Chapter 31: Slipping Away

Because of the special ingredients in the nutritional meal, only doctors were allowed to prescribe and cook it; otherwise, much of its medicinal properties would be lost.

This was the first time Yan Ziqing had prepared it entirely on her own since leaving school, and to her surprise, it tasted wonderful!

So, her parents' old refusal to let her near the kitchen was nothing but a misunderstanding—a complete waste of talent!

Looking at the stack of meal boxes piling up, Yan Ziqing’s smile was so broad that even her mask couldn’t conceal it.

Once this assignment was over, she would definitely cook a meal for her parents, just so they could taste her culinary skills!

“Whew, I’m full!” Mu Yu patted his barely changed stomach and let out a satisfied sigh.

Truth be told, he was only about seventy percent full, but to ask the young lady to cook another pot would be embarrassing.

Reluctantly, Mu Yu tore his gaze from Yan Ziqing’s hand, dusted off his pants, and stood up. “Alright, I’ll be off, then!”

“Wait—come with me back to the ward!” Yan Ziqing, still lost in the fantasy of her parents praising her cooking, replied absentmindedly.

By the time she realized what she’d said, Mu Yu had already vanished without a trace, leaving her to stomp her foot in frustration.

“Little Yan, where’s the patient? Why isn’t he here?” The attending physician emerged from the operating room, catching sight of Yan Ziqing, who was puffing her cheeks and sulking, and asked curiously.

“He ate a whole pot of the nutritional meal, and then he bolted… Captain, should I bring him back?”

“Oh, no need for that. Their physical constitution is different from normal people; as long as nothing happens, it’s fine.” The attending physician subconsciously ignored the “whole pot” in her words, his eyes lighting up as he glanced at the meal box in her hand.

“There’s a patient who just finished surgery—take this nutritional meal to her.”

“Perfect, I’ve been busy all day and won’t have to cook another pot.” Yan Ziqing’s eyes shone as well. Right now, her confidence in her own cooking was unmatched. To have a new patient fall under the spell of her boxed meal—that was exactly what she wanted!

“Yes!” With a spring in her step, Yan Ziqing hopped away, leaving the attending physician scratching his head in confusion.

“What on earth is going on here?”

“Wait! Xiao Hong, don’t fall out, Xiao Hong!” He stared at the hair drifting down before his eyes, his hands trembling as he knelt on the floor.

“Noooo!”

Yan Ziqing paid no mind to the wailing behind her. After all, the attending’s head had so little hair left—he couldn’t wail for much longer.

Just imagining the patient’s blissful face after eating her boxed meal put Yan Ziqing in an even better mood.

Though she was a bit annoyed by Mu Yu’s sudden departure, she was a magnanimous person—she would cook for him again next time!

The ward was not far, separated by just one wall from where Mu Yu had stayed.

When Yan Ziqing opened the door, a girl with bandages on her legs was staring absentmindedly out the window, a silly smile on her face, lost in thought.

A tiger-patterned pajama was clutched in her arms, its soft ears being mercilessly tugged by the girl’s hands.

“So cute!” Yan Ziqing gazed at her chubby cheeks, fighting the impulse to give them a pinch.

Meanwhile, the bespectacled girl curled on the sofa playing games was completely ignored.

“Hello, here’s your nutritional meal. Please have it soon.” Yan Ziqing recited the textbook lines, but instead of leaving, she opened the insulated box and handed it to Chihong.

“He touched my head; he must like me…” Chihong, her face flushed, mumbled to herself as she took the meal box and picked up her chopsticks.

Under Yan Ziqing’s expectant gaze, she took a bite.

“Ah, mm.” Chihong’s silly expression was pure bliss as she chewed contentedly.

Only then did Yan Ziqing nod with satisfaction and head for the door.

Decision made! She would definitely go home and cook a meal for her parents, who’d always looked down on her cooking!

“Hehehe, so handsome, hehehe.” Chihong recalled Mu Yu looking down at her, covered her face shyly, and buried herself in her pajamas.

“Captain, are you going to eat? Captain?” Sun Ning eyed the meal box set aside, swallowing hard—she was still starving.

The fresh ingredients, once cooked, looked so crisp and tender that Sun Ning could barely restrain herself.

“Then I’m going to eat, Captain.”

A wisp of steam slowly rose from Chihong’s head as she buried herself in her pajamas; perhaps she hadn’t heard Sun Ning, for there was no response.

Sun Ning picked up the bowl and chopsticks, shoveling a large mouthful of food into her mouth and puffing out her cheeks like a hamster.

She chewed and chewed.

“Hmm…” Sun Ning suddenly paused.

“Hmm?” A flicker of doubt flashed in her eyes.

“Hmmm!!!” Her chopsticks fell from her hand.

Sour, salty, sweet, bitter—the flavors exploded in her mouth one after the other.

The sourness was cloying, the salt overwhelming, the sweetness sickly, and the bitterness harsh.

Tears welled up in Sun Ning’s eyes.

“Help, help…” The bespectacled girl collapsed to the floor, stretching out a hand toward Chihong for rescue.

“Hehehe…” Chihong’s silly laughter sounded from beneath her pajamas.

…

“Whew—finally escaped.” Mu Yu wiped the sweat from his brow. Thankfully, among those locking down the area was the same officer who had taken him home last time.

Otherwise, slipping away would have been anything but easy.

Tomorrow, he’d call Mo Yan and say something had come up and he’d left early. After all, he’d already wiped out the Shadow Clan—no reason not to go home!

It was just after five—time for tea!

With the glee of someone clocking out early, Mu Yu reached for his phone to call a ride.

Hiss—

His cheerful smile froze awkwardly: both his phones were gone!

One had dropped down the elevator shaft, and the other he’d crushed with his own overgrown strength.

Would these be reimbursed?

Mu Yu tugged at his bandages, suddenly feeling the evening wind chill his body.

Fortunately, his home wasn’t far from the company, or he might not have had the courage to walk back.

Everything else was fine, but what did he look like all wrapped up in bandages?

After enduring several waves of curious stares from passersby, even Mu Yu’s thick skin couldn’t help but flush with embarrassment.

Forget it—better to take a detour through the park.

It was rush hour; the elderly out for their strolls had already gone home to prepare dinner, and the entire park was silent—a stark contrast to the noisy city outside.

But it really was perfect weather for a walk. The setting sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows over Mu Yu.

The evening breeze was no longer stifling but cool and fresh, carrying the sound of cicadas.

Mu Yu felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

How long had it been since he’d wandered through the park?

Over time, many memories had settled. Mu Yu, male, an ordinary office worker—an unremarkable life, devoid of excitement.

Day after day, shuttling between home and the office, all routine.

Someday, he’d probably let his parents arrange a blind date, marry someone suitable, have children, and live out a plain, uneventful life.

But everything had changed since yesterday; these past two days had been more eventful than his entire previous twenty years combined.

He’d taken more lives in these days than in the past two decades.

It was as if there was a clear line dividing his ordinary first twenty years from everything that would come after.

But no matter what, Mu Yu knew there was no going back.

Not just for himself, but for his family. Ordinary people were as fragile as worms in the face of disaster.

If he remained as he was before, he and his family would have just been more cold statistics in reports of gas explosions or natural disasters.

No one would remember them.

Now, he possessed the power to prevent all that.

Mu Yu slowly clenched his fist, the bandage on his right arm splitting with a crisp crackle.

The once gaping wound had vanished, leaving only red marks like a cat’s scratch.

His previously clouded eyes became clear.

He didn’t enjoy killing, whether the target was human or not—the feeling of a living, breathing life shattering in his hands was far from pleasant.

But for the sake of his family, for surviving together, he did not mind staining his hands with blood.

With a long exhale, Mu Yu rolled his shoulders.

A thunderous series of pops echoed through his body, leaving him oddly refreshed.

The lingering scent of blood that had shrouded him began to dissipate.

“Good thing I got home early! Time to cook for my cousin!” Mu Yu returned to his usual lazy self and headed straight through the center of the park.

“Hey, where’s the money I told you to bring yesterday?”

A dull thud followed by an arrogant voice came from not far away.

“Hm?” Mu Yu turned curiously.

A few students in school uniforms lounged near the children’s play equipment, smirking and laughing.

At the center, a girl was digging impatiently through her backpack.

“This is it? Is your family really that poor?”

“No wonder—following that deadbeat father of yours. Did your mom run off with someone else because your dad was so broke?”

Two boys with their hair dyed like rooster combs jeered, egging each other on.

“Hey, boss, kids like this—with that neither-male-nor-female look—obviously weren’t raised properly.”

Filthy insults spewed from their mouths, making Mu Yu frown.

Wait—wasn’t that… his cousin’s school uniform?

Gu Zi sat slumped on the ground, her clothes and pants streaked with dust, bruises darkening the corners of her mouth and eyes.

“Give me my things back.”

“What did you say?” The girl was momentarily stunned, not expecting Gu Zi to speak, and asked incredulously.

“Give. Me. My things. Back.”

The heavy backpack was slammed into Gu Zi’s face, smashing her head to the ground.

“Don’t you have any manners, mutt? Say please.”

The girl, feeling affronted, swung the backpack mockingly.

Gu Zi forced herself upright on thin arms, blood from her brow dripping onto her clothes.

“Please, give me back my things.”

“What? Louder!”

The backpack flew in and out of Gu Zi’s sight, caught and tossed, while laughter from all sides nearly drowned her.

She bit her lip so hard it bled, refusing to let go.

It was always like this—she was always alone.

Her mother had dragged her suitcase away, never stopping even when Gu Zi fell and cried after her.

Her father drank himself into a stupor daily; if she returned home battered, he’d just glance at her coldly before heading back out.

She felt like an unnecessary extra in this world, a burden in everyone’s eyes.

Everyone just wanted to throw her away.

Gu Zi forced her head high, shadow falling into her eyes.

“Please…”

Smack!

A clear slap rang out, cutting her off.

A man stood before Gu Zi, the once overbearing girl now sprawled on the ground, a bright red handprint on her face.

“Hey, get up.” The man turned, his face familiar in its impatience and coldness, as he extended his hand to Gu Zi.

Behind him, the setting sun blazed, dazzling and brilliant.