After the movie ended, Xiuzhu and the others followed the crowd as they slowly filed out of the screening room.  

Beside her, Dahu was excitedly discussing the battle scenes from the film.  

“He was so brave, taking out several enemy strongholds in a row!” Dahu’s eyes seemed to burn with fervor, as if flames flickered within them.  

The air outside felt as if it had been baked by an invisible furnace, the heat waves palpable with every breath.  

Xiuzhu, stifled by the heat and nearly out of breath, decided to wait until she got on the bike before putting her scarf back on.  

She handed the half-finished bottle of soda in her hand to Lin Yaowen and said casually, “I can’t finish this. Do you want it? I drank it with a straw.”  

“Yes, of course!” Lin Yaowen pulled out the straw and gulped down the remaining soda in a few quick sips before returning the empty bottle.  

Aunt Lin was frugal by nature and didn’t give the children much pocket money. At ten cents a bottle, soda was a luxury, and Lin Yaowen didn’t get to drink it often.  

By noon, the morning’s dark clouds had dispersed, and the sun hung in the azure sky like a scorching fireball.  

Dahu, his face flushed, avoided looking directly at Xiuzhu and instead said to his younger sister, “Xiaowei, stay here with Sister Xiuzhu. It’s too hot—we’ll go get the bikes and come back for you.”  

Xiuzhu was perfectly fine with this arrangement. In such sweltering heat, every minute spared from being outside was a blessing.  

“Alright, hurry back!” she said, waving them off before settling with Xiaowei near the cinema entrance, chatting and snacking on sunflower seeds, thoroughly enjoying themselves.  

Of course, the conversation mostly consisted of Xiaowei showering her with praise while Xiuzhu nodded along without a hint of modesty.  

Xiaowei: “Fairy sister, you smell so nice—is even your sweat fragrant? Are you sure you’re not an immortal who descended to the mortal world?”  

Xiuzhu: “Oh, it’s nothing much. Just a little more fragrant than ordinary people, I suppose.”  

“Or maybe you really are a celestial being, here to endure trials in the human realm.”  

Anything was possible, after all—especially since she was so incredibly beautiful. A smug smile curled at the corners of her lips.  

Li Yurou had been watching her ever since spotting her inside the screening room.  

Now, stepping out of the dim cinema, she saw that Xiuzhu was even more stunning up close, her skin so fair it seemed to glow.  

Recalling what she had just witnessed—Xiuzhu handing her half-drunk soda to a boy, then shamelessly accepting another boy’s attentions—along with Jiang Xu, whose gaze never left her—  

Li Yurou’s eyes flashed with scorn. *What a fox spirit, so skilled at seduction.*  

She was just about to stride forward and teach this #woman a lesson when—  

Her sharp eyes caught sight of two panicked, ferocious-looking men in the distance, sprinting toward the cinema with knives in hand.  

The cold glint of the blades made Li Yurou’s lips curl into a malicious smile.  

Turning back to the girl ahead—whose beauty was almost *too* perfect—her gaze darkened with icy calculation.  

Keeping an eye on the assailants, she edged closer to Xiuzhu, swallowing nervously.  

Seizing the moment just as the men rushed past, she shoved Xiuzhu with all her might, sending her flying forward.  

Xiuzhu had been standing sideways near the entrance, gazing in the direction Lin Yaowen had gone to fetch the bikes.  

Amid the noisy crowd outside the cinema, she hadn’t noticed the commotion behind her.  

When she sensed someone approaching, she glanced up to see an unfamiliar young woman. But with so many people coming and going, she paid it no mind.  

Then—an overwhelming force slammed into her.  

For a moment, everything seemed to slow. Her senses dulled.  

All she saw was the sharp tip of a knife aimed straight at her, its glare so blinding she couldn’t keep her eyes open.  

In that split second, countless thoughts raced through her mind.  

*Will I really not live past sixteen again? Just like my last life?*  

*But in my past life, no one cared for me. This time, my parents and loved ones… they’ll be heartbroken.*  

At the last possible moment, she mustered every ounce of strength she had in her sixteen years and twisted her body—protecting her face.  

*If I die, at least let me be a beautiful corpse. Let them see me at my prettiest.*  

Terror gripped her as she braced for the blade to pierce her flesh. Her blood felt frozen. Seconds crawled by.  

Yet—the pain never came.  

Steeling herself, she trembled as she slowly fluttered her eyelashes open.  

She realized she was being held in someone’s arms.  

Her senses gradually returned, and she could clearly feel the firmness of a man’s chest, his strong arms tightly wrapped around her.  

A faintly familiar sandalwood scent lingered at the tip of her nose.  

*At least it’s not the smell of sweat*, she thought idly before shaking her head to snap herself out of it. *Get a grip.*  

She tried to pull away, but the arms around her only tightened.  

When she looked up, she saw a familiar face and instantly relaxed.  

Her body went limp with relief.  

“Don’t be afraid. Stay still,” Gu Yu’s deep voice soothed, mistaking her struggle for discomfort. “I’ll let you go once we’re somewhere safe.”  

After returning to the capital, Gu Yu had been busy with missions.  

In recent years, black markets had proliferated in the city, artificially inflating prices and worsening the economic chaos.  

More importantly, some of the goods circulating in these markets were things that should *never* have fallen into civilian hands.  

The higher-ups had taken notice, ordering his bureau to crack down on the black markets—officially to curb illegal trade, but in reality, to investigate the source of those forbidden items.  

Their intensified efforts had uncovered many leads, and following the trail, they’d even stumbled upon possible military involvement.  

The two criminals they’d been chasing today were key figures in one of these black markets.  

Catching them was crucial—interrogation would inevitably lead them to the mastermind behind it all.  

During the pursuit, Gu Yu and several officers had split up to corner the fugitives. He’d been charging from the side, just steps away from apprehending them, when—  

He saw Lin Xiuzhu shoved directly into the knife’s path.  

In that split second, only one thought flashed through his mind:  

*He didn’t want to see her hurt. Didn’t want her eyes filled with fear.*  

Her eyes should always be lively, sparkling with mischief.  

Pushing his body to its limits, he lunged, pulling her to safety just in time.  

“It’s over now. Are you hurt anywhere?” Gu Yu asked, reluctantly releasing her.  

With the assailants already subdued by his colleagues, he had no excuse to keep holding her.  

Seeing her gradually regain her composure eased the tension in his chest—though his fingers twitched slightly, remembering the softness of her waist.  

Now that the shock had worn off, fear came crashing down on Xiuzhu.  

The reality of what had just happened hit her, and her eyes instantly welled up.  

“I—I don’t know if I’m hurt,” she stammered, voice trembling. “Everything feels wrong.”  

Lin Yaowen came running over, his face pale. From a distance, he’d witnessed the horrifying scene—but everything had happened too fast to react.  

“Sis! Are you okay? What happened?!”  

“Wuu…” Xiuzhu, already prone to dramatics, had been too stunned to react earlier. Now, with her family here, the dam broke.  

Tears pooled in her eyes before spilling over in fat droplets down her cheeks.  

Gu Yu frowned, an odd tightness in his chest.  

He’d learned just how spoiled she was during their train ride together. After an ordeal like this, she’d probably be jumpy for a while.  

“I saw it!” Xiaowei, who’d also been frightened to tears, pointed accusingly at a stranger trying to slip away. “That woman pushed Sister Xiuzhu!”  

The girl had been too shocked to speak earlier, but now that Xiuzhu was safe, her anger surged. She’d been standing right beside Xiuzhu and had seen everything.  

Lin Yaowen and Dahu immediately blocked the stranger’s path.  

“Why did you push her?!” Lin Yaowen demanded. “Do you have any idea how close she came to—?!”  

Li Yurou’s blood boiled as she watched Xiuzhu—completely unharmed, coddled by handsome men, now putting on a tearful performance.  

*If only that knife had sliced her face open.*  

But faced with the little girl’s accusation and the growing crowd, a flicker of fear crept in.  

Still, she forced calm into her voice. “She’s lying. I don’t even know any of you. Why would I push her?”  

“It was just an accident.”  

Her gaze fell on Xiuzhu’s tear-streaked face—*even more alluring when distressed*—and her words turned venomous.  

“Who knew she’d be so unlucky? Almost got her pretty face carved up.”