At the time, Wang Junqing had already taken Bi Kang’s parents, wife, and son hostage. Bi Kang cared so much about his son that, fearing harm to him, he would definitely have released them.
If Jiang Luo hadn’t acted on impulse back then—if he hadn’t tried to grab the gun—he wouldn’t have ended up taking a bullet so miserably.
Now look at him: lying in the hospital day after day, and making Huo Zongzhuo worry himself sick.
That said, Jiang Luo was very much the type to “forget the pain once the wound healed.” Seeing how anxious Huo Zongzhuo was about him, staying by his side every moment in the hospital, Jiang Luo ended up feeling quite pleased again—perfect timing to cling to Huo Zongzhuo all day long, letting him wipe him down, feed him meals and medicine, massage his legs and feet, and so on. Happy. Really happy.
On top of that, they hadn’t publicized the incident at all. Almost no one knew what Jiang Luo and Huo Zongzhuo had gone through, let alone that Jiang Luo had been shot and was hospitalized. As a result, the single-patient ward became a little private world just for the two of them.
Especially right after Jiang Luo woke up—Huo Zongzhuo was practically meticulous in his care, never leaving his side. Aside from the pain from his wound, Jiang Luo could honestly say he was enjoying himself.
When he lay there and softly said the wound hurt, Huo Zongzhuo would lean down and gently kiss him, again and again.
When he said he was dry, thirsty, Huo Zongzhuo would take a sip of warm water and pass it to him mouth to mouth, then kiss him again to soothe him.
When he said he was hungry, Huo Zongzhuo would ask what he wanted to eat—and whatever Jiang Luo wanted, Huo Zongzhuo would find a way to get it and feed him himself.
“Husband~”
After lying there for so long, Jiang Luo’s whole body had gone soft. Without anyone teaching him, he learned how to act spoiled.
Huo Zongzhuo would kiss him, press his cheek against Jiang Luo’s, cuddle up with him, keep him company, talk with him, chat with him, read poetry to him—coaxing him in every possible way. Gentle beyond words. Indulgent in every way.
Ah~~
Jiang Luo couldn’t help gloating inwardly: this shot was so damn worth it.
Was that a gunshot wound on his left waist? No. That was a man’s medal of honor!
He didn’t say it out loud, but in his heart, Jiang Luo felt deeply relieved. At least—at long last—he had gotten Huo Zongzhuo safely out of those deep mountains.
With that, everything was worth it.
Even if he had died from that gunshot back then, it would have been worth it.
What Jiang Luo didn’t know was that after he was shot, no one took care of him at first. He lay there bleeding heavily, and his condition became extremely critical.
It was a leader from the Central Inspection Team who had come along—someone very experienced—who had the foresight to bring a medical team with him, along with sufficient plasma and emergency medical supplies. That was how they managed to pull Jiang Luo back from the brink of death in time.
Otherwise, by the time Huo Zongzhuo arrived, what he would have seen might truly have been Jiang Luo’s corpse.
Jiang Luo also didn’t know that during the transfer from the deep mountains, from the province to the hospital in Shenzhen, Huo Zongzhuo had experienced his own “brushes with death” along the way—his emotional state rising and falling with Jiang Luo’s condition. Huo Zongzhuo blamed himself deeply.
He regretted that he hadn’t been more cautious, that he had gone along so easily with the police who detained him.
He should have found a way to negotiate directly with Bi Kang in Hexu, to save himself.
After he went with the police, being passed along from place to place, those officers treated him fairly politely. When they reached Hexu, he was held at the public security bureau and wasn’t mistreated. He assumed the situation wasn’t that urgent—that once enough money was paid, he would be released and reunited with Jiang Luo.
He never imagined that Bi Kang was a madman who didn’t follow any rules and was extraordinarily greedy. Even less did he imagine that Bi Kang would feel secure enough to pull a gun on Jiang Luo.
If he had been more alert back then, if he had taken the initiative to negotiate with Bi Kang, maybe everything could have been avoided.
Huo Zongzhuo regretted it so much that he wished he could have taken that bullet for Jiang Luo.
During that time, Jiang Luo had passed the critical period but still hadn’t woken up. Huo Zongzhuo kept vigil at his bedside, shedding tears he had never shed in his entire life.
Only then did he truly understand what fear felt like.
He was afraid Jiang Luo wouldn’t wake up. Afraid Jiang Luo would just die like that.
Afraid of losing Jiang Luo, losing the person he loved—afraid that for the rest of his life, he would be left only with memories, endlessly caressing Jiang Luo’s face in his mind, endlessly recalling the bloodless face Jiang Luo had worn lying on the ground.
He was so afraid it could almost be called terror—terror of that worst possible outcome.
Fortunately. Fortunately, Jiang Luo finally woke up.
At the moment he woke, Huo Zongzhuo had been reciting, “The clouds disperse, the rain clears; the rainbow pierces the sky, the region brightens.” When their eyes met, Huo Zongzhuo’s world finally lit up again.
And it was also at that moment that Huo Zongzhuo silently swore to himself: in that province, there were far more people than just Bi Kang. Those others—those who had hidden well and hadn’t been exposed yet—he would make them pay the price they deserved, sooner or later.
That day, after lunch, during the afternoon rest period, in the single-patient ward, Jiang Luo and Huo Zongzhuo were once again leaning together at the head of the bed.
Thinking of something, Huo Zongzhuo gently squeezed Jiang Luo’s hand in his palm and said warmly, “Zhao Guangyuan arranged people to accompany you to Hexu this time. Because of that, he took quite a heavy disciplinary hit when he went back.”
“He was already past retirement age. Reaching his current position, he originally could have continued moving upward.”
“After this incident, he probably won’t be able to advance any further.”
Jiang Luo leaned against his shoulder and didn’t say anything.
Huo Zongzhuo kneaded Jiang Luo’s hand lightly. “I know you’ve always wanted nothing to do with Zhao Guangyuan. This time, you had no choice—he took the initiative to help you, and you couldn’t exactly refuse.”
“He helped you, and because of that, his future prospects were cut off. You’re soft-hearted—you’re bound to feel like you owe him a huge favor.”
“You don’t need to worry. These favors—I can repay them for you.”
“If you don’t want to deal with him, then—”
“I won’t acknowledge him,” Jiang Luo said decisively. “I can’t betray the person I used to be.”
“He helped me, so I owe him a favor. I’ll repay the favor. That’s it.”
Huo Zongzhuo hummed in agreement. “That’s what I think too.”
“In the future, during holidays and festivals, we’ll prepare some gifts and have someone send them over.”
……
After chatting about that for a while, they changed the subject. Jiang Luo said, “From now on, I’m never eating fermented tofu or Sanhua liquor again.”
“And don’t bring me any specialty products either.”
“Once your business trips are done, come back early.”
“And if, while I’m not around, the police come looking for you again—”
“Even if you have to throw a tantrum, pretend you’re crazy, strip naked and lie on the floor, you’re not allowed to go with them.”
“No—”
Jiang Luo corrected himself. “You’re not allowed to go on business trips at all! Let someone else take all the trips, or I’ll go in your place.”
“You’re not allowed to go anywhere!”
“You stay in Haicheng. Other than Haicheng, the only place you’re allowed to go is Sucheng.”
“I was just about to say,”
Huo Zongzhuo said, “from now on, you’re not allowed to go anywhere either.”
“You’re not even allowed to leave my line of sight.”
Jiang Luo burst out laughing—laughing so hard his shoulders and chest shook. He laughed so much it tugged at his wound and made it hurt a little.
“Ah…”
Jiang Luo grimaced in discomfort.
“Does it hurt again?”
Huo Zongzhuo couldn’t reach out to touch him. He could only extend his hand and rest it lightly over the blanket near the wound, then lower his head and kiss Jiang Luo’s face to soothe him.
“I want another kiss.”
Jiang Luo lifted his chin, feeling that kissing his cheek wasn’t enough.
Huo Zongzhuo lowered his head and gave him an incomparably lingering kiss. Afterward, he said softly and deeply, “I love you. No matter what happens in the future, I will never let you put yourself in danger again.”
“I love you.”
Jiang Luo was like a little kitten. With his eyes closed, he gently rubbed his forehead against the man’s face.
“I know. I trust you unconditionally.”
“We’ll be together forever.”
…………………………………………………
United States.
Zhao Mingshi parked the car at the garage entrance. He had just gotten out, walked to the villa door, and was about to take out his key when someone suddenly grabbed him from behind, flipped him around, and slammed him against the door.
Zhao Mingshi was startled at first, thinking he was being robbed. When he looked closely, he immediately relaxed.
Bi Feng stared at him with clenched teeth. “So this is the ‘fat fish’ you were talking about!?”
“You ruined me! You ruined my brother! Do you know that!?”
“My brother’s been arrested! The house has been ransacked! My parents have cried themselves blind—and you’re still standing here like nothing happened!?”
Zhao Mingshi had already seen the domestic news and knew exactly what had happened.
His expression was calm. “Yes, I introduced the fat fish. Wasn’t he fat enough? Such a powerful big boss—how many can you find like that in all of China? If it weren’t for me, could you have demanded tens of millions of U.S. dollars in one go?”
“I introduced the person. The job wasn’t done right—that’s your problem. Don’t come blaming me. I didn’t take a single cent from you.”
Bi Feng grabbed Zhao Mingshi’s collar tightly and closed in on him, grinding his teeth. “You actually dare to deny it?”
“If you hadn’t introduced the fat fish, would my brother have gone after him?”
“If he hadn’t gone after him, would it have brought in the provincial department, even the central authorities, to investigate my brother!?”
Zhao Mingshi’s expression remained indifferent. “The one who got arrested is him, not you. Who are you putting on this performance for?”
“I even taught you—told you about Swiss banks, about laundering money, about how the domestic authorities can’t trace it. Otherwise, how could you have transferred that money out so easily?”
“Your brother getting arrested is just that—he got arrested. Wasn’t it bound to happen sooner or later? Did you really think that with the things your family did, your brother could play local emperor in that mountain wilderness for his whole life?”
Then he added, “Anyway, the money’s in your hands now. You’ve got your green card too. Why do you care about what happens back home?”
“Take the money and enjoy yourself. Perfect timing—your brother won’t be around to control you anymore.”
“Are you even human!?”
Bi Feng roared, raising his fist and swinging it at Zhao Mingshi.
Zhao Mingshi took several punches, his face getting a little bruised, but he didn’t care at all.
He also didn’t care whether this incident had truly taken Jiang Luo down or not. But he guessed that with it already being classified as the 113 Major Case, Jiang Luo probably hadn’t come out of it unscathed either.