Lixi walked slowly along the side of the main road, snacking on the treats Xiao Liu had given her as she went. Whenever she felt tired, she would rest a while, wondering how she might support herself in the future.
As she walked on, the fog began to thicken. Amidst the heavy mist, Lixi inadvertently caught the faint sound of human voices in the distance. Her heart tightened, and she instinctively raised her eyes, peering into the direction the sound had come from. Although the fog was dense, she could vaguely make out several figures moving slowly toward her.
Lixi’s first instinct was that Shen Mo had sent men to capture her, so she immediately ducked into the weeds by the roadside. Her hiding spot was a bit exposed, so she glanced around and spotted a patch of dense, overgrown weeds a little further back, into which she carefully crawled.
As the figures drew closer, Lixi finally saw that they were all carrying guns. She couldn’t help but hold her breath. *No way,* she thought. *Does Shen Mo actually hire hitmen just to catch me?*
Just then, she felt some movement behind her. She was about to turn her head when a large hand suddenly covered her mouth, and another arm clamped tightly around her waist, pulling her deeper into the thicket.
Frozen with fear, Lixi struggled desperately, but the person behind her was incredibly strong, and she couldn't break free.
"Shh, stay quiet. I’m not a bad person."
The voice was low and gravelly. Lixi recognized it as a man’s, but she didn’t relax. She had no way of knowing if he was telling the truth.
The figures paced nearby, talking in hushed tones. Their voices drifted over, muffled: "Are you sure this is the way they ran? The higher-ups gave strict orders—we have to find..."
"It wasn't easy to get rid of... we can't let..."
Lixi looked nervously at the man beside her. His brows were furrowed, his eyes vigilantly tracking the movements of the armed men. It seemed they weren't looking for her after all, but if these gunmen discovered them, the outcome might be even worse than being dragged back to the Shen Residence.
Just then, several luxury cars drove toward them. The gunmen noticed and made an effort to stay out of sight, but the people in the cars spotted the suspicious group, slowed down to take a look, and then drove on.
The leader of the group stamped his foot in frustration and hissed, "They’re from the Shen family. Since they’ve seen us, let's pull back. Don’t wait for them to react."
"Besides, we still have the item. If the Chi family wants it, they’ll come back for it."
With that, they hurried away, their figures quickly swallowed by the fog.
Lixi let out a sigh of relief. *Thank goodness. Shen Mo didn't find me either.* If not for these men, she certainly wouldn't have had time to hide while walking on the road.
Just as Lixi began to relax, she heard a soft *thud*. The man who had been covering her mouth slumped over.
"Hey, what's wrong? I didn't..." Lixi hurriedly reached out to steady him.
Only as she held him did she realize the man was wounded. Blood was seeping from his abdomen, and a faint, metallic scent of blood filled the air. Lixi’s heart sank. Ignoring everything else, she unbuttoned his coat and found, as expected, a round bullet wound on his abdomen.
The man lacked the strength to stop her. He asked in a raspy voice, "Miss, could you please help me make a phone call?"
"My phone is dead," Lixi replied helplessly.
Seeing him growing weaker, Lixi quickly took off her own jacket to bandage the wound. Her hands trembled from tension—this was the first time she had faced such a bloody scene—but luckily, for the sake of Shen Rui and Shen Han, she had specifically learned how to administer emergency first aid.
She gave him basic treatment, wrapped the wound with her jacket, and tied it off. As she knotted the fabric, she said, "Resources are limited, so this is just an emergency fix. We need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible."
The man watched the young woman—clearly terrified, yet forcing herself to remain calm to bandage his wound—and felt an inexplicable softening in his heart.
He had been on a secret mission when his identity was exposed, leading to a pursuit. He had nearly made it back to the Eastern District when the group caught up with him. If someone hadn't been passing by tonight, he and this woman would surely have perished here.
Thinking of this, he offered a weak smile, trying to say something to comfort her. "It’s nothing. A small wound. I’ve had much worse in the past. We just need to get in contact with..."
Lixi’s hands paused. She thought of her father, Li Ming. Li Ming was a General who often went to the front lines, and every time he was injured, he would pretend it was nothing. Only her mother and young Lixi would cry for him, but Li Ming would always insist that it didn't hurt and that he was fine.
*But we are all made of flesh and blood,* she thought. *How could it not hurt? How could it be nothing?*
The expression of sympathy on Lixi’s face turned into a stern glare at Chi Mu. "Don't ever say that again. Even if others don't care, your family will. From now on, try not to get hurt. Protect others, but protect yourself, too."
These were the words she had wanted to say to her parents and grandmother, but she had never had the chance.
Her last sentence made the man alert; he wondered if Lixi had discovered his identity. He observed her closely and, realizing her concern was genuine, finally relaxed.
Once the bandaging was done, a more pressing problem arose: how were they to get out of there? Lixi had intended to go find help alone, but the man stopped her. He feared the gunmen hadn't gone far and that if they saw Lixi alone, she wouldn't survive.
"Then what do we do?" Lixi asked, anxious. "We can't stay here forever."
What if she was caught by Shen Mo later? Would she have this kind of luck again?
Seeing her anxiety, and connecting it to the fact that she was a woman walking alone on this deserted road in the middle of the night, the man made an educated guess. "Someone will come looking for me. If you have nowhere to go when that happens, you can come with me."
Afraid she might misunderstand, he added, "You saved me; I should repay you. If you don't want to come with me, I will ensure you are sent safely to wherever you wish to go. By the way, my name is Chi Mu. And you?"
Lixi’s eyes flashed. *Chi Mu!*
She had heard this name in her past life. He had become a Marshal at the age of only twenty-eight. If Shen Mo was the leader of the Eastern District, then Chi Mu was the powerhouse of the Southern District.
However, in her past life, she had heard that this young Marshal was accidentally and gravely wounded. Although he had miraculously survived, he became an invalid, was forced to retire from his position, and the Chi family gradually declined.
She had heard this from Shen Rui. After Shen Rui came of age in her previous life, Shen Mo hadn't allowed him to take over the Shen Group immediately, sending him to the Southern District to serve in the military instead. The Shen family had indeed gained a certain amount of influence in the Southern District because of Shen Rui. By the time Lixi was dying in her past life, Shen Mo held absolute power in Kyoto.
She did not want to see that outcome again. Shen Mo didn't deserve it.
She wasn't sure if the accident Chi Mu had encountered was the one happening tonight. If it was, that was fine. But if not, she wanted to help him. The reason she wanted to help him wasn't just to spite Shen Mo, but because his words had reminded her of her father. Someone who sacrificed so much for the country should not end up with such a tragic fate.