{“Hugging your waist.” 1}

The night suddenly enveloped this open space. Compared to the beauty of nature, the scenery here was hardly enchanting, yet the man approached her calmly.

In a daze, he became her only support.

If it weren’t for her past experiences with distant relatives, she might have believed in their intentions.

“I already sent those people away; why waste more time?”

She spoke with conviction, momentarily forgetting the family’s true nature.

But Bian Yuan was not so easily convinced.

He was skilled at questioning, and she always slipped up.

“What is your relationship with them?”

“They’re inconsequential.”

“I’ll ask you again: Did you know them before?”

“They’re distant relatives. I met that woman once when I was little.”

He wouldn’t tell her how anxious he felt when the staff at the venue said they couldn’t find her and that she was taken away by a middle-aged woman. He wouldn’t reveal how much he wanted to confront that group when he saw her disheveled figure appear before him.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

Yu Suye really didn’t want to stir up trouble. She thought that worst-case scenario, she could just explain things to her parents. But if Bian Yuan got involved—

Well, considering his usual fees…

Better to avoid that.

Yu Suye feigned indifference and smiled. “It’s cold. I’m getting in the car.”

He didn’t start the car for a long time. Inside, his expression became complicated; his furrowed brow seemed perpetually tense. She never imagined hearing such words from him.

Suddenly, he got out of the car.

He leaned against the roof, his black eyes shimmering with a hint of starlight, no longer obscured by the shadows before him. “Do I have to beg for you to let me handle this?”

“I…”

In her shock, Yu Suye didn’t know how to respond.

Eventually, she felt compelled to clarify, “I just think those people aren’t worthy of your attention.”

She sensed that he might genuinely want to help her, but she didn’t want him to interfere in her most sensitive matters. Yu Suye realized her own feelings were conflicted; sometimes, she wished Bian Yuan could see her carefree side, not her distressed one.

Yet his words touched her deeper emotions.

This wasn’t the first time Bian Yuan had stood up for her; he had done the same in the mall before.

“Thank you.”

Yu Suye leaned against the car window, her anger towards those troublesome relatives dissipating, replaced by a stronger sense of softness within.

“Is that all? Just ‘thank you’?”

With his many years of nonexistent experience, Bian Yuan thought she would throw herself into his arms, but Yu Suye simply closed the car door, remaining still.

She didn’t understand what more he expected.

But soon, considering his workload, she bought two reheated sandwiches at a nearby corner shop to accompany him back.

Bian Yuan thought her gratitude might just be words.

If a sandwich was a reward, he had no words to respond. Yet, holding the warm sandwich, he felt a sense of ease and satisfaction.

But just as Yu Suye thought she had escaped from that family—

Unexpectedly, her aunt urgently showed up, apparently having reported her to her mother. Was this not just a way to humiliate her and Bian Yuan?

Facing her worried mother on the phone, Yu Suye had no choice but to recount everything. Her mother wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, especially since she believed those who abandoned her couldn’t be compared to her own daughter.

From initial fear and conflict, her mother’s tone quickly turned to one of concern, reminding her to take care of herself.

“Mom, don’t worry about me; I can handle it.”

After hanging up, Yu Suye felt a wave of shame about her family. They were merciless in their financial dealings, yet they also wanted to come at her with their manipulative tactics to pressure her mother.