The Abyss

Cui Yun was stunned, turning around to see her lips moving slightly, as if she was saying something. He hurriedly lowered his body. “What are you saying? Dong Qin?” Suddenly, she grabbed his fingers tightly, clinging to his arm, trembling as she said, “Don’t… don’t leave! Don’t leave me alone!” Cui Yun felt a pang in his heart. He touched her face and gently said, “I am Cui Yun… Are you telling Cui Yun not to leave?” She didn’t speak, just held onto him tightly, her fingers turning pale. Cui Yun sighed and pushed her away. “I’ll be right back. Otherwise, you’ll really die here.” Then let me die here! She roared in her mind, but couldn’t utter a word. His footsteps grew fainter, and Dong Qin felt as if she had fallen into icy water, so cold she was about to faint. It seemed that the organization hadn’t stationed anyone nearby to monitor. Holding binoculars, Cui Yun observed for a long time before quietly leaving. The Lu family’s villa was completely empty, not a soul in sight, with dust accumulated and disordered footprints, indicating recent reconnaissance. For safety, Cui Yun decided to go further to buy supplies, to avoid being discovered by the organization that they were hiding in the Lu family’s villa, which would be disastrous! Without a car, walking down the mountain would take an hour, and since they couldn’t take the main road and had to detour through the forest, by the time Cui Yun descended, over two hours had passed. Fortunately, at the foot of the mountain was a residential area, quite bustling. He tied his hair back under a hat, lowered the brim, and boarded a public bus with the crowd. Dong Qin must be terrified, left alone in the basement, right? The thought made him feel a bit sour. He was starting to consider others’ emotions. Her significance to him was gradually changing. From a doll he could play with without care, she had become a star he could not even touch. Indeed, the heart and body can be separated. No matter how much he embraced her or how hard he tried, he could never catch up even a little. She was drifting further away from him. First Lu Tuo, now him. They had both abandoned themselves. The bus suddenly stopped, and Cui Yun disembarked with the crowd, looking around to find himself near his own home. If he remembered correctly, there was a supermarket nearby. He needed to buy water, food… He pushed a shopping cart, casually throwing items into it. As he approached the vegetable section, he was suddenly struck by a thought. He claimed to be good at Eastern cuisine, yet he had never cooked for her. That one meal at home, untouched, was thrown into the garbage. He suddenly felt as insignificant as those vegetables, discarded at will. How unwilling he was, he felt he was losing touch with himself. When one constantly falls into self-pity, they begin to degenerate. He laughed, turned the cart around, and suddenly saw a figure flash behind a shelf. His heart tightened; it was a very familiar person! Someone from the organization?! He didn’t dare to linger, pushing the cart with all his muscles tensed, slowly heading towards the deserted health product section. He heard rapid footsteps behind him, then stopped. Here it comes! To his surprise, the person roared, “Cui Yun! You bastard!” He turned to see Margaret glaring at him with fury, a gun pointed at his chest. “You traitorous beast! I’ve finally found you!” she cursed with reddened eyes. Cui Yun was both shocked and amused, leaning on the cart, murmuring, “Hey, have you forgotten this is a supermarket? And this isn’t Italy… Wouldn’t it be better to be a bit more discreet with what you’re holding?” The surrounding people, sensing trouble, quietly fled to call the police. Margaret spat out in anger, “Your recklessness has implicated me! If it weren’t for you deceiving people, that bastard Suzuki wouldn’t dare to lord over me! I’ll kill you!” Cui Yun’s heart raced, but he kept his face calm, continuing to smile, “Oh? How did Suzuki bully you? Did he pin you down and have his way with you?” Before he could finish, there was a loud bang. Instinctively, Cui Yun dodged, feeling a sharp pain in his ribs. Damn it! She actually shot here! This brainless bitch! He forcefully pushed the cart and ran. Margaret, in a semi-mad state, chased him, firing several shots indiscriminately. Cui Yun felt a pain in his calf. Done for! He thought, with an injured leg, he was as good as dead! Clutching his side, he ran out of the supermarket, not knowing where to go. Taking advantage of Margaret being held up by supermarket security, he limped to the left into a narrow alley. People on the street watched him but kept their distance from this blood-soaked man. Cui Yun ran until he could run no more, collapsing in an alley. Perhaps this was where he would die, at the hands of a madwoman. He thought silently, wondering what Suzuki had done to her to drive her to such madness. The pain from his ribs and leg tore at his nerves. He suddenly thought of Dong Qin, hiding in the dark basement. What should he do? If he couldn’t return, she would surely die in despair. Strangely, he felt a bit sad, yet within that sadness was a hint of joy. At least she cared, at least she would be upset by his absence, meaning he wasn’t just air to her. He wanted to save her, this star about to lose its light. God, let him live to return! A car suddenly stopped at the alley entrance, and someone got out. Ah, was this the end? Cui Yun closed his eyes, waiting for the bullet. “Not dead yet?” A strange yet somewhat familiar female voice asked. Cui Yun opened his eyes in shock, his jaw nearly dropping. “It’s you… you…!” He had forgotten her name. The young woman in a suit, with a professional smile, said, “It’s me, Xiao Ai, the Lu family’s maid. Also one of Mr. Lawrence’s ten generals. I’ve been undercover in the Lu household, gathering a lot of information.” Cui Yun found it unbelievable, but then again, the world itself was full of wonders. He exhaled, saying, “If you’re here to save me, less talking and more helping me escape.” Xiao Ai immediately fell silent, helping him up while saying, “Mr. Lawrence has a message for you, have you made your decision yet?” Cui Yun sighed, “Asking me now is a bit like taking advantage, isn’t it? Weren’t we supposed to give me a week to decide?” Xiaolove helped him into the car and then closed the door. “We thought you were already tired of being hunted by the organization, but it seems you don’t mind getting killed by them,” she said lightly. “Let me think about it, I have my reasons…” Xiaolove smiled, “Are you afraid we might deal with Zuo Dongqin? You can rest assured, we don’t interfere with our members’ private lives. As for Lu Tuo… you’ll have to sort out your love triangle yourselves. As long as you can complete your mission, we won’t care if you marry your mother.” Cui Yun shook his head, “I can’t believe you’d say something like that… Is the world just full of madmen now?” He suddenly remembered something and said urgently, “No, I need to buy water and food! Otherwise, I’ll starve to death sooner or later.” Xiaolove patted two large bags beside her seat, “Don’t worry, I’ve already bought them for you. Now, tell me where you’ve been hiding so I can take you back.” Cui Yun paused for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll tell you. But I have one condition… If you agree, I’ll join your new organization.” Xiaolove shrugged, “I’m honored. As long as it’s within my power, I’ll do it.” “Good, actually, it’s…”