Chapter 23 - A Fragile Deception
"Remember, under no circumstances is Li Zi to find out I was hurt!"
Even as he lay prone on a gurney, being wheeled toward the emergency room for urgent treatment, Li Zhenting did not forget to issue a stern warning to his subordinates. His voice was strained, a mixture of physical agony and sheer psychological dread.
"If she finds out, I’m a dead man. Do you hear me? Dead!" He glared intensely at Tang Jiu and the others, his fingers gripping the metal railing of the stretcher with white-knuckled intensity, refusing to let go until he received a collective nod of affirmation.
Tang Jiu and the rest of the crew stood in the sterile, fluorescent-lit hallway, caught in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. They didn't know whether to be angry at the situation, heartbroken for their boss, or simply awestruck by his "henpecked" devotion. It was a peculiar brand of romantic stoicism—a man who had just fought off a pack of Alphas was now trembling at the thought of his girlfriend’s temper.
But Li Zhenting was adamant. He wouldn't allow the doctors to move him an inch further until the promise was sealed.
"We get it, Boss! We swear on our lives, not a word to Sister Li Zi about what happened today. Is that enough?" Tang Jiu pleaded, hovering over the gurney. "For heaven's sake, just go in already!"
Only then did Li Zhenting release his grip on the doorframe, allowing the doctor—who had been standing by with an expression of profound exasperation—to finally wheel him into the treatment room.
"You’re lucky," the doctor remarked, snapping on a pair of latex gloves. The sound was sharp in the quiet room. "The blade went in deep, but it missed your vital organs. You’ve lost a lot of blood, and the wound is narrow but jagged. You’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few days of observation."
Li Zhenting, now lying face down on the cold hospital bed, felt the adrenaline begin to ebb, replaced by a dull, throbbing ache. He let out a long, shaky breath. "Good. As long as it’s just a flesh wound."
If it was just a flesh wound, he could find a way to hide it. He could weave a story, wear loose clothes, and act as if nothing had happened.
The doctor rolled his eyes, his movements becoming decidedly less gentle as he prepared the suturing kit. "‘Just a flesh wound,’ he says. Young man, try to cherish the body you were born with."
As the needle pierced his skin, Li Zhenting, being a creature of flesh and blood despite his toughness, couldn't help but hiss through his teeth. "Doctor... what about the anesthesia?"
"There was a massive multi-car pile-up on the highway tonight," the doctor replied tonelessly, his focus entirely on the stitches. "The anesthesiologists are all tied up in the major surgeries. Weren't you just acting like a tough guy? Keep it up. Hold on to that pillow."
Defeated, Li Zhenting buried his face into the stark white pillow, clutching the fabric as he endured the rhythmic, biting sting of the needle. He began to calculate. Li Zi wasn't supposed to return via the high-speed rail until the day after tomorrow. By then, he told himself, he would be able to walk normally. He would be the same old Li Zhenting.
He clung to that hope like a lifeline.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Barely a day had passed when a striking Alpha woman appeared at the entrance of the auto repair shop.
She wore a rich brown scarf tucked neatly around her neck, her presence bringing a sudden, sophisticated chill to the grease-stained garage. In her hand, she held a leash attached to Golden, the Li family’s aging Golden Retriever. She scanned the room with a calm, observant gaze.
The men in the shop froze. Their expressions were a frantic montage of feigned surprise and genuine terror. Internally, a collective scream of *"We’re doomed!"* echoed through the rafters.
"Where is your Boss Li?" she asked politely.
"Ah, Brother Li... Brother Li is, uh..." Xiao Zhang, who was still sporting his own bandages from the fight, was pushed forward by the others to act as a sacrificial lamb. He scratched at the gauze on his head, coughing awkwardly before turning to the others with a look of desperate improvisation. "Right, where *is* Brother Li? I haven't seen him all day. Anyone?"
The rest of the crew looked at him with profound disappointment. His acting was abysmal.
"What’s going on?" Li Zi asked, her voice dropping an octave. She could sense the guilt radiating off them like heat from an engine.
She had returned a day early, hoping to surprise Li Zhenting and make up for the fact that he’d had to leave her on Christmas Eve. She had even brought Golden along, thinking the ten-year-old dog would enjoy a reunion with his favorite human. But the shop was empty of its master, and the employees were acting like they’d just witnessed a crime.
She tucked her hands into her pockets, her smile vanishing. "Tell me. What happened?"
*SOS!* The men screamed internally.
Just as they were about to crack under her piercing gaze, Li Zi’s phone chimed. She broke eye contact to pull it from her pocket. It was Li Zhenting. She gave the group one last suspicious look before answering.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Li Zi. Tang Jiu mentioned you were at the shop?" Li Zhenting’s voice came through, accompanied by the ambient noise of a busy street. He sounded perfectly normal, perhaps even a bit cheerful.
"Yes. I came back early. Golden and I just arrived," she replied, her suspicion wavering but not entirely gone.
"Wait there for a bit. I just finished visiting Grandma; I’ll be there in a few minutes."
Li Zi murmured a soft "Okay" and hung up. The tension in the shop deflated instantly. Behind her back, the men were frantically giving Tang Jiu a thumbs-up for his quick thinking in tipping off the boss. Tang Jiu offered a strained smile to Li Zi while making a subtle "OK" sign to his comrades.
"Sister Li Zi, why don't you come into the lounge and sit down? It’s freezing by the door," Tang Jiu said, ushering her toward the back office.
Li Zi followed, Golden’s paws clicking softly on the concrete. "While we wait, why don't you tell me more about the 'trouble' the shop had the other day?"
Tang Jiu nodded, sticking to the script they had rehearsed. "It was late afternoon. We were finishing up the last car, thinking we’d get off early. Suddenly, five Alphas burst in. They looked mean, real nasty types. Without a word, they smashed the register. We tried to stop them, but they went for a customer’s luxury car next. We couldn't let that happen, so we fought back. Boss Li and Liu Yan weren't here at the time, so..."
Li Zi’s mind, sharpened by her studies, began to pick apart the narrative. "You’re saying that, by pure coincidence, only the Betas were in the shop? None of the Alphas were on duty?"
"Yeah, they all had errands to run that afternoon. If they’d been here, those guys wouldn't have stood a chance."
"And these thugs arrived exactly when you were preparing to close up?"
"Exactly! We were literally talking about going out for hot pot," Tang Jiu confirmed. He noticed the way Li Zi’s brow furrowed in deep thought. "Sister Li Zi, did you realize something?"
"It’s all too convenient," she mused. "How could they know the exact window when no Alphas would be present? And they timed their exit perfectly to avoid the police, despite the station being so close. This wasn't a random act of violence. It was a calculated strike."
Tang Jiu gasped, his shock genuine. "We... we never even thought of that. You’re amazing, Sister Li Zi. A real university brain."
She offered a small, distracted smile. "You were in the middle of a crisis; it’s natural to focus on the immediate threat."
As Tang Jiu processed her analysis, his mind inadvertently linked it to what had happened to Li Zhenting later that night. A realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. "So that’s why, that night, Brother Li was—"
He caught himself just in time, the words dying in his throat as he realized Li Zi was staring right at him.
"Was what?" she pressed.
"What are you two talking about?" Li Zhenting’s voice cut through the air as he hurried into the room.
Tang Jiu pivoted instantly, choosing to answer the boss instead. "Brother Li! You’re back! Is your grandma—I mean, is everything okay? I was just helping Sister Li Zi analyze what happened the other day! (I didn't tell her anything!)" He blinked rapidly, sending a frantic Morse code with his eyes.
"Everything’s fine. Grandma said it wasn't a big deal," Li Zhenting replied smoothly. *I’m fine.*
"Oh, good, good." Tang Jiu seized the opportunity to flee. "Since you’re back, I’ll leave you two to catch up. I’ve got... tires to rotate! See ya!" *I’m out! Good luck, Boss!*
"Woof! Woof!" Golden, seeing his favorite person, let out a joyful, raspy bark. He was too old to leap into Li Zhenting’s arms, but his tail wagged with enough force to shake his entire hindquarters.
Li Zhenting nodded to Li Zi, then knelt down to stroke the dog’s head. "Why did you bring this old guy along today?"
Golden leaned his heavy head against Li Zhenting’s knee, closing his eyes in contentment.
"You haven't seen each other in a while," Li Zi said, releasing the leash so the dog could move freely. "He missed you."
Li Zhenting gently ran his hand through Golden’s fur. It felt coarser than it used to, a reminder of the relentless march of time. A pang of melancholy touched his heart. "Golden... he’s really getting up there, isn't he?"
"Ten years old. He’s a proper old man now."
"Whine!" Golden grumbled, sensing he was being insulted.
"It’s okay, Golden. You’re still the handsomest boy in the world, not a grumpy old man," Li Zhenting cooed, pressing his face against the dog’s soft ears. Golden responded with a flurry of enthusiastic licks.
Li Zhenting had always wanted a dog—something powerful and majestic, like a hound. But his family’s circumstances had never allowed it, and now his life was too chaotic. Meeting Li Zi had brought Golden into his life, filling a void he hadn't fully realized existed. He loved the dog’s unconditional reliance. Sometimes, despite having Li Zi, he still felt a profound loneliness, especially when returning to a silent, empty apartment.
As Golden nuzzled against the human he loved most, his aging but still functional sense of smell picked up something unusual. Beneath the scent of grease and cheap cologne, there was the sharp, metallic tang of blood and the medicinal sting of antiseptic lingering near the man’s waist.
Curious, the dog began to nudge his snout under Li Zhenting’s jacket, trying to investigate the source.
Li Zhenting flinched violently, pulling away with a sharp intake of breath as the movement tore at his fresh stitches.
That single, pained gasp was all Li Zi needed. Her suspicions, which had been simmering on the back burner, suddenly boiled over.
She stood up, walked to the lounge door, and clicked the lock. Then, she turned back, crossing her arms over her chest. Her voice was like ice.
"Take off your clothes."
"Huh? You want to... here?" Li Zhenting’s brain stalled, his mind momentarily wandering toward a much more pleasant interpretation of her command.
"I’m not going to say it again. Take. Them. Off."
The coldness in her eyes instantly dispelled any romantic notions. He remembered the secret he was supposed to be guarding and coughed awkwardly. "C’mon, Li Zi, it’s freezing in here. Why would I strip down?"
Without a word, Li Zi picked up the remote from the sofa and cranked the heater to its maximum setting. "Last time. Off."
They stood in a silent standoff in the cramped lounge. As the seconds ticked by, Li Zi’s expression grew increasingly grim. Seeing him struggle to formulate another excuse, her patience finally snapped.
She stepped forward and, with the efficiency of a seasoned Alpha, began to strip the layers from him. Li Zhenting’s weak protests were useless against her determination. As she yanked his loose sweatshirt upward, the truth was laid bare.
Wrapped around his waist was a thick, clumsy layer of gauze, and right in the center, a fresh, dark crimson stain was blooming through the white fabric.
Li Zi’s face went pale, then dangerously dark.
Li Zhenting closed his eyes, a single thought echoing in his mind: *I. Am. Dead.*
