The unscrupulous system forced me to frantically test the small black room

It was almost 12 o'clock when Tao Zhi returned to the villa. He yawned and walked leisurely on the cobblestone path.

The night wind was a little chilly, causing Tao Zhi to shiver slightly.

Tao Zhi saw what seemed to be a figure on the steps at the door.

A trace of doubt arose in Tao Zhi's heart, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.

As Tao Zhi approached, the man heard footsteps and slowly raised his head.

Xu Yanze?

Tao Zhi walked over while muttering to himself.

"Lao Xu, why are you sitting here at the door so late? Why don't you come into the house if you want to see me?" Tao Zhi said.

Xu Yanze remained silent and did not respond, so Tao Zhi continued to mutter to himself.

"Hey, didn't you say you were going to Germany on a business trip? You sent me a message yesterday saying you were still in Germany. Why didn't you tell me in advance that you were coming back today? There was Gu Dongnan's birthday dinner tonight, so maybe you could have made it."

Tao Zhi walked forward as he spoke, and when he got closer he realized that something was not right with Xu Yanze.

Tao Zhi was startled and stopped talking. He stopped in front of Xu Yanze, then squatted down and put his head forward.

"Lao Xu, what's wrong with you?" Tao Zhi looked worried.

At this time, Xu Yanze was wearing thin clothes. His white shirt had lost its former neatness and the collar was wrinkled. The strands of hair on his temples were soaked by fine beads of sweat, sticking to his cheeks. The hair on his forehead also hung down in a mess, covering up the bottomless obscure and repressed emotions under his brows.

The light at the door was dim, wrapping Xu Yanze in darkness and casting a blurry shadow.

Xu Yanze opened his eyelashes, there was an indescribable bitter struggle between his brows, his eyes were bloodshot, and the corners of his eyes were wet and red, obviously he had been crying.

Xu Yanze looked at Tao Zhi who was so close to him, and the long-suppressed emotions in his heart surged like a raging wave, pounding wildly in his chest, almost breaking through his rational defenses and gushing out uncontrollably.

"Tao Zhi..." Xu Yanze's voice was extremely hoarse.

"Lao Xu, you are not in a good state. What happened?" Tao Zhi asked.

After seeing the clarity and worry in Tao Zhi's eyes, Xu Yanze trapped his feelings in his heart with trembling lips. He was so agitated that he felt unbearable pain and his face was pale and bloodless.

Xu Yanze stretched out his hand towards Tao Zhi's face, but when he was about to touch Tao Zhi's cheek, Tao Zhi grabbed him and held him in his palm.

My fingers were so cold that I didn’t know how long I had been outside in the wind.

"Let's talk inside if you have anything to say. You look very weak now."

Tao Zhi stood up as he spoke, grabbed Xu Yanze's hand and was about to pull him up, and with a little force, Xu Yanze's wrist emerged from his shirt.

After seeing the bloody wound on Xu Yanze's wrist, Tao Zhi was stunned, then panicked and looked anxious.

"Lao Xu! Why are you…"

Before Tao Zhi could finish his words, Xu Yanze staggered to his feet, his body swaying violently like a tattered puppet. He stretched out his arms with all his might and hugged Tao Zhi tightly in his arms, his head drooping weakly on Tao Zhi's shoulders.

Tao Zhi was caught off guard when being hugged. When he was about to speak, he found that Xu Yanze was getting heavier and heavier. His whole body was leaning on him and there was a tendency to slide down. Tao Zhi then realized that Xu Yanze had lost consciousness.

Tao Zhi immediately hugged Xu Yanze's waist to prevent him from falling, then gritted his teeth and tried to keep himself steady, shouting for help.

"Butler! Butler, come here quickly!" Tao Zhi shouted.

Xu Yanze opened his eyes dazedly. The light above his head was a little dazzling. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his throat was unbearably dry.

Xu Yanze turned his head and saw the head lying on the edge of the bed. His heart softened and his emotions began to surge.

Xu Yanze stretched out his hand that was hooked to an IV drip. This action caused blood to return to his veins, but he didn't pay any attention to it. Instead, he gently extended his hand to Tao Zhi's sleeping face.

When Xu Yanze was just a few inches away from Tao Zhi's cheek, he stopped moving, sadness spreading in his eyes.

After hesitating for a few breaths, she finally put her fingertips on Tao Zhi's hair and gently pushed the messy hair on his face behind his ears.

Tao Zhi vaguely felt the change in light in front of his eyelids, opened his eyes with trembling eyelashes, and saw Xu Yanze waking up. He immediately jumped up from his seat, rushed out yelling, and called back a group of doctors.

The doctor performed a routine check and gave some instructions before leaving. Tao Zhi yawned and sat back on the bench, rubbing his dark blue eyes.

"Lao Xu, are you feeling better now?" Tao Zhi asked weakly.

Since sending Xu Yanze to the hospital in the middle of the night last night, and having a fever for quite some time during the night, Tao Zhi has only taken a short nap so far, and is extremely sleepy.

"Well, thank you for bothering me last night."

Xu Yanze tried hard to put a smile on his face, but the smile was so forced that even Tao Zhi, who was slow-witted, could tell that he was forcing himself.

Xu Yanze's voice was too hoarse, so Tao Zhi picked up the kettle on the cabinet and poured a glass of water for Xu Yanze. Xu Yanze was about to reach out to take it, but Tao Zhi grabbed his bandaged hand and gently put it back on the bed.

"The left hand is dripping, the right hand is bandaged, you are not allowed to move either hand."

Tao Zhi handed the cup of water to Xu Yanze's mouth as he spoke. Xu Yanze's eyes were filled with emotion and he lowered his head to drink some water. The dryness and pain in his throat were relieved a little.

Seeing that Xu Yanze was still calm, Tao Zhi sat down and stammered out his questions.

"What happened to you last night? Did something happen in Germany? Why did you return home so suddenly and get yourself into this state?"

"You obviously... obviously haven't been like this for a long, long time?" Tao Zhi asked worriedly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yanze lowered his eyes, trying to hide the restraint and sadness in his expression, and pursed his lips to endure it.

"If you don't want to talk, I won't force you. Or you can tell me if there is anything I can do to help you now?" Tao Zhi said.

Xu Yanze was silent for a long time, so long that Tao Zhi thought he would not speak.

"Tao Zhi." Xu Yanze looked up and called out.

The eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were filled with tenderness, but also had a wet red color.

"Yes, I'm here, you talk and I'm listening." Tao Zhi replied gently.

Xu Yanze's Adam's apple rolled and his lips and teeth felt bitter and astringent. Under Tao Zhi's puzzled gaze, Xu Yanze spoke with difficulty.

"Just yesterday, I met a guy in Germany."

"He told me that something that had always been out of my reach once belonged to me."

"But I lost it back then. Now I know the truth, but that thing no longer belongs to me." Xu Yanze's voice trembled.

Tao Zhi was stunned by Xu Yanze's gaze.

He has always been steady and mature, and seemed indifferent to everything. This was the first time that Xu Yanze did not hide his fragility and helplessness in front of him.

Tao Zhi was just about to ask what that important thing was, but after he opened his mouth, he realized the look in Xu Yanze's eyes when he looked at him, and Tao Zhi's words got stuck between his lips and teeth, inexplicably not daring to speak.

"Who was that person you met in Germany? Do I know him?"

"Maybe he's just talking nonsense. Don't believe everything anyone says."

Tao Zhi tried to change the subject with an unnatural look on his face.

"Lang Buping." Xu Yanze replied.