Chapter 338 - A Wake Up Call

"Ok, you don't have to explain anymore. Although it hurts to see you leave, I am happy to see how desperate you want to recover," Qing Shui said softly.

"Of course, I have to recover. I can't remain like this forever when Mi Er, M's Fashion Line and Yang's world desperately need me," Yang Zi said, as she rested her head against the couch. She closed her eyes.

"Yeah, you are right about that, there are so many people who need you in this world. We also need you," Shiyi said forcing on a smile.

He really did not want Yang Zi to leave but did not have any choice but to give her his permission since she wanted to do this for her recovery. To him, her recovery mattered more than what he wanted.

"Thank you so much guys for always being ever supportive. In this lifetime, I will forever remain indebted to the both of you," Yang Zi who had opened her eyes said, as she hugged Qing Shui. Shiyi joined in making it a group hug.

The three friends stayed together until it was an hour before Yang Zi's departure.

While Yang Zi was freshening up and getting prepared, Qing Shui prepared Yang Mi on Yang Zi's behalf. An hour later, the two were set to leave.

"Shui Shui, don't forget to call me with my new line because I am gonna throw my cellphone away in case Li Yifeng tries to track my location using my cellphone," Yang Zi said, as she embraced Qing Shui.

"I will," Qing Shui said as she hugged Yang Zi tighter. Her eyes suddenly became misty.

"Know how you keep your phone so they can't get my new line, ok?" Yang Zi asked as she patted Qing Shui's back.

"I will," Qing Shui replied again, as she refused to let go of Yang Zi. 

"Shui Shui, I have to go now, ok," Yang Zi said when Qing Shui still refused to pull out of her embrace. Qing Shui reluctantly let go of Yang Zi after her second plead.

"Shiyi, please take care of her while I am away. Make sure you protect her from malicious people like Zhao Liying and her friends, ok," Yang Zi now hugging Shiyi said as she patted his back.

"You can count on me to protect her for you. With me around, nobody would be able to bully her, I assure you this so be rest assured and leave," Shiyi said as he pulled out of her embrace.

After biding Yang Zi goodbye, Shui Shui and Shiyi also bid Yang Mi goodbye too. They were so glad to see little Yang Mi act so strong without shedding any tear.

While Yang Zi was on her journey out of the City, Yifeng who had received a piece of terrifying news from some unknown number half an hour ago, set out with his men to track the scumbag. He didn't know that this was Yang Zi's trap to get his men off her tail.

Yang Zi drove speedily on the quiet road. She often stole quick glances at Yang Mi lying peacefully in the backseat.

Back at the Mansion, Qing Shui sat dejectedly on the couch in the sitting room after Yang Zi and Yang Mi left. She felt so sad and empty with them not around.

"Shiyi, they are gonna be fine, right?" Qing Shui asked anxiously. She just needed someone to assure her that nothing bad will happen to her friend who has set out on a journey to an unknown destination. 

"With Zi Er around, I am certain nothing will go wrong. All we need to do now is to wait and be hopeful that Zi Er will come back soon," Shiyi tried to comfort her.

About an hour later, they both left to their various mansion.

Yifeng only realised that Yang Zi had gone missing three days later. The first person he called after realising this was Feng Shu, whom he had kept in charge of watching Yang Zi. He became so frustrated when Feng Shu's line wasn't going through. After trying to get in touch with Feng Shu for over five hours, he asked his men to track down Feng Shu's location while he went to meet Shiyi. When Shiyi played ignorant about everything, he went to meet Qing Shui but Shui Shui did not give him any relevant answer. She just kicked him out of her mansion after giving him an earful.

He also asked others about Yang Zi's whereabouts but none of them seemed to know anything. They were just as surprised as he was when he learned that Yang Zi was nowhere to be found. 

Yifeng ordered his men to comb every crook and cranny of the country in search of the woman he loved. His men quickly got to work. With the cooperation from the police, they got access to the CCTV of the entire City and even beyond. 

The search for Yang Zi graduated from hours to days and then from days to months. After the second month of searching, Yifeng gave up on ever finding her. Since his heart could not handle her disappearance, Yifeng resorted to drinking. For days, Yifeng locked himself in his mansion and drank his heart out.

Su Jin who could not get in touch with Yifeng for three days went to his mansion in search of him. The scene he met when he entered Yifeng's room was the one he won't forget in a long time. When he entered Yifeng's room, he had seen him lying on the cold floor hugging a bottle of wine tightly. His room was littered with empty bottles of all varieties of wine. From how unkempt the room was, Su Jin could tell that his maids had not entered to clean the room for days.

"What had my best friend turned himself into? From the looks of things, I won't be surprised if he tells me that he hasn't showered for days," Su Jin mumbled, as he dropped his bag on the couch and then moved to take Yifeng to his bedroom.

After tucking him in, he called his maid to thoroughly cleaned the room up. Yifeng woke up hours later. For the past days, he had always woken up on the floor but he was surprised when he woke up on his huge bed that day. Turning to pick a bottle of wine he had kept on his side table, he was surprised to see that the wine wasn't there.

"Who had dared to mess around with my stuff?" Yifeng shouted furiously.

"I did and what will you do? Will you also fire me like how you have fired half of your men and maids?" Su Jin who just came out of the restroom asked sternly.

"Jin, what the heck are you doing here?" Yifeng asked when he saw Jin standing in the middle of the room.

"I am here to talk senses into you...,"

"If you had come here because of that, I would advise to you leave," Yifeng said emotionlessly as he climbed out of bed.

"You want to throw me out of your house? On what basis?" Jin asked fiercely.

"Because you can't come to terms that Zi Er has left or because you can't forgive yourself for what you did?" Su Jin asked coldly.

"Feng, isn't this what you wanted? If you tell me that you didn't expect this then, I would say you are a big fool," Su Jin said provocatively. Yifeng who had been searching for who to take out all his frustrations on a charge towards Jin. He held him by the collar.

"Repeat what you just said, Jin," Yifeng said as he glared daggers at his childhood best friend. At that moment, he couldn't think straight.

"Li Yifeng, you are the biggest fool the world has ever produced for hurting a lady like Yang Zi. If you were gonna end up hurting her like this, then why did you act like you couldn't live without her huh?" Su Jin asked as he grabbed him by the collar too.

"Why did you make her fall in love with you only to shatter the world she had suffered to put into piece after years of suffering? Did you perhaps expect her to accept you again after murdering her mother? What were you thinking Yifeng, that Zi Er will go back to you when you never gave her an explanation for what happened to her mother? Wake up Yifeng if that is what you had thought," Su Jin said fiercely. This was the first time Su Jin had ever got furious with Yifeng and his piercing words and fury did the magic of sobering Yifeng.

"You are the architect of your own problems so don't go around playing self-pity," Su Jin said angrily, as he pushed Yifeng away from him.

"Yifeng, I had thought you would confide in me about what actually happened the day Auntie died. I thought you would trust me as a friend but I was dead wrong. You don't trust me and I don't think you have ever trusted me even once. I blindly supported you despite everyone's accusing fingers pointed at you but I admit I was wrong in doing that. I was wrong in trusting a man who doesn't have an ounce of trust in me," Su Jin said fiercely.