Chapter 15: The Savior

A wave of immense exhaustion surged over him in an instant. A song had completely shattered the fragile shell of newfound wealth, leaving Zhuang Chen at a loss, bewildered and adrift. Su Yun, watching the unfocused look in his eyes, finally became certain that the resonance she felt was not an illusion. For reasons she couldn’t explain, it seemed as if this young man had endured even more hardship and tribulation than she had.

“You…” She hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, “Are you all right?”

Zhuang Chen let out a long breath, slowly opened his eyes, straightened up, and looked at Su Yun seriously. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“I…” Su Yun opened her mouth, but found it difficult to speak. Gritting her teeth, she picked up her glass and drained it in one go, then said quietly, “My father needs emergency surgery. We need a hundred thousand. I…”

Her gaze suddenly locked onto Zhuang Chen. Her teeth bit down hard on her lower lip, her hands clenched tight, as if she was mustering all the strength in her body for something monumental.

Suddenly, she blurted out, “A hundred thousand—just give me a hundred thousand, and I’ll stay with you for a month!”

After speaking, she fixed her burning gaze on Zhuang Chen’s every move. All the strength seemed to drain from her body in an instant, her heart pounding so hard it felt as if it would leap from her chest. Each second was torture.

Zhuang Chen took a deep breath. A difficult upbringing had sharpened not only his taste and sense of smell, but also given him a sensitive heart. As expected, the issue was money.

“I…” Su Yun, seeing his silence, bit her lip and forced herself to endure the immense shame. For her father’s sake, she tried again, “Just a hundred thousand. I’ll do anything you want…”

With that, she nearly collapsed on the couch, a strange lightness suddenly washing over her heart, as if a voice inside whispered: You’ve done all you can. Let it go…

Just as she was about to give up, a steady voice rang out, as melodious as a choir of angels: “Give me your account number.”

“You’re really willing to help me?” Su Yun, as if grasping a lifeline, seized Zhuang Chen’s hand anxiously. “Is it true?”

Zhuang Chen pulled out his phone and waved it in front of her. “The account number,” he said calmly.

“Industrial and Commercial Bank, 6543377287433746, Su Yun!”

She stared at Zhuang Chen, not daring to blink, until she heard the phone notification and saw the message with her own eyes. Only then did she finally relax, unable to stop the quiet sobs that escaped her.

Zhuang Chen put away his phone without a word, poured himself another glass of red wine, and leaned back on the sofa, lost in thought.

“Thank you so much!” Su Yun, regaining her composure, hurriedly dabbed her tears away with a tissue, straightened her clothes, and stood up lightly. She moved to sit beside Zhuang Chen, gradually reaching out her hand to cling to his side.

Zhuang Chen was taken aback; he could feel the girl’s stiffness. He couldn’t help but laugh quietly, patting her arm and saying gently, “Sing a few more songs for me.”

Su Yun looked up at him, at a loss. She saw that the man had closed his eyes and was leaning against the sofa, so she could only get up, choose more songs, and turn down the lights and volume.

The music grew clearly lighter and more cheerful, but Su Yun was absent-minded, making frequent mistakes with the lyrics. She glanced at the man, but seeing no reaction, she repeatedly tried to convince herself.

A hundred thousand is enough to save Dad’s life—what more do you want?

Compared to those lecherous scoundrels she usually encountered, this was the first time someone had stepped up at a first meeting—isn’t that enough?

Besides... he’s not bad-looking, and he has a good figure. Even if she gave herself to him…

Song after song slipped by. Zhuang Chen said nothing further; he drank alone, and Su Yun did not dare to stop singing. The atmosphere was unbearably awkward.

“Let’s go!”

Zhuang Chen finally stood up, having finished a whole bottle of red wine by himself. Su Yun’s heart jolted, and she hurried over to steady him. Xia Hu ran off to get the car, while Xia Long settled the bill with the staff.

The four of them walked out and got into the Bentley. Su Yun was extremely nervous, not daring to ask any questions. Zhuang Chen seemed to recall something and asked, “Where do you live?”

Su Yun quickly gave an address, and the car glided off into the night. Zhuang Chen stared out the window in silence. The atmosphere once again became awkward.

When the car stopped in front of a residential complex, Su Yun had opened her mouth several times on the way, wanting to speak. Now, at last, she gathered her courage and begged quietly, “Could we go to a hotel instead? I share an apartment with a friend. Please, I’m begging you!”

Zhuang Chen was startled, as if reminded of something. Seeing her pleading, kitten-like expression, he said helplessly, “Get out. Go home and rest early.”

“This…” Su Yun was stunned, her rosy lips parted in disbelief, her beautiful eyes fixed on his face.

Zhuang Chen frowned and said in a low voice, “Do you need me to walk you upstairs?”

“No... no!” Su Yun finally realized he wasn’t joking. She fumbled for words, flustered and anxious. “I’m sorry... That’s not what I meant... I just didn’t expect…”

Zhuang Chen waved her off, saying nothing more. Su Yun was about to get out, but then turned back, took out her phone, and said seriously, “Please give me your contact information. Consider the money a loan, and I meant what I said before. Anytime, if you ever…”

“No need.” Zhuang Chen turned to face her, his voice calm. “We’re all just trying to get by. Let’s call it fate.”

“No!” The girl suddenly grew agitated. Xia Long tensed, anxious that something might happen. Su Yun’s breath came fast. “A hundred thousand might be nothing to you, but to my family, it’s a lifesaver!”

“Even if you don’t want anything from me, at least give me a chance to pay you back. I… I’m not that kind of girl… If it wasn’t for…”

Her eyes reddened with tears on the verge of falling, making Zhuang Chen feel somewhat embarrassed. He could only say, “Don’t cry, that’s not what I meant... All right, we’ll exchange numbers.”

In the end, he left her his phone number and WeChat. Su Yun wiped her tears, pushed open the door, and after taking a few steps, turned back and said earnestly, “I’ll return home tomorrow to care for my father. I’ll send you regular updates to prove I’m telling the truth.”

“As soon as he’s discharged, I’ll return to the capital and contact you immediately. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t disappear!”

Without waiting for Zhuang Chen’s reply, she turned and ran off. Zhuang Chen looked gloomily at Xia Long and said helplessly, “Let’s go back to the State Guesthouse.”

He had just wanted to relax and enjoy a taste of the city’s glittering nightlife, but things had turned out quite differently…

Watching his young boss’s dejected face, Xia Long felt a trace of warmth in his heart and couldn’t help but tease, “It’s not too late to regret it, you know.”

“Get lost!” Zhuang Chen shot him a glare and laughed, scolding, “Who could take advantage of a girl in that situation?”

He stretched languidly, leaned back into the leather seat, turned on the automatic massage, and sighed contentedly, “We are all wanderers, fallen to this world. Why should strangers not lend a hand?”

Xia Long allowed himself a faint smile. Having survived countless brushes with death, he liked to think he had developed a keen sense for reading people. Yet, when it came to his young employer, he found himself unable to see through him at all.