Picking Up Someone Along the Road

Checking the location sent by Bai Jinyan, Chen Ruowen handed her phone to the driver.

“Lao Cui, turn around. Go here—”

——Screech——!

Suddenly, the sound of an emergency brake pierced the air, the tires dragging two faint white marks across the hard concrete road.

Fortunately, the car’s braking system was excellent and the speed wasn’t high, so the vehicle came to a safe stop quickly.

Chen Ruowen was jolted by the sudden halt, but thanks to Master Cui’s superb driving skills, she wasn’t injured.

“What happened?” Chen Ruowen frowned.

Master Cui neatly switched off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, and half-turned to report.

“Someone suddenly ran out from the roadside. I’ll go check what’s going on.”

Seeing Chen Ruowen nod, Master Cui quickly got out. By the headlights, Chen Ruowen could vaguely see a white figure collapsed on the ground. The moment the car owner stepped out, the figure scrambled up like a startled rabbit, and before Master Cui could ask anything, she hurriedly ran off.

But it seemed her earlier fall was quite severe. She managed to stand and take two steps before crashing to the ground again, this time with an even heavier thud, so loud that even Chen Ruowen inside the car heard the bang.

“Miss, are you alright? Should I take you to the hospital?”

Master Cui stepped forward to help her up, asking with concern.

The girl waved her hands repeatedly: “N-no, you didn’t hit me. I was just… startled. Sorry, really!”

She tried to bow in apology, but her physical state forced her to halt halfway.

Her flustered manner of apologizing seemed familiar to Chen Ruowen. She shifted in the backseat for a clearer view.

“I-I’m really fine. I’ll go now, don’t trouble yourself.”

The girl lifted her head, explaining hesitantly, her anxious gaze darting toward the direction she’d come from, as if afraid of something.

Now that she was standing, Master Cui noticed she wore only a thin, light-colored nightgown, ill-fitting, revealing her pale wrists and ankles even as she hunched her shoulders. The hem and cuffs were frayed in various places.

From the cold, her lips and fingers were ghostly white, though she kept a polite smile on her face.

Most striking were the obvious marks on both arms, her shoulders, perhaps even her back. It was unclear whether these were smudges from her fall, or… inflicted by someone.

“Miss, you…” Master Cui pointed at her clothes, his expression puzzled.

The girl’s face turned pale; she quickly covered the dark marks on her arm, murmured an apology, and ran off with her head down.

Master Cui called out a few times but got no response, left half worried, half confused as he returned to the car.

“Whose child was that, running out in winter wearing a nightgown?” Master Cui shook his head, starting the engine.

“Follow her.”

In the back seat, Chen Ruowen reclined, her eyes fixed on the direction the girl had fled. If one looked closely, there was a strong hint of anger in her gaze, though it was unclear who it was directed at.

Master Cui, still uneasy about the girl he’d nearly hit, pressed the accelerator and followed her without hesitation, stopping the car with another sharp brake right in front of the limping, half-running girl.

Seeing the luxury car suddenly blocking her path, Guo Jingyuan’s face went pale. She glanced once more toward her point of origin, clutching her fists, ready to detour around.

At that moment, the rear window of the car rolled down, revealing a stunningly beautiful face Guo Jingyuan knew well.

“Get in.”

“Chen, Chen…” Guo Jingyuan’s pale cheeks suddenly flushed with delighted color.

“Enough, stop wasting time.” Chen Ruowen spoke impatiently.

Stuttering was one thing, but now even calling her name came with a stumble—was this woman regressing?

Guo Jingyuan hesitated just a moment, glanced again toward where she’d come from, her face blanching, then, without another pause, circled to the other side and got in.

The car sped away, and less than a minute after they left, a group of burly women appeared, panting, on that street. They searched up and down, found nothing, and left cursing.

“Tell me, what’s happened this time?”

Seeing Guo Jingyuan trembling—whether from fright or cold—Chen Ruowen frowned, pulled a blanket from the back, and tossed it onto her.

Guo Jingyuan jumped in alarm, instinctively trying to dodge, but the confined space made her hit her head and bounce back onto her seat.

Then she realized what had been thrown at her, and with reddened eyes, wrapped herself in the blanket. Her shivering slowly ceased.

Now, the look Chen Ruowen gave Guo Jingyuan could no longer be described as mere disdain; it was utter exasperation, bordering on regret for inviting her into the car.

Master Cui, noticing Chen Ruowen’s shifting expression in the rearview mirror, quickly intervened to avoid a temper flare.

“Miss, are we heading back to Qingshui or to the place you mentioned earlier?”

Chen Ruowen glanced at Guo Jingyuan, who was in shambles, and finally frowned.

“Let’s go back to Qingshui first.”

Bai Jinyan was important, but she wasn’t going anywhere. Guo Jingyuan, on the other hand… Chen Ruowen thought she looked half dead and wondered what trouble she’d gotten into now.

Her first question had been cut short by Guo Jingyuan’s ghostly reaction, so she didn’t ask again. She merely sent He Wanqin a message to come to the house, then leaned back and closed her eyes.

During the drive, Guo Jingyuan stole glances at her several times, wanting to speak but stopping short. Chen Ruowen pretended not to notice.

As soon as they arrived at the gate, Yang Anxin and He Wanqin rushed up, anxiously inspecting Chen Ruowen from all sides.

“Why did you call Dr. He the moment you got home? I thought something happened to you!”

Once she confirmed her daughter was unharmed, Yang Anxin patted her chest in relief.

“Are you unwell? Did your father drag you out to dinner and tire you out? I told him you’d be exhausted after so much training, asked him to let you rest at home for two days, but he wouldn’t listen! Honestly! He drives me mad!”

“…Mom, I’m fine.”

Chen Ruowen let Yang Anxin fuss over her, waiting for her to calm down before pointing to the thin figure behind her, wrapped in a blanket.

“I found a classmate on the road—she seems to be injured.”

She nodded toward He Wanqin.

“Sorry to trouble Dr. He to take a look.”