The fireworks were beautiful enough to make one lose themselves, yet no one had the mind to admire them at this moment.
Beneath the resplendent, dazzling fireworks display, that plastic couple stared at each other across the countless people between them.
The moment he saw Ji Huanlan emerge from the wooden barrel, Shen Xi’s heart—which had been wound so tight it nearly split—finally settled back into place.
Just half a minute earlier, this plastic couple’s inner thoughts had been quite eventful.
One was wholeheartedly praying that his newlywed wife would be unharmed.
The other was devoutly wishing she wouldn’t become a young widow at such a tender age.
In this desolate, sorrowful place, it seemed the gods had heard their pleas and mercifully granted them.
Having been carried down in the wheelchair by Guan Qi and the bodyguards the whole way, Shen Xi had truly feared that some of the severed limbs, or even the blood, might belong to Ji Huanlan—so much so that his face was still somewhat pale.
Knowing he had trouble walking, Ji Huanlan didn’t stand on ceremony either. Stepping over the debris strewn across the ground and the people collapsed in tears, she hurried toward him.
Drawing close, Ji Huanlan gave Shen Xi a careful once-over, confirming he was completely intact.
She couldn’t help but shoot Guan Qi an appreciative look. “Impressive skills.”
For Guan Qi to have protected Shen Xi so completely in such a chaotic scene, it clearly wasn’t something achievable overnight.
And those bodyguards too—in such a turbulent environment, they hadn’t let anyone sneak an attack on Shen Xi.
Once the tension passed, Ji Huanlan finally felt aches all over her body. She didn’t know exactly where she’d been knocked or scraped. Bending down to brace herself against the armrest of Shen Xi’s wheelchair, she slowly crouched, and ultimately—heedless of appearances—plopped herself down to sit on the ground.
Shen Xi frowned. “Get up. Let’s leave first.”
Ji Huanlan lifted her chin, gazing toward the trash bins across the entire square. “Shen Ran hasn’t come out yet.”
Only then did Guan Qi remember there was another person.
“Where is Young Master Shen Ran?” Guan Qi looked around.
Ji Huanlan said, “In a trash bin.”
“Huh?”
Even the bodyguards who had just been about to set off to find Shen Ran halted in their tracks.
A trash bin?
What kind of place was that?
They were utterly bewildered.
Ji Huanlan was both exhausted and in pain. Her body naturally leaned against the wheelchair, resting against Shen Xi’s legs, her head pillowed on his knee—a pose remarkably similar to Lady Meng Jiang leaning against something to rest after crying so hard at the Great Wall.
When she leaned over, Shen Xi’s pupils darkened.
Her voice was slightly hoarse as she explained softly, “Just now I got squeezed into the barrel and rolled down the steps. During the roll, I saw him—he’s curled up in a trash bin. Do your best to find him; who knows where he’s rolled off to by now.”
Shen Ran, still trembling inside a trash bin: …
Remote thanks to my second sister-in-law for not abandoning me!
The bodyguards set off with varied expressions to search for him.
Finding people, fighting, doing dangerous things—they could do all that with ease.
But…
Digging through trash bins?
Soon, across the entire Haiyue Guangchang, one could see bodyguards in matching plainclothes going from bin to bin, poking their heads in to peer inside.
“Young Master Shen Ran?”
One bodyguard even politely asked an overturned trash bin on the ground, “Young Master Shen Ran, are you in there?”
The people nearby who had survived the stampede: …
They suspected these people in matching outfits must have gotten their heads stepped on and gone crazy.
“Come here.”
Ji Huanlan was watching the distance when a pale-skinned hand appeared before her. She looked up.
Shen Xi was silent for two seconds. “Sit on my lap. The ground is cold.”
There was water and blood on the ground, and it was dirty too.
Ji Huanlan’s eyes widened slightly. “That won’t do.”
She was genuinely surprised.
This man was actually willing to let her sit on his lap?
Although they hadn’t known each other long, Ji Huanlan knew that Shen Xi cared deeply about whether his legs could recover.
That made sense—any normal person would care.
“It’s fine, I’m not afraid of the cold.”
“I am.”
Ji Huanlan was pulled up without argument, and before she knew it, she was seated on Shen Xi’s lap.
He was afraid?
Afraid of what?
Shen Xi was afraid she’d get cold.
Although Ji Huanlan was the current chairman of Xinggang Fengtou, and there had recently been rumors circulating that she was a she-devil who acknowledged no kin—that she’d kicked her own mother and sister out of the house for the family fortune—
At this moment, in Shen Xi’s eyes, her figure was slender, appearing even more fragile under the night wind.
No matter what the outside world said, she was his wife now. Taking care of her was his responsibility, and his duty.
“Cold?” Shen Xi looked at the woman sitting on his lap.
Ji Huanlan’s back was tense. Honestly, it was a bit tiring.
Because she didn’t dare put her full weight on his legs. What if she pressed down and made them even worse? Wouldn’t that be a sin?
“Not cold.”
Ji Huanlan didn’t look at him. Whether she was too worried about where Shen Ran was, or too nervous to meet his eyes, it was hard to say.
But Shen Xi wrapped his arms around her.
Ji Huanlan’s heart lurched upward.
Shen Xi gently circled his arms around her body, shielding her from the night wind as best he could. “Sorry. I don’t have any other intentions. I just worried that if you were exposed to the wind too long, you’d get cold. Your clothes are still wet.”
With that, Shen Xi took off his own jacket and wrapped it entirely around Ji Huanlan.
She had to admit—it was considerably warmer.
She spoke somewhat awkwardly, “Thank you.”
Shen Xi’s gaze dropped to the top of her head, his expression unchanged. “For what? It’s what I should do. Besides, I failed to protect you.”
The people he’d brought were accustomed to protecting him first in times of danger. They’d completely forgotten about Ji Huanlan, this Mrs. Shen who had practically parachuted in.
But Ji Huanlan didn’t mind at all.
“In the future, I’ll tell them to get you out of dangerous situations first,” Shen Xi said.
Ji Huanlan’s lashes fluttered. “Why? They’re here to protect you.”
As she spoke, she leaned into Shen Xi’s embrace—a very natural motion.
Shen Xi fully accepted her reliance, resting his chin against the top of her head. Anyone who didn’t know better would think their relationship was wonderful.
“They did their job well. They should be rewarded.” Ji Huanlan smiled, a rare sight.
Shen Xi said nothing, lost in thought.
“Second Brother! Second Sister-in-law! Are you two alright?”
Shen Ran had finally been found by the bodyguards.
Ji Huanlan turned her head, pulling away from the man’s embrace, and stood up. She took off the jacket and personally draped it back over Shen Xi’s shoulders.
She seemed quite the devoted wife.
In just the short time she’d worn it, the jacket seemed to have absorbed her scent.
Ji Huanlan waved it off. “As long as we didn’t end up in the funeral home, it’s nothing.”
Shen Ran was momentarily speechless, then let out a sheepish laugh. “Good, good—everyone’s fine. You really scared me.”
“Let’s go,” Shen Xi said to Guan Qi.
The group quickly left Haiyue Guangchang and got into the car.
A stampede had occurred here. Ambulances and police arrived promptly, and people were being transported away one after another.
As the person in charge of Haiyue Guangchang, Huarong also participated in the rescue efforts.
Although it couldn’t entirely be blamed on them, it still counted as a flaw in Haiyue Guangchang’s security system—they hadn’t managed to separate the crowds, and they bore primary responsibility for this incident.
Once in the car, Shen Xi immediately arranged for someone to take over the matter, then signaled Guan Qi to head to the hospital.
“You’re injured?” Ji Huanlan looked him over from head to toe.
She didn’t see any external wounds.
Shen Xi glanced at her arm. “You’re the one who’s injured.”