After gritting his teeth and saying those words, Lu Shun hung up the phone.

Then, like a deeply embedded thorn, these words became firmly lodged in He Qiuting’s mind, impossible to remove.

President He.

May you never fall ill.

May you work yourself to death.

To… death.

On the way to the airport, He Qiuting sat quietly in the back seat, his mind repeatedly turning these words over and over as his temples throbbed violently.

Perhaps due to unstable blood pressure, his vision occasionally blurred for a moment. In his daze, he recalled the old television at his grandmother’s house with its flickering snow patterns, and his thoughts involuntarily slowed down.

His grandmother had passed away two years ago.

He Qiuting’s Adam’s apple moved as he stared out the window, his eyes slightly red. Counting them now, he hardly had any close relatives left.

He thought he was cold-blooded and rational enough not to be affected by emotional attachments, but when Lu Shun broke up with him and even the messages he sent were marked with red exclamation marks, He Qiuting’s heart still tightened painfully.

He knew what kind of person Lu Shun was.

Lu Shun was the type who, once he made a decision, would never look back. Extremely principled, he meant what he said and devoted himself completely to whatever he set his mind to, but when he gave up, he did so cleanly and decisively.

He Qiuting had once admired this about him.

…

Taking his phone out from his suit pocket, the screen lit up with no messages from Lu Shun. He Qiuting stared blankly for a while before putting the phone away again, then closed his eyes wearily.

In his mind, memories of his time with Lu Shun surged uncontrollably, each frame exceptionally clear.

Over these three years, aside from his strong-willed and profit-driven approach to work, Lu Shun had actually taken very good care of him in daily life.

He Qiuting was someone skilled at self-reflection. After much thought, he felt that he might truly not have been a qualified partner he shouldn’t have drained someone else’s expectations like that.

Now, the Sky Citadel Project was not only related to the survival of Yunji Real Estate but also to his father’s unfulfilled wish. He had neither the time nor the energy to invest too much in a relationship.

Thinking this way, breaking up might be the best choice at present.

They could confront each other fiercely at the negotiation table or seek mutual benefits in the project’s collaboration. Without emotional factors involved, interests were simply interests straightforward and pure.

He Qiuting curled his lips in self-mockery and let go of his regrets.

The car drove smoothly toward the airport.

Along the way, the driver Xiao Zhang glanced several times through the rearview mirror, hesitating to speak. Finally, he nudged Lin Xu in the passenger seat and gestured backward with his chin.

Lin Xu was organizing reports when he noticed this. He turned around and, through the gap between the seats, saw that He Qiuting looked pale, his brows slightly furrowed. With his eyes closed, his dark eyelashes trembled faintly as he pressed his fingertips against his temples.

“President He, you don’t look well. Are you okay?” Lin Xu asked quietly.

He Qiuting shook his head and said casually, “I’m fine, just a bit hypoglycemic.”

“I have some candy here. Do you need it?”

He Qiuting waved his hand dismissively.

His stomach still felt uncomfortable, his head ached, and for some reason, his heart was pounding fiercely, as if something bad was about to happen.

This feeling lingered as he boarded the plane.

They would take this flight, arriving at the transit point in two hours, then transfer to another flight bound for London.

In London, He Qiuting scheduled negotiations with several internationally renowned luxury brands, leveraging the prime retail spaces in the Sky Citadel land parcel to collect five years’ worth of rent in advance.

If the partnerships were secured, this would generate a substantial cash flow, freeing Cloud Horizon from many financial constraints.

He Qiuting settled into his seat by the window and switched his phone to flight mode.

“I’m going to sleep for a while,” he said to Lin Xu beside him as he put on his eye mask. “No need to wake me for the meal service.”

“Understood, President He,” Lin Xu responded.

Before the plane even took off, He Qiuting had already fallen asleep. Lin Xu requested a blanket from the flight attendant and draped it over him, watching the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest bathed in soft sunlight a golden, almost ethereal sight.

Lin Xu’s gaze gradually drifted to He Qiuting’s face.

The black eye mask concealed his usually penetrating eyes, leaving only his striking brow bone and nose bridge visible. Further down were lips with an impeccably natural curve, lending him a gentle, appealing smile even in slumber.

A faint blush crept across Lin Xu’s cheeks. He wouldn’t have dared to stare so unabashedly if He Qiuting weren’t wearing the eye mask.

Holding his breath, Lin Xu leaned closer for a clearer view of He Qiuting’s lips.

Glistening under the sunlight from the window, they carried a subtle pink hue.

Such a sharp, formidable man possessed unexpectedly soft lips.

So captivating…

Just then, the plane began taxiing forward. He Qiuting shifted slightly, jolting Lin Xu from his reverie.

Startled, Lin Xu hastily retreated to his seat, heart pounding like a drum.

He Qiuting slept lightly and soon awoke to the rumble of the plane’s movement. A strong thrust pressed him against his seat as the aircraft tilted upward, beginning its ascent…

【System binding in progress…】

A monotone mechanical voice echoed. Drowsy, He Qiuting assumed it was an audiobook playing from a passenger behind him.

【Host’s emotional suppression levels exceed threshold. Emotional module corrupted. Forcibly installing Debilitation System 2.0】

【System will randomly generate one illness every 72 hours】

【First illness generated: Severe Bronchial Asthma】

【Symptoms can be alleviated by showing vulnerability to a loved one】

…

Before the mechanical voice faded, He Qiuting’s chest abruptly tightened.

An itch deep in his throat triggered an involuntary swallow, and breathing became slightly labored.

Frowning faintly, He Qiuting adjusted his posture and loosened his tie.

He dismissed the discomfort, attributing it to low blood pressure or thin cabin air never connecting it to the “audiobook” he’d heard.

But five minutes later, the suffocating sensation intensified sharply. He distinctly felt an invisible force constricting his airways.

His breathing grew rapid, and cold sweat drenched his back almost instantly.

Realizing something was wrong, He Qiuting hunched forward, gripping the armrest until his knuckles turned white and his fingertips grew numb and trembling.

He struggled to draw breath no matter how hard he tried, oxygen refused to reach his lungs. The suffocation worsened, and his vision began to blur with dark spots.

“Cough… cough…” He Qiuting removed his eye mask, pressing a hand to his chest as he suppressed two muffled coughs. The situation was clearly deteriorating.

His first thought was that something was seriously wrong with his body.

His second thought was that he couldn’t let it happen here.

Cloud Horizon was currently in a critical phase of fundraising. If the media caught wind of him suddenly falling ill on a plane, the stock price would inevitably plummet tomorrow.

No way.

He Qiuting lowered his head, taking a long moment to unfasten his seatbelt. Forcing himself to stand, his legs trembled slightly from lack of oxygen.

“Mr. He?” Lin Xu looked up at him. “Are you all right? Your complexion…”

“I’m fine.” He Qiuting deliberately kept his voice steady. “I’m going to the restroom.”

The few steps that should have been close at hand felt unbearably long.

He Qiuting pushed open the restroom door, and the moment he locked it, he could no longer hold himself up. His body suddenly fell backward, his back slamming against the metal door with a thud before sliding weakly downward.

A terrifying wheezing sound escaped his throat.

“Hah… hah… cough, cough…”

His face was deathly pale, his lips turning bluish-purple from lack of oxygen, and his consciousness began to blur…

That mechanical voice echoed in He Qiuting’s mind once more.

【Pain Sensitivity: 1000%】

【Showing Weakness to Your Lover Can Alleviate Symptoms】

【It Is Recommended to Seek Comfort from Your True Love as Soon as Possible】

He Qiuting leaned weakly against the wall, tilting his head back as he gasped for air. His fingers twitched from oxygen deprivation, and the light in his eyes slowly began to fade.

He suddenly found it absurdly amusing.

He imagined tomorrow’s headlines: “CEO of Yunji Real Estate Suddenly Falls Ill, Dies in Plane Restroom…”

So undignified.

His throat was completely blocked, not a single breath of air able to pass through. He Qiuting closed his eyes and let his head slump forward, utterly drained.

The system finally relented.

【Detected vital signs have dropped to dangerous thresholds, and unable to seek help from true love. Current episode terminated. Next episode in: seven hours.】

【Current episode severity: Level A. Next episode will escalate to Level S. Please return to your lover within seven hours.】

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