Chapter 28: Utter Panic

Jiang Cheng abruptly slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a halt. He rested one hand on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed intently through the windshield, watching Ji Shuyi walk towards her car, holding the bouquet of roses. He watched her close the car door and drive away.

He felt like he’d been sick lately, experiencing inexplicable palpitations and anxiety.

He had always believed himself to be inherently cold and indifferent, untouched by anything or anyone. Yet, recently, he frequently found his emotions fluctuating wildly, all because of one Ji Shuyi.

In front of the hotel, the dazzling, colorful lights scattered across his face, yet they couldn’t conceal the dimness in his eyes.

It seemed that without him even realizing, he had already decided in his heart that she belonged to him, and couldn’t bear the thought of anyone occupying even the smallest part of her world.

He belatedly realized the absurdity of his feelings; this entire situation was ridiculous.

Jiang Cheng was also well aware that he had no legitimate standing or reason to make trouble for Tang Yu. However, watching Tang Yu smile as he saw Ji Shuyi into her car and drive away, he suddenly acted uncontrollably. He floored the accelerator, executing a beautiful, decisive drift to force Tang Yu’s car to a stop.

Screech—

The ear-splitting sound of tires screeching against the pavement as the car braked sharply.

The distance between the two cars was less than a centimeter.

Under the extreme force of the sudden braking, Tang Yu lurched forward, almost triggering the airbags, his face pale with shock and his heart pounding.

And Jiang Cheng couldn’t deny that for a moment, he had wanted to crash into him directly.

His nature was inherently obsessive. Once he recognized and committed to something, it would infinitely stimulate his absolute possessiveness. But he also knew deeply that if he crashed into him, he would likely lose any chance with Ji Shuyi for the rest of his life.

Tang Yu took several deep breaths to calm himself before immediately getting out of the car to check the condition of both vehicles.

At the same time, Jiang Cheng also opened his door and got out.

“Jiang Cheng?” Recognizing the other man, Tang Yu was surprised for a moment, then asked, “What is it, did your car malfunction?”

“No,” Jiang Cheng said frankly. “I did it on purpose.”

“What?” Tang Yu’s pupils widened in shock, afraid he had misheard. He hastily confirmed, “You did it on purpose?”

Jiang Cheng casually glanced at Tang Yu, with no intention of explaining himself. Instead, he directly stated his purpose, opening his mouth as if to clarify his intentions:

“Pretty romantic, giving such a big bouquet of roses.”

He chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow slightly. “What, you like Ji Shuyi?”

“Shuyi?” Tang Yu was astonished. He never imagined that Jiang Cheng had forced his car to stop because of Ji Shuyi, especially since the last time they met, they had been openly hostile towards each other.

Tang Yu gave a gentle smile and replied, “A girl like Shuyi – lively, cute, interesting, and beautiful – I don’t think any guy could dislike her, right?”

His tone was calm, but his words made Jiang Cheng feel as if a stampede of a thousand horses was rushing toward him.

After all, Ji Shuyi had said that Tang Yu was better than him in every way. If Tang Yu also liked her, how was he going to win her over?

Jiang Cheng confirmed his doubts with displeasure, “So, you also like Ji Shuyi?”

Tang Yu smiled warmly, not denying it. “I quite like her.”

“That’s too bad,” Jiang Cheng said with a cold laugh. His expression turned several degrees colder as he pulled his hand out of his pants pocket and took a step closer to Tang Yu. His aura was so fierce it was intimidating. “Ji Shuyi made it clear to me that she doesn’t like you.”

“Hey? Bro Cheng…”

At that moment, Chen Xingyi’s shout came from the distance, rapidly growing closer.

Jiang Cheng turned his head and saw Chen Xingyi already running up to him.

With a panicked expression, Chen Xingyi threw his arms around Jiang Cheng’s neck and said, “Hurry, there’s an emergency at the bar that needs your attention, let’s go, let’s go…”

He even urged Tang Yu, saying, “Young Master Tang, you should head back too…”

Otherwise, it’ll be hard to leave later.

Chen Xingyi used every trick he had to drag Jiang Cheng back to the bar.

Jiang Cheng sensed that something was off with Chen Xingyi and directly retorted, showing no mercy, “What’s with the coaxing and dragging? What did you bring me here for?”

“Hehehe…” Seeing that they were safe, Chen Xingyi laughed mischievously and said, “I saved you, you’ll definitely thank me later.”

Chen Xingyi said with a serious face, “If you had hit Tang Yu just now, you would have no chance with Ji Shuyi anymore. You’re the type who doesn’t strike often, but when you do, you’ll send someone to the ICU.”

“Who the hell was going to hit him?” Jiang Cheng retorted, annoyed and irritated. “If I wanted to hit him, could you even stop me?”

Chen Xingyi suddenly frowned and muttered to himself, “Seems like you are right.”

Then he immediately changed his tune and asked, “No, that’s not right! I clearly saw you were about to hit him just now! I saw you take your hand out of your pocket, I was so afraid you’d land a punch on Tang Yu’s vital spot, that’s why I rushed over.”

Jiang Cheng: “……”

“Are you stupid?” Jiang Cheng stared at Chen Xingyi like he was looking at a fool and asked, “Taking my hand out means I’m going to start a fight?”

“Huh?” Chen Xingyi scratched his head. “Isn’t that the reason? Didn’t you rush over here because you were jealous? The way you looked just now, I honestly thought you were about to throw a punch.”

To prove his brotherly loyalty, Chen Xingyi quickly added, “If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn’t hold you back. I’d even join you in beating them up. But Tang Yu is different. You let your jealousy get the better of you, so I had to stay rational and stop you in time.”

Jiang Cheng: “……”

It was the first time Chen Xingyi had left him speechless.

Rarely seeing his unlucky, arrogant brother so silent, Chen Xingyi exclaimed with amusement, “Oh? You’re not even going to deny being jealous? That’s a first.”

Jiang Cheng glanced at him with disdain. “I own up to what I do. What’s there to deny?”

His personality was scheming, proud, and aloof, but once he decided on something, he would devote everything to it and admit everything without hesitation.

Chen Xingyi started laughing hysterically and began poking at a certain someone’s sore spot. “Oh~ who was it that said only people with terrible taste would be interested in Ji Shuyi? And also said…”

The rest of his words were cut short by Jiang Cheng’s cold,沉沉gaze. He quickly changed his tune, “Alright, alright… I won’t mention it anymore.”

Only then did Jiang Cheng ask, “How did you know I was coming?”

“When I was hanging out here, I saw Ji Shuyi and the others playing. I saw Tang Yu was there too. I thought you’ve been acting weird these past few days because of Ji Shuyi, especially since you dislike Tang Yu so much. If you saw that, you’d be green with envy,” Chen Xingyi said truthfully.

“Then, when we were drinking earlier, someone came to report that your car almost hit someone at the entrance. I figured you rushed over so quickly because you found out they were at the bar, so I hurried outside to check, and then I saw that scene where I thought you were about to start a fight.”

Rarely seeing Jiang Cheng in such a good mood, Chen Xingyi suddenly became talkative, like he had opened a floodgate. “You can’t chase after girls with such a bad temper. You’ll scare them away…”

Also finding it rare that Jiang Cheng wanted to listen to his nonsense, he slightly frowned and asked in return, “Then how should I chase after them?”

Then, Chen, a single dog, began to popularize love tips to another Jiang single dog:

“Girls, they all like the kind of gentle and considerate man, with connotation and demeanor, polite and sunny, and speak quietly…”

The more Jiang Cheng listened, the more he felt something was wrong. Wasn’t he describing Tang Yu?

He immediately became even more agitated and interrupted coldly, “Alright, shut up. I don’t like a single word you’re saying! F*ck!”

Chen Xingyi: “…”

Was there a problem with what he said?

There was no problem.

Weekends always pass by too quickly.

Monday.

Jiang Cheng knew Ji Shuyi had a class first thing in the morning. After getting out of the car, he slowed his pace, hoping to run into her.

As he was walking, he suddenly heard someone shout.

“Shuyi!”

“Hey? Ji Shuyi!”

From some unknown time, hearing someone call her name became more important to him than hearing someone call his own.

Jiang Cheng abruptly stopped and looked around, searching for the source of the voice. He saw Lu Zhixia running with her backpack.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I mistook you for someone else.”

Lu Zhixia quickly caught up to someone and, thinking it was Ji Shuyi, patted the person on the shoulder. But when the person turned around, she realized she had made a mistake.

The person who was mistaken, Song Ning, had seen Jiang Cheng up ahead from a distance. Smiling, she responded to Lu Zhixia, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Lu Zhixia gave an embarrassed laugh and quickly slipped away.

Jiang Cheng, who thought he would see Ji Shuyi, immediately lost interest and withdrew his gaze upon seeing that it was Song Ning.

Watching from afar, Song Ning bitterly clenched her palm. In the end, was she still unable to enter his heart?

At lunchtime, Lu Zhixia grumbled to Ji Shuyi in frustration, “Ugh, you know, recently that dance student named Song Ning has been dressing just like you. After all these years of friendship, I almost mistook her for you!

I even chased after her calling your name, thinking you were ignoring me, only to turn around and see it was Song Ning!”

Lu Zhixia pouted, still feeling embarrassed. “This is so socially awkward! Is she trying to imitate you or something?”

“Imitate me?” Ji Shuyi looked confused. “Why would she imitate me?”

“Who knows?” Lu Zhixia replied awkwardly, “Maybe because you stole her spotlight. After all, everyone used to acknowledge her as the representative beauty of Jingda University. As soon as you arrived, you directly stole her thunder.”

Lu Zhixia boldly speculated, “Is she trying to rely on imitating you to regain her title as the top beauty of Jingda University?”

“It can’t be that extreme, right?” Ji Shuyi indifferently curled the corners of her lips. “She’s so pretty.”

Then she added, “Whatever, let her do as she pleases.”

Ji Shuyi didn’t bother thinking about these unimportant people, changing the subject to say, “What should we eat for lunch?”

“Let’s go eat barbecue!” Lu Zhixia said with a greedy smile. “We have enough time.”

Song Ning often heard people at school mention that they had seen Jiang Cheng at a newly opened bar on multiple occasions. Every Friday after school, she would feign an invitation to three or five friends to go hang out together.

But she went several times in a row and never saw Jiang Cheng. She didn’t know if it was the wrong time, or if he didn’t want her to see him, just like at school. He was unwilling to interact much with anyone, and even when she took the initiative to call out to him, it was difficult to get a response.

Once again, Song Ning walked out of the bar in disappointment, the light in her beautiful eyes dimmed.

It was November, and winter was gradually setting in. The night breeze was a bit chilly.

Song Ning was wearing an off-white, fluffy coat with a dark gray pleated skirt, her beautiful legs were straight. A small hairpin adorned her smooth, long hair, making her look sweet and lively.

After leaving the bar, she didn’t immediately hail a cab. Feeling stifled, she wanted to take a walk to clear her head and feel the breeze.

There were many staggering, unsteady, drunken people at the entrance of the bar.

The smell of alcohol was overwhelming. Song Ning frowned slightly and walked past them. She remembered there was a musical fountain nearby. She recalled the direction and turned into an alley.

“Hey, beautiful, all alone?”

Suddenly, a blond foreign man approached and struck up a conversation.

Song Ning was startled and instinctively dodged to the side. She ignored him and quickly walked away.

However, the blond man blocked her path.

Song Ning panicked. “What do you want?”

The blond man smiled. “I’ll take you to have some fun?”

“I don’t know you.” Song Ning said in a flustered voice, “Please move aside.”

As she said that, she quickly turned to run.

“Ah!”

She had just turned around when she was grabbed by the hair and pulled back. The next second, she was slammed against the wall. She heard the blond man’s vulgar words in her ear:

“Little beauty, I’ll take you to do something fun, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it…”

“Get away!”

Song Ning pushed him away forcefully, wanting to escape, but her strength was too weak. She couldn’t resist at all.

“Help!”

The blond man directly covered her mouth, wrapped an arm around her neck, and began to carry her away.

Song Ning struggled in vain, unable to even shout for help. She instantly fell into boundless despair.

She desperately made sounds of resistance, while struggling with all her strength. However, it was all to no avail. She instantly felt despair, helplessness, and suffocation.

Just when she thought she was going to die tonight, someone suddenly flew out from behind her and kicked the blond man hard.

The blond man was caught off guard and lunged forward. At that critical moment, the person behind her rescued her from the blond man’s clutches.

Then, Song Ning clearly saw the person who came to her rescue charge forward, kick the blond man – who was just trying to get up – and send him crashing violently into the wall of the alley. The man’s wails of agony echoed through the alleyway.

The next second, the person rushed forward again, grabbed the blond man’s shirt, and ruthlessly punched him in the head, his voice cold, angry, and sinister:

“I warned you, don’t you dare get near her, you’re f***ing courting death!”

In the moment she was saved, Song Ning clearly saw that the person who came was Jiang Cheng, the man she was constantly thinking about. Amidst the man’s miserable screams, she huddled in the corner, terrified, holding her head. But when she heard those words, the whole world seemed to fall silent.

What did he mean by that?

Could it be…had he been secretly in love with her all along, secretly protecting her?

Her mind was in chaos amidst the terror. Just as she was about to look up, a coat was draped over her shoulders, and Jiang Cheng’s voice came from above:

“Don’t be afraid…it’s okay now…”

That was the first time she had heard Jiang Cheng’s voice so gentle.

Song Ning seemed to be in a dream, unable to recover for a long time, until she felt Jiang Cheng squatting down in front of her. Only then did she slowly raise her head, her eyes red and wet with fright:

“Jiang Cheng…”

“It’s you?”

Almost in an instant, Jiang Cheng, who had just squatted down, panicked and stood up, snatched back his coat, and even quickly took a step back, putting distance between them. In the blink of an eye, all the gentleness vanished, replaced by his usual coldness, as he casually dropped a line:

“Hurry up and go.”

After speaking, he turned and left.

He even threw the coat in his hand into a trash can as he passed by.

Earlier, he had passed by the entrance of the alley and heard some commotion. He turned his head and recognized the blond man at a glance as that trash Kyle, and Song Ning’s attire was too similar to Ji Shuyi’s.

At that moment, Jiang Cheng discovered he had never panicked so much, afraid that she would be bullied.

Still squatting in the same spot, Song Ning felt as if she had experienced one nightmare after another. Watching Jiang Cheng turn and walk away, she began to cry, feeling wronged and filled with lingering fear.

“Jiang Cheng?”

Jiang Cheng, who had just thrown the coat into the trash can, actually heard Ji Shuyi’s voice. At this moment, it felt like a hallucination. He hurriedly looked up and saw that it really was Ji Shuyi standing a few steps away, tilting her head and looking over with curiosity.