The streetlamp flickered weakly as Jo Ning stood at the edge of the dim road, waiting patiently for Hailey to bring the car around. She didn't notice the dark figure lurking in the shadows, slowly approaching from behind.
Just moments later, Hailey pulled the car to the curb, but her eyes immediately scanned the sidewalk in confusion—Jo Ning was gone.
She frowned and stepped out of the vehicle, calling out, "Jo Ning? Where are you?"
Silence.
The night air felt heavier than before. Hailey's instincts prickled with unease. She reached for her phone, but the screen remained black.
Dead.
She muttered a curse under her breath. Of all times for her phone to die…
Then, faintly—so faintly she almost missed it—a muffled cry drifted from the shadows.
"Help… mmph… help me…"
It was Jo Ning!
Hailey's blood ran cold. She didn't hesitate. She lunged back into the car, yanked out a flashlight from the glove compartment, and dashed in the direction of the voice.
This part of the C University area was secluded and poorly lit at night. The landscaping, beautiful by day, now transformed into a maze of shadows and eerie rustling sounds.
The cries came from within a densely overgrown greenbelt.
Hailey pushed through the thickets, her flashlight bouncing off branches and shrubbery until—
The beam landed on a horrifying sight.
A man in a black baseball cap was pinning Jo Ning to the ground, his movements aggressive and unmistakable.
Rage surged through Hailey like wildfire.
"You bastard!" she screamed, charging forward without hesitation. With all her strength, she swung the flashlight and smashed it against the side of the man's head.
"Ahh!" the man howled, reeling from the impact.
He turned, furious, ready to retaliate—but Hailey was already moving, her instincts sharpened from a childhood spent on military bases. She dodged his wild lunge and delivered a sharp knee to his gut, sending him staggering backward.
"Run, Jo Ning!" she yelled.
Jo Ning, shaking and disoriented, scrambled to her feet. She took one step—but the man grabbed her ankle and yanked her back down.
"Ahh—!" Jo Ning cried as she hit the ground hard.
Hailey didn't think. She charged again, stomping on the man's stomach with all her might.
"You disgusting piece of trash!" she spat. "Go to hell!"
But the man was vicious. He grabbed her ankle mid-kick and pulled her down with him. Hailey's head slammed against the cold earth.
A sharp pain exploded behind her eyes.
"Hailey!" Jo Ning screamed, struggling to crawl toward her.
Perhaps it was the scream, or maybe the man realized he'd made too much noise—but whatever the reason, he panicked. Without another word, he scrambled to his feet and bolted into the darkness, disappearing into the night like a phantom.
Jo Ning reached Hailey's side, trembling. "Hailey, are you okay?!"
Hailey winced, blinking through the pain. "I'm fine… We need to get out of here."
She could barely stand, but she forced herself up. The two women leaned on each other, their bodies shaking from adrenaline and fear, as they made their way back to the roadside.
Only after they were inside the car and the doors were locked did they finally breathe.
Hailey's hands trembled as she gripped the steering wheel. Every muscle in her body screamed in pain, but she started the engine and sped toward the hospital.
When they arrived at the City First Hospital, the emergency room lights flooded over them, stark and sterile.
Jo Ning turned to look at her friend—and gasped. "Hailey! You're bleeding!"
Hailey reached up and touched her forehead. Her fingers came away sticky and red.
"I—" she began, but her vision swam, and the world spun.
The pain, the fear, the adrenaline—it all crashed over her in one devastating wave. The last thing she saw before the darkness swallowed her was Jo Ning's terrified face.
"Hailey!"
Her name echoed as everything went black.
Hailey was rushed into the emergency room, unconscious.
Jo Ning stood outside the operating doors, her fists clenched and her heart pounding. Her phone trembled in her hand as she dialed the only person she could think of.
Chi Xiyang.
The phone rang once. No answer.
She bit her lip and called again.
This time, after a few more rings, the line picked up.
A cold, unmistakably annoyed voice answered, "Didn't I tell you not to call unless it was important?"
Jo Ning didn't care about his tone. "Brother, something happened! Hailey and I were attacked—she's badly hurt! We're at First City Hospital. Her phone's dead. Please… can you contact her husband?"
There was a pause. A sharp intake of breath.
Then Chi Xiyang's voice lowered. "Wait there."
He hung up without another word.
Less than thirty seconds later, he was already dialing Ethan Yu's private number.
At that moment, Ethan Yu was in the middle of a board meeting.
He had barely been paying attention. His thoughts had been with Hailey all day—especially after the unexpected kiss earlier. He wasn't sure what possessed him to do it. Maybe it was her stubborn little frown. Or maybe it was the jealousy clawing at him whenever he thought of her slipping out of his life.
Either way, it had left him restless. And now his phone buzzed.
He rarely allowed interruptions during meetings. But seeing Chi Xiyang's name flash on the screen made his brows tighten.
He stood, ignoring the startled glances from the executives around him.
"Meeting's adjourned," he announced curtly and stepped out into the hallway.
The moment he picked up, Chi Xiyang's voice came cold and sharp: "Get to First City Hospital. Your wife's been hurt."
The temperature around Ethan seemed to drop several degrees. "What happened?" he barked.
"She saved Jo Ning from an attempted assault. She got hit pretty hard—head trauma. I'm not there, but Jo Ning is. That's all I know."
Without another word, Ethan ended the call and strode toward the elevator.
"Prepare the car," he ordered his assistant. "Now."
His heart pounded with a violence he hadn't felt in years. Fear. Real, raw fear.
For the first time in a long time, Ethan Yu realized something terrifying—he could lose her.
And that thought nearly brought him to his knees.