The Sickly Villain Only Wants to Survive

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Qin Junhong froze. "What?"

The cashier repeated, "Your card is frozen, sir. You can check with your bank if you don't believe me."

People nearby started whispering, some even mocking him. "Whoa, Young Master Qin's card got frozen? What'd you do, Young Master Qin?"

The taunting was loud, and more people were looking over. Qin Junhong's face darkened. This card was a secondary one linked to Zhu Shoushan's account, given to his mother. He'd been using it for years without issue. How could it suddenly be frozen?

He took out another card, handed it over, and turned to glare at the person who had mocked him, before storming out of the bar.

Once outside, he forgot about Jiang Wan and urgently called his mother, Qin Manwen.

"Mom, why is your card frozen?"

Her voice sounded unusually flustered. "Your uncle bought a house in Xiaoyang District, and Zhu Shoushan found out."

Qin Junhong's heart sank. He knew about the house. His mom had bought it under his uncle's name and was using Zhu Shoushan's money to make the payments.

The house had been bought years ago. How did Zhu Shoushan suddenly find out? Could it be that his suspicions toward them had deepened to the point where he was investigating them?

No, it couldn't be.

If Zhu Shoushan were fully investigating them, freezing a single card wouldn't be the only consequence. But if it wasn't his investigation, who had tipped him off?

At a hotel in Gongshui County, Zhu Xin came out of the bathroom, having just finished her shower, and received a message confirming the matter was dealt with. She calmly closed the chat window, just as a message from her brother arrived.

[Zhu Tong]: Goodnight.

Zhu Xin smiled and replied, Goodnight.

The next morning, Uncle Liu drove the siblings to E City.

Their aunt had already prepared a meal and was waiting for them. Since it was a holiday, their cousin was also home.

"I thought it'd be hard to get one of you here, and now I've got both. Xiao Xin, you're still as attached to your brother as ever."

Their aunt was both surprised and delighted to see Zhu Xin, quickly hurrying to cook a few more dishes.

Zhu Xin sweetly replied, "Of course, we're twins after all."

"That's right, you both look more and more like your mother, more beautiful by the day."

"And aunt, you're still as lovely as ever. No wonder uncle was so smitten with you back in the day."

Zhu Xin's flattery had her aunt beaming with joy.

Zhu Tong, having spent years in the hospital, had long forgotten how to navigate the complexities of social interactions. He could only stare blankly at his phone until it vibrated in his palm. It was a WeChat message from Shao Ming.

A location pin, a photo, and a short message.

[Shao Ming]: We've arrived.

Lu Zheyu worked at a quiet bar in the city, where his job was to create the bar's theme music. Zhu Tong glanced at the photo Shao Ming sent—it was a selfie.

Under dim, colorful lighting, shadows of different hues fell across Shao Ming's face, giving him a melancholic air that was rarely seen in his usually playful demeanor. The effect only enhanced his good looks.