Chapter 11. A Strange Encounter

At the Hospital – More Chaos Than Healing

Before heading to the mysterious photography job, Zhao Rui and Liang Chen made their usual stop at the hospital to visit Liang Yue.

As they walked into her room, they found her happily eating a giant bag of chips.

Zhao Rui gasped. "Wait, wait, wait—who let a patient eat junk food?!"

Liang Yue shrugged. "The nurse."

Liang Chen crossed his arms. "Which nurse?"

Liang Yue pointed at the empty chair next to her bed. "The one that left after giving me the chips."

Zhao Rui sighed. "I swear, Yue, if you die because of a potato chip, I will personally haunt you in the afterlife."

Liang Yue smirked. "You're not that scary, Rui."

Liang Chen, meanwhile, grabbed a broccoli from his lunchbox and held it out. "Here. Eat this instead."

Liang Yue recoiled. "Broccoli?! What am I, a rabbit?"

Zhao Rui laughed. "Oh no, Chen. You've gone full 'mom mode' again."

Liang Chen glared at him. "And you're the 'bad influence ' who lets her eat junk."

Liang Yue grinned. "I like Rui better."

Zhao Rui pumped his fist. "Victory!"

Liang Chen shook his head. "This is why I have headaches."

As they were about to leave, Liang Yue grabbed Zhao Rui's sleeve and whispered, "Take care of my brother, okay? He's always worrying about me… but who's worrying about him?"

Zhao Rui softened. He patted her head. "Don't worry. I've got this."

Little did they know… their day was about to get very weird.

– The Frightened Girl

As they left the hospital and walked toward the taxi stand, Zhao Rui suddenly collided with someone.

"Ah!" A soft, frightened yelp escaped from a girl as she stumbled backward.

Zhao Rui quickly caught her by the shoulders. "Whoa, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

The girl looked up, her face pale and fearful, her hands trembling.

Before Zhao Rui could ask anything else, a tall man in a sleek black suit approached them, his expression cold.

He grabbed the girl's wrist. "She's my wife."

His tone was sharp, almost possessive. The girl flinched but didn't say anything.

Liang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. Something felt off.

But Zhao Rui, completely uninterested in drama, quickly stepped aside. "Oh, uh… okay then. Carry on."

Without another word, the man pulled the girl toward a black luxury car, shoved her inside, and drove off.

There was a long silence.

Then, Liang Chen looked at Zhao Rui. "Did that feel weird to you?"

Zhao Rui shrugged. "I mean… married life is tough. Who are we to judge?"

Liang Chen rolled his eyes. "Sometimes, I think your brain is on vacation."

Zhao Rui grinned. "Permanent vacation, baby!"

And with that, they continued toward their real problem—the 30 lakh photography job.