Chapter 55: Xia Liu's Great Escape! A Heartbreaking Reunion!
[Location: Riverside Luxury Mansion]
It was three hours later when Shen Anyu received the news of Xia Liu's prison break.
It wasn't that his subordinates' intelligence was lacking. It was because Shen Anyu was busy with important matters, and his subordinates dared not disturb him.
He emerged from the master bedroom, adjusting his cuffs, looking refreshed and satisfied. The air around him seemed to hum with contentment.
"Heh heh, Xia Liu has quite the ambition, actually breaking out of prison?"
Shen Anyu took the intelligence report from He Ying, a playful smile on his lips. He didn't show much worry. In fact, he seemed almost entertained.
Now, Shen Anyu also possessed Extraordinary Medical Skill and Extraordinary Poison Skill, even more perfect than Xia Liu's original versions. As for his cultivation and strength, it was a complete and utter rolling. An ant escaping the jar was still just an ant.
Most of the destined heroines related to Xia Liu had been taken by Shen Anyu. Even if they hadn't been taken, it was impossible for Xia Liu to reconnect with them. His reputation was ruined, his face was plastered on wanted posters, and his destined opportunities had been snatched away.
Even Xia Liu's fiancée, the first destined heroine of the "Country Divine Doctor" plotline, Qin Ningbing, had now become Shen Anyu's woman. Body and soul.
"Not only am I not worried about Xia Liu," Shen Anyu mused, his eyes gleaming with malicious delight, "but I also look forward to his expression when he sees that scene; it would surely be very interesting."
Subsequently, Shen Anyu looked at the detailed intelligence report on the escape.
It must be said that Xia Liu's Extraordinary Poison Skill was not an empty reputation.
Even though all the poisons on his person had been confiscated by the detention center, Xia Liu, using food scraps and their complementary and antagonistic properties, was still able to concoct a potent paralytic agent. He had managed to drug Wu Gui, the burly man guarding him, who was at the Late Innate stage.
The subsequent escape was even simpler. A few twisted bars, a sprint through the sewers, and the "Divine Doctor" was free.
Wu Gui knelt on the ground in the living room, his massive frame trembling. His face was full of shame and fear.
"Young Master! Your subordinate is incompetent; Xia Liu escaped on my watch!"
Wu Gui's imprisonment was originally arranged by Shen Anyu to guard Xia Liu and break his spirit. But he had been careless. He had underestimated the desperation of a Child of Destiny. His heart was uneasy, remorseful, and self-reproachful.
Shen Anyu's expression was indifferent. He looked down at the kneeling giant calmly.
"I am not a harsh person. A first mistake can be forgiven!"
"But a second time... then you will receive the family punishment yourself."
Wu Gui was immediately moved beyond words. Tears welled up in his eyes. He slammed his forehead against the floor.
"Young Master! There will absolutely not be a second time! Otherwise, your subordinate will receive double the family punishment! I will cut off my own head!"
The Yanxia Shen Family had strict family rules, and the cost of making mistakes was not light; even Innate experts would turn pale at the mention of the "Discipline Hall."
But Wu Gui was loyal and willing to accept it!
Shen Anyu thought for a moment. Wu Gui was a brute force instrument, not a thinker. Perhaps he needed a simpler task.
"You are to follow someone. Qi Fan of Modu University. Without my order, you are not to make any moves. Just watch him."
"Yes! Young Master!"
Watching Wu Gui leave, Shen Anyu's gaze turned to the housekeeper He Ying.
"Where is Xia Liu now?"
He Ying immediately reported, her voice crisp and professional.
"Young Master, our people have already tracked Xia Liu using the surveillance grid."
"Xia Liu is currently at the entrance of Magic City Renxin Hall Pharmaceutical Company. He wanted to see Qin Ningbing, but he found that the building was heavily guarded by experts. Like a startled bird, he was scared away and is currently hiding in the alleys nearby."
"But he is not resigned. He seems to be looking for a way to approach Qin Ningbing."
Shen Anyu stroked his chin, a half-smile playing on his lips. "The time for the banquet is almost here, isn't it?"
He Ying respectfully replied, "Yes, Young Master. The banquet will be held at 8 PM, and it's already past 6 PM."
"The location of the banquet is your Riverside Luxury Mansion!"
"The guests have confirmed. Liu Mi, Liu Shiming, and the family of Liu Qingyue and Han Qi have all agreed to attend!"
"In addition, Miss Qin Ningbing accepted the invitation. However, Miss Lin Keqing refused, saying she didn't want to show her face in public yet."
Shen Anyu nodded. He didn't care about Lin Keqing's refusal. She had always preferred quietness and disliked such social occasions. He would find a time later to personally go and... persuade her.
"I'll personally go pick up Qin Ningbing," Shen Anyu decided, adjusting his tie in the mirror. "And take a look at that Xia Liu along the way."
"Tonight, let's see what kind of demeanor that Han Qi, the so-called 'Emperor of Modu's Underworld', Dragon King Mr. Han, possesses?"
Shen Anyu slowly rose. Surrounded by He Ying and a phalanx of bodyguards, he got into an extended Rolls-Royce Phantom. More than ten Bentleys escorted it, a convoy fit for a king, heading towards Magic City Renxin Hall Pharmaceutical Company.
...
[Location: Modu University - Female Dormitory]
Liu Mi was pacing around the room, looking troubled. She dialed her best friend Jiang Linlin's number.
"Linlin, I'm so annoyed!"
"Mi Mi, what troubles do you have?" Jiang Linlin's voice came through, sounding hoarse and weak. "You have a good family background, you're beautiful, and you casually open a live stream and get millions of followers. What troubles could you possibly have?"
Jiang Linlin couldn't get up. She was lying in the luxurious bed of the five-star hotel suite, her body aching all over. Shen Anyu had been... vigorous.
In Jiang Linlin's eyes, Liu Mi seemed like a favored darling of the Goddess of Fortune; she had everything. What troubles could such a person have?
Liu Mi sighed dramatically. "Linlin, you don't know! My dad, that old pervert, actually wants to set me up on a blind date! He wants to introduce me to a man!"
"And that man is very unfaithful; there are rumors that he has several women!"
Even when troubled and frowning, Liu Mi was still extremely beautiful and enchanting. Every frown and smile was captivating, and her fox-like eyes seemed to speak volumes.
Unlike the pure and delicate Jiang Linlin, Liu Mi was like a vixen. Every gesture she made exuded a charm that made people unable to look away. A peerless beauty, nothing less.
Among the three campus belles of Modu University, Liu Mi's popularity and suitors even surpassed Jiang Linlin and Su Hongmian. However, she had always been proud and looked down on ordinary men, rejecting all of them.
"Your dad is introducing you to a very unfaithful man? Could it be that man is very outstanding? Or is your dad not your biological dad?" Jiang Linlin teased, trying to distract herself from the soreness.
"Linlin, stop teasing me! How could he not be my biological dad?"
Speaking of this, Liu Mi bit her lip, looking conflicted.
"That man is indeed very outstanding. His family background is extremely prominent! It's said that his appearance is also god-tier, and his abilities are extraordinary. Just his medical skill has impressed my dad, the director of Shanghai First People's Hospital, and a panel of experts!"
"My dad praised that person to the heavens, saying he's a 'Dragon Among Men', and if I can capture him, I'll surely soar!"
Jiang Linlin listened to Liu Mi's words, stunned. An extremely prominent family background, outstanding appearance, and extraordinary abilities—wasn't that describing her Brother Shen?
But listening to the latter part—highly skilled in medicine, impressing experts—she hesitated. Brother Shen was so young; he shouldn't have had time to study medicine to that level.
Jiang Linlin felt a little uneasy, but she still asked, "Mi Mi, who is the man your dad is introducing you to? What's his name?"
"I'm not too sure. I'll be attending the banquet he's hosting tonight, and I'll find out then."
Liu Mi lightly snorted, rallying her fighting spirit. "I don't care how outstanding that person is; if he's so unfaithful, I won't accept him easily!"
"By the way, Linlin, why is your voice so hoarse? Are you sick? Or did your love fiercely torment you?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Linlin's pretty face immediately turned red. She squeaked and directly hung up the phone, burying herself in the velvet quilt, not daring to emerge.
Liu Mi giggled at the disconnected tone. "I knew you wouldn't accompany me on the weekend; you must have been up to no good!"
After complaining, Liu Mi clenched her fair fists, her eyes flashing with determination.
"If you want to be Liu Mi's man and be so unfaithful, unless you're truly a dragon among men... otherwise I'll punch you hard!"
...
[Location: Outside Renxin Hall HQ - Evening]
At the main entrance of Magic City Renxin Hall Pharmaceutical Company headquarters, shadows lengthened as the sun set.
After Xia Liu escaped from prison, to avoid being caught, he made some crude disguises—a stolen hat and a worker's jacket. He huddled in a shadowy corner across the street, anxiously looking at the entrance.
"Ningbing has a man? Impossible! She's my fiancée! We have a childhood engagement!"
His mind was a mess of denial and panic.
"But why are there so many Innate masters guarding the building? I've just escaped, my Qi is weak... it's not convenient for me to break in."
"I wonder when Ningbing will come out."
If he hadn't heard the rumor from the guards that his fiancée Qin Ningbing had a man, Xia Liu wouldn't have gone to such lengths to escape from prison. He would have waited for his grandfather's connections to bail him out.
But recently, while in the detention center, he increasingly felt uneasy. It was a gnawing feeling in his gut, as if his destiny was being siphoned away. As if something precious had been taken from him forever.
Just then, a luxurious motorcade slowly drove over. A massive extended Rolls-Royce led the way, flanked by Bentleys. Everyone around looked on with envy.
Xia Liu glanced at it but didn't care. He believed that with his medical skill, he would also be able to possess such things in the future. Once he cured a few billionaires, money would flow like water.
"Ningbing is coming out!"
Just then, Xia Liu's eyes lit up.
From inside the building, a stunningly beautiful and noble woman walked out. She was dressed in a sleek business suit that accentuated her curves, radiating an aura of cold authority.
His first thought was that it was his fiancée, Qin Ningbing. His heart leaped.
However, what happened next made Xia Liu's vision go black...