At first, Captain Lu thought Xing Yu knew her, which was why he called him to handle the matter. Only after asking did he realize they didn’t know each other at all.
“You should thank Xing Yu. If not for him, it wouldn’t have been so quick to catch the one who hit you.”
Wen Yao originally wanted to leave as soon as possible, but hearing Captain Lu’s words, she had no choice but to stop. She lifted her head and glanced at Xing Yu. He was wearing a military-green work jacket over a white T-shirt. At 189 cm tall, his black pants made his legs look even longer.
Dressed like this, he didn’t look like a 29-year-old at all.
It was only then that she realized the traffic police had acted so quickly because of Xing Yu.
“Thank you for your help. I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Without waiting for a reply, she hurried off, carrying her daughter in her arms.
Xing Yu noticed that she limped slightly as she walked. The impact from yesterday had been quite severe, and carrying a child made it even harder for her to move.
“Captain Lu, I’ll head back first. Let’s grab a drink another day.”
Captain Lu: “It’s a deal.”
Xing Yu quickly caught up to her. “Where do you live? I’m heading back anyway—I can give you a ride.”
Wen Yao politely declined. “No need, thank you.”
This was the phrase Xing Yu had heard the most from her after meeting her three times—no need, thank you.
She was highly guarded around strangers and didn’t like troubling others.
He pulled open the car door. “I’m offering because your leg is injured. I’d do the same for anyone—you don’t have to overthink it.”
Wen Yao wasn’t overthinking it. She knew he used to be in the military, and he would naturally help the weak or injured.
Back then, he had helped her too—because in his eyes, she was too timid and fragile, someone easily bullied, which was why he had protected her.
Not because he liked her.
Not because he treated her specially.
She hesitated for a long moment before finally getting into the back seat with her daughter in her arms.
Xing Yu closed the car door, got into the driver’s seat, fastened his seatbelt, and glanced at the rearview mirror. “Where do you live?”
“Jingxiang Old Street.”
He started the engine and drove toward Jingxiang Old Street.
Only after getting in the car did Wen Yao realize her daughter had fallen asleep on her shoulder. It was already past nine—indeed time for bed.
Xing Yu glanced at the rearview mirror again, looking at the little girl in her arms. “Is she your younger sister?”
Wen Yao adjusted her posture to make her daughter more comfortable. Hearing the question, she looked up at the man in the driver’s seat. “No.”
Then she lowered her head again to look at Xinxin, her eyes full of undisguised tenderness. “She’s my daughter.”
Xing Yu stared at the reflection in the mirror for a moment longer. She looked about twenty—yet she already had such a big daughter?
“You got married pretty early.” Not just early—very early. He even wondered if she had married before reaching adulthood.
In remote areas, especially among those with less than a high school education, early marriage wasn’t uncommon. He had encountered such cases during missions before.
“Mm.”
The rest of the ride passed in silence. Xing Yu drove into Jingxiang Old Street. “Where exactly is your place?”
Wen Yao looked toward a nearby intersection. “You can just stop at the intersection ahead.”
He drove a little further and stopped at the junction. Swiftly unbuckling his seatbelt, he got out of the car, opened the back door, and reached out his hand. “I’ll carry her for you.”
Wen Yao politely refused again. “No need, thank you. I can manage.”
Holding Xinxin, getting out of the car wasn’t easy for her, so she moved slowly.
Xing Yu looked at the woman before him. She seemed delicate, yet her personality was stubborn.
It reminded him of someone.
She had been the same.
After steadying herself, Wen Yao looked up at Xing Yu. “Thank you for bringing me back. I’ll head in now.”
She withdrew her gaze and hurried away with her daughter in her arms.
The place she rented was still some distance from the intersection, but she didn’t want Xing Yu to know.
Xing Yu didn’t immediately get back into the car. Instead, he pulled out a cigarette from the pack and placed it between his lips. Reaching into his pocket for a lighter, he tried several times, but it wouldn’t ignite.
He took the cigarette out of his mouth and stared at the lighter for a moment—it was probably out of fuel.
Over the years, his smoking habit had grown worse. He had held back earlier because there were people in the car, but now he couldn’t resist.
He got back into the car, took out a spare lighter, lit the cigarette, and casually tossed the lighter into the storage compartment. He took a drag and slowly exhaled.
Through the swirling smoke, he saw that frail figure swaying slightly under the streetlight. An image surfaced in his mind—
During military training, she had fallen while running. When he told her to go to the school clinic, the way she walked was just like this—unsteady, swaying.
Wen Yao felt as if a pair of eyes were fixed on her back. After getting out of the car and not hearing the sound of the engine starting, she knew—
Xing Yu hadn’t left.
Would he recognize her?
She couldn’t help but feel a little flustered. Holding her daughter, she quickly moved into the shadows by the wall. There were no streetlights here—Xing Yu couldn’t see her, but she could clearly see the luxury car parked under the streetlight.
It stayed there, showing no sign of leaving.
What exactly was he trying to do?
Since he didn’t leave, Wen Yao didn’t dare move either.
After quite a while, she finally saw the car drive away. Only then did she step out of the shadows with her daughter in her arms and head toward the alley across the street.
Back at the rented apartment, Wen Yao laid her daughter on the bed and tucked her in before starting to clean.
By the time she finished, it was already midnight. She lay down beside her daughter, watching her peaceful sleeping face, and all her exhaustion instantly disappeared.
In the scorching summer, the playground was heated by the blazing sun.
Wen Yao, who wasn’t good at running, felt short of breath and dizzy after just half a lap. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already fallen to the ground.
Someone came over and helped her up. When she looked up and saw his face, she realized it was Instructor Xing Yu.
His handsome face was cold and stern. Though he was only three years older than her, his serious gaze made him seem ten years older.
“Can you keep running?”
Wen Yao wasn’t good at refusing others, nor at expressing herself. Even though her leg hurt badly, she still nodded. “Yes.”
Xing Yu let go of her. “Catch up with them.”
“Okay.”
Wen Yao endured the pain and started running again. Every step felt like a sharp stab.
After only a few steps, Xing Yu called out, “Wen Yao, stop.”
She halted and turned back, looking at him in confusion.
“If your leg hurts, don’t run. Go to the infirmary.”
“Understood, Instructor.”
Wen Yao dragged her injured leg toward the school clinic.
She hadn’t gone far when Xing Yu’s cold yet lazy voice came from behind her. “I’ll take you.”
Wen Yao stopped and waited. Just as she was about to continue walking when he approached, her body suddenly lifted off the ground—he had picked her up in a bridal carry.
She had never been held by a man before—she hadn’t even held hands. Being suddenly lifted like this, she instinctively struggled. “Instructor, put me down.”
“Don’t move. You’ll fall.”
Xing Yu, who was used to weight training, could estimate her weight the moment he lifted her—around seventy kilograms. Carrying her was effortless.
His cold tone startled Wen Yao, and she didn’t dare struggle anymore. She was also afraid of falling.
She carefully raised her head. What came into view was his sharp jawline and prominent Adam’s apple. It was her first time realizing that a man’s Adam’s apple could look so attractive.
At that moment, Xing Yu lowered his gaze to look at her. His dark eyes were as deep as the ocean, easy to get lost in.
Wen Yao woke up from the dream, staring blankly at the yellowed ceiling for a while.
Why did she dream of him again?
In these five years, she couldn’t even remember how many times she had dreamed about him.
Every time she woke from those dreams, there was always a faint ache in her chest.
After lying there for a while, she got up and began her busy day.
Meeting Xing Yu had been an accident.
Wen Yao thought that they probably wouldn’t meet again in the future.
And just as she expected, she didn’t run into him again.
After clocking in, Wen Yao walked to her workstation and saw Zhang Wenbin approaching with breakfast in hand. She had already rejected him many times, but he acted as if he hadn’t heard—persistently bringing her breakfast every day.
She had never met someone so hard to deal with.
“I’ve already eaten. You don’t need to bring me breakfast.”
“Even if you’ve eaten, you can still have a little more,” Zhang Wenbin said as he placed the food on her desk.
“Manager Zhang.” Wen Yao picked up the rice ball, intending to return it, but when she looked up, he had already left. She had no choice but to walk to his desk and put it there instead.
“You don’t need to bring me breakfast anymore.”
Tian Rong turned her head and teased, “Wen Yao, why are you being so distant? Manager Zhang isn’t an outsider—just eat it.”
“If you’re not being distant, then you can eat it.”
After saying that, Wen Yao turned and walked back to her seat without looking back, leaving Tian Rong looking awkward.
As lunchtime approached, Li Shu leaned over and whispered, “Wen Yao, did you hear? A new CEO is being parachuted in. I heard they’ve got quite the background.”