huaixu buy the same kind of car as her?

The driver’s gaze fell on Tong An’yu’s Brabus, then at the strange atmosphere between the few people, and he immediately understood.

He complained inwardly, thinking how this car looked so similar to CEO Lin’s, even the license plate number was similar.

Lin Huaixu didn’t say whether he would pursue the matter, but his expression was certainly not pleasant.

He strode towards his own car without another glance at Tong An’yu, only to hear Ji Yuming’s faint voice from behind: “It’s hard to get a cab in this heavy rain.”

“Could we trouble Mr. Lin for a ride?”

Ji Yuming had just endured a long-haul flight and was mentally exhausted; he didn’t dare to drive on a rainy night.

Lin Huaixu stopped in his tracks.

His gaze passed over Ji Yuming and landed on Tong An’yu: “Between the two of you, you’re always the one driving?”

What did he mean, ‘between the two of us, I’m always the one driving’?

This is my family’s car.

Tong An’yu swallowed the mouthful of water and was about to speak when Lin Huaixu broke into a smile on his own:

“Right.”

“Miss Tong stops at nothing when she’s chasing someone.”
“She can endure any hardship.”

Tong An’yu’s lips parted slightly, her eyes wide.

Even if her head had been knocked, she could still tell that Lin Huaixu was mocking her.

She was indeed quite proactive when it came to relationships.

She remembered that she had been the one to pursue Lin Huaixu, for what seemed like a year.

She had forgotten some of the details of the chase, but thinking back, someone who took that much effort and time to win over probably didn’t like her very much.

Tong An’yu turned her face away, clutching her head as she stood up, intending to go back to the car to rest for a bit: “Forget it, Yuming-ge.”

The most urgent matter was to keep her distance from her arch-nemesis.

“Get in the car.”

Without waiting for Tong An’yu and Ji Yuming to react, Lin Huaixu sat directly in the front passenger seat, leaving the back row for the lovely couple.

The driver helped open the door and said in a low voice, “CEO Lin, Mr. Kong, Mr. Feng, and Miss Yuan are still waiting for you at Mei Mansion.”

“Miss Yuan has already ordered a few of your favorite dishes and just confirmed the time with me, saying the food will be served in half an hour…”

Ji Yuming had already helped Tong An’yu to the side of the car.

He heard Lin Huaixu say coldly, “To the hospital.”

Tong An’yu shot Lin Huaixu a surprised look, then bent over in pain again.

The driver didn’t dare to persuade him further, also seeing that the relationship between his boss and that young lady was far from ordinary.

He held the car door open, waited for Tong An’yu to settle in, then started the car and headed towards the nearest affiliated hospital of the medical university.

There were no elaborate decorations or strong fragrances in the car, only the natural scent of leather.

Lin Huaixu’s suit blended in with the backrest, and the hazy light and damp air seemed to give him a touch of approachable softness.

Tong An’yu secretly glanced at him, from his well-defined jawline, to his high, sculpted nose, and then to his dark, intense brows and eyes.

Vague memories began to resurface, fragmented pieces floating in her mind.

She remembered once tracing the contours of his face with her fingertips, studying his meaningful phoenix eyes, and then, while he was lightly sleeping, holding her breath to plant a careful, stolen kiss.

Sometimes she would be caught.

Lin Huaixu would keep his eyes closed, a smile playing on his lips as he pinched the nape of her neck and lifted her to the side, just like lifting a sneaky little calico cat.

Back then, she would blush and ask him if he liked it.

Lin Huaixu would lazily turn over on the sofa, facing away from her, and let out a soft, low hum.

Seven years had passed in a flash.

As if sensing the gaze from behind, Lin Huaixu glanced at the rearview mirror and his eyes met Tong An’yu’s.

Tong An’yu didn’t have time to look away, her eyes widening abruptly.

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Tong An’yu hastily looked away.

‘Oh no, my arch-nemesis’s gaze is unfriendly.’

‘Who knows what kind of scheme he’s brewing.’

When they arrived at the hospital, Tong An’yu was no longer nauseous, but a large bump had formed on the back of her head.
To be safe, she still had to get it checked.

The triage nurse helped Tong An’yu sit down and looked at the two serious and clearly unfamiliar men: “Who are you to the patient?”

Lin Huaixu glanced at Tong An’yu, his expression extremely calm: “The ex and the current.”

“???”

“o.O”

“…”

‘Are you crazy, big brother?’

‘Who told you that!’

Tong An’yu was so embarrassed she wished she could pry open the marble floor tiles and crawl into the cracks.

The current scene looked very much like she was entangled with two men and ended up in the hospital because of it.

The triage nurse’s gaze towards the three of them immediately became colorful and complex, but she still tried to maintain her professionalism.

“Then one of you go register, and then find a doctor to order an examination.”

Lin Huaixu’s move was truly unexpected.
Even someone as dignified and composed as Ji Yuming didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

Explaining trivial matters to the triage nurse was very tedious, but he was indeed just Tong An’yu’s brother.

He let out a low cough, and in the end, pretended he hadn’t heard, adding seriously, “We need a comprehensive examination.”

“Her situation is special.”

“Has she been treated at our hospital before?”

“Yes,” Tong An’yu felt like she was dying inside.

If she didn’t explain, she would look like a complete idiot.

If she did explain, the three of them would all look like idiots.

Her arch-nemesis was truly sinister and cunning, so easily trapping her in a compromising position.

“When?”

“…Seven years ago.”

‘Seven’ seemed to be a particularly sensitive number.

After she said it, Lin Huaixu’s expression became unnatural.

Ji Yuming leaned over and lightly patted Tong An’yu’s tense arm, telling her to relax: “Xiao Yu, don’t be nervous.”

“I’m okay,” Tong An’yu tried her best to relax.

Lin Huaixu’s face instantly turned cold again, a chill seeping out from his pores.

“You two are busy.”

“I have other matters to attend to.”

“We’ve taken up Mr. Lin’s time,” Ji Yuming didn’t have time to explain the trivialities and turned to register.

The air, thick with the smell of disinfectant, became somewhat sticky again.

Tong An’yu stared at the ugly vomit stain on Lin Huaixu’s suit and frowned, “Your clothes, I’ll compensate you for them.”

‘Please don’t!’

After all, Lin Huaixu was no longer the university student who wore fifty-yuan shirts.

He certainly wouldn’t care for a few silver coins from his arch-nemesis.

He should have let out a cold, mocking sneer, then nonchalantly displayed his immense wealth, telling Tong An’yu to put away her beggar’s money.

“Alright, add me on WeChat.”

“I’ll look for the receipt when I get back,” Lin Huaixu said.

“…”

‘My arch-nemesis is so frugal, good for him.’

Tong An’yu clutched her head and took out her phone.

But Lin Huaixu fumbled with his phone, as if he had stuffed WeChat into some forgotten corner and couldn’t find it.

So she waited, and Lin Huaixu kept searching, looking as if he would search until the end of time.

He was only thirty.

Could her arch-nemesis be farsighted already?

Ji Yuming’s footsteps sounded nearby; he had finished registering and was coming back.

Lin Huaixu had just brought up his QR code.
In front of Ji Yuming, he held it up to Tong An’yu’s camera—

Ding!

As the notification sound chimed, WeChat displayed [You have already added the other party as a friend].

“Changed your number?” Lin Huaixu asked faintly.

“Yeah, I lost the old one.”

After graduating from university, Tong An’yu went abroad for her doctorate.

Her old phone was stolen on the subway, and everything in it was lost along with it.

Recovering a WeChat account overseas was particularly troublesome.

After several unsuccessful attempts, she simply gave up and registered a new one.

Fortunately, it didn’t affect her life much.
She gradually added back all her old friends, except for Lin Huaixu.

By then, the two of them had little contact.

Ji Yuming walked closer and frowned slightly at their phones.

Lin Huaixu put his phone away without a trace of guilt.

The triage nurse, who had been observing the dramatic scene, couldn’t help but gasp, giving Tong An’yu a meaningful look.

Tong An’yu: “…”

It seemed she had now confirmed that she was still entangled with her ex and cheating on her current boyfriend.

Lin Huaixu left while Tong An’yu was having her examination, very decisively.
When she looked up, he was gone.

Half an hour later, she got her report.
It showed that her brain was fine, and it hadn’t reached the level of a mild concussion for now.

She could go home to rest, and if she still felt unwell in two weeks, she should come back.

Only then did Ji Yuming’s tone become slightly stern: “It’s a good thing nothing serious happened.”

Tong An’yu took the anti-swelling medication, still shaken: “By the way, Yuming-ge, you didn’t tell my parents and my brother, did you?”

Ji Yuming: “I told them we were stuck in traffic and would be late.”

“They should have finished dinner and gone home by now.”

Tong An’yu breathed a sigh of relief: “Then I’ll find someone to drive the car back.”

Ji Yuming glanced at her phone and thought for a moment before offering a tactful suggestion: “Xiao Yu, Lin Huaixu’s purpose in returning to Jing City this time is unclear.”

“No matter what, you have to remember, he gave up on you once.”

“Someone who gives up on you once will give up on you a second time.”

Tong An’yu turned to look at him, incredulous: “What do you mean his purpose is unclear?”

“He most likely came back to get revenge on my family.”

“Did you see the cold way he looked at us!”

“.” Ji Yuming seemed to want to say something but ultimately remained silent.

The dense clouds gradually dispersed.
Returning to the car in the light rain, Lin Huaixu took off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the back seat: “Let’s go.”

His command was as calm as ever, but the driver could still feel from the oppressive atmosphere that he was angry.

And perhaps, there was also a hint of subtle jealousy.

The Brabus drove out of the hospital, sticking to the speed limit as it headed towards the West City district.

The blurry silhouettes of trees formed a continuous painting on the car window, only to be abruptly broken at the intersection, so sudden that one had no time to react.

Lin Huaixu rolled down the window.

He had endured it for a long time, and only now did he finally let his guard down, pressing his knuckles hard against his left ribs, enduring the waves of pain that surged in the damp, rainy night.

An insistent phone call came at an inopportune moment.

Seeing it was Yuan Qing, Lin Huaixu didn’t answer.

After about five rings, the ringing stopped.

The driver pretended not to notice.

He had been hired for Lin Huaixu by Yuan Qing.

Seeing how Yuan Qing handled everything personally, he guessed that she would be the future Mrs. Lin.

But today, Lin Huaixu had made Miss Yuan wait for nearly an hour for another woman.

Thinking back on this Miss Tong, she wasn’t the seductive type, but rather had a unique and captivating spiritual aura.

Her skin was like tender egg white, her features small and delicate, her cheeks full, and her chin very cute.

Especially her eyes, they were dark, bright, and clear, radiating intelligence.

Lin Huaixu swallowed two painkillers before closing the car window and picking up his phone to make an overseas call.

After waiting for over thirty seconds, the person on the other end answered with some surprise: “Huaixu? What a rarity.”
“What made you think of calling me?”

Lin Huaixu was direct: “Do me a favor.”
“Ask the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics if they have a Chinese man named Yuming.”

“What’s his background.”

“Why the sudden interest in someone from our physics world?”

The shadows of the trees pressed down, dense and thick.

Lin Huaixu was silent for a long time.
“To take what he loves.”

“…I’ll ask around for you, but you know how inefficient these foreigners are.”

“It’ll probably take a while.”

“Mm,” he added after a few seconds, “As soon as possible.”

Hanging up the phone, Lin Huaixu clenched his fist tightly.

The white bottle cap in his palm was already very warm.