Xu Qianli was startled, but as his wits returned, he hastily pressed down on the brake, bringing the car to a stop.
He rushed out of his vehicle and looked toward the road, only to see that the sports car was almost falling apart, sparks and smoke sizzling from its body.
A bus in the next lane had also stopped, and about twenty or thirty people got off and watched the accident from a distance, like Xu Qianli—none daring to approach.
After all, considering the state of the car, it looked like it could explode at any moment—no one dared to move closer so carelessly.
Xu Qianli was also afraid, as this was a matter of life and death.
Yet, thinking of the old County Magistrate who had died in a car accident just a month ago, Xu Qianli clenched his teeth and, disregarding the danger, charged forward.
"Good lord, that guy's crazy! He knows the car could explode any second, yet he's rushing in—it's suicide!"
"Right, who would risk their own life to save someone else's—is it worth it?"
"The young man is brave, but you have to consider the situation. Come back! The car is about to explode! You're so young… it's not worth it..."
A crowd buzzed with chatter, some marveling at Xu Qianli's courage, but most were sweating bullets for him.
After all, that car was indeed ready to explode at any second.
Xu Qianli, having charged out, didn't plan on giving up; mustering all his strength, he rushed to the sports car in the shortest time possible.
There, the smoke was even more intense, the body of the car cloaked in thick billows.
In such a situation, if the person inside wasn't rescued quickly, leaving aside an explosion, the dense smoke alone could suffocate someone in a short time.
Holding his breath, Xu Qianli tried to pry open the car door but couldn't.
Spotting a stone nearby, he quickly picked it up and smashed the door wildly until it finally broke open, then with one ferocious pull, he tore the severely deformed car door off.
Smoke stinging his eyes to the point where he couldn't open them, Xu Qianli closed his eyes and stretched his hands into the car, groping for the person in the driver's seat.
His touch met with something warm and soft; Xu Qianli paused for a moment, cursing internally at how big and soft it felt.
The next second, Xu Qianli cursed himself for his wandering thoughts and focused on the rescue, tearing off the seatbelt and forcefully pulling the driver out from the car.
Carrying the driver, Xu Qianli ran through the smoke toward a distant, safe place, then laid the person down.
Those rubbernecking by the roadside marveled; the young man had risked his life to rescue someone—impressive indeed.
But before Xu Qianli could catch his breath, the rescued female driver quickly said, "There's someone else in the car, my best friend is still in there, please save her too."
What… there's another person?
With a sinking feeling, Xu Qianli reluctantly rushed back to the car.
Rescuing the female driver had been relatively easy, but saving the person in the passenger seat was going to be much more difficult.
The car had rolled onto its right side, and the right-side door, being compressed underneath, couldn't possibly be opened; rescue could only be attempted through the windshield or from the driver's side.
But both options were troublesome; the windshield was so severely deformed that it was impossible to crawl through.
The driver's side was worse, with flames already peeking through, and attempting a rescue there would definitely result in burns.
Giving up might have been the best decision for himself, but the thought of abandoning someone and letting a life be lost inside the car made him fear even his conscience would be condemned in the next life.
Gritting his teeth, Xu Qianli braved the licking flames, squeezed into the car, fought through the burning to unbuckle the passenger seat's safety belt, and managed to pull the person out.
His arms, his back—several places were scorched by fire, the pain searing, but Xu Qianli couldn't afford to care as he ran for dear life toward a distant safe spot with the person in his arms.
Just as they had cleared about ten meters, not quite making it to safety, a thunderous boom echoed from behind, and the car exploded.
The shockwave from the explosion radiated outwards, hitting Xu Qianli's back as though he'd been struck by a truck; he fell forward to the ground, still clutching the person.
The next second, consciousness slipped away, and he passed out.
…
When he came to, Xu Qianli opened his eyes to find himself in a strange room with bare white walls and an IV drip hanging nearby—it looked every bit like a hospital ward.
He struggled to recall the situation before fainting; it seemed he passed out after the rescue and someone had brought him to the hospital.
Being alive was a sign of great fortune.
He glanced to the side and saw a woman sitting by his bed.
Young, dignified, beautiful, serene, with a gentle aura about her.
A beauty indeed, and Xu Qianli was all too familiar with her; it was his girlfriend, Xu Shuman.
No, that wasn't right—it should be ex-girlfriend since they had broken up just a few days ago.
Xu Qianli spoke, "Why are you here?"
Xu Shuman, who had been absorbed in her phone, hadn't noticed Xu Qianli's awakening. Startled by his voice, her phone clattered to the floor.
"Ah, my phone!"
"You jerk, Xu Qianli, you made me nick a corner off my brand-new phone!"
Hearing this, anger surged through Xu Qianli.
"You have the gall to say it's your new phone?"
"This is the latest model I bought you last month. I haven't had the heart to change my own phone for three years, yet I've gotten you three or four during that time!"
"And another thing, why are you here?"
Xu Qianli couldn't contain his fury and burst out yelling.
During those three years, he had been nothing but heart and soul to Xu Shuman.
How ungrateful she was when his career hit rock bottom, kicking him to the curb, more ruthless than a beast!
Faced with Xu Qianli's outburst, Xu Shuman pursed her lips.
"Humph, don't be so fierce."
"You think I want to be here? It's just that the hospital staff recognized you and thought we were still together, so they called me to take care of you."
"I came here out of nostalgia to look after you for a bit, but I didn't expect you to yell at me the moment you woke up."
"Fine, the phone was bought by you, and you've not been bad to me these past three years, but haven't I made sacrifices too? I let you… have your way with me for a whole three years!"
"Oh and don't think just because I've come to care for you, that there's any chance of us getting back together."
"Let me tell you, it's impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Xu Shuman couldn't have been more heartless, ready to sever ties with Xu Qianli completely.