The person in the car had seen her, but the vehicle seemed to have some problem. Its speed didn’t decrease at all as it charged straight toward her.
Xue Jiao’s eyes widened. Was she about to die again?
This road had a slope on the right side. After coming down that slope, the car’s speed increased. In that instant, Xue Jiao’s mind went completely blank.
“Screech—”
Just as the car was about to reach her, it made an emergency turn and then crashed into a large tree at a terrifying speed.
“Bang—”
The tremendous impact sound awakened the stunned Xue Jiao. The taxi that had been approaching her quickly fled. There weren’t many cars on the road, nor were there people nearby.
She anxiously looked around but couldn’t find anyone to help, so she called out to the nearby shops: “Is anyone there? There’s been an accident!”
After shouting, she hurriedly fumbled for her phone, called the emergency number, and then anxiously walked toward the car.
She sniffed slightly, and suddenly her pupils contracted.
Gasoline smell!
The sun was scorching, a problematic car, and the smell of gasoline…
In her previous life, she had closed her eyes after a car accident. The massive impact had completely robbed her of consciousness.
Would the person inside this car… also die?
Xue Jiao gritted her teeth and approached. The car’s front was completely deformed from the impact, and all the glass had shattered. She opened the door and saw a man in a formal suit slumped over the steering wheel, with glass shards scattered everywhere.
Fresh blood was gradually flowing down the steering wheel, looking particularly frightening. The smell of gasoline in the air was becoming stronger.
“Sir? Sir?”
She called out, but there was no response.
Xue Jiao clenched her teeth, reached out, unbuckled the seatbelt, and slowly pulled the man out.
“Sir… sir… I’m sorry… even if you’re injured… I… I have to… pull you out…” She gasped for breath, using all her strength.
After a car accident, bones might be broken, and the head might have suffered trauma. Moving the victim at this time could cause secondary injuries.
But when faced with the choice between life and potential injury, life was more important.
This car… could explode…
Fortunately, the man seemed to have some consciousness, as he moved slightly with her efforts.
“Sir… don’t be afraid, I’ll save you… everything… everything will be fine!”
By the time she pulled him out of the car, she was drenched in sweat. She placed the man’s arm over her shoulder, half-supporting, half-carrying him away from the vehicle.
His feet moved with difficulty, and Xue Jiao felt a glimmer of hope.
“Sir… continue… keep going, let’s… let’s… get further away! Use… use some strength… hang on… I can’t… carry you…” Xue Jiao gasped for breath, feeling the man’s weight becoming heavier and his feet increasingly difficult to move.
“Boom—” A loud noise came from behind, and the man collapsed completely.
“Ah!”
Xue Jiao couldn’t support his weight and fell to the ground with him.
The car… had caught fire…
She lay on the ground, breathing partly in fear and partly in relief, her face pale, lips trembling, heart pounding like thunder.
This explosion finally brought out the nearby residents. Soon after, fire trucks and ambulances arrived together.
Xue Jiao, who had just caught her breath, quietly slipped away while everyone’s attention was on the injured man.
Well, all the books she’d bought were wasted, all left to burn by the car.
——
This was Xue Jiao’s first solo outing since arriving in this world, and she’d encountered such a dangerous situation. But at least she’d saved a life, which made her “life-threatening risk” worthwhile.
“Jiaojiao? What happened to you?” Li Sitong’s eyes widened in horror as she looked at Xue Jiao, who was drinking water.
She was filthy, drenched in sweat, and most alarmingly, there were bloodstains. This truly frightened Li Sitong.
Even Cheng Mingze was frowning as he stared at her.
Xue Jiao waved her hand dismissively and continued gulping down water. After a while, she seemed to come back to life.
“There was a car accident.”
“What?!”
“Not me. Someone else had an accident. It was hot today, and his car smelled of gasoline, so I helped pull the person out. Then the car caught fire.” Xue Jiao spoke casually, but only she knew how scared she had been.
“Are you hurt?” Li Sitong quickly pulled her close, examining her all over, touching here and there.
Looking at the anxious Li Sitong before her, Xue Jiao felt touched. She wondered how Gu Xue Jiao could think Li Sitong didn’t love her at all. This woman truly cared for her; she just didn’t know how to express it.
“I’m fine. I’m completely fine. Mom, don’t worry.”
Only then did Li Sitong breathe a sigh of relief, then said, “Don’t do such dangerous things in the future!”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Xue Jiao quickly agreed.
Cheng Mingze still looked at her suspiciously. Was this girl really brave enough to save someone?
Was she that kind-hearted?
Xue Jiao didn’t care about his thoughts. After finishing her water, she went upstairs to shower and change clothes.
While undressing, she felt her wrist and frowned slightly. “Strange, where’s my watch?”
She looked for it but couldn’t find it. Not thinking much of it, she quickly took a thorough shower, then went downstairs to eat something before returning upstairs to study.
School was starting tomorrow, and there were still many preparations to make.
——
“Zhihua! You’re finally awake. You scared your parents to death!” An elegant middle-aged woman sat beside the hospital bed, looking worriedly at the man lying there.
Lin Zhihua stirred, and another man in a formal suit immediately stepped forward respectfully, helping him sit up.
“Report.”
He only spoke three words, but Secretary Chen Yan seemed to understand completely and immediately said, “Concussion, left hand dislocated after initial impact and subsequent movement, multiple lacerations.”
Lin Zhihua nodded, his face almost expressionless, and then looked toward his father.
“Have you found out who’s responsible?”
“No… we haven’t had time to investigate…” Lin’s father felt uncomfortable under the gaze of his young but imposing son.
“No need to investigate further. Knowing I was going out privately today, they sabotaged the car—brake failure, airbag malfunction… Whether I died from the crash or burned to death afterward, it was essentially a double insurance, ensuring my certain death. Dad, can’t you guess who it was?”
Lin’s father’s expression turned ugly. Lin’s mother stood up angrily, “I’m going to make them pay!”
Lin Zhihua showed no reaction, barely moving, only slightly opening his mouth: “Chen Yan, Second Uncle isn’t clever enough for this. Who else?”
He spoke calmly, but his face was grim. This was the first time he had been targeted, and he had nearly lost his life.
Chen Yan glanced at the Lin couple out of the corner of his eye, slightly lowered his head, and spoke without any fluctuation in his voice: “The old master was involved.”
The Lin couple’s eyes widened, “How… how is that possible?!”
Lin Zhihua seemed to have known all along, his voice still calm: “My dear grandfather and second uncle are truly impatient. Mom, Dad, don’t get involved in this matter.”
He tilted his head slightly, looking toward Chen Yan: “This is the first time the old master has made a move. He was certain I would die this time, so he must have left traces. Gather evidence and have my second uncle arrested—attempted murder should be charged accordingly. Also, have people keep the old master under surveillance, and don’t let anyone see him.”
“Yes!”
“Pay attention to the shareholders’ movements, but don’t alert them.”
“Yes!”
“Replace all the housekeepers and drivers. Dismiss Wang’s assistant for leaking commercial secrets. I don’t want to see him in this industry again. Send all company documents to the hospital.”
“Yes!”
He raised his hand, and Chen Yan quickly supported him, helping him lie back down on the bed.
“Boss, I’ll leave first.”
“Mm.”
Chen Yan nodded to the Lin couple and quickly walked out.
Lin’s mother opened her mouth, finally saying: “Son, why don’t you… try having a child through surrogacy… so all these evil spirits will stay far away from you!”
The hospital room fell silent for a moment.
Lin Zhihua inhaled slightly, then said: “These people dare to cause trouble because Dad has spoiled them too much in the past. It’s a mess he left behind. Whether I have an heir or not is just an excuse for them to make their move.”
Lin’s mother felt a bit embarrassed. She stepped forward to adjust his blanket, then said: “Well, even if you can deal with them this time, your parents are getting older, and we also want to hold a grandchild.”
“You can have another child yourselves, and hold your son.”
“You naughty boy, your parents are already quite old…”
Lin’s father also said: “You should at least…”
“I want to rest now.”
As soon as Lin Zhihua said this, Lin’s mother quickly pulled Lin’s father out of the room. “Rest well. If you need anything, call Mom. Dad and I will go home and make some soup for you!”
As the two left, pulling at each other, as soon as the door closed, Lin’s father said: “Why did you pull me? Did I say something wrong? He must find a way to give me a grandson quickly, no matter what method he uses!”
Lin’s mother pinched him hard, gritting her teeth: “You old fool, do you have the guts to threaten our son? If it weren’t for you making a big deal out of a small matter back then, making it known to everyone, how could our son have become like this? Your good brother and good father wouldn’t have developed such intentions either!”
“That was a small matter?! That was… that was…” Lin’s father inwardly fumed. That was impotence!
Yes, this nationally renowned current boss of the Lin family—handsome, young, a diamond bachelor—was impotent…
After scolding him, Lin’s mother also looked back at the hospital room with worry, sighing: “I don’t even hope for a daughter-in-law anymore. I just hope our son will have a child through surrogacy, boy or girl doesn’t matter, but he refuses! It’s truly worrying!”
The Lin couple left with troubled expressions, but the person in the hospital room wasn’t resting.
That handsome face showed a hint of distraction as his fingers caressed a woman’s wristwatch, his eyes staring blankly at it.
“Sir… sir… I’m sorry… even if you’re injured… I… I have to… pull you out…”
“Sir… don’t be afraid, I’ll save you… everything… everything will be fine!”
“Sir… continue… keep going, let’s… let’s… get further away! Use… use some strength… hang on… I can’t… carry you…”
——
First day of school at No. 7 High School.
Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong drove them to school that day. Cheng Shuo was driving, Li Sitong sat in the passenger seat, while Cheng Mingze and Xue Jiao sat in the back.
“Mingze, you’re in your third year now. You must work hard this year, understand?”
“Mm.” The young man looked out the window, nodding absent-mindedly.
Li Sitong couldn’t help saying: “Mingze is already working hard enough. Old Cheng, stop lecturing him.”
“How is that working hard? Don’t think that just because the family has a company, you can play around like those good-for-nothing kids who talk about going home to inherit the family business. Times are changing! How many once-great enterprises couldn’t keep up with the times and were crushed? When you’re young, you should learn as much as possible. Otherwise, even if the company is given to you, it will eventually go bankrupt.”
“You’re exaggerating!” Li Sitong glared at him.
Cheng Shuo continued with his educational philosophy: “Don’t be so skeptical. Look at the Lin Corporation in our province. Their current boss is a highly educated scholar, a Stanford graduate. He’s only managed Lin Corporation for a little over three years, and he’s already got all those old industry veterans jumping in frustration. That’s the power of education! Of course, I’m not saying that studying well automatically means managing a company well, but it’s an attitude. Being serious about studies, focusing on efficiency—these skills are applicable anywhere.”
He continued leisurely: “I don’t expect Mingze to take my small company and chase after Lin Corporation. I’d be satisfied if it expands a few times its current size!”
Li Sitong smiled with pursed lips: “Mingze is smart. He’ll succeed.”
Cheng Mingze turned his head away, embarrassed. He had lost his mother when he was young, and Li Sitong gave him a good feeling. He could accept her, but her daughter was annoying.
However… Cheng Mingze looked at the quiet girl with headphones next to him and suddenly thought that it would be nice if this girl always behaved this well.
He just didn’t know how long it would last.
After lecturing Cheng Mingze, Cheng Shuo shifted his attention to Xue Jiao. He was much gentler with her, mostly giving caring advice, telling her to study hard, to ask teachers when she didn’t understand something, or to ask her brother when she got home.
Xue Jiao obediently agreed to everything.
After the two registered at school, Cheng Shuo hugged Li Sitong as they watched Cheng Mingze and Xue Jiao leave for their classrooms, both looking worried.
“Will Jiaojiao… be able to keep this up today?” Li Sitong couldn’t help asking.
Cheng Shuo was silent for a moment. He also thought Gu Xue Jiao probably wouldn’t last long, so he could only say, “Don’t worry…”
Walking ahead, although Xue Jiao and Cheng Mingze were side by side, there was at least a meter or two between them. Xue Jiao was in the second year, with classrooms in the middle area, while Cheng Mingze’s third-year classrooms were in the triangular area closest to the cafeteria and dormitories.
So when they reached the second-year position, Xue Jiao stopped.
“Brother, I’ll go first. Goodbye!” She smiled at Cheng Mingze, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth, her eyes curved like crescent moons, her hair tied in a fluffy bun.
Three words flashed through his mind: porcelain doll.
Xue Jiao had already walked away when Cheng Mingze came to his senses, swaying with his backpack toward the third-year area.
She was in a good mood. Entering high school again was the beginning of another dream pursuit.
Starting over meant climbing higher on this mountain path.
This time, she would succeed.
——
There were two experimental classes, Class 1 and Class 2. The academic performance of the two classes was similar. Xue Jiao was in Class 1, and so was Cheng Mingjiao.
In Class 2, there was another person with a special relationship with Gu Xue Jiao—a few months younger than her, her half-sister who shared the same father but a different mother, and also the female protagonist of this world, Gu Shiyun.
She shook her head, not letting Gu Xue Jiao’s troublesome matters affect her mood on the first day of school.
In a good mood, Gu Xue Jiao walked to the door of the experimental class. Before she could enter, she bumped into someone.
“Ah—”
She covered her head, and her foot was also stepped on by the tall man in front of her.
Before she could say anything, he attacked first: “Your foot is pressing against mine!”
“???” Xue Jiao was stunned.
She looked up, and her gaze met that of a boy in sports attire. Both were startled.
“It’s you!”
Author’s note: Xue Jiao: Today, I saved an impotent man!
Lin Zhihua: …