Chapter 1

The sky was dark and still, with tree shadows beneath the streetlights swaying gently. There were no other pedestrians, nor any vehicles passing by.

Hanxia Mu clenched her brakes, bringing the bicycle to a halt at the intersection. She hadn't expected to encounter such a severe scene.

A black sedan lay on its side by the roadside. Glass was shattered all over, and half the car's body was deformed from the impact. The wheels were still spinning helplessly in the air. The condition of the person inside was unknown. Meanwhile, a few meters away, a large truck had also plowed into the greenery, its front end crumpled.

While Hanxia stood there stunned, the large truck restarted, apparently intending to flee the scene. Hanxia immediately shouted, "Wait!" But the truck sped up instead.

Hanxia fished out her cell phone from her pocket and snapped several photos.

The truck got away.

Hanxia parked her bicycle by the roadside, feeling a bit nervous; she first called for an ambulance, then reported the accident to the police. After that, she jogged over to the sedan, stopping a few steps away. There was no one in the back seats, but a woman sat in the passenger seat, bleeding from a head wound and with her eyes tightly closed, seemingly having passed out. A young man sat in the driver's seat, his face also covered in blood, looking at her with his eyes open.

His skin was very pale, but his eyes were deep-set, as if containing something both still and profound like a reef, staring at her.

Hanxia asked softly, "Can you move? Do you need help getting out?"

The man's voice was hoarse, "Help me out."

His composure was too steady, without a hint of the panic or fear one would expect after a car accident. Hanxia couldn't help but look at him twice, but when she met his almost icy gaze, she immediately looked away.

Hanxia opened the car door, and he extended an arm to her. She supported him, carefully helping him out of the vehicle.

The surroundings were still very quiet, with only the faint sound of the wind rustling the leaves. It was nearly midnight, and this was a very secluded intersection—it's no wonder no one had passed by.

Hanxia helped him lie down by the roadside and sat down beside him, slightly out of breath. Although he looked thin, he was quite tall, with a large frame. Supporting him for that brief period had exhausted Hanxia.

They remained quiet for a few seconds before he said, "Call an ambulance."

Hanxia replied, "Already did."

He then asked, "Did you... get the license plate number?" Speaking seemed to be a strain for him.

Hanxia looked down at him beside her. His hair and suit were covered in blood, and it was obvious the suit was expensive. There was also a Rolex on his wrist. The light illuminated his face, highlighting its distinct features, though they were pale. Clearly, he was someone accustomed to commanding others, and he had yet to express any thanks to her.

Hanxia said, "I've taken photos of the license plate, very clearly. I've also called the police just now, so rest assured. However, don't you think the more you talk, the faster the blood will flow?"

He looked at her, and after a while, he said faintly, "Thank you."

Hanxia gave a slight smile, turned, and from her backpack, she took out two T-shirts—that was all she had. She tied one tightly around his still-bleeding thigh and used the other to wipe the blood from his face a bit.

The clean, soft T-shirts, still carrying a faint scent, comforted him as he felt her hands gently moving across his face. The blood around his eyes was wiped clean, which felt much more comfortable. His body was still in pain, and he could feel waves of drowsiness assailing his mind, so he gently closed his eyes.

"Check on my companion," he said.

"Okay," Hanxia responded.

Hanxia circled the car and saw that the woman was still unconscious and appeared to be stuck. Not daring to move her, Hanxia bravely checked her breath and sighed with relief.

Returning to the man's side, Hanxia said, "Your friend is alive, but she hasn't awakened."

He instructed, "Don't move her casually."

Hanxia retorted, "Why would I move her casually?"

After a brief eye contact, Hanxia said, "Alright, there's nothing else I can do to help you. The ambulance should be here any moment, hang on." She was about to get up to fetch a bottle of water from her bag when suddenly, her hand was grasped.

Hanxia was startled.

He looked at her intently, "Don't leave. Stay and look after me."

Hanxia's reflex was to pull her hand away, but regardless of his injuries, he was still a man, and Hanxia found she couldn't break free. His hand was even whiter than hers, and both were large and slender, clearly those of a man accustomed to a life of luxury.

Hanxia had no choice but to say, "I'm not leaving! Let go."

But he wouldn't comply and continued to hold her hand tightly. Each of Hanxia's fingers were entwined with his. And his eyes, half-open, seemed to be growing a bit hazy.

"Before the ambulance arrives…" he murmured suddenly in a low voice, "if you leave, I'll pin it on you."

Mu Hanxia: "..."

What kind of person had she actually rescued?

"You... How could you blackmail me? Are you going to tell the police that, with my mere flesh and blood, I knocked your sedan flying?"

The man kept his eyes closed, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, saying no more.

Mu Hanxia could do nothing but let him hold her hand.

But she knew that he must be somewhat out of it right now. He had seemed so calm when she first pulled him out, but now that he was confused, he seemed to know he should rely on her.

As time ticked by, second by second, the wind started to pick up in the deep of the night. His eyes remained closed, and Mu Hanxia bent down to examine him.

The man's forehead was broad, his eyebrows high, and his nose was straight. He wasn't the kind of man who was ostentatiously handsome; rather, his facial features were clean and simple, exuding a rugged and distinct charm.

"If the gas tank starts leaking and explodes, you just get out of here." With his eyes still closed, he suddenly spoke again.

Mu Hanxia was momentarily surprised, then answered, "Don't worry, I specifically checked the gas tank earlier, there's no leakage for now. And if it really explodes, since I've taken on the task of rescue, I should see it through to the end—I'll carry you out with me. Your friends, though, I can't look after."

He was silent for a moment, then his mouth quirked up, "Do you have that much strength? Your wrists are so slender."

Mu Hanxia said, "Then you're underestimating me, I'm a sales clerk who does physical labor at a supermarket."

He spoke lightly, "Liar," and lifted his eyelids to look at her, "there are no sales clerks as pretty and shrewd as you."

Mu Hanxia laughed, "Hey, your consciousness seems pretty clear to me, I'm just saying the latter half."

He didn't speak again, his eyes closed, his brows slightly furrowed together, looking to be in pain, and his grip on her hand tightened. In the end, Mu Hanxia still felt sorry for him, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered softly, "Don't worry, I really won't leave, I'll stay with you."

He neither spoke nor moved, his breathing steady, as if he had fallen asleep.

After a wait, finally, the sound of an ambulance could be heard. Mu Hanxia gently pulled her hand from his grasp and picked up her phone, thinking that she would hand over the photos to the police later on, and then she looked down again.

The light streaming through the leaves cast a quiet, dappled shadow on his face. Although his suit was disheveled, and he was bloodied and ragged, Mu Hanxia still felt that his profile was more attractive than any man she had ever seen.

Mu Hanxia lifted her phone and sneakily took a picture of him.

----

The workday at Leya Supermarket began at 7 am, and Mu Hanxia had only returned home from the police station at 3 am the night before, boarding the bus with dark circles under her eyes.

At the breakfast joint downstairs from the supermarket, she listlessly ordered a bowl of rice noodles. She had only eaten a few bites when He Jing arrived.

He Jing plopped down opposite her, her face beaming with the light of juicy gossip, "Hey, Hanxia, did you see the news? Last night, our Leya's arch-enemy, the young miss of Yongzheng Group, Cheng Weiwei, got into a car accident!"

Mu Hanxia, as listless as a wandering ghost, was shoveling noodles into her mouth and reacted a beat too slow, "Car accident?"

"Yeah." He Jing passed her the phone.

"Yongzheng Group Marketing Director Cheng Weiwei and friend involved in car accident"—beneath the striking black news headline, the picture was of the same intersection from last night, only now without the wreckage.

"Oh, I know." Mu Hanxia said, "I encountered it after getting off my night shift yesterday, it was me who called the ambulance for them. They should be... out of danger by now, right?"

"Ah!" He Jing's eyes widened, "Really?"

Mu Hanxia then briefly told her about the previous night's events, leaving out the details of her interaction with the man.

After listening, He Jing had a look of disappointment on her face, "That's it?"

"That's it, yeah."

"You didn't leave a way for them to contact you, to ask for some kind of reward? They are super rich, you saved their lives, and you walked away without a word. You should have let them hit you with a check, honey!"

Mu Hanxia found it amusing and replied with feigned regret, "Yes, yes, my consciousness is indeed too low. Next time, I'll definitely seize the opportunity and not let it slip away!"

The two laughed for a while, but then He Jing said seriously, "But regarding this incident, you'd better not tell anyone else. Saving someone is good and all, but Yongzheng is in fierce competition with us now. If the leaders hear about it, they might mind it in their hearts."

Mu Hanxia answered, "Mhmm, I know."