Mu Yuze had no idea what to expect when he came here for the second time, but it definitely was not a scene of utter chaos.

Blood was splattered on the otherwise spotless floor, people were crowding in the main lobby, the waiting area and the emergency area – literally everywhere. All of them were injured and covered in cuts and bruises to some degree, while the more severe ones were sprawled on the bed, moaning and groaning in pain.

He caught Doctor Jia straddling a patient on the bed, his hands against the man’s chest, pumping in a rapid yet orderly rhythm while counting under his breath. Around him, men were crying out, pleading desperately, "Please... please, you have to save him!"

Meanwhile, the aforementioned patient lay motionlessly on the bed, his eyes tightly shut with blood flowing out of his—

"Don’t look." His vision abruptly turned black and it took him two full seconds to realize that it was He Juan’s large palm that was covering his eyes. Gently, the man guided him toward the grand staircase, away from the pandemonium. His careful touch was searing against Mu Yuze’s back, a stark contrast to his voice that was akin to soothing balm. "It’s okay, Xiao Ze. Don’t be afraid..."

Mu Yuze wanted to protest, saying that he was not afraid. Yet he found himself unable to utter even a word; they stuck to his throat akin to a glob of paste, sticky and unpleasant. It was not until they arrived at the base of the staircase that He Juan released his hand from Mu Yuze’s eyes, asking in concern. "Are you okay?"

Why was he asking this? Again, Mu Yuze opened his mouth and squeezed the words out of his constricted throat. "...Fine." He was startled at how dry and raspy it sounded. Unbeknownst to him, his hands were balled into fists and hot sweat trickled down from his temple. The bloody scene earlier had utterly... caught him by surprise, to say the least. Mu Yuze couldn’t quite describe the stuffiness in his chest or why he was feeling like this. Was it because this was the first time he encountered dying people again after... after what had happened to his father? He raised his gaze to He Juan who was still looking as calm and unperturbed as ever, if not for the pair of silver eyes that glimmered with warm concern toward him.

"What happened?" He forced himself to ask, his tone stiff and clipped. "Those people outside..."

Mu Yuze was no fool. He could sense that they had the same aura as the ones who had sought his father a few times before – the ones whom He Juan had defeated without even moving a finger.

He Juan clicked his tongue and murmured quietly. "Should have arranged an appointment first..." But to Mu Yuze, he gave a reassuring smile and patted his head gently, as the man always did. "Don’t bother yourself with them. It’s just a small dispute."

Mu Yuze strived not to show the surprise on his face. A small dispute? Small enough to... reap lives?

As they made their way up to the second floor, Mu Yuze couldn’t help but ask again, this time more confident that He Juan would not snap at him, rebuke him harshly or worse, beat him up. "Does something like this happen often?"

"Err..." A slight hesitation flashed across He Juan’s features. His answer came out more like a question, unsure. "Perhaps?"

Mu Yuze knew better than to press for an answer. He nodded and pretended to drop the topic, even though his mind was running a thousand miles per second. Judging from how familiar He Juan was with this place, Mu Yuze assumed that he had visited quite often in the past. But why? Why did he choose to come here, an underground clinic, rather than any legal hospital in the city? What had happened back then that caused He Juan to disappear for a week only to return with multiple injuries on his body?

Who was this man, exactly?

Mu Yuze had a hunch that he was already close to the truth. He only needed one missing link to connect the scattered pieces of puzzle, and he would be able to crack the enigma that was He Juan. For now though, he needed to be patient.

They walked down the familiar hallway toward the room they had rested in yesterday.

Mu Yuze heard Doctor Jia mention in passing that it was the room He Juan usually stayed in when he was here. It led to more questions. Why did He Juan have his own room in the underground clinic? Was he a major shareholder in this place too, just like the restaurant?

Too lost in his own thoughts, Mu Yuze failed to realize when beside him, He Juan abruptly halted in his tracks. He only snapped back to his senses when he heard someone cry out, "XIU!"

Surprised, he raised his head and saw a man in front of He Juan’s room, only perking up once he sensed their presence. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, at most. He had an extremely fair complexion, a mess of soft curly hair on top of his head, delicate features and a pair of light brown eyes that immediately lit up once they landed on the Alpha beside him. There was something in the way he looked at He Juan that twisted Mu Yuze’s stomach in knots, and the heavy feeling in his chest returned twice fold, rendering him unable to breathe.

He turned to face He Juan, almost in a reflex, only to pause when he saw a completely unfamiliar expression on the man’s face. He Juan still had the usual gentle smile on his face, but Mu Yuze couldn’t help but feel like it did not quite reach his eyes.

It made him look... colder and distant. Unfamiliar.

Or... was it how the man truly was?

"What are you doing here, A-Mu?" Even his usual warm tone was nowhere to be found. Instead, his words managed to send chills down Mu Yuze’s spine. His instinct, that had been honed through years of foraging through scraps on the street and avoiding his violent father, issued a loud alarm. Danger! It clamored restlessly.

It took Mu Yuze one full second to recall that he had received the exact same feeling before. It was when He Juan had just defeated those thugs and entered the car. At that time, Mu Yuze felt like the oxygen around him had been sucked away, and he had difficulty breathing around the low pressure He Juan was emitting.

That was also the first time he got the vivid impression that he could not trust this man’s gentle and kind appearance.

"I..." A-Mu’s eyes dimmed slightly. He chewed on his bottom lip before bracing himself to speak. "About last night—"

He Juan raised his hand, effectively causing A-Mu to clamp his mouth shut. Mu Yuze was startled when the man suddenly turned to him, a hint of warmth reappearing in his hard silver eyes as he gestured toward the door. "I have to speak with this person for a while. Can you wait inside for me, Xiao Ze?"

Mu Yuze glanced at them back and forth, then nodded without a word. ’Do I even have another choice?’ he thought bitterly.

Swallowing past the extreme dryness on his throat, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. And a split second before the door slid close, he saw A-Mu stepping close to He Juan and murmur in a soft and pleading tone, "I’m sorry, XIU. Did I... did I say something that offended you?"

Oh. Mu Yuze finally realized why this voice sounded so familiar to him when this was clearly the first time they had ever met.

This was the same omega who had put forward such a bold request to He Juan last night.