Chapter 7: Now, Can You Run Away?

When Xu Anhao returned to the hospital with the soft cakes purchased, her mother was leaning against the headboard waiting for her.

Noticing her long absence, Mother Xu asked with concern, “Why did it take so long?”

Suppressing the complexity in her heart, Xu Anhao smiled and handed over the soft cakes: “There was a long queue. Try it quickly, is it still the same taste as before?”

Her mother took a bite, the soft sweetness spreading, but suddenly sighed: “Anhao, it’s Mom who’s failed you.”

Xu Anhao was pouring warm water for her mother when she paused at these words. Turning around, she forced a smile:

“What are you talking about, Mom? What matters is your successful surgery. What happened in the past is over.”

She handed the water cup to her mother, tucking in the blanket corner for her,

“You always said these soft cakes were sweet. Now taste them, are they still the same as before?”

Her mother looked at her, throat choked with emotion, unable to speak.

When their identities were switched back, Xu Anhao was only twelve years old. Having just returned from the wealthy Shen family to their cramped rental apartment without even decent clothes, she had never complained once.

Over the years, watching her daughter work tirelessly to support the family, Mother Xu felt the pain in her heart:

“You’ve suffered so much. If only I weren’t so frail…”

“Mom!” Xu Anhao interrupted, gently patting her mother’s hand, “What matters now is that you’re well. That’s more important than anything. Eat quickly before the cakes get cold.”

She sat by the bedside, accompanying her mother as she finished the remaining soft cakes, then coaxed her into drinking half a cup of warm water.

Only when her mother’s eyelids grew heavy and she gradually fell asleep did Xu Anhao rise quietly and draw the hospital room curtains.

Stepping out of the ward, the disinfectant smell in the corridor seemed stronger than before.

Leaning against the cold wall, Xu Anhao pulled out her phone.

Of the five million she had just gathered, after deducting surgery and hospitalization fees, little remained.

She opened the calculator, fingertips tapping on the screen:

Her mother’s follow-up rehabilitation required monthly payments, the thousand-yuan rent couldn’t be delayed, there were living expenses for both, utility bills, and occasional medication costs…

The string of numbers added up like yellowing payment notices plastered densely across her heart, suffocating her.
Opening a part-time job app, her fingers quickly scrolled through the screen.

Waitstaff earning barely over ten yuan per hour, typists paid by character count…

These earnings were merely a drop in the bucket for their current financial whole.

Just as she was about to close the app, a newly posted part-time opportunity popped up with an eye-catching title.

“Urgent Hire 10,000 Yuan Payment Upon Completion.”

Xu Anhao’s finger froze, her heart skipping a beat.

Clicking in, the employer’s note listed “Miss Jiang” with only two requirements:

Find a man named You Rui, splash water in his face, and call him “scumbag.”

After half an hour of hesitation, she finally clicked “I Can Do This.”

Ten thousand yuan was enough to solve all their immediate urgent needs.

That evening, the “Cloud Summit Manor” appeared like a gilded dream materialized out of thin air.

Clutching the gold-embossed invitation, Xu Anhao’s sweaty palm nearly smudged the delicate patterns.

The lotus-pink strapless dress provided by her employer swayed in layers of tulle with each step, scattered light glinting off it, lending her naturally delicate features an unnatural softness and charm.

This was specially prepared by her employer, Miss Jiang, who said, “Dress decently to get close to the target.”

But Xu Anhao only felt utterly uncomfortable, her high-heeled feet as if treading on knife blades, every step radiating uneasy.

The central pool shimmered with a blue glow, the crystal lamp’s light fracturing on the water’s surface, dazzling to the eyes.

Men and women in swimwear laughed and played around the pool’s edge, the air sweet with the scent of champagne. Only she stood out like an outsider who had stumbled into a lavish theater.

Xu Anhao carefully skirted the pool’s perimeter, her gaze darting rapidly through the crowd as the employer’s photo flashed repeatedly in her mind.

Buzz cut, a mole on the left earlobe.

Finally, by the bar counter, the figure hugging a woman in a red swimsuit and chatting merrily caught her eye the small mole on his left earlobe glaringly conspicuous under the lights.

“You Rui!”

Xu Anhao’s voice was louder than she had intended, like a stone tossed into a noisy lake.

The surrounding chatter instantly ceased, several curious gazes turning in unison toward her.

You Rui turned his head, the remnants of a flirtatious smile still lingering on his face from his companion.
He froze momentarily at the sight of Xu Anhao, then frowned, his tone dripping with impatience: “Who the hell are you?”

Before he could react, Xu Anhao took a deep breath, almost squeezing her eyes shut as she sat out the words “You scumbag,”

while simultaneously raising her hand and splashing the opened bottle of mineral water at him.

The cold water trickled down You Rui’s jawline, soaking his shirt and clinging tightly to his skin, exposing his stunned and disheveled state for all to see.

A wave of suppressed sneakers rose around them, piercing his ears like needles.

“You’re fucking asking for it!”

You Rui’s face twisted instantly, rage surging through him.

He grabbed Xu Anhao’s wrist with a grip strong enough to crush her bones, his other hand swinging through the air with a whoosh, poised to strike her face.

Xu Anhao flinched and shut her eyes tightly, the sharp pain in her wrist making her tremble uncontrollably. Her mind went blank, leaving only one thought:

It’s over.

Just then, a sharp crash sounded from above.

A whiskey glass filled with amber liquid smashed violently at You Rui’s feet, shattering instantly and splashing liquor and shards of glass all over his trousers.

You Rui’s movement halted abruptly, his fury intensifying. He snapped his head up toward the second-floor balcony, cursing under his breath:

“Which blind fool…”

But halfway through his sentence, his voice choked off as if gripped by the throat, dying instantly.

In the shadows of the second floor, Lu Shiyan leaned against the railing, the collar of his black shirt casually unbuttoned, revealing the sharp lines of his collarbone.

His fingertips seemed to retain the arc of his earlier throw.

He didn’t even bother to look directly at You Rui, yet the invisible pressure radiating from him enveloped You Rui like a dense net.

It was Lu Shiyan!

That Lu Shiyan from the Lu family of the capital’s elite circle!

Everyone present knew he was the most formidable figure of his generation in the Lu family.

His methods were ruthless, his connections reached the highest echelons, spanning both political and business circles, with influence in both legitimate and underground realms.

He was like a true predator standing atop the pyramid, overlooking everything below, capable of turning clouds with one hand and rain with the other.

You Rui’s family background was utterly insignificant in his presence.

Even if the glass had hit him on the head instead of at his feet, he would have had to force a smile and say, “Master Lu, your aim is impressive, it felt refreshing.”

You Rui’s face instantly turned from flushed to deathly pale, his earlier arrogance vanishing without a trace.

He hastily released Xu Anhao’s hand, even taking half a step backward as he forced an ingratiating smile toward the second floor:

“L-Lu… Master Lu! I didn’t realize it was you up there. I acted impulsively and disturbed you…”

Xu Anhao rubbed her sore wrist while following You Rui’s gaze upward.

Though the lighting on the second floor was dim, she immediately recognized that silhouette.

The broad shoulders and narrow waist, the casually relaxed posture, and that face that still haunted her memories.

It was him!

Xu Anhao’s breath caught in her throat, her feet rooted to the spot.

She never imagined she’d encounter him again in such an embarrassing situation, and that he would be the one to rescue her.

Lu Shiyan’s gaze swept past the crowd, landing precisely on her face with a hint of amused mockery in his eyes.

Watching her frozen stance and panicked expression, the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.

To Xu Anhao, that smile seemed to hook into her very heart, making it tremble while draining all strength to flee.

The surrounding crowd had long fallen silent, even You Rui kept his head lowered, not daring to breathe loudly.

The terrace breeze ruffled Lu Shiyan’s shirt hem. Without another glance at You Rui, his gaze remained locked on Xu Anhao,

His eyes seemed to say:

Can you still run away?