Chapter 106: Stranger

"Liu Qian?!"

Seeing Liu Qian’s condition, Huang Silu was truly shocked! What was going on? How could a stunning beauty, just two days ago, have withered into this state?

Her face was gaunt, her skin sallow and dry. Her eye sockets were dark and sunken, her expression one of utter listlessness. She looked exactly like a prisoner who had just been released after being starved in a dungeon for days!

"Huang Silu, you finally came!"

Just as he stood there in horror and bewilderment, a weak but hopeful cry from Liu Qian reached his ears.

Immediately after...

"Liu Qian, what happened to you!"

Huang Silu let out a shout and lunged forward with a agility he had never possessed before. Because Liu Qian, who had just greeted him, had lost her footing and was collapsing forward! She had collapsed from exhaustion!

"Nannan!"

"Nannan!"

Close behind were her parents, Liu Mingli and Lin Yongfen. Their voices were laced with palpable anxiety and worry. After all, she was their own flesh and blood. Although they had pushed their vibrant daughter to this point for the sake of her future and their own selfish interests, their parental instinct was still innate. Seeing their daughter in such a state was something they had never expected, and it pained them deeply. Over the last few days, Liu Qian had wrapped herself in her quilt and refused to show her face; naturally, they hadn't realized she had withered to such an extent.

Three people, six hands—they finally managed to steady Liu Qian and surround her.

"Uncle, Aunt, what is going on? How did Liu Qian become like this?" Huang Silu suddenly looked up at her parents, his tone accusatory. At this moment, the overbearing demeanor of "Young Master Huang" naturally surfaced.

Who was Liu Qian? A friend from high school, and more importantly, the goddess in the heart of his best brother, Wu Ya. She was his current girlfriend and future wife! They hadn't seen each other for only two days, and yet, her own parents had tortured her into this state! How could there be such heartless parents in this world?

But how could he know? While her parents played a part, Liu Qian’s state was largely a result of her own self-torture to resist them. It was an active suffering, not a passive one.

"Young Master Huang, this... sigh! If we're talking about who to blame, isn't it all that Wu Ya’s fault? We didn't agree with Liu Qian associating with him, so we restricted her freedom. To defy us, she resorted to the extreme of not eating or drinking! She tortured herself into this state!"

They loved their own daughter more than anyone. Even so, they felt it wasn't for an outsider to point fingers. But Young Master Huang was different! He was someone they were desperate to curry favor with. After all, hadn't they restricted their daughter's freedom precisely to force her to associate with him? Naturally, facing Huang Silu's interrogation, they dared not show the slightest resentment and could only answer honestly.

"That's right, Young Master Huang. Liu Qian is the apple of our eye; how could we ever want to torture her? It’s all that Wu Ya. He bewitched her! Combined with this girl's stubborn nature, it led to this situation. My poor daughter, to suffer such agony! That damned Wu Ya deserves to be torn to shreds!"

Lin Yongfen was even more extreme. In her boundless pity for her daughter, she harbored intense hatred for Wu Ya. But hearing this, Huang Silu’s already dissatisfied mood erupted.

"Uncle, Aunt! I believe that looking for the cause within oneself is the best way to solve a problem! Blindly blaming others is an unreasonable act!"

"Yes, yes, Young Master Huang is right. We really shouldn't blame others. It was our own failing; we didn't help Liu Qian fully understand our good intentions." Liu Mingli nodded like a chicken pecking at grain.

Inside, however, he was ecstatic. Although Huang Silu’s words seemed to blame them, one had to savor the underlying meaning. Would someone they considered an outsider meddle in their family affairs? Would he bother to lecture them on their conduct? He wasn't that bored!

The fact that Young Master Huang had lectured them meant he was genuinely incensed by the sight of their daughter’s misery! Why would he be incensed? Obviously, because he cared!

"Exactly! It’s all because we, as parents, didn't do a good job of analyzing things for Liu Qian or making careful comparisons! It caused her to develop a stubborn rebellious streak and misunderstand our good intentions!"

They were truly a married couple; they were made for each other! Lin Yongfen’s thoughts aligned perfectly with Liu Mingli’s. They both believed that Huang Silu was angry because he was concerned about their daughter! He had seen her condition and felt heartache!

They weren't wrong. Huang Silu did feel heartache—but he felt it for Wu Ya! Such snobbish parents for such a pure girl like Liu Qian! But seeing their reaction, it was clear they had misinterpreted him. Huang Silu was left completely helpless.

"Huang Silu, take me away from here."

At that moment, the listless Liu Qian tugged at Huang Silu. Her weak voice was piercingly painful to hear.

"Alright." Huang Silu nodded. "Uncle, Aunt, I'll take her to the hospital to get checked out. I'll call home later."

With that, he didn't wait for the couple's consent. He grabbed the swaying Liu Qian and walked straight out of the house, leaving them behind.

"They're just leaving?" Watching their backs as they leaned on each other, a complex look flashed in Liu Mingli's eyes.

"Yes, just like that?" Lin Yongfen looked lost, staring at the wide-open door. She didn't know if she was questioning why Huang Silu had left so quickly, or the fact that her daughter had just been taken away.

Regardless, the expression on Liu Mingli's face quickly shifted from desolation to joy.

"Hahaha, it's fine that they left! Let’s just wait for Young Master Huang's call! Wasn't our original intention to have Nannan break ties with Wu Ya and start seeing Young Master Huang? Now that they've left together, hasn't our wish been fulfilled?"

Exactly! Lin Yongfen’s face cleared of its gloom upon hearing this. Forcing her daughter to break up with Wu Ya—even planning to go find him to make her do it—was all to stop them from seeing each other. Then, while her daughter was heartbroken, they would let Young Master Huang step in and win her heart through comfort. Now, it had saved them a lot of trouble. It seemed Young Master Huang had succeeded directly!

"Hehe, you're right. Let's just sit and wait for the call! But, will Nannan really be alright?"

"What could possibly happen? She's young and has plenty of stamina! Two days without food or water, she'll recover after a good sleep! If she develops feelings for Young Master Huang because of this, then playing the villain was well worth it!"

Well worth it. Indeed. A hero saving the beauty has been the ultimate tool for winning a girl's heart since ancient times.

"Yes! After Young Master Huang calls, can we finally pay a formal visit and openly discuss the permits with Manager Huang?" Lin Yongfen’s thoughts shifted to business. The shred of worry she felt for Liu Qian had been completely erased by Liu Mingli’s words, replaced by boundless anticipation and the desire for those precious permits!

Meanwhile...

"Wu Ya, you brat! Get to the district hospital quickly, I'm not taking the fall for you anymore!" Huang Silu’s call had reached the tailor shop.

"What’s going on? Why are you at the district hospital?" Wu Ya’s expression tightened, his face instantly turning pale. It had been two days, and there was no news of Liu Qian. He had only just sent Huang Silu to check on her, so why was he at the hospital? And why was he so reluctant and full of complaints, saying he wouldn't "take the fall" for him?

Could it be that something happened to Liu Qian? In that split second, hundreds of thoughts raced through his mind.

Sure enough. "You'll know when you get here! Don't say I didn't warn you—Liu Qian is in terrible shape! She's currently on an IV, replenishing her strength!"

Huang Silu delivered the news Wu Ya dreaded most.

*Clatter!*

Wu Ya slammed the phone onto the cradle. His figure moved like the wind as he bolted out of the tailor shop. "Mom, Dad, I have an emergency, don't wait for me for dinner!"

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

With a few powerful kicks, that rickety old bicycle vanished into the distance, leaving a trail of yellow dust.

"This child, why is he always running off in such a rush? With him, even when there's nothing wrong, he'll eventually scare us into having an emergency!" Zhang Caixia watched her son disappear, her face full of displeasure. Why did Wu Ya seem so mysterious lately? She had always known her son like the back of her hand—active, but simple. But now, not only had he suddenly become a business genius, he often made her feel like he wasn't her son at all.

He seemed like a stranger. It was as if every time he stood before her, he was an adult man—so wise, so composed!

"Stop worrying about him! Children grow up! Our Ya'er just had a sudden epiphany! You're just not used to it yet. Actually, I should thank those thugs. If they hadn't bumped into him, how would I have such a genius son now?" Wu Wanli, however, didn't worry at all; instead, he was brimming with pride.

Pride! How much time had passed? Only half a month. He had gone from being a poverty-stricken resident to the father of the richest man in Suiyan District! This massive shift made him feel like he was living in a dream.

"Maybe I'm just not used to it yet." But deep down, Zhang Caixia still felt something was off. A mother’s intuition—her son was part of her own body! Even the slightest change couldn't escape her. But what exactly was wrong? She couldn't put her finger on it. After all, the concept of rebirth was something that would shock the world and make it tremble!

"Huang Silu, what the hell is going on?" Wu Ya arrived at the hospital in a frenzy. Seeing Liu Qian lying on the bed, looking at death's door, a surge of rage rushed to his head.

"Don't look at me like that! As if I'm the one who caused your girlfriend to need an IV!" Facing Wu Ya’s predatory, bloodthirsty gaze, Huang Silu shrank back and hurried to reply.

But Wu Ya acted as if he hadn't heard him. He kept his eyes fixed on him, waiting for him to continue. The ferocious light in his eyes was like that of an ancient beast, ready to devour anyone in its path! This caused a chill to shoot from Huang Silu's heels to his scalp, leaving him stunned and unable to respond.

How did this kid suddenly seem like a different person?

But he couldn't have known that after his rebirth, the people who mattered most to Wu Ya were his absolute bottom line—his "reverse scale"—in this lifetime. Not to be touched!

Silence fell over the room. Only Wu Ya’s heavy breathing and Huang Silu’s pounding heart could be heard. Nothing else.

Just then...