Chapter 245 The Sixteenth Day of Entering a Restricted Novel

Chapter 245: The Sixteenth Day of Entering the Restricted Novel

In that inexplicable state of losing his balance, Jiang Lin staggered backward, his heel catching on something. He thrashed his arms, trying to grab hold of anything for support, but caught nothing.

Why... am I so weak?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he toppled backward headlong!

His upper body suddenly lunged out of the window!

"Ah—!" A short, a scream barely forming into words, followed by the dull thud of a heavy fall—

"Bam!!"

The sound was jarringly sharp in the silent Jiang family mansion.

"What was that sound?!"

"It sounded like... like it came from Xiao Lin's room!"

Several family members still awake rushed out in alarm, following the noise to the area below Jiang Lin's bedroom window.

Then, they saw a sight that made their blood run cold—

Jiang Lin lay face down, motionless on the cold granite ground, a large, shocking pool of dark red blood spreading beneath him.

His body was twisted in an extremely unnatural position, like a broken doll.

"Xiao Lin!!"

"Quick! Call an ambulance!!"

Pandemonium broke out instantly.

The ambulance screamed in, rushing the barely clinging to life Jiang Lin to the best hospital for emergency treatment.

After several hours of emergency surgery, the doctors managed to save his life.

But the diagnosis was devastating—Jiang Lin had fractured his spine, with severe nerve damage. He would be paralyzed... for life.

He would be completely paralyzed from the neck down, unable to even speak.

A once arrogant and domineering man who saw others as playthings had put a bitterly ironic end to his life in such an abrupt manner.

As for the sudden wave of weakness that had struck him, Jiang Lin couldn't explain it, and no one else would ever know.

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The afternoon sun carried a lazy warmth, filtering through thin clouds and reflecting off city glass facades, falling onto a patch of greenery surrounded by high-rises in the city center.

It wasn't exactly a formal park, just a public leisure area for nearby office workers to briefly escape the city's noise.

Several winding gravel paths wound through a few paint-chipped benches and a small grove of trees—not very dense, but shady enough.

Now, it was quiet, with only the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze and the distant hum of city traffic, like the background hum of white noise.

An Yi and Chu Chen strolled side by side along a quiet path.

It was close to An Yi's company; they had just finished lunch and were out for a stroll to walk off their meal.

An Yi walked with ease, looking relaxed.

Chu Chen stayed half a step beside him, his eyes fixed on An Yi.

"...Colorful things are happier," Chu Chen said.

At this, An Yi tilted his head slightly, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.

Chu Chen had said that all of a sudden because, over the past few days, An Yi had noticed his attention always drawn to bright, highly saturated objects, and had offhandedly asked why.

Chu Chen hadn't answered immediately but had thought carefully before arriving at this conclusion.

"That's a sharp summary, Dr. Curly," An Yi said, his voice tinged with obvious amusement, like sunlight sparkling on a stream.

Pleased by An Yi's approval, Chu Chen's mood clearly brightened. Though his expression hardly changed, his steps seemed lighter.

He followed An Yi closely, occasionally letting his eyes roam to a nameless little purple flower in the roadside bushes or a sparrow darting across the sky, but always quickly and naturally snapping his focus back to An Yi.

They strolled into the small grove, where the shade was pleasant and the light dappled.

Several wooden benches for resting sat among the trees.

An Yi gestured with a glance, and they went over to sit down.

An Yi relaxed, leaning back against the bench, tilting his head slightly upward to feel the warm patches of sunlight filtering through the leaves, savoring the rare tranquility.

But the peace didn't last long.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, accompanied by lowered, anxious voices.

An Yi paid it no mind at first—it was normal for people to come and go in a public area.

But that voice...

An Yi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He turned his head unobtrusively, looking past the low shrubs beside their bench.

Not far away, by another bench, stood two people, completely unaware that An Yi and Chu Chen were behind the bushes.

One of them had a slender, delicate figure, wearing a loose white T-shirt and shorts, revealing a section of calf—it was You Shou.

He was looking up at the man in front of him, his eyes red-rimmed, the tip of his nose pink, his lips slightly pouted, looking like someone who had suffered a great wrong and desperately needed comfort—he was holding an insulated lunch box.

The man facing him, about the same age, wore ordinary jeans and a polo shirt, with a fairly sturdy build, and his expression was now flirtatious.

Almost as soon as An Yi identified the two, the familiar commentary sounded in his ears:

"Oh! Childhood friend side quest triggered! Location: Small grove! (Dog head)"

"Just met the official boyfriend, now seamlessly switching to the childhood friend? (That's interesting.jpg)"

"Official boyfriend and neighbor guy went too far again! Look how wronged our Shoushou is! Childhood friend, go! Use your simple love and stamina to soothe him! Your turn!"

"The commenter above is spot on! Childhood friend has that eager look in his eyes! I bet five cents he'll hug him within three sentences!"

"Bet on a hug? I bet on a kiss! Childhood friend comfort needs to be direct! (Drooling)"

"Is the setting a bit shabby? But wild... cough, it's also fine! (Automatically getting dirty)"

"@Author, keep going! Give us the process! Don't stop here! (Frantically banging bowls.jpg)"

"(#$%^&*... Fuck!)"

"..."

An Yi: "..."

He looked away expressionlessly, feeling completely unfazed, even a little amused.

How many times has this happened now?

You Shou with Cheng Yuhang at the restaurant, then with Wang Liangpeng at the bar entrance, and now with Liang Wenguang in the small woods...

The only 'scene' he hadn't personally witnessed was You Shou and his lawful husband Rong Zhengqi.

Seriously, why?! Why does he always have to walk in on this?!

He first thought about getting up and leaving—out of sight, out of mind.

But then he changed his mind and froze! Why the hell should he?!

He just wants to rest here quietly, lazily soaking up the sun!

This is a public area!

Show some decency, you two!

In broad daylight… no way, right? The original novel doesn't mention any outdoor action. Maybe they're just messing around?