Chapter 2548: Inhuman: Xiao Chen, 39 Days After Amnesia

Detention center.

Inside the single-occupancy room, the light was harsh white and icy cold.

Ye Lu curled up on the hard plank bed, his mind wandering wildly about how to appeal, how to gain sympathy.

Suddenly, the overhead incandescent bulb flickered several times, the light grew dim and unstable, emitting a buzzing electric sound.

Ye Lu looked up in surprise, an inexplicable sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

The next second, thick black mist, like ink seeping from cracks in the walls, permeated the cramped cell, swiftly swallowing the already dim light, and the temperature plummeted.

Ye Lu's heart clenched sharply, and he silently thought, "Not good."

He scrambled and crawled toward the iron door, pounding on it desperately, trying to shout for help, "Someone! Save me! There..."

His cry for help cut off abruptly, and he could make no sound from his throat.

Jin Chen appeared behind him, relaxed, his gray pupils in the dim light fixed on Ye Lu, who had gone limp with fright at the doorway.

"You've got guts."

Jin Chen's tone carried a suffocating sense of oppression, "You reported me?"

As his words fell, Ye Lu shook his head in terror, using hands and feet to try to retreat, but lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The concrete beneath him softened and collapsed, turning into cold, sticky mud that exuded a rotten, marsh-like odor.

"Mm—!"

Ye Lu struggled in panic, flailing his arms wildly, trying to grab onto something, but only managed to sink deeper in vain.

Above, the thick black mist slowly drifted down, touching his skin like millions of ice needles piercing his marrow.

Ye Lu was so frightened his soul seemed to flee, he opened his mouth wide to scream and beg for mercy, but only a hoarse "huh-huh" escaped his throat.

He could only watch helplessly as the black mist, like nooses, wound around his neck, causing suffocating agony.

The mire beneath him also seemed to come alive, pulling his body down relentlessly; the icy, bone-chilling sludge had already submerged past his waist.

Ye Lu's tears and snot streamed down; he mustered the last of his strength to gaze toward the bed, his eyes filled with a humble plea.

Jin Chen slightly curled the corners of his crimson lips, "Rest assured."

A faint hope sparked in Ye Lu's eyes.

But he heard Jin Chen continue in a leisurely tone, "I won't let you die."

Dying in this detention center would be too much trouble to handle afterward.

These words fell on Ye Lu's ears, bringing no comfort at all; they felt more like the cruelest curse.

This meant the endless torment would continue...

So painful, so cold, so hopeless...

His consciousness drifted in and out amid extreme fear and pain, waking, fainting, fainting again, waking again.

Each moment of clarity came with deeper despair; Ye Lu felt that death might even be a merciful release.

And he was now only a hair's breadth from that mercy, yet forcibly suspended on the edge of this hellish abyss.

In the flickering monitor in the corner of the room, only Ye Lu was seen raving on the ground, with no mist and no Jin Chen,

No one knew how long had passed; perhaps only a few short minutes.

Suddenly, Jin Chen's phone on him chimed with a notification—a message from Liang Yanzhe.

【You went to buy wine—why did it take so long? Why haven't you come home yet.】

Jin Chen replied instantly, 【I'll be back right away.】

The message sent successfully; the black mist pervading the cell dissipated, the temperature rose, and the light returned to normal brightness.

Just then, footsteps and the sound of a key turning came from outside—the relief guard police had arrived.

The officer opened the door and saw Ye Lu, as if fished out of water, drenched in cold sweat, his eyes glazed and hollow, lying motionless on the floor, emitting meaningless "huh-huh" sounds from his mouth.

"Hey! What's wrong with you!" the officer exclaimed, startled, and rushed forward to check.

Ye Lu trembled as he gazed at the spot where Jin Chen had been sitting—empty.

At the entryway, the sound of a key turning came, and the door was pushed open.

Jin Chen walked in carrying two bottles of exquisitely packaged red wine, casually set them on the entryway cabinet, and spoke gently.

"Honey, I'm home."

——

One year later.

The scale of Junxi Group expanded continually under the joint efforts of Zhao Xitang and Zhou Chengjun, developing business in many emerging fields.

One core, highly profitable new business, after a board resolution, was decided to be spun off into an independent subsidiary, with Liang Yanzhe given full responsibility.

Though transferred from a senior executive post at the parent group to head the subsidiary—seeming like a demotion—anyone could see that this subsidiary carried the group's vital future direction, with ample funds, tilted resources, and a substantial equity stake from the mysterious Mr. Jin, making its prospects far from negligible.

Liang Yanzhe's takeover went smoothly; his abilities were already outstanding, and now with Jin Chen backing him from behind, he faced no obstacles in internal management or external negotiations.

The group's employees privately all said,

Only President Zhao could subdue their overbearing CEO‑type boss.

And the one who could make that aloof elite, work‑obsessed Manager Liang stop exploiting them and let them leave on time was that elusive yet reliably present super‑handsome shareholder who, like a dragon showing only its head, always appeared downstairs at the group to pick up Manager Liang after work.

The new company's business was busy; that day after work, Liang Yanzhe finally managed to finish all his tasks on time, freeing up a full span to spend with Jin Chen.

He took the elevator straight to the underground parking garage.

Usually brightly lit, the garage was now unnaturally quiet, the light inexplicably dimmer, shrouded in shadow.

Liang Yanzhe's lip twitched slightly, and he continued toward his parking spot as if nothing were amiss.

Just as he reached his car, he heard a faint rustling from the darkness, like something being dragged and scraped.

Liang Yanzhe obliged, stopping his steps, leaning back lazily against his car door, and loosening his tie.

"Ah, how scary—where is my boyfriend?"

He silently counted in his heart: three, two, one.

At the moment he reached one, a cool body pressed up from behind, strong arms wrapped around his waist, the familiar icy breath mingling with sandalwood enveloped him.

Jin Chen's chin rested on Liang Yanzhe's shoulder, he tilted his head and kissed his earlobe, chuckling softly.

"You're not acting scared at all—you weren't frightened in the slightest."

Liang Yanzhe turned, naturally wrapping his arms around his neck, a smile blossoming in his eyes—there was no trace of the cold, elite demeanor he had at the company.

He had long mastered the art of smoothing things over: "If I weren't sure it was you stirring trouble here, I'd actually be a little scared."

Liang Yanzhe tilted his head up to look at Jin Chen, leaning in willingly.

"So, shall I take your boyfriend on a date, dear monster?"

"Of course."

……

【Congratulations, Host, mission completed, Blackening Value reset to zero, reward points accumulated!】

【Transferring to the next world……Transfer successful!】