Reborn not to be a beast of burden, I set the rules.

Ye Ming glanced at his phone; Li Yue's message was still lit up. Just as he was about to quicken his pace, Xu Wei suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

"Ugh, I'm hungry."

Ye Ming turned to look at her.

Xu Wei said matter-of-factly, "You've been shopping all afternoon, aren't you hungry? Let's eat first before going back."

Ye Ming was silent for a second.

"Is your senior pressuring you?" Xu Wei blinked, her tone slightly probing. "Is the project urgent?"

"It's alright." Ye Ming put his phone back in his pocket. "What do you want to eat?"

Xu Wei's eyes lit up, and she pointed ahead: "I saw that steamed bun shop just now."

The two entered the steamed bun shop. The shop was small, with five or six wooden tables and faded menus on the wall.

The proprietress, speaking with a local accent, invited them to sit down.

Xu Wei ordered two baskets of soup dumplings and two bowls of duck blood vermicelli soup.

Ye Ming said that was enough, but she insisted on adding another basket.

While waiting for their food, Xu Wei rested her chin on her hand and looked at him: "Do you usually eat this casually? Just grabbing a bite at the cafeteria?"

Ye Ming hummed in agreement.

"That won't do." Xu Wei frowned. "You can't not know how to enjoy good food."

Making money is the priority; enjoyment can wait.

The soup dumplings were served steaming hot. Xu Wei picked one up, gently bit into the skin, sipped the soup, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

"It's delicious!" she mumbled. "You should try it."

Ye Ming picked one up, dipped it in vinegar, and put it in his mouth.

Xu Wei stared at the way he chewed and suddenly laughed: "You eat so slowly, like a little old man."

Ye Ming swallowed, glancing at her indifferently: "Otherwise what?"

Having lived two lifetimes, how can I not get old?

Xu Wei smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said nothing more, focusing on eating.

Halfway through the meal, she suddenly asked, "When can we play that game?"

Ye Ming thought for a moment: "After National Day."

"Then let me know first." Xu Wei poked at the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks. "I'll be the first person outside the team to sign the agreement, I have special privileges."

Ye Ming lowered his eyes and picked up a soup dumpling.

The first one? I'm not drawing that pie.

After finishing his meal, Ye Ming went to pay the bill.

Xu Wei followed behind, her smile radiant.

Ye Ming paid the bill, then turned to look at her: "Let's go."

As I stepped out of the steamed bun shop, it was already dark, the streetlights had just come on, and the streets were gradually filling with people.

Xu Wei walked beside him and suddenly asked, "Shall we go back now?"

Ye Ming glanced at the time: 5:50.

"It's still early," he said. "Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"

Xu Wei paused for a moment, then smiled: "Huijing Library."

The two walked along the old street toward the Daxing Palace.

The road gets more lively as you go north, with small stalls along the roadside selling roasted sweet potatoes, sugar-roasted chestnuts, and small trinkets.

People hurrying home from get off work passed by, and bicycle bells rang incessantly.

Xu Wei walked beside him and suddenly asked, "Are you this boring with everyone?"

Ye Ming thought for a moment, but did not answer.

Xu Wei didn't press further and continued talking about her high school days.

They said they secretly listened to music during evening self-study, went shopping in Xinjiekou on the weekend, and had a fight with their best friend but then made up.

Ye Ming listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word.

The streetlights cast long shadows of the two people, one in front of the other, occasionally overlapping.

As Xu Wei was talking, she suddenly turned her head to look at him: "Hey, what were you like in high school? Were you this boring too?"

Ye Ming didn't say anything.

Xu Wei waited two seconds, then added, "So... are there any girls who like you?"

Ye Ming paused slightly.

Suddenly, an image flashed before my eyes: a girl with pigtails and two shallow dimples when she smiled.

She threw a letter into the trash can, and the letter fluttered down.

"You? You're just average-looking."

You need to have a full and accurate understanding of your attractiveness to the opposite sex.

If I take the initiative again, I'll be a dog!

"No," Ye Ming said expressionlessly, continuing to walk forward.

Xu Wei paused for a moment, then quickly followed.

She didn't ask any more questions.

But she saw that look in her eyes just now.

It's not indifference, it's something else entirely.

She suddenly regretted asking the question.

The two reached an intersection and were about to cross the road.

Suddenly, a rapid chain sound came from the side and behind.

Ye Ming caught a glimpse of a dark shadow out of the corner of his eye—a mountain bike—speeding out of the alleyway.

The rider hunched over, pedaling furiously, the mountain bike's rough tires jolting violently on the road.

The car was going too fast.

There was absolutely no intention to brake.

It charged straight at Xu Wei.

"Be careful!"

Without thinking, Ye Ming grabbed Xu Wei's waist and pulled her into his arms.

At the same time, she pushed off with her feet, turning around rapidly and using her back to face the oncoming mountain bike.

"Bang!"

The violent impact slammed into his back, making his vision go black.

The two lost their balance and fell to the ground.

As he hit the ground, Ye Ming braced himself against the earth.

He barely managed to absorb some of the impact with his arms, then used all his strength to pull Xu Wei tightly into his arms, making sure his back hit the ground.

"Bang!"

Another muffled sound.

His back slammed hard onto the road, his elbow hit the curb, and his knee was scraped.

But her chest felt soft.

Xu Wei was held tightly in his arms, lying on top of him, completely unharmed.

In that instant, two completely different sensations flooded my mind at the same time.

She was warm and soft in my arms, and through the thin fabric, I could clearly feel her heartbeat, fast and erratic.

A burning, dull pain shot through my back, like I'd been hit by a hammer, spreading from my shoulder blade to my waist.

He instinctively tightened his arms, protecting her even more closely.

Xu Wei was stunned.

A few seconds later, she reacted and suddenly looked up: "Ye Ming! You—"

Ye Ming's face turned pale, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't speak.

But he suddenly felt a sense of relief.

In that instant, he thought that if he hadn't been with her today, this reckless mountain bike might have knocked her down.

Where will she fall?

What if it hits the curb?

That bright and beautiful face, will it...?

He dared not think.

No need to think about it anymore.

He protected her.

My body ached, but my heart felt light and free, as if something had been lifted off my shoulders.

Xu Wei panicked and frantically tried to help him up: "How are you? Where are you hurt?"

Ye Ming took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady: "It's okay... Get up first."

Xu Wei then realized that she was still on top of him and quickly propped herself up.

In the midst of the chaos, I placed my palm on his chest and could feel his heartbeat through his clothes—fast and heavy.

Her face flushed, and she quickly moved her hand away.

Ye Ming slowly sat up, the dull pain in his back causing him to furrow his brow slightly.

Xu Wei squatted down next to him, looking at his pale face and the beads of blood seeping from his elbow, her eyes already red.

"Are you... are you in a lot of pain?"

Ye Ming didn't answer, he just looked at her.

The light from the streetlamp fell on that face, making his features even more distinct.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her eyelashes seemed to be damp with moisture. All her usual flamboyant energy was gone, leaving only panic and lingering fear.

Ye Ming suddenly spoke.

"Such a beautiful face—"

He paused.

Xu Wei was stunned for a moment, not knowing what he was going to say.

Ye Ming looked at her, his gaze and tone indifferent.

"It would be such a shame if it hit the curb."

The last few words were spoken softer and softer, as if the speaker were talking to himself.

Xu Wei was stunned.

She looked at him.

His face was expressionless, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

But that sentence...

"Such a beautiful face, it would be such a waste if it bumped into a curb."

Her heart skipped a beat.

After Ye Ming finished speaking, he paused for a moment.

He raised his hand, as if to touch her face, his fingers halfway out, hovering in mid-air.

Then he took it back.

Xu Wei stared at the hand he had pulled back, and a strange emotion welled up inside her.

Passersby quickly gathered around.

"Ouch! Someone's been hit! That car was going really fast!"

"What about the license plate? Who wrote it down?"

A middle-aged man shook his head: "That's a mountain bike, where would it have a license plate?"

A young woman nearby raised her phone: "I took a picture! Although I didn't get a clear picture of their faces, I did capture both the people and the car!"

The screen of her Nokia N86 was lit up, and the silhouette of the rider and the outline of the mountain bike in the photo were still relatively clear.

Xu Wei, supporting Ye Ming, watched this scene and felt a little more at ease.

A few minutes later, a patrol car with its lights flashing pulled up on the side of the road.

The car door opened, and an elderly police officer in his forties stepped out.

Ye Ming looked up and paused for a moment.

The old police officer was also stunned.

"It's you again?"

Ye Ming paused for a second: "Hello."

The old police officer walked over, looked him up and down, then glanced at Xu Wei beside him, then at the marks on the ground, and smiled.

"Was it you who saved that little girl on Zhujiang Road?"

Xu Wei blinked and looked at Ye Ming.

Ye Ming didn't say anything.

The older police officer crouched down to examine his injuries and nodded: "Saving someone again this time? You young man, you always seem to run into these kinds of troubles."

Ye Ming gave a faint "hmm".

The veteran police officer stood up and looked at the crowd: "Were there any eyewitnesses? Did anyone take any photos?"

The young woman quickly stepped forward: "I took pictures! Although I didn't get a clear picture of their faces, I did get pictures of the people and the car!"

She took out her phone and showed it to the older officer. He examined it carefully and nodded, "Okay, the photo is useful. This bike model is quite unique—black frame, white handlebar grips. Maybe we can match it up when we check the security footage."

He turned to Ye Ming: "There are surveillance cameras at several intersections around here. Let's check them later and see how far we can track them. These kinds of things can't be tracked far."

Ye Ming nodded: "Thank you for your help."

The older police officer asked a few more questions about the situation, noted down the time and place, and asked the young woman to leave her contact information.

"Go to the hospital to treat your wounds first," he told Ye Ming. "Contact me again if you hear anything later."

Ye Ming nodded: "Thank you."

The old police officer turned back to look at him one last time before leaving, and shook his head with a smile: "Watch where you're walking next time, don't keep bumping into cars."

Ye Ming didn't say anything. After the police car drove away, the surroundings gradually quieted down.

Xu Wei supported him, her palms were sweaty.

Looking at his pale profile, she suddenly wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

"It's okay, I can walk by myself."

Xu Wei didn't let go, and helped him walk towards the hospital.

In the hospital emergency room, a nurse asked Ye Ming to take off his shirt so she could check the injury on his back.

Ye Ming hesitated for a moment.

Xu Wei stood to the side, her face slightly flushed, but she did not look away.

Ye Ming took off his coat and shirt, revealing his back. A bruise spread from his shoulder blade to his waist, a shocking sight.

Xu Wei saw the bruise and clenched her fists around the hem of her clothes.