Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 48

Xiao Yuan looked listless, his hand firmly holding an ice pack against his face. Pei Jichuan hesitated, but finally asked, “Your face…”

Xiao Yuan clearly didn’t want to elaborate. He let out a long sigh and said, “Let’s talk inside.” He then stepped forward to help support Pei Jichuan as they entered the building.

Xiao Yuan performed the check-up personally. He donned his gloves and began changing Pei Jichuan’s dressings. Being so close, Pei Jichuan could easily see the bloodshot veins in Xiao Yuan’s eyes and the bruised, swollen side of his face. Whoever had hit him had clearly used every ounce of their strength. The swelling was frightening; despite having iced it for a long time, it was still prominently raised.

Gu Nian sat in a nearby chair, his curious gaze also lingering on Xiao Yuan’s cheek.

“Who hit you?” Pei Jichuan asked.

Xiao Yuan sighed again, remaining silent.

“Jiang Wensu?” Gu Nian interjected.

Both men turned their eyes toward him. Gu Nian’s guess was evidently accurate; Xiao Yuan took one look at him and lowered his head, confirming it through silence.

“What is going on with you two?”

Xiao Yuan seemed ready to use up a lifetime’s worth of sighs today. He organized his thoughts before speaking. “He… he doesn’t seem to love me. He said marrying me was forced…”

Gu Nian raised an eyebrow. He had seen it long ago; there was no love in Jiang Wensu’s interactions with the doctor. In fact, Jiang Wensu was terrified of Xiao Yuan. But Gu Nian didn’t speak, simply sitting there obediently with his head down. Pei Jichuan wasn’t surprised either; their dynamic had always been bizarre.

“So now, are you two going to separate?”

At this, Xiao Yuan stood up abruptly. His chair was shoved back with a harsh, grating sound. “Absolutely impossible! Sss—” The sudden movement tugged at the injury on his face, causing him to hiss in pain and clutch his cheek.

Gu Nian tactfully handed him a fresh ice pack. Xiao Yuan took it and pressed it to the wound, looking much relieved. Pei Jichuan found the scene somewhat amusing, continuing: “Then what do you plan to do?”

Xiao Yuan instantly wilted again. “I don’t know,” he admitted dazed. But then he added firmly, “Anyway, divorce is out of the question!”

He pulled up the scans and examined them carefully against the light. He had already reviewed all the medical records from Country F before Pei Jichuan’s return. “Let’s not talk about that for now. Your situation this time was truly perilous. The bullet grazed your organs; a fraction of an inch closer and you’d be a dead man.”

Xiao Yuan’s expression turned serious as he flipped through the files. “It’s lucky the wound was handled immediately. Even though the organs weren’t hit, the blood loss would have been fatal. If the bleeding hadn’t been stopped in time, you would have died before reaching the hospital. Was it the bodyguards?” he asked casually.

Pei Jichuan shook his head. “It was Lin Nuo.”

Xiao Yuan froze, casting a confused look at Gu Nian.

“I saw it in a book,” Gu Nian explained naturally.

“Jichuan, you’ve really found a treasure. He truly saved your life.”

Pei Jichuan’s features softened, and an unconscious smile played on his lips. Gu Nian lowered his head. It wasn’t I who saved Pei Jichuan; it was Pei Jichuan who saved me. That bullet had been meant for him. No matter how bold Li Yong was, he knew how to choose; killing Gu Nian was internal Black Crow business, but killing Pei Jichuan was another matter entirely. If the Pei family demanded accountability, Wei Baiqiang would have sacrificed him without a second thought.

After the check-up, Xiao Yuan handed the prepared supplies to Gu Nian. “Change the dressings once a day, don’t forget. Everything is ready. I’ll notify you when it’s time for the follow-up.”

Xiao Yuan spoke while removing his white coat, though it wasn’t yet time to get off work. He looked ready to leave immediately. “I’m going to go have a proper talk with him,” he explained.

After seeing Pei Jichuan off, Xiao Yuan also drove away.

On the way back, Gu Nian opened the package to inspect the dressing supplies. This task naturally fell to him; after all, Pei Jichuan’s chest muscles were better off being touched by him alone. Gu Nian licked his lips, casting a fiery gaze at the man.

Pei Jichuan had brought work with him again, currently flipping through documents in a folder. Gu Nian reached out and snatched the folder away. Pei Jichuan turned his head in confusion.

“You need to rest. Look at it tomorrow.”

After a ten-hour flight followed by the hospital visit, everyone was exhausted. Pei Jichuan gave a low grunt of agreement, but his hand moved restlessly to pull Gu Nian closer. Considering his wound, Gu Nian didn’t lean in too far; they simply sat with their shoulders pressed together.

The driver focused intently on the road; they were nearly at the manor. Pei Jichuan’s estate was somewhat remote, but it offered peace and fresh air. The road had originally been dirt, but because it was inconvenient for travel, Pei Jichuan had funded its paving with asphalt.

Traffic on this road was usually sparse, especially during afternoon work hours; almost no one passed by, as there was no infrastructure nearby save for the occasional cargo truck. Thus, the driver wasn’t surprised when he saw a bright red truck approaching from the opposite direction.

It wasn’t until the oncoming vehicle veered out of its lane and headed straight for them that the driver reacted. Pei family drivers all had at least 20 years of experience; today’s driver had even driven tanks during his military service. He reacted instantly, slamming the wheel to the side to dodge, but the roadside was thick with trees and soft soil—a place where a car could easily get stuck.

Seeing the truck roaring toward them, the driver gritted his teeth and made a gamble. He slammed the accelerator to the floor and drove straight into the woods.

The bodyguards in the car behind them finally reacted, but since they had only just returned, only four guards had been assigned to the rotation; only one escort vehicle was following them. Gu Nian reacted the moment the driver turned the wheel. He gripped his seatbelt and lunged in front of Pei Jichuan, shielding the man with his body.

His sharp eyes fixed on the truck; a human appeared so insignificant against such a mass of steel. His hand had already slid to the seatbelt buckle; if things went wrong, he was prepared to drag Pei Jichuan and jump from the car immediately. Pei Jichuan also held Gu Nian tightly.

The bodyguards’ car charged forward. Today, they were driving a reinforced SUV, but it was still no match for a large truck. The SUV was pinned by the truck and pushed forward; even with the accelerator floored, the guards couldn’t stop the momentum for a second. Tires screeched against the asphalt, emitting clouds of black smoke.

One last gamble! the driver thought. He floored the gas. The car surged forward through the soft soil. Just before the truck could pin them against a tree, they broke through a gap. The truck still scraped the rear of the car, causing it to lose control and spin, but the driver managed to stabilize it and bring it to a steady halt.

The bodyguards also retreated just in time, their SUV being flung violently to the other side. After spinning several times, it slammed into a tree on the opposite side of the road, and all airbags deployed.

As for the truck, after snapping several trees, the entire vehicle overturned, the massive inertia causing it to slide sideways across the ground for a distance.

Amidst the lingering terror, Gu Nian hurried to check on Pei Jichuan.