The man’s features were undeniably roguishly handsome and rebellious, but the coldness and disdain in his words cut Jiang Yixuan deep.
Only now did she begin to face reality: her poor, fallen family, a useless system, and an ordinary, unremarkable appearance—what kind of heroine was she supposed to be?
In contrast, the male leads were all handsome and wealthy, with every reason to be arrogant in any situation.
If they were interested in her, she would be the forced-love heroine; if they weren’t, she was merely a meaningless extra.
She was dissatisfied, she resented fate, but how could she truly change her circumstances?
Her only shortcut to the top of the pyramid was to scheme and win their favor.
Jiang Yixuan bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears, stubborn and determined.
“I’m not leaving. Everyone must take responsibility for their actions. If they get hurt in the accident, I’m partially responsible. I’ll stay and take care of them, and beg for their forgiveness!”
You Ziqian spun the car keys between his fingers, climbed into the ambulance that was taking Qiao Chu to the hospital, and left behind a sharp, mocking remark.
“You? Do you think you know more about patient care than a professional nurse, or do you believe this will absolve you of any liability?”
“I—I don’t!”
Jiang Yixuan tried to defend herself, but the man ignored her completely, leaving only his indifferent back.
She bit the inside of her cheek until it bled, tasted the metallic tang of blood, and clutched the object in her pocket as she climbed into the other ambulance.
Bai Lang’s head throbbed painfully. In a daze, he saw a figure hovering in front of him, thinking it was Qiao Chu by his side, and forced his eyes open.
“Ah… it’s you?”
Jiang Yixuan’s face lit up with delight. “Great! Bai, you’re finally awake!”
“Why are you here?”
Bai Lang frowned, scanning anxiously behind her. “Where’s Qiao Chu? Is she okay? I need to see her!”
The nurse who had just treated the cut on his forehead gently reassured him: “Don’t worry, sir. Miss Qiao is fine and resting in the next room.”
It was strange—both had been in the accident. Bai Lang was seriously injured, yet Qiao Chu’s examination showed she was completely fine, still lively and energetic.
For safety, the doctors still recommended keeping her under observation for two days.
“She’s okay… she’s okay. It’s all my fault…”
Bai Lang lay back, exhausted, murmuring to himself as if to console himself.
Once the nurse left, Jiang Yixuan carefully took a small wishing bottle from her pocket and held it out to him.
“Bai, can you guess what this is?”
“Why haven’t you left yet?”
Bai Lang’s tone was impatient, tinged with irritation. Jiang Yixuan was familiar with this kind of attitude—she had just experienced it from You Ziqian not long ago.
“Bai, I mean no harm. I came to apologize. Look, I even repaired your mother’s heirloom. Aren’t you a little happier?”
Bai Lang’s groggy mind was still foggy. He stared blankly at the tiny white-and-green fragments in the bottle. “What do you mean by this?”
He had long discarded it and didn’t care anymore—why bring it up now?
Moreover, he didn’t want to see Jiang Yixuan. If she hadn’t suddenly darted into the road, Qiao Chu wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital.
Every time this woman appeared, disaster seemed to follow.
Recalling the chaos in the car, Bai Lang’s heart was still pounding.
He was tough and could take a beating—but Qiao Chu’s delicate frame? She couldn’t possibly withstand such a violent collision.
Perhaps seeing him looking pale and weak gave Jiang Yixuan a little courage. She stuffed the wishing bottle into his hand.
She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry… I found this jade at the bottom of the lake. I accidentally broke it while repairing it.”
“So I put the pieces into this wishing bottle, hoping to return it to you by hand. Your mother, in heaven, will protect you.”
Bai Lang’s already throbbing head felt like it exploded.
“You’re saying… you came there just to find me?!”
He yanked out the IV from his hand in a sudden motion. Blood streamed down his knuckles, red and white intermingling with a strangely tragic beauty.
The wishing bottle slipped from his palm and shattered into glass shards on the floor.
Jiang Yixuan was confused. “W-what’s wrong? I just wanted to return it to its rightful owner.”
She had worked hard to return the only heirloom of his mother. Shouldn’t he be grateful? Why did he look like he wanted to devour her?
She didn’t know what she had done wrong this time.
Bai Lang stared at her innocent, puzzled expression, seething with frustration, yet somehow he couldn’t bring himself to curse her out loud.
“Get out! I don’t need your self-righteous interference!”
With that, he grabbed a tissue, wiped the blood off his hand, and painfully dragged his weakened body toward the neighboring ward.
He couldn’t accept it. He had just gone out to spend time with Qiao Chu and nearly got her killed.
Why choose the racetrack? Why pick a fight with Shang Shi’an? Why had he tossed the jade aside back then?
If it weren’t for him, Qiao Chu wouldn’t be in the hospital.
In the next room, Qiao Chu was already rested, elegantly crossing her legs on the bed while scrolling on her phone.
On either side of her sat two top-tier handsome men—her official fiancé, Shang Shixu, and the unrelated racing prodigy, You Ziqian.
Shang Shixu had abandoned his usual aloof nobleman persona, unusually attentive, pouring tea and fussing over Qiao Chu as if he’d had a few drinks.
“Chu Chu, are you uncomfortable anywhere? I’m still worried. We can go to the city hospital later for a check-up.”
Qiao Chu rolled her eyes. “I’m perfectly fine.”
Of course—thanks to her personal system, a serious injury was barely a scratch. As long as she wasn’t dead, she was full of life.
Shang Shixu, eyes full of helplessness, opened the chicken soup that Assistant Cheng had brought, cooled it to the right temperature, and fed it to her personally.
Qiao Chu enjoyed being pampered by the handsome man, and even reached over to pinch Shang Shixu’s flawless cheek—smooth, flawless skin with no visible pores.
Ah, the secret to avoiding spice, grease, and heat for perfect skin, huh?
Then she turned her attention to the racing prodigy across from her. Even after removing his helmet, he didn’t disappoint—neither as composed as Shang Shixu, nor as sunny as Bai Lang.
Loose strands framed his eyebrows, long lashes like crow feathers, and his flawless beauty exuded a rebellious, wild charm.
Qiao Chu raised her brows, studying him up and down. “So you’re the backup Shang Shi’an sent?”
You Ziqian shrugged. “Him? He’s nothing.”
“He said you’re a diehard fan, so I reluctantly agreed to race with you. But who knew some lunatic would jump in halfway.”
Qiao Chu blinked, confused. “You were deceived. My idol is someone else.”
You Ziqian pressed his tongue against his molars, a strange sour feeling in his chest. “Weren’t you the one who bragged—if you win, you’d be my girlfriend?”
Qiao Chu tilted her head and planted a smack on Shang Shixu’s face. “Big brother, you’re imagining things. My fiancé is right here.”
Shang Shixu smiled politely. “Thank you, Young Master You, for helping summon my fiancée.”
You Ziqian still wasn’t satisfied. “You just said your heart belongs to someone else?”
Qiao Chu pulled a hundred-yuan bill from her pocket.
“Allow me to introduce… my true love, the great Chairman Mao. Handsome, right? A top idol adored by fourteen hundred million people.”