Everyone in the city believed that the eldest daughter of the Ji family had died at the foot of Mingyun Mountain.
The gruesome scene of the wrecked car and her charred remains—who knew whether it had made her realize how foolish she had been in life.
But Ji Huanlan, who was actually not dead, knew that even though she had been lucky enough to survive, she was now very likely to die in a wolf’s jaws.
It was the dead of night.
The dangerous Fierce Beasts in the mountains had confirmed that the human’s vehicle would no longer explode, and were already eyeing the woman who had been thrown seven or eight meters away from the wrecked car with hungry intent.
Ji Huanlan had just woken up, and groggily saw a wolf not far away, baring its teeth and letting out threatening growls.
She instinctively grabbed whatever was beside her and threw it, trying to stop it from getting closer.
But the wild wolf leaped forward with its front legs and immediately caught the thrown object in its mouth.
“…”
Ji Huanlan froze, her heart sinking with grief.
That was… her white crow, which she had raised for years.
Its name was A-Ling, and it was extremely intelligent.
The white crow had also died in this car accident, and now she had thrown it to the wolf…
I’m sorry, my precious.
Watching the other wolves also testing their approach, Ji Huanlan’s leg was in unbearable pain, and she had no ability to flee.
Recalling what had happened a few days ago, she already knew that her twin sister, Ji Yaoqing, was the one who had done this to her.
Perhaps heaven had shown mercy and not let her die, but now she feared she could not escape her fate.
Ji Huanlan looked at the pitch-black sky, feeling only desolation and despair: “I really wish heaven would open its eyes once more and send a bolt of lightning to strike them all unconscious.”
The moment she finished speaking.
A gust of cool wind swept by, and at the same time, the wolf closest to her had already charged toward her.
Ji Huanlan’s pupils dilated, silently waiting for death to descend once again.
But—
“Boom—”
“Crack—”
“Ow-ooo—”
“Ow-ooo—”
In an instant, firelight exploded before Ji Huanlan’s eyes, illuminating nearly the entire forest at the foot of Mingyun Mountain.
An unexpected clap of thunder and flash of lightning descended upon the world, striking precisely the trees around the wolf pack.
Flames burst out in all directions, terrifying the wolves, and they scattered in all directions with howls of panic.
Likewise, Ji Huanlan was also frightened.
The night that had just been calm was suddenly filled with thunder and lightning, and the wolf pack had vanished.
Ji Huanlan had no time to dwell on such a coincidence. She seized the chance to survive, crawled forward to pick up her beloved pet, then rushed into the rainy night to flee for her life with great difficulty.
Outside Mingyun Mountain, on the highway.
The secretary in the passenger seat observed the road conditions ahead and reported: “Second Master, lightning struck a tree and broke it, and it’s lying across the road.”
The man in the back seat took off his glasses, closing his eyes as if weary: “Get out and drag it away.”
Secretary Guan Qi immediately led several accompanying bodyguards and got to work with great vigor.
Amidst the rain, a trembling female voice suddenly came through: “Help… help…”
Ji Huanlan, who was struggling to catch up from behind, wanted to shout, but could only produce a sound as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. The rain blocked everything, and those people hadn’t noticed her at all, preparing to leave again.
Ji Huanlan tentatively murmured a silent prayer: “Wait… wait for me…”
But the vehicles that were about to set off again did not stop.
Ji Huanlan had no strength left, and her whole body collapsed onto the highway, the rain drenching her like a flower that had been ravaged.
Clutching her last shred of hope, she whispered: “Sorry about this… I just hope your tires blow out one more time.”
After saying this, she resignedly closed her eyes.
If everything were merely coincidence, then she was destined to meet her end in her twenty-fourth year.
Yet, not even three seconds passed before another sound of a tire bursting tore through the air.
Ji Huanlan’s fingers instantly dug into the ground.
Heavens above, thank you so very much.
Mingyun Mountain First People’s Hospital.
Due to the torrential rain, and the fact that they had just set off again, the tire had inexplicably burst, forcing the convoy to stop temporarily outside the hospital.
Because the tire had blown, causing the car to lose control, Shen Xi had suffered some scrapes on his wrist. Guan Qi took the opportunity to have a nurse tend to the man’s wounds as well.
“Cough…”
A heavy cough echoed from the adjacent room.
Soon, a nurse came over. “That young lady has just woken up.”
Shen Xi initially had no intention of paying it any mind, but he glanced at the white crow held in the bodyguard’s hand by the door.
He gestured for Guan Qi to push him to the adjacent room.
He was rather curious—what kind of woman would keep a white crow as a pet?
Inside the ward.
“She…” Guan Qi’s eyes widened as he stared at the woman who was leaning against the edge of the bed, vomiting incessantly.
That face…
How strikingly similar it was to the twin daughters of the Ji family?
But the Second Young Miss of the Ji family had just called moments ago to ask where they were, inviting them to attend the funeral of the young master’s fiancée.
Then who was this woman?
Shen Xi’s gaze was dark and unreadable as he spoke calmly, “Leave us.”
Guan Qi dared not linger, quickly ushering the medical staff out.
As the door closed, Ji Huanlan barely lifted her head to look at the man in the wheelchair.
It was him…
Her fiancé.
Shen Xi’s thin lips moved slightly. “You are Ji Huanlan.”
There was not a trace of doubt in his tone.
Ji Huanlan’s lashes trembled lightly, her frail complexion stirring pity. “How come you don’t think I’m a ghost?”
Having lain in the hospital for some time, she had learned through the television in the room and the murmurs of people coming and going that her family had already announced to the public that she had died in an accident.
Shen Xi glanced at the needle inserted into the back of her hand, the meaning clear without words.
Ji Huanlan steadied herself and took a few steps forward, coming to a stop before the man.
The moment she recognized him, a calculation formed in her mind.
“I am Ji Huanlan, and I’m not dead. It’s just that someone wants me dead now—only to destroy the relationship between the Ji and Shen families.” A plan took shape in her mind; she wanted to use Shen Xi’s hand to help her return to the Ji family.
Shen Xi remained silent.
The woman took a few more steps forward, pressing her two slender, pale arms onto the armrests on either side of his wheelchair. “As long as you help me return to the Ji family, whatever you want in the future, I’ll give it to you.”
A faint, somewhat mocking smile curved at the corner of Shen Xi’s lips.
Even seated in a wheelchair, he could not conceal the aura of one who wielded immense power.
“The outside world believes you are dead, so what right do you have to negotiate terms with me?” His tone betrayed neither anger nor amusement.
Ji Huanlan had always known how ruthless Shen Xi could be.
The head of the three great families of Mingyun Cheng was the Shen family.
The sheer scale of the Shen clan was enough to make even the Ji family tread carefully.
Especially the romantic escapades of the old master of the Shen family in his youth, which had produced several illegitimate children.
Three years ago, when the head of the Shen family fell gravely ill, the battle over the family inheritance began.
It was said that the Shen family had eight children in this generation, each one exceptionally capable.
After two years, the man known as Second Master, Shen Xi, ultimately seized control of the new generation’s leadership of the Shen family—at the cost of losing the use of his legs.
After ascending to power, Shen Xi took the initiative to secure an engagement with the Ji family to consolidate his influence, signing a pact of friendly relations.
For the sake of his goals, this man could disregard countless lives.
Ji Huanlan felt dizzy and couldn’t help but crouch down, yet her imposing demeanor remained undiminished.
Her voice was hoarse: “Perhaps you’re thinking that even without me, there’s still my younger sister, Ji Yaoqing. But I can tell you this—with Ji Yaoqing’s level of intelligence, you’d be lucky if she doesn’t drag you down. As for her helping you, that’s a pipe dream.”
She had no leverage to negotiate terms with Shen Xi at this moment, so she could only cling to her commanding presence, betting that Shen Xi would waver.
If Shen Xi refused to help her, given that Ji Yaoqing had the audacity to try and kill her, even if she returned to the Ji family now, she’d likely run into trouble again.
She needed a powerful ally.
Shen Xi’s smile was faint. “And what if I refuse?”
Ji Huanlan’s voice carried no weight at all. “Would you dare to kill me?”
The hospital room fell into utter silence.
“If you can’t silence me now… then one day, I will become your undoing.”
A desperate threat, made only to seize a chance at survival.
And sure enough, those words from the woman caused a shift in the light within Shen Xi’s eyes.
The next day, at the break of dawn.
Before the gates of the Ji family estate, mourners arriving to pay their respects were dressed in solemn black, and luxury cars streamed in without end.