Volume 1, Chapter 31: A Helping Hand in the Torrential Rain

Jiang Shuwei regained her composure, catching the mockery in his tone, though she remained indifferent.

"What’s dropping? Where are the eyeballs?" He Tingting, a little one who loved to be in the middle of everything, asked immediately.

"Someone’s," He Jingcheng replied, sounding extremely annoyed.

"And where is this 'someone'?" He Tingting immediately began looking around.

Jiang Shuwei, standing by, was amused by the little girl's earnestness.

After He Jingcheng dropped He Tingting off at home, she clung to Jiang Shuwei’s arm, refusing to let go. "Auntie, once you’re done with work, you must come back and play with me."

Jiang Shuwei gently stroked her small head and said softly, "Don’t worry, Auntie will."

"Then Auntie has to give me a kiss." He Tingting pursed her lips, acting spoiled.

Jiang Shuwei immediately planted a kiss on her cheek.

"And here, here, and here..." He Tingting pointed to her forehead, her little nose, her little mouth, and her little chin.

Jiang Shuwei was truly amused and had to kiss her in every spot before He Tingting finally let go.

He Jingcheng watched from the sidelines, his expression cold and gloomy. He thought that Jiang Shuwei’s methods for coaxing children were truly on par with the craftiness of her own heart.

"Auntie, I’ll miss you!" He Tingting shouted from inside the car as she rolled down the window.

He Jingcheng glared fiercely at Jiang Shuwei before telling the driver to pull away.

Jiang Shuwei’s mood turned somber. As she drove, she thought of the look He Jingcheng had given her, as if she were the most vicious woman alive. Her mother-in-law’s earnest, pleading eyes also clouded her thoughts; the older woman disliked Su Mian, did not want her entering the family, and hoped that she could improve her relationship with He Jingcheng—ideally by having a child.

"Bang..."

Distracted, Jiang Shuwei veered off, and her car crashed into the curb. Smoke began to rise from the hood, and her head slammed against the steering wheel, leaving her momentarily dazed.

"Damn it..." Jiang Shuwei cursed under her breath, tasting the consequences of losing focus behind the wheel.

Struggling to steady her shaken body, she kicked the door open and scrambled out.

The front headlight was shattered, half the hood was dented, and smoke was pouring out. She panicked—would it catch fire?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a spark actually flickered, and black smoke began to billow. Her pretty face turned pale with fright. She immediately opened the trunk to find a fire extinguisher, only to realize there wasn't one in the car. Her mind went blank.

"Miss Jiang, let me help you put it out." Just then, a black SUV pulled up alongside. Zhou Zirui stepped out, retrieved a fire extinguisher from his vehicle with a flourish, and within seconds, the black smoke vanished.

Jiang Shuwei, her forehead swollen and red, stepped forward to thank him. "Young Master Zhou? You’ve come out so soon? Didn't you just go in for a meal?"

Zhou Zirui smiled and explained, "No, we had already eaten. We just went over with Young Master Qin to pay our respects to Elder Qin."

Jiang Shuwei felt a momentary lapse in focus. She looked at her car and felt distressed; between the loans for her office expansion and now her only car being wrecked, she would have to spend money on taxis for the foreseeable future.

"Hurry and call the insurance company to come assess the damage," Zhou Zirui reminded her, noticing her distress.

"Thank you, I’ll call right now." Jiang Shuwei found the insurance company’s number and stood to the side, waiting.

As if by ill fate, the overcast sky chose that very moment to open up. It wasn't just a light sprinkle; rain began to fall like scattered beans, growing heavier by the second.

"If you don't mind, Miss Jiang, you can come into my car to hide from the rain," Zhou Zirui suggested with a smile.

"How could I impose? I'll just wait in my own car. I appreciate your kindness, Young Master Zhou, but you should go." Jiang Shuwei did not like owing people favors, so she remained very polite.

"Your car was smoking just now; aren't you worried it might explode?" Zhou Zirui tried to scare her.

Jiang Shuwei felt a chill run down her spine.

Zhou Zirui urged, "Hurry and get in; I'm not in a rush."

Jiang Shuwei wanted to look for an umbrella in her car, only to realize there wasn't one; today was clearly not her day to be out.

By now, her blouse was starting to get soaked. Zhou Zirui urged her again, "Get in quickly, don't catch a cold. You're dressed so thinly."

Jiang Shuwei had no choice but to offer a grateful nod, open the back door, and slide inside.

The rain intensified at that moment, drumming against the car windows and blurring the world outside. Just as Jiang Shuwei was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she realized someone else was sitting in the back seat—Qin Weizhou.

He had been resting with his eyes closed, but upon hearing someone enter, he turned his head to look at her.

He saw a woman with half-drenched clothes climb in. Her thin blouse was soaked through, becoming nearly translucent, clinging to her waist and outlining her shapely figure. She looked like a careless little deer that had stumbled into the human world from the forest, even her eyes looking damp.

Jiang Shuwei, unable to pull her gaze away in time, collided with his deep, dark eyes. She shivered, and when she looked ahead, she realized the privacy partition between the front and back seats was raised.

Zhou Zirui opened the partition and said to Qin Weizhou in the back, "Young Master Qin, please excuse the squeeze. Miss Jiang’s car broke down, and she has to wait for the insurance adjusters. It’s raining far too hard outside."

"It's fine," Qin Weizhou replied indifferently.

Zhou Zirui closed the partition again.

Jiang Shuwei held her breath for a long moment before greeting him with a smile, "Mr. Qin, what a coincidence. We meet again."

Qin Weizhou kept his eyes closed and said faintly, "Miss Jiang is truly a person of remarkable talent; so young, yet so daring and full of ideas."

Jiang Shuwei froze. Subconsciously, she reached for her forehead, only to gasp in pain at the touch. It was over—she had a massive bump on her forehead.

"You flatter me, Mr. Qin." She curled her fingers awkwardly, not daring to continue the conversation.

The atmosphere was stifling. Jiang Shuwei watched the rain outside, silently praying for it to stop; she didn't want to sit there with this cold, icy man.

But the heavens seemed not to hear her prayer, as the rain poured down even more fiercely.

The insurance adjusters arrived half an hour later. Zhou Zirui handed Jiang Shuwei an umbrella so she could go out and handle the situation.

Standing in the rain, Jiang Shuwei spoke loudly with the insurance agents. Finally, she handed over her car keys, and they told her she could pick up the car from the repair shop in a week.

Watching her beloved car being towed away, she felt both heartbroken and helpless.

"Miss Jiang, get in, let me give you a ride." Zhou Zirui was truly a warm-hearted person.

Jiang Shuwei wanted to decline, saying she could take a taxi. But remembering how he had waited with her for so long and lent her his umbrella, she felt that refusing his kindness would make her seem ungrateful. So, she climbed back into the back seat.

Qin Weizhou was still feigning sleep.

Zhou Zirui told the driver to start the car. They hadn't gone far before the car stopped. Zhou Zirui dashed out into the rain and ducked into a nearby shop.

Jiang Shuwei assumed he had errands to run and didn't dare ask.

When Zhou Zirui returned, he was carrying a bag of medicine. He opened the partition and tossed it over. "Miss Jiang, you should treat your forehead. It looks painful. Such a beautiful face—don't let it leave a scar."

Jiang Shuwei reached out to touch it lightly again, finding anti-swelling ointment and anti-inflammatory solution inside.

"Thank you." Jiang Shuwei truly didn't know how to express her gratitude.

She wanted to find a mirror to check the injury, but couldn't find one, so she reached for her phone.

"Let me help you." Just then, Qin Weizhou, sitting beside her, spoke up.