BTMDY Chapter 115

Those four words hit Lin Wangye like a thunderclap on a clear day. In an instant, he finally understood what it meant for the brain to short-circuit—the rush of blood through his nerves, the pounding at his temples, each beat fierce and relentless, clear to the extreme.

 

His memory went blank. His thoughts froze.

 

For a long while, Lin Wangye was completely stunned.

 

Just seconds ago, he had been trying to figure out which ‘last time’ this referred to. Before Lu Chengxuan answered, two things immediately came to his mind.

 

One was the time he had been cornered and beaten by a gang, brought there by Fu Xuexue’s brother.

 

The other was when Xu Shengrung had tried to blackmail him.

 

These were among the few moments in his life when he had truly felt helpless at a critical point. But in truth, neither of these incidents had caused him real harm.

 

During the gang attack, Lin Shen had protected him well, and the Lu family had arrived just in time. He walked away unscathed—at most, just a little shaken.

 

The Xu Shengrong incident was even more controlled—he had walked straight into that trap himself, planning it with his own hands.

 

So when Lu Chengxuan blurted out the words ‘I’m sorry,’ Lin Wangye couldn’t comprehend them at all.

 

Lu Chengxuan had no reason to apologize.

 

In essence, he had no responsibility or duty to protect Lin Wangye.

 

And yet, he said it anyway.

 

In Lin Wangye’s subconscious, Lu Chengxuan had always been untouchable, a force beyond ordinary limits. His appearance at that desperate moment had shone like divine light, and yet here he was, casually saying words that shouldn’t even be his to speak.

 

Then came the word ‘car accident,’ spoken softly but with lethal precision. Lin Wangye felt his soul take a blow.

 

His face still carried the raw shock of someone who had just escaped death by a thread.

 

The room had been unbearably hot when the door locked tight. Both of them had been scorched by the waves of heat; the skin exposed outside their clothes had turned slightly red from direct contact with the air.

 

Lu Chengxuan had inherited his mother’s Northern European genes.

 

His skin was pale, his bone structure nearly perfect.

 

Now, dust streaked across his face, mixed with the vivid red blood accidentally smeared from his right hand, creating a shockingly intense visual against his already striking features.

 

Lin Wangye stared wide-eyed, frozen. In his mind, another face flashed—so similar it seemed impossible to tell apart.

 

It was clearly the same person, yet no matter how he tried, the faces wouldn’t match.

 

The Lu family head appeared in public so rarely that Lin Wangye had seen him only a handful of times in his life. His clearest memory of that face was from finance magazines: stunningly handsome, yet cold, hard, detached, with eyes completely devoid of warmth.

 

The rigid, distant impression Lin Wangye had of this man had long faded deep inside him.

 

In the past life, words like ‘cold,’ ‘harsh,’ ‘ruthless,’ and ‘all-powerful’ might have belonged to the Lu family patriarch.

 

But they were never the label for the Lu Chengxuan standing right in front of him.

 

Yet in this world, there was no one else who could know about that car accident.

 

If anyone did, there was only one possibility.

 

After a long period of fasting, Lin Wangye’s body was in bad shape. Right now, the only reason he could barely stay conscious was sheer stubborn willpower, holding himself up by force.

 

Like a bowstring stretched to its absolute limit.

 

The moment that fragile breath slipped, it would snap instantly.

 

His heart pounded wildly. After just a few seconds of staring into those deep, dark eyes, his whole body started trembling uncontrollably. His pupils quivered, and his dry eyes quickly filled with blood.

 

“…Lu… Uncle Lu…”

 

Lu Chengxuan knew Lin Wangye couldn’t keep up this forced awareness for much longer. He reached out his left hand, tugging the half-wet hood of his hoodie and wiping the dirt from his face. A little awkwardly, he pulled up the corner of his mouth, giving him a faint, reassuring smile.

 

“It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”

 

Thick smoke seeped in everywhere, sliding under the door and curling into the bathroom.

 

The confirmation from the person himself sent Lin Wangye’s breathing into sharp, rapid gasps. In that instant, the long-buried secret—the darkest, dampest shadow in his soul—was illuminated completely, a brilliant light flooding the deepest corners of his being.

 

The black smoke above reminded him he wasn’t out of danger yet.

 

But an unprecedented sense of safety swelled in his chest, like someone floating on clouds suddenly finding solid ground beneath their feet.

 

He struggled to steady himself and instinctively leaned forward, and the next second, he fell into warm arms.

 

“Just relax and sleep. You’ll be fine.”

 

The steady voice crushed three days’ worth of terror and helplessness. Gentle hands brushed over his head, and Lin Wangye’s body went limp in an instant. His eyes closed, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

 

The hoodie was soaked through. Lu Chengxuan pulled it from the sink and draped it over Lin Wangye’s head, wrapping him tightly. Then, without much thought, he wet his own shirt, bent down, lifted Lin Wangye into his arms, took a deep breath, and kicked open the bathroom door, charging out.

 

Thankfully, the hallway wasn’t carpeted, and the escape route was still clear.

 

But in a fire, it’s often the smoke, not the flames, that’s the real terror.

 

Everything in that room had already caught fire. The black smoke spread rapidly. The temperature in the corridor was nearly the same as in the sealed room before, and visibility was almost zero.

 

There was no room to breathe. Only one chance to escape.

 

Lu Chengxuan’s eyes burned from the smoke. Holding his breath, he sprinted, clutching Lin Wangye tightly, following the route he remembered.

 

Wallpaper peeled from the corridor walls under the heat. Burning paintings fell one after another.

 

As he rounded a fork in the corridor, a vintage industrial-style iron chandelier wobbled above. Just as he neared it, it plummeted directly toward him and the person in his arms.

 

In an instant, Lu Chengxuan’s reflexes kicked in—fast as lightning.

 

He scooped up the person in his arms with one hand, using his other arm to shield them, and didn’t waste even half a second before charging forward.

 

There was no space to do any real firefighting—this had to be quick and discreet. The underground casino had only one exit, and once the fire started, it didn’t take long for people to notice.

 

Chaos broke out instantly in the main hall. Tables and chairs were toppled everywhere.

 

Everyone was scrambling to escape, and in the panic, some even grabbed cash while running.

 

Bai Yanchuan, waiting in the car, was nearly losing his mind.

 

When they arrived, Lu Chengxuan couldn’t be 100% sure Lin Wangye was actually inside the casino. He had just thought it was likely enough to take a chance, and had brought Bai Yanchuan along just in case.

 

The moment they spotted Lin Wangye, Wei Dayong had a lighter in his hand.

 

Lu Chengxuan didn’t have time to send Bai Yanchuan a pre-arranged signal. Only when people started running out did Bai Yanchuan realize something had gone wrong inside.

 

He hurriedly called the police and got out of the car, trying to go in to help.

 

But there was only one exit from the casino, and everyone was streaming out. In that chaos, it was impossible to go in against the flow—he could only wait for the crowd to thin before slipping inside.

 

Luckily, he quickly found them in the main hall.

 

Thick smoke drifted from the ceiling, but at low levels, there was still enough air to breathe. Bai Yanchuan stepped in just in time to collide with Lu Chengxuan, who was rushing out from the corridor.

 

In the brief moment he could catch his breath, Lu Chengxuan dropped to his knees. Carefully, he laid Lin Wangye down, then coughed violently against the floor, still gasping, and frantically opened the hoodie to check on him.

 

Lin Wangye lay there, pale, with no reaction at all.

 

For the first time, Lu Chengxuan’s panic was visible to the naked eye.

 

In his desperation, he forgot even the basics, leaning in to check if Lin Wangye was breathing.

 

Bai Yanchuan had never expected to see his uncle so tense and flustered—so messy and hurried, with eyes as wide as marbles.

 

Of course, he couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.

 

He crouched down, placing his hand on Lin Wangye’s neck for a moment. In a calm voice, he said, “It’s okay. He just fainted.”

 

As soon as he said it, Lu Chengxuan exhaled, adjusting his breathing. His expression calmed instantly, though his fingertips still trembled slightly.

 

From Lin Wangye’s position, it was over a hundred meters through the long, winding corridor to the main hall. The distance wasn’t long, but the path was tricky.

 

Lu Chengxuan had to carry someone while holding his breath the whole way. Without his incredible memory and strength, they probably wouldn’t have made it out alive.

 

“This place isn’t safe. Move quickly.”

 

Bai Yanchuan could tell Lu Chengxuan was exhausted. He bent down and lifted Lin Wangye, glancing back and noticing Lu Chengxuan’s arm and hand. “You’re hurt,” he reminded him.

 

Lu Chengxuan knew he had cut his right hand on the rope and then burned it opening the door, but there had been no time to care—it hurt, but the sensation came too late.

 

It wasn’t until they left the casino hall that the sharp pain finally shot through his nerves into his brain.

 

The police arrived extremely fast, quickly surrounding the electronics factory that doubled as the casino.

 

Few had managed to escape, and those who did were still being chased.

 

Wei Dayong had no vehicle—most likely, he could only hide inside the factory. It was only a matter of time before he was found.

 

Bai Yanchuan drove Lin Wangye and Lu Chengxuan out of the underground parking lot, only to be stopped immediately. Once the police learned the hostages had been found, they quickly arranged for them to get into an ambulance and rushed them to the hospital.

 

On the way, the medical team began checking Lin Wangye’s condition and gave initial treatment to Lu Chengxuan’s injuries.

 

It was then that Lu Chengxuan realized his right palm was mangled, and his forearm had a fairly large burn. The reddened, swollen skin was oozing blood.

 

The deeper, searing pain came from this area.

 

Having never been seriously injured before, he realized his pain tolerance wasn’t great. Cold sweat quickly formed on his forehead, and his breathing became heavy and uncontrolled.

 

But for now, he couldn’t care about that. He asked the doctors which hospital they were heading to and quickly dialed Lin Shen’s number.

 

After he hung up, Bai Yanchuan couldn’t hold back anymore.

 

“Xuan’er, be honest with me… is this kid secretly your dad’s or mom’s child from outside?”

 

Hearing this, Lu Chengxuan looked down at the unconscious boy before him. He didn’t know what exactly Bai Yanchuan’s words had touched, but a helpless look appeared on his face, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly—just barely, where no one could see.

 

“No,” he said.

 

“Then are you crazy? Risking everything like this!” Bai Yanchuan recalled the parentage test Lu Chengxuan had forced earlier, completely baffled. “Who exactly is he?”

 

Lu Chengxuan lifted his eyes to look at Lin Wangye. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

 

“Someone very important.”

 

Bai Yanchuan couldn’t understand at all and pressed, “Important enough that you’d risk your life for him?”

 

Without hesitation, Lu Chengxuan nodded.

 

“Yes.”

 

Bai Yanchuan drew in a sharp breath, speechless.

 

He knew something was going on, but Lu Chengxuan simply didn’t want to say. Fine—he wasn’t going to pry.

 

At least the boy was safe. If anything had gone wrong, even if he dragged his own head to face Lu Chenghan and Vivian, there’d be no explaining it.

 

The ambulance hit green lights all the way, and soon arrived at the hospital.

 

Before the ambulance even got there, Lin Shen and Shi Yuan had already been waiting for a long time.

 

The moment Shi Yuan saw Lin Wangye being wheeled out of the ambulance by the doctors, his eyes went red instantly. The collapsed world he’d been living in for days suddenly lit up again; the broken ruins inside him began to piece themselves back together.

 

He stood frozen for a long time before he finally snapped out of it, then turned and hurried after the hospital bed.

 

Lin Shen, knowing Lin Wangye wasn’t seriously hurt, didn’t follow. He stayed where he was, quietly waiting for Lu Chengxuan to step out of the ambulance.

 

The two of them locked eyes from a distance, neither speaking.

 

Lin Shen had no idea what exactly Lu Chengxuan had been through, but so much of it was written plainly on him—ashes clinging to his blond hair, smudges of soot and blood on his face, a palm torn and bloody, and burns on his arm so bad they made you flinch.

 

Putting that together with the police report about the casino fire, Lin Shen trembled as he drew in a deep breath.

 

“Why did you take that risk alone? Who gave you the right?”

 

Lu Chengxuan stood there, silent.

 

Lin Shen took two quick steps forward, raising his hand without hesitation.

 

A sharp ‘smack’ cracked through the air as his palm landed across Lu Chengxuan’s face.

 

Everyone nearby—including Bai Yanchuan—froze, all movement stopping at once.

 

The slap wasn’t even that hard, but it didn’t make much sense either.

 

And yet Lu Chengxuan took it fully. He showed no anger, no protest—just turned his head slightly, then looked back at him.

 

Lin Shen’s emotions churned like a tsunami in a storm, his chest rising and falling violently. He lifted his arm again.

 

This time, though Lu Chengxuan had already closed his eyes, bracing himself, the slap didn’t come.

 

The next second, a familiar warmth pressed against his chest.

 

Arms wrapped tightly around his waist, pulling him into a strong hug.

 

“Lu Chengxuan… did you think I was dead?”

 

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