Just as Hailey was about to head back to the hotel, a group of drunken men staggered out from a nearby bar and blocked her path.
They were all foreigners—tall, burly, and absolutely reeking of alcohol. Their leering smiles sent a chill down her spine.
"Hey, pretty lady, you out here all alone?" One of them slurred, reaching out to grab her arm.
Hailey swiftly dodged, her instincts kicking in. She spun around and made a break for it.
But they were faster than she expected, fanning out to block every possible escape route.
She found herself surrounded.
"Get out of my way," she snapped, her eyes fierce. "Or I'll scream for help!"
The man with the scraggly beard chuckled, holding up a half-empty bottle of whiskey. "Relax, sweetheart. We're not gonna hurt you. Just have a drink with us."
"Yeah," another one chimed in, swaying on his feet. "One drink, and you can go."
"Come on, don't be scared," someone added, inching closer.
Their stench hit her like a wall—sweat, alcohol, cheap cologne.
Hailey's eyes narrowed. Without warning, she raised her foot and slammed it into the gut of the tallest guy.
"Ughhh!" he yelped, collapsing like a sack of potatoes.
Before the others could react, she whipped her shopping bag like a flail and smacked another guy right across the head.
In the split second of chaos, she darted through a gap and ran.
"You little—get her!"
"Stop running, bitch!"
They roared behind her, their footsteps thundering as they chased her down the street.
Hailey knew she wasn't a match for them physically—not in strength, not in speed. All she had was a head start and a stubborn will to survive.
She zigzagged through the alleyways of Times Square, her breath ragged, her legs burning. But the footsteps behind her kept getting louder.
She was starting to lose steam.
They were going to catch her.
Just as her strength gave out and she stumbled forward—
A shadow darted past her.
A man's arm reached out, pulling her behind him.
"Stay back," he said in a low, calm voice. Then he turned to the oncoming drunks.
Before Hailey could process what was happening, the man lunged forward with shocking precision.
One punch. Two kicks. A sweep of the leg.
Three of the drunkards hit the pavement before they even realized what was going on.
The rest hesitated—but not for long. The man didn't stick around. He grabbed Hailey's wrist and took off running again.
They didn't stop until they were several blocks away, ducking into a quiet alley.
Hailey bent over, gasping for air, clutching her knees.
The man placed a steady hand on her back, gently patting as she caught her breath. Then he asked, with a soft chuckle:
"Hailey Tang… is that you?"
She froze.
That voice.
She slowly looked up at the tall figure in front of her. Strong jaw, familiar smile, those ridiculously straight white teeth.
She blinked. "Tao Yi?"
He grinned, his face lighting up like the Manhattan skyline. "I knew it was you! What the hell—what are you doing in New York? Weren't you in C City?"
Hailey burst out laughing, still panting. "You're asking me? What are you doing here? What are the odds we run into each other like this?"
"I'm on assignment," Tao Yi said. "But when I saw you running from those creeps… I thought I was seeing things."
"You have no idea how glad I am you showed up," she said, grabbing his arm, still half in shock. "Seriously, if you weren't here, I might've ended up in tomorrow's crime report."
"Well, it's not every day a mission includes saving a damsel in distress," he said, scratching his head with a sheepish smile. "But yeah, good timing, huh?"
"So what about you?" he asked, more serious now. "Why are you here?"
"I'm… just here for a break," she said vaguely. "Needed some fresh air, I guess. I only got in a couple days ago."
"You here alone?"
"There are others. But tonight, it's just me."
Tao Yi gave her a long look, but didn't pry further. "Where are you staying? I should check in on you sometime."
"Hilton Midtown," she replied. "You can text me. I haven't changed my number."
"Good. I'd love to catch up properly."
He glanced at his watch. "I gotta run—still got a task to finish tonight. But next time, dinner's on me."
Hailey smiled. "Deal."
"You sure you'll be okay getting back?"
"I'll grab a cab. I've had enough excitement for one night."
He hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Take care, Hailey."
"You too."
They exchanged numbers again just in case, and Tao Yi jogged off into the crowd, disappearing as swiftly as he'd appeared.
Hailey stood still for a moment, the adrenaline finally starting to ebb.
Her heart was still racing, but not from fear this time.
From disbelief.
What were the chances she'd run into Tao Yi like this? Of all the people in the world, in all the places in New York…
Fate had one hell of a sense of humor.
And maybe—just maybe—it wasn't done with her yet.