Chapter 168
Su Bin didn’t have time to continue wallowing in guilt. No matter how much he blamed himself or how painful it was, he still had to face reality.
After hearing what Yang Chengzhe knew, Su Bin immediately went to the restaurant to get more details from Qin Chao, who was present at the time.
Qin Chao was unaware of Su Bin’s “runaway” incident and, upon seeing him, felt a mix of grievance and frustration. “So, you know about everything? Where have you been these past few days? I’ve been trying to reach you, but your phone was unreachable!”
—Except for Jin Fei, Allen hadn’t responded to anyone else’s messages or calls on Su Bin’s behalf.
Su Bin couldn’t come up with a response, so he awkwardly explained that he was feeling down and went on a trip but had forgotten to bring his phone.
Qin Chao was immediately irritated. It was typical of a young master—whenever he was in a bad mood, he disappeared and acted recklessly!
Before this, Su Bin and Allen had openly shown affection at the restaurant, and Qin Chao had assumed that Su Bin was embarrassed to face anyone, so he avoided them… But now, seeing Su Bin with his head down, silent and guilt-ridden, Qin Chao gradually softened. Thinking about how Allen had been injured and hospitalized, Qin Chao figured that Su Bin must be suffering too. He decided to speak more gently and told Su Bin in detail about what had happened that night.
In foreign countries, due to unavoidable racial discrimination and exclusion, incidents of attacks on foreign business owners were not uncommon.
Su Bin had seen news reports about local thugs in foreign countries causing trouble in Chinese restaurants, like demanding free meals or extorting money, and if the service wasn’t satisfactory, they would start a ruckus. Su Bin had also been warned before about the jealousy and hostility from others because “Boss Su” was doing so well.
However, he had always trusted Allen with the restaurant’s safety. Given Allen’s background and ability, Su Bin never thought anyone would dare attack. But now, he couldn’t believe that something so unfortunate would happen to him.
The incident happened just before 10 PM, when the streets were nearly empty. The restaurant was about to close, and the kitchen staff had begun leaving for the day. Qin Chao was counting the daily earnings, and there were still five or six waiters in the dining area, cleaning up the tables.
At that moment, they all heard a loud crash, and one of the large street-facing windows shattered instantly, the glass falling to the ground in a shower of pieces.
Before anyone could react, four or five tall, muscular figures stormed in. They were dressed in black and wore black masks, making it impossible to see their faces.
A female waitress screamed when she saw they were holding knives, and most of the male students working part-time panicked. Some ran, while others hid.
The attackers smashed all the windows and overturned several tables, creating chaos.
Then, Allen’s driver rushed in, shouting in alarm. Qin Chao finally noticed that two men were grappling with Allen, one holding a knife, and the other using a chair to hit him. Soon, blood began to spill.
Someone quickly shouted, “The police are coming!” and the attackers began to scatter in panic.
Someone had indeed called the police, and the sirens could be heard from far away. Before the police even arrived, Robert carried the unconscious Allen out.
Only then did they see the horrifying bloodstains on the floor, and a few of the girls who had barely escaped started crying from shock.
The entire incident unfolded in just a few minutes, and even now, Qin Chao still felt uneasy when he thought about it.
“I’ve already given my statement to the police, but the case is still unsolved. The restaurant has suffered significant losses. In addition to having to replace the street-facing windows, the mob also stole some money that night. The attack has also made the news, and business has been slow since then,” Qin Chao sighed deeply and continued, “Allen lost a lot of blood, and we’re all worried. We’ve called A Fei (Jin Fei) a few times, and he said Allen is still not out of danger.”
Su Bin’s face turned pale as he listened. The moment of the attack coincided with the moment he woke up suddenly in L City—perhaps it was some kind of telepathic connection. The realization hit him again, and he felt overwhelmed with self-blame. Why had he returned so late? Why hadn’t he been there?
“Why did Allen go to the restaurant that night? It was almost closing time. What was he doing there?” Su Bin asked, confused.
“That’s a question for your friend, Rock,” Qin Chao answered, looking around the room. “Allen came to see him.”
Su Bin froze for a moment. “Allen came to see Huang Zhengming?”
“Your friend got lucky. He only got a minor injury,” Qin Chao paused, thinking for a moment. “I actually thought it was strange at the time. It seemed like the attackers were specifically after Allen. I thought they were there to rob the place, and I was at the cash register, so I thought their target was me. But they focused on Allen, and only two of them came over to rob after hearing me yell ‘the police are coming’…”
Su Bin’s eyes widened. “Did you tell the police that?”
“I did, but later, I thought maybe I was overthinking it. Allen doesn’t usually come to the restaurant. If they were after him, they could have waited until he left and then attacked. Why do it with so many people around?” Qin Chao shook his head, clearly confused. “We’ll have to wait for the police investigation.”
Su Bin nodded and then asked, “Do you have Rock’s number?”
Qin Chao was surprised. “Don’t you have it? Aren’t you two friends?”
Su Bin replied, “I didn’t save it.”
After Qin Chao found the number, Su Bin borrowed his phone, introduced himself, and called Huang Zhengming. Once he identified himself, he heard Huang Zhengming’s hesitant voice on the other end: “Bingzi?”
Su Bin got straight to the point: “I heard that on the night of the incident with Allen, he came to the restaurant to look for you?”
Huang Zhengming responded softly, “Let’s talk in person.”
Su Bin quickly replied, “Alright, where are you now?”
Huang Zhengming: “I’m coming to find you. Are you at the restaurant?”
Su Bin: “No need. Just tell me where you are. I’ll get there faster with my car.”
Huang Zhengming: “I’m at Costa near M University. I just finished class, so I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
It was a familiar route for Su Bin, the same one he used to take every noon to deliver food to Allen at the medical school. But now, his purpose was different.
A wave of melancholy washed over him. He stepped on the gas and drove as fast as he could to the café.
Huang Zhengming was already there, and had even bought him a vanilla latte.
“You seem to have lost some weight,” Huang Zhengming said, observing him.
Su Bin wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. He furrowed his brows and quickly asked, “I want to know everything that happened that night.”
Huang Zhengming started by recounting the details of the incident. His account was similar to Qin Chao’s, but from Allen’s perspective, there was much less information. Huang Zhengming had been knocked to the ground by a chair and couldn’t focus on anything else. He only realized Allen had been stabbed when he heard someone shout “blood.”
Su Bin’s expression darkened, and he returned to the main question. “Why did Allen come to find you?”
Huang Zhengming hesitated before answering, “He asked me to transfer to A University.”
Su Bin froze. “Transfer?” A University was in the northern part of B Country, and it wasn’t as well-known as M University.
Huang Zhengming nodded. “Yeah, he said that my presence was disrupting your life, bringing up the past and causing you stress and unhappiness… He said if I agreed to transfer and cut ties with you, he would support my living and accommodation expenses while I study here.”
Su Bin forced a bitter smile, thinking to himself, Allen, did I really make you feel so insecure? You’re going to such lengths…
“So, what did you think?” Su Bin asked.
Due to the incident, Huang Zhengming didn’t continue the conversation with Allen at the time.
He looked at Su Bin and quietly asked, “Su Bin, I just want to ask you one question—do you really hate me that much now?”
Su Bin answered honestly, “I don’t hate you. We just can’t be friends anymore.”
Huang Zhengming asked, “…Why?”
Su Bin sighed. “I once considered you my best friend. I know you cared for me, and if it weren’t for the ridiculous ending, I’d be really grateful for everything you did with me during that time… I also heard the truth from Shen Junfeng about the prank with Chen Xiaotian, and honestly, I was the one who ruined your relationship with her. You were supposed to be with her. So now, every time I think about that relationship, I feel like a joke. It’s not that I hate you; I hate that time in my life. The things you all did completely shattered the illusion of happiness I had, and it’s hard to bear…”
Huang Zhengming lowered his head. “I’m sorry…”
Su Bin waved it off. “Don’t apologize. I’ve thought it through. A lot of things weren’t done intentionally to hurt each other. We just made mistakes in the heat of the moment. Maybe this is just what being young is like… The reason I can sit here calmly and talk with you is because I’ve let go. I don’t want to continue. Let’s live our lives separately. I wish you happiness, and you wish me happiness. Isn’t that good?”
Huang Zhengming was silent for a moment before asking again, “Do you… really like that man?”
Su Bin countered, “Didn’t you say you only wanted to ask me one question?”
Seeing Huang Zhengming speechless, Su Bin forced a bitter smile. It doesn’t hurt to answer him: “I don’t just like him. I can’t live without him. I love him.”
Huang Zhengming was stunned into silence.
Su Bin added, “So, if Allen gets better and is discharged, you should listen to him and transfer.”
Looking at Su Bin’s resolute expression, Huang Zhengming finally swallowed back the “what if” he had been about to say.
That night, Allen had asked him what he wanted when he came to find Su Bin.
He had said he wanted to stay friends.
Allen had replied, “You know your heart wants more than that.”
Indeed, everyone has desires. Once forgiven, they want to continue as friends. Once they’re friends, they want to be the best one, hoping the other person still depends on them and shares everything with them…
No one knows where such greedy fantasies will lead.
It’s never satisfying, especially when seeing the person so affectionate with someone else—how they kiss, the way their eyes light up with attention, the tenderness in their gestures—all full of devotion.
When he had seen Su Bin with Chen Xiaotian before, he had always felt uneasy, but never this strongly.
This pure-hearted person, when he likes someone, he gives his whole heart to them… It really feels wonderful.
He also wanted that. He wanted to be the one the other person relied on, to be their one and only.
But that one question was never asked—If it were me, would you like me?
