Chapter 6
Majestic and murderous.
The instant the military-grade off-road vehicle screeched to a halt, Gu Xi instinctively took a step back. Its pressure was overwhelming—sharp lines, armored body, and the roar of the engine still humming like a sleeping beast. Just standing near it made her feel like she was on the edge of a battlefield.
"Captain, I'll go see my mother first. Thank you so much this time!"
A young soldier in an olive-green uniform jumped down from the passenger side, calling toward the driver with sincere gratitude. He barely landed before rushing into the hospital building.
Gu Xi stood frozen next to the open passenger door. The urgency in her chest collided with the mounting fear behind her. The moment the soldier disappeared into the corridor, Gu Xi moved.
She grabbed the door with all the strength she had left and pulled herself into the vehicle.
"Xi Xi!" Wei Xiangqin called out in panic. She still didn't understand what her daughter was doing, only that the danger around them was real and closing in.
In the driver's seat sat a man with short-cropped hair, a face like carved granite, and a two-bar one-star insignia gleaming faintly on his shoulder. He wore dark sunglasses, and though his expression was unreadable, everything about him radiated danger and discipline.
When Gu Xi climbed up, he turned his head slowly.
"Get off," he said coldly—two words, like shards of black ice.
Outside the car, Xiao Fan and the middle-aged man were still watching them intently. The men didn't make a move yet, but their presence was a tightening noose. Gu Xi could feel the seconds slipping away, her time evaporating with every breath.
"You came to pick me up, so you're not angry anymore?" she said suddenly, her voice trembling but laced with desperate resolve.
The man froze. One eyebrow arched behind the tinted lenses.
"What?" he said sharply.
Gu Xi leaned forward just a little, keeping her voice low. "Please help me. I really have no other choice."
Her words were shaky but intentional. Her tone, her posture—everything suggested that this was not a stranger she was talking to, but someone close. Someone she had fought with. Someone who, perhaps, might forgive her.
Outside, Wei Xiangqin stood nervously, holding her purse like a shield, watching helplessly as her daughter pleaded with a stranger. The two men behind them were clearly growing impatient.
Inside the car, Gu Xi's pale face showed a carefully calculated mixture of embarrassment and urgency. "Those two people have been following us," she said quickly. "I'm Gu Xi, daughter of Gu Changan, general manager of Changsheng Group. I'm not a criminal, but I'm in danger. Please."
The man didn't reply. He just stared at her—silent, assessing.
He looked like a man used to making split-second decisions on life and death, and this teenage girl was throwing him a problem that didn't belong in his world. Yet there was something about her—something that made him pause.
Gu Xi's voice cracked as she pushed forward. "Please cooperate with me. I need to leave the hospital immediately. I know people who wear this uniform are good people. Please… help me just this once."
Tears pooled in her eyes—not crocodile tears, not hysterical sobs, but quiet desperation. The kind that made you want to believe her.
The officer's jaw clenched.
Outside the windshield, he saw the two men exchange a glance. Something in their stance shifted—like they were ready to make a move.
The man glanced at Gu Xi again. And then at her mother, who was now clutching the door handle with trembling hands, silently begging him to believe them.
For the briefest second, a flicker of emotion passed across his stoic face. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was honor. Maybe it was just pity.
But whatever it was, it was enough.
His hand moved slowly to the gear lever.
With a practiced motion, he threw the car into reverse and hit the gas.
The tires screamed against the pavement, and the car lunged backward, nearly hitting Xiao Fan, who jumped away with a startled curse. In the rearview mirror, the middle-aged man shouted something, waving his hands—but the vehicle was already turning, peeling away from the curb in a burst of motion.
Wei Xiangqin barely had time to climb into the back seat before the car took off.
"Buckle up," the officer said gruffly, not looking at either of them.
Gu Xi exhaled shakily, her heart hammering in her chest. She didn't know this man's name. She didn't know where they were going. But for now, they were safe.
And that was all that mattered.
"Fasten your seat belt," the officer repeated, his voice calm but firm.
Gu Xi quickly did as instructed. Her heart was still pounding, but she managed to turn toward the back seat and call out, loud enough for the watchers outside to hear, "Mom, he's here to pick me up. I'll be back after I buy something!"
The middle-aged man stiffened at her words. Xiao Fan hesitated, glancing at the military plates and then at Gu Xi in the passenger seat. He didn't dare step forward again.
Gu Xi caught her mother's eye and gave her a quick, meaningful wink.
"Mom, since Xiao Fan's relative is sick, you can go with him to visit. It's just down the hall, right?" she said sweetly, loud and casual—but the intent behind her words was sharp.
Let the snake think it's in control. Then watch it slither.
Wei Xiangqin's fingers tightened slightly around the door handle, and her lips parted with concern. She had always been a gentle woman, unused to schemes and dangers. But her daughter's look—clear, determined, urgent—cut through her hesitation.
She nodded slowly, playing along.
"I see. Then you go ahead, Xixi," she said, raising her voice just a little. "Don't take too long. Write down the name of the medicine you need so I can buy it next time."
Gu Xi smiled and turned back to the front. "Mom, write down the license plate number. That way, he'll recognize you if he picks me up again," she added for good measure.
"Okay, okay, I got it." Wei Xiangqin pretended to look down and fumbled in her purse, pulling out a pen to note down the number.
The man in the driver's seat remained silent, but his expression shifted slightly. He didn't interrupt. He just placed both hands on the steering wheel, jaw set, sunglasses hiding his eyes.
As the car pulled out again, Gu Xi looked out the window. Xiao Fan was still watching them. The middle-aged man stood nearby, pulling out his phone as if ready to make a call.
Good. Call him. Tell him she slipped away. Every second they wasted would give her a little more time.
As the vehicle merged onto the main road, Gu Xi leaned back in her seat, exhausted from the adrenaline. Her limbs still trembled, her breath was shallow, and a cold sweat covered her back.
The officer finally spoke again, breaking the silence.
"You're not just buying something, are you?"
Gu Xi turned her head to look at him, uncertain how much to reveal. "No. I lied to them because I had to. My father's in danger, and I'm trying to stop it."
"Gu Changan, right?" he said, his tone cool but no longer hostile. "Changsheng Group?"
"Yes." Gu Xi hesitated, then added, "There's going to be an accident at the demolition site today. If I don't stop it, someone will frame my father, and he'll go to prison."
She didn't know if he'd believe her. She didn't have proof, just memories from a future that hadn't happened yet.
The man's fingers tapped once against the gear lever. "What kind of accident?"
Gu Xi bit her lip. "They'll say a worker died because of his negligence. But that's not what really happened. It's a setup."
The man didn't answer, but she saw his jaw flex.
For a second, the car sped up.
Then:
"Hold on."
The vehicle surged forward again, faster than before.
Gu Xi gripped the door handle, heart racing, but this time not with fear—with a spark of hope.
Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't alone in this after all.