Su Mo stepped out of the hotel, and it was already 12:30 AM. The disorienting effect of the hangover, making everything around her feel unreal, began to dissipate once the cold wind hit her. She exhaled deeply, stood by the road, and started trying to hail a taxi, all the while wondering whose suit she was holding.

After thinking for a while, she came to no conclusion. She rarely got drunk, mainly because she knew her limits. So, when she did drink, she always controlled herself. Having spent so many years abroad, she’d never dared let herself get drunk.

This time, though, perhaps because she was with Ma Wenlong and felt safe that nothing would happen, or maybe it was because she’d been dealing with so many unpleasant people and situations recently, she ended up drinking a bit more than usual.

And now, look at the mess she found herself in. That old Ma was so unreliable! Su Mo grumbled in frustration.

Sighing, she folded the suit neatly and put it into a bag from her purse before focusing on hailing a taxi.

Though this was the city center, the streets were eerily quiet in the cold night, with hardly any cars passing by.

After a long while, a taxi finally pulled over. Su Mo hurriedly approached.

“Driver, could you take me to Yanqiao City, Shiguang Town, Liulin Village?”

“I’ve never heard of that. It’s too late. I’m not going.”

“Please, driver. I’ll double the fare. I really need to go, it’s urgent.”

“No, no. Find someone else.”

The driver stepped on the gas and drove off.

Su Mo ran after the car for a few steps, but her foot suddenly twisted, forcing her to stop. Ignoring the pain in her foot, she pulled off her high heels, stood in the middle of the road, and waved her arms to try to flag down another taxi.

It was freezing cold. Though she was wearing thick socks, her feet were still freezing to the core, the chill biting through. The spot where she twisted her ankle throbbed painfully.

But she couldn’t care less about the cold or the pain—her mind was consumed with urgency as she watched the cars pass by.

There were still taxis on the road, but no one was willing to drive to such a remote area at this hour.

With every taxi that refused, her anxiety grew. What should she do? Was she really going to have to wait until dawn?

No, she couldn’t. With her grandmother’s temper, if she didn’t go back, she would probably refuse to go to the hospital no matter what. At her age, even a second of delay could be dangerous.

She checked her phone, hoping to find someone who could help, but realized her contact list was painfully empty.

She had been abroad for five years and had almost severed ties with everyone in China. Now, the only people she could reach were Wei Ke’er and Ye Lanshan.

But Ke’er’s financial situation was just as tough as hers. Both came from rural areas, and at a time like this, she doubted Ke’er would be able to find a taxi for her.

Ye Lanshan, though she wasn’t from the same place as Su Mo, was hardly in a better position either. If her situation were better, she wouldn’t be working in places like bars.

Su Mo’s fingers turned white as she gripped her phone, hesitating for a moment before dialing Ye Jue’s number.

She had known Ye Jue since childhood.

Aside from Wei Ke’er and Ye Lanshan, he was one of her closest friends.

She had met Ye Jue when they were both staying at her grandmother’s house as kids. Unlike her and the others, his family background was much more affluent. Su Mo later learned that his family had sent him to the countryside for some time, likely to teach him a lesson, a few years’ worth of “training” as they called it.

When she had been in trouble in the past, it was Ye Jue who had rescued her from that hellish care facility. And when she went abroad, he had helped her countless times.

But because he had helped so much, Su Mo had avoided bothering him too much. Now, it seemed like she had no choice.

However, when Su Mo called him, the mechanical female voice on the other end of the line told her the phone was off.

Her heart sank.

Now… she would have to rely on herself.

After a brief moment, she put the phone away and went back to waving her arms to stop another taxi.

Lu Qingze had drunk a bit too much. He sat in the back seat of the car with his eyes closed, resting.

It wasn’t until they were close to Rongjing Road that he finally opened his eyes.

He casually glanced outside.

In the streetlights, he saw a girl standing alone by the road. Even though she was wearing a down jacket, she appeared strikingly slender.

“Stop here,” Lu Qingze suddenly spoke.

The car pulled over, about 50 meters away from Su Mo. He turned his head and could see her arm continuously waving in the air. Every time a car stopped, her eyes would light up, but as soon as they left, the light in her eyes would disappear.

She looked anxious, but each time a taxi stopped, she would quickly talk to the driver, only for the car to drive off again.

Among all the taxis refusing to stop, there was also the occasional private car, like the one now.

A Volkswagen Passat slowly rolled to a stop in front of her. Su Mo stood at the roadside, expressionless, not even glancing at the car.

A man in the car lowered the window and smiled. “Hey, beautiful. Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.”

Without hesitation, Su Mo coldly replied, “I don’t need it.”

She moved aside to let the car pass.

The man, seemingly unfazed by her cold response, immediately got out of the car and walked toward her.

He looked like an ordinary guy, but he wasn’t acting ordinary. Without giving Su Mo any time to react, he reached out toward her face.

At that very moment, the man sitting in the car not far away had all his warmth disappear in an instant, replaced by cold, ruthless intensity.

Just as he was about to move, he saw Su Mo, who had been standing still, suddenly grab the man’s hand and twist it with great force. Then, she drove her knee into his gut. The man screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground.

An impressive display of martial arts.

Lu Qingze was momentarily stunned. Then, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and his expression softened. “Call Uncle Zhong. Have him come to the Imperial Huang Hotel entrance and bring someone.”

After a pause, his cold gaze shifted to the girl’s feet.

“Also, have him bring a pair of comfortable cotton slippers for her.”

“Understood, sir.”

Lu Hua had already noticed Su Mo standing by the road. A beautiful girl standing there at such a late hour, trying to hail a cab, was hard not to notice.

But what surprised him was that his boss had ordered someone to send her somewhere, and that it was Uncle Zhong—who was not just a driver but also the steward of Rongjing Garden and Lu Qingze’s personal driver.

As Lu Hua, the assistant to Lu Qingze, he knew his boss better than anyone. He had never seen Lu Qingze show care for anyone like this before—except for the elderly Lu family members and Ning Ning.

So why this girl?

Was she special in some way? He didn’t think his boss would help her just because she was pretty.

Seeing pretty girls didn’t mean someone would rush to help them. That was White Yifan, not his boss.

But other than her looks, what else could it be?

Lu Hua was confused. He had been busy at the company all afternoon and didn’t know that his boss had taken a business card from the girl earlier or that she was brought to the hotel by Lu Qingze himself. If he had known, he would have been even more surprised.

Author Notes:

Lu Qingze: “Have Uncle Zhong take her there.”

Lu Hua: “Sir… tell me! What’s your relationship with this woman?”

Lu Qingze: “Your boss and the boss’s wife.”

Lu Hua heard a loud click as his heart shattered, realizing that his boss probably didn’t love him anymore.