chapter 27 Susan Su’s vague past

The distant roar immediately startled both of them. The thought that crossed their minds simultaneously was, "Bear!" Panic appeared in Susan's eyes at first, but she quickly regained her composure. She looked at William and said, "Can you walk? If not, I'll carry you. We need to get away from here quickly!" William struggled to get up and felt the soreness all over his body. Susan, seeing his condition, crouched down and said, "I'll carry you, hurry!" William shook his head and said, "You go ahead, don't worry about me." He didn't want to burden Susan. If she went alone, she might have a chance to escape, but with him as a liability in his current state, both of them might not make it. Susan, irritated by William's stubbornness, cursed, "You're talking nonsense! Have you lost your mind? Weren't we friends?" Ignoring his protest, she helped him to his feet and began carrying him toward safety. So, with William's nearly six-foot-tall, one-hundred-and-fifty-pound frame draped over Susan's delicate body, they hobbled away together. After a short while, Susan was drenched in sweat, but she continued to persevere. William could feel her condition and sighed, saying, "Why are you doing this?" Susan shot back, "Shut up! Why should you be the only one to use your body to protect someone? Why can't I?" William had no words in response to that. Susan continued to carry William, using every ounce of her strength, for nearly half an hour until she was completely exhausted. She carefully set him down and took a seat on the ground, panting heavily. "Let's leave it to fate. I've done my best," Susan said. "If you put me down, you won't have to leave it to fate," William replied, looking at Susan's sweaty face. Susan chose not to argue with William this time; she was too tired even to speak. She just shot him a glare. The two of them stood in silence, and after a while, Susan regained some strength. She gazed at the stars in the sky and began, "William, I envy you, you know?" William, intrigued by her words, asked, "Why do you say that?" "Despite the hardships you face, at least your future, your love life, your marriage, they're all in your hands. Not to mention, you have a loving mother," Susan said, her face showing no emotion as she continued to gaze at the stars. "Whereas everything for me is predetermined. I haven't even had the chance to choose love. It's like being a caged bird." Hearing Susan speak about her life and struggles, William couldn't help but wonder what she had gone through. After some thought, he asked, "Have you ever tried to change any of it?" "Change? What can I change? Everything was predetermined from the moment I was born. How can I change that?" Susan replied with bitterness. "You haven't tried, so how can you know you can't change it? Make an effort to change, and you have a 50% chance. If you don't try, you'll have no chance at all. Heaven favors those who work hard," William advised. He also thought about the awakening inheritance incident but couldn't reveal that. Otherwise, he would have shared his own experience as motivation. Hearing William's words, Susan stared into his eyes and asked, "Will you stand by me?" William nodded, "You saved me, and I saved you. Our lives are intertwined now. I'll always stand by your side, even if there's no one else behind you." Yes, how can we know it's impossible if we don't try? Mom, even in heaven, you wouldn't want me to be unable to control my own future! Susan immediately hugged William tightly, choking back tears as she said, "Thank you. If I make it out of here, I won't let others control my life anymore. I'll hold my own future in my hands." After receiving the inheritance, William's self-healing ability had significantly improved. In just a short while, he could move his arm again. He gently stroked Susan's hair, comforting her. Before long, Susan fell asleep. The cold night wind had caused her to curl up in William's arms, motionless. William, on the other hand, focused on recovering his spiritual energy, staying alert at all times, fearing any potential danger, and ready to wake Susan immediately. Fortunately, the creature that had roared earlier didn't disturb them again, and the night passed without incident. In the early morning, William's bodily functions had fully recovered. He intended to adjust Susan's position to make her more comfortable but was surprised to find her burning up with a fever. Her forehead was hot to the touch, and her lips were dry. It was clear that she had a fever. William was deeply concerned for Susan. She had endured exhaustion, cold, hunger, and had even sacrificed her only warm outer layer to bandage his wounds. He took a deep breath and immediately channeled his restorative energy to help reduce her fever. After some time, Susan's condition visibly improved. Finally, after half an hour of treatment, her fever subsided, and William breathed a sigh of relief. After William had carried the still-sleeping Susan on his back, he relied on the visible stars to roughly calculate their location and started walking towards the outside. In the early morning, the first rays of sunlight broke through, and William finally emerged from the jungle. Looking at that dazzling sunlight, William thought to himself, "Lucas Zhang, get ready to meet your doom! When you have a mind to kill me, be prepared to move your head elsewhere." The brilliant sunlight also woke up Susan, who was still sleepy. She quickly struggled free from William's back. After getting down from William's back, Susan realized that they were already outside. "William, is your injury okay?" Susan asked in astonishment. William smiled faintly, appreciating Susan's skillful bandaging. She was indeed a professional. Susan smiled shyly, confirming her goal. Having experienced life and death, she resolved to work hard to take control of her own future. The two of them continued to walk together and soon arrived in a small county. William asked a passerby for directions and learned that they were still quite far from Jiang City but not too far from their original village. William called his mother to reassure her of their safety and used the excuse that there was a power outage last night and he forgot to charge his phone. After that, they found a breakfast shop and began to eat. Initially, the owner of the breakfast shop was a bit apprehensive about William's appearance. However, after some explanations, the shop owner provided them with two sets of clothes from her own collection for William and Susan to wear. As William and Susan sat in front of the breakfast shop enjoying their meal, a group of young tough-looking individuals in peculiar attire approached the shop owner's stall. "Isn't it time to pay this month's protection fee?" one of them, a blond guy, said to the breakfast shop owner. .