TLSMLMMM Chapter 36

Today it was Si Yunyi’s turn to look after the old master. The old man was clearly not in good spirits, groggy and half-asleep for most of the day. When he saw his youngest son arrive, he forced himself to perk up a little, accompanied Si Yunyi through dinner, and then grew so drowsy he could barely keep his eyes open.

After settling the old master into bed, Third Sister arrived on schedule to take over the shift.

On the way home, Si Yunyi watched the stream of passing cars and thought of Chu Junlie’s evasive gaze and strange behavior over the past couple of days. He raised his hand to check the time, it was just about Chu Junlie’s usual time to get off work.

“We’re not going home yet,” Si Yunyi said, lifting his eyes to the driver. “Go to the New District shopping center.”

A hint of surprise flashed through the driver’s eyes, but he still changed lanes and altered their destination.

Si Yunyi knew very well that Chu Junlie took the bus home every day. He had the driver park at a spot not far from the bus stop and kept watch on the employees getting off work from the shopping center.

They waited a full half hour. The driver stared intently at the bus stop but didn’t see Chu Junlie anywhere.

Watching the nearby young couples walking hand in hand, the driver’s gaze kept sweeping around. Suddenly, he noticed a figure sprinting past across the street.

The runner stood out strikingly in the crowd. Although the driver couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, judging by the posture and build, it was very likely the person Young Master Si was waiting for.

The driver turned his head and saw that Young Master Si had also spotted Chu Junlie. Looking back again, Chu Junlie seemed to suddenly hear something; he turned sideways and ran toward a less crowded area, his figure disappearing into the crowd.

The driver was familiar with that area—it was a large, vacant commercial zone. Although the New District shopping center had opened, the surrounding shops had never really attracted business. Some had moved in, but within a few months there was no follow-up.

That area was now completely deserted. What was Young Master Chu going there for?

The driver instinctively glanced at the man in the back seat and saw that Young Master Si already had his hand on the car door.

“I’ll step out for a bit. Wait for me here.”

Si Yunyi got out of the luxury car and headed in the direction where Chu Junlie had disappeared.

Empty storefronts, piles of construction debris left uncleared going farther in, Si Yunyi heard screams caused by overwhelming pain.

The voice was not Chu Junlie’s.

Following the sound and turning past a row of shops, Si Yunyi finally saw where the cries were coming from.

Several burly men had already been beaten so badly they couldn’t get up. One lay on the ground rolling in agony, clutching a wrist that was visibly deformed. Another knelt on the ground, his body hunched like a shrimp, both hands trembling as he covered his face, unable to make a sound.

An elderly man with gray-white hair sat on the ground in a daze, staring at everything around him as if he were dreaming.

“He—hey, don’t come any closer. I’ve got people backing me up. They won’t let you off. You…”
The man who spoke seemed to be the leader of the group. His voice trembled badly, and a swollen red welt ran across his face. He could barely get his words out.

Si Yunyi watched as Chu Junlie, expressionless, stepped on the man’s hand and drove the steel rod down hard.

Blood splattered instantly. A streak of it flew onto Chu Junlie’s face, yet even in the face of the man’s heart-rending screams, he merely reached for the blade again.

The man began to cry for help, to beg for mercy, thrashing his legs like livestock facing the butcher’s knife.

From beginning to end, Chu Junlie’s gaze never changed—cold, as though the man before him were not of the same species. Pale blue veins bulged on the back of his hand gripping the knife, the muscles of his arm straining against his sleeve, packed with frightening explosive force.

The blade went down, steady and true.

The elderly man couldn’t quite bear to watch. He turned his eyes aside and then saw a man standing quietly not far away.

Someone had seen it!

The old man stared at the witness, his heart nearly stopping.

How much had he seen? Would he call the police? If he had arrived late and only saw Xiao Chu beating people, with no surveillance cameras around, then once they got to the police station, these debt collectors might even bite back and claim that Xiao Chu had provoked them first!

The old man’s nerves tightened to the breaking point. He could almost see the young man going to jail because of him. Worse still, the boy was a live-in son-in-law, this might ruin his marriage and his future!

“Xiao Chu!” the old man shouted, his eyes filled with anxiety and panic.

It was all because of him. All because of him that this good child had been pushed into such danger!

The old man watched Chu Junlie turn around and saw the young man’s expression collapse as if the sky had fallen. He panicked, hurriedly wiping the blood from his face and hands.

Chu Junlie looked utterly flustered. The hand that had just driven the blade down so steadily now trembled slightly. He looked like a child caught by a parent doing something unforgivable, desperately rubbing the blood onto his clothes. The old man vaguely sensed that something was off.

He looked toward the man walking over from the distance, his steps steady.

As the distance closed, the old man saw the man’s tall figure and refined features. Behind his lenses, his eyes were cool and clear, exactly the kind of noble young master only a wealthy family could cultivate.

Calling him a “young master” didn’t seem quite right either. His expression was calm, his experience evident; he already carried the composed presence of someone capable of standing on his own. Immaculate and aloof, one could tell at a glance that he was different from ordinary people.

Such an outstanding man clearly didn’t belong in this environment. The old man couldn’t understand why he would appear in a place like this.

Chu Junlie clearly heard the footsteps behind him, yet he kept his head down, not daring to turn around.

The old man suddenly snapped out of it. He struggled to his feet and hurried to explain to the man, “It’s not what you think! This young man was trying to save me. These men are no good, this is all because of me!”

Si Yunyi cast a calm glance at the back of Chu Junlie’s head.

“Look, there are so many of them, and only two of us. There are no cameras here. They—they…”
The old man rambled for a moment, then suddenly realized something. He turned to Chu Junlie and shoved him.

“There are no cameras! Run! Hurry and run! He didn’t get a good look at your face—run!”

Pushed twice by the old man, Chu Junlie forced himself to raise his head, a bitter expression on his face.

“Where would I run?”

“Where else? Home!” the old man snapped. “Don’t tell anyone about this. Even if something happens, I’ll take responsibility!”

Chu Junlie fell silent for a long while. Then he cautiously lifted his eyes toward the man beside him. Seeing that Mr. Si showed no extra expression, he carefully edged one step closer to him.

Si Yunyi did not move away.

“Why aren’t you leaving yet?” The old man’s eyes were filled with despair. “Are you waiting for the police to come and arrest you?”

“That won’t be necessary.” Si Yunyi lowered his gaze, sweeping it over the men on the ground, his voice light and calm.

“Cases recognized as acts of justified defense or brave intervention generally don’t result in criminal liability.”

“Huh?” The old man stared at him, stunned. “What?”

“Well…” Chu Junlie lowered his head, the tips of his ears turning red, and introduced the man beside him to the old man.
“This is the person I often tell you about—my, my… lover.”

The old man froze in place. His eyes shifted back and forth between Chu Junlie and the man, comparing them again and again. When he looked once more at Chu Junlie, the shock in his heart took a long time to settle.

So that’s how it was.

They were family.

Only then did the old man belatedly realize that Chu Junlie’s actions earlier had already explained everything.

“Th-then what now…” The old man raised a hand and scratched his face, not knowing what to say.

“I’ll notify the police and explain the situation here,” Si Yunyi said, looking at the old man. “These people likely all have prior records. They were carrying controlled weapons, assaulting a debtor, and physically attacking you all of that is illegal. You’re the victim, so there’s no need to worry.”

“I’m not even the debtor…” the old man said guiltily, lowering his head. “It’s my son.”

“Your son’s debts are his own responsibility,” Si Yunyi said, glancing at the men on the ground. “And no company’s scope of business includes ‘debt collection.’ He claimed he has people backing him—then the police can pull those people down as well.”

Looking at the man before him, the old man didn’t know why, but the panic in his heart slowly faded. The man spoke at an unhurried pace, his gaze rational and restrained, gradually bringing a sense of calm.

While Mr. Si was talking with the old man, Chu Junlie quietly crept to the side and pulled out the knife and steel rod. The man on the ground was jolted awake by the pain. Chu Junlie took off one of his shoes and stuffed the toe into his mouth.

After finishing all this, Chu Junlie looked up at Si Yunyi. Si Yunyi gave him a calm glance, signaling him not to touch the scene any further.

Chu Junlie broke into a wide grin and stood behind Si Yunyi, beaming happily at the old man.

Before long, the ambulance and police cars arrived with sirens wailing. Si Yunyi took the two of them to the police station, where they gave statements and underwent injury assessments.

The sequence of events was very clear. Among the few men, one turned out to be a fugitive, which made the matter even simpler.

By the time night had fully fallen, the group finally left the police station and sent the old man back to his rented room.

Inside the rental, things were broken and battered. Chu Junlie brought over a broom and swept all the shattered pieces out. The old man looked at the newly bought items reduced to this state, his eyes full of regret.

“It doesn’t matter if things are broken,” Si Yunyi said, standing nearby and looking at the old man. “Tomorrow, Xiao Chu can accompany you to buy them again.”

“Today I’ve already caused you so much trouble,” the old man said, lowering his head in shame. “How could I ask you to help me buy this and that again?”

“It’s really okay!” Chu Junlie returned after taking out the trash, his eyes shining. “After hearing me talk about you, Mr. Si has always been concerned about your health. The money for this rental and for buying food and daily necessities—all of it was paid by Mr. Si!”

The old man looked at the immaculate man before him and felt even more ashamed.

Before, whenever Chu Junlie said the money came from his lover, the old man had thought he was just saying it to put him at ease. He hadn’t expected it to be true.

Thinking about it now, Xiao Chu really was as lucky as he said, able to find such an outstanding partner.

Si Yunyi looked at the elderly man and recalled what had happened in the book about Chu Junlie’s elderly friend.

In the story, the old man collapsed beside a pile of garbage. After Chu Junlie discovered him, he immediately sent him to the hospital. Tests revealed mid-to-late-stage liver cancer. If surgery were possible, he might have lived another one or two years but Chu Junlie couldn’t scrape together the surgical fees. He swallowed his pride and went to beg relatives from a collateral branch of the Si family, only to come away empty-handed in the end.

There is no definitive answer as to when liver cancer begins to form, but if this old man truly was part of Chu Junlie’s fate, and they had encountered each other earlier this time, then perhaps the illness could be discovered sooner, diagnosed at an early stage and treated promptly with surgery allowing the old man to live longer.

But if that happened, it would very likely delay the time when Chu Junlie obtained the medical manual, or even prevent him from ever obtaining it at all.

Si Yunyi had also just heard that the old man had a biological son who was deeply in debt.

After Chu Junlie finished tidying the room, he looked up and saw Mr. Si standing silently at the doorway.

“Mr. Si, are you tired?” Chu Junlie asked with concern. It was already deep into the night, and at this hour Mr. Si would usually be resting.

“A little,” Si Yunyi replied, lifting his head. His gaze passed over the old man’s caring face and then settled on Chu Junlie.

“Tomorrow, take the old gentleman to the hospital for a thorough checkup.”