When the helicopter returned to the cliff's edge, Wang Ziran seemed to regain a spark of hope.
This time, as he had wished, two men descended from the helicopter. They carefully placed Su Ruiyi onto a stretcher and then hoisted her up using ropes.
Just as Ou Yunchen and Wang Ziran were about to board, a man in black stopped Wang Ziran and threw down a ladder from above.
"Apologies, Mr. Ziran, but you'll have to stand on the ladder. Mr. Colin doesn't like to share the same space with strangers."
With that, the man in black gestured to Ou Yunchen, indicating he could climb up the ladder. Once Ou Yunchen was safely inside the cabin and Wang Ziran had also stabilized himself on the ladder, the helicopter began to ascend again.
"You lost. I found you," Colin said, looking at Ou Yunchen without much excitement.
Ou Yunchen had thought he'd outsmarted Colin and expected the pervert to resort to some disgusting methods of torment. But Colin seemed solely focused on the outcome of his game.
"If you want to kill me, do it now," Ou Yunchen stated.
Colin waved his hand. "This round doesn't count."
Ou Yunchen sneered. "Heh, then what do you want?"
Colin crouched down, looking at the girl lying on the stretcher. Her lips were slightly purple from the cold, but her fair skin gave her a sort of sickly beauty.
"She's Snow White. Do you want to kiss her and wake her up?"
Colin leaned forward, and his movement made Ou Yunchen mistake him for actually intending to kiss her.
Ou Yunchen was almost on his feet to stop the pervert. The man in black beside him held his shoulder. Colin noticed Ou Yunchen's reaction. He taunted him several times, coming very close to Su Ruiyi's face, but never making any move to kiss her. However, Ou Yunchen's demeanor suggested he would punch Colin if he dared to go through with it.
"Perhaps you'd like to try?" Colin teased.
Ou Yunchen glared furiously. Colin, realizing he was getting no reaction, returned to his seat.
"I've always wondered how you escaped from the prison I designed back then," Colin said.
"If you knew, it wouldn't have been an escape," Ou Yunchen replied.
"I'm perplexed. Axe is the new Tang, why didn't you go back to help him? Look at you now, no different from a dog."
Ou Yunchen clenched his fists. A dog? That was all thanks to Axe!
Ou Yunchen stopped engaging with the pervert, but Colin continued to ramble to himself.
"Ding dong, arrival. My friends, quickly, you, little dwarves, help carry Snow White down. Be gentle, don't let the poisoned apple in her throat bounce out. If she realizes the dragon saved her, won't she be terribly sad!"
Colin's helicopter delivered Su Ruiyi directly to a small town at the foot of the Alps, where there was a clinic. After a doctor's examination, it was determined that Su Ruiyi had a fractured lower leg but was not in life-threatening danger. However, she was quite stiff due to prolonged exposure to the snow.
Hearing this, Wang Ziran finally let out a sigh of relief. He quickly called Mrs. Su to report the situation. Mrs. Su would come down to visit Su Ruiyi once the snow stopped.
Ou Yunchen patted Wang Ziran on the shoulder. The boy was also freezing, and he needed a good rest.
"Find a hotel in town and get some sleep. I'll be here," Ou Yunchen advised.
Wang Ziran shook his head. "I'll wait for Yi Yi to wake up."
"She's under anesthesia. She won't wake up until tomorrow. If you don't rest, what if you fall asleep when she wakes up?" Ou Yunchen insisted that Wang Ziran leave.
Only then did Wang Ziran reluctantly agree to go.
However, he found himself with even more questions about Ou Yunchen.
Survival skills like those couldn't be acquired in just a day or two. And why would a wealthy businessman like Colin invite him up?
Colin also seemed eager to see Ou Yunchen again when they disembarked. What was even more puzzling to Wang Ziran was how Ou Yunchen knew where this businessman was, and what had happened during those ten-odd minutes Ou Yunchen was away.
Perhaps it was the prolonged exposure to the freezing cold, but as Wang Ziran's tightly wound nerves finally relaxed, he was struck by a severe headache. He felt as though he was coming down with a cold, forcing him to abandon his attempts to unravel the mysteries. After taking one last look at Su Ruiyi, he left the clinic.
When Ou Yunchen finally sat down, he looked at Su Ruiyi lying motionless there and sighed.
To save this troublesome girl, he had once again provoked that pervert. He was a difficult opponent. Before, Ou Yunchen had only evaded him, but now, a direct confrontation seemed inevitable.
Ou Yunchen walked out of the ward. The television in the waiting room was broadcasting the evening news.
Colin's face appeared on the screen. He was being interviewed by reporters, who spoke in exaggerated terms, praising the wealthy businessman for rescuing the daughter of a prominent family from Tomato City in her time of need. The report also mentioned future collaborations with businesses in Tomato City, with him expressing great optimism for the region's economy.
It was easy to imagine how the public's dissatisfaction, stirred by Colin's inexplicable layoffs at a certain company not long ago, could now be reversed.
His image directly influenced the stock prices of his conglomerate. It seemed this pervert wasn't an idiot; he knew how to maintain his reputation and offer a grand vision to more shareholders. As long as the shareholders remained optimistic, his stock wouldn't plummet too drastically.
Before dawn the next day, Ou Yunchen, plagued by both new and old injuries, was forced to seek out a doctor for painkillers.
But what tormented him even more were the nightmares that struck him every moment. He dreamt of his fallen comrades, their spirits turning into vengeful ghosts and strangling him...
Upon waking, he repeatedly tried to reassure himself, believing they must be complaining that he hadn't sought revenge on Axe...
After his medical check-up and a cup of coffee, as he was preparing to return to Su Ruiyi's room, Mrs. Su and Wang Ziran had already arrived.
Mrs. Su complained, "Yi Yi, no more skiing. Look at you now. Why did you insist on coming with us! You'd have been better off going shopping for clothes than hurting yourself here!"
Su Ruiyi remained silent. She felt her mother should have first asked if she was in pain, rather than immediately scolding her. However, she was used to it. Would she soon be sent off to some country to stay for a while?
Wang Ziran whispered, "Auntie, it's my fault. I took Yi Yi skiing. If you want to scold someone, scold me..."
"And you! If anything had happened to you, how would I have explained it to your father!" Mrs. Su reprimanded him.
Su Ruiyi interrupted them. "Who saved me? I think I heard Ou Yunchen's voice when I was unconscious."
"It was..." Wang Ziran hadn't finished when Mrs. Su cut him off.
"Of course, Wang Ziran saved you! Who else would have known where you were skiing!"
"Ah..."
Mrs. Su squeezed Wang Ziran's arm, signaling him to stop talking.
Su Ruiyi looked up at Wang Ziran. "Is that so? Thank you, Ziran."
"No, no, you're welcome. I... I should," Wang Ziran responded, going along with it.
Ou Yunchen, standing outside the door, overheard the conversation in the room.
Although he didn't understand why Mrs. Su was lying, he thought it might be for the best, to prevent Su Ruiyi from developing any inappropriate feelings for him...
After all, they could never be people from the same world. No matter how many times his identity changed, it was merely a cover for the fact that he was once the adopted son of a lowly life.
Ou Yunchen turned and made a phone call.
—Ou Yunchen on call—
Lawyer Ma: "You want to sue Glengarra Ski Resort?"
Ou Yunchen: "That's right. Su Ruiyi was injured, and the ski resort bears unavoidable responsibility."
Lawyer Ma: "If, as Wang Ziran claims, Su Ruiyi changed her course herself, the ski resort could use that as a defense, and we wouldn't have much to say."
Ou Yunchen: "I know that. Just file the lawsuit as I instructed. Say that the ski resort lacked obvious warning signs, didn't inform tourists in advance about the conditions of the course, and that the map didn't indicate any dangerous areas."
Lawyer Ma: "In that case, it is indeed the ski resort's responsibility. Compensation for medical expenses and emotional distress would be unavoidable."
Ou Yunchen: "The news of the lawsuit needs to be released immediately. I want the media involved."
Lawyer Ma: "Mrs. Su probably wouldn't want news of Su Ruiyi's injury to get out, especially with Wang Ziran involved. It might have a negative impact."
Ou Yunchen: "I know what to do. If the Glengarra Ski Resort's representative contacts you, have them talk to me directly."
—End of call—
Lawyer Ma still couldn't fully trust Ou Yunchen. Exposing this matter would have too significant an impact on the Su family. Therefore, she decided to inform Mrs. Su of everything Ou Yunchen had arranged. However, Mrs. Su in the ward was too preoccupied to deal with anything else and directly hung up on Lawyer Ma's call.