NOVEL WEB Vol. 1 - Ch. 358 - Alive
The long night felt endless. A sea breeze swept over the deck, carrying a faint salty tang.
Several people sat huddled together on the deck, chatting.
"Good thing we left early. I heard the Gu family already sent people out to search for HuMing's whereabouts. Too bad he's already dead."
"Tell me about it. Even the head of the Gu family came in person. Who would've thought they cared that much about HuMing?"
"Not that it matters to us. We've already decided to abandon that place. We're moving on to the next location."
"Hey, what about Han ShuYi? Is he just going to keep tagging along with us? Can't we just put a bullet in him and be done?"
Someone was clearly irritated by Han ShuYi's continued presence.
But another man shook his head.
"Boss said not to touch him. That guy's got secrets—Boss's secrets. If we kill him and that stuff gets out, none of us are making it out alive."
"Tch. Then what about his sister? Look at her skin—smooth as—"
"You better not even think about it. Someone tried something before we got on the boat. Han ShuYi shot him straight through the hand. You really think if you lay a finger on that girl, Han ShuYi won't kill you?"
The men on deck genuinely wanted to get rid of Han ShuYi. But right now, they couldn't afford to.
Ever since HuMing had been killed by Han ShuYi, the guy had lost all value. No one expected Han ShuYi to have this one last card up his sleeve.
Still, his final end would surely be death.
…
Inside the cabin, Han ShuYi stared at Han YunXi. Her gaze was empty, and the food next to her remained untouched.
She hadn't eaten anything since witnessing him kill HuMing.
No matter what Han ShuYi said, it was like her will to live had crumbled. She was slowly letting herself waste away.
Han ShuYi sighed deeply, truly at a loss.
He opened the cabin door and peeked outside. Once he confirmed no one was nearby, he returned and said,
"Eat something. You haven't eaten all day. If you keep going like this, your body won't last."
Han YunXi found his words laughable. She glared at him with hatred, her voice weak.
"Isn't this what you wanted to see? We're just burdens to your survival."
"If HuMing were here, he wouldn't want you starving yourself like this."
At the mention of HuMing's name, Han YunXi's eyes turned bloodshot. She lunged at Han ShuYi, trying to wrap her hands around his throat, but he easily tossed her back onto the bed.
Seeing the hatred burning in her eyes, Han ShuYi knew—she truly, deeply hated him.
And at this rate, her body wouldn't hold out until someone came to rescue her.
Han ShuYi had no plans to stay on this cursed boat for long. If he lingered, there'd be no way out for him either. He had to come up with a way to escape.
"You've got some nerve bringing up HuMing! You're the one who killed him with your own hands! What—did you think he stole your life? Took everything from you? No! You could've stayed with the Han family. Mom and Dad would've accepted you both as sons. So why—why did HuMing have to die?!"
Han YunXi's outburst silenced Han ShuYi.
He recalled what HuMing had told him in prison.
It sounded insane, but Han ShuYi chose to believe it. Everything HuMing did had lined up too perfectly, as if he'd predicted every step in advance.
If HuMing hadn't known what he was going to do, none of this would've happened.
He was supposed to be the protagonist of this story...
Han ShuYi let out a humorless chuckle, but no sound came. He couldn't even bring himself to laugh anymore.
He'd become a pitiful joke—scurrying in the dark like a rat in a sewer, barely clinging to existence.
What kind of protagonist was this?
"You're right. Why did HuMing have to die? If he hadn't told me to protect you... if it weren't for that, I wouldn't even care if you died right here."
His eyes turned cold. He tilted his head slightly, fixing Han YunXi with a detached stare.
"If you won't even eat, then you don't deserve to live. If you want to stay alive to see whoever it is you're hoping to see, then stop being a burden to the rest of us."
With that, Han ShuYi turned and walked out, leaving her alone in the room.
Han YunXi sat there in a daze.
His words echoed in her ears—like someone would come to save her.
But who?
She didn't know. Her gaze drifted to the untouched food. After a long, silent struggle, she finally picked it up and began to eat.
She hated Han ShuYi. She really did. But what he said was true—she couldn't drag others down with her.
What if... HuMing wasn't really dead?
It wouldn't be the first time he'd faked his death.
As she ate, silent tears streamed down her cheeks.
She had to stay strong.
…
HuMing's eyes shot open to a sky full of stars.
He struggled upright, his chest soaked in red—the blood staining his shirt.
Reaching into his clothes, he pulled out a small blood pack and tossed it aside.
When he fell from the cliff, he'd managed to grab onto a vine and slid into a cave.
He didn't know how long he wandered inside before collapsing from exhaustion. By the time he woke up, he was already at the cave's entrance.
HuMing's body still felt weak, but he was alive—and that was all thanks to Han ShuYi.
By now, Han ShuYi should've gotten far away.
HuMing patted his pocket and pulled out a phone—one he didn't recognize. A blinking dot, marked "out of range," flickered on the screen. That had to be where Han ShuYi and the others were.
"HuMing?!"
A familiar voice called from the woods.
"Dad?"
His brows shot up. Strength returned to his limbs as he pushed himself to his feet and ran toward the voice.
He'd never been this beat-up in his life—completely drained. If HuMin saw him now, she'd probably laugh and call him a weakling again.
Gu WeiJun's voice grew closer. HuMing shouted back with all the strength he could muster.
"Dad!"
"HuMing?! Stay right there! I'm coming!"
He closed his eyes, letting himself rest for a moment. Even with some sleep, his body was running on empty.
The sound of footsteps grew louder. When HuMing opened his eyes again, Gu WeiJun was standing in front of him.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Gu WeiJun threw his arms around him.
"Thank god... HuMing, you're really okay!" Gu WeiJun's voice trembled with relief as he held his son tightly.
HuMing, caught off guard, didn't know how to respond.
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