At four in the morning, Shen Yuqing was violently awakened by the system.
Forcing himself to stay conscious, he slowly crawled out of bed and tiptoed out of the room, slipping into the kitchen. He took out his phone and dialed the police station.
After making the call, he let out a long yawn and asked, “Have they dispatched officers yet?”
The system had stored up quite a bit of energy over the past two days. After a brief scan, it replied, “They have.”
Good. Based on the system’s calculations of the police response time and the moment Song Wangzhuo was injured, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
With that smoothly resolved, Shen Yuqing, still yawning incessantly, drowsily made his way back to the bedroom. Inside, the small nightlight was still on, and Pei Yiyan lay fast asleep on the bed.
He walked over, turned off the light, and lay back down, quickly drifting off again.
Beside him, Pei Yiyan’s eyelids twitched slightly, though the room remained filled with nothing but the sound of soft breathing.
Before Shen Yuqing could settle back into deep sleep, the system suddenly shrieked in his mind, “Ah! Host! Song Wangzhuo has also been detained at the police station!”
He jolted awake instantly. “What? How did he end up there too?”
Wasn’t he the victim?
The system replied, “I don’t know. I don’t have enough energy to check.”
“…What am I supposed to say to you? Can’t you work on improving your abilities?” Shen Yuqing sighed in exasperation.
The system whimpered a couple of times before asking, “Host, what do we do now?”
Would the male lead really be locked up forever?
Now slightly more alert, Shen Yuqing thought, “It shouldn’t be a big deal. Once his friends post bail, he’ll be out.”
But the system hesitated before responding, “He doesn’t have any.”
“Huh?” Shen Yuqing didn’t immediately understand.
The system explained, “He doesn’t have friends, Host. What do we do? The male lead has already worked a full day—what if he dies from exhaustion?”
“System, you’re the first to curse the male lead to death.”
Shen Yuqing sat up in bed, ruffling the slightly tousled hair at the back of his head. What else could he do? He’d have to go himself.
He patiently reasoned with himself—after all, the academy was on break today. Once he rescued Song Wangzhuo, he could always come back and catch up on sleep.
He headed to the walk-in closet, changed his clothes, and paused briefly before leaving. After grabbing a cap and putting it on, he finally stepped out of the bedroom.
Not long after he left, Pei Yiyan—who Shen Yuqing had assumed was still sound asleep—opened his eyes. His gaze was sharp and clear, devoid of any drowsiness.
Ever since his injury, his sleep had been light, always on guard. He had woken up the moment Shen Yuqing first left the bed.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity with no sign of Shen Yuqing returning, he frowned. Where did Shen Yuqing go at this hour?
It was only 4:30 a.m., and the sky was still pitch black. Though some breakfast stalls had already opened, taxis were unexpectedly hard to come by.
By the time he arrived at the police station where Song Wangzhuo was being held, it was already past five.
Inside the station, Song Wangzhuo was separated from the group that had ambushed him. The detention area wasn’t large, but he felt an odd sense of relief.
During the earlier scuffle, outnumbered as he was, he had taken a few punches. His lip was now bruised, and the rest of his body probably didn’t fare much better.
However, the group locked up next door didn’t fare much better at his hands. They were hired hands—even when beating him, they held back. But Song Wangzhuo was different; every strike he landed was lethal. The leader had silently taken several punches from him.
Now, all he needed to do was wait quietly until his detention period was over before leaving.
He closed his eyes. Yesterday, the bar had offered triple pay for a promotional event, which was why he had taken the day off, planning to work that shift before finding a less demanding part-time job. He had already saved up enough to take a decent break.
“Boss, who should we call to post bail for us?”
The group next door was murmuring among themselves, also figuring out how to get out.
Though they could leave after twenty-four hours without bail, they were too used to their carefree lifestyle to endure the cramped space, finding it unbearable.
“Call Shen Yuqing.”
Shen Yuqing.
Song Wangzhuo opened his eyes again. He had nearly forgotten—there was still the mastermind behind all this.
Lowering his gaze slightly, he stared at his clenched fists. Song Wangzhuo truly couldn’t understand—just how many faces did Shen Yuqing have?
One in front of him, another behind his back.
But no matter how many faces he wore, Song Wangzhuo would remember—
“You don’t even know Shen Yuqing, yet you’re calling him?”
The voice from next door snapped him out of his thoughts.
Song Wangzhuo frowned and kept listening.
Another person spoke up, “No, Boss, didn’t you tell that guy we were sent by Shen Yuqing? Since we got locked up for him, shouldn’t he bail us out?”
“I lied. I don’t know Shen Yuqing either,” the boss said lazily.
His underling was confused. “Huh? Why?”
The boss replied, “Dunno. The client insisted I tell the guy we were sent by Shen Yuqing. It’s just words—doesn’t cost me anything. Plus, they paid extra.”
The group laughed again.
But Song Wangzhuo’s mind was anything but calm.
Not Shen Yuqing?
It wasn’t Shen Yuqing after all!
Then who was it? Who wanted to frame Shen Yuqing and pin the blame on him?
Song Wangzhuo’s brow furrowed. Who else could it be—someone who wanted to harm him and knew Shen Yuqing?
Lin Sui?
No way. They were in cahoots.
But if not Lin Sui, then who?
“Song Wangzhuo.”
He looked up. The door to his cell had been opened. The officer outside said, “You’re free to go.”
Go?
Song Wangzhuo was puzzled.
Seeing his hesitation, the officer added, “Your friend came and posted bail. He’s waiting outside. What, don’t feel like leaving?”
The statement was loaded with implications.
Friend? What friend?
From start to finish, he had always been a loner. Even those he was slightly familiar with, who he could exchange a few words with, were few and far between. And he hadn’t given the police any contact information either.
So where did this “friend” come from?
Regardless, getting out was a good thing.
Song Wangzhuo stepped out of the detention room, about to collect his belongings, only to be told they had already been retrieved by his mysterious friend.
The officer said the friend was waiting for him outside the lobby.
Thanking them, Song Wangzhuo walked out, puzzled, but saw no one in sight.
As he descended the steps, his gaze suddenly landed on a bag placed atop the nearest police car.
Instinct told him it was meant for him.
He walked over, picked up the bag, and glanced inside. At the top lay his shattered phone, broken during the earlier scuffle.
Song Wangzhuo lowered his gaze. It seemed he wouldn’t be changing jobs anytime soon—he needed a new phone first. As he lifted the device, he noticed a bread roll, a bottle of milk, and an unopened tube of ointment beneath it. But that wasn’t all.
Reaching in, he pulled out the bread and milk. At the very bottom of the bag sat a brand-new, still-sealed phone.
It was as if the person had foreseen everything, like some kind of clairvoyant.
The realization struck him, and Song Wangzhuo immediately looked up, scanning his surroundings. But all he saw were uniformed police officers filing into the station—none of the faces were familiar.
That person was gone.
A thought occurred to him, and he hurried back into the station lobby. “Excuse me,” he asked, “could you tell me what the person who paid my bail looked like?”
The officer gave him a puzzled look but answered, “A clean-cut young guy—couldn’t tell if he was an alpha or beta. Wore a black hoodie and a white cap.”
Thanking the officer, Song Wangzhuo grabbed his things and rushed back outside.
By now, the sky had brightened enough to see the road clearly. He jogged to the curb just in time to spot a figure in black clothes and a white cap opening the door of a taxi.
“Wait!” he called out anxiously.
But the person only hesitated slightly, never turning to look, before swiftly getting into the car and driving off in a cloud of dust.
Song Wangzhuo could only watch helplessly as the car grew smaller and smaller in the distance until it vanished entirely.
He looked down again at the items in his hand. Who could it possibly be?
To show such kindness…
