Two days later, Jiang Yue stepped out of the hospital's sliding glass doors, the faint scent of antiseptic still clinging to her clothes. She squinted at the mid morning sun, its warmth both welcoming and disorienting after the sterile, fluorescent world she'd been stuck in.
Tessa trailed beside her, hauling a tote bag stuffed with snacks, spare clothes, and enough random essentials to supply a small army. "If you so much as sneeze wrong, I'm dragging you back to the ER," she warned.
Jiang Yue snorted. "My sneeze could probably set off a fire alarm, knowing my luck."
A sleek black car purred to a stop in front of them. The driver stepped out, but the rear door opened first revealing Li Zhenkai.
He looked annoyingly unscathed, as always. Dark suit, darker eyes, the kind of presence that could silence a boardroom with a single glance.
"Get in," he said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to personally collect her.
She hesitated for just a second before sliding in, Tessa gave her a meaningful look, half saying I knew it and half curiosity but still shut the door behind her.
Inside the car:
The leather smelled faintly of cedar and something sharper, his cologne, probably. For a moment, the silence stretched, filled only by the hum of the road.
"Is there a reason you're chauffeuring me personally?" she asked lightly.
His eyes stayed forward. "You're not going back to your apartment."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"There have been… developments," he said, and his tone carried the weight of trouble.
Her stomach tightened. "Zhou Meili?"
He didn't answer right away. Which was, in itself, an answer.
They didn't make it to his place before the "development" found them.
The car slowed as they reached a busy intersection, traffic crowding the streets. Up ahead, a crowd had gathered in front of a luxury boutique. Paparazzi cameras flashed like strobe lights.
In the middle of it all with flawless hair, couture dress, a smile that could launch a thousand press releases was Zhou Meili in her full glory
And Zhou Meili's gaze locked on their car.
She crossed the distance like she owned the pavement, the press parting for her. A gentle tap on the tinted window, followed by a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Li Zhenkai's jaw tightened, but he lowered the window.
"Zhenkai," she said sweetly, "what a coincidence. You didn't tell me you were back in town."
"I didn't think it mattered," he replied evenly.
Her gaze slid to Jiang Yue, lingering just long enough to be insulting. "And this must be… her."
Jiang Yue smiled, though her pulse ticked faster. "You must be Zhou Meili. I've heard a lot about you."
"Oh, I'm sure you have," Zhou Meili said, her tone dripping with subtext. "I hope you know what you're getting into."
"Funny," Jiang Yue said, voice still calm, "I was about to say the same to you."
The air between them tightened like a wire.
By the time they pulled away, the paparazzi had gotten enough shots to feed gossip blogs for weeks.
Jiang Yue exhaled slowly. "That was… friendly."
"She'll try again," Li Zhenkai said. "Publicly, privately, it doesn't matter. You'll ignore her."
She frowned. "And why exactly are you so invested in what I do?"
He didn't answer right away. The city blurred past outside the window, the muted rumble of the car filling the space between them.
Finally, he turned his head, meeting her gaze. "You asked why I help you," he said quietly.
"Yes."
"I don't help," he said. He leaned forward slightly, his voice low but cutting through the air like a blade. "I choose."
Her breath caught.
"And I've chosen you."
System Message:
[ Luck Shield Activated. ]
[ Current Survival Rate: 78%. ]
The words flashed in her mind, bright and sudden.
She stared at him, trying to read the meaning behind those four simple words.
Chosen for what?
They reached his penthouse in silence. But the choice, his choice still echoed in her chest long after they stepped inside.
And somewhere in the city, Zhou Meili was probably already plotting her next move.