Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"047"

Lu Ao looked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor.

Inside the open living room, a man wrapped only in a sofa throw around his lower body lay on the floor. Lu Ao's eyesight was exceptional, and he quickly matched the face to the one in the file.

Xiao Lancui's good-for-nothing second brother, Xiao Anfeng.

He had no interest in that. His gaze shifted to the elderly man swinging a golf club at him—Xiao Lancui's good-for-nothing father, Xiao Jingli.

The next second, his eyes snapped to Xiao Lancui, who had just entered the living room, and couldn't look away.

His A Lan—even prettier after just one day away.

The impatience in Lu Ao's eyes melted away. He moved swiftly through the night, and in a flash, he was among a lush cluster of red roses blooming outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Just in time, he heard Xiao Lancui's voice, "Dad, stop hitting him."

Xiao Lancui gave a light cough and started moving over at a leisurely pace, but Xiao Mian yanked him back by the left arm. Xiao Mian stared at Xiao Anfeng, who was still unconscious and instinctively shielding his head from the club, and said grimly, "Brother, don't stop him. He won't snap out of it unless he gets hit!"

Xiao Lancui stopped moving. He quietly studied Xiao Anfeng's skin—there wasn't a single patch of unmarked skin. It was covered in a dense patchwork of love bites and marks, and the golf club was now raising vivid red welts across his skin.

When the club struck Xiao Anfeng's thigh, his legs twisted, and the throw had ridden up most of his thighs, exposing the inside of his thigh.

One small patch of skin was unmarked, but the pale flesh had an unnatural blue-purple tint, while Xiao Anfeng's face was a sickly gray-blue pallor.

Xiao Lancui now had a clear picture.

Xiao Anfeng had taken an overdose of rush, which had probably already gone into acute poisoning, triggering acute hemolysis. That was why he was out of it and couldn't snap out of it even when beaten—his blood was starved of oxygen, and his skin had taken on the abnormal blue-purple and gray-blue pallor.

And Xiao Jingli was still laying into him. It wouldn't be long before Xiao Anfeng passed out.

Then—

He would need a blood transfusion.

Xiao Lancui's long lashes fluttered. The moment had come.

Just then, a scream he'd fully expected came from behind—Xie Jingfang's voice, "What are you doing!"

Xiao Lancui sidestepped just in time to let her through. Xie Jingfang rushed over, grabbing Xiao Jingli's hand that held the club. She glanced at Xiao Anfeng curled up on the floor, his upper body already covered in wounds, and said, frantic and furious, "What did he do that you have to beat him half to death? He's your flesh and blood!"

Tears streamed down Xie Jingfang's face.

In that moment, a mother's strength exploded out of her. Xiao Jingli tried to yank his hand away a few times but couldn't. His eyes were bloodshot, threaded with a thousand red veins, practically insane with jealousy, and he roared at Xiao Anfeng, "Why don't you ask your precious son what disgraceful thing he's done!"

Xiao Lancui stepped back two paces to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Just then, a cold, venomous gaze settled on his face.

He turned slightly and met Xiao Liqin's eyes.

Not surprising—when he got word that Xiao Anfeng was in trouble, Xiao Liqin would have followed back, but with his bad leg, he hadn't been able to keep up with Xie Jingfang.

Xiao Liqin's mouth was taped up with gauze, so he couldn't talk, but his eyes shot Xiao Lancui an accusing glare, "Did you pull the strings on this?"

The memory of Lu Ao's injuries was still fresh in his mind. Xiao Lancui smiled slightly at Xiao Liqin and mouthed back with a pleased smile, "So what if I am?"

The veins on the back of Xiao Liqin's hand bulged dangerously as he stepped forward to snatch Xiao Lancui by the collar, but Xiao Jingli's roar thundered through the living room.

"Liqin is fighting for his life in the hospital, and your precious son went off and shacked up with Lu Siye for two straight days and nights!"

Xiao Liqin froze. His eyes flew wide in fury and disbelief as he turned his head to stare at Xiao Anfeng on the carpet.

The living room went dead silent. Xie Jingfang's grip on Xiao Jingli's hand went limp and dropped heavily to her side. Her eyes went wide as she broke the brief silence. "What the hell are you saying... Xiao Jingli, you're insane. For Xiao Lancui... you're insane..."

Xiao Lancui, the one being called out, didn't bat an eye. He reached into his pocket and calmly posted a status update.

"Anyone with RH-negative blood? My second brother's in the ER and needs a transfusion ASAP."

Within a second or two, Xiao Lancui's phone buzzed repeatedly.

Looking completely unbothered, he put his phone away and watched the family drama play out.

Xiao Jingli's eyes were glistening with tears, and his hand was free now, almost snapping the golf club in his grip. "Xiao Mian was there too—ask him!" Xiao Jingli let out a hoarse, bitter laugh. "Xie Jingfang, this is the fine son you raised! He's been chewed up by a man until there's not one clean patch of skin left on him!"

Xie Jingfang immediately looked at Xiao Mian, her eyes begging. Xiao Mian gulped, guilty and uneasy, and looked away.

Not denying it was as good as admitting it. Xie Jingfang trembled all over, her vision blacking out as she swayed. At that moment, Xiao Lancui moved in and caught her just in time. Before Xie Jingfang could shake him off, Xiao Lancui whispered a reminder, "Xiao Anfeng has passed out."

Xie Jingfang snapped out of it with a jolt. Xiao Lancui released her, and she hurried to Xiao Anfeng's side, deliberately avoiding looking at the telltale marks. She crouched down and cradled Xiao Anfeng's head. "Anfeng—son!"

Seeing his closed eyes, Xie Jingfang screamed and instinctively shouted, "Xiao Lancui, Xiao Lancui, call an ambulance, quick!"

Xiao Jingli also snapped out of it. He tossed the club aside, crouched down, and roughly shoved Xie Jingfang out of the way. He gathered Xiao Anfeng halfway into his arms, calling out frantically, "Anfeng, Anfeng, what's wrong with you!"

Xiao Anfeng showed no reaction.

Xie Jingfang fell onto the carpet, watching helplessly as Xiao Jingli scooped Xiao Anfeng up in his arms and rushed out, his face red with panic, shouting as he went, "Old An, get the car over here, now!"

Xiao Jingli's panic was plain to see. Xie Jingfang was briefly taken aback but didn't have time to think about it. She scrambled to her feet and chased after him, grabbing Xiao Liqin's arm as she ran past. "Come on, keep up!"

Xiao Liqin didn't move. The veins on the back of his hand were bulging like they were about to pop, his eyes bulging as he stared coldly at the empty space in front of him.

Xiao Mian glanced at the motionless Xiao Liqin, then at the utterly unbothered Xiao Lancui, and finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Are we going?"

Xiao Lancui nodded and headed out.

Xiao Mian immediately followed. After a few steps, seeing Xiao Liqin still hadn't moved, he stopped and called back, "Big brother?"

Xiao Liqin finally moved. This time, he completely ignored Xiao Lancui and strode out first.

Xiao Mian quickly followed.

Now it was Xiao Lancui who was lagging behind. Only then did he pull out his phone, and sure enough, Zhao Lan had blown up his WeChat.

Zhao Lan had even sent a voice call request. The moment he stepped out of the villa, another one came through. Xiao Lancui answered.

Before he could say anything, Zhao Lan blurted out urgently, "Which hospital are you guys at? I'm RH-negative! I can donate blood!"

By now, Xiao Jingli's car was already speeding toward the hospital, and Xiao Mian and Xiao Liqin had gotten into a car as well. Xiao Lancui descended the steps and said, "Please, I'm counting on you. Xingkang Hospital."

With Xiao Anfeng's condition, they couldn't go to a public hospital—it had to be the nearest private one, Xingkang.

"I'll be there soon!"

After hanging up, Xiao Mian shouted from the car, "Bro, hurry up!"

Xiao Lancui put away his phone, hesitated mid-step, and glanced back at the big, lush cluster of red roses on his left. In the darkness, the red flowers rustled softly in the wind. Xiao Mian called out again, urging him on, "Bro, hurry!"

Only then did Xiao Lancui leave.

Xiao Mian got behind the wheel, Xiao Liqin automatically took the back seat, so Xiao Lancui slid into the passenger seat.

Once the car had driven off, Lu Ao stepped out from the flower beds, pulling out his phone as he did—a new email from the private investigator had just come in.

The notification pinged once, and he almost got busted by Xiao Lancui.

Lu Ao tapped open the email.

A photo of a man, and a name.

Li Jiaping.

The man's face was a dead ringer for Xiao Anfeng's. No DNA test needed—Li Jiaping was Xiao Anfeng's old man.

Lu Ao made his way to Xingkang Hospital as well.

Once he got to Xingkang Hospital, the whole picture fell into place.

After Li Jiaping died, Xiao Jingli switched the original Xiao Lancui and Xiao Anfeng, then took the original Xiao Lancui in as an "adopted son."

Lu Ao let out a sneer. That old bastard Xiao Jingli really thought ahead—he'd raised himself a stand-in.

Back at the Xiao villa, the way Xiao Jingli looked at Xiao Anfeng said everything—the old man had gone and fallen for that familiar face all over again.

Add that to the voice message he'd overheard.

He had a pretty good idea what Xiao Lancui was up to now.

Digging up Xiao Anfeng's real identity.

Lu Ao's hunch was confirmed when he spotted a woman sprinting frantically into the hospital.

Xiao Anfeng's birth mother—Li Jiaping's wife.

Lu Ao swiped to the second page of the email—a marriage certificate. The woman's name: Zhao Lan.

Zhao Lan was still in her pajamas and slippers, hair a mess, as she tore into the elevator and jabbed the 5th-floor button over and over with shaking fingers.

The emergency room on the 5th floor.

The closed door swung open again, and a nurse came rushing out. "The patient has acute hemolytic anemia and needs a transfusion right away. He's got the rare AB Rh-negative blood type, and there are no Rh-negative donors in the city." She looked worried sick. "We can only try to get blood from out of town..."

Xiao Jingli was about to volunteer—he was O Rh-negative—when Xiao Liqin suddenly yanked his arm. Xiao Liqin, his mouth still throbbing, forced the words out in a rush, "Dad, even though you're AB Rh-negative, direct relatives shouldn't donate blood—the risk of death is way too high!"

Xiao Jingli's heart dropped like a stone. He stared at Xiao Liqin as a thought detonated in his head.

Xiao Liqin knew about Xiao Anfeng's origins!

Xiao Liqin wasn't stressing the second part—it was the first part that mattered. Xiao Jingli and Xie Jingfang were both type O, so there was no way they could have an AB-type kid like Xiao Anfeng. Xie Jingfang had no idea what Xiao Jingli's blood type was, and if he blurted it out, Xiao Anfeng's secret would be blown.

Xiao Liqin was tipping him off! Xiao Jingli's back went cold with sweat.

Xiao Lancui stood in the back, silently counting down the seconds.

10, 9, 8, 7...

"What are we gonna do..." Xie Jingfang was just finding out that direct relatives couldn't donate blood. She broke down crying and grabbed the nurse. "Then what about my son?! Who's gonna give him blood..."

Xiao Lancui's long lashes fluttered.

1.

"Nurse, I can!" Zhao Lan burst out of the elevator and made a beeline for the ER. She grabbed the nurse's arm, tears pouring down her face. "I'm AB Rh-negative. I can donate—take as much as you want!"

The nurse was overjoyed. "Alright, come with me!"

Just as she was about to lead Zhao Lan away, a furious roar cut through: "You can't!"

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Nobody reacted except Xiao Lancui, who spoke up right on cue. "Dad, why not?" He looked genuinely puzzled. "This auntie is Zhao Lan, the owner of the convenience store near our school. She has the same blood type as Second Brother. When she heard he needed blood, she came specially to donate."

He continued calmly, "Auntie Zhao isn't a direct relative either, so there's no risk in the transfusion."

Xiao Jingli stared at Zhao Lan, his lips trembling, unable to speak. This was the true direct relative!

Zhao Lan had to stop when she heard Xiao Lancui's words. She was anxious but regained a bit of composure. "What direct relative? What risk?"

Xiao Lancui explained patiently, "Transfusions from direct relatives can cause rejection, potentially leading to transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease. Once that complication occurs, the mortality rate is extremely high. But you're fine."

As Zhao Lan stared at him in panic, he finished softly, "You're not my Second Brother's direct relative, so please go ahead and donate with peace of mind."