Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 49

Despite the driver’s best efforts to maintain control, the violent impact still aggravated Pei Jichuan’s wound. The white shirt over his chest was stained red; though the bleeding wasn’t heavy and was already showing signs of slowing, it had completely soaked through the gauze.

The bodyguards scrambled out of their vehicle to check on their boss. They had all sustained minor injuries, mostly abrasions, but judging by their movements, none of their bones were broken. One bodyguard went to check the truck driver, wrenching the door open. The driver was held in place by his seatbelt, but a tree branch had pierced through his chest; he was already dead. The bodyguard took one look and turned away, shouting the report to Pei Jichuan.

“President Pei, the driver is dead!”

Gu Nian helped Pei Jichuan out of the car. Since the wound was straining his trachea, it was difficult for Pei Jichuan to speak, so Gu Nian issued the orders in his stead.

“Contact Butler Zhao. Tell him to send men immediately—as many as possible, and bring several cars,” Gu Nian commanded the assistant, who was sharing their vehicle. The assistant had already dialed the butler’s number and, upon hearing Gu Nian, hurriedly added the details. Poor assistant—having experienced so many major “incidents” in less than two weeks, his voice was trembling.

The butler arrived quickly with a convoy, as the location wasn’t far from the manor. As soon as the cars stopped, Butler Zhao rushed forward. Seeing the blood on Pei Jichuan’s chest, he looked as if he had lost his own soul.

“Are you alright, President Pei?” He quickly ushered Pei Jichuan into a car to return to the hospital, with the family doctor following to check the injuries en route. The butler was smart; he could guess that this “accident” was anything but normal, and he understood Gu Nian’s intent. He had brought over a dozen bodyguards and almost every car from the garage. Although high-profile, it made it impossible for anyone to strike again.

Pei Jichuan climbed into one of the cars. During the journey, the vehicles in the convoy rotated positions periodically.

Xiao Yuan was summoned back just as he reached his own front door. He had been standing there, hesitant to enter, when the call came. He widened his eyes in shock and immediately restarted his car to rush back. Less than two hours after leaving the clinic, Pei Jichuan was back on the dressing table.

Gu Nian stood to the side while Xiao Yuan performed a thorough check. Fortunately, there was no major damage; the partially healed wound had simply been pulled open. As he reapplied the medication, Xiao Yuan questioned him.

“What happened? How can such a thing happen right at your own doorstep?” Xiao Yuan’s brow was furrowed. He certainly didn’t think this was an accident.

“Someone ordered it. I have a good idea who; the investigation I had Yun Feng do lately probably pushed him to the brink.” Veins popped on Pei Jichuan’s forehead; cleaning the wound was inevitably painful. Gu Nian pursed his lips and stepped forward to hold Pei Jichuan’s hand, and the man returned a reassuring look.

The more wealth one holds, the more dangerous their situation. He had experienced countless assassinations in Country F, but unlike that chaotic land, Country Z was a peaceful nation. Such a blatant attack here… one could only call the person behind it foolish. Gu Nian suppressed his inner agitation; he needed to have Zhou Yi investigate this.

Xiao Yuan let out a cold snort. “How bold. Is he really not afraid of being discovered? And the last time…” He mentioned it vaguely without speaking plainly, instinctively glancing at Gu Nian.

“It was likely his doing as well,” Pei Jichuan replied curtly, dropping the subject. “We’ll wait for Yun Feng to clarify everything before settling the score. But it’s time to give him a warning.”

Pei Jichuan clearly knew who the mastermind was. Although Gu Nian was curious, it wasn’t convenient to ask further. After the re-dressing was finished, they returned to the manor. This time, the journey was smooth and without incident.

After seeing Pei Jichuan off, Xiao Yuan suddenly remembered that it was his failure to return home on time last time that had caused Jiang Wensu’s hand injury to heal poorly. He pressed his lips thin, climbed into his car, and sped away.

Because Pei Jichuan was injured and Gu Nian’s sleeping habits were notoriously restless, Gu Nian decided they should sleep in separate rooms. When he made the request, Pei Jichuan’s face turned black, but since it was for his own sake, he couldn’t say much.

After washing up, Gu Nian sent a message to Zhou Yi to investigate today’s “accident.” Zhou Yi remained exceptionally efficient, replying in less than ten seconds. Gu Nian even wondered if the man lived with his phone glued to his hand. He hid his device, dried his hair, and prepared for bed. His sleep habits had always been disciplined—he was always in bed by 10:00 PM and asleep by 11:00.

But tonight, he suffered from insomnia. They hadn’t slept apart in a long time. It was still winter, but no matter how freezing it was outside, the interior was as warm as spring. Gu Nian tossed and turned, finally falling into a hazy sleep after two hours of restlessness.

In the middle of the night, Gu Nian was woken by the heat. He opened his bleary eyes and shifted. It felt as if something was clinging to him. The moment he moved, a sound came from behind.

“Sss—”

Gu Nian had bumped into the wound. Pei Jichuan created some distance, pinning down Gu Nian’s restless limbs and patting him soothingly. A familiar scent drifted over; although they used similar toiletries, different people produced distinct scents. Gu Nian’s sleep-addled brain recognized this as someone he could trust, so the alarm bells didn’t ring, and he fell back into a deep sleep in the man’s arms.

The moon hung high in the sky. It was now the middle of the night, and both were sound asleep. In his dream, Gu Nian’s finger suddenly twitched.

A familiar red sports car appeared. The deafening roar of its engine shattered the silence of the road. It drove toward him, gradually merging with the scene of today’s accident. However, in the dream, there was clearly no such good luck. The car was violently overturned.

The door was ripped off, and the three people inside were thrown out. After the chaos, the world fell into silence. The owner of the sports car stumbled out of the wreckage. Gu Nian tried to lift his head to see the man’s face, but nothing in the dream was under his control.

Scattered debris and dripping blood were everywhere. Within his limited field of vision, Gu Nian struggled to see clearly. No wonder there was so much blood; “his” arm had been severed from the body and lay a short distance away. A middle-aged woman lay near the arm, already motionless.

The owner of the sports car seemed to be making a phone call. Before the dream ended, Gu Nian saw only one thing: a custom-made ruby ring on the man’s finger.

Gu Nian sat up abruptly. It was 3:00 AM once again.

He steadied his racing heart and looked toward the sleeping Pei Jichuan with a complex expression. I’ve reached the truth. The man and woman lying on the ground in the dream were identical to the apparitions he had seen at the graves even the severed limbs matched.

His expression was frantic. His parents’ deaths were indeed not simple. His wandering gaze suddenly froze on the window. A blurry silhouette seemed to be standing there. Gu Nian rubbed his eyes, but the figure didn’t vanish. Instead, it slowly turned around in his line of sight revealing a face identical to his own.

Gu Nian’s eyes widened in shock.