The floor where Shi Ying lived wasn’t very high. She waited several minutes for the elevator, but it seemed stuck on one of the upper floors, so in the end, she decided to take the stairs home instead.
But just as she passed the corner on the third floor, a shadow seemed to flash behind her.
Shi Ying turned around in fright.
There was no one there.
She thought she must have imagined it, but before she could even let out a breath of relief, a sharp pain suddenly exploded at the back of her neck.
“Mmph…”
Her vision went black, and her body crumpled limply to the floor.
A tall, heavily built man stepped out from the shadows and forcefully dragged the dazed girl downstairs.
Shi Ying still retained a sliver of consciousness, but her eyelids felt glued shut. Half-supported and half-carried by the man, she was taken outside. Faintly, she heard him explaining to passersby—
“My girlfriend drank too much. I’m taking her back to my place.”
The moment she was shoved into the car, Shi Ying completely lost consciousness.
Naturally, she never saw Shang Chenyan arriving right afterward.
The instant Shang Chenyan saw a strange man taking Shi Ying out of the residential complex, he immediately got into his car and chased after them.
One hand gripped the steering wheel tightly while the other pulled out his phone.
“Jiang Wen. Qingshan Road heading north. License plate XXXX. Black SUV. Get people to intercept it.”
Jiang Wen had no idea what was happening, but upon hearing the order, he immediately went to carry it out.
The black SUV sped toward the elevated highway on the outskirts of the city. Shang Chenyan followed closely behind and quickly caught up. With a loud bang, he controlled the force and slammed into the rear of the SUV.
There weren’t many cars on the elevated highway at night. Seeing a rear-end collision, the surrounding vehicles instinctively kept their distance.
The men inside the SUV were caught completely off guard. The driver gripped the steering wheel tightly to stop the vehicle from spinning out of control.
“The guy behind us did that on purpose?” the buzz-cut driver glanced at the rearview mirror. “He’s been tailing us the whole time.”
The man in black sitting in the back seat had slammed his head hard enough to raise a swollen bump. He spat viciously and looked at the still-unconscious Shi Ying.
“They found us this fast?”
“Keep driving. Faster.”
Even after the impact, the SUV didn’t slow down. Instead, it accelerated, deliberately weaving into the lanes with the heaviest traffic.
Shang Chenyan’s gaze darkened instantly. Not daring to relax for even a second, he pressed harder on the accelerator and stayed close behind.
The buzz-cut man kept watching the rearview mirror.
“Fuck, is this guy insane?”
As they entered a tunnel, Shang Chenyan seized the opportunity and suddenly accelerated, overtaking the SUV from the side. His car forcefully squeezed in and slammed into the front of the SUV, directly forcing it to a stop.
The two men inside had their heads rattled dizzy from the collision. Even Shi Ying was jolted partially awake by the violent impact.
Before they could react, Shang Chenyan had already gotten out of the car.
He strode over, yanked open the door, dragged the buzz-cut driver out, and hurled him onto the ground.
Then he stepped forward and viciously kicked him in the head, sending him flying into the tire with a sickening crash.
The other man in black reacted and tried to escape through the door, but Shang Chenyan’s fury surged straight to his head.
He grabbed the man by the collar, hauled him up, and slammed him to the ground before driving another brutal kick into his abdomen. The man’s back crashed against the edge of the tunnel barrier, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Only after confirming both men were writhing on the ground in agony and unable to flee anytime soon did Shang Chenyan return to the vehicle and carry Shi Ying out.
Shi Ying struggled to open her eyes. Her eyelids only parted by a narrow slit.
She caught the scent of something familiar—a faint woody fragrance that inexplicably made her feel safe.
Vaguely, she heard police sirens in the distance, along with a gentle male voice beside her ear.
“It’s okay now. Don’t be afraid.”
At that moment, Jiang Wen arrived with people of his own. He stayed behind to deal with the two men while Shang Chenyan carried Shi Ying into another car.
“Have the doctor come to the villa.”
***
When Shi Ying woke up again, daylight was already streaming outside.
The blanket covering her body was warm, the bed beneath her soft, and a faint floral fragrance lingered in the air.
She opened her eyes and stared at the room, unfamiliar yet somehow vaguely familiar, unable to react for a moment.
Just then, the bedroom door was gently pushed open, and a little head peeked inside.
“Nian nian?” Shi Ying opened her mouth, her voice low and hoarse.
Shang Nian carried a small porcelain bowl as she ran inside. She leaned against the bed and blinked her big round eyes at Shi Ying before offering her the bowl.
Shi Ying smelled the sweet aroma of rice porridge. Turning her head to look, she saw that it was indeed a bowl of steaming hot congee.
Rubbing the corner of her forehead, she pushed herself upright and glanced around the room.
This was Shang Chenyan’s house—the same room she had slept in last time.
Shi Ying accepted the bowl.
“Thank you, Nian nian. Where’s your father?”
Shang Nian pointed toward the window.
“In the garden downstairs?”
Shang Nian nodded.
Shi Ying shook her head lightly as the fragmented memories from last night flooded back.
She had been kidnapped… and then Shang Chenyan had rescued her?
She was a law-abiding citizen. Why would anyone kidnap her?
Slipping on the soft slippers, Shi Ying walked to the window and pulled the curtains open.
Sunlight poured into the room.
In the garden below, Shang Chenyan stood with his back to her, dressed in casual loungewear as he spoke on the phone.
Something tugged at her clothes.
Shi Ying lowered her head and saw Shang Nian pointing at the bowl of porridge.
“Did Shang Nian specially bring this for me?”
Shang Nian nodded.
“Thank you, Nian nian.”
Shi Ying didn’t have much appetite, but she still sat on the edge of the bed and finished the porridge. It was warm and sweet, and even such an ordinary bowl of congee had been made exceptionally delicious.
After eating, she draped a coat over herself and went downstairs.
Shang Chenyan happened to walk in from outside.
“You’re awake?” The man set down his phone and strode toward her. Naturally, he reached out and touched her forehead. “Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Shi Ying shook her head, looking a little dazed.
“What happened last night? I hadn’t even gotten home yet. Someone knocked me unconscious in the stairwell, and after that I don’t remember anything. Then I woke up here…”
As she spoke, she sniffed softly and accidentally lowered her gaze to the pajamas she was wearing.
Pajamas?
She looked at Shang Chenyan.
Receiving her suspicious stare, Shang Chenyan was just about to speak when Zhang Ma walked out of the kitchen.
“President Shang, lunch is ready.”
It was Shi Ying’s first time seeing a housekeeper in his home, and she instantly felt horribly guilty.
He had kindly saved her, yet she had suspected him of taking advantage of her while she was unconscious.
Fortunately, Shang Chenyan said nothing about it.
He pulled out a chair for Shi Ying at the dining table, and only after she sat down did he explain:
“Someone tried to kidnap you last night. When they were taking you away, I happened to still be outside and saw them, so I chased after them in time.”
A chill ran down Shi Ying’s back.
“Who would want to hurt me?”
She was a perfectly law-abiding citizen. Who had she offended?
Shang Chenyan frowned slightly.
“Xia Qian.”
“Who?” Shi Ying had never heard the name before.
“The woman who bumped into you in the car last time.” Shang Chenyan looked at her. “I’m sorry. You were dragged into this because of me. After what happened last time, I dealt with the Xia family’s company. They got desperate and decided to target you instead.”
Shi Ying thought back carefully.
So it was that arrogant woman from the car—the one who had accused her of not watching where she was going.
“Well… this really isn’t your fault…” Shi Ying pressed her lips together, still feeling lingering fear.
Thankfully, Shang Chenyan had driven her home last night.
Thankfully, he hadn’t left immediately.
Thankfully, he had been willing to save her.
“No matter what, you were the one who helped me last night.”
Shang Chenyan’s grip on his chopsticks tightened slightly.
His Shi Ying had always been soft-hearted and understanding.
“I’ll handle the Xia family matter properly. But for the time being, I’m not comfortable with you living alone.”
“Move here.”
“What?!”