Chapter 17: Injured
With such a blunder occurring, the first priority was to comfort the person involved.
Tang Yu’an first told Yu Liao not to worry, then asked Wei Langxing if there could have been a mistake in the notification.
Wei Langxing couldn’t imagine such a simple error, so he called Pang Jin.
But the old man didn’t answer his call again, clearly avoiding the issue of him being forced to work with Xie Cun.
Seeing that no one answered after repeated attempts, Tang Yu’an assumed Pang Jin was busy in a meeting. He was their superior, after all; being busy was normal.
But Wei Langxing asked him to try calling as well. Although Tang Yu’an didn’t understand the difference, he complied.
Unexpectedly, the call connected immediately: “Xiao Tang, what’s the matter?”
Wei Langxing snorted. As expected, the old fox was avoiding him.
But Yu Liao’s matter was more important. He took the phone and directly asked Pang Jin to investigate the recruitment records.
They both tacitly understood the reason for the unanswered calls earlier, neither mentioning it.
Pang Jin worked quickly, informing them within two minutes that the main system showed Yu Liao’s score as 413, a failing grade.
Different scores on different systems, how was that possible?
Pang Jin was also surprised. After some discussion, they finally uncovered the truth.
Since a separate department was responsible for recruitment, he hadn’t paid much attention to it. He hadn’t expected such a thing to happen.
He suddenly didn’t know what to say. For those involved in the manipulation, it might have been a simple flick of a finger, but for the person affected, it was a lifelong regret.
If it weren’t for Wei Langxing’s outdated backup system, their manipulation might never have been discovered.
Wei Langxing listened in silence.
Tang Yu’an wasn’t sure whether it was a good time to tell Yu Liao.
How would he feel, suddenly learning that his identity had been stolen for over a decade?
But he had been kept in the dark for so long; he deserved to know the truth.
Traveling through different worlds, Tang Yu’an had seen many people who started with hope, only to be swept away by the currents of fate. In the eyes of others, they might be insignificant, but Tang Yu’an felt a pang of sympathy for them.
Sometimes, just by chance, they missed opportunities, their lives taking a completely different turn.
Without the protection of protagonist’s halo, they could only trudge forward, facing the storms of life head-on, their survival depending entirely on themselves.
Yu Liao had come so far, endured so much. Learning that it wasn’t his lack of ability, but someone’s manipulation that derailed his life, must be incredibly painful.
So, when Tang Yu’an told him, he intentionally focused on the future: “Don’t worry, my superior is very capable. He’ll rectify this…”
Unlike what he had expected, Yu Liao seemed calm, neither angry nor sad.
He even guessed the unspoken part of Tang Yu’an’s message: “The person who stole my identity… is it Zheng Zhi?”
Tang Yu’an nodded silently.
His former friend’s mask fell away. Yu Liao quietly swallowed the bitter pill of betrayal, only uttering: “I should have known.”
Why had Zheng Zhi, whose performance had been inferior to his own, passed with such a high score? Why hadn’t he been surprised by his failure?
He knew Zheng Zhi’s father had some connections; getting him into the Bureau wouldn’t be difficult. But Zheng Zhi chose to steal his identity. Did he… hate him that much?
Thinking back, his comforting presence after his failure seemed more like gloating.
He remembered the days they studied together for the exam, promising to share both fortune and hardship.
Later, when Zheng Zhi, after becoming director, offered him a menial position, he had said the same thing: “We’re brothers, we share both fortune and hardship.”
He had accepted gratefully back then. What a fool he had been.
The fond memories shattered, leaving him with a mix of emotions.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t sensed anything; he had simply chosen to ignore the subtle malice.
He remembered winning a medal in a sports competition and wanting to celebrate with his friend, only to be met with a dismissive: “It’s just a stupid medal, what’s the big deal?”
Zheng Zhi had apologized the next day, saying he had been in a bad mood, so he hadn’t thought much of it.
Perhaps that was the real him.
Was Zheng Zhi’s charity after becoming director truly helping him, or was he simply enjoying the spectacle?
“Sorry, I need some time alone.”
With Yu Liao locking himself in his room, the others stood outside, lost in their own thoughts.
Wei Langxing openly expressed his dissatisfaction: “I can’t believe something like this could happen in the Bureau. What are the Internal Affairs investigators doing?”
Faced with a problem, Tang Yu’an preferred finding solutions rather than being consumed by useless emotions. He asked Pang Jin if the imposter, Zheng Zhi, could be removed. Although not the highest-ranking, Pang Jin had seniority and connections. He immediately guaranteed that Zheng Zhi would be dismissed, and those involved would be dealt with.
Although it wasn’t his responsibility, a youthful sense of justice made him take on the task.
Having been around for so long, he still had some influence.
As for Zheng Zhi’s background? Just a few businessmen, nothing he couldn’t handle. They would be the ones worried if things escalated.
Xie Cun interjected inappropriately: “So, Yu Liao being shot was actually a stroke of luck?”
If it weren’t for that, they wouldn’t have discovered the truth.
As long as the Bureau handled it fairly, Yu Liao would at least be triple-promoted.
Tang Yu’an stopped him: “Don’t say that.”
He didn’t like romanticizing suffering; it felt disrespectful to life.
He glanced at Yu Liao’s closed door: “He… wouldn’t do anything rash, would he?”
Xie Cun: “What’s there to be afraid of? He can’t even die if he tries. He’d heal instantly if he slit his wrists, like playing fruit ninja…”
Tang Yu’an frowned and clicked his tongue, silencing him.
Wei Langxing knocked repeatedly, but there was no response.
Xie Cun, always wanting to join the fun, shouted through the door: “Dude, don’t be so gloomy. Let’s go for drinks to drown your sorrows, and celebrate your promotion! I know a place, lots of pretty boys and girls…”
Wei Langxing grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away, preventing him from corrupting others.
Seeing their attempts fail, Tang Yu’an had intended to give Yu Liao some space, but the sudden sound of shattering glass from inside made his heart clench.
He immediately ran to the door and knocked: “Yu Liao, it’s me. Can you open the door?”
“He’s not talking to anyone right now. Don’t bother.” Xie Cun sprawled on the sofa. “It’s good for him to vent his anger…”
Before he could finish, the door opened.
Xie Cun: “…”
Wei Langxing: “…”
So it was preferential treatment, then.
Tang Yu’an entered the room. Yu Liao was sitting on the bed, shards of glass from a broken cup scattered on the floor.
He even warned Tang Yu’an as he approached: “I dropped a glass just now. Be careful.”
Tang Yu’an carefully avoided the glass, sitting beside him.
After a long silence, he spoke: “Did you know I was in a car accident?”
Yu Liao, surprised that he was talking about his own experience, shook his head.
Tang Yu’an told him that the accident had left him in a coma for a year. The therapist had declared him unlikely to wake up, but he eventually returned. Everyone called it a miracle.
“But there were aftereffects… I forgot everything from before. I can only look forward.”
These words were also meant for Yu Liao, urging him not to be held back by his past.
“Come to think of it, you were shot, I was in a car accident. We have something in common.” Tang Yu’an joked: “Welcome to the ‘Cheated Death’ club.”
Yu Liao stared at him for a few seconds, about to say something, when Tang Yu’an’s expression suddenly changed.
[Beep—Detected life-threatening danger to host. Please take defensive measures immediately.]
Due to system restrictions, tool-men couldn’t be resurrected or transferred to the next world if they died at unscheduled points. However, to minimize losses, the system had a crisis alert function, warning the host a few seconds in advance.
This function had saved Tang Yu’an many times. With this safeguard, he could act with less hesitation.
Tang Yu’an’s first thought was that Yu Liao was going to kill him, as they were the only two people in the room.
But then he realized something was wrong. He didn’t sense any killing intent from Yu Liao, and Yu Liao had no reason to attack him.
Was it a sneak attack, like what happened to Zuo Tinghan?
He immediately summoned his mental energy, enveloping them both in a golden, eggshell-like barrier. It looked fragile, but it was all he could do.
Yu Liao looked confused: “What are you doing…”
Before he could finish, a powerful force struck the barrier, like a sharp blade. Even though Tang Yu’an’s unique mental energy neutralized the attack, they were both thrown back.
Tang Yu’an crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. He quickly checked on Yu Liao, who had been thrown into a corner, looking disheveled but unharmed.
He looked up, seeing the bedside lamp and a painting on the wall sliced cleanly in half.
At that height… if he hadn’t blocked it, it wouldn’t have been half a painting that fell, but Yu Liao’s head.
Hearing the commotion, Wei Langxing and Xie Cun rushed in, running through the debris to Tang Yu’an’s side.
Don’t all crowd around me, Tang Yu’an urged: “I’m fine. Go check on Yu Liao…”
But Wei Langxing didn’t move, his outstretched hand frozen mid-air, as if wanting to help him up but hesitant.
It was just a fall, why was he acting like this, his hand even trembling?
He followed Wei Langxing’s gaze downwards, noticing the blood on the floor.
Blood? Was Yu Liao injured?
No…
His gaze moved slowly, but he saw it. His arms were covered in cuts from the shattered glass, some shards even embedded in his skin, a horrifying sight. Bright red blood trickled down his arms.
Only then did he register the pain.
