Epiphanies of Rebirth (重生之豁然)

Chapter 13

The old man straightened, looking imposing, and fixed his gaze on the newcomers.

Since he didn't speak, no one else dared to either. It was as if liquid nitrogen froze the air, making everyone restless. Du Kang's greeting remained unanswered, and he began to sweat. He looked up and noticed the handcuffs on Elder Fang's wrists. He almost staggered due to his suddenly soft knees.

It wasn't enough for Liu to condemn himself—he wanted to drag down everyone else with him!

Du Kang hated he couldn't grab a gun and shoot the man then and there. His bow deepened, and he tore off the key on Liu belt and personally unlocked Elder Fang's handcuffs. He asked ingratiatingly, "Why don't we change locations, sir?"

Elder Fang asked, expressionless, "Are you 'inviting' me somewhere too?"

He's angry! And not just a little! Du Kang swallowed thickly and forced himself to smile, "Please don't jest, sir. I'm simply worried there are too many people here—what if someone carelessly bumps into you? The rest of the museum delegation is waiting for you at the guest house. They're worried about your health. They kept exhorting me to make sure you're unharmed and to bring you back..."

"Unharmed? I am indeed unharmed, haha!" Elder Fang clasped his hands behind his back, and his fathomless eyes slowly swept their surroundings. This sounded like praise, but Du Kang's back was damp with sweat. "The owner of this house, a patriotic young man who donated valuable cultural relics to our museum, has been taken away by your extremely competent subordinate to 'assist in the investigation.' I have to thank you for coming just in time—a few minutes later, and I guess I'd have ended up the same!"

Du Kang didn't dare raise his head. He could only repeat, "I was negligent in my supervision."

Elder Fang gave him a profound look, snorted coldly, and passed through the crowd to the exit.

He walked past Liu without sparing him even a glance as if the man was transparent. It was obvious he didn't consider him worth even a fraction of his attention.

With the stalemate finally broken, the four bodyguards quickly appeared at the old man's side, blocking Du Kang from offering his arm as support. Yet, though he was so rudely rejected, nothing negative was visible on his face—he politely gave way, and the bodyguards went ahead.

Suddenly, his arm was caught. He turned his head and met Liu's deathly pale face.

Liu's eyes were empty. He'd worked in Liyun Town for many years and had a lot of contact with Du Kang. Du Kang always presented the image of a calm, dignified leader. This was the first time he ever saw him so subservient.

Just how important is that old man? Liu realized this wasn't a simple failure the moment he was slapped—but with every pa.s.sing second, his heart sank deeper and deeper. Now, his heart pounded in his chest, his blood pressure soared, and genuine fear had his back soaked in cold sweat.

"Secretary, Secretary Du... This..."

He couldn't even speak properly. The palm of his hand on Du Kang's arm was damp. The only thought on his mind was that he couldn't let the other man go—some subconscious instinct screamed that once Du Kang left, his life was over.

His intuition wasn't wrong. The moment Du Kang saw him, the respectful, polite smile disappeared as if it was never there. His expression became dark instead, eyes burning with fury. He looked moments away from strangling Liu to death.

"Liu Qishi." Du Kang spat out Liu's full name. He grabbed the hand on his arm and, one-by-one, pried the fingers open.

He didn't want to stay here a second longer. But, before he left, he pointed his finger at Liu and said, voice surprisingly gentle, "We'll settle this later, don't you forget."