The Real Young Master is Entangled by the Paranoid Fake Young Master - Chapter 4

When Zhaoqing reached the car, the first person he saw wasn’t Song Yuening, but Lin Qi, who was drenched in a cold sweat. Because Lin Qi had been sitting on the right side, his injuries weren’t severe. Zhaoqing gave him only a cursory glance before hurrying to the almost completely demolished left side to check on Song Yuening.

Seeing that Zhaoqing had ignored him entirely, Lin Qi gritted his teeth, endured the pain in his leg, and used every ounce of breath to pull himself out of the wreckage.

The situation on Song Yuening’s side, however, was not as optimistic.

“Song Yuening… Song Yuening…”

Zhaoqing crouched down, only able to see Yuening’s pale face through the cramped gaps in the debris. He called out several times before finally detecting a faint, shallow breath.

He’s still conscious. Thank God.

Zhaoqing’s first reaction was actually one of relief. Only then did he notice his own hands trembling; he realized how much willpower it had taken just to walk over here. He was terrified of looking at Yuening’s face, fearing that he would see a severed head rolling at his feet, just like the driver’s.

Zhaoqing believed he hated Song Yuening to the bone, but he had never wanted him dead. Not even after having died once himself. This wasn’t because of any lingering affection for Yuening, but simply because Zhaoqing was a decent human being. He was soft-hearted, and he couldn’t bear to watch someone die without trying to help. He didn’t want to live the rest of his life carrying the guilt of having done nothing—especially when this tragedy was an exact mirror of what had happened to Fang Yang.

Deep down, however, there was a darker thought: he truly wanted Xie Qianze to die.

If Fang Yang had been an insignificant pawn in the eyes of the elite, someone whose death they could disregard, then Zhaoqing wanted to see if the law would be so lenient now that the victim was the Song family’s beloved treasure.

Furthermore, a second before the impact, Yuening had shoved him. In a way, Yuening had saved his life. Regardless of the motive behind that shove, Zhaoqing could not ignore the fact.

“Song Yuening, don’t fall asleep. Try to see if you can crawl out,” Zhaoqing commanded, having finished his internal moral debate. He then turned to Lin Qi, who had finally scrambled free, and pointed toward the distance. “Watch him! Don’t let him get away!”

The “him” Zhaoqing referred to was, of course, Xie Qianze.

Lin Qi followed Zhaoqing’s gaze and saw the face of a classic, hedonistic playboy. His memory was sharp; he instantly recognized the man’s identity: the pampered son of the head of the Xie family.

Seeing the two of them staring at him, Xie Qianze felt a jolt of alarm, wondering if he had messed with the wrong people. But having been spoiled since birth, he had never learned to take responsibility; the Xie family always cleaned up his messes. To him, the wrecked sports car was expensive but replaceable. Even if he had accidentally killed some rich kid, it was no big deal at most, his father would just concede a few business points to the victim’s family.

In his mind, human life was just a number that could be balanced with a checkbook.

However, since he had just returned from abroad and caused such a mess, his father would likely freeze all his credit cards again. Thinking of the “hard months” ahead, Xie Qianze didn’t feel guilty; instead, he glared viciously at Zhaoqing and Lin Qi.

Zhaoqing didn’t bother arguing with him, merely sighing internally at the man’s sheer stupidity. Xie Qianze would soon learn exactly who he had offended. This time, whether by pushing the waves or adding fuel to the fire, Zhaoqing was determined to make Xie Qianze pay a price a hundred times more painful than before.

Seeing Lin Qi approaching, Xie Qianze stepped back, refusing to negotiate. He frowned and made several phone calls. Once finished, he tossed his dyed red hair and barked that “someone would be in touch to talk about compensation” before turning to leave.

Lin Qi wasn’t about to let him go so easily. He dragged his injured leg to block him, but Xie Qianze, being less injured, easily shoved him aside. Seeing Lin Qi’s persistence, Xie Qianze irritably pulled a wad of US dollars from his bag and slammed it into Lin Qi’s face.

“You damn well dare to block me? Do you know who I am? I’m a Xie! How many balls does a salary-man like you have to be tugging at my clothes? Take this cash for now. My assistant will handle the rest. My family can afford a few million for your lives, can’t we?”

[Details of Malicious Hit-and-Run Exposed: Suspect Rumored to be Son of Tycoon Xie Tao]

[Suspect Xie Claims ‘Millions Can Buy a Life’; Victim’s Family Condemns through Tears, Can Justice Prevail?]

[Suspect Xie Released on Bail Today; Rumored Settlement Reached with Victims; Xie Spokesperson Remains Silent]

As Xie Qianze spoke those words about “buying a life,” memories flooded Zhaoqing’s mind like a blizzard. He suddenly remembered that on the day he returned to the Song family in his past life, the news was full of the most high-profile hit-and-run case in the city’s recent history.

The reason he remembered it so clearly after fifteen years wasn’t just because of how horrific it was, but because Lin Qi had mentioned that their driver was originally supposed to take this road. But the driver had been distracted and took a wrong turn, circling a few extra blocks. If he hadn’t, they might have been the ones hit. At the time, Zhaoqing had been terrified, and the nightmare of a silver car crushing his bones haunted his sleep for weeks.

In the past life, the car that was hit exploded almost instantly. the victims were burned beyond recognition. Zhaoqing had followed the case and heard that the perpetrator was powerful, while the victim was just a simple taxi driver with a family to support. Eventually, the case went cold, and the driver’s family vanished from the city.

It wasn’t a “brake failure” as reported. It was a group of druggies in a sports car.

But in this life, there was no taxi. The Songs didn’t take a detour. Song Yuening was in the car. Zhaoqing’s rebirth had acted as a butterfly effect, triggering a chain reaction of chaos.

Xie Qianze’s drug-fueled driving was an inevitable disaster; it had been hushed up with money in the past, leading to his eventual murder of Fang Yang fifteen years later. But this time, he had hit the “Chosen One,” Song Yuening.

Watching them tear at each other gave Zhaoqing a complex satisfaction, but the priority was keeping Yuening alive. If his memory served him correctly, this car was about to explode!

Zhaoqing grabbed Yuening’s arm, trying to haul him out. Yuening was drifting back into consciousness, but his expression was chillingly indifferent. He looked at the sweating, frantic Zhaoqing and let out a soft, hollow laugh.

“Heh… I’m dreaming again.”

He seemed to be mocking himself.

“Zhao-zhao, let go.”

“Why is it that after all these years, you’re always a teenager when you appear in my dreams?”

“Why… do you always grab my hand? You can’t save me. Look at me  all my life I’ve been obsessed, clutching your hand and refusing to let go, but in the end, it was all for nothing.”

“I’m sorry, Zhao-zhao. I’m going to wake up now. Goodbye.”

Hearing these incoherent, despondent words, an uncontrollable wave of sadness washed over Zhaoqing. He wondered what Yuening had felt after his death in the past life. Would he have been happy? No… perhaps he felt nothing at all. To Yuening, Song Zhaoqing was just an insignificant person who didn’t know his place.

But he had no time for sorrow. The smell of gasoline was becoming overpowering.

Xie Qianze’s people were arriving, and Lin Qi was on the phone with security, lawyers, and private hospitals. Fearing they were out of time, Zhaoqing yelled for Lin Qi to help him pull Yuening out.

After his bizarre speech, Yuening had fallen back into a coma.

“Lin Qi! We have to get him out now!”

Zhaoqing’s brow was furrowed. In his urgency, he forgot to play the “vulgar teenager” and spoke with the sharp, commanding tone he had used as a senior executive in the past life.

Lin Qi froze. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around this “low-born” young master. This morning he was a clumsy, insecure kid, how did he suddenly sound like a seasoned leader?

Lin Qi was about to ask when Zhaoqing snapped: “Move! Stop dawdling! This car is going to blow. If we wait a second longer, we’re all dead!”

Lin Qi’s hands let go of the car door. He stood up, backing away in a panic.

“What? The car is going to explode?”

He shook his head, retreating several steps, his voice a mix of blame and terror. “Young Master Zhaoqing, this is too dangerous” He wiped his sweat, eyes darting between the car and the road. “Maybe,  maybe we should move to a safe distance and wait for the professional rescue team to save Young Master Yuening…”

What?

Zhaoqing’s expression darkened. He realized with a surge of fury that upon hearing the car might explode, Lin Qi was planning to abandon Song Yuening to save his own skin!