Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 252 - 244: Strange Stone

Chapter 252: Chapter 244: Strange Stone

After returning from the villa, Shitou entered Lu Yun’s room, thinking about his grandfather’s words which were about to become reality. Indeed, after their engagement the day after tomorrow, and once Xiaoyun’s birthday was over, the two of them would start living together as "husband and wife" at the new station, and the thought set his heart ablaze.

Suddenly, he remembered something and hurriedly fetched an exquisite little box from the storeroom, handing it to Lu Yun.

"What is this?" Lu Yun, seeing Shitou’s serious demeanor, couldn’t help but be curious. She took it and opened the box, only to see a mandarin duck-shaped five-colored stone inside that was so beautifully iridescent it seemed almost unreal.

Lu Yun fell in love with it at first sight and exclaimed with delight, "Is this carved into mandarin ducks? But how come there are no signs of carving?"

"Found it," Shitou said with a smile.

"Found it?" Lu Yun couldn’t believe it. How come she never stumbled upon such a beautiful stone?

"Really found it. Last time our research institute organized a trip, I discovered it by accident while I was alone admiring the scenery. Something tripped me, and with a stumble I grabbed it. It was covered in mud and didn’t seem like much, but I kept it because of its nice shape. Then, I threw it in the storeroom and forgot all about it."

Shitou laughed, "Just now, when I was at the villa, I suddenly remembered it, sneaked off to the restroom to fetch it, and cleaned it up a bit. It turned out to be an unexpected delight."

"Indeed an unexpected delight—so beautiful," Lu Yun said, turning it over and over in her hands, liking it more and more the longer she looked at it. Moreover, curiously enough, she felt as if the space around her seemed to stir whenever she held the stone in her hand. At first, this feeling wasn’t obvious, but—

Lu Yun suddenly furrowed her brows; as the sensation of the space stirring grew stronger, she clutched the stone tightly, resisting the urge to throw it into space, and froze, cold sweat slowly sliding down her forehead.

"What’s wrong?"

Shitou immediately noticed something was off with Lu Yun, and his face turned pale with fright.

"The space—"

Lu Yun’s face turned pale in an instant, and the next moment, the stone in her hand disappeared, and she felt a stabbing pain in her head, her vision went dark, and she fainted—

"Xiaoyun..."

Shitou’s heart suddenly clenched tight; he caught her just in time, and looking at the pale face in his arms, he felt a regret so intense it turned his insides blue. It was the stone—

The pain in his heart almost suffocated him, as if someone had cruelly gouged out a large chunk from his heart.

--

The Pei Family.

Pei Qingyuan and Zhang Min exchanged a glance and relaxed, exhaling a sigh of relief in unison.

Finally, everything was arranged.

Today, Zhang Min had already secured the Capital City Grand Hotel’s best "Imperial Pavilion" as the venue for Shitou and Lu Yun’s engagement banquet the day after tomorrow.

In the evening when Pei Qingyuan returned home, the two confirmed the final guest list once again. After dinner, they personally spent over an hour calling everyone who needed to be informed.

Despite the pressing time and the absence of formal invitations, the personal calls from the couple served as an expedient measure and did not come across as disrespectful.

"With such a rush, we’ve inevitably put Xiaoyun at a disadvantage. Today, Luoluo accompanied me to the mall where we bought Xiaoyun two sets of gold jewelry and two outfits. We’ve also prepared some gifts, but I’m not sure if they are appropriate. I wonder if Xiaoyun will like those clothes and jewelry?

I think we need to talk to the parents-in-law again tomorrow to inquire about the customs of their hometown. Even if we can’t prepare thoroughly and have to keep things simple, we still need to do our best to observe the necessary formalities."

Zhang Min didn’t have a moment of respite all day. In the morning, she initially drafted the guest list and booked the hotel. Then, in the afternoon, she went shopping with Ding Luoluo and the housekeeper for various items.

Fortunately, the Pei Family name still held some sway. Even with such short notice, the manager of the Capital City Grand Hotel took their call very seriously and readily agreed to reserve the Imperial Pavilion—their best banquet venue—for them without any hesitation.

"Okay, arrange it as you see fit and try to make it satisfactory," Pei Qingyuan nodded.

"Of course, isn’t that obvious? As the saying goes, ’Marrying off a daughter is raising one’s head; taking a wife is bowing one’s head.’ We are the ones asking for someone’s daughter, so naturally, we must do our utmost to make everything satisfactory," Zhang Min said with a smile.

"I trust you to handle it well."

Pei Qingyuan nodded with a smile, his words were not just lip service. Having gone through decades of trials and tribulations, Zhang Min’s competence had long been imprinted in his heart. He had always felt fortunate to have such a capable partner by his side, one who stayed loyal through thick and thin.

The next morning before breakfast, Lu Aiguo thought of calling a brief family meeting, so he informed Xia Yuan and went to knock on the door of the second uncle and aunt’s room to notify them, then proceeded to Shitou’s room.

Lu Aiguo knocked on Shitou’s door for a long time without reply, which he found strange. "What’s going on? Didn’t we say we weren’t going back to the Pei family’s house yesterday? Did he change his mind and go back?"

"Shitou is not here?" Xia Yuan came over and was surprised to see Lu Aiguo still at Shitou’s door. "Where could he have gone so early? It shouldn’t be possible that he went back to the Pei Family’s house, right?"

Entering the room, they found the bed neatly made, ice-cold without a trace of warmth—a clear sign that no one had slept there all night.

"Could he be in Xiaoyun’s room?’ Xia Yuan speculated, and upon saying this, both of their expressions turned sour.

When they reached Lu Yun’s room, the door opened from the inside before they could knock, revealing a very haggard and pale Shitou, which led Xia Yuan and Lu Aiguo to exchange troubled glances.

"Xiaoyun’s space might have encountered a problem. Since last night, she’s been unconscious, showing no signs of waking up. But for the moment, she’s alright, breathing smoothly, just like she’s asleep without any apparent issues," Shitou said, exhausted, before Lu Aiguo and Xia Yuan could speak, and then recounted the entire incident of how giving her the Five-colored Stone had caused Lu Yun’s condition.

"It’s all my fault..." Shitou had been tormented with regret for the entire night. This night had been the most unbearable of his life. Watching over the unconscious Lu Yun, he didn’t dare to disturb her, yet couldn’t bear to leave her side, so he stayed watchful without a moment’s rest.

If it were just a matter of not sleeping for one night, he certainly wouldn’t have appeared so disheveled.

Xia Yuan and Lu Aiguo personally checked Lu Yun’s condition, and indeed she looked as if she were merely sleeping. However, they refrained from making any rash movements, fearing they might cause harm, which left them both anxious and on edge.