HCILH Ch. 133

Chapter 133: Found

The days following Ran Shu’s disappearance were not peaceful for Ran Shu’s father either.

His wife was insisting on a divorce, and the crazy revenge from Yang Xiangyu was expected, but he had never anticipated that the Sang family would go this far. They had thrown huge sums of money into attacking his company across industries. Their relentless approach seemed aimed at bankrupting his business.

The Sang family and the Ran family had not been in contact for nearly a hundred years, and their industries had gradually diverged, heading into completely different fields.

He would occasionally hear of the other’s achievements, but there had been no communication between them, and they did not interfere with each other.

Now, the Sang family had suddenly moved into their field, using money to steal his clients and suppliers, isolating his company in an unethical manner.

To continue operations, he had no choice but to cooperate with the Sang family and agree to their demands—namely, handing over Ran Shu.

Previously, his wife had dragged her feet about the divorce, but now, she had readily agreed.

Before, she had hoped to drag things out a bit longer to get a bigger share of the family assets, but now, if she didn’t divorce him, she might soon be in debt with him.

This woman wasn’t foolish.

Ran Shu’s father decided to call Sang’s father directly, shouting into the phone: “Are you crazy?! Throwing money at this won’t bring you any returns. You won’t achieve anything except to mess things up! How long do you think you can keep this up? Keep burning money like this?”

“Eh…” Sang Xian’s father replied lazily, as if he didn’t want to deal with him. “I’m willing to spend a few million just to train my son. What’s the big deal with spending a few billion to snatch a daughter-in-law? If I want to, I’ll do it. We’ll see who runs out of resources first.”

“Daughter-in-law? That’s my son!” Ran Shu’s father was furious.

“What else should I call him? Son-in-law? Doesn’t it still have a ‘girl’ character in it?^[1]“

“You! You!” Ran Shu’s father was so angry, his words were stumbling.

“Ah, don’t get so upset, in-law. If you hand your son over, we won’t fight anymore, right?”

“Stop dreaming!”

“Ah, I’ve made contact with Gu De over there. He’s really your brother. I talked with him for a while, and he didn’t agree, but in the end, I convinced him with three times the price. If you don’t agree to let him go, the money’s coming from my side.”

Ran Shu’s father was so angry that he couldn’t even speak.

If Gu De turned on him too, it would be a fatal blow.

Sang Xian’s father chuckled and directly hung up the phone, tossing his cell phone onto the desk. Still a bit irritated, he turned around and scolded his son, Sang Xian: “What…What are you doing? Why go after someone else’s son? Are you satisfied now?”

“I’ll be satisfied once I get him back.” Sang Xian answered with a serious face.

Sang Xian’s father was so furious that it felt like his brain was going to explode. He stood up, intending to kick his son a few times, but ultimately held back.

Sang Xian was his only child. When Sang Xian had tried to commit suicide in the past, it nearly cost him his life.

After all that, his son had recovered, no longer prone to self-harm, and he had begun to feel a little more at ease. But then, his son turned out to be gay.

Don’t ask Sang Xian’s father how he felt about it—he was just frustrated and upset.

Although he had helped Sang Xian create trouble for the Ran family, and while he had sounded magnanimous on the phone earlier, he hadn’t fully accepted the reality of the situation.

He was simply protective of his son—he could never lose when it came to fighting for him.

“I like him.” Sang Xian said stubbornly, his attitude still that of someone who couldn’t even kick a fart out of the situation, but resolutely declaring this one sentence.

Sang Xian’s father felt so angry that he nearly blacked out. He muttered: “With that kind of father… you’re going to keep doing this every time?”

“We’ll figure out a way later. I won’t let him out of my sight again,” Sang Xian replied.

“Heh, we’ll talk about it later. I’ll help you this time,” his father said with a sigh.

“Why don’t you and Mom try for another one while you still have the energy? The Sang family can’t die out, after all. We’ve got some assets to pass down.”

“Your mom worked so hard to get that flat stomach, and you think she can just get pregnant on a whim?!”

“……”

Sang Xian’s father sat back down at his desk, checking his phone for updates.

Sang Xian quickly asked: “Did you raise the offer?”

“Wait a bit longer. Three times the price is still quite expensive. Ran Shu’s father is already wavering. Let’s see what he chooses.”

“I’m really anxious!”

“Sit down. You think I’m not anxious about my daughter-in-law? Young people are too impatient.”

Sang Xian remained anxious, turned around, and left the office to try and figure something out.

His father watched him go and sighed: “Still too impulsive at a young age.”

Two hours later, Sang Xian’s phone, which he had placed in his bag, suddenly rang.

He pulled out his new phone and saw an unfamiliar number. He quickly answered, hearing a familiar voice on the other end: “Hello?”

“Ran Shu?”

“Yo! How did you manage to get through? I was just trying, didn’t expect it to actually go through.”

“I guessed it. Where are you now?”

Sang Xian figured that Ran Shu, the little fool, probably couldn’t even remember his own phone number, let alone those of Sui Houyu or Su Anyi. So he had simply found a way to replace Ran Shu’s phone card and put it into a new phone.

If Ran Shu wanted to contact them but couldn’t remember the number, he could call his own.

It seemed he had guessed correctly.

“I’m at a highway service center. There are some police officers nearby, so I’m safe for now. Let me check the specific address, and you can come pick me up,” Ran Shu said, sounding surprisingly calm. His tone didn’t suggest any serious injuries, which reassured Sang Xian.

“Okay, how’s your wound?”

“It’s itching. I guess it’s healing.”

“Have you gotten any anti-inflammatory treatment?”

“My father arranged for someone to give me an injection, and I’m taking medication. It’s fine, just a bit stuffy here. You should remember the address… wait, what’s this character?”

Ran Shu asked the police officers for help with the name and then told Sang Xian.

Sang Xian immediately called his personal driver to head for the toll station, while also informing his father that he no longer needed to pay the triple price.

On the way, he sent messages to Su Anyi and Hou Mo, letting them know not to worry, while he rushed to the location without stopping.

The place where Ran Shu was being held was quite far. It took four hours to drive there, and when he arrived, it felt like there was nothing around. This kind of desolate, isolated place seemed perfect for imprisoning someone.

On the way, Sang Xian asked Ran Shu about his recent experiences.

Ran Shu had been brought to a villa near this area by his father. It looked like an unfinished building, and the entire neighborhood was deserted, like a haunted house.

The villa’s interior was old-fashioned, and there were a few people assigned to watch over him. Medical personnel came at regular intervals to give him anti-inflammatory injections.

He couldn’t escape the house, and these people even watched him when he went to the bathroom. It annoyed him so much that he practiced cursing at them, but they didn’t dare hit him. He cursed for days until his throat was sore.

Today, for some reason, the people watching him suddenly bought some beer and started drinking. They were very polite, finishing the beer and then going to sleep. The effect was like they had drunk something drugged.

Ran Shu thought if he didn’t escape now, it would be a waste of the beer, so he quickly ran out.

Once he was outside, he wasn’t sure where to go. The area was so desolate that it took him a long time to find a highway. He used an extreme method: after getting onto the highway, he found a surveillance camera, jumped in front of it, and then squatted outside the guardrail.

Less than half an hour later, a police car arrived and took him to the service center.

At the service center, he borrowed a police officer’s phone but became confused when he couldn’t remember any numbers. In the end, he called his own number, and surprisingly, it connected.

The officer could have sent Ran Shu back, but since it was far, he would have to wait until his shift ended to take him.

Ran Shu couldn’t wait.

After their conversation, it seemed likely that Ran Shu’s father had caved in but didn’t want to lose face. So, he arranged for the people watching over Ran Shu to get drunk, allowing him to escape. This was his way of stopping the Sang family’s pressure.

Ran Shu knew Sang Xian was on his way and waited outside. As he watched a flashy Maybach pull up nearby, he immediately went to meet it.

Before the car had even come to a full stop, the door opened, and Sang Xian got out, quickly walking up to him and pulling him into an embrace.

This embrace wasn’t very pleasant. It felt like he was suddenly bound by someone, and then, without warning, Sang Xian lifted him up with brute force.

Sang Xian squeezed him tightly, lifting him off the ground, his feet no longer touching.

“F*ck…” Ran Shu could only mutter that word.

Sang Xian quickly released him and checked the wound on his head. Once he saw it wasn’t serious, he relaxed: “How have you been eating these past few days? Have they been bullying you? Is there anywhere you’re feeling uncomfortable?”

“Ah…” Ran Shu thought for a moment, then pointed to the nearby KFC. “Buy that for me. I don’t have money.”

“Alright.” Sang Xian reached out and grabbed his hand, ready to take him over.

“I’m being picked up by my boyfriend, goodbye, Officer!” Ran Shu waved at the officer as they left.

The officer watched them for a while without saying anything.

Inside the store, Ran Shu ordered a bunch of things, with the ice cream cone being the first item he pulled out.

He ate a couple of bites of the cone before asking: “Has Brother Yu confirmed he can change the punishment?”

Sang Xian nodded: “Mm, he’s still working on it.”

Ran Shu could only borrow the phone for a short time. They only discussed the important matters before hanging up, leaving Ran Shu still unclear about the specifics.

Frowning, Ran Shu asked: “What does ‘still working on it’ mean?”

“He… he’s receiving treatment in the hospital. He’s recovering well.”

“Hospital treatment for what?”

“Mania.”

Ran Shu stopped eating his cone and threw it in the trash, then said: “Let’s go back.”

Having already paid, Sang Xian took everything they could take with them, leaving behind the food that needed to be waited for.

Once in the car, Ran Shu took out his new phone, logged into his social media, and asked, “Electroconvulsive therapy?”

“Yeah.”

“Does it really have to be this way?”

“They need results from Sui Houyu’s tests to return to normal.”

Electroconvulsive therapy is usually reserved as a last resort. It’s often used when depression becomes uncontrollable, to the point of suicidal tendencies, before it’s administered.

Sui Houyu’s condition had already been under control for a long time, without any recent flare-ups. In this case, such treatment wasn’t necessary.

However, to quickly restore normal levels, they had to resort to this method again.

Without this report, Sui Houyu wouldn’t have had to undergo another treatment.

“How many times has it been?” Ran Shu asked again.

“Today will be the third treatment.”

“How is he?”

“I’ve been looking for you, I haven’t been to the hospital. Deng Yiheng and the others said he’s okay. He’s been lying in bed, doesn’t seem very energetic, but other than that, he’s fine.”

“Doesn’t want to open his eyes?”

“Uh… yeah.” Sang Xian hadn’t seen Sui Houyu himself, so he wasn’t sure of the exact details. Even if someone had seen him, they would probably just think Sui Houyu was tired.

“Brother Yu only does that when he’s scared.”

“…”

“He’s scared, but he never says anything.”

Ran Shu and Sui Houyu understood each other well, having grown up together.

Because they understood each other, that’s why it hurt so much.

Ran Shu logged into the app and sent Sui Houyu a message: “Brother Yu, I’m in Sang Xian’s car, can you video call me?”

Brother Yu: “He’s in the operating room, I’m Hou Mo.”

Brother Yu: “He knew the news, he was happy before going into the operating room.”

Ran Shu quickly put down the phone.

*

Wearing a baseball cap, Ran Shu followed Sang Xian into the hospital.

The two of them reached the entrance of the inpatient department’s elevator, where a group of people had gathered. They gave up and took the stairs instead.

Ran Shu rushed up the stairs, even though it was an escalator, he still tried to run.

Sang Xian could only follow him, walking quickly behind him.

This was a general hospital, and the conditions here were much better than Sui Houyu’s previous stay.

At least it wasn’t a closed-off space, and they wouldn’t keep Sui Houyu from leaving.

He quickly reached Sui Houyu’s room. As soon as he entered, he heard the sound of vomiting.

Sui Houyu had been back in the room for a while, but in his current state, he was unable to talk to Ran Shu. After regaining consciousness, he started vomiting.

He hadn’t eaten much in recent days, and in the bathroom, he could only dry heave.

It was so uncomfortable that tears ran down his face, purely physiological. His nose started running too, and he looked a bit miserable.

Finally, Sui Houyu started to recover a little. Holding onto the sink, Hou Mo quickly handed him a glass of water to rinse his mouth.

Once he was done, he turned to look at the two people who had just entered.

Ran Shu looked at him, forcing a smile: “Brother Yu, I’m back.”

The last time Ran Shu was sent abroad by his father, Sui Houyu couldn’t believe it, and he had no idea how Ran Shu managed to return.

He had thought that he would never see Ran Shu again, and he despaired for a while.

This time, however, he had always believed Ran Shu would come back to find him, it was just a matter of time. So, he focused on dealing with what needed to be done and waited for Ran Shu to return.

Seeing Ran Shu again, Sui Houyu finally relaxed. His gaze scanned Ran Shu from top to bottom.

Then, as he laughed and laughed, he started to cry.