I'm a little lost here. I called several times just now, but no one answered. How did he suddenly show up here looking like this?

He stared at me, his eyes as red as a demon king’s. If I hadn't been bold since childhood, I would have been too terrified to utter a word by his appearance.

“Xiao Shu, what’s wrong?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“Xiao Shu? You must be close to him,” the newcomer said, his red eyes narrowed, teeth grinding.

Uh, he’s mistaken me for someone else. This red-eyed demon king must be the long-lost Li Xiaohao. A chill ran down my spine. I couldn’t decide whether to grab the bag of breakfast nearby or the ashtray on the table and throw it at him.

As I hesitated, he suddenly seized my sister’s IV bag and squeezed it hard. The drips inside the infusion set began to race instantly.

“Don’t! Let my sister go; she’s been unconscious this whole time and hasn't done anything.” Watching the rapidly falling drops, my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my throat. At this rate, my sister’s heart wouldn’t last much longer.

“Tell Li Xiaohao to return the album, or she’s dead.”

Hearing this, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, and the ground beneath my feet seemed to spin uncontrollably.

I held my head with both hands and managed to say, “I can’t find him. I’ve been calling him since last night, and he hasn't picked up until now.”

His expression showed no sign of yielding. “Then you have three days. Find Li Xiaoshu and get the album back from him. Otherwise, the Gu poison in your sister will activate at this exact time three days from now.”

With that, he released the IV bag, turned, and walked out the door. The room door slammed shut behind him.

This sudden turn of events truly startled me. Even long after the door closed, my heart wouldn't stop pounding.

Right, let me think through the current situation clearly. Li Xiaohao didn't get the album; Li Xiaoshu did. No wonder when Xiao Shu saw me yesterday, she didn't mention the album at all. I had initially thought he would react strongly—at least express opposition—to me going to the Public Security Bureau for assistance in the investigation. But he showed nothing. He only came to my sister’s place waiting for me, to see if I had gone to the Bureau. I showed up at the hospital as expected, and Old He appeared too. He knew the investigation assistance was over, and the next step was figuring out how to bypass the informants Li Xiaohao planted at the Bureau to obtain the album. Then, he succeeded and got the album. Li Xiaohao came up empty and was furious. Unable to find Li Xiaoshu, he resorted to threatening me at the hospital, using my poisoned sister as a pawn in his feud against Li Xiaoshu. In the end, my sister and I became collateral damage in their fraternal conflict.

Sigh, I let out a breath and sat down. This must be what it feels like to be completely at a loss. I picked up my phone and dialed Li Xiaoshu’s number, but there was no answer on the other end.

“Xiaoyu…” Suddenly, I heard someone call my name.

I looked up to see Wang Jue standing at the bathroom door. How could I have forgotten him? After my sister and he were in the car accident, they were sent to the hospital together and were staying in the room next to my sister’s. Yesterday, with Li Xiaoshu here, then Old He, and then rushing home to see Wenshu, I had completely forgotten Wang Jue, who was staying next door, existed. He was likely the person closest to my sister during this whole period. He would probably know what the address written on that note meant.