The gluttonous little boy is four and a half years old, and even the wealthy family kneels down and

After leaving the police station, Yun Ziang and Xiao Jin went straight back to the hotel.

Xiao Jin sat cross-legged on the hotel bed, stuffed the copper coin into the straw doll's belly, then pulled out a red thread and carefully sewed up the opening, tying a small knot.

"Okay."

She held the straw figure in both hands, brought it to her lips and recited a short incantation, blew on it, then held it up to the light and nodded in satisfaction. "Straw for bones, red thread for sinews, cinnabar for blood, birth date for soul, and metal for spirit—all five are complete."

Yun Ziang leaned closer to look. The palm-sized straw figure lay quietly in Xiao Jin's palm, sewn tightly with red thread, and a small arc of copper coins bulged out inside the straw.

This little thing had to shield him from death.

"I'll call Qiu An and ask him to come and pick it up." He picked up his phone.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

After listening, Qiu An only said, "I'll be at your hotel in half an hour," and then hung up.

Yun Ziang checked the time; it was almost 7 p.m., and his stomach growled at just the right moment.

He picked up his phone and ordered takeout, ordering several dishes that Xiao Jin liked, and also added a large glass of iced cola.

While waiting for the takeout, Yun Ziang turned on the TV for Xiao Jin and put on a movie. Xiao Jin sat on the edge of the bed and watched it with great interest.

Yun Ziang sat at the foot of the bed, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knees, his mind racing with thoughts of tomorrow.

A white tiger blocks the way, a perilous pass with a slim chance of survival.

Although he had always trusted Xiao Jin, he still felt a little uneasy when it came to actually facing her.

Just then, my phone rang; it was a food delivery order.

"Hello, your food delivery has arrived. May I ask which room number it is?"

"1708, bring it up here," Yun Ziang said before hanging up the phone.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Yun Ziang got up to open the door, muttering "pretty fast." When the door opened, it wasn't the delivery guy standing outside, but Qiu An.

Qiu An, wearing a black trench coat, shoved the takeout bag that Yun Ziang had just ordered into his arms.

Yun Ziang paused for a moment, looked down at the takeout in his hand, then looked up at Qiu An:

"Wait, why are you also delivering food on the side?"

"Enough nonsense." Qiu An walked past him into the room, her gaze landing directly on Xiao Jin by the bed. "Where's the little straw man?"

Xiao Jin took the straw figure out from under the pillow and handed it over with both hands.

Qiu An took it, examined it from all angles, and nodded: "Well done."

"It's not enough for me to do well," Xiao Jin slid off the bed, looked up at Qiu An with a serious expression, "You also need to remember a few things."

"First, the straw doll must always be kept close to your body, never leaving it, never getting it wet, and never letting anyone else touch it. When the calamity strikes, it will recognize the straw doll's aura, not your real body."

"Secondly, a straw doll can only ward off fatal calamities according to one's destiny, not physical accidents. If someone tampers with the brakes, the straw doll can't save you—you have to check it yourself."

"Third," Xiao Jin held up her third finger, paused, and looked extremely serious, "if the calamity is too severe, the straw doll might shatter. The straw doll shattering doesn't mean you're safe; it just means it took the worst hit for you."

"If the straw doll breaks, you must leave the spot immediately, do not look back, do not linger, and return to Xiao Jin's side as soon as possible."

After listening, Qiu An's lips curled slightly. He put the straw figure into the inside pocket of his trench coat and patted his chest: "Understood."

He turned to look at Yun Ziang, took out two folded pieces of paper from his pocket, and handed them over.

Yun Ziang took the list and unfolded it. It contained two printed lists, each with more than a dozen names, followed by their positions and start dates, all densely packed together.

One document was titled "Current Employee of Nanshan Supercar Club," while the other was titled "Employees Who Have Left the Club in the Last Three Years."

"What is this?"

"I've been investigating these past few days." Qiu An sat down on the sofa, crossed her legs, and said, "Based on my observations over the past few days, the person who wants to harm you is most likely a staff member at the supercar club."

These past few days, whenever he arrived at the club, he could feel that menacing gaze.

However, that person hid too well, like a rat.

He pointed to the list with his long, slender fingers: "I've reviewed the backgrounds of everyone in the club. The ones highlighted in red are people you've had contact with. Take a look and see if any of them match up."

Yun Ziang frowned and read through the list from beginning to end. He vaguely recognized some of the people on the list, but most were complete strangers.

He looked at the names highlighted in red several times. They were all acquaintances, some of whom had helped him change tires or handed him bottled water. They were just casual acquaintances, never even argued, let alone became enemies.

"No," he handed the list back to Qiu An, looking somewhat innocent. "I looked at it twice, and I don't recognize a single one of them. I have absolutely no grudge against these people."

Qiu An stared at his face for three seconds, then said in an almost disdainful tone, "You don't even know who you've offended?"

Yun Ziang opened his mouth, wanting to refute but feeling he lacked confidence, so he could only awkwardly squeeze out, "I really don't remember..."

"Alright." Qiu An waved his hand, too lazy to argue with him anymore. He looked at Xiao Jin, "Let's go over tomorrow's plan again."

Xiao Jin slid off the bed, walked to the center of the room, tilted her head back, and began to make arrangements: "Tomorrow is Geng day, Shen time is from 3 pm to 5 pm. Qiu An, you transform into your grand-nephew and go to the club early in the morning. Sign in as required, greet people as required, and make sure they all see that 'Yun Ziang' is indeed present today."

Qiu An nodded.

"Then participate in the race as usual. The calamity will occur around Shenshi (3-5 PM), but Xiao Jin can't predict the exact form right now. However, it will definitely be related to the car." Xiao Jin looked at Qiu An, paused, and said, "When you're driving, be careful on every turn and pay attention to every detail! If you feel anything is wrong, it's better to withdraw from the race than to force yourself to continue."

"Know."

Xiao Jin then turned to Yun Ziang: "Grand-nephew, you'll come with me to sneak into the audience tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Yun Zi'ang's expression changed: "I'm not going. Tomorrow is a death sentence, I'm not going anywhere, I'll just stay in the hotel."

"No." Xiao Jin shook her head, her tone firm.

"Why not? Qiu An can go for me. What would I do? Watch 'myself' get into trouble?" Yun Zi'ang scratched his hair, a little anxious.

Xiao Jin walked up to him, looked up at him, and said with a serious expression, "You're safe only if you stay with Xiao Jin."

"Stay by Xiaojin's side. If anything unexpected happens, Xiaojin will definitely protect you!"

She tilted her head and added, "If you stay in the hotel alone, it might explode."

Yun Zi'ang remained silent for a full five seconds.

Then he squatted down decisively, put his hands together, and said sincerely, "Tomorrow I will stay by your side every step of the way."

"That's a good grand-nephew of mine." Xiao Jin stood on tiptoe and patted his shoulder, looking pleased. "I'll give you a Big Dipper Calamity-Relief Talisman to protect you!"

Qiu An watched the two lively aunt and niece from the side, and the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.

He stood up and adjusted his trench coat: "Then it's settled. I'll head to the club first thing tomorrow morning; you guys figure out how to sneak into the stands yourselves."

"After the match, regardless of the result, we'll meet at the hotel."

He walked to the door, then looked back at Yun Ziang, his tone unusually serious: "No matter what you see in the audience tomorrow, don't act impulsively."

"Once you reveal your identity, I will also be exposed."

Yun Ziang nodded solemnly: "I've got it."

The door closed gently behind Qiu An.

The next morning, Qiu An took out the straw figure from the next room and stuck it to his chest.

A very faint red light emanated from the straw man.

Immediately afterwards, Qiu An's body began to change, his bones cracked slightly, and his outline was reshaped.

When she opened her eyes again, the face reflected in the mirror was Yun Ziang's.

He dressed in Yun Ziang's style, carefully put the straw doll close to his body, picked up his car keys, and went out.

The check-in area of ​​the Nanshan Supercar Club was bustling with activity.

Qiu An signed in and received his number as Yun Ziang, and greeted several club members he knew, without revealing any clues throughout the process.

He walked around the repair area, his gaze sweeping over the faces of every staff member without making a sound, matching each name in his mind with the people on the list.

At the same time, the real Yun Ziang drove an inconspicuous silver sedan into the club's parking lot.

He turned off the engine, but instead of getting out of the car, he mentally prepared himself again.

"Am I really going?"

In the passenger seat, Xiao Jin was happily munching on a bag of potato chips. Without even looking up, she said, "The car's already parked. Why are you asking?"

Yun Ziang took a deep breath and pushed open the car door: "Let's go."

There were quite a few spectators today, and cars were arriving at the parking lot one after another.

Yun Ziang led Xiao Jin to the entrance of the spectator area, signed a fake name at the registration desk, and received two spectator passes.

The person in charge of signing in was a young girl with a ponytail. When she saw Xiao Jin, she smiled and handed her a lollipop.

Xiao Jin took it, said thank you, sister, unwrapped the candy, and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out slightly.

The spectator seating is located in the stands above the pit area, offering excellent views of the entire track.

Yun Ziang led Xiao Jin to a seat in the last row of the stands. This angle allowed them to see the situation below clearly without being easily recognized by acquaintances.

He pulled his baseball cap down further and put on his sunglasses, feeling like a clumsy spy.

Xiao Jin wasn't nervous at all. After finishing her potato chips, she took out a bag of milk tablets from her pocket and popped them into her mouth one by one, while her two short legs dangled from the side of the chair and swung back and forth.

"Grand-nephew, are you nervous?" She tilted her head and glanced at Yun Zi'ang.

"no."

"Then why are your legs shaking?"

Yun Ziang looked down at his uncooperative right leg, pressed his hand to his knee, and coughed, "I'm cold."

Xiao Jin said "oh" without calling him out, and slipped a milk tablet into his hand.

The race announcement came over the loudspeaker, informing all drivers to assemble at the starting grid.

Yun Ziang sat up straight, his eyes searching the repair area. He quickly found the familiar silver-gray sports car and the person standing next to it.

He saw "himself" wearing a helmet and walking towards the starting area.

He had seen that figure for over twenty years; it was both familiar and strange, and he couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart at that moment.

That person wasn't him, but today he stood on that track for him, stepping into that calamity that even he himself dared not face.

"Let's start." Xiao Jin chewed on a milk tablet, her gaze fixed on the track, her dark eyes reflecting the sunlight and the distant, layered mountain shadows.

Yun Ziang clenched his hands on his knees, and stopped trembling.