“Yayuan?” Su Qingyou was the first to see the person walking towards them.

Zhao Tingyuan frowned. “Didn’t you go to school today?”

Zhao Yayuan smiled faintly, his features much more mature now.

The occasional childish and mischievous demeanor he used to have had almost disappeared.

“Just left the office.” Zhao Yayuan said. “There’s nothing important to do in class. Grandpa said he would take me out to sign contracts next week.”

Zhao Tingyuan frowned. “Nonsense. You’re still a student. You should prioritize your studies.”

Zhao Yayuan glanced at him lightly, not saying anything.

Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Zhao Yayuan turned to leave.

Su Qingyou stopped him with a smile. “Ya Yuan, how’s your engagement with Nian Nian going?”

Zhao Ya Yuan’s expression gradually darkened.

Su Qingyou said slowly, “As long as you both like each other, even if the family disagrees, your brother and I are on your side.”

Zhao Tingyuan looked embarrassed.

Su Qingyou continued casually, “You’ve always liked her, right? Since high school, I knew. Even though you didn’t say it after agreeing to the engagement, you’ve always been happy. Despite so many objections from the family, you never backed down.”

She sighed. “It’s a pity it fell through. The Lu family climbed up to Ning Sheng’s branch, and now they look down on our family. I heard she’s even living with that man now. Probably…”

Zhao Yayuan didn’t let her finish.

He calmly said, “Sister-in-law, is it not certain until the baby is born and married into our Zhao family? Isn’t it also uncertain?”

Su Qingyou’s smile disappeared, and her face finally turned a bit pale.

Zhao Tingyuan cursed, “Zhao Yayuan, do you still have a conscience? This is your own nephew.”

“I certainly wouldn’t stoop so low.” Zhao Yayuan said, a smirk playing at his lips. “Unlike you.”

….

Lu Yang was very nervous, his fingers spasming.

“This girl looks pretty good.” Mo Gan looked at the photo Feng Xiaoran gave him and whistled.

Feng Xiaoran said, “There’s a difference between photos and people.”

“The difference is too big. How can I recognize her?” Mo Gan said impatiently.

He added, “Wait, do I need to bring a car? Damn, this little girl, she’s making me bring someone over.”

Feng Xiaoran said, “Brother, thank you for this.”

“I’m not losing out either.”

Lu Yang handed him a cigarette. “Brother, she’s my sister. She’s timid. Can’t you be a little nicer?”

Feng Xiaoran tried to stop him from saying more and offered a conciliatory smile to Mo Gan.

…

These days, Lu Nian has spent more time at school.

The matter of Lu Yang coming to find her that day, she didn’t tell Qin Si.

It’s more accurate to say that they haven’t seen each other much these days.

As the day of Lu Zhihong’s discharge from the hospital approaches, Lu Nian has been distancing herself from him.

She slowly packed up her things.

If by the time Lu Zhihong is discharged and he still hasn’t shown any signs, she’ll just move in with Qiao Li.

Today, when she came out of school, Qin Si used to come and pick her up often.

Lu Nian didn’t let him come these past few days because she planned to visit Qiao Li in the afternoon, fearing that Qin Si would meet him and cause unpleasantness.

She walked as usual.

The location of Anda North Gate is relatively remote.

Just cross the road and take a shortcut, and you’ll be at Qiao Li’s house soon.

There was a black car parked on the side of the road, the door half open.

As Lu Nian passed by, a figure in the alley moved, and a hand reached out behind her.

……

Qin Si’s mood hasn’t been great these days.

He’s been spending more time at the company. After all, Lu Nian isn’t around, and there’s no point in staying alone in that house.

She didn’t let him follow her and was planning to visit Qiao Li in the afternoon.

Feeling somewhat restless, he tossed aside the files.

For some reason, he felt strange all afternoon.

His intuition was always accurate.

Unable to concentrate on the files, he called Fang Deng. “Come to my office.”

“How’s the investigation I asked you to do?” he asked concisely.

“It’s a bit strange,” Fang Deng said. “Lu Yang has been unusually calm during this time.

Boss, you said to be on guard against him, but he hasn’t made any moves. He even went back to his hometown with his fiancée…”

Qin Si suddenly stood up, his expression fluctuating.

He called Qiao Li and asked straightforwardly, “Is Lu Nian at your place now?”

Qiao Li had just come out of the kitchen and heard it was Qin Si.

Despite feeling displeased, he politely replied, “Not yet. She and I agreed to meet in an hour.”

After hanging up, he stood up.

“Boss, where are you going?” Fang Deng asked.

“To pick her up.”

“But, didn’t your wife forbid you from going?” Fang Deng said, puzzled.

The young man, with his clear, cold phoenix eyes, glanced at him lightly.

His voice was somewhat ominous. “Is she living with me now because she wants to?”

Fang Deng fell silent.

Without saying much, Fang Deng got into the car with him, and they headed towards Anda.

Lu Nian had already left school.

Fang Deng was tapping on the keyboard, “Near the North Gate, probably planning to walk there.”

It wasn’t far from Qiao Li’s house.

They both got out of the car.

Qin Si had long legs, while Fang Deng lacked exercise and was panting after a few steps.

“Over there,” Fang Deng gasped, “turn the corner.”

As they turned the corner, they heard a familiar scream.

It wasn’t loud, but it seemed to be abruptly cut off.

“What… What should we do, Boss?”

“They, they are three people.”

And they looked fierce, like thugs.

Fang Deng was just a bookish man with no strength, basically less useful than half a goose in combat.

“Call the police,” he said with only that sentence.

Lu Nian’s mouth was covered by a hand, seemingly drugged by some kind of anesthetic on the cloth.

Her voice was cut off, and she felt weak in her limbs, her whole body going limp.

She could only watch helplessly as the man dragged her towards the black car.

This girl was weak and powerless, looking like someone who had been pampered and protected.

Mo Gan whistled and thought about whether the reward promised by Feng Xiaoran and Lu Yang could be fulfilled smoothly later.

Later he saw Qin Si and Fang Deng

“Damn,” Mo Gan cursed as he came back to his senses. “You’re dead. Go after them.”

Two men from the car had already gotten out.

The unexpected situation came too suddenly.

Upon hearing Mo Gan’s words, they quickly split up, one going after Fang Deng and the other staying to help Mo Gan.

Mo Gan looked extremely ugly. “Do you know who I am? Coming to ruin my plans.”

“Who are you?” The handsome young man across from him had a calm expression.

His thin lips even curved into a smile, but the coldness and hostility in his smile completely overshadowed it.

“I used to roam these streets,” he said softly, rolling up his sleeves, his dark eyes fixed on Mo Gan, “Do you need to know who I am?”

He had wandered the streets when he left the Lu family.

Every corner of the streets and alleys in Ancheng, as a little child, he had done everything to survive.

What kind of activities hadn’t he done for the sake of survival?

Later, because of her, he stopped doing these things openly.

He needed to live a respectable life to deserve her.

But that didn’t mean those past experiences didn’t exist anymore.

…

Mo Gan coughed up blood, his teeth shattered inside, and the beautiful eyes of the man opposite him, which now appeared cold and fierce, were pressing down on his hand.

Despite appearing slender and fair, his strength was even greater than Mo Gan’s.

When they talked to him about Lu Nian’s social connections, they never mentioned that there would be such a person.

Fang Deng ran out of breath, with the man chasing after him.

He even had someone with him, making it impossible for Fang Deng to run.

Boss, please hurry… he really couldn’t go on.

The man had been kicked down like a football, rolling to the corner like a discarded trash bag.

The young man had a tall figure and a cold expression.

He squatted down slowly, grabbed his collar, and tossed him against the wall like throwing garbage, making a dull thud.

Fang Deng had known that Qin Si was very good at fighting.

He had first met Qin Si when he was being bullied in an internet cafe, and Qin Si had saved him.

“The police are on their way,” Fang Deng gasped. “Boss, you’re as impressive as ever.”

Qin Si didn’t like to bring up those things.

At this moment, he didn’t say much either.

He took Lu Nian from his hands, and she had completely passed out by now.

The young man frowned and looked at the three people who had rolled to the side, his expression changing.

“Nian Nian is fine,” Fang Deng hurriedly said. “It should be the drug on the cloth.”

The sound of police sirens could already be heard.

…

When Lu Nian woke up, she was already in the hospital.

The suffocating feeling seemed to still linger, and Lu Nian was still frightened.

She looked around and realized it was nighttime now; there was no light outside the curtains.

She quickly noticed the young man beside her.

His face was somewhat pale, his long eyelashes drooping, and his lips pursed.

His well-defined eyebrows softened his cold appearance, and when he closed his eyes, the clear and cold gaze disappeared, making him look seven points less cold and showing a hint of gentleness in his beauty.

It was him who had saved her.

Lu Nian looked at him, unable to express her feelings.

When she saw him appear, she was already at her limit.

Seeing him seemed to finally make her feel at ease and collapse.

The handsome eyebrows of the young man moved, and he opened his eyes, his voice hoarse.

He looked at her. “Awake?”

Lu Nian nodded.

He didn’t say much, “How do you feel?”

Lu Nian said, “My head is a bit dizzy, but everything else is fine.”

He nodded. “I’ll call the doctor.”

Lu Nian wanted to ask him how long she had been unconscious and if he had been by her side like this all along.

“It’s been two days,” he said, pursing his lips. “I just arrived.”

Lu Nian didn’t know if this was true or false.

She wasn’t feeling too well now, and talking more made her tired.

After the doctor examined her, she looked at him, wanting to say so much and ask so much.

He had already stood up and said directly, “Go to sleep.”

He would take care of everything.

Mo Gan confessed everything, and Lu Yang and Feng Xiaoran were arrested and taken to the detention center together.

Ming Hong and Qiu Fan could feel that the boss had truly been touched this time, and he was angry.

However, it also accelerated the process, directly uprooting Lu Yang’s influence and resolving it.

“Boss, do we still need the supervisor who was in contact with Lu Yang before?” Qiu Fan asked. “And what about the successor afterward, as we discussed before?”

Qin Si hadn’t spent much time at the company these days, mostly at the hospital taking care of Lu Nian.

Sometimes he also thought that the girl was quite pitiful.

Her father didn’t care about her, and she had no mother since she was young, with no one to care for her.

Although, as their boss, taking care of her seemed to be his utmost willingness, running to the hospital tirelessly every day.

“It’s up to you to decide,” he said lightly. “I won’t be coming to the company these days. If there’s anything important, ask An Yu to inform me.”

“This…” Qiu Fan said.

Ming Hong stopped him, shook his head gently, and said, “Okay, boss, you can rest assured.”

After what happened, the girl needed him to accompany her more.

Lu Nian had a terrible headache, probably due to the after-effects of the drug from that day.

She had been frightened, and her physical condition was already very poor.

After falling ill, she started to have a fever that night.

She couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Qin Si hadn’t arrived in time that day.

Her fever subsided on the third day.

Lu Nian really didn’t like staying in the hospital and suggested going home.

She didn’t suffer any external injuries, and her check-up results were normal, but her mental state was poor.

In the end, Qin Si agreed and took her home.

Although she was back home, she had been having nightmares these past few days.

Qin Si entered the room, bringing water and medicine for her.

He was very attentive, taking care of her without any complaints.

Lu Nian had lost weight these few days. Her cheeks were pale, and her chin was pointed.

She softly said, “Thank you…”

He shook his head and said briefly, “It’s my fault.”

If it weren’t for his negligence, she wouldn’t have been so frightened.

Lu Nian spoke softly with her eyes closed, “Have you told Qiao Li and the others, as well as my father, that I’ve been discharged? I’m afraid they’ll worry…”

Upon hearing those names, a hint of gloom flashed across the handsome young man’s face.

“I told them,” he said.

He lowered his eyes, his fingertips slightly tense. “These days, I’m the only one taking care of you.”

“Thank you,” Lu Nian’s voice was soft, without resistance or a request to go to their place.

He loosened his grip on her hand, poured a glass of warm water, and placed it on the bedside.

However, she looked exhausted and pale, with no trace of the smile in her eyes, like a withered flower.

“When you feel better and want to see them, then you can,” he finally said.

After all, she wasn’t just his alone, no matter how much he wished.

Or perhaps, in her heart and by her side, there were still so many people, and he was just a negligible one among them.

Moreover, she was in a recovery period, and seeing them would be beneficial for both her mood and her health.

Maybe these past few days of complete dependence and intimacy with him had left him a little confused.

Lu Nian obediently replied, “Okay.”

She hadn’t been sleeping well these days, having nightmares at night about that black car, that hand, and those horrifying faces.

Especially at night, she was particularly scared and afraid to turn off the lights.

After taking her medicine and preparing to sleep again, Lu Nian felt a bit scared.

Her pointed chin tucked into the blanket, leaving only a pair of large eyes exposed, like a frightened deer in the woods.

He whispered, “Can I stay? I won’t leave.”

So he stayed there, accompanying her all the way.

Lu Nian nodded.

So he fetched a chair and, just like before in the hospital, sat by her bedside.

Lu Nian felt colder and colder under the covers.

Whenever she closed her eyes, her temples seemed to throb.

She felt cold all over, as if there was a hole in her heart, and no matter how many layers of blankets she covered herself with, it seemed useless.

Moreover, she was very afraid.

Every time she closed her eyes, she would see that terrifying scene.

It was like the night when something happened to the Lu family, full of fear, confusion, and nowhere to go.

“…Can you come up and lie with me?” Her slender fingers pinched the edge of the blanket, her eyelashes trembling.

The room fell quiet.

She bit her lip and turned over, “If you can’t, forget it.”

Before she could finish her sentence, the bed sank.

The warm and solid body of the man slipped under the covers, and he gently hugged her from behind.

There was no resistance, so he gradually pulled her into his arms.

Lu Nian turned over, curling up slightly, leaning her chin on his chest.

She gently sniffed the scent of his neck.

He should have just taken a shower, as she could smell a faint fragrance of shower gel lingering, mixed with his own scent, light and cool, like cedar, with a hint of wormwood, both clear and cold.

As she was about to fall asleep, he was wearing a black cotton t-shirt, with a loose neckline that revealed a large area of skin visible to her.

Looking up, she could see his Adam’s apple, a slightly tense jawline, and thin lips that seemed to be a little more colored than usual.

But Lu Nian suddenly saw a mole growing on his clavicle, particularly prominent on that cold, white, clean skin, like a touch of cinnabar fallen on the snow.

He suddenly seemed more alive, not as cold.

Her mind was in chaos, and she suddenly remembered something, wanting to get closer to take a closer look at that mole.

The girl’s shallow breaths fell on him, sweet and warm.

Her soft lips were almost about to touch it.

“Don’t…” His body stiffened, unable to suppress a half-sound of panting, his voice hoarse, wanting to turn her face away.

Lu Nian asked a rather silly question, “Is this natural?”

He was already quite groggy, not thinking much, and replied hoarsely with a grunt.

Lu Nian, “…”

She remembered, when she was fifteen years old, the young man who saved her when she was attacked by a robber.

He carried her all the way, and because he was in a hurry, a few buttons of his uniform shirt were undone.

Her vision was blurry, and she vaguely woke up.

The last thing she saw was a small, reddish mole just below his collarbone.

Back then, they all told her that the young man was Lin Junrun.