I Ran Away with the Scumbag's White Moonlight Chapter 70

Back when the incident happened, Gu Yemei was eight years old, already at an age where he could clearly remember things, so his memory was quite reliable. As for Lu Lan's mistaken identity, Shi Jingxian could only guess that it was likely due to a problem with Lu Lan's memory. After all, Lu Lan was only five years old at the time. Moreover, not only did Lu Lan misidentify his rescuer, but his other descriptions also didn't match the facts.

The situation back then was actually a hundred times more tense than the recollections years later. Although the kidnappers had all been caught, the police and the Lu family still couldn't find the hidden Lu Lan. The kidnappers' testimonies were inconsistent, and the exact location of the hostage remained uncertain. If it weren't for Zhou Shan, who insisted on going to search and heard noises in that abandoned warehouse, the consequences might have been unimaginable if they had delayed any longer.

Lu Lan said he saw Zhou Keying bringing light to save him, but in fact, when he was rescued, he was already unconscious from lack of oxygen, his breathing was very weak, and his heart had stopped several times. It was Zhou Shan who performed CPR on him, reviving his heartbeat before the adults arrived.

The details of the kidnapping case were all recorded, including Zhou Shan's actions. The Lu family was very grateful to the Zhou siblings, especially to Zhou Shan, who pulled Lu Lan back from the brink of death. The Lu parents almost treated him like a second son. However, Lu Lan, being the person involved, was unaware of these things. He was too young, and the prolonged darkness was enough to destroy a young consciousness.

After waking up and hearing the adults discuss Gu Yemei's kidnapping, little Lu Lan, feeling he had implicated his friend, broke down several times, instinctively fearing and curling up when he saw strangers, unable to stop crying. Later, Lu Lan underwent a long period of psychological treatment. Although his condition improved significantly, he was left with a fear of ghosts and the dark. The adults didn't dare to stimulate him, so all matters related to the kidnapping were completely sealed away, never to be mentioned again.

Therefore, Lu Lan had no idea why, after returning from the hospital, Zhou Shan, who always had a cold face, suddenly became particularly welcomed by his parents. Sometimes, it even made him feel like his parents were being biased. The Lu parents were very loving and faultless in their treatment of their children. Not wanting to have a falling out with his parents, Lu Lan shifted his resentment towards Zhou Shan. Unfortunately, their combat abilities were not on the same level. Every time Lu Lan wanted to protest, Zhou Shan remained unfazed, and if things got serious, he could hold Lu Lan down with one hand. The parents even saw this as proof of their good relationship, so Lu Lan ended up holding a grudge against Zhou Shan on his own.

This was Gu Yemei's memory of the two from the task storyline, which Shi Jingxian briefly recalled. Now it seemed that Lu Lan's blurred memory was likely a form of instinctive self-protection after excessive trauma. In this case, rashly telling him about the events in Gu Yemei's memory might affect Lu Lan's memory in unknown ways. It was also unclear whether this would cause Lu Lan to recall that nightmare. Moreover, Gu Yemei's memory was quite old, and the truth of that past still needed verification.

Looking at the boy with the tear-streaked doll-like face, Shi Jingxian considered it over and decided not to directly tell him about the misunderstanding. He continued to comfort him until Lu Lan's emotions calmed down a bit, and his tears finally stopped. Lu Lan had received this news yesterday and had already digested it for a while, but he hadn't managed his emotions well, which led to his emotional outburst when revisiting the place.

After viewing the plum blossoms, the two originally planned to head back directly, but Shi Jingxian was really worried about leaving Lu Lan alone, so he didn't let him go. Lu Lan was still in low spirits and insisted on getting drunk, so Shi Jingxian could only follow him to a Starbucks outside F University.

Lu Lan was allergic to alcohol and couldn't drink, but he had a special ability—he could get drunk on milk. So, Shi Jingxian sat in a warm booth, replying to messages from the expert group on his phone while watching Lu Lan down glass after glass of milk. When they entered and ordered, Lu Lan's boldness in ordering ten glasses of milk was comparable to ordering ten bottles of strong liquor at a bar, which left the cashier girl momentarily stunned. In the end, Shi Jingxian took away the bank card and changed the order to three glasses of milk and one glass of water.

Gu Yemei had previously taken Lu Lan for a check-up regarding this milk drunkenness. The results showed that Lu Lan had a mild lactose intolerance, but it wasn't severe. Lactose intolerance manifests differently in people, and for Lu Lan, it meant he would feel sleepy and lethargic after drinking milk. It was more like a pre-sleep hypnotic milk than actual drunkenness. However, being able to sleep well was also a good thing. After three glasses, Lu Lan, who had been refusing to drink water, slumped over the table.

Shi Jingxian helped him out of Starbucks. Lu Lan, smelling of milk, was so sleepy he could barely stand, let alone see the road. The cool breeze blew outside, and since neither of them had driven, Shi Jingxian was considering whether to call a cab when he looked up and saw a man with long hair and a long coat not far away.

Unlike Gu Yemei's casually tied-up hair, Zhou Shan's black hair reached his back, tied into a long ponytail. His appearance had a classic oriental beauty, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a high and prominent profile, making him quite eye-catching. However, because he usually had no expression, he looked a bit fierce.

Shi Jingxian didn't expect to meet him here. "Ah Shan? What brings you here?" "Just a coincidence." Zhou Shan walked over and took Lu Lan, who was hanging on Shi Jingxian, into his arms. Before coming out, Shi Jingxian had specifically helped Lu Lan pull up his hood. The warm yellow hoodie made his sleeping doll-like face look even fairer and softer. With a bit of milk stain still on the corner of his mouth, he looked even more tempting.

Shi Jingxian glanced at Zhou Shan. Judging by his appearance, it didn't seem like a coincidence. He asked, "Is Keying getting engaged?" "Yes." Zhou Shan lowered his voice, seemingly worried about waking Lu Lan. But in reality, Lu Lan was already sleeping like a drunkard. Shi Jingxian said, "Ah Lan seems to have a hard time accepting it." Wrapping an arm around the boy's waist to steady him, Zhou Shan didn't speak.

Shi Jingxian thought for a moment, "I have a few surgeries coming up. Once I'm done, I'll take him to see a psychiatrist." He hesitated, "It seems Ah Lan has some misunderstandings about what happened back then. If you're not busy, would you come along?" Shi Jingxian expected Zhou Shan to ask about the misunderstandings, but to his surprise, Zhou Shan didn't seem surprised at all. He just nodded silently, agreeing to the suggestion.

In such cold weather, it wasn't suitable to chat outside, so the three of them got into Zhou Shan's car. The back seat of the Mercedes S was spacious, more than enough for the slender Lu Lan. Shi Jingxian sat in the front passenger seat, watching Zhou Shan raise the soundproof partition between the front and back seats. "What's up?" he asked.

Zhou Shan probably had something to say to him, worried about waking Lu Lan, so he let him sleep in the back seat. Sure enough, Zhou Shan brought some new information. Yi Ren's evidence had been fully collected. With the grand event approaching, the authorities were focusing on it, and the opportunity they had been waiting for had finally arrived. Just like the shift in public opinion during the fire incident, guiding public opinion didn't require personal involvement. Although Zhou Shan was young, he was very steady in his actions. The plan Shi Jingxian had previously envisioned was perfected by Zhou Shan, making it even more complete than he had imagined.

After reviewing the encrypted files sent over, Shi Jingxian didn't make any further changes. This time, Yi Ren would undoubtedly be unable to recover, and all he needed to do was keep an eye on Cha Nan's movements. The exposé would be released next Monday, and during the public opinion storm, Shi Jingxian received a call from Lu Lan.

Since they parted on Friday, Lu Lan had recovered quite a bit after a good sleep. However, on the phone, his voice sounded a bit dejected. "Yezi, am I allergic to milk now?" Lu Lan complained in confusion. "After drinking it the day before yesterday, I woke up with a swollen mouth and red spots on my neck, like an allergy... It's been a day, and it hasn't gone away." He worriedly asked, "Does this mean I can't get drunk anymore?"

Shi Jingxian, who had just returned home and was changing his shoes in the hallway, thought, "..." This wasn't an allergy to milk. It was an allergy to Zhou Shan, wasn't it? But thinking about Lu Lan, who was covered in the scent of milk, Shi Jingxian could barely muster a bit of understanding and sympathy for Zhou Shan.

He was about to comfort Lu Lan when he heard a voice from the living room. "Gu Ge, you're back!" Shi Jingxian looked up and saw Chu Wanhong wearing an apron. But what caught Shi Jingxian's attention wasn't the Pikachu apron Chu Wanhong was wearing. It was his face. "..." Shi Jingxian moved the phone away a bit, frowning, "What happened to your face?"

Chu Wanhong was slightly taken aback, "Huh?" He reached up to touch his face, then realized, "Oh, the band-aid fell off..." Shi Jingxian walked over in a few steps, narrowing his eyes slightly, staring at the two scratches that marred the perfection of Chu Wanhong's mixed-race handsome face. He had just returned and hadn't put on his glasses yet, but at such a close distance, the intense beauty in those peach blossom eyes was fully revealed.

Chu Wanhong blinked, his Adam's apple moving unconsciously. At a distance close enough to feel the warm breath, the other party hung up the phone and looked over with full attention. His voice was cold, devoid of emotion, yet carried a strong sense of authority. "Who scratched you?" On Chu Wanhong's right cheek, from the temple to the corner of his mouth, there were two long scratches across half his face. These were clearly marks left by human nails; no one would believe it was a cat unless it was a wild kitten.

Shi Jingxian recalled that he had been busy at noon and hadn't had time to return to the office, and Chu Wanhong had left after delivering lunch. He had also left in a hurry in the morning, and Chu Wanhong was still showering during breakfast. Adding it all up, he hadn't seen Chu Wanhong for an entire day... But the scratches on Chu Wanhong's face were clearly fresh, just recently made. Could it be that because he was busy with work and had no time to supervise, Chu Wanhong had gone out and let loose?

Shi Jingxian frowned at Chu Wanhong, but saw that his gaze was evasive, not daring to meet his eyes, and even his side profile was slightly flushed. He felt something was off. "What exactly happened?" Shi Jingxian asked, dissatisfied. Although on the surface, they were just in an employment relationship, Gu Mama and Chu Ayi had repeatedly reminded him, and he felt responsible for looking after the young man. Yet, the other party had ended up with such ambiguous injuries right under his nose.

Seeing that Shi Jingxian was genuinely angry, Chu Wanhong couldn't hide it any longer and had to lower his head honestly. "I accidentally..." Shi Jingxian didn't want to hear his excuses; the scratches were clearly not accidental injuries. He was about to interrupt when he heard the rest of Chu Wanhong's sentence. "...accidentally got scratched by you, Gu Ge."