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Jiang Chen lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the wounds on the girl's body.

Every single one was shocking to behold.

Especially when he saw her heavily swollen ankle.

The coldness in his eyes burst forth, his heart seeming to be gnawed at by ants and insects—bloody beyond recognition, then festering from being soaked in the girl's tears.

Even his breathing grew uncontrollably heavy.

The last time he had cried was in early childhood. Even later, when he endured inhuman beatings, he had never uttered a single sound.

But in this moment, amidst the downpour, the man's tears fell silently one after another, striking the ground and merging with the accumulated water.

This was his treasure.

Yet he hadn't even managed to protect her properly.

Rainwater traced across his brow, quickly washing away the traces of his tears.

In the darkness of the night, it was hard to make out clearly.

He silently reached out and gathered the girl up. Despite her struggling in the rain, he carried her steadily onto his back.

Clenching his jaw, filled with overwhelming hatred, he carried her step by step with unwavering steadiness.

A bolt of lightning split across the sky.

It startled the girl, and her tearful sobs turned shrill once more. Thinking Jiang Chen was taking her home, her fingers clutched tightly at the man's shoulders, her cries like those of a frightened cat: "Jiang Chen, save me, take me away from here. I don't want to go back."

Through the curtain of rain, the man's back had never before been so bowed, yet today it was bent completely.

He remembered his youth, when he had learned of Zhong Qian's malicious intentions—countless nights spent crouching outside the girl's front door.

Many of those nights had been stormy ones, just as fierce as this.

He had watched over the girl as she grew into adulthood, never daring to let so much as a single mishap befall her.

But he had gotten rid of one bastard.

Only for another to appear.

And these people—all of them deserved to die.

After a long while.

The man's cold, clear voice was as chill as a demon from the depths of hell, carried by the sound of rain into Ye Mian's ears.

"Don't be afraid. I'll save you, Ye Mian."

Desolate and cold, like a comfort, and yet also like a death sentence passed upon the wicked.

...

When they reached the car, the driver saw the girl's condition and, being perceptive, got out to open the door.

Jiang Chen carefully placed the girl onto the soft car seat, then pulled over the blanket that had been covering her legs moments before, wrapping her entire body in it with no gap left uncovered.

His movements were gentle to the extreme.

After getting into the car, he took the girl's hand in his, his gaze never daring to leave her face for even a moment.

His clear mind was already contemplating the aftermath.

He had seen the bloodstains on her wrist.

He had also examined her wrist—there were no open wounds on it.

After waiting until the girl cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep,

He took out his phone, dialed a number, and gazing out the window, spoke unhurriedly in a low voice: "Go to Building 30, Hua Yuan. See if anyone's there. If not, follow the bloodstains on the ground and find which household it is. Knock on the door and get a good look at the person's face."

—

Shanjian Hotel.

The car pulled into the parking lot.

Jiang Chen didn't wake Ye Mian. He simply carried her back to the room.

He gently settled the girl onto the bed, and only then retrieved the medical kit, carefully bandaging her ankle bit by bit.

Ye Mian's brows were tightly furrowed, her face no longer wearing the bright smile it once had.

Thunder continued to roll without pause.

She fell into another nightmare.

In her dream, Jiang Chen was in an abandoned factory, his back to her, a knife in his hand—stab after stab, over and over, into someone.

His movements were clean and ruthless, as if a demon had descended, cruel without a trace of hesitation.

Blood sprayed onto the ground, yet carried with it a strange, eerie allure.

She wanted to scream for Jiang Chen to stop, but no sound would come out.

The nightmare held her tightly in its grip, and she burned with anxiety.

So much so that in reality, she couldn't help murmuring in her sleep.

"Jiang Chen..."

The Jiang Chen who was applying medicine to her trembled slightly at the sound, then answered in a low voice, "I'm here."

But the girl didn't seem to hear him.

His eyes, ash-gray, looked out the window. He felt that he had been wrong.

See you on the rankings tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)