Chapter Twenty-One

Exhausted, Yu Xingyue could only manage to type "bye" before tossing his phone aside. His back ached intensely whenever he shifted; Xia Qinyu Mei’s strike had been unusually vicious. This was only the second time he had encountered such a violent girl, the first being Lin Zimo.

"It seems I really need to train," he thought. "It’s too humiliating for someone with my foundation to be beaten down by her." He questioned his own abilities. He rarely fought unless in danger, but he had felt a suffocating, inexplicable, and life-threatening aura from Xia Qinyu Mei.

For now, sleep was the priority; he would deal with her later. He decided to treat this as a lesson so he could react faster to her "kidney-killer" strikes—a move where she used two fingers to jab painfully into the sensitive kidney area.

Just as he was drifting off, his phone buzzed again. "Can’t a guy get any sleep?" he groaned. He checked the messages: one from Sun Ying, which was just another three-word apology, and one from Lin Ling. He felt a surge of excitement at seeing Lin Ling’s name, having been worried sick since she went missing in search of Wu Guanzhong. Her message read: "Do you know where Wu Guanzhong is? Tell me now!"

Yu Xingyue was stunned. He did know, but he couldn't tell her. Unable to formulate a response, he decided to sleep on it.

"I’ll ask Brother Wu tomorrow. How am I supposed to answer her?" The anxiety kept him wide awake. Desperate, he resorted to a self-destructive method: he struck the back of his neck hard until he knocked himself unconscious.

He woke up the next morning, the lingering pain from the previous night making him alert. Liu Hailizi, who had intended to wake him, decided to leave him be. "The suicide case isn't settled yet, so stay on the second floor. I won't be back until tonight," she said before leaving.

Yu Xingyue tried to rest, but his body ached so much that even turning over was agony. Fearing internal injuries, he decided to visit the hospital. The walk was only ten minutes, but every step was a struggle.

At the hospital, he recognized the doctor. "It’s you! Masahiro Inoue!"

It was the doctor he had seen when he brought Ou Liqiaoyue to the hospital. The doctor corrected him, "My name is Shota Inoue, not Masahiro. I am not Kamen Rider Decade, nor am I Tsukasa Kadoya."

Yu Xingyue chuckled, "Sorry, 'Masahiro' just rolls off the tongue. But listen, Shota, I’m in a lot of pain. Can you take a look?" He explained that a girl had beaten him up.

Shota sighed, "You really let a girl do this to you? Don't go around getting beaten up again; it only adds to the burden on your body." He handed him some medicated oil. "Use this three times a day. You'll be fine in a week."

"Thanks, Dr. Shota." Before leaving, Yu Xingyue left his contact information on a piece of paper. "If you ever need help with something I can handle, call me."

Back at the internet cafe, Yu Xingyue applied the oil. It burned, but he felt it working. Bored and unable to go out, he spent the day watching anime until he remembered the message from Lin Ling. He nervously called Wu Guanzhong.

"Xingyue? It's been a while," Wu’s familiar voice answered.

"Brother Wu, it's an emergency. Lin Ling is asking if I know where you are. I didn't know what to say."

"She’s suspicious already, eh?" Wu replied. "Have you replied yet?"

"No."

"Good. Reply to her however you see fit, just don't let her find me."

"Are you sure? She might realize I'm lying," Yu Xingyue protested.

"Trust me. She’s too exhausted from searching to analyze your words. Just do it." Wu hung up.

"Brother Wu," Yu Xingyue muttered, feeling helpless, "are you helping me or ruining me?" He began typing his reply to Lin Ling.