"Boss, it seems there's been an accident ahead. We're going to be stuck here for a while."
Huo Ziyan looked up from the file he'd been reading. Through the tinted windows of his car, he could see a crowd starting to gather on the street. Some were even filming the scene. There were other cars behind them, so they were really stuck and could not move in either direction.
He glanced at his watch. This was going to make him late for his meeting.
He sighed and was about to return to his file when the back door of the taxi opened, and a familiar face stepped out. He slightly frowned when he noticed how pale she looked.
.
.
Inside the taxi, the noise from outside had been getting progressively louder which made Shen Yelan's head pound. She needed to get away from the noise and find somewhere quiet. But before she could even take a few steps when someone grabbed her arm roughly.
Under normal circumstances, she would have already thrown this person over her shoulder, but because of her sudden episode, she had become slow and somewhat weak.
She looked at Shen Qian, who was holding her.
"Let go," she slightly narrowed her eyes.
"So you were the one inside this taxi. That's good too. You can explain to Dad and compensate me for the damage to my car too." Shen Qian said arrogantly, looking rather happy that he had found a scapegoat to put all the blame on.
Shen Yelan stared at him for a long moment, genuinely wondering if he'd lost his mind. Then she dismissed the thought. He wasn't born with a brain in the first place, so there was nothing to lose.
She pulled her hand away from his grip successfully. Not in the mood to waste time on him, she turned around to leave without saying a word.
"Hey! You can't just leave! You hit my car! You need to compensate for the damage!." He tried to grab her shoulder but this time, she was able to avoid his hand.
She turned around and stared at him as if she were staring at an idiot.
Zhao Zhan, who had been arguing with the other person, had noticed them and immeditly appeared before Shen Qian, blocking her view of Shen Yelan.
"What do you mean, compensate? You were the one driving past the speed limit and appeared in front of us out of nowhere. You were the one who broke the law." But even if there was a fault on my end, she is just a passenger. Why would she pay compensation?"
"How dare you talk to me like that? I am the young master of the Shen family! Do you have any idea what happens when you mess with me? Are you even aware of how much my car costs? Ten of your pathetic taxis couldn't even buy a single tire for my car!"
Zhao Zhan, who knew this taxi was in reality a custom-made car that cost more than this sports car, felt like slapping some sense into this brat. But remembering he was his boss's younger brother, he had no choice but to suppress himself.
Shen Yelan, who did not want to spend any further time wasting her, turned to leave but was immeditly noticed by Shen Qian.
"Shen Yelan! Stop right there! Did I let you leave?" He yelled after her.
"Do you know her?" Shen Qian's friend asked him.
"She is the country bumpkin I told you about before." Shen Qian said with disgust.
"Ah, no wonder she is trying to escape. She must be running away from taking responsibility. Typical of people like her," his friend said as he looked at Shen Yelan, his eyes running over her frame before settling on her face. A sleazy smile crossed his lips.
He tried to stop Shen Yelan, but was stopped by Zhao Zhan.
Shen Yelan kept on hearing Shen Qian and his friend yelling at her to stop, but she did not pay any attention to them. But that did not mean the crowd was wise enough to let her pass through.
They'd all heard Shen Qian identify himself as the young master of the Shen family. And they'd also heard him call Shen Yelan a country bumpkin. They all wanted to gain Shen Qian's favour, so they blocked her way.
"How can you just run away without paying compensation?"
"I've never seen such a shameless person before,"
"She looks rather decent on the outside, but who would've guessed she was so rotten on the inside?"
"Young people these days have no sense of responsibility."
More comments flew at her from all directions.
Shen Yelan felt her patience wearing dangerously thin. And with each second that passed, the pain in her body increased. Suddenly, someone close by pushed her, making her stumble back but a hand caught her.
She looked up, and her dark gray eyes met brown ones.
The man holding her had handsome features and was dressed in an expensive suit. He looked vaguely familiar, though her foggy mind couldn't quite place where she'd seen him before.
"Are you okay?"
For a moment, Shen Yelan just stared at him, her mind foggy from the episode. Finally, she remembered him and with it, became aware of his hand still on her waist.
"I am fine," she stepped back slightly, and he immediately let go.
Huo Ziyan frowned slightly, clearly not believing her. "You don't look fine."
Before she could respond, Shen Qian's voice rang out again from behind her.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? It's a good thing these people stopped you! You can't just-" He stopped abruptly when he saw who was holding Shen Yelan. His face went pale.
"Se-second Young master," Shen Qian stammered, suddenly looking like a different person.
Huo Ziyan didn't even look at him. His attention was still on Shen Yelan. He was right. She really didn't look alright. Was it the accident?
"I'll take you to the hospital," he told her.
"No need." She took a few steps forward when her vision suddenly swam violently. The edges of the world went dark, and her knees buckled.
Huo Ziyan immeditly grabbed her before she could fall.
Shen Yelan, whose eyes were unfocused, tried to push him away. "I am fine."
Seeing her semi-conscious state, Huo Ziyan did not listen. Instead, he bent and picked her up in his arms. She was surprisingly light.
He turned to face the crowd, his expression cold. The look in his eyes made everyone take an involuntary step back. Huo Ziyan walked through, carrying Shen Yelan to his car. His driver had already gotten out and opened the back door.
Zhao Zhan gaped at them wide-eyed until the car somehow managed to maneuver out of the traffic jam and drove away.
Did boss...just get kidnapped?
It took several seconds for his brain to catch up with what had just happened, and he ran to his car.
Shen Qian, who was already embarrassed by Huo Ziyan, did not want to let this man go.
"Hey, you can le-" His voice stopped when he met with the glare on Zhao Zhan's face and trembled slightly. This man did not look this scary a moment ago.
"I will deal with you later," Zhao Zhan muttered darkly and got in his car. He maneuvered out of the traffic and took off in the same direction the other car had left.
In panic, he fumbled with his phone, calling the number on speed dial.
"Boss just got kidnapped! Help me find her location!"