Chapter 17
This is my 120th day here.
After the rainstorm, as dawn broke, the ground was only slightly damp, with no standing water.
Fang Xiaoyu was driving, her hands on the steering wheel and her eyes fixed on the road ahead. There were signs of repair on the rear right door of the car.
Her abrasions had healed completely, and her arm was long gone. She was just forced to rest for a few more days before she could get back behind the wheel.
Three hours later, Su Ming checked the time and reminded him, "We can rest now. If we keep driving, we won't be able to drive this afternoon because we've exceeded the fuel limit."
Fang Xiaoyu didn't react when she heard "rest," but nodded when she heard "oil level": "Okay—wait, there's someone behind us."
A slightly worn MPV was chasing behind, and the driver was waving: "Help! Help!"
Fang Xiaoyu didn't brake immediately, nor did she slow down. Instead, she was prepared to accelerate at any moment and change lanes, saying, "Wait a minute."
Su Ming looked back and said, "Someone in the passenger seat is injured, bleeding from the head, and seems to be unconscious."
Upon closer inspection, they observed: "The vehicle model is better than ours, and it carries a lot of supplies. The back is full of boxes, not empty ones."
Then he concluded: "It must be a genuine cry for help."
Fang Xiaoyu released the accelerator and waited until the distance between the two cars closed before carefully examining them. She agreed with his statement, turned on her hazard lights, and pulled over to the side of the road.
The MPV quickly approached and stopped less than a meter away.
Fang Xiaoyu saw this in the rearview mirror and frowned slightly.
Having spent so much time on the highway, it had been a long time since I'd come this close to an unfamiliar vehicle, and I felt instinctively uncomfortable. But in the past, this kind of stopping was normal, and being closer also helped save time for rescue, since a head injury patient is generally not easy to move around freely.
She convinced herself to ignore the slight discomfort and got out of the car a step later than Su Ming.
Su Ming got out of the car carrying a small box containing first aid medicines and equipment such as anti-inflammatory and hemostatic drugs, and quickly walked to the passenger side of the MPV.
The MPV driver had just parked the car when he saw his behavior and was somewhat surprised: "Doctor?"
Su Ming pulled on the door, but couldn't open it, indicating that the lock was still on, and replied, "Yes." Medical students are also aspiring doctors.
The MPV driver was pleasantly surprised, smiled apologetically, unlocked the passenger door, stood up and reached for the door, but couldn't reach it.
Without waiting for him, Su Ming opened the car door and bent down to examine the unconscious man.
Fang Xiaoyu got out of the car, and the MPV driver also got out of the driver's seat and nodded shyly to her.
Su Ming pried open the eyelids and examined the wound: "Huh, where's the wound? And this blood..."
Before he could finish speaking, the seemingly unconscious man suddenly opened his eyes, gave a strange smile, and swung a wrench from under the chair toward Su Ming's head.
Su Ming sensed something was wrong and instinctively turned his head, but he couldn't dodge in time and was still grazed on the forehead by the wrench. Blood flowed down and soaked into the corner of his eye, which looked rather frightening.
Seeing that one attack wasn't enough, the man pretending to be unconscious waved his left arm as if to finish the job, while simultaneously preparing to grab the man with his right hand.
Su Ming had already retreated alertly, leaving his attack range, and shouted, "Sister Xiaoyu!" Before he could even say the words "Run!", he saw Fang Xiaoyu's head being slammed against the hood of the MPV behind her, her hands being twisted behind her back, and the pepper spray falling to the ground and being kicked under the car.
The MPV driver grinned maliciously: "Brother, hurry up and take care of that guy."
Fang Xiaoyu's face was pressed against the hood of the car, and she groaned from the heat. The hand pressing down on her from behind did not loosen its grip at all. Fearing that someone might actually die, she quickly said, "Don't hurt anyone! You can take everything!"
Su Ming had already retreated to a safe distance, holding the first-aid kit in front of him. He went around to the back of the car to prevent the other party from getting close, and said, "Let her go. The things are all in the car. As long as no one is hurt, we can talk about anything."
Tank top guy: "Bro, you say it."
MPV driver: "Go check what's inside the car first. I'll keep an eye on things here." After saying that, his subordinate pushed hard again, signaling Su Ming not to try to get closer.
Fang Xiaoyu's face was pressed against the car hood, so she couldn't be seen.
I heard heavy footsteps, the sound of doors opening, the sound of someone climbing on the roof of the car, the rustling sound of rummaging around, and the sound of the trunk opening.
The man in the vest exclaimed in surprise, "They have so many things, and they even have tow ropes!"
The MPV driver calmly said, "Don't rush, take out the tow rope first."
The man in the vest happily took out a tow rope and tied the two cars together, one in front of the other: "All done!"
The MPV driver then directed: "Hey kid, if you don't want your wife to get hurt, turn back. I didn't say you can't stop. Crouch down against the wall, don't try anything funny."
Holding the "medical kit," Su Ming followed instructions and squatted down in a corner about 200 meters away from them.
The MPV driver loosened his grip: "You go over there too!"
Fang Xiaoyu straightened up, revealing her face with small blisters from the burn, which startled the man in the vest: "It's so serious, your face was perfectly fine before."
She pretended not to hear, and as soon as she was released, she immediately moved away from them.
Just as he was about to start running, the MPV driver snapped, "Slow down!"
Fang Xiaoyu walked back slowly with a dark expression.
The MPV driver estimated that they would have enough time to leave easily, so he said to his brother, "Keep an eye on things. I'll drive the one in front, and you ride in this one. Everything's been arranged in advance."
The man in the vest watched Fang Xiaoyu's retreating figure and thought he was whispering something in her ear, but she heard him clearly even though they hadn't gone far: "Why don't we take her with us?"
The MPV driver didn't understand: "A doctor? He might be somewhat useful, but we've already made enemies. Forget it, we'll deal with him when we meet another one."
The man in the vest tugged at the MPV driver and whispered, "Take that woman with you, we can..."
The MPV driver immediately understood: "You'd actually be interested in disfigurement?"
The man in the vest said, "But she's young. Look at her tender skin. She looks the same even when it's dark."
The MPV driver rolled his eyes but didn't object.
The man in the vest smugly shouted at Fang Xiaoyu, "Stop, come here!"
Fang Xiaoyu sensed something was wrong and rushed forward.
Seeing that things were not going well, Su Ming pulled out a small knife from the "medical kit" and got up to approach her.
The MPV driver clicked his tongue, stood in the trunk, pulled out a gas can and a lighter: "Stay there, don't come any closer."
Su Ming was stunned, not out of fear, but because he had never seen anyone so foolish. Wouldn't they be even closer if they were really blown up?
But the other party didn't seem to think there was anything wrong at all.
The people here all seem to have some kind of mental illness, and his teammate is one of them.
The man in the vest quickly caught up with Fang Xiaoyu, grinning maliciously as he tried to grab her. However, he tackled her to the ground, and as soon as her soft body was in his arms, his mind immediately wandered. He took the opportunity to grope her a couple of times and subdue her at the same time.
The MPV driver rolled his eyes so hard they almost flew to the sky, but his hands remained steady as he kept his eyes fixed on Su Ming: "Brother, hurry up."
Fang Xiaoyu struggled desperately, biting and kicking, almost hitting the other person, but the other person took the opportunity to pry her legs apart.
If the ground hadn't burned the man in the vest's hand, causing him to loosen his grip, she probably would have already made contact.
Su Mingchao roared at the MPV driver, "Go ahead and blow it up if you dare!" Then he pounced on the man in the vest and started wrestling with him.
The MPV driver was just bluffing; he didn't dare actually start the engine. He put away the lighter and prepared to go forward to help his brother.
Fang Xiaoyu snatched the wrench that Su Ming had kicked away from the man in the vest and stopped him halfway.
Although Su Ming was still a student, he regularly exercised and was very familiar with human anatomy, which was far superior to the man in the vest who only had brute strength. In addition, he had a knife in hand and quickly stabbed more than twenty holes in the man's body.
If he hadn't been unwilling to take lives, it would have been two against one by now.
The MPV driver tried to subdue Fang Xiaoyu again, but she was prepared and difficult to deal with, making it impossible for him to get close. He also sustained new injuries.
Hearing his brother scream in agony as he was stabbed, and seeing his clothes stained red, the MPV driver finally raised his hands, his eyes red, and shouted, "Stop! Stop! Move the car and let my brother go!"
Their expressions made it seem as if Fang Xiaoyu and Su Ming were the villains.
Su Ming knocked the man down, then got up, panting. Fang Xiaoyu stepped in front of him, holding a wrench warily.
The man in the vest lay on the ground, his breath faint.
The driver gritted his teeth: "If he dies, none of us will survive."
Su Ming said irritably, "Don't underestimate medical students. Every cut is not fatal; it's just scary to look at."
The driver crouched down to examine him and found it to be as he had described. However, lacking medical knowledge, he looked up and pleaded, "Save him! I'll let you go."
Fang Xiaoyu's eyes were slightly red, and she still felt nauseous. She wanted to tear the person to pieces, but she couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart.
Su Ming saw through her thoughts, raised his face, pointed to the first-aid kit on the ground in the distance and said, "You should thank us for having a bottom line. There are hemostatic bandages and antibiotics inside. Whether he lives or dies depends on his own luck."
As he spoke, he waited until Fang Xiaoyu had safely backed into the car before following her.
Fang Xiaoyu kept a close eye on the rearview mirror. After the other person got in, she locked the car door, stepped on the gas, and drove off, leaving the two of them far behind before disappearing from sight.
After giving himself a quick first aid and bandaging in front of the mirror, Su Ming remained quiet for a while. He seemed restless, as if there were nails in his seat. He glanced at Fang Xiaoyu, then looked at her again.
Fang Xiaoyu was in a bad mood and said coldly, "Speak your mind."
Su Ming said cautiously, "Let me treat your wound."
Fang Xiaoyu: ...I almost forgot, my face still hurts.
With no one around, she stopped the car.
Su Ming quickly treated the wound, applying ointment. After a long silence, he said with some guilt, "It might leave a scar."
Fang Xiaoyu felt a bit more comfortable with the cool sensation on her wound, and her mood improved: "I don't mind."
Su Ming pursed his lips: "I'll try to make the scars fade a bit. If I happen to get back someday, I'll cover your skin treatment and maintenance."
Fang Xiaoyu: ? ?
Su Ming felt guilty: "If I hadn't made a mistake in judgment, this wouldn't have happened..." He stopped abruptly.
It wasn't because he was afraid to bring up the follow-up, but because he was acutely aware that if he said that, Fang Xiaoyu would definitely say it was okay and not his fault. This kind of moral blackmail, where the victim had to forgive him, made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Fang Xiaoyu really didn't care, and didn't even think he had any problem: "I'm the one who puts the brakes on, and I'm the one who makes the final decision. You can't be blamed."
Su Ming felt even more awkward, which manifested in him constantly shifting his position in the seat.
Fang Xiaoyu didn't want her teammates to remain awkward, so she changed the subject: "What you said earlier is true? You have connections in the industry?"
Su Ming stopped his wild thoughts and said, "Of course it's true. My classmate's aunt owns a chain of beauty salons, which are quite well-known in China. She said she'd give me a discount if I went there."
Fang Xiaoyu readily agreed, "Then you'll have to work hard to earn money for my beauty treatments from now on."
Su Ming flashed a bright white smile: "I'll write it down for you right now, in black and white, I promise I won't renege on my promise."
He turned around, found the notebook he had given her before, flipped to the last page, wrote down the promise word by word, signed his name, and carefully handed it back. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Fang Xiaoyu casually stuffed the laptop into the storage compartment under the center console and said, "You can drive the car in the back."
Su Ming was startled. He turned around and saw that it was true; there was an MPV being towed away behind them.
He belatedly realized, "We've been robbed instead?"
Fang Xiaoyu chuckled coldly, recalling the disgusting scene, and, enduring her stomach discomfort, said, "Now you have a car too."
Su Ming's eyes lit up, but then he thought about how expensive and spacious the car behind looked, and he hesitated before saying, "Why don't you drive that one and I'll drive this one?"
Fang Xiaoyu looked disgusted: "No."
After putting himself in Su Ming's shoes, he understood and happily accepted the new car, then eagerly went to check the contents.
"Wow--"
"oh--"
"I'm rich!"
Su Ming returned slightly sweaty: "The car is big, there's a lot of stuff, and there's plenty of fuel. I don't understand why they would steal from someone else."
Fang Xiaoyu was silent for a moment, then said, "Maybe that car was stolen too."
Upon hearing this, Su Ming also recalled the blood on the man's head in the vest.
It's been a long time, so it's not his; it must have been smeared with someone else's blood.
Was it on an innocent passerby who was robbed, or on the MPV...the actual owner?
I dare not think about it too much.
Su Ming, who was initially excited about the unexpected gain, fell silent for a moment: "I have some regrets."
But he didn't say what he was regretting.
Fang Xiaoyu didn't ask any questions, closed her eyes, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly.
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