The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 413 - 415. Bizarre Virus (First Update)

Chapter 413: 415. Bizarre Virus (First Update)

"Stop the search for now, bring everyone back," Shen Qinglan said, continuing the search would be pointless.

"Alright, although I will keep an eye out for Qin Yan’s whereabouts, I really can’t believe she can hide behind the scenes forever without coming out."

"Is Yan Anbang awake yet?" Shen Qinglan inquired.

"Not yet, he has been rushed into emergency surgery three times now, and he is still in danger. The doctors have warned the family to be mentally prepared," Jin Enxi said indifferently.

She felt indifferent towards Yan Anbang, or rather, she despised the man for treating his enemy as if she were his cherished loved one, even destructing his own life with separation and devastation over such a woman.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinglan fell silent. She had predicted that Qin Yan would go to Yan Anbang, especially since, according to Allen, it was Yan Anbang who fired the last shot that year. Therefore, Qin Yan’s most hated person would definitely be Yan Anbang, or else she wouldn’t have targeted the Yan Family first for revenge.

Considering Qin Yan’s hatred for Yan Anbang, what could be more devastating than toying with him before finally letting him know the truth?

However, Qin Yan had been inactive for so long that even Shen Qinglan doubted her guess, until Qin Yan suddenly reappeared, catching her off guard. From this perspective, it was apparent that Qin Yan was adept at psychological warfare.

"An, what are you thinking?" Jin Enxi asked.

Shen Qinglan shook her head, "Nothing, just reviewing the events from start to finish." After going through them, Shen Qinglan realized how terrifying Qin Yan was.

She had plotted for over twenty years, first getting close to Yan Anbang, winning his affection. If she had guessed correctly, her original plan was to marry Yan Anbang and then extract military secrets from the Yan Family, a clan with considerable weight in the military back then. If she could obtain a portion of those secrets and sell them to interested parties, once exposed, the Yan Family could not escape the charge of betraying state secrets, and the family’s honor accrued over generations would be ruined by her hands.

But Qin Yan probably hadn’t foreseen the Yan Family’s fall due to allying with the wrong side, forcing an alliance with the Zhao Family to avert the crisis and derailing her plans.

With her initial plan foiled, Qin Yan had to devise another scheme, yet no one expected her to be so ruthless as to abandon her own daughter.

Shen Qinglan couldn’t help but recall what Qin Mu once told her, "Xiaoqi, in this world, trust no one but yourself." Presumably, even at a young age, Qin Mu knew she had been abandoned by her birth mother. And Qin Mu’s yearning to return home was either to confront Qin Yan about her abandonment or to find Yan Anbang, maybe both.

But regardless of her reason, there was no answer to be found now, as a young life had vanished from this world due to Qin Yan’s selfishness and cruelty. Shen Qinglan wondered if Qin Yan would regret putting her daughter in mortal danger if she knew the whole truth.

Shen Qinglan did not visit Nancheng to see Yan Anbang but kept a close eye on his condition.

Three days later, Yan Anbang miraculously pulled through from his life-threatening state, just three hours after the doctors issued the fourth critical condition notice.

Yan Shengyu looked at the doctor, "Doctor, did you just say my father is alright?"

The doctor was incredulous, "Yes, your father is out of danger now. You as family members can rest assured, though his injuries won’t heal so quickly, and he will need to be hospitalized for observation for a while."

Yan Shengyu’s tense nerves suddenly relaxed as he watched Yan Anbang being wheeled out of the ICU and then into a general ward, though his expression remained dazed.

"Sheng Yu, go in and see your uncle first," Zhong Ziwen said softly. It had been ten days—neither Yan Shengyu nor she had had a proper rest.

"I won’t go in; you go check on him for me," Yan Shengyu said with a hoarse voice.

Zhong Ziwen understood his unresolved feelings and didn’t press him. "Alright, I’ll stay at the hospital to take care of your uncle. Why don’t you go back to the hotel and get some rest?"

Yan Shengyu shook his head, "I’ll wait here for you. You go ahead."

Knowing he was still concerned about Yan Anbang, Zhong Ziwen no longer tried to convince him and went in. Yan Anbang hadn’t regained consciousness yet. She sat by the bed, closely observing him for the first time at such close range.

Yan Anbang looked much older than he did in photos, with prominent wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and completely white hair at the temples. It was hard to believe that such an elderly man was once the Chief of Staff of the South City Military District.

When Yan Anbang awoke, his vision was fuzzy. As he saw the unfamiliar face by his bed and tried to sit up, the movement pulled at his wounds. Zhong Ziwen panicked, "Uncle, don’t move, lie down quickly!"

"Ya Xi, where is Ya Xi?" Yan Anbang mumbled, trying to get out of bed to look for her. Yan Shengyu, who had been waiting outside, entered upon hearing the commotion and saw Yan Anbang tearing off his IV as he tried to get up. He rushed forward to restrain him, "You’ve just clawed back from death’s door, now what are you doing?"

Seeing Yan Shengyu, Yan Anbang’s eyes lit up, grabbing his hand, "Sheng Yu, where is Xiao Xi, where is she?"

"Xiao Xi is in Xueli City." Despite his urge to pull away from Yan Anbang’s grasp, considering his frailty, Yan Shengyu let him hold on, "Calm down, take care not to rip your stitches."

"Ya Xi, call Ya Xi quickly, quick!" Yan Anbang was very agitated. He still remembered that before he passed out, Qin Yan had said she had taken Ya Xi away.

"Quick, call Ya Xi."

Yan Shengyu had no choice but to call Ya Xi. The phone was quickly answered, and Ya Xi’s crisp voice came through, "Brother."

"Ya Xi, where are you right now?" Yan Anbang asked urgently.

When Ya Xi heard this voice, she was about to hang up. "Ya Xi, don’t hang up the phone, tell Daddy where you are now, and who you’re with?" His voice was full of urgency.

Ya Xi was slightly stunned and subconsciously said, "I’m at the school cafeteria, eating lunch with my classmates."

"That’s good, that’s good!" Relief washed over Yan Anbang’s face as he gratefully said, "Ya Xi, it’s fine now. Continue to eat lunch with your classmates."

Now that Yan Anbang knew that Ya Xi was safe, his nerves instantly relaxed, and only then did he realize the pain in his own body. He turned pale, and Yan Shengyu, seeing this, wanted to know why Yan Anbang was so eager to find Ya Xi right after waking up; but he went to find a doctor for him first.

A few of the wounds had reopened due to his recent movements. After the doctor re-bandaged him, Yan Shengyu was about to leave when he was fine.

"Sheng Yu," Yan Anbang called out, causing Yan Shengyu to pause his steps, but he didn’t turn around, "Now that everything’s alright, you should rest well. I have things to do, so I’ll be going now."

"Sheng Yu," this time, Zhong Ziwen spoke.

"Are you leaving or not? If you’re not leaving, then I will," Yan Shengyu spoke indifferently.

Zhong Ziwen looked at Yan Shengyu’s back with difficulty, then glanced back at Yan Anbang. Yan Anbang had already guessed who she was, and he smiled gently and waved his hand, signaling her to leave.

"Well, uncle, we’ll be leaving first then. I’ve already requested a caregiver for you. We’ll come to see you again when we have time," Zhong Ziwen said hastily, while Yan Shengyu had already walked out of the ward by then.

"Alright, hurry on," Yan Anbang said with a smile, his tone revealing weakness.

Zhong Ziwen looked at Yan Anbang worriedly but ultimately chased after Yan Shengyu. Yan Shengyu had not left. Instead, he stood in the hallway, head bowed, looking at the ground. Zhong Ziwen walked up to him, "Sheng Yu."

Yan Shengyu’s face was expressionless, "Let’s go."

Just as they reached the elevator entrance, they encountered several uniformed police officers. Yan Shengyu paused, noting the direction in which the officers were headed, which seemed to be toward Yan Anbang’s ward. He said to Zhong Ziwen, "Wait for me downstairs first." Then, he turned and followed after them.

Zhong Ziwen didn’t follow but entered the elevator instead.

The police were indeed there to see Yan Anbang. A near-fatal incident had occurred, and it was impossible for the police not to come to understand the situation.

Yan Shengyu stopped at the entrance to the ward but didn’t go in. Instead, he listened intermittently to the questioning inside until the police came out. The police recognized him and knew he was Yan Anbang’s son. They nodded as a greeting.

"Sheng Yu, why did you come back?" Yan Anbang was puzzled by Yan Shengyu’s return.

Yan Shengyu looked at Yan Anbang coldly, "Why did you lie?"

Yan Anbang was stunned, apparently not understanding his meaning.

"If I’m not mistaken, the person who came was not just some burglar, but Qin Yan, right? Are you still protecting her even now?" Disappointment filled Yan Shengyu’s eyes.

Yan Anbang knew it was a misunderstanding, "Sheng Yu, it’s not what you think it is."

"So what is it, then? You’re going to tell me the person who came wasn’t Qin Yan? I went back and checked; nothing was stolen from our house, yet there was this on the living room floor." He pulled something out of his pocket.

Yan Anbang looked and saw an earring. This earring was one he often saw Qin Yan wearing, her favorite pair.

"The person who came was Qin Yan," Yan Anbang admitted.

"Then why did you lie to the police just now?" Yan Shengyu’s voice was stern as he questioned, "What exactly happened between you and her? Why were you severely injured and near death? Was it her doing, wasn’t it? And yet you’re still trying to cover for her even now!"

"It’s not like that, Sheng Yu, things aren’t at all what you think."

"That’s how it is, you tell me," Yan Sheng Yu looked intently at Yan Anbang.

Yan Anbang suddenly found himself at a loss for words. How could he explain Qin Yan’s matter to Yan Sheng Yu? Could he admit that he had been deceived by Qin Yan, who caused the death of his own daughter and wife, and inflicted injury on another of his daughters?

Or should he tell Yan Sheng Yu that Qin Yan was a stone-cold killer and caution him to keep his distance?

However, regardless of the approach, if Yan Sheng Yu knew that both his mother and sister’s fates were tied to Qin Yan, he would surely seek out Qin Yan. If he didn’t succeed, that might be for the best, but if he did find her, Yan Sheng Yu himself would likely be the one in danger.

Yan Sheng Yu sneered, "You truly love her, it seems. After she has hurt you so badly, you still can’t bear to part with her. Ha, ha, very well then, continue living with your ’true love.’"

Yan Sheng Yu stormed off in anger, and Yan Anbang made no attempt to stop him. Staying by his side posed the greatest danger. Keeping his distance, Qin Yan would not notice his child, thus Yan Sheng Yu and Ya Xi would be safer.

Yan Anbang lay in his bed, relieved to learn that Ya Xi was safe and not in the clutches of Qin Yan, and couldn’t help but laugh.

He wanted to call Shen Qinglan and, after searching, realized his phone was missing. Just then, a nurse came in to change his dressings, so he borrowed her phone.

Shen Qinglan was confirming the final guest list with Fu Jingtong when she stood up and walked to the side to answer a call from an unfamiliar Nancheng number.

"It’s me, Shen Qinglan."

"This is Yan Anbang," came Yan Anbang’s somewhat weak voice.

"It’s good that you’re awake," Shen Qinglan remarked indifferently.

"I survived through a near-death experience. What about Qin Yan? Did you catch her?" asked Yan Anbang.

That day, he had been so enraged by Qin Yan that he lost all reason and intended to eliminate her. Unexpectedly, she dodged his attack and kicked him in the groin. Before he could recover from the pain, a man came in and started beating him with punches and kicks.

His ribs had been broken by that man’s blows, and Qin Yan ordered the man to kill him. Fortunately, just then, Jin Enxi and Eden appeared and rescued him.

The man’s gunshot missed his head but hit him in a critical area. Had he not received timely medical attention at the hospital, he would have very likely died on the spot.

"We didn’t catch her; she escaped," said Shen Qinglan. "What exactly happened that day?"

Yan Anbang didn’t hide anything from Shen Qinglan and told her everything in detail.

After Shen Qinglan listened, she said nothing in return, and Yan Anbang continued, "Miss Shen, I beseech you, please protect Ya Xi and Sheng Yu. I fear that Qin Yan will strike at them."

"Fine," Shen Qinglan agreed. Even if Yan Anbang hadn’t asked, she would still have protected Ya Xi.

"Thank you, Miss Shen. Qin Yan’s targets are the Yan Family and Shen Family, so her next objective will likely be the Shen Family. You and your family should be cautious."

Shen Qinglan’s lips curved slightly, "She’s got her own problems to deal with now." She didn’t elaborate; Yan Anbang did not need to know everything.

Yan Anbang didn’t press further and quickly ended the call. Shen Qinglan was not disappointed in the slightest by the lack of useful information from Yan Anbang.

However, a couple of days ago, she received interesting news from Allen. With that thought, she made a call to Eden, "Eden, how’s your research on that virus going?"

Eden was still in the lab, "I’m working on it, An. This virus is strange—it’s stable in its normal state, seemingly not very lethal, but when it contacts living blood, it mutates rapidly into other forms." He glanced at the lab’s mice with various expressions of demise—out of five, only one was still alive.

"An, did Allen give you this virus?"

"Yes, Allen mentioned he injected the virus into Qin Yan’s body. What do you think will happen to her?"

Eden frowned, "That’s hard to say. I’ve never seen this type of virus before. Did that doctor with Allen develop it? Has he tested it on humans?"

"He isn’t sure either; Qin Yan is the first live test subject."

"Well, it’s difficult to predict then, since animals’ physiological structures differ from humans’. We need to see the person herself to know the outcome, but regardless of the reaction, Qin Yan won’t come out of this well. She probably doesn’t have time to plot against us now," said Eden with a hint of schadenfreude, suddenly keen to find out whose idea it was to inject Qin Yan with the unknown virus.

Knowing that Qin Yan had no time to interfere, Shen Qinglan felt relieved. The ninetieth birthday celebration of Old Sir Fu and Baby Anan’s hundred days banquet were approaching, and she didn’t want any complications at this time. Since they couldn’t capture Qin Yan, letting her suffer was the next best thing. After all, allowing her to die quickly would be letting her off too easily.

And at that moment, on a desolate island, a woman’s heart-wrenching screams were heard, a disheveled woman rolling on the ground in agony. Her mouth kept emitting screams, her clothes soaked with blood, yet her hands were ceaselessly scratching her body. This woman could be no other than Qin Yan.

"Do you have any solutions at all?" Qin Yan roared, her eyes shining with a bloodthirsty gleam.

The men had originally been standing silently to the side, but hearing Qin Yan’s words, one immediately grabbed a man in a white lab coat by the collar, "What about you, have you thought of a way to treat the madam after so many days of research?"

The doctor, gripped by the collar, looked terrified, his hands and feet trembling. They had all been captured and brought here in the last few days, forced to study the virus in this woman’s body. With no results for each day passed, these demons would kill one of them, and they had already watched helplessly as three were murdered and their bodies thrown into the sea.

The doctor’s hands shook, "We are researching, but the virus is very rare; we’ve never seen it before, and it will take time to thoroughly research a cure."

The other doctors nodded in unison, probably afraid for their lives. One of them, feeling brave, said, "We’ve been researching for several days and although we haven’t found a cure, we have found a way to relieve the pain."

"Then why don’t you go and get it?" the man bellowed.

The doctor who had spoken scrambled out and quickly returned, clutching a syringe, not hesitating to plunge it into Qin Yan’s body.

It took a while before Qin Yan started to calm down, looking coldly at the group of doctors, "How long does the effect of this drug last?"

"Four hours," the doctor replied.

"Then what are you still standing around here for? Get out and go find an antidote," Qin Yan’s voice was icy cold.

"Right away, we’re on it," the doctors, as if pardoned, scrambled out of the room.

This desolate island was another of Qin Yan’s bases. Being small and not well-equipped, it was hardly ever used. But now, pressured by Allen, her original base had been destroyed, and with most of her people lost, she had no choice but to retreat here.

But just two days after arriving, Qin Yan began noticing something was wrong with herself. At first, it was a slight itch; she thought it was just a reaction to the new environment, an adjustment. But the condition worsened, and what was strange was her skin looked clean, no signs of allergy, but there was an unbearable itch—as if it came from within the skin itself.

At first, Qin Yan could bear it, but the more she resisted, the more intense the itch became, driving her almost to madness. Unable to bear it any longer, she scratched herself, tearing open the wounds on her body. But she seemed not to feel it, continuing until her body was dripping with blood, which finally brought some relief.

"These useless fools are no help. Go find someone who can be of use," Qin Yan casually wiped the sweat from her face with the towel the man handed her and said coldly.

The man cast his eyes down, trying not to look at her nearly exposed body, "Madam, these are already some of the best viral research specialists."

"The best?" Qin Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Under her icy gaze, the man felt a chill run down his spine but insisted, "Yes, madam."

"Hmph, a bunch of fools, so-called experts who can’t even find an antidote to a virus. They should all be thrown out to the sharks," Qin Yan said angrily, but her anger seemed to trigger the itch again, and she quickly suppressed her rage.

In the following days, Qin Yan was almost constantly in that bone-deep itch, her screams reverberating through the half-empty island.

"Ahh!" Unable to bear the itch, Qin Yan snatched the dagger from the man’s hand and stabbed herself. The man was caught off guard, unable to prevent it in time, the sudden pain in his leg overpowering the itch, making Qin Yan sigh in relief.

She looked at the man, who was chilled by her gaze.

"Whip me," Qin Yan ordered coldly.

The man hesitated, and Qin Yan repeated her command more firmly, "I told you to whip me!"

Startled by Qin Yan’s gaze, the man quickly found a whip.

"Hurry up," Qin Yan urged.

The man swung his arm, and the whip struck Qin Yan’s body. Qin Yan’s eyes grew colder, "Didn’t eat, did you? Put some strength into it!"

Hardening his heart, the man lashed the whip harder against Qin Yan’s body. "Ah," Qin Yan screamed in pain but appeared to relish it, "Continue."

The man closed his eyes, whipping her over and over, Qin Yan rolling on the floor in agony, the itch slowly fading. She laughed, "Allen, Shen Qinglan, just wait for me. The real show has just begun. The pain I suffer today, I will surely pay back double."