Chapter 44: Awakening Him

Inside the car, there was a faint scent of sage and wood, a fragrance Lin Yiwei knew all too well.

Yet, her consciousness felt detached, as if she could barely sense anything around her, save for the deafening, frantic pounding within her chest. Thump. Thump.

In the passenger seat, Lu Du turned his head and asked Xie Bo whether they were heading back to Ramon Apartments.

In the back seat, the man removed the Phantom mask from his face, tossed it aside casually, rubbed the corners of his eyes, and said with a weary voice, "To the hilltop villa on Headland Road."

With that, he glanced at the girl beside him.

She was curled up against the edge of the seat, hugging herself tightly, shivering.

Even though the car's heater had been turned up to the maximum, her body still felt like a frozen wasteland.

Her clothes were soaked through, and bitter, howling winds echoed both within her dreams and outside them.

She had been within arm's reach of the person she longed for with every fiber of her being, yet she had still been forced to watch helplessly as that car vanished into the weeping end of the rainy night.

A profound, crushing despair plunged her into an abyss, pulling her down in an endless fall into emptiness.

Seeing her pale complexion, Xie Bo reached out to touch her forehead, but she instinctively pushed him away like a startled, defensive cat—

"Give me back my phone."

The words slipped out, sounding strange even to her own ears. Her voice... was like crushed, withered branches.

Xie Bo handed the phone back to her. She hurriedly powered it on, her trembling fingers tapping into the photo album. The audio recording she had just made was gone, and even the recently deleted folder was empty.

Wiped completely clean!

"Why did you do this?!"

She demanded harshly, her voice tearing at the seams. "Do you have any idea how long I waited for tonight's chance! How much I had to endure!"

Xie Bo remained calm, his dark, deep eyes sweeping over her. "What you recorded proves nothing."

"It proves my brother is being held captive by them."

"Did you film him? No." The corners of Xie Bo's mouth lifted in a cold smirk. "Did you record incriminating evidence against Chi Youhuai? No. Just a conversation between a father and daughter that mentions nothing at all—not even a name. How do you expect the police to investigate that? They could easily fabricate ten thousand reasonable explanations."

"As long as I call the police, they will come and search."

"Don't be naive, Lin Yiwei. The police need a search warrant to enter a private residence. By the time the paperwork goes through, your brother would have been moved to god knows where. You'd never find him."

Lin Yiwei felt as though every ounce of strength had been drained from her. She sat in a daze for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh. "Xie Bo, do you take me for a fool?"

Xie Bo raised his chin, looking down at her sideways.

"It's all just an excuse. If you hadn't interfered, I would have called the police, warrant or no warrant, and they would have shown up. The Chi family would have been caught completely off guard. As long as Lin Xie was still in that mansion, they would have found him."

"Perhaps, but the probability is minuscule. Chi Youhuai's elite team of lawyers would have arrived on the scene instantly, using every possible legal loophole to block the police search. Let me tell you another possibility: the police wouldn't even be able to step foot through the door without a warrant, and while you return empty-handed, you..."

His hand clamped down on her head, gripping her messy, damp hair, his voice cold and merciless—

"Would die a horrific death."

Lin Yiwei's temples throbbed violently. She grabbed Xie Bo's hand and shoved it away fiercely. "Don't talk as if you care about me. The truth is, you're the last person who wants anything to happen to the Chi family, am I right, Xie Bo?"

"You are."

On this point, Xie Bo did not deny it.

Lin Yiwei turned her head, wiping away the powerless tears at the corners of her eyes with ruthless force.

She could no longer bear to breathe the same air as this man, to remain trapped in the same enclosed space with him. It made her want to vomit.

"Stop the car!"

"Stop the car right now, I want to get out!"

She frantically pounded on the buttons of the car door.

Just as Xie Bo reached out to restrain her, Lin Yiwei swung her hand and struck him across the face.

A sharp, crisp slap echoed through the interior—unlike the countless petty squabbles of the past.

This blow carried a bone-deep, festering hatred.

Even Lu Du, driving in the front, couldn't help but slam on the brakes, glancing anxiously into the rearview mirror. "Lin Yiwei, Master Bo is only trying to protect you! Do you really think that even if you found Lin Xie, they would let you go? Do you think you two could possibly escape?!"

"Lu Du, shut up and drive."

"..."

Xie Bo caught Lin Yiwei by the nape of her neck, slowly pulling her close to him, his gaze oppressive and heavy. "Lin Yiwei, figure out who is still keeping you alive. Without me, you wouldn't even have a place to be buried."

Those words sapped the last remaining strength from the girl's body.

He let go of her. She stopped struggling to get out of the car, collapsing limply against the seat. Fishing out the single remaining photo of Lin Xie on her phone, she wept in silent, cascading grief.

Her tears streamed down her matted hair onto the leather upholstery, forming a wretched puddle of rainwater, snot, and tears. She looked as pathetic as a stray dog on the side of the road.

Xie Bo couldn't be bothered to pay her any more mind. He pulled out a wet wipe and began wiping down his slender, strong fingers one by one, until Lu Du said, "Master Bo, we're being followed."

Xie Bo looked back and saw a black sedan trailing them silently like a ghost in the dark night.

Xie Bo let out a disdainful, light scoff. "Shake them off on the overpass ahead."

Lu Du engaged the twin engines. With a deafening roar, Xie Bo's modified sedan shot forward. Lu Du's driving skills were undeniable; weaving seamlessly through traffic, he easily bypassed several cars and left the tailing vehicle far behind, out of sight.

Feeling stifled, Lin Yiwei rolled down the window slightly. The mist-like rain and the chill of winter drifted inward, driving straight into her eyes.

Her eyes, her nose, and her throat were filled with a burning ache and endless tears.

Xie Bo used the back of his hand to wipe the tears from her face—rough and utterly devoid of gentleness. "Stop crying. What good does crying do?"

Lin Yiwei clamped her teeth onto his finger and bit down hard.

Xie Bo winced in pain, his brows furrowing, yet he didn't pull his hand away. Instead, he pushed it further into her mouth, mischievously pressing and swirling his finger against her tongue until she arched her back in a dry heave, at which point he finally withdrew his hand.

He elegantly cleaned his sharply-jointed, slender fingers with a wet wipe, glancing sideways at the girl who was still shuddering and retching in spasms.

He had no patience for this pathetic state of hers—like a crushed butterfly beneath someone's heel, fluttering a single broken wing in a futile, meaningless struggle.

"It's a long way still. Get some sleep."

He stripped off his own jacket and threw it over the girl's body.

She curled up on the soft leather seat, stubbornly refusing to touch his coat, and closed her exhausted eyes.

Not until she had fallen fully asleep did Xie Bo pick up the windbreaker, drape it over her frail, slender shoulders, and casually pinch her cheek.

A lingering resentment remained in Lu Du's heart, angry at Lin Yiwei for lashing out and hitting him without reason, but seeing Xie Bo like this, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

Lu Du turned the steering wheel and said, "I just feel like you and her... even after all this, you still manage to stay so relaxed around each other."

Xie Bo looked down at the bite marks on his fingers, where the skin was broken. "Relaxed? Why don't you give it a try."

"When I say relaxed, I mean here." Lu Du pointed at his own chest. "To live without wearing a mask, following your heart, doing what you want, loving whoever you want—that's probably your ultimate ideal."

"My ultimate ideal is to become the next Xie Sizhuo."

In front of his closest confidant, Xie Bo made no attempt to conceal his desires and ambitions. "Boundless wealth, supreme luxury, and a bunch of ungrateful little brats. When I'm old, I'll sit leisurely in the top-floor office of the conglomerate, brew a cup of tea, and watch them tear each other apart for power, fighting tooth and nail for survival."

Lu Du couldn't help laughing aloud. "Go ask your two older brothers if they share such tacky ideals."

"Who made me an illegitimate son?" He leaned back lazily against the seat and closed his eyes. "Scheming, calculating, doing the dirty work they consider beneath them, and currying favor with the people they refuse to stoop to please."

In some ways, he and the girl beside him shared a certain poetic parallelism.

Lin Yiwei could see the humiliation hidden beneath his mask of pride, and he could see the bitter anguish beneath her tough, stubborn exterior.

Perhaps that was why he kept failing to let go.

He couldn't bear to destroy someone so startlingly similar to himself. By penetrating her life, they had effectively become the same person.

The car drove into the hilltop villa on Headland Road. Viewed from a distance, that old, aged mansion looked terribly lonely and desolate.

Yet, it was the only place where Xie Bo could ever feel safe.

His mother had died right there, and he had watched it happen with his own eyes.

The girl beside him was fast asleep. Xie Bo scooped her up in his arms and pressed his forehead against hers.

She was still running a fever.

Carrying her out of the garage, Xie Bo took the elevator straight upstairs to the bedroom, and before putting her down, he instructed Lu Du, "Find any room you like and go to sleep."

"Don't worry about me. Just clean up the mess right in front of you and keep the person you care about in check."

Carrying her up to the bedroom, Xie Bo lit the logs in the fireplace, quickly warming the space.

Though he rarely performed such tasks himself—relying on housekeepers and maids—not doing them didn't mean he didn't know how.

Before the age of ten, he had to take care of himself and his chronically ill mother. Back then, he had lived like a rough stone trampled underfoot on the roadside, even lower than her.

After ten, Xie Bo easily adapted to the life of a young master, reveling in material excess, and firmly refused to ever again do anything beneath his social standing.

Lin Yiwei was one of the few living creatures he had ever personally taken care of—save for a German Shepherd that had once contracted canine distemper, which he had mercifully nursed back to health over three months.

The clothes she wore were soaked through by the rain, having dried almost entirely by absorbing the heat of her own body.

No wonder her forehead felt so scorching hot.

Xie Bo stripped off all her wet garments, leaving not a single thread, and changed her into his own clothes. Fearing the fabric might not be soft enough, he even tossed them into the laundry care unit to tumble dry for half an hour so she could sleep a bit more comfortably.

Once that was done, he fed her fever-reducing medication, slapped a cooling patch on her forehead, and left her to deal with his own affairs, abandoning her to sleep as if her life depended on it.

To sleep until the world went dark; by the next morning, she would naturally recover.

He understood people like her well. She wasn't raised in a greenhouse; she was like the grass by the roadside—when sick, she would simply endure it and pull through. If she couldn't pull through, death was the only alternative.

As usual, Xie Bo gave up his own bed to her, sitting alone by the fireplace to ponder his next move.

Before long, his phone rang. It was Chi Youhuai: "Xie Bo, everyone has been safely relocated. Thank you for the warning. But I have a lot of questions. First of all, how did you find out about this?"

"I stumbled upon it by accident, but that doesn't matter," Xie Bo replied, staring apathetically at the leaping, burning flames in the hearth. "The most important thing right now is that you and Xixi are safe."

"I warned Xixi—tonight was completely out of hand! But tell me, who on earth was that person coming out of the underground studio? Can you tell me?"

"I'm not sure. Everyone was in costume tonight, and I don't know many of Xixi's friends."

"I was too careless. I should have installed security cameras in the basement, but... my lawyer advised against it. Any surveillance system could potentially be hacked and cause massive trouble, so we don't install cameras in our homes."

Xie Bo paused for a moment before saying, "Still, you might want to install one or two in the new hideout. Uncle Chi can't visit every day, and the domestic staff can't be trusted entirely either."

"You're right. But tell me, didn't you really see anything? Even if you don't know who it was, surely their costume, appearance, build, gender, or clothing color... you must remember something?"

The corners of Xie Bo's mouth twitched upward. "Uncle Chi, do you not trust me?"

"Of course not! You helping me at the very first moment has already done me a huge favor!"

Xie Bo's lips curled again. "That person was wearing a wolf-skin outfit, roughly around my height. It should have been a young man."

"With a description like that, it'll be easy to check!" Chi Youhuai said with a sinister edge. "A few questions, and I'll drag that little bastard out."

Right now, he only needed to be certain of one thing: that Xie Bo stood on his side.

"Xie Bo, your father and I have discussed the matter between you and Xixi for a long time, and it's remained unresolved. Taking advantage of this opportunity tonight, I'd also like to talk it over with you and see what your thoughts are."

The dry wood crackled and popped in the fireplace. His mother had died in this very room. Before she passed, her withered, bone-thin hands had gripped him tightly, as if trying to embed themselves into his flesh—

"Xie Bo, you must make something of yourself, so no one can ever bully you again."

That sentence was carved deep into his very bones.

"Xixi and I grew up together since childhood, and I've always regarded her as my future wife." He smiled brightly. "Uncle Chi, our interests are aligned. I will protect Xixi and ensure she suffers no harm."

"With you making that stance, I can rest easy. Get some rest early."

"Goodnight, Uncle Chi."

Xie Bo put down his phone, feeling the sharp, icy edge of a blade pressed against the back of his neck.

A pomegranate on the table had been peeled halfway, and he hadn't yet put the knife away.

Without turning around, Xie Bo said calmly and composedly, "Yiyi, if you kill me, the one person in this world who cares the most whether you live or die... will be gone."

"Where... is my brother?" Lin Yiwei's tears flowed freely, her voice choked with utter despair. "Where did they take him? Tell me!"

Xie Bo slowly turned around to face her. "I don't know."

The blade trembled. The girl was wearing his white button-down shirt, her slight frame resembling a little rain-soaked butterfly with broken wings, struggling desperately against the storm until it was swallowed whole, leaving no trace of life.

She was so fragile—fragile enough to be destroyed by a passing gust of wind. Yet the inner resilience hidden in her bones forced him to look at her in a new light.

He pulled her closer to him. "I'm betting you can't bring yourself to do it, Lin Yiwei. You can't bring yourself to kill me."

Overcome with emotion, the girl jerked the knife upward, the thin blade slicing the delicate skin along the side of his neck and blooming a few tiny droplets of blood.

The sight of blood made her gag once more. Unable to bear the thought of hurting him, she dropped the knife, sank to her knees at his feet, and dry-heaved in violent spasms, her entire body devoid of strength...

She had never gotten this close to finding Lin Xie, only to... brush past him and lose him entirely.

It had all been in vain. Every scheme, every single layer of preparation—wasted!

Xie Bo reached up to wipe the beads of blood from his neck, letting out a cold scoff. "That's the extent of your temper."

Suddenly, the girl crawled forward, wrapped her arms tightly around his legs, and called out in a trembling voice, "Master Bo..."

Xie Bo's hand, wiping the blood with a tissue, paused mid-motion.

"Master Bo, please help me this once. You must have a way."

The girl knelt at his feet, clutching his knees, her entire body freezing and trembling, her face flushed and burning hot with the fever of absolute desperation. "Help him escape, please. As long as you let him get away, I... I'll give you whatever you want. I won't argue with you anymore, I won't bully you, I won't hit you, I won't make you angry ever again."

"I can't stay by Chi Xiyu's side anymore, and I can't find him. This is as hard as scaling the heavens for me, but you... you just have to lift a finger to save him..."

Xie Bo lowered his gaze, his hands tightly gripping her trembling, fragile body. Beneath his expressionless exterior, emotions raged like a churning tide. "It's not that simple, Lin Yiwei. You always give me impossible problems."

"I won't make demands anymore. I'm sorry, Xie Bo, I really wasn't trying to manipulate you... Just help me, and I'll repay you however you wish. I can love you, I'll stay by your side until the day you grow sick of me... I'm begging you."

Distraught, she cradled his face, trying to kiss him. When Xie Bo stubbornly turned his head away, she slid downward, reaching for his belt.

Having spent this long with her, no matter how fiercely they fought or argued, Xie Bo's emotions had never truly rippled. But at this moment...

He finally understood what bone-deep agony felt like.

Lin Yiwei kissed him, trying to melt him, trying to awaken him.

"I didn't say I wouldn't help, but..."

Xie Bo gripped her hair forcefully, jerking her upright—

"Lin Yiwei, I never asked you to kneel. Don't ever use this posture with me again."

He couldn't bear to see her debase herself.