Volume One, Chapter 14: Huai Ye, Do Not Go

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The text message was from Song Sinian, asking Qi An to bring her to Kushan.
But the message on WeChat was far more interesting.
She nudged Qi An with her foot. "No wonder Song Sinian didn’t make me kneel; you took the liberty yourself."
The WeChat profile picture was of a young, beautiful girl—Qi Yuan.
So, they were father and daughter.
She opened Qi An’s recent voice message.
“Sweetheart, don’t be sad. Dad will definitely avenge you.”
“She acts like a Song family heiress, but the Song family doesn’t even recognize her.”
“Once I film the video of her scared out of her wits, I’ll send it to you to vent your anger.”
Ding dong.
Qi Yuan sent a voice message.
Song Zuo opened it.
“Dad, haven’t you finished filming? I want to see Song Zuo embarrassed.”
Song Zuo said nothing but grabbed Qi An with one hand and pressed the video recording button with the other. He dragged Qi An to a tombstone, made him lean against it, then stopped recording.
He sent the video directly and tossed his phone aside.
The wind howled around them; shadows of trees swayed.
Occasionally, eerie sounds emerged from the tangled weeds.
This was the scene she had feared most in the past.
When she was ten, her parents took the three siblings back to their hometown.
At that time, the second brother, Song Sinian, went missing while playing on the mountain with his friends. The whole family hurriedly went into the mountain to search.
Later, she found her brother who had rolled down the mountain.
After sending a message to her parents, she planned to wait for him there, but unexpectedly, a criminal hiding on the mountain abducted her.
He covered her mouth and ran swiftly up the mountain, holding her.
Accidentally, they both fell down the mountain and died from the fall.
Her phone was broken, and her foot was injured.
She stayed the whole night beside the corpse with a shattered skull until her family found her at noon the next day.
Since then, she had been terrified of desolate mountains and graveyards.
Who could have imagined that the second brother, who once held her in pain and vowed to protect her for life, now threatened her with her greatest fear.
All just for Song Min.
Unfortunately…
She was no longer afraid of such scenes.
Amid the gusting cold wind, Song Zuo walked to the darkest, deepest cluster of graves nearby. She ruffled her hair fiercely, took out her phone, and dialed Wen Huaiye’s number.
Once connected, her expression changed, her voice trembling with fear. "Huaiye, save me, please come quickly."

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Wen Huaiye anxiously asked, "Zuo Zuo, what happened to you?"
Song Zuo choked on her tears. "Second brother left me in Kushan. I’m so scared. Wen Huaiye, I’m so scared! It’s so dark here!"
"Wait for me, I’m coming right now."
His voice was panicked, accompanied by the sound of dragging a chair.
Song Zuo clearly heard a weak voice from the other end. "Huaiye, don’t go."
It was Song Min’s voice.
The sound of dragging stopped.
Song Min continued, "Huaiye, I forbid you to go."
Song Zuo pretended not to hear Song Min’s voice and sobbed uncontrollably. "Huaiye, it feels like there’s something here. I’m so scared!"
Wen Huaiye was silent for a few seconds, then gently said into the phone, "Zuo Zuo, wait for me, I’m coming right now."
The call ended.
Song Zuo’s expression turned cold. She wiped the tears from her face and leaned against the cold tombstone.
In this world, the truly terrifying thing was never the dead or ghosts.
The only horror was the human heart.
"Wen Huaiye, has your heart also become so terrifying?"
At the Song family residence.
Wen Huaiye pulled Song Min’s hand off and headed outside.
Tears instantly rolled down from the corner of Song Min’s eyes.
Her fragile and pitiful appearance made everyone in the Song family feel heartbroken.
Song Siyan rushed forward in a single stride and blocked Wen Huaiye. "Where are you going?"
Wen Huaiye said, "To Kushan!"
Song Siyan sneered, "What are you going to Kushan for? Don’t forget, you promised Minmin. Are you going to break your word now?"
Wen Huaiye’s gaze was cold as he stared at Song Siyan. "You said Zuo Zuo was unwell and resting, so she didn’t come downstairs. Is she really unwell?"
Almost everyone present had heard the phone call.
Song Siyan retorted, "What, do you care about her?"
Song Min nervously stared at Wen Huaiye.
Wen Huaiye didn’t answer and walked toward the door.
Just as he reached the door, Song Siyan stood up to block him. "I’ll go pick her up."
"You?" Wen Huaiye’s eyes flashed with scorn. "You know better than anyone why Zuo Zuo fears wild mountains and wilderness!"
Song Sinian’s face turned pale.
"You actually used her greatest fear to force her. How can I still trust you to go pick her up?"
Wen Huaiye pushed Song Sinian aside and strode forward. At the door, he turned back and scanned the Song family members. "Zuo Zuo called. None of you were surprised."
"So, your whole family knows she’s in Kushan."
His gaze finally landed on Song Min. "You know too."

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Song Min shook her head. "I don’t know. I know nothing."
"Do you think I’d still believe you?"
After saying this, Wen Huaiye quickly left.
Kushan.
When Wen Huaiye’s car arrived at Kushan, he shouted Song Zuo’s name loudly.
"I’m here."
A weak voice came with the sound of the wind.
Wen Huaiye ran toward the voice and saw Song Zuo curled up in a ball.
"Zuo Zuo!"
Hearing Wen Huaiye’s voice, Song Zuo lifted her tear-streaked face and cried out, "Wen Huaiye! Why did you take so long to come?"
She threw herself into Wen Huaiye’s arms, trembling.
Wen Huaiye picked her up and walked toward the car. "Zuo Zuo, don’t be afraid."
He carried her into the car and put her in the front passenger seat. "I’m taking you to the hospital now."
"No!"
Song Zuo grabbed Wen Huaiye’s arm tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Don’t take me to the hospital. Take me to Hu Yang Road."
"With your condition, why do you want to go to Hu Yang Road?"
Song Zuo held onto his arm tightly. "Perfect Love is about to launch. I want to buy a helmet."
"For just a game!" Wen Huaiye showed dissatisfaction. "Zuo Zuo, don’t be willful!"
Although she had long suspected Wen Huaiye might have forgotten, hearing these words from him still made her heart tremble involuntarily.
"Huaiye, it’s not just a game. It’s the game we dreamed up together, isn’t it?"
This game was the creative idea she and Wen Huaiye came up with in their sophomore year.
Back then, a senior at school was cyberbullied and eventually committed suicide, while the bullies only apologized online.
She was furious and wished those who escaped legal punishment could experience the consequences in a game.
At that time, holographic game technology was nascent and only offered visual immersion.
But now...
A game exactly like the one they had envisioned had been released.
Wen Huaiye looked at Song Zuo helplessly. "Zuo Zuo, do you still think Song Min stole our idea and your original code?"
"She didn’t steal it."
"The Shen family confirmed long ago that before you proposed the idea and presented your original code, Song Min had already submitted the code and concept to Shen Bei."
Song Zuo gripped Wen Huaiye’s arm tightly and couldn’t help but ask, "So you think I stole her idea and took her original code?"