An Unfortunate Encounter on Jinghua Street

The designated meeting place was a café on Jinghua Street, elegantly named Night of Rain.

This establishment, renowned as the most famous café in the entire country, boasted a single branch located exclusively in Yunjing City.

It was a favored spot for young elites and scions of high society to gather for casual meetings or to discuss business ventures.

On the way to Jinghua Street, a necessary route was undergoing repairs. Half of the road was closed, narrowing the passage and causing a significant traffic jam.

Jian Ye found himself caught in the same predicament. He meticulously followed traffic laws, refraining from reckless driving and slowly inching forward with the rest of the vehicles.

With no dedicated non-motorized vehicle lane, cars and smaller vehicles were all mixed together.

However, some people were simply too impatient.

An electric delivery scooter weaved through the congested cars, darting here and there. Just as it attempted to overtake Jian Ye, its tire suddenly slipped.

The delivery box, laden with orders, seemed poised to crash violently onto the ground. The box itself looked flimsy, and the contents within appeared to be delicate fruits, prone to damage.

At such speed, if the items hit the ground, the spilled food was certain to be ruined.

The delivery rider, realizing something was amiss, found himself unable to brake in time. He twisted his head back, watching helplessly as the delivery box began to tip.

Just then, a pair of young, beautiful hands swiftly and firmly embraced the delivery box, cushioning its fall the instant before it hit the ground.

The contents remained intact, yet the person who had helped steady the box stumbled and fell.

The timing, unfortunately, was terrible. The red light ahead turned green, and the stalled traffic abruptly lurched forward.

The young man had no time to react. After pushing the delivery box away, he was dragged beneath the wheels of the car behind him.

Suddenly, screams erupted from the surrounding crowd, and the piercing screech of brakes echoed throughout the entire street.

“Ah! A young man has been pulled under a car! Quick! Someone, help!” A nearby elderly woman, having witnessed the entire scene, shouted to other pedestrians on the street.

The delivery rider, in particular, was utterly stunned with fright.

He abandoned his scooter and rushed forward, intending to lift the car.

Kind-hearted people from all around surged forward, including several drivers who had exited their vehicles to join the rescue effort.

In such situations, quickly lifting the car with brute force minimizes harm to the person trapped beneath. It was crucial, as it was unclear if the young man had been hit by the vehicle itself; moving the car rashly could easily cause secondary injuries.

With no jacks or similar tools available, they relied purely on human strength to lift the entire front end of the car.

And so…

The stern-faced man sitting in the car first felt the sudden jolt of braking inertia, followed immediately by the sensation of his seat tilting.

He opened his eyes and looked up, only to find a crowd of faces pressed against his car window.

Yi Siyu: ?

Little Dong, the driver, broke out in a cold sweat, his lips trembling as he stammered, “Th-th-Third Young Master… I, I think I hit someone…”

Little Dong had only joined the Yi family as a driver two years ago, making him relatively new. Since his first day, he had been exclusively assigned to Yi Siyu’s schedule; Madam and Sir, along with the other young masters, were chauffeured by more senior drivers.

Little Dong was grateful that Third Young Master had chosen him and had always been diligent, driving steadily and without error.

However, he was still young and hadn’t encountered any major crises. Logically, Little Dong was not at fault.

The young man had suddenly darted out from the side. All cars were moving forward at the time, and Little Dong was also proceeding as normal.

He had truly never encountered such a sudden situation before, so when it happened, it was too late to stop the car instantly.

Nevertheless, Little Dong did his utmost, slamming on the brakes without hesitation.

Yi Siyu had been resting with his eyes closed in the car, his elegant posture disrupted by the abrupt braking. Thankfully, his reactions were swift.

Upon sensing that something was wrong, he braced himself against the front seat. Hearing Little Dong’s panicked declaration, “I hit someone,” his eyes instantly sharpened. He quickly opened the door and exited the car with Little Dong.

He was meeting the Jian family’s young master today, so Assistant Xu was not accompanying him.

As he opened the door, the front of the car had already been slightly lifted by the helpful crowd, causing him to stumble slightly as he stepped out.

With so many people assisting, the man couldn’t see what was happening beneath the car. It was the first time in his life that his personal car had been involved in an accident, hitting someone.

The incident had unfolded too quickly for him to understand how it had happened, but he had already made up his mind: regardless of the extent of the injured person’s harm, he would take full responsibility.

Indeed, there was strength in numbers. In less than a minute, the young man trapped beneath the car was pulled out.

Suddenly exposed to the sunlight, the young man squinted fiercely, his heart churning with a complex array of emotions.

[Jian Ye: I truly didn’t expect that helping others would turn me into a major unlucky victim under a car.]

[System 748: I truly didn’t expect Host to be earning ‘green tea points’ with your life. The surrounding values are still soaring, mostly fueled by sympathy.]

[Jian Ye: …]

Fortunately, the car’s chassis wasn’t too low. Jian Ye only had minor abrasions on his skin.

The moment he was pulled under the car, he immediately tensed his body, pressing himself as flat as possible against the ground to avoid contact with the undercarriage.

Luckily, the surrounding crowd reacted quickly, and the oppressive sensation of being trapped under the car didn’t last long.

An elderly woman, seeing his closed eyes, asked worriedly, “Child, are you uncomfortable anywhere? Where did you get hit? We’ve already called an ambulance for you, just hold on!”

The delivery rider also rushed forward, his face etched with guilt. “I’m so sorry, so sorry. You got hurt because you were trying to protect my delivery box. It’s all my fault. I’ll cover all your medical expenses.”

Upon hearing the delivery rider’s explanation, everyone present was filled with admiration.

“This young man is truly kind-hearted!”

“He’s a good kid, but in the future, you must also pay attention to safety. Never put your life at risk just to help others!”

“I’m a self-media creator. I wonder if I could post about this online? The way this young man caught the delivery box earlier was just too cool!”

Many voices surrounded him, but Jian Ye didn’t have time to listen. Once his eyes had somewhat adjusted, he said softly, “I’m fine, thank you for all your help. If you hadn’t come to my rescue, I would have been in real danger just now. Thank you, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters.”

“Oh, don’t mention it!”

“It’s what anyone would do!”

“Who wouldn’t help in a situation like that? After all, it’s a human life.”

“This child is so polite and good-looking. It’s a good thing he’s alright!”

“Excuse me, please make way,” a magnetic, deep male voice resonated.

Recognizing that the car owner was approaching, the crowd automatically parted, creating a path.

The onlookers didn’t rush to leave; they wanted to see what the car owner would say. If the owner turned out to be unreasonable, they could still stand up for the young man.

However, upon seeing the man’s extraordinary demeanor and impeccable suit, most of them dismissed such thoughts. This person clearly hailed from a wealthy family and didn’t seem like someone of low character.

Jian Ye sat on the ground. The moment his eyes met the man’s, he was momentarily struck by his stunning appearance.

This man truly aligned with his aesthetic preferences, and an extremely strong premonition surged within him. Typically, individuals of such exceptional appearance in novels belonged to the protagonist’s inner circle.

Could this be…

[System 748: Bingo! That’s right, he is the Protagonist Gong of this book world, the Yi family’s Third Young Master, Yi Siyu.]

[Jian Ye: …]

His purpose for going out today was to meet the Protagonist Gong. Good heavens, he ran into him directly after a minor car accident. What kind of protagonist magnetic field was this?!

According to Elder Master Jian, this Third Young Master of the Yi family shouldn’t have met him before; today was supposed to be their first encounter.

But… why did the man’s gaze feel as if he had seen him before?

[Jian Ye: It’s not that I wanted to feign injury for compensation; I just coincidentally rolled under his car.]

[System 748: Why are you explaining this to me, Host? And so deliberately.]

[Jian Ye: I’m a little afraid he’ll misunderstand. He’s the Protagonist Gong, and I’m Cannon Fodder Jian Ye, a green tea manipulative type. He wouldn’t think I did this on purpose to attract his attention, would he?]

It was well-known that the Protagonist Gong in the original novel despised Cannon Fodder Jian Ye precisely for this trait, which was why he refused to step into their marital bedroom even after marriage.

Jian Ye wasn’t concerned about what happened after marriage; he simply didn’t want to leave a bad impression during their first meeting. He still had to survive in the Yi family later on.

While Jian Ye was brainstorming, the man, too, was momentarily stunned and lost in thought after seeing Jian Ye’s appearance.

‘It’s that poor little stray dog.’

‘This is the third time I’ve seen him… How does this little thing manage to get into a worse state each time?’

‘It seems that whenever I encounter him, he’s always in a sorry state. Before, I could still remain a bystander, but this time, he was directly hit by my own car. I’m incredibly relieved he’s alright.’

‘However, I can no longer remain uninvolved; I bear some responsibility.’

The man’s expression briefly froze before quickly recovering. His deep voice resonated, “Can you stand up?”

“Ah… Uh! I’m fine!”

Jian Ye was about to push himself up with his hands, but a large hand had already firmly grasped his wrist.

A dry warmth instantly seeped into Jian Ye’s skin, sending a subtle tremor through his nerves.

“Your outer calf is bleeding. If you don’t mind, come to my car. There’s a first-aid kit, and I can help you clean it.”

Jian Ye was momentarily stunned, still processing the offer.

The man added, “Or if you’d prefer to go to the hospital for a check-up, I can take you there. I’ll cover the medical expenses…”

“No, no need. My minor injuries don’t warrant a hospital visit. I can just casually—”

“Then get in the car.”

“…”

Jian Ye wanted to say that he could just buy a band-aid. He simply had delicate skin; even a tiny bump could easily cause bleeding and leave a mark.

But seeing the man’s unyielding gaze, Jian Ye ultimately didn’t resist.

One minute later, Jian Ye was seated in the extremely soft and comfortable back seat of the car.

Outside, the kind-hearted citizens, seeing that the car owner was reasonable and willing to take responsibility, no longer felt the need to worry. They dispersed one by one.

Traffic gradually returned to its previous order.

The car slowly moved forward, and a serene silence filled the interior, broken only by the sound of the man retrieving the first-aid kit.

Little Dong, the driver, saw this scene through the rearview mirror and anxiously said, “Third Young Master, please don’t do it yourself. Let me pull over, and I’ll apply the medicine for the child.”

Jian Ye: “…” ‘You’re the child, your whole family are children.’

Yi Siyu: “Drive your car properly. Do you want to hit someone again?”

Little Dong’s attempt to speak was instantly cut off by his young master’s retort.

Today was truly a day of humiliation for him. As the young master’s exclusive driver, he had actually caused an accident.

Though the accident wasn’t major, it still filled Little Dong with profound shame.