The heavy rain had just ceased, and the vehicle came to a stop before a narrow alley.
Huo Yao pulled open the rear car door.
Shi Xi didn’t require his assistance, supporting herself with a cane as she stepped out while holding onto the car door.
After pushing aside the damp long hair clinging to her cheek, she resembled a malnourished female ghost.
Huo Yao could clearly see the two long scars on her face, almost splitting the pale skin, stretching from the corners of her eyes to the edges of her mouth.
She possessed strikingly beautiful eyes with thick, long lashes and pitch-black pupils, yet they held no radiance—like a night sky stripped of all its stars, profoundly dark.
The jacket draped over her nearly enveloped her entire frame, making her appear frail and brittle, as if a gust of wind could scatter her apart.
During the journey, he had already inquired about her circumstances.
He initially thought she was a middle school student, never expecting her to be a recent university graduate.
Noticing her unsteady steps, Huo Yao reached out to support her anyway, his tone slightly cold. “Can you walk?”
Shi Xi’s legs were trembling. After a moment’s thought, she shook her head at him.
This was a perfect opportunity to make physical contact with him.
Huo Yao was taken aback but ultimately bent down in front of her.
His strong arms slid beneath her knees, lifting her horizontally into his embrace.
After turning to give Ji Lu some instructions, he strode into the dimly lit alley.
This was the most extensive and densely populated urban village in City A, inhabited almost entirely by migrant workers, with somewhat chaotic management.
The cramped residential buildings and tangled overhead wires left the area nearly devoid of daylight.
The person in his arms remained as quiet as a shattered porcelain doll, her lashes lowered, pale pink lips slightly pressed together, lost in unknown thoughts.
His hand was slightly curled, deliberately avoiding contact with her.
But physical contact was exactly what Shi Xi wanted.
So she tentatively reached out, grasping one of his fingers.
The cool sensation gently encircled Huo Yao’s index finger.
He looked down in surprise.
She didn’t dare meet his gaze, her long, upturned lashes casting shadows beneath her eyes as she nervously pressed her lips together.
Huo Yao firmly remembered the need to maintain appropriate distance.
He hadn’t refused her in the car because he could see she was frightened.
Now… though she was merely holding one finger, it gave him the illusion that he was her lifeline.
Never mind.
Just a desperate kid.
Thus, Shi Xi succeeded.
“System, start counting.”
System: “…”
Huo Yao paused before a dilapidated residential building when he heard her feeble voice. “Fourth floor, room 408.”
Only then did he continue forward.
There was no elevator, and the stairwell was narrow, so he proceeded with extreme care.
Just as he was about to remind the girl to draw in her feet, he noticed her head shifting, leaning against his chest.
Her feet also retracted slightly to avoid bumping against anything.
Huo Yao raised an eyebrow slightly and quickened his pace.
He had assumed her physical and psychological issues would make her reactions to external stimuli extremely slow and dull.
But now it appeared that might not be the case.
Her mind seemed quite active, not as lifeless as she appeared on the surface.
Huo Yao stopped outside room 408, only to discover the iron door was merely ajar.
The sickly-looking girl lifted her eyelids slightly, her voice exceptionally frail. “We’re here.”
Huo Yao pushed the door open with his foot and entered.
The room was filled with a sour stench, mixed with an overwhelmingly strong perfume that assaulted their nostrils.
The cramped and cluttered living room had flickering fluorescent lights, casting a dim glow.
A gaunt middle-aged man lay sprawled on the floor, his snoring deafeningly loud.
His clothes and the surrounding floor were stained with vomit.
Shi Xi glanced at the figure on the ground, an uncontrollable surge of fear and loathing rising in her chest.
Unpleasant scenes flashed through her mind.
This was Lin Zhen, the original host’s biological father.
A compulsive gambler and alcoholic with violent tendencies, he had frequently subjected her to physical abuse.
Huo Yao took in the room’s situation at a glance. Sensing the girl’s tension, he frowned and settled her on the barely clean sofa.
“Thank you, Captain Huo.”
Shi Xi rubbed her palms, outwardly calm but inwardly feeling like a minor pervert.
She was still savoring the lingering warmth from his finger.
Regardless, she had now been in contact with him for over fifty minutes—the System couldn’t possibly round that down.
Huo Yao’s gaze returned to her face as he said flatly, “Thank yourself.”
He had seen too many desperate people.
Those truly determined to die could never be stopped, no matter what.
He had watched her resolutely climb onto the railing, yet he knew she still held a will to live—otherwise, she wouldn’t have paused at that critical moment.
Allowing him just enough time to pull her back.
So, she ought to thank that flicker of self-preservation within herself.
“Get some rest.” Huo Yao offered no words of comfort, knowing he could never fully grasp her suffering, though he added, “One must look forward.”
Shi Xi looked dazed. Hearing his words, she lifted her head to study his face before nodding.
Her eyes were dull, yet Huo Yao could tell she had taken his words to heart.
She pointed toward his neck. “Can I… touch it?”
She had just noticed a long scar running from below his ear to his collarbone—stretching across the most vulnerable part of his neck.
Huo Yao’s dark eyes flickered as he refused outright, “No.”
Shi Xi nodded calmly. “Oh.”
Just then, the bedroom door suddenly swung open, and a garishly dressed woman emerged.
The heavy perfume scent in the room originated from her.
This was Chen Xi, Shi Xi’s biological mother. Perhaps due to years of heavy makeup and poor removal habits, even her meticulous current makeup couldn’t conceal her skin’s poor condition.
Yet, it was undeniable—she possessed striking bone structure and a fine figure, which had been her means of livelihood over the years.
Spotting the two in the living room, Chen Xi exclaimed in surprise, “Xixi, you have a boyfriend?”
Her gaze lingered on Huo Yao, eyes gleaming with suggestive interest as she reached out toward him. “My, such a handsome young man—why are you all wet?”
Huo Yao evaded her hand and stated coldly, “Huo Yao, Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division. Keep your hands to yourself.”
“P-police?”
Chen Xi held an innate fear of police officers.
Her eyes swept over him briefly before growing evasive, then she glared at Shi Xi.
“Wretched girl, are you in trouble?!”
She swung her handbag toward Shi Xi as she spoke.
But before the bag could strike, Huo Yao intercepted it.
Only then did Chen Xi rein in her anger, sheepishly lowering the bag.
Huo Yao gestured to Shi Xi. “Go change your clothes first.”
Surprisingly, the girl obeyed him, rising with the support of her cane.
This could hardly be called a home.
A space under fifty square meters held one bedroom and a storage room. The kitchen had never been used for cooking, piled high with clutter instead.
Shi Xi didn’t even have her own bed, just a single mattress laid in the corner of the storage room.
Fortunately, she was quite short, so she could barely manage to live there.
Shi Xi spent half an hour in the bathroom, taking the opportunity to wash her soaked clothes.
When she came out, only Lin Zhen remained lying on the floor, his snores growing increasingly sharp.
The window in the living room was open, dispersing much of the nauseating smell.
Five hundred yuan in cash was placed on the sofa.
It couldn’t have been left by Chen Xi—it was from Huo Yao.
She picked up the money, dried her hair, and limped into the storage room.
Sitting on the mattress, she looked at her left foot.
Her ankle was slightly swollen and throbbing faintly, likely from walking too much today and catching a chill.
She picked up a palm-sized mirror nearby and was first met with skin as pale as paper.
Turning the mirror to the two scars on her left cheek, she couldn’t help but gasp.
They coiled like centipedes across her clean, snow-white skin, truly hideous.
Shi Xi’s mind could still recall the excruciating pain from that time.
Because of these scars, the original host had been bullied in high school. In college, she wore a mask, never daring to lift her head, humbled to the dust.
The original host had consulted many times, but the hospital’s response was almost always the same: completely removing the scars was impossible.
Moreover, she didn’t even have the money for a single surgery.
However, after Shi Xi entered this body, she would naturally nurture and heal it.
In time, these two scars would gradually fade.
But the old injury on her left foot still required corrective surgery.
After the car accident, if only her parents had been willing to pay for the surgery, she wouldn’t have had to endure it until now.
The original host’s bank card now held over three hundred thousand yuan, enough to cover the surgery.
But… that money came from her three boyfriends.
Oh, no.
They were now ex-boyfriends.
Shi Xi plugged in her phone to charge and waited a while before turning it on.
Good, the phone hadn’t been damaged by the rain and was still functional.
She hadn’t actively made friends at school, so her contacts numbered only a few dozen, most of whom were just names in her list.
The three pinned at the top were her ex-boyfriends.
The original host didn’t know their true identities, but the System had provided Shi Xi with information, which matched the chat records.
Bai Fan, 20 years old, was the original host’s junior at the same university.
Suffering from chronic insomnia, Bai Fan was perpetually irritable.
It was the original host’s voice that relaxed him, which was why he had started an online relationship with her.
Lu Mingzhe, 27 years old, CEO of Lu Corporation, was preparing to acquire a live-streaming company.
He had stumbled upon the original host’s live stream and was captivated by her appearance and voice.
He was very busy, and his chat history with the original host was sparse.
The original host was more like a comforting presence, offering emotional support when he felt heavy-hearted and low.
Lu Mingzhe had hinted several times about meeting her, but the original host always said she wasn’t ready.
He was considerate and didn’t bring it up again.
Chi Xuan, 25 years old, a scion of a wealthy family, was the original host’s top patron.
He was solely interested in her AI-enhanced face.
He was generous, sending her red envelopes daily, but his real intention was to sleep with her.
The original host always evaded his advances vaguely, and he had long grown impatient.
After she disappeared, it was he who dug up her information and posted it on the school forum.
“Lu Mingzhe? The original host’s former older brother?”
An image of a still somewhat youthful boy’s face surfaced in Shi Xi’s mind.
The last time she had seen him was already seven years ago.
The day the original host left the Lu Family.
System: “Yes.”
Shi Xi felt a slight tightness in her chest, likely remnants of the original host’s emotions.