Chapter 7
The vehicle tore through the blocked hospital entrance like a knife slicing butter. Sleek, aggressive, and undeniably commanding, it turned heads as it roared down the main road.
Gu Xi clutched the handle tightly, her heart still thumping from the rush.
"You can just drop me off by the roadside ahead," she said, her voice slightly embarrassed.
The man gave a curt nod, flipped on the turn signal, and eased the car to a stop with practiced efficiency.
Gu Xi reached for the door handle, about to step out, when a cold realization struck her like lightning—she didn't have her mother's handbag.
In her rush to escape, she had left it behind. She checked her pockets quickly—no wallet, no phone. Not a single yuan.
The driver noticed her hesitation. "What's wrong?" he asked flatly.
Gu Xi flushed with shame. "I… I need to get to Shuangguan Bridge. My father's at the demolition site there. Could you please take me a little further?" She lowered her eyes, voice almost inaudible. "Or… lend me a hundred yuan. Just so I can get there."
The man's brow furrowed deeply. The flicker of unexpected kindness he'd felt earlier was quickly fading into irritation. He didn't like dawdlers, and he certainly didn't like being asked for money.
"Give me one reason," he said bluntly.
Gu Xi bit her lip, then looked him straight in the eyes. "Someone is planning to hurt people at the demolition site. They've locked residents inside a building that's about to be torn down. My father is involved—they're framing him. If we don't stop it, someone could die."
The man's jaw tensed.
"Everything you just said—true?" he asked, gaze sharp behind the sunglasses.
Gu Xi raised her hand solemnly, desperation thick in her voice. "If there's a single lie, I'll do whatever you want. Just help me get there in time!"
He stared at her for a long moment. Then, with a slight click, he pressed the red button behind the gear lever.
"Seatbelt," he said simply.
She fastened it quickly. A second later, the car shot forward like a missile.
The off-road vehicle wove through the city with terrifying speed and precision. Every sharp turn, every sudden lane change seemed reckless—until the driver's expert control turned chaos into choreography. Several times Gu Xi thought they'd crash, only to feel the car skim danger by inches.
When they finally screeched to a halt near Shuangguan Bridge, Gu Xi's face was ghost-pale. She nearly collapsed getting out of the car.
"Can you walk?" the man asked, still cool, not even slightly winded.
Gu Xi blinked at him in disbelief. Was he even human? She was sure she would have vomited if she'd eaten anything that morning. Who drives like that?
Her legs felt like boiled noodles. She fumbled with the door and half-sank out of the seat, swaying slightly as her feet hit the ground.
Women are always trouble, the man thought as he stepped out and reached her just in time, grabbing her arm to steady her.
"Thank you," Gu Xi said, her voice sincere, a little breathless. His grip was steady, his arms strong, and for the first time since her rebirth, she felt genuinely safe.
She glanced at the olive-green sleeve her fingers clung to. Her eyes grew damp. He didn't have to help her. He didn't even know her. But he had driven her this far, trusting nothing but her word.
That meant something.
She looked up at him and whispered, "Thank you… really. I'll remember this."