Chapter 8: The Boy’s Fear of Gain and Loss

Crash?!

Inside the silver-gray sedan, three young people exchanged glances, their faces pale with shock.

None of them moved.

Especially the driver.

His face was as white as a sheet.

Beads of sweat, the size of soybeans, rolled down his forehead as he trembled and stammered,
“W-Wei… Wei-ge… W-What do we do?”

“What do we do? Get out and check the situation first!”

Li Mingwei barked in a low voice, taking a deep breath. He then turned to the girl in the passenger seat, whose face had lost all color, and instructed,
“Yao Yao! Call your dad right now. Tell him we hit someone and ask him to handle it.”

“O-Okay! Right, right!”

As she spoke, Yao Yao instinctively reached into her bag.

But her hands were shaking too much.

Just as she pulled out her sleek, silver phone—thud—it slipped from her grip and landed on the seat beside her.

Seeing this, Li Mingwei didn’t say much. He quickly got out of the car and hurried to the front.

The moment he reached the front of the car—

He saw a girl sitting weakly on the ground.

She didn’t seem too badly hurt.

A quick scan of the girl made Li Mingwei breathe a small sigh of relief.

Then, remembering his manners, he stepped forward and asked,
“Hey, are you okay?”

However, the next second—

The moment the girl heard his voice and looked up—

Li Mingwei felt as if his heart had been struck by a sledgehammer.

Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her bare face, untouched by makeup, was stunning—delicate features, clear eyes, a dainty nose, soft cherry lips.

And those eyes—

Though lacking spirit, they were as clear as water, sending ripples through his heart.

Paired with her frightened, pale expression—

In that moment, a line of poetry surfaced in Li Mingwei’s mind:

“Her beauty, laced with sorrow, weak yet enchanting.”

But then—

The girl, who had just been sitting dazed on the ground—

Suddenly sprang up and threw a punch straight at Li Mingwei’s chest.

“How the hell were you driving—ow!!”

Jiang Ning yelped in pain. A sharp, stabbing sensation shot through her ankle, making her lose her balance again.

She tumbled down once more—

But this time, she managed to brace herself with her hands, sparing her backside from further injury.

Jiang Ning quickly pulled up her pant leg.

One glance and she saw the swollen, reddened area on her delicate ankle.

The pain was unbearable.

Hiss…

The throbbing was so intense that Jiang Ning momentarily lost the ability to speak.

She clenched her teeth, shut her eyes, and focused on deep breaths to endure the pain.

But then, that infuriating voice spoke up again.

“You, uh… are you really okay?”

“Do—I—look—okay—to—you?!”

Jiang Ning ground out each word through clenched teeth, glaring up at him.

Li Mingwei could clearly sense her rage.

Ignoring the harsh tone, he opened his mouth to say something else—

But the moment he looked at her face again, with its delicate, angry flush—

He found himself mesmerized all over again…

At that moment—

The driver, Hu Gugu, finally shook off his nervous daze and rushed over.

But when he saw the girl they had hit—

Such a delicate and beautiful young woman—

He was stunned into silence.

Luckily, Yao Yao arrived in time to break the awkwardness.

“I called my dad. He’s on his way.”

She then turned to Li Mingwei and asked,
“Mingwei, how bad is it? Should we take her to the hospital?”

Hospital?

Yes, the hospital!

Seeing the pain on the girl’s face, Li Mingwei felt his heart tighten for the first time.

“Yes, of course! Miss, let us take you to the hospital!”

He reached out, wanting to help her up—

But Jiang Ning immediately raised a hand to stop him.

“Wait!!”

“I—I’m not going to the hospital!”

She still remembered the nearly two thousand yuan in her backpack.

If she went to the hospital, they would definitely notify her family.

And if her mom found out—forget the money, she might not even be able to continue her stuffed toy business.

But what she didn’t expect was that—

Her refusal made the boy in front of her more anxious than she was.

“No way! You’re injured! You have to go to the hospital!”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning frowned and studied the boy suspiciously.

Then, when she noticed the growing number of onlookers, she panicked.

This place was only two streets away from her house.

If a familiar face saw her and told her mother, she’d be screwed!

Clenching her teeth, Jiang Ning reluctantly gave in.

“Fine, I’ll go—but you cannot call my mom!”

Li Mingwei instantly agreed.

He reached out again to help her up—

But she slapped his hand away.

At that moment, Yao Yao stepped in to assist, finally getting Jiang Ning on her feet and guiding her toward the car.

“My bike…”

“Oh, don’t worry.”

Hu Gugu effortlessly lifted the pink women’s bicycle and tossed it into the trunk.

Then, the group got into the car.

Hu Gugu took the wheel again—he was the only one with a license, after all.

Li Mingwei opened the back door, intending to sit beside Jiang Ning—

But Yao Yao beat him to it, taking the seat next to her.

Only then did Li Mingwei realize how impulsive his actions had been.

Exhaling deeply, he settled into the front passenger seat.

As the car started moving toward the nearest hospital—

Li Mingwei could hear Yao Yao softly comforting Jiang Ning in the back.

He wanted to turn around and say something too—

But each time he caught a glimpse of Jiang Ning’s pale face in the rearview mirror, guilt filled his chest.

If only he hadn’t gone out with Hu Gugu to practice driving today…

But then again, if he hadn’t—he wouldn’t have met her.

Slowly—

For the first time, the young man experienced a feeling known as fear of gain and loss.

Hu Gugu, being his best friend, picked up on his mood.

He glanced at the sickly beauty in the backseat, then smirked.

Heh… Is the iron tree finally blooming?

…

Half an hour later—

When Jiang Ning emerged from the hospital, she was limping.

“Jiang Ning, let us take you home.”

“Yeah, you can’t ride in this condition…”

“No need.”

Clearly in a foul mood, Jiang Ning refused the two young masters’ offer.

“It’s just a sprained ankle, not a broken leg.”

She then gave them a curt warning,
“Drive carefully next time.”

With that, she straddled her bicycle, her injured leg dangling slightly, and rode away.

Watching her fading figure, Li Mingwei found himself dazed again.

Just then—

While Yao Yao was handling some follow-up matters—

Hu Gugu leaned in and teased,

“Li-gongzi, you smitten?”

Li Mingwei remained silent, still watching the direction Jiang Ning had disappeared in.

His unspoken reaction made Hu Gugu chuckle.

His laugh was obnoxiously smug.

Li Mingwei immediately prepared to punch him.

But then—Hu Gugu arched a brow and smirked.

“What? Don’t you wanna know more about her?”

“For example… which school she goes to?”

(End of Chapter)