Yixiong didn't know if the young man had switched the conversation to something else because he didn't want Yixiong to listen to their conversation or because he just happened to want to talk about something else.

"Nothing has changed. He's still unconscious."

"What did the doctor say?"

"Same as before. Hope is still there, but not likely."

"They said so?"

"Not quite like that. They said it in technical terms and very ambiguous. But that's the gist of it. At least, that's what we thought."

"You don't want to get another doctor's opinion?"

"Seeing the severity of my father's condition, I don't think the other doctors would just say anything just to make us happy."

"So your father will be unconscious for the rest of his life?"

"I don't know. The doctor said the important thing is that he's stable. He's just unconscious."

"Then what about the police? They're not going to investigate further?"

"Police say there isn't enough evidence linking my father's condition to what happened to him."

"Haven't the police also asked the doctors to check for that possibility?"

"The doctor who was asked by the police to check my father's condition said that my father's condition like that was most likely caused by a congenital disease that my father had suffered for a long time."

"But that doesn't mean those people can be free just like that."

"The police did process them legally. It's just that my father's condition was not part of the charges against them."

"Oh! I don't know what to say. This is really unfair."

"I know. My uncle said that life is like that. Sometimes we will be faced with unfair realities."

Yixiong poked Shanquan's waist. He wanted to know whether or not Shanquan had also eavesdropped on the conversation.

Shanquan suddenly bent his back. He bent his body down to his knees. Shanquan pressed his palms behind his head. His body position was very similar to the Brace Position people did when the plane was in an emergency. Yixiong didn't understand why Shanquan did such a strange act. But because he wanted to know more, he also did what Shanquan did.

"I know you find the conversation between the two beside you are very interesting. But there is something else that is no less important." Shanquan whispered when Yixiong was already in the same body position as him.

"Those two must think we're both crazy by now," Yixiong whispered softly. "What other thing did Dage want to say?"

"The person sitting across from us. Ever since we've been sitting here, he's been looking at us strangely."

Because earlier, Yixiong focused on the two people sitting on his left. So he didn't pay attention to the other passengers. Yixiong was already preparing to lift his body. He wanted to see the person Shanquan mentioned.

"Don't you look at that person!" Shanquan rebuked in a whisper. "Don't let him suspect that we've noticed that he's watching us."

"I think he knows now. Normal people would be suspicious when they saw someone suddenly bend over like we did."

"Not necessarily. Maybe he thinks we're weirdos or mental hospital patients who left prematurely."

"Then what should we do?"

"In ten seconds, I will return to the original position. Three or four seconds later, then you catch up. Do it naturally."

"Naturally, how?"

"Just do it. Don't look ahead."

Shanquan then rose from that position. Three seconds later, Yixiong straightened his back.

"That person is gone," said Shanquan. "He left when we were in Brace's position."

"Maybe he's scared." Yixiong laughed. He looked to the left. The two of them had also disappeared.

"I think they moved to the next carriage." Shanquan also laughed.

The other passengers were still in the carriage. They said nothing. There were three or four people who looked at Yixiong and Shanquan strangely. But the others seemed unconcerned.

"Who do you think that person is? Does he have anything to do with the people watching our house?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I don't know who he is," Shanquan said. "But now that I think about it, I don't think he has anything to do with the things we're going through. Maybe our appearances happen to be similar to certain people who have problems with him."

"I think so."

"Now we have to get ready to get off the train. We'll be at our destination station in a minute." Shanquan got up from the seat.

The station they were going to at that time to get to Yingyue's relative's house was indeed very close. Only two stations away. In no time, they had arrived at their intended station. Shanquan and Yixiong got off in an orderly manner. With firm steps, they walked out of the station. Their steps were light but relatively fast.

"What's Dage's plan?" Yixiong had to ask because Shanquan hadn't explained at all what they had to do that morning.

"No special plans. We will head straight to Miss Lüqiu's relative's house."

"What kinds of things are we going to do there?"

"We're just going to see what Miss Lüqiu's relative's house looks like,"

"Aren't we going to talk to them?"

"Tomorrow, I have to take Miss Lüqiu home. Of course, it would seem strange if I met them now, but I said nothing about the girl."

"So we will not talk to the people in the house?"

"Maybe we should talk to their neighbors."

"It's a luxury housing complex. Residents in a place like that are usually very secretive. The neighbors don't know each other."

"They must have had housekeepers, drivers, gardeners, etc. Usually, they are a valuable source of information."

"Then how do we get into the compound? The entrance to the elite housing estate must be heavily guarded."

"When we get there, we'll think about it." Shanquan smiled.

I hope luck will always be on our side.

It was clear to Yixiong that Shanquan had absolutely no plans. Right now, Shanquan was only acting according to his instincts. This Dage was indeed strange. Sometimes he had a thousand plans but did nothing. Sometimes he didn't have any plans, but he was determined to act, just like now. But whatever might happen after that, Yixiong would still support Shanquan's actions.

There were actually times when Yixiong doubted himself. Following others blindly was not a smart move. It was more like the actions of an uneducated idiot. It was natural that important figures in society always had followers. However, Shanquan was not an influential person. Shanquan was an ordinary person who had no power whatsoever. Following Shanquan could be said to be pointless. But somehow, Yixiong felt that what he did was not a mistake. Apart from him, at least three other people did the same thing. There was no way the four of them were all wrong. Shanquan must have a certain virtue. A virtue that, at that moment, they might not be aware of. Maybe even Shanquan himself wasn't aware of it either.

"Now, what vehicle do we have to take to get there?" Yixiong looked left and right after they came to the main road directly in front of the subway station exit.

"It's not far from here. We're not in a rush, so let's just walk." Shanquan's tone was relaxed.

On foot? It wasn't too far away, but not too close, either.

Luckily, Yixiong was very similar to Shanquan. Not only their faces and body stature were similar but also some habits they had. Shanquan loved walking, and so did Yixiong. So Shanquan's decision was not an unpleasant one for Yixiong.

They walked along the sidewalk of the main road. Yueming was very close to Pingyuan, so they had traveled to the area many times. Shanquan and Yixiong could even be said to have memorized the fairly large streets of Yueming.

"At the intersection in front, we turn right," said Shanquan. "After that, we walk about five hundred meters. When we get there, we have to turn left. Then we walk straight. Maybe about seven hundred or eight hundred meters from there, there is a big gate, which is the entrance to the elite housing estate."

"What if later, the guard at the gate kicks us out because we don't have an appointment to meet one resident there? Yixiong again raised the concern he felt.

"I already told you. Let's not think about it now. We'll talk about it later when we reach the gate."

Yixiong laughed at what Shanquan had just said.

I know! Dage chose to walk there on foot to buy time. He must be racking his brains right now to figure out a way to get us into the housing complex.

Even though they were walking leisurely, their walking speed was still quite high compared to the average person. Shanquan and Yixiong's version of a leisurely walk was indeed different from most people's casual walk. In no time, they had arrived at a huge intersection.

There, they heard sirens wailing. From the left of the intersection, several fire engines were flashing past the intersection. Yixiong and Shanquan paused for a moment. At the big intersection, there were pedestrian bridges that connected each side of the four roads at the intersection. Countless people were crowding each side of the road connected at the intersection.

"Oh, here are some more fire trucks. Looks like the previous ones weren't enough to put out everything." Someone in the crowd pointed to several passing fire engines.

"I think the fire was huge, so the fire service put a lot of cars in their fleet to put out the fire that's been raging since this dawn." His friend, who was beside that person, chimed in with such a loud voice. Maybe he was worried that his friend wouldn't be able to hear because the atmosphere was far from quiet.

"In the past, when my village burned down, not too many cars came." Someone else chimed in on their conversation. The two people who had spoken earlier turned to the person who had just spoken.

"Where is your village?" The person who was the first to speak looked at the person who had just joined in on the comment.

"My village is in Datian." The man looked proud when he mentioned where he lived.

Yixiong laughed inwardly. Datian was one of the densest settlements in the city. Most of the residents were lower-class people.

"Of course, Sir!" said the person whose voice was thunderous. "This time, it was the elite housing that burned. It was the upper-class people who lived there. So it's only natural that the fire service gave priority."

Yixiong gasped at the man's words. He turned to Shanquan. Instantly, Shanquan's face turned pale. He was so tense.

"Now we have to hurry over there." Shanquan's voice trembled slightly. It wasn't very obvious, but Yixiong was sure the people's chatter had a significant impact on Shanquan's emotions.