After school in the afternoon, Lu Yun gave the girls a brief notice and then rode off directly toward Yu Ying's house. Originally, he had promised to deliver the money to Yu Ying at the weekend, but some unexpected events during the weekend prevented him from doing so in time. This was life-saving money—having been delayed by just one day, there was no room for further delay. By now, Yu Ying must be utterly anxious. "Yuying姐, I'm truly sorry, but I had some matters to attend to over the weekend..." Before Lu Yun finished speaking, Yuying's eyes, which had been red with emotion, suddenly brightened. She quickly shook her head and urged Lu Yun inside the courtyard, saying, "Xiaoyun, it's no problem at all. It's all my husband's fault—he's such a disappointing man. Just knowing you've helped me already makes me so grateful." Yuying's words were sincere. After all, it wasn't easy to raise such a sum of money, and although Lu Yun had been with her, their relationship remained merely that of ordinary friends. Lu Yun's willingness to assist her deeply touched her. "Yuying, who is that?" Just as Lu Yun had parked the car, a man's voice suddenly broke in. Hmm? Lu Yun was startled, and looked up in surprise toward the direction of the voice. There, a tall middle-aged man stood at the doorway, his eyes full of alertness, fixed firmly on Lu Yun. "Yu Ying姐, what is this?" Lu Yun's heart tightened as he looked at Yu Ying, puzzled. Such a sturdy man suddenly appearing in her home—was this perhaps... Before Lu Yun could even think of the unbearable situation, Yu Ying quickly explained: "This is my brother from my mother's side. On my mother's side, he's the only relative I have. After I heard my husband had been involved in the incident, I was afraid something might happen to me too, so he came to stay with me. He's been looking after my safety while also... waiting for you to bring the money so we can go to the county town to secure the release of the people held there." When speaking of the money, Yu Ying seemed hesitant. After all, as an adult with her own brother, she had placed the entire safety of her husband on one young man—something that made her feel deeply embarrassed to even mention. Lu Yun breathed a sigh of relief. Though Yu Ying was married, he didn't want to see another incident like Ma Cuihua's happen. With a quick twist of his head, Lu Yun smiled warmly at the stocky middle-aged man. "Uncle, good morning." As soon as the word "uncle" left his lips, Yu Ying was taken aback—what a strange relationship! But now wasn't the time to dwell on such details. Yu Ying took Lu Yun's hand and led him to the man, whispering softly, "Brother, this is Lu Yun." Though Lu Yun appeared young, the middle-aged man remained watchful, cautioning, "Just remember—not to treat my sister poorly." My goodness, Lu Yun mentally cursed. What exactly did "treat poorly" mean? Wasn't he already making a scene with her sister? If he hadn't, how would he have known that his sister-in-law had been arrested for gambling and prostitution in the county town, and whether she was still alive remained entirely uncertain! Full of resentment, Lu Yun showed no sign of displeasure on his face. Instead, Yu Ying, upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, immediately said, "Brother, Lu Yun is here to help me. How can you treat him like this?" The sturdy man remained silent, glanced at Lu Yun, and then turned to enter the room. There'd be time later to give your good brother-in-law a good talking-to. After all, with Yu Ying on his side, and the current moment not the right one to fuss over such petty matters, Lu Yun didn't take much umbrage at the solid-built but mentally slow man. Following Yu Ying into the room, he promptly produced the ransom and handed it to her. To begin with, when the tall middle-aged man first saw Lu Yun—just a young boy of about ten or so—neither had he been particularly impressed. Could such an ordinary-looking youngster possibly come up with a sum of over ten thousand yuan at once? Full of suspicion, yet when he saw Lu Yun actually hand the money to his sister, the middle-aged man's gaze shifted—surprised, almost incredulous, tinged with a fervent, almost predatory enthusiasm. Lu Yun had never particularly liked this solid, imposing man, but now he could feel the intensity of the man's stare, as if he himself were prey to a starving wolf, with an undercurrent of unease. He turned abruptly, only to find the tall man fixing him with blazing eyes, as though he were about to make some unwanted move. He'd messed up! Instinctively, Lu Yun realized that the man must have noticed the substantial amount of money he had brought and now harbored ill intentions. He understood the principle that money should remain hidden, but he hadn't expected that Yu Ying's brother would take interest in him at this very moment. He'd been so careless—after all, people often don't mean harm to a tiger, yet the tiger may very well eat the heart. Originally, Lu Yun had intended to skip class and go to the county town with Yu Ying to redeem his husband. But now, looking at the situation, he simply couldn't take the risk with Yu Ying's brother. Lu Yun didn't fear him, but that didn't mean he lacked full confidence in his own strength. "Ying姐, the money has been delivered. The priority is to secure the release of the man. I'll head back now—I still have classes in the afternoon," Lu Yun said, making it clear he didn't intend to stay long in this tense situation. "Little Yun, haven't you had lunch yet? Stay for a meal and then we'll go," Yu Ying didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. She assumed Lu Yun had just arrived after class, and hadn't even had lunch. Lu Yun smiled and said, "Saving lives comes first. I'll return to school. The matter of redeeming the man will be handled by Uncle." The last sentence was directed at the sturdy middle-aged man. The sturdy middle-aged man chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth that looked rather eerie. No matter how much Yu Ying pleaded, Lu Yun had already made up his mind. Although Yu Ying posed no immediate threat to him, the sturdy, somewhat clumsy man for sure wasn't someone to be taken lightly. The money had been delivered, his promise fulfilled. As for the rest, it would now be up to Yu Ying to handle on her own—Lu Yun had truly done his best. Amidst Yu Ying’s persistent appeals, Lu Yun pushed the cart out of her courtyard. This beautiful young woman had brought him many joys, but some unnecessary complications were better avoided. Standing at the courtyard gate, watching Lu Yun climb into the cart, Yu Ying repeatedly urged him to come back whenever he had time. Yu Ying sighed and turned toward the kitchen. Lu Yun had hurried off, and unexpectedly, she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.