Chapter 725: Black Fragment
Knowing Bai Hanyun had made up her mind, Ouyang Zhuangyu did not question her. "Alright."
After clearing the table, he left to handle the discharge procedures while Bai Hanyun changed her clothes and packed her belongings.
Once she was done, she unlocked her phone and dialed Gui Xiaoxu’s number.
Soon, a deep male voice came through. "Miss Bai, do you need something?"
Bai Hanyun got straight to the point. "CEO Gui, can we meet today?"
Sitting behind his desk in the CEO’s office, Gui Xiaoxu paused briefly before replying, "Sure. I will come find you this afternoon."
"Alright. I will send you the address."
"Mhm."
After ending the call, Bai Hanyun opened WeChat and sent him her home address.
Just then, the door opened.
Seeing that she was ready, Ouyang Zhuangyu said, "Miss Bai, we can leave now."
"Got it."
Putting away her phone, Bai Hanyun stepped out of the VVIP ward. Noticing the two bodyguards following her, she paused and asked, "Do you two still need to follow me?"
One of them nodded. "Miss Bai, our boss ordered us to protect you. Without his instructions, we cannot leave you."
Bai Hanyun thought for a second, then nodded. "Fine. Then come with me."
With that, the two bodyguards followed Bai Hanyun and Ouyang Zhuangyu back to her home in the suburban area of Fu Cheng Town.
Arriving home, Bai Hanyun saw Hua Yuyu and the others training in the front yard.
Waving at them, she smiled and greeted, "Brothers, I’m home."
Hearing her voice, Hua Yuyu and the others stopped training and turned toward the gate. Seeing Bai Hanyun heading inside in a hurry, Hua Yuyu glanced at Ouyang Zhuangyu with questioning eyes.
Meeting their confused and curious gazes, Ouyang Zhuangyu shrugged helplessly. "I don’t know anything. Miss Bai suddenly changed after I went to buy her breakfast."
Hearing this, Bao Shengjie scratched his head, then suddenly seemed to realize something.
Looking at Hua Yuyu, he raised his chin proudly and said, "Brother Yu, now you know I was right. Delicious food really can make you feel better. Look at Miss Bai. Isn’t she all better now after eating?"
Hua Yuyu ignored him and walked over to Ouyang Zhuangyu. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What’s going on with Miss Bai?"
Ouyang Zhuangyu looked at Hua Yuyu’s worried and doubtful expression, then replied helplessly, "Captain, I just told you—I don’t know. Miss Bai suddenly changed. When I returned to the ward after buying breakfast, she was already full of energy. You should have seen how much she ate."
Hua Yuyu stared at him for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief. "It’s good if she has truly come out of her depression. However..."
He paused, glanced toward the closed door, and added, "...if she is just pretending, we need to find a solution."
Ouyang Zhuangyu’s expression turned serious at Hua Yuyu’s words. Nodding in agreement, he said, "Mhm. I contacted a very skilled psychiatrist this morning. As long as I make a call, he can come immediately."
Hearing this, Hua Yuyu patted his shoulder. "Good. I will leave Miss Bai to you."
"Yes, Captain."
While they were discussing her mental condition, inside the house, Bai Hanyun was on the phone with the property manager.
After listening to the update on her antique store’s renovation, she said, "Since the renovation is complete, I will transfer the remaining balance to your company account."
On the other end, the manager smiled. "Alright. If there is anything you are not satisfied with, feel free to contact me, Miss Bai."
"Mhm. Thank you for your help."
"It’s our honor to work with you, Miss Bai. See you next time."
After ending the call, Bai Hanyun went to the backyard. She walked around, but couldn’t find any trace of the space and time portal.
Standing by the river, she frowned slightly and recalled that the portal in Xiqiang City had been connected to her bedroom. Without wasting time, she hurried back inside and went upstairs.
Pushing open the door, Bai Hanyun saw that her room was spotless and tidy.
’It must have been Brother Hua and the others who cleaned it.’ She thought gratefully.
With that in mind, Bai Hanyun scanned the bedroom, then began searching for traces of the space and time portal. After nearly an hour, she still found nothing.
Slumping onto the arhat bed tiredly, her head lowered as her eyes reddened. Clenching the edge of the arhat bed, her tears fell onto the carpet.
Just as Bai Hanyun was about to give up, something on the floor caught her eye.
Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, Bai Hanyun crouched down and picked up the small black object from beneath the arhat bed.
"This is..."
The moment she recognized the black fragment, her eyes lit up. Tears still clinging to Bai Hanyun’s lashes when she excitedly exclaimed, "This is a fragment of the black bead!"
Although the fragment was tiny, she was certain she wasn’t mistaken.
Standing up, Bai Hanyun walked quickly to the floor-to-ceiling glass window and examined the tiny black fragment under the morning sunlight.
Under the bright sunlight, she noticed a thin golden line within the black fragment—formed by countless tiny golden particles.
Narrowing her eyes, Bai Hanyun leaned in for a closer look.
As seconds passed, the golden line seemed to expand within her vision, as if it were trying to swallow her whole.
Startled by the sensation of being pulled and devoured, Bai Hanyun dropped the black fragment.
Thud...
Clutching her aching chest, Bai Hanyun lowered her gaze to the black fragment on the soft carpet. Her breathing was uneven, the lingering fear still gripping her body and mind.
Swallowing hard, she stared at the tiny black fragment and whispered in horror, "...What did I just see?"
A few seconds passed before Bai Hanyun finally calmed down. Squatting down, she reached toward the tiny black fragment.
Just as her fingertips touched it, a sudden knock sounded on the door, nearly scaring her out of her wits.