Huo Yao had followed her location after receiving her “help” message, arriving just in time to see Lin Zhen fleeing in panic.
Seeing Shi Xi backed into a corner with a deathly pale face, he didn’t hesitate to push Chi Xuan aside.
“What happened?”
Shi Xi looked up, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Huo Yao’s stern face.
“Captain Huo…”
Chi Xuan had been watching her closely and didn’t miss the spark that flashed in her eyes.
Just moments ago she’d been lifeless, but the moment she fell into someone else’s arms she became completely infatuated!
“Lin Shi Xi, I’m talking to you!”
“He’s a police officer,” Shi Xi explained with a glance at Chi Xuan. “My father has a bad temper and always hits me. I was too scared earlier, so I contacted Captain Huo.”
This also served as an explanation to Huo Yao.
After hearing this, Chi Xuan’s eyes flickered, his arrogant demeanor largely extinguished.
His probing gaze fell upon Huo Yao.
That face, that physique, that presence…
“Wait, you know each other privately? How did you meet?”
Was this Captain Huo another fish in Lin Shi Xi’s pond?!
Shi Xi: “You’re overstepping.”
Huo Yao sensed the strange tension between them, as if he’d stumbled into some bizarre melodramatic idol drama scene.
His memory was good – he recognized this man as Chi Xuan, who had previously exposed Shi Xi’s information.
He released Shi Xi, wanting to create some distance.
But Shi Xi suddenly gasped softly, leaning her weight back against Huo Yao: System, start the timer!
Looking at Huo Yao with fragile tone, she said, “Captain Huo, could you take me to the hospital?”
Huo Yao glanced down at her pale face and her left foot that didn’t dare touch the ground.
Finally, he nodded.
Chi Xuan blocked Huo Yao’s path. “I’ll take her.”
Shi Xi shook her head, a trace of nervousness in her eyes, stating firmly, “Not him.”
Chi Xuan laughed angrily. “What if I insist?”
He turned to Huo Yao. “Since when do police officers meddle so much? She’s my girlfriend, this is between us. You have no right to interfere?”
Shi Xi: “You stole my cane, and after breaking up you still manhandled me. I called the police, so he can intervene.”
Chi Xuan: “…”
His handsome face was already beginning to contort.
She certainly knew how to infuriate people!
He directed his anger at Huo Yao. “Do you like her? You must know how many boyfriends she has, right?”
Shi Xi looked up, earnestly assuring, “Not anymore, none at all.”
Chi Xuan was speechless.
“…” Huo Yao felt headache coming on and asked directly, “I’m in a hurry. Are you going to the hospital or not?”
Shi Xi nodded weakly: “Yes.”
Seeing the cold sweat on her forehead, Chi Xuan ultimately stepped aside.
Just as Huo Yao was about to pick up Shi Xi, she added, “My fruits…”
Several apples lay scattered on the ground, some kindly placed back in the bag by passersby.
Huo Yao could only have her hold the cane first while he bent down to collect them.
Glancing at Chi Xuan, he asked casually, “Not going to help?”
Chi Xuan: “???”
He came here to give Lin Shi Xi trouble!
Not to help her pick up fruits.
But standing there doing nothing made him look foolish.
She was watching Huo Yao.
With a calm yet warm gaze.
Chi Xuan gritted his teeth, glared at the man collecting apples by the curb, and ultimately bent his noble waist to pick up a box of strawberries near his feet.
The strawberries were fragile, and through the transparent box, a few could be seen already crushed and leaking juice.
When he realized what he was doing, his expression shifted.
Lifting his gaze, he met hers just as she looked over.
She reached out her hand toward him.
He froze for a moment, instinctively extending his hand.
The next second, he saw the plastic bag in her hand—
Damn.
He jerked his hand back as if electrocuted, then threw the strawberry box heavily into the bag as if discarding something filthy.
Because of his rough action, Shi Xi swallowed back the “thank you” that had been on the tip of her tongue.
“Do you have some kind of problem with me? Clearly, you—” wronged me!
Chi Xuan didn’t finish his sentence.
He didn’t want her to know that he cared about being treated poorly by her.
His outburst drew Huo Yao’s attention from nearby, and he walked back over.
Huo Yao didn’t pry into what was going on between them. He put all the fruit into the bag and reminded them, “Some are too rotten to eat. I threw them out.”
Shi Xi nodded. “Okay, thank you.”
She held the bag in one hand and her crutch in the other.
Gazing at Huo Yao with wide, expectant eyes.
Huo Yao paused, then silently picked her up.
He instinctively weighed her in his arms—she seemed a little heavier.
After doing so, he met the girl’s stunned, bewildered gaze. His usually unchanging expression stiffened slightly, and he coughed lightly. “Sorry.”
Shi Xi shook her head, but couldn’t help a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth.
Chi Xuan narrowed his eyes, watching the two of them, his expression unreadable.
He was acting very out of character today.
His behavior and thoughts were beyond his control.
He had come to vent his frustration, but ended up even angrier.
When Huo Yao placed her in the car, he knew he was meddling in something that wasn’t his business.
But the thought lasted only a few seconds before he pushed it aside.
Shi Xi sat in the passenger seat, looking down at her slightly swollen left foot.
It always hurt after walking for too long, and she was used to it.
She had said she needed to go to the hospital just to create more opportunities to spend time with Huo Yao.
Noticing her movements out of the corner of his eye, Huo Yao asked, “Does it hurt?”
Shi Xi wiped the sweat from her forehead. “It’s okay…”
Huo Yao’s thin lips moved, and after a moment, he said, “I have things to do. I can only take you to the hospital.”
Shi Xi felt a little disappointed but nodded obediently. “Alright.”
“You… should probably ask a friend to help you.”
“I don’t have any friends.”
“Other family members?”
“I don’t have any other family.”
“…”
When they reached the hospital entrance, Huo Yao opened the car door and helped her out.
She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with a hint of moisture, her pinkish-white lips pressed together slightly. “I’m sorry for troubling you today. It’s not convenient for me to carry the fruit—I actually bought it for you. Will you take it?”
“…Mm.”
Her tone carried a hint of coquettishness.
But in doing so, her large, beautiful eyes seemed to come alive with a certain vividness.
“Hurry inside,” he said, then averted his gaze.
Shi Xi nodded and turned to walk toward the hospital entrance.
Because of the pain in her foot, even with the support of her crutch, she moved extremely slowly.
Huo Yao waited until her figure disappeared before getting back into the car and driving away.
Within minutes, Shi Xi walked back out.
It was rush hour, and the emergency room was packed with people waiting.
She could just apply some of her old medication when she got back—no need to waste time waiting to see a doctor.
Just as she reached the roadside, a car pulled up in front of her.
Chi Xuan’s face appeared in the window.
He gave her a once-over and snorted. “Weren’t you at death’s door just now? Bouncing back to life already?”
Shi Xi: “…”
Chi Xuan: “Get in the car.”
With Chi Xuan, everything had to go his way.
Seeing her turn to leave, he indeed exploded, directly getting out of the car and bundling her away.
“Go ahead and run. Even with three legs, you couldn’t outrun me.”
Shi Xi genuinely wondered if he was three years old.
“You’re the one with three legs!”
Angered, she struck him not too lightly nor too heavily with her cane.
Chi Xuan stuffed her into the passenger seat, one hand braced against the car roof, his narrow eyes sweeping over her with an ambiguous meaning. “I do indeed have three legs.”
Shi Xi: “…”
Seeing her speechless, he curled the corner of his mouth, roughly shut the car door, and quickly took the driver’s seat.
At the same time, Shi Xi heard the System’s slightly hesitant announcement: “…Chi Xuan’s hatred value has been reset to zero.”
“…” Shi Xi lifted her gaze to Chi Xuan’s haughty expression and silently fastened her seatbelt.
In her mind, she asked the System: “Do I have some kind of newbie protection period? This is way too easy.”
System: “Don’t speak too soon.”
Seeing Shi Xi so compliant, Chi Xuan glanced over.
But all he saw was the gauze on her face.
She tightly gripped her cane, head slightly lowered, lost in thought.
His emotions suddenly grew tangled. Holding the steering wheel, Chi Xuan momentarily didn’t know where to go.
He didn’t even know why he had forcibly dragged her into the car.
Lu Family dining room.
Only the siblings were present.
Lu Yan scrolled through her phone for a while before suddenly saying to Lu Mingzhe, “Brother, did you know Chi Xuan went to see Lin Shi Xi?”
Lu Mingzhe’s hand paused slightly as he set down his chopsticks to look at her. “How did you know?”
“A passerby filmed it. I came across the video.”
As she spoke, Lu Yan didn’t forget to observe his expression.
Did he think she didn’t know? He’d been helping handle Lin Shi Xi’s scandal these past few days, even negotiating with the school—practically acting like her older brother…
The thought made her heart ache.
Lu Mingzhe had already taken out his phone, his expression slightly grave.
He suddenly stood up to leave. Lu Yan spoke up, “Where are you going?”
“Stepping out for a bit.”
“Are you going to find her?”
“I just asked around. Chi Xuan took Xixi away. You know better than anyone what kind of person he is. I’m afraid—”
She abruptly cut him off, “Xixi, Xixi! Do you care about her that much?”
Lu Mingzhe looked at his sister, puzzled.
She always brought up topics about Shi Xi, yet every time she did, she seemed ready to explode.
“Yanyan, Xixi has suffered a lot over the years…”
“You feel sorry for her suffering? What about the fifteen years of suffering I endured? What does that count as?!”
“Yanyan, we all care deeply about you and love you. You should know that.”
“I don’t know! All you see now is your precious Xixi!”
This was a sensitive topic after all. Lu Mingzhe opened his mouth but didn’t know how to explain, finally saying, “Yanyan, calm down first.”
He hadn’t interacted much with Chi Xuan and didn’t have his contact information, but through mutual friends, he could find out what Chi Xuan had done today.
Lu Yan sat frozen at the dining table, anger and resentment intertwining in her heart as a hidden malice took root and grew.
She would always remember that day—two luxury cars parked at the alley entrance. Amidst envious stares, she got into the car and returned to the life she was always meant to have.
At the Lu residence, she caught a distant glimpse of Lin Shi Xi’s figure.
Lin Shi Xi wore a pristine white dress, like a prairie gentian—pure and beautiful.
Yet also like a doll in a display window—exquisite and noble.
And she, Lu Yan, was still wearing that faded yellow school uniform, her worn-out sneakers no longer fitting properly.
Her hair was as dry and brittle as weeds, her body bearing bruises from punches and kicks.
She had hidden away.
Until Lin Shi Xi left.
In that moment, Lu Yan’s immense joy twisted into hatred.
For seven years, she had painstakingly learned to be the Lu Family’s young mistress.
She had perfected it—no one remembered Lin Shi Xi anymore.
Who would have thought that Lin Shi Xi, gone for so long, would suddenly reappear.
Lu Yan felt an inexplicable sense of crisis, as if her return would once again snatch away everything that belonged to her.
After a long while, Lu Yan finally dialed a number.
“Chi Yuan… where are you?”
By nine in the evening, Huo Yao had just left the police station and instinctively checked his WeChat.
A few days ago, the girl had said she needed to message him about money, so they naturally exchanged WeChat contacts.
Their conversation had stopped in the evening.
Given her personality, she would have sent him a message “reporting” her progress on getting her foot checked.
But she hadn’t.
His fingers twitched slightly—he felt he should ask.
After a long pause, the message he had typed was slowly deleted.
The way she had looked at him today was more intense than before.
He didn’t quite understand the minds of young girls, but rationally, he knew it was best not to give her any wrong signals.
Just as he was about to put away his phone, he felt it vibrate in his palm.
Bridge-Jumping Kid: Captain Huo, were you about to say something to me just now? Why did it show you typing for so long?
Huo Yao: “…”
The thing he disliked most about this app was how it always let the other person see your typing status.
Huo Yao quickly replied with two words: Mistaken tap.
She always insisted on calling him “Captain Huo” so formally—it was strange.
Even people at the station didn’t call him that.
Bridge-Jumping Kid: Okay
And that was the end of it.
Huo Yao paused, then remembered a question: How had she seen that he was typing?
Had she been staring at their chat window the whole time?
Of course, Huo Yao didn’t ask.
Because once a conversation started, it wouldn’t end in just a few sentences.
On the other side of the phone.
Shi Xi was still staring at the screen. “So what was he trying to say earlier?”
She usually had no curiosity, but when she did, she really wanted to know the answer.
“What are you muttering about?”
Shi Xi’s phone was forcibly taken by the person across from her.
Chi Xuan glanced at the conversation on the screen, his eyes sharp and cold. “Captain Huo? Seems he’s really free, able to chat with you so much!” In the Italian restaurant, the soft music played, and the crystal chandelier sparkled brightly.
Only the two of them were dining by the floor-to-ceiling window, but the atmosphere was far from pleasant.
“Give me back my phone.”
Shi Xi leaned forward to grab it, but he dodged her.
“Lin Shi Xi, don’t tell me you’re trying to hit on him?”
His tone was full of mockery, along with a bitterness he hadn’t noticed.
She said seriously, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
After a pause, she added, “Anyway, even if you’re right, there’s no reward.”
Chi Xuan: “…”
He gave a cold smirk, glared at her face, and forcibly suppressed his temper.
But the aura around him was still chillingly cold.
Shi Xi wasn’t in a hurry to snatch her phone back—after all, she had no secrets to hide.
Chi Xuan swiped across her phone screen.
Unexpectedly, he saw his own profile picture.
At the very top of the chat list.
“Ahem…”
Chi Xuan stared for two seconds, the gloom on his handsome face vanishing almost instantly.
So she had pinned him to the top.
First place.