Chapter 45

Yu Xiangnian turned her head and saw that familiar handsome face.

Cheng Jingmo was not in his uniform; he wore a white shirt and black pants.

With a stern expression, he took the cart handle from Yu Xiangnian, bent his waist, and pushed off with his feet, making the cart move forward rapidly.

Yu Xiangnian jogged behind him.

By now, the market enforcers were catching up, blowing their whistles and shouting, “Stop right there!”

Yu Xiangnian started to panic.

If they got caught, she could only blame herself, but Cheng Jingmo was innocent. As a soldier, this could ruin his future.

In that moment, Yu Xiangnian made up her mind. “Cheng Jingmo, run! Don’t worry about me!”

Cheng Jingmo said nothing, continuing to push the cart. Through his clothes, she could see his muscles straining in his arms and body, even the muscles in his face were taut with effort.

“Cheng Jingmo, I said leave me!” Yu Xiangnian anxiously pushed him, urging him to run.

“I won’t leave you,” Cheng Jingmo replied through gritted teeth, his voice strained from exertion.

Yu Xiangnian felt a pang of emotion at his words.

Only in times of crisis do you see who truly cares for you.

The pursuers were getting closer. Yu Xiangnian grabbed Cheng Jingmo’s wrist, saying, “Forget the goods, let’s just run!”

Cheng Jingmo hesitated, “There are so many rain boots…”

“Leave them! Run!” Yu Xiangnian insisted, tugging at him.

Cheng Jingmo released the cart handle, grabbed Yu Xiangnian’s hand, and they started to sprint.

Cheng Jingmo ran so fast that Yu Xiangnian was almost dragged along.

In the chaos, she dropped her flashlight, and the moon had hidden behind clouds, plunging the night into darkness. The rough, uneven ground made running difficult, and Yu Xiangnian stumbled.

Suddenly, she felt her foot twist painfully and fell to the ground, scraping her knees and elbows.

Cheng Jingmo stopped immediately, helping her up.

“Where are you hurt?” he asked urgently.

“My ankle,” Yu Xiangnian replied, wincing as she tried to put weight on her right foot. “I can’t run. You go on without me.”

Cheng Jingmo didn’t move, looking around instead.

After a moment, he said, “Hold on to me and climb up.”

“What?”

“We need to get over that wall,” he said, pointing to a nearby wall. He carried her to the corner of the wall and crouched down, “Hurry.”

Yu Xiangnian put her hands on the wall, and with one foot on Cheng Jingmo’s shoulder, she climbed up.

Cheng Jingmo slowly stood, helping her get a grip on the top of the wall. With a final effort, she managed to pull herself up.

Cheng Jingmo stepped back, took a running start, and leapt, grabbing the wall with his hands and pulling himself up easily.

He jumped down from the wall and spread his arms, “Jump, I’ll catch you.”

Yu Xiangnian leaned forward and landed securely in Cheng Jingmo’s arms.

Their commotion startled the people inside.

Five men came out of the house, surrounding them with flashlights aimed at their faces. The sudden brightness made Yu Xiangnian bury her face in Cheng Jingmo’s shoulder, and Cheng Jingmo squinted against the light.

“Sorry to disturb you. We’ll leave right away,” Cheng Jingmo said.

“Hold on!” one of the men approached, shining the flashlight on Yu Xiangnian. As she lifted her head, the man exclaimed, “It’s her!”

Yu Xiangnian also recognized the man; he was the one who collected the management fee. She tried to sound familiar, “Oh, it’s you! What a coincidence to meet you here.”

The man snarled, “Did you follow us here?”

“No!” Yu Xiangnian raised her hands in assurance. “Absolutely not! We were running from the police and accidentally climbed over the wall. We’ll leave right away!”

Another man sneered, “You think you can leave?”

Yu Xiangnian felt a chill down her spine seeing their menacing faces.

She was already clinging to Cheng Jingmo like a sloth, and now she clung tighter, squeezing further into his embrace and wrapping her arms more securely around his neck.

Cheng Jingmo held her close and tried to explain again that they had climbed over the wall by accident.

One of the men shoved Cheng Jingmo. “Do you think we’re stupid? Brother Ping’s place hasn’t been raided in years. She shows up yesterday, and today the police come. Explain that!”

Yu Xiangnian realized they suspected her of being an informant.

She felt wronged and raised her hands again, promising, “It really has nothing to do with me! I lost all my rain boots. I’m the one who suffered!”

She estimated that she lost nearly 900 pairs of rain boots, which amounted to a loss of over 1,500 yuan. She hadn’t earned a penny and was deeply in debt. She felt like crying.

Another man said, “Stop talking to her. Let’s take her to Brother Ping!”

“Move!” The five men, with grim expressions, escorted them inside.

Yu Xiangnian felt like her luck had hit rock bottom.

Losing money, spraining her ankle, escaping one danger only to fall into another!

Cheng Jingmo carried her inside, whispering in her ear, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

His warm breath brushed against her ear, like a pair of reassuring hands holding her heart.

Her anxiety, frustration, and fear disappeared instantly.

Those simple five words were the most comforting words she had ever heard.

As soon as they entered the house, a man said, “Brother Ping, it’s her. What do you want to do?”

Brother Ping, without acknowledging them, was crouched on the floor, repeatedly slapping a child’s face, “Ruier! Ruier!”

Yu Xiangnian could only see Brother Ping’s back. He wasn’t particularly tall and had very short hair.

In front of him was a wooden bed with a boy around ten years old lying motionless.

“Is Ruier having another attack?” one of the men asked.

Another man replied, “Probably ran too fast just now, and suddenly collapsed.”

Brother Ping continued to call out, “Ruier, Ruier!”

Yu Xiangnian stretched her neck to see the boy’s face, which was blue and unresponsive. She noticed his chest wasn’t rising.

The boy seemed lifeless.

She quickly jumped out of Cheng Jingmo’s arms, hobbled to the bed, and felt for the boy’s breath.

He wasn’t breathing!

“Put the boy on the ground and start CPR immediately!” The words came out instinctively.

“Don’t touch him!” a voice shouted.

Yu Xiangnian realized it wasn’t a man but a woman with very short hair, who from behind looked like a man.

“He’s not breathing,” Yu Xiangnian said urgently. “We need to start CPR right away!”

The woman stared at her with a mix of hate, suspicion, and hope.

Yu Xiangnian’s determined gaze met the woman’s. “Try it. You might save his life.”

The woman pressed her lips together, seemingly making up her mind. “Save him!”