The weather in City C hasn't been good lately, with intermittent rain falling continuously.
Su ZhiYuan went to the construction site with two assistants. When the contractor in charge heard that the eldest son of the Su family had arrived, he rushed out to receive him, "Young Master Su, what brings you here?"
"How is the worker who was involved in the accident at the site recently?" Su ZhiYuan asked the person in charge.
Previously, a worker had fallen from a height at the construction site and was injured. Some media outlets had reported this news, forcing the group to take it seriously. Su ZhiYuan's visit this time was not only to discuss contracts but also to address this incident.
The person in charge maintained a respectful attitude and quickly reported to Su ZhiYuan: "Mr. Su, I've already given the compensation to the family as per the company's instructions, and they've received the money."
He hadn't expected Su ZhiYuan to personally come to City C to inquire about this matter, after all, Su ZhiYuan was the head of Su Corporation, and such small matters shouldn't require his attention. Fortunately, the situation had been resolved.
"Mr. Su, rest assured, I personally went to the hospital to check on the injured worker, and there's no longer any danger to his life," the person in charge said with a lowered brow and bowed posture, smiling as he told Su ZhiYuan, "The worker's family has agreed to accept the compensation, and the money has been transferred to them. This matter has been perfectly resolved."
Su ZhiYuan didn't ask any further questions.
The rain continued to fall, and many workers were resting in temporary tin shelters, waiting for the rain to stop so they could resume construction.
Su ZhiYuan, wearing a silver-gray fitted suit, stood in the messy construction site, exuding an indescribable air of nobility and refinement. As he walked further in, the muddy water on the ground soiled his shiny expensive leather shoes, but he seemed completely unaware.
"Mr. Su, it's quite messy inside, and I wouldn't want your clothes and shoes to get dirty. There's my rest area over there, would you like to sit there for a while?" the person in charge suggested cautiously.
Surrounded by steel bars and cement, the person in charge was worried that someone of Su ZhiYuan's status might get hurt here.
"It's fine," Su ZhiYuan took the umbrella from his assistant's hand, held it himself, and walked through the muddy water, inspecting the construction site.
The person in charge could only follow behind Su ZhiYuan respectfully with an umbrella, continuously reporting on the project's progress.
At this moment, a worker came running over and gave the person in charge a meaningful look.
The person in charge immediately said to Su ZhiYuan, "Mr. Su, I apologize, but this fellow has something to discuss with me."
Su ZhiYuan nodded.
The person in charge pulled the worker aside to the cement pile, "What is it? Can't you see I'm attending to Mr. Su?"
"Brother Li," the worker lowered his voice and said anxiously, "Zhou Ming's family is here, they're outside and want to talk to you about the compensation money."
"What?" The person in charge was startled, instinctively looking toward Su ZhiYuan who had walked away, "Quickly find someone to stop them, they can't disturb Mr. Su."
The worker hurriedly said, "Several brothers are holding them back outside. It's Zhou Ming's older brother, and he's demanding to see you."
The person in charge bit his lip and instructed the worker, "Keep them steady, tell him I'm busy now and can't talk. Ask him to come another day. If he won't leave, tell him to wait. I'll talk to him after I'm done attending to Mr. Su."
"Alright, Brother Li, I'll go tell him right away." The worker quickly ran off in the rain.
The person in charge hurried back to Su ZhiYuan, smiling apologetically, "Mr. Su, I'm sorry, these boys under me are quite impetuous and always have matters to discuss."
Su ZhiYuan had seen enough, "It's fine. Although we need to rush the project's progress, employee safety should come first."
The person in charge had thought that someone in power like Mr. Su would prioritize profits, and was surprised to hear such words.
He quickly agreed, "Of course, Mr. Su, please rest assured, incidents like last time won't happen again. With the bad weather now, I've had them all rest properly in the shelters, just to prevent any issues."
"Mm."
Su ZhiYuan prepared to leave with his two assistants.
Watching Su ZhiYuan get into the car, the person in charge breathed a sigh of relief.
Though this Mr. Su looked like a privileged young master who knew nothing of worldly hardship, how could he dare treat him as just another rich kid, given his position as the head of Su Corporation?
Everyone knew that since Su ZhiYuan took over Su Corporation, the company's profits had at least doubled in these few years.
The person in charge smiled as he watched the car start.
"Li Gui!" Suddenly, a tall, strong figure burst out from the side, breaking free from the other workers who couldn't hold him back.
The worker who had delivered the message earlier said apologetically, "Brother Li, he insists on seeing you."
"Alright, alright. You all go inside, I'll talk to him." Li Gui quickly glanced toward Su ZhiYuan's car, which was just driving away.
Li Gui said to Zhou Ming's older brother, "You're Zhou Ming's older brother? Here about Zhou Ming's compensation?"
Zhou Hao's expression was agitated, "Yes, you're being too unfair! My brother fell from a height, and the doctor says he's paralyzed from the waist down. You need to take responsibility and compensate!"
Li Gui took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, "We've already transferred the compensation to your account, and you've signed the agreement accepting the settlement. What, getting greedy now?"
Zhou Hao clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anger, "You took advantage of my elderly mother's poor eyesight, tricked her into signing! You said it would be 100,000, but the agreement only stated 10,000, which isn't even enough for my brother's surgery. You're too much, clearly just bleeding us dry!"
"We agreed on 10,000 from the start, where did 100,000 come from?"
Li Gui bit down on his cigarette, looking completely unconcerned as he continued speaking to Zhou Hao, "I'm just an employee too, don't make things difficult for me. You saw that luxury car that just left, right? Do you know who was in it? That was the famous Su ZhiYuan, Mr. Su himself. This entire plot of land, this whole project, it's all his property."
"Even I have to bow and nod to him, following his every word," Li Gui said meaningfully, "Regarding the compensation, I'm just following Mr. Su's orders. You know how these capitalists are, they're all bloodsuckers who don't care about the lives of us common folk."
Thinking of his brother lying in the hospital, Zhou Hao trembled with anger, "I don't want to hear your excuses. You can't think you'll get away with just 10,000. My brother is still unconscious in the hospital, and our family simply can't afford all these medical expenses."
"I know, and I sympathize with you," Li Gui took the cigarette from his mouth and sighed, "Zhou Ming worked under me for a while, he's like a brother to me. How could I just stand by and watch this happen to him? Here, take this 1,000, use it for now, and if it's not enough, I'll try to find a way to gather more."
Li Gui stuffed the money into Zhou Hao's hand, "Don't make things difficult for me. I just told you, I'm only carrying out Mr. Su's orders. How much compensation your family gets is all up to him. I've already transferred the money to you, so don't come making trouble for me. I'm in a difficult position too. Earlier, Mr. Su didn't even want to give the 10,000, I had to fight hard for that."
Zhou Hao looked at the money that had been pushed into his hand, gripping it tightly as if holding his brother's life in his hands. His eyes turned red, "He's too cruel! Isn't my brother's life worth anything?"
Li Gui secretly laughed at the other's naivety.
He patted Zhou Hao's shoulder, "You know how it is, those rich people have always looked down on us, they don't value our lives at all. When we suffer losses, we can only accept it quietly, there's nothing we can do. After all, how can eggs fight against rocks?"
The fine rain soaked Zhou Hao's clothes as he clutched the 1,000 yuan tightly.
"Anyway, I'm just following Mr. Su's arrangements. Don't come looking for me again with any issues. You've taken the money and signed the papers, the matter is settled. Go home and take good care of Zhou Ming." Li Gui left with these words, the cigarette still in his mouth.
Zhou Hao stood there, the money crumpled in his grip, his eyes red and the veins in his neck standing out prominently.
"Brother Li, has Zhou Ming's brother left?" The worker who had delivered the message earlier saw Li Gui come in and quickly approached.
"I've sent him away. If he comes again, just ignore him." Earlier he had only placated the man because Mr. Su was present.
"Brother Li, this......" The young worker hesitated.
Li Gui warned the worker, "Keep your mouth shut tight. As long as I'm around, I'll make sure you eat well."
The worker quickly promised, "Brother Li, don't worry, I absolutely won't say a word."
Li Gui was too ruthless. When the corporation provided over a million in compensation, he used all of it to pay off his gambling debts, giving only ten thousand to Zhou Ming's family.
He discovered this by accident and, fearing Li Gui's methods, could only accept the money and promise to keep quiet.
As for Zhou Ming, he was just unfortunate to have such a heartless and cruel boss.
Su Ci knew her brother would later be stabbed to death, and she felt constantly uneasy about it.
She didn't know the people around her brother well, and there were too many potential suspects. Who wanted to kill her brother?
These past two days, she had been insisting that her brother keep three bodyguards with him at all times.
On the third day, Su Ci went to find Su ZhiYuan early. Looking at the thin red line representing his life force on his wrist, she knew her brother was still in danger.
Who wanted to kill her brother?
Could it be a business rival?
"Weren't you supposed to accompany me for breakfast?" Su ZhiYuan noticed his sister's dazed expression and flicked her forehead. "Let's go."
"Okay." Su Ci accompanied her brother to the hotel's dining area for breakfast. Just as they sat down by the window, she noticed Lu Zhe sitting diagonally across from her.
When did he come down?
Because she was worried about her brother making surprise inspections of her room, Lu Zhe had booked a separate room yesterday.
Usually, Su Ci would have clung to him and stayed in Lu Zhe's room, but with her brother in danger, she had no mood for teasing Lu Zhe.
Seeing Lu Zhe having breakfast there made her a bit happy, and when her brother wasn't looking, she winked at Lu Zhe sitting diagonally across from her.
"Brother, you don't have anything to do today, right?" Su Ci turned back and asked Su ZhiYuan sitting opposite her.
"Mm, I'm done with work. Why? Feeling bored here and want to go home?" He had been busy these past two days while his sister stayed in the hotel. "I have nothing to do today, I can show you around City C."
"No need." Su Ci immediately shook her head.
Walking outside would be more dangerous - anyone around them could be the potential attacker. She couldn't protect against that.
"No need?" Su ZhiYuan was a bit surprised. He raised his eyebrows and asked his sister, "Didn't you say you came to City C to relax?"
"I suddenly don't feel like relaxing anymore. I realized there's nothing interesting here, might as well stay in the hotel." Su Ci worried about Su ZhiYuan going out. "Brother, you've worked hard these past few days, just rest well in your room today. Don't go out. We'll return to City B tonight."
"Alright." Su ZhiYuan agreed with a smile.
Su Ci pressed her lips together and repeatedly urged, "Brother, you absolutely cannot go out this afternoon! Stay in your room properly."
Su ZhiYuan gave his sister an indulgent smile and agreed again: "Alright, but why are you so worried about me going out?"
"It's raining so heavily outside. If you go out, you'll easily get wet and catch a cold." Su Ci lied without blinking. "Just stay in your room today, and I'll come check on you regularly."
Su ZhiYuan's refined face was full of smiles, completely different from his cold demeanor towards others. "I'll do whatever little Ci says, okay?"
After breakfast, Su Ci urged her brother to return to his room. As she left, she secretly winked at Lu Zhe in the distance.
After watching her brother enter his room, Su Ci returned to her own room. She sent a message to Lu Zhe, telling him she would have lunch with her brother today.
Her brother's life force had four hours left.
As long as he stayed properly in his hotel room, they couldn't kill him.
As for whether they would try again later, Su Ci needed to see how Su ZhiYuan's life force changed after these four hours.
If it remained a thin red line, it meant they still wanted to kill her brother. If the life force turned yellow or green, it meant her brother's danger had passed, and even if they tried to harm him, they wouldn't succeed.
At noon, Su Ci had food delivered to Su ZhiYuan's room, then went over to have lunch with him in his room.
Just as Su Ci said, she kept her brother from leaving his room.
Su ZhiYuan watched as his sister came to his room five or six times that morning, borrowing everything from chargers to tissues to even a hair dryer - she had every excuse.
"Little Ci, what are you worried about?" He felt his sister was particularly strange today.
"I'm worried you won't listen to me and run outside. It's raining heavily, I don't want you to go out." After lunch, Su Ci wasn't in a hurry to leave. She watched her brother's life force, which had just over an hour left.
Su ZhiYuan reached out and lightly tapped his sister's head. "Am I someone who breaks promises?"
Su Ci became sycophantic at this moment, "Brother is the most trustworthy person."
Su ZhiYuan stood up and called for service staff to clear the room's dishes. "Alright, go back to your room. I want to take a nap."
Being watched by his sister constantly made Su ZhiYuan feel both helpless and uncomfortable.
"Then sleep for 30 minutes first, I'll come check on you later." Su Ci stood up, determined to keep watching her brother.
"Okay." Su ZhiYuan was dressed casually today, looking exactly like a refined young master from a wealthy family. His bare feet stepped on the thick carpet as he escorted his sister to the room's door. "You should rest well too."
His sister was too clingy today, and Su ZhiYuan finally felt annoyed.
Su Ci was disdainfully sent out by her brother and returned to her room helplessly.
Thirty minutes later, Su Ci ran back to her brother's door and rang the doorbell.
Su ZhiYuan looked at his sister behind the door and raised his eyebrows. "What are you borrowing this time?"
"I just wanted to see if brother was awake. Are you still sleepy? Continue sleeping, I'll come check on you later." After confirming her brother was still in the room and safe, Su Ci disappeared like smoke.
Although she had ordered the bodyguards to protect her brother outside and prevent strangers from approaching his room, she still couldn't help worrying. With less than an hour left, she couldn't relax.
Another thirty minutes passed, and just as Su Ci rang the doorbell, Su ZhiYuan opened the door.
Su Ci smiled at her brother, who looked helpless at the door, before leaving again.
Almost there, almost there, just twenty minutes left.
Su ZhiYuan thought his sister was too strange today. Why was she so intent on preventing him from going out?
He looked at the pouring rain outside and dismissed his doubts.
At this moment, Su ZhiYuan's phone rang. It was a call from his assistant.
"Mr. Su, something's happened."
After hanging up the phone, Su ZhiYuan's brows furrowed as he strode out.
He had already notified for a car to be ready at the entrance.
Su ZhiYuan took the elevator to the lobby. Lu Zhe, who was returning from outside, saw Su ZhiYuan hurriedly walking out.
With only ten minutes left, Su Ci ran over and rang her brother's doorbell again.
After a while, the door wasn't opened.
The smile froze on Su Ci's face as she desperately pressed the doorbell. "Brother, brother, open the door!"
There was still no response from inside the room.
Su Ci's heart kept sinking as she trembled while taking out her phone to call her brother.
"Brother, where are you?" Su Ci felt her voice shaking, thankfully her brother answered her call.
"Something happened at the construction site, I need to go handle it. I'll be back soon, don't worry, I brought an umbrella so I won't get wet," Su ZhiYuan explained.
"Brother, you can't go!" Su Ci gripped her phone tightly, her throat dry. "You'll be in danger, brother, come back immediately!"
The journey from the hotel to the construction site wasn't far. Looking at the site in the distance, he said to his sister, "Don't worry, I'll take care of myself. I'll talk to you when I get back. Alright, I'm here now, we'll talk later."
The call was hung up, and Su Ci frantically went to find the bodyguards. "My brother went out, why didn't you tell me?"
"Miss......"
"Forget it, I don't want to hear excuses." Su Ci looked anxious. "Take me to the construction site immediately."
Su ZhiYuan arrived at the construction site, where his assistant was already waiting at the entrance. "Mr. Su, the injured worker's family is causing trouble. They've taken the person in charge hostage and demand to see you."
The rain was too heavy. Even though Su ZhiYuan had an umbrella, his pants still got wet.
"Where are they?"
"They're over there." The assistant asked Su ZhiYuan, "Mr. Su, should we call the police?"
Su ZhiYuan's low, pleasant voice seemed to carry the coldness of the air, "Call them!"
The assistant quickly dialed the number.
Su ZhiYuan walked to the half-completed building where several construction workers had gathered. Other workers, fearing injury, were hiding inside, only daring to peek out their heads to watch the commotion through the heavy rain.
"Get your boss here," Zhou Hao pressed the knife against Li Gui's neck, the sharp blade already leaving a red mark.
Li Gui's legs were trembling as he begged, "We've already notified Mr. Su. Zhou Hao, I'm just a small-time contractor, this has nothing to do with me. If you have any issues, take them up with Mr. Su."
"It's all because of you heartless, cold-blooded people. My brother worked for you, fell from height, and you even withheld his compensation. Today, when my brother woke up and realized he couldn't be cured and would need extensive medical treatment, he committed suicide out of despair. You drove my brother to his death." Zhou Hao pressed the knife deeper into Li Gui's neck.
The sharp pain made Li Gui turn pale. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Brother Zhou Hao, this really isn't my fault. How could I know Zhou Ming would be so fragile... Ah! Help! Watch the knife, please watch the knife!"
"Hao, don't do anything rash..." Zhou Hao's mother, having learned of her son's revenge plan, had rushed over. Having lost one son, she couldn't bear to lose another.
Zhou Hao ignored his mother, his muscular arm gripping the knife tightly. "Is your boss coming or not?"
"You're looking for me?" Su ZhiYuan stood in the pouring rain holding a black umbrella, wearing casual clothes, yet maintaining an air of elegant nobility despite the downpour.
As he lifted his umbrella, everyone saw his refined face.
The Su family had good genes. Except for Li Gui who had met Su ZhiYuan before, others only now realized that the famous Mr. Su they'd heard about was such a handsome young man.
Su ZhiYuan walked over with his umbrella, "You're the injured worker's family member? Why are you looking for me?"
"You're the boss here?" Zhou Hao's face twisted with extreme anger, the veins bulging on his muscular arm that held the knife.
"Mr. Su, save me!" Li Gui cried with a miserable expression, his legs weak.
Zhou Hao glared fiercely at Su ZhiYuan, "Because of you ruthless, bloodsucking capitalists, my brother committed suicide. I'm here today to settle accounts with you."
"The injured person was your brother? Why did he commit suicide?" He had already instructed the finance department to issue compensation to Li Gui to handle the matter, and had indicated that if there were any further needs, they could approach Su Corporation.
"You have the nerve to ask why?"
Zhou Hao roared in anger, "My brother was paralyzed from the fall, and you only compensated one thousand yuan, even taking advantage of my mother's poor eyesight to trick her into signing a settlement agreement. One thousand yuan wouldn't even cover my brother's surgery costs. My brother knew our family's situation and didn't want to be a burden, that's why he committed suicide."
Su ZhiYuan's brows furrowed deeply as he glanced at the hostage Li Gui, "The compensation we issued was 1.8 million yuan, not one thousand."
Obviously, the compensation never reached the family and had been pocketed by Li Gui.
Zhou Hao couldn't hear Su ZhiYuan's words at this point, believing he was just making excuses. He sneered, "If you want to save him, come trade places yourself."
"Why would I trade places with him?" Su ZhiYuan found this absurd. He looked at Zhou Hao, "Release him, and I'll investigate the compensation matter and give you an explanation."
"My brother is dead, what explanation do I need?" Zhou Hao's knife tip pierced deeper into Li Gui's neck, causing more blood to flow, nearly making Li Gui faint. "I just want you to pay with your lives."
"Hao!" Zhou Hao's mother shouted to stop her son.
While everyone's attention was on Zhou Hao, his mother somehow produced a knife and, unnoticed by others, lunged at Su ZhiYuan, "Pay for my younger son's life!"
As the knife approached, Su ZhiYuan instinctively stepped back.
"Mom!" Zhou Hao shoved Li Gui aside and ran toward his mother.
Zhou Hao's mother, seemingly gone mad, kept stabbing at Su ZhiYuan frantically. Unable to dodge completely, Su ZhiYuan's arm was cut.
Zhou Hao came to help, his strength overwhelming as he knocked down the assistant who tried to intervene.
Su ZhiYuan kicked the knife from Zhou Hao's mother's hand, but as he turned, Zhou Hao's knife came stabbing toward him.
Su ZhiYuan blocked with his umbrella, the knife piercing through it.
Glancing down at the sharp blade tip, Su ZhiYuan kicked Zhou Hao away.
Zhou Hao had boxing experience and was tall and strong. Although Su ZhiYuan was skilled in combat, against Zhou Hao who fought with reckless abandon and fierce determination, Su ZhiYuan quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
The construction workers had all fled far away, none daring to come near.
Just as the knife was about to pierce Su ZhiYuan's heart, his gaze sharpened.
In the next moment, Zhou Hao's knife was caught by a large hand.
Both Su ZhiYuan and Zhou Hao were stunned.
Police sirens wailed outside.
Zhou Hao yanked the knife from the large hand, drawing blood as he did so, only to be kicked back forcefully.
Lu Zhe's palm was numb, blood flowing continuously from it.
His dark eyes coldly watched Zhou Hao, dodging the knife as the latter charged forward and landing a punch to Zhou Hao's side.
Zhou Hao froze in pain.
"Don't move! Nobody move!"
The police had arrived.
Su ZhiYuan, who had fallen to the ground, stood up with his clothes covered in cement. He looked at Zhou Hao, who was now detained by police, then walked toward Lu Zhe who had appeared suddenly, "Thank you for saving my life. Your hand is bleeding."
"Brother!" Su Ci came running over, her clothes soaked by the rain, the bodyguard's umbrella behind her completely useless.
"Lu Zhe?" Su Ci noticed Lu Zhe's presence as soon as she arrived.
Her eyes fell inadvertently on the young man's hand, and she cried out, "Your hand is bleeding!"
Su Ci's eyes no longer saw her brother; they were fixed on Lu Zhe's bloody hand.
At the hospital.
Su ZhiYuan had been cut once, but the wound wasn't deep and had been bandaged.
He was still wearing his cement-stained clothes, but his outstanding presence meant he still attracted many glances despite his disheveled state.
Su ZhiYuan watched as Lu Zhe got his wound bandaged nearby, while his sister hovered around Lu Zhe like a bee drawn to honey.
He couldn't help but walk over, seeing his sister's beautiful brows furrowed as she looked at Lu Zhe's hand with concern.
Su ZhiYuan tugged at his sister's ponytail, "Your brother's hand is injured too. Why aren't you asking about my injury?"
Was his sister being overly concerned about Lu Zhe?
Su Ci looked at her brother's life value bar which had turned green, and replied irritably, "You deserved it. I told you not to go out, but you wouldn't listen."
Her brother had even gotten Lu Zhe injured, which broke her heart.
"Brother, go handle your business quickly, don't disturb the nurse while she's bandaging," Su Ci turned to Lu Zhe and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Strangely, Su ZhiYuan felt deeply rejected by his sister.
Su ZhiYuan awkwardly rubbed his nose.
He hadn't expected his sister's words to prove so prophetic - she had been right to tell him not to leave the hotel room.
Looking at the young man quietly getting his wound bandaged, Su ZhiYuan spoke gratefully, "Lu Zhe, thank you for saving me. Once again, you've become our Su family's lifesaver."
If Lu Zhe hadn't grabbed Zhou Hao's knife in time, that blade would likely have pierced his chest.
He couldn't help but marvel at how fate seemed to connect Lu Zhe with their family - he had practically saved their entire family.
Su ZhiYuan still needed to help the police with their statement, and seeing that Lu Zhe had finished being bandaged, he arranged a car for them before leaving early.
Su Ci looked at Lu Zhe's hand wrapped in thick white gauze and kissed it gently out of concern, "Why didn't you tell me you followed my brother to the construction site?"
Lu Zhe's lips were pale as he replied, "Telling you wouldn't have helped, and I didn't know at the time that your brother would really be in danger."
He had simply remembered Su Ci's words about how she was worried something would happen to her brother today.
He had followed without much thought at the time.
He was glad he did.
"Lu Zhe, you saved my brother's life. Once again, you've become our family's savior. We're afraid we can never repay such an enormous debt of gratitude."
Lu Zhe gave a soft chuckle. "No need to repay it."
"But we must."
The nurse had already left, and with no one around, Su Ci moved closer to Lu Zhe and took the initiative to kiss his cold lips.
Her dark eyes sparkled with joy as she gazed at him. "For saving one's life, one should offer themselves in return. On behalf of my family, I'm offering myself to you."
