Despite the limited visibility in the darkness, Bo Xiyun could still clearly see the dark marks that extended from Yi Zhongshen's neck to his jaw under the lamplight.
The patterns were jagged, fierce, and astonishing.
Almost instinctively, Bo Xiyun reached out and directly placed his hand on those shocking marks, wanting to relieve his senior's pain as much as possible.
He remembered that when Yi Zhongshen had a stress reaction before, there were only some red marks on his arm, which made it difficult for him to fall asleep.
...But now?
Earlier, Bai Xiu mentioned that Yi Zhongshen had a skin stress reaction and needed to return to B City for treatment. Bo Xiyun didn't fully believe it. He had speculated that Bai Xiu might be lying to him or that there could be some false information deliberately leaked to deceive Bai Xiu's informant.
However, in the end, Bo Xiyun realized that these speculations were just self-deception.
He subconsciously didn't want to see his senior in pain.
But now, the harsh reality was unfolding before his eyes, causing him emotional distress.
He didn't need to think much to understand how agonizing it must be for the young man in front of him. Bo Xiyun had just been shocked by the electric current leaked from the stun gun a moment ago, and his fingertips were still tingling.
Yet, Yi Zhongshen was experiencing pain that originated deep within his flesh and blood.
Just by looking at the external appearance, Yi Zhongshen seemed terrifying, as if showing his teeth and claws, but the owner of the wounds seemed completely oblivious. As Bo Xiyun descended the ladder, he noticed that the young man's gaze was firmly fixed on him, showing no concern for his own stress reaction on his neck.
Yi Zhongshen even raised his hand to cover Bo Xiyun's hand, using his body temperature to warm the cold fingertips of the young man.
His voice was extremely hoarse.
"I'm fine."
The surroundings were still in a state of silence after the shock, especially when people saw the actions of these two individuals, their astonishment deepened even more.
During the time they spent on the road, everyone had gained a deep impression of Yi Zhongshen. While formulating the breakthrough plan, even though he was injured, he was the most thorough and efficient, displaying remarkable composure.
However, when he remained silent, Yi Zhongshen gave off an extremely gloomy atmosphere, especially when mentioning Bai Xiu's name, his expression became extremely cold.
People couldn't help but worry about the mastermind behind this hostage situation and wonder how he would be punished and what fate awaited him.
However, now, everyone noticed that when Yi Zhongshen's neck was touched by the young man, he visibly calmed down in an instant.
It was as if this frosty and icy young man had been instantly soothed and pacified.
As for Bo Xiyun, who had walked out alone, everyone was even more surprised.
They hadn't expected that the hostage would successfully rescue himself before they could take any action.
They(BXY) managed to calm Yi Zhongshen, who was on the verge of eruption, so smoothly.
However, the group of people did not completely relax their guard. They still kept a close eye on both of them. After Yi Zhongshen carefully checked the young man from head to toe and confirmed that there were no dangerous items on him, he made a gesture.
After a quick response from several people not far away, one of them spoke into the walkie-talkie, saying, "Hostage danger is over! Second floor, east side, third room, breach from both the window and the front!"
Yi Zhongshen held Bo Xiyun's hand and led him to a safer area.
As they walked, Bo Xiyun saw some people quickly step on the ladder he had just used and climbed to the second floor. They jumped through the open window with swift and decisive movements.
Those people were all wearing matching uniforms. Only now did Bo Xiyun notice the word "Special" written on the back of those uniforms.
"Senior, who are they?" Bo Xiyun looked at Yi Zhongshen, who was still checking on him. Upon hearing the question, Yi Zhongshen replied succinctly, "They reported to the police."
It was at this moment that Bo Xiyun realized that the café downstairs had also been completely controlled. Several groups of people were heading upstairs.
Outside the window, on the ground below, there were still people continuing to keep watch, in case the hostage takers attempted to escape through the window.
But Bo Xiyun was most concerned about Yi Zhongshen's condition.
He could only see the injuries on Yi Zhongshen's neck, but what about the parts he couldn't see?
Sensing his worry, Yi Zhongshen said, "I'm fine."
Seeing that Bo Xiyun was still staring at his jaw and neck, Yi Zhongshen repeated in a low voice, "The doctor said I'm fine."
Bo Xiyun subconsciously reached out, seemingly wanting to comfort Yi Zhongshen, but his hands were held firmly in Yi Zhongshen's palms, and he was carefully examined.
Yi Zhongshen's fair and slender hands had no bloodstains, but there were shallow cuts on several fingertips, and black debris was trapped in the gaps, remnants of peeling off the insulation layer just now.
To tear off the soundproof film tightly attached to the window, Bo Xiyun's fingernails were split in two, and one even went directly into the tender flesh between his fingers, which looked painful.
Because of the electric shock just now and the excessive force used when moving heavy objects, Bo Xiyun's fingers were trembling lightly, and there were still red marks left on his palms from rubbing against the sharp edges.
Bo Xiyun didn't feel like it was a big deal; after all, he was lucky enough to leave safely.
He quietly explained what he had done just now, intending to comfort the furrowed-browed Yi Zhongshen, telling him that he was fine.
However, after hearing Bo Xiyun's words, Yi Zhongshen didn't seem to be comforted at all. His face remained grim, and the veins on his forehead were even more prominent, as if his anger burned hotter than before, but it wasn't directed at Bo Xiyun. He said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier."
Bo Xiyun shook his head, earnestly disagreeing, "I should be the one apologizing."
He felt the need to apologize to Yi Zhongshen, not just for today, but also for the past.
After rejecting Yi Zhongshen, Bo Xiyun unilaterally avoided meeting him. At that time, he thought he didn't want to trouble Yi Zhongshen and affect him.
But now, Bo Xiyun realized that he had judged Yi Zhongshen's choices using his own standards while ignoring the other's feelings.
"I shouldn't have deliberately avoided you."
His voice was low, and he enunciated softly, with a hint of nasal sound.
"I'm sorry."
Finally, he withdrew his hand from Yi Zhongshen's grip, gently touching the other's burning skin with his palm, his voice trailing off tenderly.
"Will this help...?" Bo Xiyun asked, his palm gently caressing the hardened Adam's apple beneath his soft touch.
Yi Zhongshen remained silent for a moment, and then his Adam's apple moved slowly as he gave a low response, "Mm."
Bo Xiyun relaxed upon hearing this and continued to earnestly examine the dark marks in front of him. However, Yi Zhongshen glanced down at the young man almost leaning against his chest and furrowed his brows in secret.
Something seemed off about the boy's behavior.
He was unexpectedly clingy.
Yi Zhongshen gestured to the bodyguards behind him, and soon, a few medical personnel in white coats approached. They carefully examined Bo Xiyun's condition.
There were no visible injuries on Bo Xiyun's body. Although his body temperature was slightly elevated, he didn't have a fever. Overall, it seemed like he was fine.
However, the specific condition might require further examination.
On the other side, the apprehension on the second floor went smoothly. In fact, the entire operation was much easier than expected. The suspect was still unconscious when captured and didn't offer any resistance, which saved a lot of effort for everyone involved.
After capturing the unconscious Bai Xiu, Yi Zhongshen escorted Bo Xiyun to the car, preparing to go to the hospital.
However, just as they were about to leave, an unexpected situation arose.
Initially, the area around the café was cleared to avoid any interference during the operation. There didn't seem to be anything unusual, but later, a crowd of onlookers started to gather out of curiosity, gradually forming a tight circle.
It's a typical scenario where more people are attracted to a crowded scene. In no time, the surrounding area became impassable due to the increasing number of spectators.
The police car with Bai Xiu was able to leave quickly, but when Bo Xiyun and Yi Zhongshen tried to depart, the crowd didn't give way. The onlookers blocked their car, and some even began live-streaming the scene on their phones.
"Look over here, folks! Don't you all know about Bai Gelei's deeds? Hey, what you see now is his so-called fake son, yes, that beggar kid..."
More and more people joined the live streaming, and they blocked the car's way out. Even when driven away by security personnel, others quickly filled the gap, determined to capture every moment with their phones.
Some of them used persuasive words to attract viewers, narrating the situation skillfully:
"Look, folks, they are trying to drive us away! We don't know how that beggar kid dared to impersonate someone's son for so long. Now they want to get rid of us just because they were caught. They are trying to hide all the dirty secrets and prevent us from filming!"
"Today, we will live stream the truth to everyone! Follow me and get a close look at the action!"
Live streaming doesn't require much effort, and even if they don't attract many viewers, they can easily edit a few short videos from the scene. As long as they can ride the wave of the hottest topics, they can gain popularity and possibly make money.
Moreover, the situation involving the family has become one of the most discussed topics in Q city recently and has appeared on local trending lists several times on short video platforms.
As the people in the live stream shouted, more and more onlookers were attracted to the scene. They took out their phones and pointed their cameras at Bo Xiyun's car as it was about to leave.
Inside the car, the soundproofing was good. Yi Zhongshen had closed the windows and was talking on the phone with the bodyguards. However, he noticed that Bo Xiyun had slightly opened the car window and was listening attentively to the voices outside.
Yi Zhongshen furrowed his brow and was about to roll up the car window to prevent Bo Xiyun from hearing all those nonsensical noises outside.
However, Bo Xiyun spoke up before he could do so.
The young boy said thoughtfully, "This might be part of Bai Xiu's plan."
Yi Zhongshen paused and asked, "Plan? What plan?"
Bo Xiyun explained, "The things those people were shouting at the beginning were all targeted at my identity."
Although the family matter was indeed the talk of the town in Q city, the real center of attention in this incident was Bai Gelei, as he was the one involved in the scandal. Mentioning Bo Xiyun's name wouldn't have much effect outside unless they added the description of "fake son."
If anyone were watching this scene, they would probably say, "Hostage situation at a café" rather than "Caught the family's fake son."
The phrases like "little beggar" or "impersonating someone's identity" seemed similar to the tactics Bai Xiu used when he was trying to pick up Bo Xiyun on the second floor.
"These people might have been waiting here for a while," Bo Xiyun said calmly, "but they weren't waiting for my safe departure; they were waiting for Bai Xiu to take me away."
He analyzed the situation calmly.
"If I were taken away by Bai Xiu and recognized by so many strangers on the way, with them discussing my identity and background, I might feel frustrated and emotionally down. I could become easily manipulated," Bo Xiyun said, thinking as if he were Bai Xiu.
Bai Xiu wanted Bo Xiyun to believe that the whole world would reject and criticize him, and only Bai Xiu would take him in. This was the final step in his plan, completing the cycle of manipulation.
Yi Zhongshen listened in silence, his thin lips tightly pressed together, his eyes showing even more fierceness and hostility.
Bai Xiu.
Bo Xiyun's emotions weren't affected much, as he was still pondering another question. If Bai Xiu could skillfully use media resources to achieve his goals, could it be possible that he was involved in the sudden eruption of rumors from the Liu family?
Before, when Bo Xiyun warned Bai Xiu, he mentioned that Bai Gelei would suspect a connection between Bai Xiu and the Liu family. But those words were mostly meant to deceive him. Considering Bai Xiu's character, it wasn't surprising that he would cross any moral lines.
However, Bo Xiyun didn't expect that Bai Xiu would go this far.
Suddenly, a low male voice came from beside him, "What's wrong?"
Bo Xiyun snapped back to reality and explained his speculation to Yi Zhongshen.
He was still wondering if he had speculated too much, but Yi Zhongshen directly told him, "I checked the recent communication records of those two people from the Liu family, and they do have connections with Bai Xiu."
Bo Xiyun was stunned, "So, Bai Xiu was really involved in the rumors spread by Bai Gelei?"
He was puzzled, "But didn't Bai Xiu return to the family earlier? Isn't he afraid of ruining his family's reputation and assets?"
Bo Xiyun didn't understand this, but Yi Zhongshen had a clear understanding.
"According to his plan, it won't have a significant impact," Yi Zhongshen explained patiently.
"Bai Gelei is in the industrial business, and external public opinion doesn't affect the Bai Group significantly."
In other words, even though Bai Gelei's reputation might suffer after the incident, the company would continue to operate as usual.
"Moreover, Bai Gelei is unlikely to cede control easily. But if this incident causes dissatisfaction among the board of directors and shareholders, it might accelerate the succession of the next generation. Bai Gelei won't hand over the company to an outsider, so Bai Xiu believes he will get an opportunity to take over the family business early."
"Oh," Bao Xiyun nodded in understanding, "I see."
It was no wonder why Bai Xiu was so concerned about Bai Gelei's attitude and feared being suspected by him.Bai Xiu was plotting to gain Bai Gelei's trust and inheritance.
Yi Zhongshen's gaze turned slightly cold.
Now, Bai Xiu didn't need to think about anything.
He glanced at the crowd still blocking outside the window and made a phone call, instructing the bodyguard, "Is the signal jammer ready? Turn it on, and then control the ringleaders."
The signal jammer was prepared beforehand, originally intended to deal with Bai Xiu. If they turned it on now and activated the jammer in the middle of the crowd, its blocking effect would be even better.
However, before the signal jammer was activated, another team of imposing vehicles passed through the crowd, leading the way and two cars as escorts, surrounding a large SUV in the middle—the one Bo Xiyun was in.
The leading car cleared the path, and the three cars headed directly to the center of the encircled crowd—right next to Bo Xiyun's vehicle.
Initially, some troublemakers in the crowd wanted to stop them, but all the vehicles in the convoy had military license plates and were equipped with anti-explosion spikes on the sides. It was difficult for anyone to get close, so naturally, no one dared to cause trouble.
When the convoy arrived, the crowd fell silent in an instant.
From one of the vehicles stepped out a tall man with an officer's aura, even though he wasn't wearing a uniform. His stern face and upright posture exuded a formidable presence, making it easy to forget that he was actually quite young.
In front of him, everyone couldn't help but hold their breath, standing upright, not daring to offend even the slightest bit.
On the adjacent car, Bo Xiyun also saw the convoy, but he didn't recognize the man. It was only when someone got out of the vehicle that he recognized him.
"...Sheng, Senior Gu?"
The second person who stepped out of the car was Gu Sheng.
As Gu Sheng had been staying in Q city for quite some time recently, he was more famous than the man who had stepped out before him, and many people in the crowd recognized him.
Then, they heard Gu Sheng call out to the serious man.
"Brother."
Brother?
Many people were stunned.
They knew Gu Sheng was the second young master of the Gu family, but very few had actually seen the Gu family's young masters, especially this one, who had spent years in military service. He seemed to have achieved a high military rank at a young age, and his appearance was a rare sight even in B city, let alone Q city.
Who could have imagined that the young master of the Gu family would appear on the streets of Q city today?
Although the crowd was still intimidated by his overwhelming presence and refrained from discussing it openly, more people discreetly took out their phones to try to capture the moment.
Many people were secretly speculating.
Why would the young master of the Gu family be here?
Their confusion didn't last long, as Gu Sheng's eyebrows furrowed, and he stared at the people who were just loudly live streaming in the crowd.
He spoke with a cold tone, and his usually mild demeanor was rarely replaced by anger. "Beggar? swindlers? Who allowed you to spread rumors here?!"
The crowd fell silent after the convoy of SUVs arrived, and they could clearly hear every word Gu Sheng said.
"Linnian was acquired through illegal means by the Liu's, but he is a child from our Gu family who was kidnapped!"
The crowd was shocked and then erupted in a commotion.
"Gu family?!"
After speaking these words, Gu Sheng's chest was still heaving violently.
He couldn't believe it... couldn't have imagined.
The junior high school student he had been watching for so long was actually his younger brother.
After the news about the Liu's was exposed, Gu Sheng sensed that something was off. He immediately sent the information to his family in B city.
His original intention was to have his family prepare in advance, so when Bo Xiyun arrived in B city, they could conduct a timely DNA test with their grandparents to confirm their blood relationship.
Two months ago, Grandfather Gu was rehired and has been staying at Zhongnanhai. Recently, he hasn't been at home. As for Grandma Gu, she fell ill after the onset of winter and has been receiving treatment in the hospital.
If it wasn't an urgent matter, the children of the Gu family wouldn't want to trouble the elderly couple.
However, after the recent incident in Q city involving their family, the Gu family sensed that something was off, and Grandma Gu insisted on seeing all the information about the child in question.
In the end, they didn't need much information.
Just one photo was enough.
It's not Gu Sheng's fault in this matter. Bo Xiyun has grown up, and his appearance as a child over a decade ago is different now. While Gu Sheng sees his younger brother every day, he hasn't really seen his aunt, and the family only has some old black-and-white photos from twenty or thirty years ago. So, it's understandable that he couldn't recognize Bo Xiyun immediately.
But Grandma Gu, with her stern and strong-willed nature, immediately recognized him.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
How could she not recognize him?
That was her grandchild.
The frail and curled-up child in that photo had the same eyes as her daughter.
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Tn: After the way both BXY & YZS behaved no one, I mean no one will believe they aren't in love. BXY realise your feelingssssssss
Poor Gu family ...
<3