The moment Xu Haoran vanished into the night, Wu Yuting stood frozen under the pale glow of a streetlamp outside the Velvet Crown Lounge. Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from confusion. What had just happened? Xu Haoran, the man everyone saw as a doormat, had taken down Walter Li without hesitation. Without fear.
She had never seen that version of him before.
She had never known him at all.
Pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders, Wu Yuting hailed a ride home, but her thoughts were chaos. She wanted to believe his intervention was a one-time outburst. That she didn't need him. That she had everything under control.
But something had changed.
And she couldn't ignore it.
—
The next morning, Cloudbridge City buzzed with whispers.
"Did you hear about Walter Li?"
"He got beaten up at a lounge—nobody knows who did it."
"He's in the hospital. Some say it was over a woman…"
Wu Yuting ignored the murmurs around the office and buried herself in work. Visionary Developments had managed to secure a smaller, temporary supplier, allowing her commercial real estate project to resume. She filled her hours with site visits, contracts, and schedules.
But her mind kept drifting. To him.
To his steady voice, low and cold: "Get your hands off my wife."
Her phone buzzed.
Zhao Ailin (Mother):
"Come to the hospital during lunch. I've got another check-up. Don't be late."
Wu Yuting sighed. There was no point arguing.
—
When she arrived at Cloudbridge Central Hospital, Zhao Ailin was already waiting outside the outpatient entrance. She stood with arms folded, a knit shawl draped over her shoulders, tapping her foot irritably.
"You're late."
"It's ten minutes," Wu Yuting replied, adjusting her sunglasses. "You haven't even gone in yet."
"You're always late when it's about me," her mother grumbled. "But you'll sprint across the city when it's about your company."
Wu Yuting said nothing. The elevator dinged, and they ascended to the internal medicine floor. Nurses passed by with charts and thermometers. A baby cried somewhere down the hall.
"You know," Zhao Ailin muttered, once they were seated, "I heard some things. About what happened last night."
Wu Yuting turned sharply. "Where did you hear that?"
"Someone from my mahjong circle is friends with Walter Li's cousin. Word spreads fast in this city. They said it was messy. He was beaten up badly."
"And?"
"Was it Xu Haoran?"
Wu Yuting looked away. "He helped me. That's all."
Zhao Ailin leaned back in her seat and let out a long breath. "Helped you? He's a walking embarrassment. He should be grateful we let him stay in our house. Now he's out picking fights with CEOs?"
"I didn't ask him to come."
"But you didn't stop him either, did you?"
Wu Yuting fell silent. She didn't know what to say—because deep down, she hadn't wanted him to stop.
Zhao Ailin pulled out a compact mirror and fixed her lipstick. "That man's going to ruin you. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Just then, her phone rang.
She answered with her usual sharp tone. "Yes? Who is—what?!"
Wu Yuting turned, brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"
Zhao Ailin stood abruptly, her voice trembling. "The hospital—downstairs—the ER… They just called. A woman was brought in unconscious. They say her ID had your name on it."
Wu Yuting's heart stopped. "What?"
"They said she collapsed near the Westwood intersection. She was hit by a car. They found one of your old business cards. The nurse thought it might be you."
"That's impossible. I'm right here."
"I know, I told them that, but something's not right. Let's go. Now!"
—
The emergency wing was chaotic.
A nurse was shouting for more gauze in one room. A middle-aged man argued with a receptionist about his mother's prescriptions. The smell of disinfectant and worry hung in the air.
Zhao Ailin marched up to the nurse's desk. "We're looking for a young woman brought in earlier—name on the card said Wu Yuting. My daughter is right here, so obviously it's a mistake."
The nurse looked up. She appeared tired. "She's still in surgery. Head trauma. Lost a lot of blood. No wallet or phone, just a business card. We were trying to identify her."
Wu Yuting stepped closer. "Did she say anything? Before surgery?"
The nurse hesitated. "Barely. She was slipping in and out, but I heard her whisper a name… 'Haoran,' I think. That mean anything to you?"
Zhao Ailin turned slowly to her daughter, eyes narrowing.
Wu Yuting's stomach twisted. "Xu Haoran..."
Her mother hissed, "You better call him. Now."
Wu Yuting took out her phone with trembling fingers and dialed.
—
Xu Haoran was at a quiet noodle shop near the riverside. It was one of the few places he could think clearly—no yelling, no judgment, just warm broth and silence.
His phone vibrated.
Wu Yuting.
He answered immediately.
"I need you to come to the hospital. Right now," she said.
He heard the tightness in her voice. No explanation. No emotion. Just urgency.
"I'm on my way."
—
When he arrived at Cloudbridge Central, the atmosphere was tense. Nurses came and went. Someone was crying near the vending machines. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
Wu Yuting was sitting alone on a bench outside the ER, her mother pacing nearby.
The moment Zhao Ailin saw him, she marched over.
"You! What the hell have you dragged us into now?"
Xu Haoran stopped. "I don't follow."
"A woman—pretending to be my daughter—got hit by a car. She had Yuting's name on her. And she whispered your name."
Xu Haoran's brows furrowed.
"What?" he asked.
"Don't play dumb. Don't act like this has nothing to do with you!" Zhao Ailin's voice cracked. "She might die in there. If someone's trying to hurt my daughter, it's because of you."
"Mother, enough!" Wu Yuting snapped.
Zhao Ailin wheeled on her. "You're defending him now? After everything?"
Wu Yuting looked up at Xu Haoran, voice quieter. "Tell me honestly. Do you think… this was meant for me?"
He met her gaze. "Yes."
Her breath caught.
"Then who is she?"
Xu Haoran lowered his voice. "I don't know. But if she said my name, it means she was trying to send a warning… or protect you in my place."
Zhao Ailin stared at him, her face full of disbelief and fear. "What have you done, Xu Haoran?"
But he didn't answer.
Because the truth was already rising like a tide in his chest.
This wasn't a random accident.
This was just the beginning.