He Huaiqin leaned back slightly, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her.
His displeasure was obvious.
Wen Zhaoning's face flushed. The embarrassment overshadowed the relief of surviving. Seeing Lu Qianyong's driver rapidly approaching, she could only shamelessly ignore He Huaiqin for the moment, patting the driver's seat and saying to Chen Yi, "Assistant Chen, drive! Quickly!"
Her tone was urgent. Chen Yi didn't know what was happening, but subconsciously followed her command, stepping on the accelerator. The car shot forward like an arrow.
He Huaiqin was jolted by the inertia, caught off guard. He steadied himself by holding the car door and said displeasedly, "Chen Yi, whose assistant are you?"
Chen Yi chuckled dryly, "Apologies, Lawyer He. I saw Miss Wen was in a hurry. She's a young woman, and if bad people caught up to her, the consequences would be unthinkable. We couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
"Bad people?" He Huaiqin sized up Wen Zhaoning. She was wearing a black windbreaker, black pants, a hat, and a mask, fully geared up. "I think she looks more like she's here to do something bad."
Wen Zhaoning ignored He Huaiqin's sarcastic remarks. She looked back to confirm she had lost Lu Qianyong's driver and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She took off her mask, her eyes curving into a smile with shallow dimples. Smiling, she said to He Huaiqin and Chen Yi, "Thank you, Lawyer He and Assistant Chen, for the ride."
One doesn't hit a smiling face. Regardless of whether He Huaiqin was willing, she was already in the car. What else could be done?
"It's not a free ride. Remember to pay the fare," He Huaiqin said.
"Of course. Whatever Lawyer He decides is fine."
"Five hundred."
"Five hundred? Why don't you just rob me!" Wen Zhaoning blurted out.
"Robbery is a crime punishable by law. I wouldn't break the law."
"Then overcharging by taxis is also subject to administrative penalties."
"Miss Wen, is this a taxi?"
Wen Zhaoning was speechless. It was true, his car was a Rolls-Royce.
"Besides, it's over two hundred kilometers from here back to the city. Five hundred isn't expensive," He Huaiqin said, opening his WeChat QR code and holding it out to Wen Zhaoning. "Add me on WeChat and transfer the money to me."
"I have Assistant Chen's WeChat. I can just transfer it to him like before."
"It's my car, transfer it to me!"
He Huaiqin's attitude was firm, as if he would kick her out if she didn't transfer the money.
Wen Zhaoning had no choice but to add him on WeChat.
As the two profile pictures lit up in the same chat window, Wen Zhaoning felt a sense of unreality. When they broke up, they had deleted all contact information for each other. At that time, they were both determined to never see each other again. They never dreamed that six years later, they would have each other's contact information again.
"Transfer the money."
He Huaiqin's cold voice interrupted Wen Zhaoning's thoughts.
Money, money, money. A person worth hundreds of millions was still so stingy. It was truly exasperating.
Wen Zhaoning tapped the transfer function on WeChat and sent the fare to He Huaiqin.
He Huaiqin heard the notification, clicked it open, and saw the amount she transferred. His brow immediately furrowed.
"Two hundred and fifty? What do you mean by that?"
"I'm not going back to the city. You can drop me off halfway. So, five hundred halved is this amount."
Wen Zhaoning's small camera was still in the mountains; she had to go back for it.
After today's scare, Lu Qianyong would definitely move that mother and son from the temple. It would be difficult to film them together again in the future. Therefore, she had to retrieve the camera. Although the footage today wasn't clear, it at least captured something, and it might be useful later.
He Huaiqin returned the fare to her. Wen Zhaoning glanced at him, "Why aren't you accepting it, Lawyer He? Don't you like this number?"
Chen Yi secretly chuckled in the driver's seat.
He Huaiqin was annoyed. "Is it funny?"
Chen Yi: "Not funny."
As the Cullinan drove to the foot of the mountain, a small storefront with a "Community Clinic" sign came into view.
"Assistant Chen, please stop the car," Wen Zhaoning said. "You can drop me off here."
The wound on her leg was burning. She needed to tend to it.
Chen Yi slowed down. "Miss Wen, are you sure you want to get off here? It's still a long way to the city."
"I really need to get off here. I have something to do."
Seeing her determination, Chen Yi said no more and pulled over.
"Thank you for your trouble today. Goodbye."
Wen Zhaoning bid them farewell, opened the door, and got out. She limped towards the small clinic. Every step she took made the gash on her calf feel like it was tearing apart.
Inside the car, Chen Yi watched Wen Zhaoning's slender back as she struggled to walk. He hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Lawyer He, Miss Wen's leg seems to be injured."
He Huaiqin's gaze was fixed on an email on his phone. Without looking up, he said, "Mind your own business. Drive."
Chen Yi had no choice but to comply and restarted the engine.
However, after the car had driven a few meters, He Huaiqin's voice came from the back seat again.
"Pull over!"
Chen Yi pulled over and looked at He Huaiqin in the rearview mirror. He Huaiqin was loosening his tie with some annoyance.
"Can you get a taxi from here?" He Huaiqin asked.
"This is the main road to the ancient temple, so there are quite a few taxis. You don't need to worry about getting a taxi; Miss Wen will definitely be able to get one back."
"You get out and take a taxi back."
Chen Yi was stunned. He was supposed to take a taxi back?
So, the boss wasn't worried about Miss Wen not being able to get a taxi; he wanted to kick him out!
The small clinic was filled with the smell of disinfectant and medicinal herbs.
There were no other patients at the moment. An old doctor with white hair was reading a newspaper. Seeing Wen Zhaoning enter, he asked, "Where are you feeling unwell?"
"Hello, my leg was scratched by thorns."
"Come here, roll up your pant leg."
Wen Zhaoning rolled up her pant leg and was herself startled by the bloody wound.
"Oh my, girl, this is quite a deep scratch. It needs proper cleaning, or it might get infected." The old doctor took sterilized tweezers and skillfully cleaned Wen Zhaoning's wound.
As the tweezers touched the edge of the wound, Wen Zhaoning clenched her fist, letting out a soft gasp of pain.
After cleaning, the old doctor straightened up, scribbled a prescription on a piece of paper, and said without looking up, "Have your husband go to the pharmacy next door to get these medicines. I'll apply some medicine and bandage it for you."
Husband?
Wen Zhaoning didn't know why the old doctor said that until a clear, cold voice came from behind her: "I am not her husband."
She turned around and saw He Huaiqin standing silently behind her.
The bright clinic lights cast faint shadows on his well-defined face, making his expression even more inscrutable.
Hadn't he left? Why was he back?
"I'm sorry, I thought you were already married." The old doctor handed the prescription to Wen Zhaoning and changed his words, "Have your boyfriend go get the medicine. Don't put too much strain on your leg for now."
"He's not..."
Wen Zhaoning wanted to clarify that He Huaiqin wasn't her boyfriend either, but before she could finish speaking, He Huaiqin snatched the prescription from her hand.
He Huaiqin didn't even look at her. He merely glanced at the handwriting on the prescription before walking towards the pharmacy next door.
Wen Zhaoning watched his tall back disappear through the doorway, a nameless emotion tightly entwining her heart.
She couldn't quite understand this man's behavior.
Seeing He Huaiqin reach the doorway, the old doctor quietly said to Wen Zhaoning, "Your boyfriend is handsome, but he has a rather cold demeanor."
Wen Zhaoning originally wanted to explain, but seeing the doctor's serious expression as he complained, she smiled, "Please don't mind him. He's always been like this."
After Wen Zhaoning's leg was bandaged, she and He Huaiqin walked out of the clinic together.
"Why did you come back?" Wen Zhaoning asked.
"Chen Yi was worried about you."
"Assistant Chen was worried about me, so why did you come back?"
"Your leg is injured. Talk less."
Wen Zhaoning: "..."
What kind of logic was that? Did doctors give such advice?
The Cullinan was parked at the clinic entrance. He Huaiqin opened the front passenger door and gestured to Wen Zhaoning, "Get in."
"You should go. I dropped something, and I need to go back for it."
His gaze shifted down to her bandaged leg. "With your leg like this?"
"My leg is fine. It doesn't hurt as much anymore."
He Huaiqin seemed impatient. Muttering "Troublesome," he reached out, pushed her into the car, and locked the door.
"What are you doing?" Wen Zhaoning anxiously pounded on the car window. "I really need to go back. That thing is very important. I must get it back."
He Huaiqin acted as if he hadn't heard her. He got into the car and started the engine.
"He Huaiqin! Let me out!"
Wen Zhaoning desperately tried to pry open the door lock, but it wouldn't budge. Just as she was about to get angry, she noticed He Huaiqin turning the car around and heading back towards the ancient temple.
He was going to take her there? Was he that kind?
Wen Zhaoning once again felt that He Huaiqin seemed strange today.
"Actually, I can just take a taxi back myself."
"Stop talking nonsense," He Huaiqin's voice was cold. "This mountain is vast. If something were to happen to you, I would be the last person to have seen you, and it would be difficult to clear my name.
Wen Zhaoning: "..."
This man was truly sharp-tongued. Couldn't he say something nice for her?
The car drove back onto the mountain path. Unlike the heart-pounding journey there, the return trip was filled with a strange tranquility. The engine hummed softly, and outside the window, trees blurred past. It felt as if the world contained only the two of them.
Wen Zhaoning's nerves relaxed slightly, and the pain in her leg subsided. Leaning against the passenger seat, her gaze involuntarily fell on He Huaiqin's hands on the steering wheel.
These hands, with their long, distinct knuckles, now controlled the expensive luxury car with steady strength and an air of practiced composure.
Who would have thought that six years ago, the owner of these hands couldn't even pass his driving test?
He Huaiqin had just graduated then. For convenience during his internship, he bought a bicycle. It didn't originally have a rear seat, but he specifically installed one for her.
Miss Wen had ridden in countless luxury cars, but she had never ridden a bicycle. Each time, she carefully sat sideways, holding him very, very tightly, so tightly that she could clearly feel his young body and tense muscles.
He Huaiqin always liked to tease her. Going downhill, he would deliberately shake the bike, making her laugh, scold him, and even bite him. He wouldn't cry out in pain when bitten, but he would always get revenge at night in another way...
"We're here."
The two cold words were like a sharp pair of scissors, instantly cutting off the scroll of memories.
Wen Zhaoning snapped back to reality.
He Huaiqin had stopped the car and turned off the engine. He unbuckled his seatbelt and efficiently got out of the car first.
Wen Zhaoning got out and checked. He Huaiqin's sense of direction was accurate; this was indeed the spot where she had flagged down the car earlier.
"What are you looking for?" He Huaiqin asked.
"A small camera."
He Huaiqin looked her up and down again. So, she had dressed like this today to be a detective.
"If you don't want to walk on the muddy road, you can wait in the car," Wen Zhaoning said.
He Huaiqin was now impeccably dressed. If the shoes he was wearing got dirty, the cleaning fee alone would probably be five figures.
He didn't respond, only asking, "Do you remember where you lost it?"
"Yes, in the weeds."
He Huaiqin snorted, "You really know how to pick a spot."
Wen Zhaoning turned her head and was stunned. Why were there so many patches of weeds on this road?
It was getting dark.
Wen Zhaoning endured the pain in her leg and stumbled forward, relying on her memory to search. He Huaiqin followed behind her, picked up a branch, and poked around.
The mountain forest was deserted. The dry leaves under their feet occasionally made crisp sounds, making the surroundings seem even more terrifyingly silent.
Suddenly, a clump of bushes by Wen Zhaoning's feet shook violently. Before she could react, she heard a "whoosh" as a long, furry, yellowish-brown shadow darted out extremely quickly, brushing past Wen Zhaoning's pant leg.
"Ah!"
Wen Zhaoning was so terrified she almost lost her soul. She let out a short scream and instinctively flinched to the side, tightly grabbing He Huaiqin's sleeve.
"What was that thing?" Her voice trembled.
"A weasel."
Wen Zhaoning was still shaken.
He Huaiqin looked down, his gaze sweeping over her hand tightly gripping his sleeve, his eyes deep and unreadable.
The weasel had long since disappeared into the grass, leaving no trace.
The mountain forest returned to silence.
Under He Huaiqin's silent gaze, Wen Zhaoning quickly regained her composure. As if scalded, she quickly released his sleeve, took a small step back, and increased the distance between them.
"I'm sorry," she said, extremely embarrassed, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground. "I was just... startled just now."
He Huaiqin slowly smoothed his sleeve, which she had wrinkled.
"It seems that over the years, Miss Wen has only gotten older, not braver," his sharp tongue was in fine form. "Even a sesame seed falling off a bun has more courage than you."
Wen Zhaoning wanted to retort but couldn't say a word.
She just wanted to get away from this place where weasels appeared as quickly as possible. But as she took a step, a warm current surged from her wound, and a heart-wrenching pain struck again.
Oh no, she must have moved too violently when she dodged the weasel in fright, and the wound had reopened.
"My leg..." Wen Zhaoning crouched down in pain.
"What's wrong?"
"My wound seems to have reopened."
He Huaiqin lifted her pant leg. Fresh blood had already soaked through the bandage.
"It hurts so much!"
As soon as Wen Zhaoning finished speaking, the next second, her entire body was suddenly lifted. He Huaiqin picked her up horizontally.
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