Chapter 31: Suddenly Feeling So Wronged When I See Him

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Suddenly Feeling So Wronged When I See Him

The woman scrambled out of the car and, without a word, lifted the e-bike off the girl.

With the e-bike out of the way, the injury on the girl’s leg was in plain sight.

The area on the outside of her knee was especially bad. Even through her stockings, it was clear that bright red blood was seeping out. The skin must have been broken. A patch of exposed skin just above the wound was also bright red.

It was already starting to swell at a visible rate, looking bruised and inflamed.

Against her naturally fair and delicate skin, the injury looked particularly nasty.

The middle-aged woman gasped. "Oh my, it’s that bad! I’m so, so sorry. Let me take you to the hospital."

The street was already crowded, and many people stopped in their tracks when they saw what happened.

"Miss, are you alright?"

"Yikes, she’s bleeding."

"You have to go to the hospital."

"What kind of driver are you!"

"Right? Didn’t you see this is a pedestrian path? That’s a traffic violation, you know? I’m calling the traffic police!"

The crowd chattered all at once.

The woman looked at the girl on the ground, whose face was ashen with pain, and said guiltily, "I didn’t mean to startle you, honestly. I was just in a huge rush to buy groceries. My kid has school, and I’m running late... I’m so, so sorry."

The girl sat up, hugging her slightly curled leg as she inspected the wound. The skin was definitely scraped.

The pain had drained the color from her small face, and a fine sheen of sweat covered her forehead and the bridge of her nose. She looked pitiful and vulnerable.

Fighting back the pain, she shook her head. "It’s fine. It’s just a little scrape."

"It’s bleeding and you’re saying it’s fine? You should call your family."

"Right, you can’t walk on that. Make her take you to the hospital. You don’t want to find out you’ve broken a bone."

The older onlookers urged her on enthusiastically.

The middle-aged woman also looked with concern at the young woman sitting on the concrete step. "Yes, yes, let’s go to the hospital first."

The girl shook her head, her glistening eyes full of sincerity. "Really, I’m okay. It was my fault for being too slow, and I’m not good at riding anyway. You should go get your groceries."

’She just honked her horn; she didn’t actually hit me. The fall was my own fault for being a bad rider.’

’Besides, everyone’s been lecturing this woman for ages. It wasn’t even her fault, but now it looks like I’m trying to pull an insurance scam. How could I possibly let her take me to the hospital?’

"Well, how about this... why don’t you call your family first? The e-bike took a tumble too. You definitely can’t ride it back by yourself," the middle-aged woman said, still worried.

At the mention of family, the girl’s thoughts immediately went to Xiao Ran.

’He told me not to ride it in the first place. I was the one who insisted I’d be fine. And now I’ve crashed. How could I possibly face him and ask for help?’

’If he finds out I crashed his e-bike, he’ll probably tease me about being hyperactive again.’

The girl sniffled, her voice stuffy.

"I’m really okay. You should go. I’ll just rest for a minute, and I can get back by myself."

At her words, the middle-aged woman glanced at her watch. "Okay, then. I’ll be on my way."

...

Ever since Xiao Ran found out Yan Xici had taken his e-bike to the university, he’d had a bad feeling.

’Anyway, I’ve already worked out the general outline with Liu Min. I should just head back and start writing.’

He looked at Liu Min across from him. "Sorry, Sister Liu, but something’s come up at home. If that’s all, I think I’ll head out."

Hearing this, Liu Min quickly said, "Let me give you a ride, then."

’Xiao Ran came all this way and not only gave me satisfying solutions for all the changes I wanted, but he even helped map out the entire concept. I was planning to ask him to dinner afterward, but I didn’t expect him to leave so soon.’

’It would be too rude not to at least give him a ride.’

"There’s no need, Sister Liu. I’ll just grab a cab."

"It’s no trouble at all. I insist. Besides, we can talk more about the plot on the way."

Since she’d put it that way, Xiao Ran felt it would be rude to refuse. "In that case, you can just drop me off at the entrance to Jiaotong University."

The two left the coffee shop and got into Liu Min’s car, heading toward Xiao Ran’s place.

Liu Min talked a lot during the drive, mostly introducing herself. As she spoke, Xiao Ran listened.

He didn’t pry or ask questions.

Fifteen minutes later, the car passed the market near the university. Xiao Ran glanced toward the crowded entrance, wondering if Yan Xici was there buying groceries or if she had already gone home.

The car drove on for another ten meters before getting stuck in a traffic jam.

It couldn’t be helped. The road near the market was always a nightmare to navigate; it was just too crowded.

Liu Min had no choice but to stop. Her eyes darted around, trying to see what was causing the holdup ahead.

As she looked, she spotted a small crowd gathered on the roadside not far ahead. "Looks like something’s going on over there," she commented casually.

Hearing that, Xiao Ran, who was already on edge, instinctively followed her gaze.

He didn’t expect that a single glance would reveal a girl in a sailor-style uniform sitting on the ground, her face contorted in pain. Though her lower legs were obscured by the roadside shrubbery, he could tell from her pained expression alone. ’She must have crashed!’

His brow furrowed. ’What did I tell her?’

’So damn stubborn!’

"Sister Liu, I’m sorry, I need to get out here."

He immediately moved to open the car door.

Liu Min quickly called out, "We’re not there yet! Why are you getting out here?"

"That’s my sister!"

???

Liu Min froze. ’What a coincidence,’ she thought. ’I just give him a ride home and we happen to run into his sister.’

With that thought, she also scrambled out of the car to follow him.

Just then, the girl placed her hands on the ground, body slightly hunched, and tried to stand up. But the moment she straightened her leg, she hissed in pain, sucking in a sharp breath.

Her body swayed, and an older woman standing nearby saw she was about to fall and quickly grabbed her to keep her steady.

"You’re such a stubborn child! It hurts me just to look at it. Hurry up and call your family."

"That’s right. You can’t get back on your own like this."

Xiao Ran pushed through the crowd and reached her in a few long strides, taking her from the older woman’s grasp as he spoke.

"What happened? How did you get hurt like this?"

Yan Xici froze. She snapped her head up, her eyes meeting his worried gaze.

"I... I..."

She quickly lowered her head, her face a mask of guilt and self-blame.

’Why is he here?’

’He’s going to be so mad I crashed his bike. I’m such an idiot!’

"Let me see. How bad is it? I told you to wait for me at the university, but you never listen!" Xiao Ran said, bending down slightly to examine her injury while his other hand steadied her by the arm.