The time was nearing eleven o'clock, but the city streets were still alive with flashing neon lights. Stylish, modern young men and women walked in pairs or small groups, their movements elegant and leisurely.
Shops were relentlessly shouting for business, their multicolored neon signs competing for brightness, and their thunderous speakers striving for loudness. All of this created an immense amount of light and noise pollution. Of course, not all shops were like this; these were mostly new brands, eagerly trying to establish themselves. Their flashy exteriors and gaudy decor betrayed their intense desire for money.
The older, established brands didn't need such tactics. Their storefronts exuded a seasoned composure and elegance. They simply existed, solemn and gorgeous, a living sign that drew a continuous stream of visitors, making their doors a bustling market.
But whether they were the new generation of brands or the established elders, everyone starts somewhere, grinding their way up. For smaller brands, these eye-catching methods were a necessary, practical approach. Once they truly become established, they, too, will eventually become graceful and composed, possessing the unhurried ease of the old guard.
Yet, all the world's splendor was irrelevant to me. People came and went, noisy and bustling, and the neon-lit night was utterly extravagant. Yet, right here on this lively street, I was the only one being hacked at.
I wanted to cry but couldn't. My legs were pumping like car wheels. I felt dead tired but dared not stop because that son-of-a-bitch behind me was still chasing. In the midst of this "chase and play," several bloody wounds had appeared on my back. The pain made me shriek and yell for my mother and father.
My left arm had also been slashed a few times, despite being freshly bandaged. If I weren't so thick-skinned and if his blade hadn't mostly landed on my fat, I probably would have been critically wounded long ago.
"Help... Help..." I cried out desperately while fleeing.
Before, when I watched those crime movies, I didn't feel much. Now, I understood. My heart was pounding with fear, and I could only rely on instinct to run, because he wasn't hacking at a gourd; he was hacking at me!
There were many pedestrians on the street, and a good number of people had noticed the scene. Seeing me screaming and the attacker wielding a knife, they were terrified. Many probably called the police along the way.
But no one was willing to step forward to help me. The person behind me had a knife stained with blood and looked furious. Who would dare approach? Everyone was afraid of becoming his next target.
As I ran, a crowd of gawkers gathered behind me. Some might have genuinely wanted to help, but most didn't dare approach. They just stood on the sidelines, shouting threats at the armed assailant, but it was utterly useless. If anything, it seemed to fuel his aggression; I could distinctly feel his speed increasing.
"What good is all that shouting?!"
I looked at the bystanders, wanting to weep. Just come up and stop him! But no one came forward.
"Ah!" I felt a sharp pain in my back. He had cut me again. The fear in my heart expanded, and all my energy went into running. My speed immediately picked up.
Perhaps for the sake of concealment, his knife was small, which was my greatest luck. As long as I didn't stop and let him stab me at will, I wouldn't suffer a fatal wound easily.
I no longer had the capacity to think clearly. Under the threat of death, a massive amount of adrenaline was secreted in a short time, giving my body immense power, temporarily allowing me to ignore the pain. My speed was faster than ever before. Even with a person clinging to me, I had run from one end of the street to this end.
But humans have limits. Truthfully, the recent exercise and discipline had been quite effective, allowing me to run this far, which was already exceeding my limit. But I couldn't keep it up. No matter how light Liu Xiaoyu's weight was, he was still a normal person, and the burden on me was considerable.
Soon, I felt my strength waning, gasping for breath like an ox. The idiots beside me were still yelling, Go, go, go! Go my ass! When will people in this country stop gathering just to watch the spectacle? Could someone, anyone, please come help? I can't run anymore!
Another stab hit me, and this one felt like a heavy blow, piercing my back. The intense pain, coupled with my exhaustion, finally broke me. My legs buckled, and I fell.
Amidst a flurry of screams from the crowd, the assailant seized the opportunity and slammed down on me. The tip of the knife glinted coldly in the night, swiftly coming down toward my chest.
Only at this moment did some people rush forward, attempting to stop him. It was as if only now did someone realize that a life was on the line.
I didn't know if he was aiming for my chest or Liu Xiaoyu's, but I instinctively threw up my arm to block the blow.
"Ah!" I screamed in agony, tears streaming down my face. Damn it! He stabbed my bandaged arm again! Am I too handsome? Handsome enough to get stabbed just by going out for a meal?
I quickly and instinctively backed away. Seeing his initial strike fail, the man swiftly pulled the small knife out, making me scream a second, more desperate cry.
The next moment, he raised the knife high, clutching it with both hands, and lunged fiercely at me. His large body blocked the moonlight, casting a huge shadow over me, as if cutting off all hope of life. His face was still obscured by cloth, but I could sense that he was expressionless, like a deadly assassin. The knife came down toward me. The threat of death instantly enveloped me. I struggled desperately but couldn't escape. I felt the blade growing larger in my pupils. I thought death had arrived. In that instant, my entire life flashed through my mind like a shooting star. The most brilliant figures were my mother and sister. All the moments I shared with them played out instantly.
The next moment!
The anticipated pain didn't arrive. Instead, a loud crash suddenly erupted in front of me. I recognized that it wasn't a gunshot.
Before I could figure out what happened, the expressionless assassin in front of me instantly vanished. He was thrown away like a rag doll, disappearing somewhere in the distance. A black Land Rover aggressively struck him, sending him flying, then braked perfectly in front of me, not hurting me in the slightest.
"I think... I'm saved..." My consciousness was rapidly fading. Soon, I plunged into darkness. The extreme exertion had overwhelmed my body, and the sudden relaxation of my mind allowed me to sink. In the darkness, I heard many loud voices and crying, and then, I lost all awareness.
The Guardian and the Truth
In a patient ward at the city center's tertiary hospital, a fat person, tangled in bandages and IV lines, lay asleep on a bed. The camera zoomed in, revealing a chubby face. Oh, look, it's Lin Nan. What a pitiful sight.
Standing watch beside the bed were two figures: one tall, the other small. The tall one was a beautiful woman of noble temperament, nearly 175 cm tall—that's without hair and heels. With them, she might easily reach 180 cm or more.
The beautiful woman looked to be in her early thirties, with long, wavy black-tea colored hair draped behind her head. Carefully styled bangs fell loosely across her forehead, revealing a smooth brow. She had clearly rushed here, as she wore no makeup, but her bare face was still stunning. Her blue, watery eyes were like twin azure lakes. Her nose bridge was high, and a pair of vibrant emerald pendant earrings swayed from her ears, occasionally flashing in an arc—she looked like an elf. This tall, beautiful woman had features leaning toward the European look, and her figure was even more so—exaggeratedly so.
She wore a white, plain cotton round-neck sweater, the cuffs covering her arms with translucent lace trim, revealing her pale forearms. The neckline wasn't particularly large, but her extremely large, pointed breasts pushed up, creating a massive cleavage that made the simple cotton shirt look intensely seductive. The voluminous, large breasts made the clothing bulge to an astonishing curve, looking ready to burst forth. Pale skin and beautiful collarbones were also exposed. A sapphire necklace rested on her ample white bosom, the blue gem pressed deep into the cleavage, incredibly eye-catching.
Below, she wore a light blue, silk chiffon, knee-length skirt adorned with intricate patterns. Her long, rounded legs, encased in black sheer stockings, were only revealed from the calf down, emphasizing their graceful curves. They shimmered subtly under the indoor light, radiating a captivating, alluring sheen. Despite the loose knee-length skirt, the full curve of her buttocks was still visible beneath the fabric. It was hard to imagine the kind of figure required to achieve such a look.
The entire woman exuded a sense of opulence and nobility. With her distinct European bone structure, large breasts, and ample hips, she was a quintessential example of a curvy foreign beauty. Yet, her delicate features and pure blue eyes made her look like a majestic elf-mother.
"My dear..."
The beautiful woman sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out a hand to gently stroke the head of the high school student, whose gender was momentarily hard to discern. She comforted him softly, "Don't worry. The doctor said he's going to be fine."
Her Chinese was surprisingly fluent, not the broken language one might expect from a foreigner. Furthermore, the beautiful woman's attire showed a perfect grasp of Chinese style, suggesting she had been immersed in Chinese culture for a long time. She had clearly spent a considerable amount of time in China, evident in her settled composure.
Compared to the tall, beautiful woman, her child looked somewhat fragile. He was relatively short, only about 160 cm, but his skin was fair, and his eyes were a pure, azure blue. His eyes were now red and swollen, indicating he had been crying earlier.
Lying on the bed was Lin Nan, who had been stabbed multiple times. The person guarding the bed was Liu Xiaoyu.
Thankfully, Lin Nan's thick skin allowed him to survive numerous attacks without critical injuries, though the excessive running and blood loss had caused him to pass out.
"Mom, I'm fine." Liu Xiaoyu shook his head, indicating he was okay.
"Alas..." The beautiful woman shook her head gently, a trace of worry flashing in her blue eyes. Seeing her child in this state, she could only offer comfort. She poured a cup of hot water and brought it to Liu Xiaoyu's lips, gently holding him close to her body. Liu Xiaoyu hadn't rested well since the previous day, only sleeping for a few hours in between waking up. The events of the night before had truly terrified him.
The adjacent bed, coincidentally, belonged to Teacher Li Yue, who also remained unconscious.
The young man, Li Yue's son, looked on, somewhat stunned and disbelieving. He had personally seen these two "cute students" of his mother bring gifts. The plump one was lively and energetic. How could he be wrapped in bandages and sent to the hospital so quickly, looking so miserable?
He subconsciously thought it might be related to Li Yue, who was also severely injured by an assault, so he inquired with Liu Xiaoyu.
Liu Xiaoyu denied it, stating that the attack had nothing to do with Teacher Li Yue's situation and that the assailant was targeting him specifically.
The young man was initially skeptical. After all, why would a delicate-looking student, whose gender was unclear, provoke someone so much that they would be chased and attacked? Is this a TV drama?
However, all his doubts vanished after Liu Xiaoyu's mother arrived. The young man was clearly not naive; he came from a high social class and had a broad perspective. He could immediately sense the beautiful woman's aura. She was clearly not from an ordinary family, and beyond wealth, she possessed a strong nobility. The naturally radiating authority around Liu Xiaoyu's mother suggested she held a high position. Based on the many figures he had encountered, he judged that her official rank was certainly not low.
Judging by her non-Chinese appearance, the likelihood of her holding such a position herself was almost nil, which meant her husband must be someone of extremely high status.
Reading people and sensing their background—this was a skill he had honed over the years.
This meant that the seemingly frail young person was actually a classic second-generation elite—a spoiled darling born with a silver spoon, enjoying both political and financial power.
The young man immediately formed other ideas. He tried to engage Liu Xiaoyu and his mother in conversation. However, the beautiful woman was solely focused on Liu Xiaoyu and showed little interest in his overtures.
The young man, naturally, wouldn't give up and changed his approach. Since Liu Xiaoyu was a student and had previously visited his mother with fruit, he tried to talk to him.
But when he asked a somewhat private question, like whether Liu Xiaoyu had a boyfriend at his age, Liu Xiaoyu looked at him strangely. "I am a boy. Why would I like a boy?"
The beautiful woman covered her mouth and chuckled, not saying anything but affectionately pinching Liu Xiaoyu's cheek.
The young man was completely taken aback. This was genuinely unexpected. The fragile-looking girl with the soft voice was actually a boy? He was momentarily flustered, realizing his previous attempts at conversation had been entirely misguided.
But Liu Xiaoyu was no longer interested in talking to him. They had nothing left to discuss. The space fell into silence once more, broken only by the occasional quiet conversation between Liu Xiaoyu and his mother.
The young man, feeling snubbed, didn't press the issue. He merely offered an awkward smile, opened his laptop, and returned to his own work.