The Long Corporation which was usually busy with people moving around seriously is now filled with people chatting casually as they moved towards the cafeteria during their breaktime. The usual coldness is filled with the lively atmosphere of various employees' laughter and gossip. But this liveliness doesn't touch the far corner end of the ground floor, where a woman could be seen helping another while kneeling in front of her.
The tension in the air was so dense that the receptionist who's helping Zhu Lian was sweating profusely. Zhu Lian who was left behind by Long Yuzhou is fuming in anger as her pale white knuckles cracked as she fisted her hands in control her anger.
The receptionist who helped applied a cold pack to the injured leg, wrapped an elastic bandage to reduce the swelled, looked up at Zhu Lian, saying in a low voice,
"Ms.Lian, you shouldn't have gone this length of injuring yourself just to gain attention from Mr.Long"
Zhu Lian who was already fuming in anger because of being abandoned, had her sore wound touched with those words. Suddenly her face darkened as she looked down at the receptionist with cold eyes, her words dripping with venom as she said,
"You think I don't know you joined here just to seduce MY, Mr.Long and destroy his name, you bitch!!"
Zhu Lian doesn't show any mercy as she kicked the receptionist hard in the abdomen, making her writhe in pain. Zhu Lian didn't look at the receptionist anymore as she limped her way towards her cabin in a foul mood.
The source of such commotion inside Long Corporation, the chairman, Long Yuzhou was unaware of a thing about it as he's currently driving his classy Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge desperately searching for a glimpse of a sleek red Ferrari car. The Cullinan Black Badge towards the outskirts of Shanghai, as dark clouds rolled over and a heavy downpour started.
Long Yuzhou was not happy with the sudden rain, his grip on the steering wheel tightened as a frown appeared between his brows. Despite the rain and slippery road, Long Yuzhou didn't slow down his speed till he caught a glimpse of the red Ferrari car in a forest area.
Long Yuzhou pulled over a little far away from the Ferrari and observed silently from inside. He still couldn't understand why he came here desperately searching or why he's panicking and started becoming nervous when he saw that look in Yan Jiuheng's eyes when he left the basement earlier.
Long Yuzhou got worried when he couldn't notice any movement inside the Ferrari for a long while. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number which was saved as 'Trouble Maker'. The call disconnected after ringing for a long time. But Long Yuzhou didn't give up as he tried again till he couldn't take it anymore.
Long Yuzhou threw his phone away in frustration, his long fingers opened the car door as he got out despite the heavy rain. He didn't care much about the rain soaking his blue suit or the mud dirtying his polished black shoes. He watched towards the red Ferrari in fast pace as he reached it in just four strides.
The heavy rain combined with dense forest made it impossible for Long Yuzhou to look inside the Ferrari as the glasses are foggy obscuring his vision. He tried knocking on the window but no response could be heard from inside. He suddenly felt his heart beat quicken as he desperately tried to open the doors of the car but couldn't succeed.
Just as Long Yuzhou was about to break the car's door, a rustling was heard from inside the forest. The rustling was so soft that it could be mistaken for the rain hitting the trees. Long Yuzhou paused, turning towards the direction where the rustling was heard. He hesitated for a moment before taking a step forward, calling out amidst the rain,
"Jiuheng? Are you there? Answer me!"
Long Yuzhou's voice trembled when calling out the name but he schooled his emotions quickly as if the tremble never existed. When he still didn't get any response, he could hold himself anymore as he started running towards the rustling sound without caring about the mud splattering on his shoes and pants or his disheveled hair.
Long Yuzhou's steps paused near a bush with wide eyes, as his fingers visibly trembled at the sight in front of him. He couldn't form any words as he saw a white furred fox with orange hues along the edges and a golden motif on its forehead, curling into a ball in the muddy ground, hiding behind the bush unaware of the heavy rain or the arrival of Long Yuzhou.
The pristine white fur of the fox is dirtied by the mud, making it look like it had gone through a struggle to survive. The fox doesn't even flinch or open its eyes as footsteps get near it. Long Yuzhou felt his heart drop at the sight of the fox, as he crouched down in front of the sleeping fox who's vulnerable and unaware of its surroundings.
Long Yuzhou's long fingers nuzzled the fur behind its ears gently, calling out in an almost tender voice, "Jiuheng~"
The fox stirred while frowned but didn't wake up. Long Yuzhou found it surprising to see no adverse response so he checked the temperature, only to find that despite the cold rain pouring down, its body is hot as a hearth.
Long Yuzhou didn't waste any time as removed his thick blue coat which was already soaking wet. He gently scooped the fox in his arms, wrapping the coat around it, protecting it from the rain as he brought it back to his Cullinan Black Badge.
Once inside, Long Yuzhou turned on the heating system in the car, taking out a dry towel from the storage. As he turned to wipe the fox dry, he noticed the fox nuzzling more into his wet coat wrapped around it, refusing to let it go.
A gentle smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the naughty white fox. He couldn't help but coax the fox into letting go of his coat saying,
"Jiuheng, stop being spoiled and let go of the coat. It's soaking wet and your condition might get worse if you continue to play with it."
As if understanding his words, the fox let go of his coat in an instance as if being burned by it. Long Yuzhou took his coat away, as he once again picked up the fox and placed it on his lap as he dried the fur of the fox gently, his eyes softening. The fox on his lap doesn't play around and cooperates well despite its feverish body.
Once Long Yuzhou made sure that the fox was dried up, he pulled out another coat from the storage, wrapping it around the fox, before letting it sleep on the copilot seat. Long Yuzhou was silent through the entire process and only said a few words before starting his Cullinan Black Badge.
"Let me take care of you till you get well, Jiuheng" His voice was so tender that anyone who heard it will think that he's talking to his beloved but not his archenemy.
The ride back to Long Yuzhou's mansion was silent except for the soft breathing of the fox, the light humming of the heating system and the rumbling of the engine.
Long Yuzhou's mansion was so grand and luxurious with no people in it. There are few securities outside to guard the mansion but no housekeepers could be seen inside the mansion. The securities quickly opened the gate as his car approached the mansion. The Cullinan Black Badge drove to the garage as Long Yuzhou got out of it with the white fox still draped in his coat after parking it.
Long Yuzhou walked into his mansion while carrying the fox carefully in his arms. Without a second thought, he brought the fox to his room. He gently placed the fox on his bed, adjusting the coat over its furry body. He activated the heating system in his room before going to freshen up as his body is sticky and dirty with the rain water and the mud from the forest. He discarded his dress into the washing machine before walking into the bathroom.
After a warm shower, Long Yuzhou returned to the bedroom with a towel draped over his waist and a hand towel drying his wet hair. He casually walked towards the bed, sitting down beside the still feverish fox. He looked at the fox for a while, before grabbing his phone to make a call.
The call connected within three rings and a raspy voice sounded at the other end.
"Look who's calling! What made the great dragon reach out to this humble self?"
Long Yuzhou wanted to roll his eyes at his words but he didn't as he explained the situation.
"Dr. Chen, don't be so petty for your age. It's just that I might need your assistance in something."
Dr. Chen's raspy voice turned serious from the earlier playfulness as he asked,
"What is the thing that you can't handle on your own but want my assistance in it?"
Long Yuzhou hesitated before explaining the situation of Yan Jiuheng to him. Dr. Chen listened to it carefully before saying,
"Looks like he has reverted into his true form to handle the loss of the wolf he took care of, so just help him reduce the fever for now and try to reassure him gently and don't show that hatred you have for him right now. Give him sometime and he might recover on his own."
Long Yuzhou listened silently before disconnecting abruptly without any more words. He looked down at the fox sleeping peacefully while nuzzling into his coat wrapped around it. He couldn't help but gently caress its furry body as a thought carelessly left his mouth.
"Jiuheng, are you always this vulnerable? Am I wrong about you? The hatred between us, was it invalid from the start? What is the side you hide from everyone but only known to Liu Zhong?"