Chen Zhuo stepped on the brakes and spotted a figure curled up beside the roadside flowerbeds—someone you’d easily miss if you didn’t look closely.
Gu Nanci frowned. The thick scent of blood and the all-too-familiar posture of injury—identical to the night she was reborn—made her push the car door open almost without thinking.
“Wait a moment—” Chen Zhuo cautiously pulled Gu Nanci back, then turned on his phone’s camera before saying, “Alright!”
“…Impressive,” Gu Nanci thought silently. Such cautious professionalism—definitely not afraid of being scammed.
With Chen Zhuo recording the scene as evidence, Gu Nanci crouched down and gently patted the person lying there. “Are you okay?”
The moment she leaned closer, Gu Nanci was stunned.
It was a very young boy, with sharp features and rebellious eyes and brows. His face was covered in patches of bloodstains, and the moment he was touched, his eyes snapped open—ferocious and bloodthirsty, like a lone wolf dying in the night.
But the sharpness lasted less than a second. Staring at Gu Nanci’s unfamiliar yet breathtakingly beautiful face, his expression instantly turned bewildered.
“Are you alright?” Gu Nanci frowned.
It was clear these were injuries from being beaten.
For some reason, Gu Nanci thought of herself on the night she was reborn.
It wasn’t that she had some saintly personality.
But that day, dragging her injured body, she had to deal with the mess without a moment’s rest. Only she knew how much pain lay beneath the glamorous surface.
For someone else in a similar predicament, if possible, she hoped she could lend a hand.
“Should I take you to the hospital?” Gu Nanci asked.
“No…” A hoarse voice squeezed out of the boy’s throat. “Can’t… go…”
“Nanci!” Chen Zhuo answered a phone call, his expression serious as he frowned. “Something urgent came up at the law firm. I have to rush back. I’ll call you a taxi…”
His gaze fell on the injured boy on the ground.
“As for him, I’ll call an ambulance. You head to the company first,” Chen Zhuo arranged in a low voice.
Suddenly, Gu Nanci felt something tugging at the hem of her clothes.
The force was small, weak, like a dying little animal.
It suddenly reminded her of a stray dog she had once picked up—just as wary and timid, tugging at her pant leg, testing for a place to belong.
“No… I… can’t go…” the barely audible voice insisted.
“…It’s fine, you go ahead. I’ll handle this,” Gu Nanci sighed.
Chen Zhuo looked disapproving.
But he couldn’t argue further, pressed by the urgent call from his law firm supervisor. He kept looking back as he left, repeatedly reminding her, “Stay cautious—people can’t be trusted. Keep the recording on, or use audio.”
“Send me a message when you get to the company!”
Muttering to himself, he sighed: Ah! What a kind-hearted kid!
He must have been blind before, actually believing what was said online!
…Those blind haters online! They’ll regret it for the rest of their lives once they’re in court!
Meanwhile.
The boy’s injuries were even more severe than Gu Nanci’s had been earlier. As soon as Chen Zhuo left, perhaps sensing the danger had passed, he completely lost consciousness.
His hand still tightly clutched the hem of Gu Nanci’s clothes.
Gu Nanci sighed.
She hailed a taxi, booked a room at a hotel near the company, and helped the boy inside. She bought some common medicines, alcohol, iodine, and the like, placing them on the table, and paid for several days’ stay.
After finishing up, it was already midnight by the time she returned to dik.
“Back from fooling around? Why not post a few more updates while you’re at it? At least you still remember you’re a trainee!”
Startled by Cheng Yang’s sudden appearance, Gu Nanci clutched her chest and took a few deep breaths.
“…Are you okay? Were you really that scared?” Seeing the sudden paleness in Gu Nanci’s face, Cheng Yang paused, his usually calm and indifferent expression showing a rare ripple of concern.
“It’s fine, I’ll be okay in a moment.” Gu Nanci waved her hand dismissively.
Although her current body was better than the worn-out one from her previous life, it was only relatively functional—after all, the original owner had also been a congenital invalid, raised on medicine since childhood.
One was eight ounces, the other half a pound. If she pushed herself as hard as she had in her past life for the sake of her dreams, she’d likely end up in the hospital within a few years, just like before.
Gu Nanci silently gave up on the idea of practicing all night and said helplessly:
“Forget it, I’ll go to sleep first and come back early tomorrow morning.”
Cheng Yang, who had been waiting for her for a long time in hopes of squeezing in extra practice: “…”
He hesitated, but seeing Gu Nanci’s genuinely pale face, he relented and waved her off, out of sight, out of mind:
“Go on, go on… Just make sure you come early tomorrow!”