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ntranslator: baumkuchen editor: glitterypanda

nZhou Kai was rushed to the hospital.

nMeanwhile, Chi Xiaochi was ushered onto a police car and sent straight to the police station.

nChi Xiaochi, who’d gotten onto the car, sighed, “Ai.”

n061, “En?”

nChi Xiaochi said regretfully, “I originally picked out the psychiatry department for him, but he just had to insist on slumming it in orthopedics.”

n061, “……” Wasn’t it you who struck him into this state with a press of the accelerator.

nHowever, if this carbuncle wasn’t treated as soon as possible, when Zhou Kai came to, it would flare up on Shen Changqing sooner or later.

nOnce he returned to the Zhou home, entered the Zhou family’s territory and allowed the news to pass, if Chi Xiaochi wanted to find the next best time to expose the matter, it would really be adding difficulty onto difficulty.

nAs such, 061 didn’t say anything, nor did he try to persuade him to be more careful next time.

nEverything Chi Xiaochi did was for the sake of the original host.

nAs for caution, that was for him to worry about.

nThe doctor checked him over, and the final diagnosis was pretty much the same as 061’s.

nA fractured femur, fractured ribs, a broken calf bone. His liver was also somewhat injured. What was for certain, was that from hereafter, he would be disabled.

nThat night, the Zhou home was abnormally busy. After the police car, came an ambulance, which was enough for those unresigned reporters squatting on the edges of the property to get high from the excitement.

nAfter the news articles came out, all sorts of speculation began to roll in. There were also all kinds of “insiders” throwing out information that could neither be proven nor disproven, making things blow up into a big scandal for a time.

nJust a day and a half after the public’s appetite settled down, Shen Changqing announced that he was having a news conference, taking the initiative to resolve all the rumours.

nAt the conference, Shen Changqing had dressed himself up very simply and neatly, wearing a white dress shirt paired with blue suit pants. The tip of his nose and the rims of his eyes were a little red, and his gaze was rather distracted.

nAccompanying him was the police sergeant who’d paid a visit to the Zhou home that day, and brought him to the police station, James, as well was two unexpected persons.

n—— The family doctor Aaron, and a Spanish maid from the Zhou household.

nLast time he’d sat here, Shen Changqing had been a puppet.

nSitting here this time, Shen Changqing was the well-deserved protagonist.

nHe held the microphone, seemingly having mustered up endless courage, before speaking in a nasal voice, “Hello everyone. I am Shen Changqing. Someone who has struggled for three years in a nightmare by the name of Zhou Kai. A…… person.”

n……Not an animal waiting to be slaughtered or a slave, a living, breathing, person.

nUnder the endless camera flashes, he slowly talked about his bitter experiences over the past few years.

nThose days when Zhou Kai would pull his hair and shove his face into the cold, expensive floors, those days when he’d be screamed at with “I’ll smash your face into a pulp, break your legs into pieces, and we’ll see who still dares to want you”, those days when the bruises on his body had never once completely disappeared. He would never have days like that ever again.

nIn the beginning, the audience had been full of noise, with cries of doubt and disbelieving hisses, but slowly, only Shen Changqing’s voice could be heard in the hall.

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nSome more emotional female reporters held their hands over their mouths, softly sobbing.

nAfter Shen Changqing finished talking, Doctor Aaron and the maid provided evidence of Shen Changqing’s accusations.

nA fractured nose, multiple soft tissue contusions throughout his body, mild concussions, moderate concussions, a slightly broken shoulder blade, a number of bruises……

nThe maid stuttered in mixed Spanish and English, telling her story about what she’d seen and heard in the Zhou home.

n“……Mister Zhou wouldn’t let us talk to Mister Shen. He’d say that Mister Shen was as stupid as a pig, it’d be no use even if he learned Spanish.

n“Every time Mister Shen left the house, I would have to follow him. Mister Zhou needed to know where Mister Shen went, whom he talked to, and he would check it with over Mister Shen one by one. If what Mister Shen said was different from what I said, he would be beaten.

n“And Mister Shen’s dog, was also kicked into a wall by Mister Zhou, and was seriously injured. Mister Zhou told outsiders that the dog had been harmed by a lunatic……”

nHaving to recall those contents was torture to anyone who didn’t have a dead or clean conscience.

nAs she spoke, the maid collapsed several times, tears streaming down her cheeks, unable to say a word.

nBut Shen Changqing didn’t cry. He looked towards the audience, his gaze filled with an unspeakable confusion and blankness, as if he still didn’t dare to believe he’d already returned to the human world.

nHis eyes were teary, extremely similar to those of a doggy who’d been punished but didn’t know what he’d done wrong. Just looking at him made 061 want to pat him on the head.

nWithout waiting for the maid to finish, there was a reporter who angrily stood up and asked, “You two are both Zhou Kai’s accomplices! You’re standing up now, but when you were doing these things, could it be that you didn’t know what you were doing was wrong?”

nThe maid covered her face and sobbed, while Aaron bowed his head, silently accepting this accusation.

nWith Shen Changqing’s consent, James, representing the police, released the images recorded by the dash camera that day. Even though it was only a short section of the total contents, the audio recorded inside was already enough to raise hackles.

n“……You’re too tired. You should have a good rest.”

n“……Mister Zhou, no, I’m driving.”

n“Mister Zhou——”

nAs for Zhou Kai’s responses to Shen Changqing, they were disgusting to the point that no human could have said that.

nEven though the camera didn’t capture the dispute in the car, from their conversation before the car went out of control, what had happened in the car could be inferred.

nWhile they were watching the video, Shen Changqing appeared to have a slight stomach cramp, collapsing onto the table, trembling. At that point, the broadcast was then interrupted, only resuming when he waved a hand, indicating that he was fine.

nAfter playing the video, Sergeant James expressed that they would be raising a number of criminal charges for crimes such as criminal assault against Zhou Kai, who was still unconscious in a hospital bed.

nAs for Shen Changqing, he had also committed several wrongs, such as hitting-and-running, reckless driving, etcetera. There was a possibility of him having to pay several hundred Canadian dollars to compensate for the abandoned wall, as well as having to do community service.

nThe reporters also asked many questions, such as how Zhou Kai’s ex-husband Su Wenyi died, whether Zhou Kai had committed sexual violence, and so on. Shen Changqing, hands on his knees, had answered every question one after another. Despite the order of his answers not being very smooth, he didn’t leave out any answers.

nSuch as Zhou Kai’s natural impotence, such as how he couldn’t get it up at all on the bed, not leaving out any details, no matter how small, making everything absolutely clear.

nAt the end of the conference, Shen Changqing stood up with tears in his eyes and bowed deeply to everyone present, “……Thank you, everyone, for saving me and Help.”

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nInwardly, 061 cheered loudly.

nThese words were beautifully said, instantly satisfying everyone’s natural tendency to care for the weak.

nFor Shen Changqing, this was the perfect ending.

nAfter the conference, Sergeant James escorted Shen Changqing to the parking lot.

nHe shook hands with Sam, who had been waiting in the parking lot for a long time, quickly letting go before the reporters outside could surround them.

nGetting into Sam’s car, Shen Changqing fastened his seat belt.

nSam said, “You’ve done very well.”

nShen Changqing looked down, lowering his eyes.

nIf anyone were to take a photo from any angle from outside, all they would be able to see would be Shen Changqing’s tranquil yet helpless expression.

nBut his tone didn’t match his face at all. “You too.”

nSam raised an eyebrow.

nShen Changqing said, “It mustn’t have been easy convincing Aaron to come and testify.”

nSam laughed, “Aaron understands his priorities. In the event that they conducted a real investigation, he wouldn’t be able to escape. It was better for him to accept my conditions, testify, earn a sum of money, and find a small place to live the rest of his days in peace.”

nShen Changqing asked, “Then what about Bella?” Bella was that Spanish maid.

nSam said, “She was originally dissatisfied with Zhou Kai. Now that the situation’s exploded, she naturally wanted to pull herself out of the centre of the storm. Plus, she still had a little bit of a conscience……”

nShen Changqing stretched out his reply, “……Oh.”

nSam glanced over at him, before realising something.

nHe let out a bitter laugh, “……Mister Shen, you really are very capable.”

n—— If Sam had had the plan to record the conversation between the two in order to threaten or use Shen Changqing, tying them together on the same boat, then his performance just now was not only unsuccessful, but also pulled himself in.

nShen Changqing was asking questions, and had in fact said nothing whatsoever; while Sam, on the contrary, had exposed all of his ambitious scheming.

n……Even after leaving the media, in front of Sam, Shen Changqing’s performance was still watertight.

nSam said gently, “Mister Shen, please don’t misunderstand. There aren’t any recording devices in this car.”

nShen Changqing replied, “Are you sure?”

nSam started, his face immediately changing.

n……He’d spotted the phone Shen Changqing was fiddling with in his hands.

nBut soon, Shen Changqing brightened the screen of his phone.

nThere were no signs showing “currently recording” whatsoever. There was just a picture of Shen Changqing and Help.

nShen Changqing said, “……Just playing a joke.”

nSam let out a sigh of relief, “Mister Shen, please don’t misunderstand. You and I were just working together temporarily, to achieve both our ends. Now that the matter is over, we’ll……”

n“To achieve both our ends?”

nShen Changqing raised his chin and looked at Sam. His eyes were still misted over with sparkling sheen of tears. He looked incomparably weak, but the words he spoke next were a completely different story.

n“Mister Sam, could it be you’ve misunderstood something?” he said, “If I don’t remember wrongly, this opportunity was entirely provided to you by me. In other words, it’s you working for me, and whatever you earned is your payment.”

nSam shivered with apprehension, and his originally polite smile stiffened.

nFollowing that, the journey back was utterly silent.

n061 said to Chi Xiaochi, “Those words of yours were too harsh.”

nChi Xiaochi said, “I’m paving roads and putting up bridges for Shen Changqing.”

n061 of course knew that.

nThis partnership between Sam and “Shen Changqing” had been built upon a mutual hatred of Zhou Kai.

nNow that Zhou Kai had already rotted, once this tower fell, Sam had immediately seized the company, taking control of Zhou Kai’s shares.

nIf he had a conscience, they could still talk, but Sam was, after all, an astute businessman. In case he tried to use the emails, recordings and other such things to blackmail Shen Changqing, to prove that his defeat of Zhou Kai had been long premeditated, destroying his moral high ground, and thus compressing the compensation Shen Changqing could receive, Shen Changqing needed to have something that could control him in turn.

nLike for instance, there was a currently-recording voice recorder pen hidden in Shen Changqing’s pants pocket.

nChi Xiaochi couldn’t care less about what Sam thought. He himself needed to keep some information that could be used to threaten Sam.

n……Including how Sam and the shareholders had had consultations in private, talking about their plans to overthrow Zhou Kai, including how after Zhou Kai’s sex scandal had spread, he’d played a few tricks to lower the company’s share prices behind his back, and even including the phone recordings and bank statements of how he’d bought over James, Aaron, and some heavyweight news media companies.

n061 really hoped that these things wouldn’t need to be used.

nBy if there did come a time when they were needed, they would be a very powerful weapon of Shen Changqing’s.

nAnd what Chi Xiaochi wanted was simple. He just wanted to give Shen Changqing a carefree life.

nAfter all, one generally couldn’t just go home and eat alone after they were done fighting this battle.

nNevertheless, the gentlemanly system 061 who always treated people with courtesy still felt like Chi Xiaochi’s words had been too harsh and uncompromising.

nIn response to this, Chi Xiaochi had his own set of reasons, “Have you ever seen people drive in stakes when building bridges or building houses? It’s always done with drills, going ‘tututu’. In many cases, being gentle can only move oneself, after all, the truth isn’t what maintains the bonds of a stable relationship. Only fear does.”

n061, “……” Feels like there’s actually some sense in this nonsense argument, how can this be?

nSoon, they arrived at the Zhou home.

nAs Chi Xiaochi prepared to open the door and get off the car, after a moment of thought, he turned back.

n“Still, thank you very much. I gave you what you wanted, and I also got what I wanted.” Compared to just now, Chi Xiaochi’s attitude had unexpectedly eased considerably, “Happy cooperation.”

nSam smiled and nodded, at the same time, thinking, this must be the social philosophy of those from the East.

nThe so-called “a slap followed by a sweet date”, was indeed truly formidable.

nMore than a dozen reporters who hadn’t had the right to enter the conference hall were still squatting around the Zhou house, feeding the mosquitoes. Their movements were one step too slow, and Chi Xiaochi had abundant experience, having long prepared the door card, the moment he got off the car, he slipped into the villa.

nThe reporters could only surround Sam, who hadn’t been able to leave in time.

nAmongst these people, there was no lack of entertainment gossip reporters. As soon as they saw Sam and Shen Changqing entering and leaving together, they immediately smelled something fishy. “Mister Sam, over these few days, you and Mister Shen have met quite frequently. What is your relationship with Mister Shen?”

nFor the public that just wanted to watch the ruckus, what they wanted to see was the classic play where the prince rescued the suffering Cinderella from her plight. It was a cliche, but it was very much in line with the tastes of the general public.

nHowever, Sam had no intention of pandering to their tastes. He adopted the manner of an English gentleman, and said reservedly, “We’ve only had the fate of meeting a few times. But I deeply sympathise with Mister Shen for what he has had to experience over these years, and at the same time, I also deeply admire him for his fortitude.”

nMany of the reporters present let out disappointed expressions.

nNoticing their reactions, inwardly, Sam laughed bitterly, helpless.

n……They had no idea what kind of person Shen Changqing was.

nTo a person like Shen Changqing, he only dared to respect him, and absolutely wouldn’t dare to get close.

nChi Xiaochi, who’d swiftly slipped into the courtyard, slowed his footsteps, slowly walking over to the main building.

nSince they’d entered the door, 061 had started laughing, unable to help himself. His warm voice had a little bit of gravel mixed in, incredibly pleasant to the ears.

nChi Xiaochi, “……What are you laughing about?”

n061, “Nothing.”

nChi Xiaochi, “……Just now, those were tactics. Sam can’t be pushed too hard.”

n061, “En, tactics.”

nChi Xiaochi, “……It’s not because you said to be a little more gentle.”

n061, “En, it’s not.”

nChi Xiaochi, “……You’re so annoying. Can I apply to shut down your speech system for an hour?”

n061 laughed, “Okay, I won’t annoy you anymore.”

nAs they spoke, the person and system reached the entrance to the main building.

nThe door had already been opened from inside and a slightly haggard Yi Song appeared, undisguisable fear on his face.

nHe said meekly, “……Mister, Mister Shen.”

nChi Xiaochi once more entered the cage, but he was no longer a prisoner.

nHe didn’t deliberately make things difficult for Yi Song, simply asking indifferently, “Is there beef in the house?”

nYi Song, “There…… there is. There’s also some macaroni.”

nChi Xiaochi pushed up his sleeves, “Get the things ready. I’m going to cook for myself.”

nHalf an hour later, Chi Xiaochi walked into the kitchen and cooked his first meal since entering this world.

nHe needed to feed himself well, because there were still many things to be done.

nIn the intensive care unit of the hospital, Zhou Kai painfully opened his eyes.

nThe nurse had gone to the bathroom, leaving him alone in the ward.

nThe first thing he felt after waking up was pain.

nHe blurted out a curse, “Fuck!!”

nZhou Kai twisted his body. As the upper half of his body screamed with pain, he also found that he couldn’t feel anything from the lower half of his body.

nThis kind of feeling of being completely derailed made him immediately panic. He began to twist like a loach on the bed, crying out involuntarily, “Someone come! Someone come quickly!!”

nThe author has something to say:

nEdited again!

nToday we have “an unconsciously-tsundere towards 061” Xiaochi qwq

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npanda: For Shen Changqing, I’m so proud, but for my family’s CXC, I’m so excited. ZK, that carbuncle, can go fester and rot now.

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