The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

Meng Jiangyu had just finished a gathering with Xu Mingxuan and a few others.

As the car drove through the familiar streets, he glanced at the time; it was half an hour earlier than usual. Thinking that he might see that familiar figure sooner, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

But as the car turned the corner and approached the alley, the smile on his face froze instantly.

A bag, deformed from being smashed, lay scattered at the alley entrance, along with several other items that had rolled away—they were hers!

Meng Jiangyu's heart skipped a beat. He pushed open the car door and rushed into the alley, his movements so fast that the driver didn't even have time to react.

Then, he saw a scene that made his eyes widen in horror.

Shen Qingyao huddled in the snow, her face covered in wounds and blood still clinging to the corner of her mouth, looking like a discarded rag doll, lifeless.

Not far away, a man wore an arrogant smile.

"Jason!" Meng Jiangyu's voice was like ice, filled with earth-shattering rage.

Li Heng was startled. Turning around and seeing Meng Jiangyu's fierce face, he was so frightened that his legs went weak: "Mr. Meng? What are you doing here...?"

Meng Jiangyu ignored him, rushed to Shen Qingyao's side, and carefully picked her up.

Her body was as cold as ice, as light as a feather, and her breathing was so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

"Qingyao? Shen Qingyao!" His hand trembled as he reached for her breath. The skin his fingertips touched was icy cold. At that moment, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart, the pain making it hard to breathe.

He had never felt this way before. Even when facing turbulent times in the business world or numerous crises in his family, he remained calm and composed.

But at this moment, looking at the girl in his arms who was on the verge of death, he felt as if his whole world was collapsing.

"ah--!"

Li Heng's screams came from behind.

Meng Jiangyu didn't turn around, but coldly said to the bodyguard who followed him, "Kill him."

His voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it carried an undeniable killing intent.

The bodyguard obeyed and dragged the screaming and struggling Li Heng away from the alleyway.

Meng Jiangyu carefully held Shen Qingyao close, wrapping her cold body in his coat, his voice trembling more than ever before: "Qingyao, don't be afraid, I'll take you to the hospital, hang in there... hang in there..."

He carried her quickly out of the alley, gently placed her in the car, and used his body heat to warm her cold body.

The driver had already dialed the emergency number, and the car sped off like an arrow toward the nearest private hospital.

Inside the car, Meng Jiangyu held Shen Qingyao's cold hand tightly, looking at her pale face, the blood vessels in her eyes growing increasingly dense.

He whispered in her ear again and again, "Don't sleep, Qingyao, look at me... I'm here..."

But the girl in his arms only trembled her eyelashes; she still didn't wake up.

He never imagined that his meticulous protection would ultimately be a step too late.

This belated regret gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.

The car sped through the snowy night, the neon lights outside the window blurring into a blur of light and shadow.

Meng Jiangyu looked down at the lifeless girl in his arms, vowing in his heart again and again: Shen Qingyao, I will not let anything happen to you. Those who hurt you, I will make them pay a thousandfold.

At this moment, Shen Qingyao's consciousness floated in darkness. In the dim light, she seemed to hear an anxious yet familiar voice calling her name, carrying a power that inexplicably reassured her.

The car traced a sharp arc in the snow before finally coming to a steady stop in front of the private hospital's emergency room.

When Meng Jiangyu carried Shen Qingyao out of the car, the medical staff who were already waiting at the door immediately came to greet them and quickly pushed the emergency bed inside.

"The patient has severe hypothermia, multiple soft tissue contusions, and a possible intracranial hemorrhage!" the nurse shouted into the walkie-talkie while quickly recording vital signs. "Prepare for resuscitation!"

Meng Jiangyu watched as Shen Qingyao was wheeled into the emergency room, the heavy door clicking shut and shutting him out.

The pale light in the corridor shone on his face, revealing the deep red blood vessels in his eyes and the lingering chill.

He was still holding the coat that had been wrapped around Shen Qingyao. The snow water on it had melted and mixed with the warmth of either hers or his, giving it a bone-chilling cold.

Jason followed behind, barely daring to breathe.

He had never seen Meng Jiangyu like this before. The man who was usually so composed and unfazed even in the face of a collapsing mountain was now like a trapped beast on the verge of losing control, his fingertips trembling slightly, and the air pressure around him was so low it could freeze a person to death.

"What about Li Heng..." Jason asked cautiously.

"Let him live." Meng Jiangyu's voice was terribly hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "but let him know what it means to wish he were dead."

Jason's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly agreed.

He knew this was more frightening than simply "killing him."

Meng Jiangyu's revenge was never a quick and satisfying act, but rather a long and precise torment.

The lights in the emergency room stayed on for a long time, so long that Meng Jiangyu felt the whole world was shrouded in that blinding red light.

He leaned against the cold wall, motionless, his eyes fixed on the door, as if he could see through the door and into the room.

During this time, Lu Linchuan and Zhou Yanqiu made phone calls.

Meng Jiangyu didn't answer, but simply had Jason reply, "It's nothing."

He has no energy to deal with anyone right now; all his attention is focused on that fragile life in the emergency room.

After an unknown amount of time, the red light finally went out.

The doctor took off his mask and walked out wearily.

Meng Jiangyu immediately went to greet her, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "How is she?"

"Mr. Meng," the doctor adjusted his glasses, his tone grave, "the patient is temporarily out of danger, but she has lost too much blood and is still unconscious. There is minor intracranial bleeding, requiring hospitalization for observation. It's hard to say whether there will be any long-term effects. In addition, she has multiple bruises and soft tissue contusions, and a minor fracture in her left wrist, requiring proper rest."

Meng Jiangyu's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but the words "aftereffects" tightened his heart again.

He nodded: "Use the best medicine, the best care."

"Don't worry, we'll arrange it."

Shen Qingyao was transferred to a VIP ward. The ward was very warm, and the regular "beeping" of the medical equipment gave her pale face a faint glow.

Meng Jiangyu sat on the edge of the bed and gently held her hand, which was wrapped in gauze. Her hand was still very cold, and he warmed it with his palm, his movements as gentle as if he were cherishing a rare treasure.

He looked at the wounds on her face, the bruises around her eyes, and the dried blood at the corners of her mouth. Her once clear and bright eyes were tightly closed, and there seemed to be tear stains on her long eyelashes.

It felt like something was repeatedly crushing his chest, the pain making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

If he had ended the party earlier, if he had left half an hour earlier, could all of this have been avoided?

He always thought he could control everything and protect her in his own way, but he never imagined that his "carefully planned" schemes would be so vulnerable in the face of absolute malice.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened, the snow stopped, and sunlight shone through the glass, casting warm spots of light on the floor.

Meng Jiangyu stayed by the bedside, never leaving her side.

He instructed Jason to keep the news under wraps, especially from the Meng family.

Meng Jiangyu had someone go to the school to help her complete the procedures for returning home, and then used Shen Qingyao's phone to contact her family, telling them that there was something going on at school and that she would return after the New Year.

Fortunately, Shen Qingyao's family had no suspicions.