Chapter 14: Skin Hunger Syndrome 3

In all his life, Lu Shun had never seen such severe weather.

A typhoon combined with torrential rain turned everything in sight into a gray haze. Various unidentified debris was swept high into the air by howling winds, suspended and refusing to fall.

On the way to Ripple Capital’s Third District, there were almost no other vehicles on the road. Any sensible person would be sheltering indoors at a time like this.

Lu Shun gripped the steering wheel, listening to the relentless pounding of raindrops against the windshield and roof, his palms slowly growing damp with sweat.

The nearly three-ton Cullinan was being gently rocked by the wind. As the tires plowed through the rainwater on the road, Lu Shun could clearly feel the vehicle sliding uncontrollably.

Logically, he shouldn’t be this impulsive. Or rather, he should have chosen a smarter, safer approach—whether through investigation or providing assistance—instead of charging in alone like this.

Lu Shun understood all these rational arguments, but he simply couldn’t control himself.

If he had to trace the reason, it was probably because his right eyelid had been twitching incessantly. That constant sense of panic and unease kept reminding him that He Qiuting might be in danger.

Lu Shun’s intuition had always been accurate.

While driving, Lu Shun felt he had truly gone mad—risking his life like this because of a bad premonition.

So be it if he died.

If he died like this, wouldn’t He Qiuting remember him for the rest of his life?

Lu Shun felt doomed that this was what crossed his mind at such a moment.

Tch, what was so great about He Qiuting anyway?

His emotions were complicated, but before he could ponder further, his phone suddenly rang beside him. His heart leapt for a moment, only for his gaze to dim when he saw the caller ID.

It was Lu Zhao calling.

I heard there’s a typhoon at Sky Dome Port. Are you alright? Lu Zhao’s voice remained as unhurried as ever, betraying no emotion.

I’m fine, Lu Shun said. Mom and Dad are fine too—I just checked with them.

Good. Lu Zhao responded, then paused briefly before suddenly chuckling. Oh, by the way, congratulations to our President Lu. This deal is going to bring in huge profits again.

The windshield wipers swept back and forth relentlessly before him. Raindrops slammed against the windshield with a crackling sound, his vision alternating between blurry and clear.

Squinting as he struggled to observe the road conditions, Lu Shun lost patience and said, Are you talking about Azure Chase Pharmaceuticals? But I have something to handle right now, so I can’t—

I mean Cloud Horizon. Lu Zhao’s voice came through the receiver clearly, carrying a hint of laziness.

Cloud Horizon?

Didn’t you borrow a significant amount of Cloud Horizon stocks from Old Chen a while back? You’ve already sold them all on the secondary market, right?

Yeah. Lu Shun raised an eyebrow.

What he hated most about Lu Zhao was how the other could always find out what he was doing through various connections, no matter how discreet his actions were.

Cloud Horizon’s stock price will drop tomorrow, but the decline will be limited. I suggest you close your positions soon to lock in profits, Lu Zhao said.

Tomorrow… This differed significantly from Lu Shun’s estimated timeline. Puzzled, he asked, Why tomorrow?

Someone died at the Ripple Capital Third District construction site.

Lu Zhao’s tone was flat. Hearing a sudden screech of brakes from the other end of the line, his nerves instantly tightened. Lu Shun, are you driving?

Lu Shun pulled over to the roadside. In that single moment, a chill ran through his entire body. After his mind went blank for a few seconds, his hands on the steering wheel began to tremble uncontrollably.

His throat was dry, almost unable to produce sound. Who… who died?

The scaffolding collapsed. Two workers fell from a height and died on the spot. Lu Zhao’s tone finally carried a trace of emotion as he angrily shouted through the phone, Don’t worry about who died first! What were you doing going out in this weather? Are you trying to get yourself killed?

Are you sure they were workers? Lu Shun pressed seriously.

Yes. Some workers called emergency services and reported it to the police. But they’re already dead, and with this extreme weather, no one is willing to risk sending vehicles. We’ll have to wait until the typhoon passes tomorrow to go to the scene. The news has been contained for now. I heard He Qiuting went to the construction site, but I don’t know how he’ll handle the aftermath.

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Shun hung up on him.

Boom—

Another thunderclap echoed across the sky, lightning tearing through the rain curtain with unstoppable force, briefly illuminating everything as bright as daylight.

The piercing cold light shone through the car window, falling on a pale, still face, making the fragile blood vessels beneath the skin starkly visible.

He Qiuting’s Sun Spot twitched. His deep eyes narrowed as he turned to look out the car window.

The collapsed scaffolding and construction materials lay scattered in disarray. Yunji Real Estate’s billboard had already been torn apart by the typhoon, leaving behind a construction site rendered unrecognizable.

The driver’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat. He turned around and let out a relieved sigh. General Manager He, we’ve arrived.

He Qiuting, always emotionally steady, showed no expression on his face. He reached for the door handle to get out, but was stopped by Lin Xu in the passenger seat.

General Manager He, I think there might be some misunderstanding. Should we wait until the investigation is clear before getting out?

He Qiuting paused, looking at the lit prefab house in the distance. After a moment of silence, he asked, Xiao Lin, let me ask you one last time. Did you really send the work suspension notice to Construction Site Three?

Earlier, after Lu Shun left the company, He Qiuting had specifically checked the meteorological bureau’s red alert again. Worried it might cause accidents, he had arranged for Lin Xu to notify all construction sites to suspend work.

Unexpectedly, over twenty workers at Construction Site Three had continued working in the rain, resulting in fatalities.

Lin Xu nodded vigorously, his eyes becoming moist. He handed his phone to He Qiuting. General Manager He, I really did notify them. This is the work suspension document I sent to General Manager Li of the engineering department. And General Manager Li also sent notifications to all the project managers at each site. Look!

Lin Xu scrolled through the message history on his phone screen. The project manager at Site Three had a family emergency today and didn’t go to the site this afternoon, but he did send the suspension notice in the work group chat. In theory, everyone should have gone home.

With the project manager absent, the highest person in charge at the site would be the foreman.

What’s the foreman’s name? He Qiuting asked.

Lü Weihua.

He Qiuting gave a slight nod. Despite the terrifying howl of the wind outside, he resolutely pushed the car door open.

The torrential rain and gale instantly swallowed all sound, causing his cold, stiff body to momentarily lose all sensation.

His clean leather dress shoes stepped into the accumulated water mixed with diesel and mud. The filthy water immediately submerged his ankles, thoroughly soaking his socks. The wet fabric clung uncomfortably to the soles of his shoes, making every step feel deeply unsettling.

In just a few seconds, He Qiuting was drenched from head to toe by the rain. Squinting his eyes, he braced against the chaotic typhoon winds as he and Lin Xu supported each other while moving forward.

He raised his hand, pressing his pale fingers against the tightly shut door, and pushed it open with force.

Wind and rain instantly poured inside.

He Qiuting’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he lifted his head and saw over twenty workers crammed inside a relatively intact prefab room. They were filthy, wearing soaked work uniforms, their faces a blend of sweat and rain, all uniformly etched with anger.

Hearing the noise, they turned their heads in unison, their gazes fixed on the doorway.

He Qiuting stood at the forefront, his suit and shirt completely soaked through. His breathing was highly irregular; through the semi-transparent shirt, one could clearly see the skin of his chest and two distinct points rising and falling erratically.

He casually took off his suit jacket, shaking off a puddle of water. Then, he swept his drenched bangs back, revealing a clean yet pale face.

Someone immediately recognized that face.

It’s He Qiuting!

The boss of Cloud Horizon?

Yes, it’s him!

A stout, dark-skinned man at the front strode over, the flesh on his face taut, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked. Yet he didn’t dare throw a punch, only shouting accusingly, There’s a red typhoon warning! Are you fucking insane for money? Why are you still making us rush to work!

Yeah! Now someone’s died! Are you happy?!

You capitalists! Don’t any of you have families?

Damn you!

Faced with the barrage of curses, He Qiuting showed no panic. He took two steps forward and asked, Who told you the company ordered you to work through the storm?

You’re all just putting on a show! Pretending to let us stop work on the surface, then secretly telling the foreman to keep going! So you get to play both the good leader and the capitalist!

He Qiuting was drenched all over; water droplets from his hair trailed down his brow, across the bridge of his nose and lips, dripping from his jaw and pooling in the hollow of his collarbone.

Despite being soaked like this, he showed no trace of disarray. His voice was soft when he spoke, yet it carried the authority of someone in power. After scanning the room, he asked, Which one of you is Lü Weihua?

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

He Qiuting watched as the crowd of workers parted to either side, revealing the corner of the room and two bodies covered with white sheets.

Someone pointed to one of them and answered him, He’s Lü Weihua.

He Qiuting’s heart suddenly trembled. He walked over.

The white sheet was stained with blood. He Qiuting bent down, lifted a corner of the sheet, frowned, suppressed the urge to vomit, and slowly covered the body again.
The man had died a gruesome death, likely landing headfirst, with his eyeball and the back of his skull pierced by steel rebars on the ground.

At this inopportune moment, Lin Xu stepped forward. Holding up his phone with the work suspension notice, he showed it to everyone, Look, this is the suspension notice we sent to the manager. We only sent this one message—there was no order to resume work!

Why did this Lü Weihua suddenly tell everyone to go back to work?

Perhaps the project manager had privately given the foreman new instructions? Or maybe the foreman had been bribed to stir up the workers’ emotions?

But now the man was dead, and with no one to testify, the situation had become much more complicated.

Sure enough, Lin Xu’s words immediately stirred up everyone’s emotions. The crowd surged forward, pulling out their phones and turning their cameras toward He Qiuting.

What do you mean by this? Are you trying to push the blame onto a dead man?

Have you no humanity!

Someone in the crowd shouted loudly.

Cloud Horizon CEO He Qiuting drove workers to their deaths! Refused to halt work during typhoon and heavy rain!

Construction materials were substandard, the scaffolding collapsed!

Each accusation felt like drowning in spit.

He Qiuting felt cold all over, a sudden cramp twisting in his stomach. He exhaled slowly, pressing his left hand against his upper abdomen as he retreated slightly. Only by holding onto Lin Xu’s arm did he manage to stay upright.

His mind raced through the day’s events, realizing the current situation was extremely unfavorable for Cloud Horizon. Once this incident went public, public opinion would spiral completely out of control.

He had to strike first before the typhoon ended!

Xiao Lin, immediately arrange for someone to contact the deceased’s family. Find a way to bring them to the construction site.

Lin Xu hesitated, Right now? But the typhoon hasn’t stopped yet.

Right now, He Qiuting stated firmly. Let them see with their own eyes that we’re not trying to evade responsibility.

While these words were meant for the workers present, He Qiuting’s true purpose was to make early contact with the families, preventing them from being manipulated by those with ulterior motives and creating more negative impact for Cloud Horizon.

He found a corner and lowered his voice, Have the PR department draft a statement emphasizing that Cloud Horizon issued work suspension notices before the typhoon. Foreman Lü resumed work without authorization, leading to the accident. State that the cause remains unclear and that we’ll fully cooperate with police investigations.

Then have finance allocate funds – donate ten million to the city as soon as possible for post-disaster reconstruction.

The construction site had terrible signal. Lin Xu had to wave his phone by the window for a long time before finally sending the messages. When he returned, he saw He Qiuting standing pale-faced beside the corpses, looking like a standing corpse himself.

The wind outside had eased slightly. Though still angry, the workers ultimately didn’t want to spend the night with corpses and had gradually moved to other prefab rooms. Even the driver had returned to his vehicle.

The large prefab room now contained only He Qiuting and Lin Xu, keeping watch over two bodies.

Lin Xu, terrified and nauseated by the smell of blood, kept dry heaving. He Qiuting didn’t make it difficult for him, allowing him to rest in the adjacent room.

The project manager kept messaging Lin Xu, saying he was stuck on the road due to deep floodwaters, apologizing repeatedly and clarifying that when everyone replied received to the notice, he assumed work had stopped. With his child sick at home, he hadn’t checked the site’s real-time monitoring.

But what happened had happened – no amount of explanation could change things now.

His clothes remained damp and cold against his skin. He Qiuting leaned against the wall, gradually feeling drained as his vision blurred and he slowly slid down the wall.

He fought to stay conscious, forcing himself alert with every inch he slid down, then straightening up again.

Because of the typhoon conditions, the bodies couldn’t be transported out. He Qiuting knew this would inevitably be sensationalized by media as Cloud Horizon disregarding workers’ dignity. So now he had to ensure every detail was handled flawlessly to confront tomorrow’s potential media storm.

In his hazy consciousness, the pain remained undiminished. His stomach twisted as if being sliced by knives, and with every breath, He Qiuting could faintly smell the metallic scent of blood deep in his throat.

He didn’t know how much time had passed…

He sensed a slight disturbance in the air as someone strode in, bringing with them a gust of damp, chilly wind.

He Qiuting’s lowered eyelashes fluttered faintly, approaching him against the light.his shattered gaze focusing momentarily to see that familiar silhouette

He Qiuting!?

He Qiuting didn’t know how terrible his current condition appeared, but judging by Lu Shun’s panicked expression, it must have been truly bad.

His strained nerves suddenly snapped.

He Qiuting’s pupils dilated, unable to hold on any longer as his entire body uncontrollably pitched forward…

His stiff fingers unconsciously tightened the moment they touched Lu Shun’s arm, like a drowning person finally grasping a floating piece of wood.

Lu Shun’s skin was warm.

The muscles in his arm were firm and strong.

He Qiuting’s vision went dark as he directly lost consciousness before him.

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