Chapter 41: The Car Accident

Their car was still waiting at a red light when, from the opposite direction, a large truck came barreling toward them, completely ignoring the red signal.

The driver, seeing the danger, quickly hit the gas and turned the steering wheel—but it was too late. Just as the car started to move, the front end was struck.

Ji Xueli was startled by the sudden impact. She looked ahead, her mind going blank. Just as she was about to react, someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a tight embrace.

The tremendous force of the collision felt like it could crush everything. Under the intense impact, Ji Xueli was thrown forward uncontrollably, but she was immediately held tightly, her head protected.

The car was shoved backward violently, finally slamming into a barrier behind them before coming to a stop. Items inside flew everywhere, making a chaotic mess.

Duan Qingyu’s head slammed hard into the window. The glass shattered, cutting his forehead. Blood flowed, and he nearly lost consciousness.

The sound of shattering glass mixed with the screeching of twisting metal, amplifying the surrounding fear and chaos.

Fortunately, the car had been modified to be sturdier than usual, but it still couldn’t withstand the size and weight of the truck.

The truck backed up and then charged forward again, ramming them a second time. The front of their car was completely smashed, and the rear was pressed against a guardrail—they were pinned like the filling of a sandwich.

Ji Xueli’s head buzzed from the impact. The sounds of glass breaking and metal crashing echoed endlessly in her ears.

Then the truck turned and sped away from the scene.

Inside the car, there was a dead silence. The road was quiet, with few cars or pedestrians in sight.

After an unknown amount of time, Ji Xueli finally regained some movement in her fingers. She was still tightly held in Duan Qingyu’s arms. Though her consciousness was slipping, she clenched her teeth and forced herself to sit up.

“Duan Qingyu…” she called weakly.

He didn’t respond. His face was covered in blood, pale as a sheet. The stark contrast between white and red was blinding and vivid. The driver in front also showed no signs of life.

“Duan Qingyu!” Ji Xueli’s voice trembled—fear was setting in.

Still, no response.

The air inside and outside the car was thick with a pungent smell. Ji Xueli coughed several times.

Something wasn’t right… It smelled like gasoline.

She clenched her jaw and fumbled to unbuckle both her and Duan Qingyu’s seatbelts. Her hands shook uncontrollably from fear, and the backs of her hands were covered in bloody scratches.

“Duan Qingyu… Wake up, please wake up.” Ji Xueli tried desperately to rouse him.

Because the car had flipped, his arm was stuck. Ji Xueli’s eyes turned red with anxiety. She struggled to free him, her hands turning blue and purple from the effort.

“…Mm.” He finally let out a soft sound.

“Hurry! The car’s going to catch fire—we need to get out!”

“You go first…” Duan Qingyu opened his eyes slightly and weakly pushed her hand away. His palm was ice cold.

“No! If we leave, we leave together.” Ji Xueli ignored his words. She couldn’t just stand by and watch someone die in front of her—especially…

If he hadn’t shielded her, she wouldn’t have gotten away with just a few surface wounds.

“You want us to die together?” Duan Qingyu’s voice was as faint as the wind, slipping away like sand.

“Shut up. You won’t die, and neither will I,” Ji Xueli snapped.

Duan Qingyu gave a soft laugh after hearing her words.

The pain in his body became more intense. As he looked at the blood on her face, he tried to reach out and wipe it away—but his hand was covered in blood. “That pretty face of yours is all scratched up…”

“Don’t fall asleep! If you die, I’m not going to die for love,” Ji Xueli cried as she saw him slipping into unconsciousness again.

Duan Qingyu closed his eyes with another weak smile, his voice fading. “Evil lives long… Li Li, you’ll live a long, long life…”

“I want you to live a long life with me.” Ji Xueli gritted her teeth, pulling at his stuck arm, her lip trembling.

I want you to live a long life with me…

That line echoed in Duan Qingyu’s mind. Suddenly, the scene around him shifted—he was in middle school again. A girl in a school uniform stood before him, saying the exact same thing…

His vision grew dim and blurred, but his mind stayed painfully clear. He could no longer hear the world around him.

Ji Xueli got no response. She looked over—he had passed out.

“Duan Qingyu!” she shouted, her eyes wide in panic.

No, the car wouldn’t hold on much longer. The driver was still in the front, and the smell was getting stronger. She clawed at the safety harness so hard her fingernails bent and snapped off.

At last, she managed to free his trapped arm.

She opened the door as quickly as she could. Even though she herself was too injured to stand straight, she gritted her teeth and dragged Duan Qingyu out of the car.

When she turned to check on the driver, she found he was already gone…

Ji Xueli gasped for air, as if even breathing was a struggle. Her vision blurred.

Dead… he died on the spot…

Her limbs were numb, but she knew she couldn’t waste another second. She slung Duan Qingyu’s arm over her shoulder and started moving toward the open road ahead.

The difference in weight between them was huge. Ji Xueli bit her lip until it turned white, pushing herself past the pain—she couldn’t even feel it anymore.

Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted behind them. Fire and smoke surged into the sky, shrapnel and debris flying everywhere. The ground trembled from the force.

Ji Xueli finally collapsed, catching herself on her hands. Pain pierced through her fingers, heat pooled in her palms. The sound seemed to burst straight through her eardrums, exploding inside her skull.

Her eyelids grew heavy. It felt like something invisible was dragging her into a deep abyss…

Just before her head hit the ground, something caught her.

She wanted to open her eyes and see what it was—but instead, she was enveloped in a soft, mysterious darkness.