Chapter 697 — The Urge to Die
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"The ringleader, a man known only by the code name Tattooed Man, has been arrested. But the surgeon who performed the operations took his own life rather than face the charges," Qiu Lingshan said flatly. "Whether there's still some hidden chain of interests behind this criminal syndicate, no one knows. The police are digging deeper..."
Everything Qiu Lingshan said could be learned through official channels, but An Liwen lay shut up in his hospital room, cut off from the news, and naturally knew little of it. When he heard that the Tattooed Man had been caught and the chief surgeon had killed himself, a wave of dizziness swept over him. His kidney-harvesting ring! If even the surgeon was dead, what would become of him? He had pinned all his hopes on that man swapping his kidney back!
Now it was all over. Even if he found Zhong Yongliang, he could never find the man who would transplant the kidney back. What legitimate hospital would perform such an operation? And he certainly could not tell the police, or they would ask: how do you know the kidney inside Zhong Yongliang is yours?
Noticing the unnatural look on An Liwen's face, Chen Yuxuan assumed he was brooding over old wounds again and hurried to console him: "Brother Jianwen, bear up. It's a mercy you've only lost one kidney and your life is no longer in danger. When you've found a way, you can always have a transplant."
An Liwen could only answer with a bitter smile. Losing a kidney was not the worst of it; the worst was knowing exactly where his kidney was and being powerless to take it back. That was the true torment. And then there was his kidney-harvesting ring, the fruit of all his labor!
When An Liwen returned to Songshan from overseas, part of his purpose had been to pursue Gu Mengyao, but he had also meant to build a career of his own. And his career had flourished, his results climbing year on year, surpassing by several times the business his elder brother oversaw in Songshan. The An family and the Fire Wolf Gang had praised him alike. Precisely because of all this, he had been dreaming of grander plans—only for a bucket of cold water to come down on his head, snuffing out his great ambitions in an instant...
"An Liwen, rest assured, the police will see that justice is done for you. The criminals have been brought to book. We hope you will appear in court and testify when the trial begins," said Qiu Lingshan, who had come on behalf of the police. Though she had little liking for An Liwen, he was, after all, the victim, and there were things she still had to say.
"All right..." An Liwen's heart was bleeding. He, of all people, testifying against his own criminal ring? Was there anyone else in the world who had ever been reduced to this? But he had no choice. Afraid that Qiu Lingshan might grow suspicious, he swallowed the pain and nodded. "I'll testify..."
"Brother Jianwen, how about this—I'll call Xiaoshu and see if she's with Yaoyao. I'll have them come over and see you too!" Seeing how pitiful An Liwen looked, Chen Yuxuan was moved to sympathy. If Gu Mengyao came to visit, he thought, An Liwen might feel a little better...
An Liwen was elated. So Chen Yuxuan truly knows my heart! he thought. No wonder we were once two of the Four Young Masters of Songshan—he really does care about me! Seeing me in such a wretched state, Gu Mengyao will surely pity me. With a girl's maternal instincts aroused, I may yet have my chance!
An Liwen knew that Gu Mengyao, though cold on the surface, was kind at heart. Otherwise, back at the amusement park, she would never have let Wei Zhao save him. So he wholeheartedly approved of Gu Mengyao coming to visit—it was only Shen Yushu he was wary of. That girl was a pure troublemaker who thrived on chaos; seeing him in this miserable state, she would most likely clap her hands and wish him dead!