With a great, unified grunt, the old comrades joined forces and actually lifted the Mercedes-Benz clean off the ground! At their age, it was nothing short of miraculous.
Su Xuan wanted to thank these respectable and endearing elders, but they refused to accept his gratitude. They said they were happy to help him, that they too wanted to feel needed in the twilight of their years.
"Alright, brothers, let's go! Time for a drink!"
Clutching a bag of vegetables, the veteran in the old military coat gave a grand wave of his hand and led his comrades-in-arms, with whom he had faced life and death, away. They all wore broad smiles, their spirits high.
But their hearts couldn't help but feel a touch of sorrow. They were all getting on in years. Perhaps by the next gathering, there would be one less person… then two less… then three… until eventually, all that remained of them would be a handful of yellow earth.
"Get in and buckle up!" Su Xuan said as he helped Ye Qianqian into the Koenigsegg, started the engine, and drove out of the complex.
Once on the main road, he steered with one hand while calling Liu Ming at Lycar with the other. The effortless style with which he handled the car while on the phone once again captivated Ye Qianqian, her beautiful eyes sparkling with adoration.
"Manager Liu, I need a favor. There's a group of retired veterans having a gathering in the Clearwater Gardens community. Find out which building they're in, then get at least twenty bottles of the hotel's best liquor and have it sent over to them. I want this done within twenty minutes, no delays!"
"Consider it done!"
After hanging up with Liu Ming, Su Xuan was about to put his phone away when Ye Qianqian spoke softly, "My idol, I know where that old gentleman lives. It's Building 16, Apartment 201. It's not just me; a lot of people in the community know. He's always so kind and helpful to everyone…"
"Great!" Su Xuan relayed the address to Liu Ming.
Then, he drove towards a nearby hospital.
Not only is my idol handsome, but he's also brave and so kind-hearted, Ye Qianqian thought, seeming to forget the pain in her wrist as she admired Su Xuan's handsome profile. A man like this… it's impossible not to love him!
Liu Ming was, as always, remarkably efficient. In less than twenty minutes, he arrived at the old veteran's building with a car full of liquor and personally delivered the dozens of fine bottles to the man's home. The elders initially refused to accept the gift, but Liu Ming insisted, claiming that if they didn't take it, he would lose his job and his boss would fire him.
That day, the old veterans shared a joyful, tearful, and drunken farewell. They also committed a name to memory: Su Xuan. They were immensely grateful for the liquor he had sent to liven up their party, a name they had insisted Liu Ming reveal to them. Naturally, they deduced that Su Xuan had to be the dashing young hero who had saved the damsel in distress. Who else could it be?
...
"Plastic wrap?"
"What kind of MacGyver-move is this?"
"And it's surprisingly effective! The wound has already started to heal!"
In the emergency room, several surgeons marveled at the plastic wrap wound around Ye Qianqian's wrist, praising Su Xuan profusely. This impromptu method had not only prevented any blood loss but had also protected the wound from being contaminated by dust. It was an excellent move, unlike the foolish things some people did, like trying to use a sanitary pad to cover an injury.
For them, Ye Qianqian's wound was a minor issue. They stitched it up quickly, and she didn't even need to be hospitalized, being cleared for discharge immediately.
"My idol," Ye Qianqian said after her treatment was finished. She tugged at Su Xuan's sleeve, swaying slightly as she pleaded coquettishly, "Please, will you take me home?"
This man who saved my life... he's mine! she vowed to herself.
"I don't have time," Su Xuan replied coolly. Seeing that she was fine, he felt he had already wasted enough time on her. "It's getting late. I have to get back to the delivery hub for a meeting."
A major shopping festival was just a few days away, which meant a massive influx of packages. The manager of the delivery hub wanted to hold a motivational meeting for all the couriers.
"Don't be so cold!" Ye Qianqian, who had never actively pursued a man before, was startlingly direct. "If you don't take me, I might start feeling hopeless again… I might try to take my own life… Only when I'm with you do I stop thinking about all the unhappy things."
She blinked her large, pitifully charming eyes, gazing at him like an adorable kitten. It was an impossible look to refuse.
In for a penny, in for a pound, Su Xuan thought with a sigh. Resigned, he had no choice but to lead Ye Qianqian out of the emergency room.
Taking advantage of her injury, Ye Qianqian clung to Su Xuan's arm, resting her head on his shoulder and putting on a delicate, frail act.
"Wow, are they celebrities?"
"That guy is so handsome, and the girl is gorgeous!"
"Good heavens, I can't believe I'm seeing this! The sight is blinding!"
Onlookers and other patients couldn't help but gasp, momentarily forgetting their own aches and pains. An old man in a wheelchair stared so hard his eyeballs nearly popped out of his sockets. He watched as Su Xuan and Ye Qianqian walked away into the distance.
Then, trembling, he used the arms of his wheelchair to push himself up to a standing position. His lips quivered, and tears welled in his eyes.
"My youth was a total waste!" he wailed.
The family member beside him was stunned. The old man was partially paralyzed and couldn't even care for himself! How had he just miraculously stood up?!
...
Meanwhile, as Su Xuan and Ye Qianqian were walking towards the parking lot, something else was unfolding.
"Huh, what kind of car is that? I've never seen one before."
In the parking lot, a heavily made-up woman, who might rate a 75 on a scale of looks, spotted Su Xuan's Koenigsegg. She didn't recognize the brand; in fact, she had never seen one on the road. With fewer than ten in the entire world and at most five or six in a country teeming with the super-rich, it would have been a miracle if she had.
The woman took out her phone, snapped a photo of the car, and did a quick search. Her jaw dropped wide enough to fit five or six bananas.
"Holy cow! This is insane! It's a hundred-million-yuan sports car!"
She had recently managed to hook a multimillionaire with plans to marry him. That was why she had secretly come to the hospital today to have her hymen surgically restored, hoping to make the man completely devoted to her. In her mind, it wasn't deception; it was for love.
But now? In front of a hundred-million-yuan supercar, what was a mere multimillionaire? He was practically a broke loser by comparison!
No way! she thought fiercely. A woman's youth is far too precious. I have to choose someone better! It's only natural to aim higher in life. I have to seduce the owner of this supercar! It would be even more perfect if he's handsome!
The woman quickly pulled out a compact mirror, used the Koenigsegg's tinted window to touch up her makeup, and hatched a brilliant plan before slipping out of sight.
BEEP! BEEP!
A short while later, Su Xuan arrived at the parking lot alone and slid into the driver's seat. He had come by himself because he didn't want Ye Qianqian to have to walk any further and had told her to wait just outside the entrance.
But as soon as he started the engine, something unexpected happened.
"Oh, my! I feel so dizzy!"
A woman suddenly appeared in front of the car. Clutching her forehead, she swayed dramatically before collapsing onto the hood of the Koenigsegg, where she lay motionless.
This, indeed, was her brilliant plan. She thought she understood the childish psychology of men. They all wanted to play the hero and save the damsel in distress so they could later bed the damsel in distress. A story like that would give a man bragging rights at the bar for a lifetime.
An insurance scam?
She had clearly misjudged Su Xuan's way of thinking. The moment he saw her performance, his first thought was that she was trying to pull a scam. Frowning slightly, Su Xuan got out of the car.
The woman peeked through squinted eyes and saw him approaching.
Heh, he fell for it! she thought, feeling a surge of secret triumph, certain he had walked right into her trap.