Chapter 187 - 186: Good People Are Rewarded

Ye Xuan waved his hand, gesturing that he was fine. It was rare to have such a joyous occasion, so getting drunk once was nothing to worry about.

The dinner had lasted until past ten in the evening, and Ye Xuan’s steps were already a bit unsteady. He first made a call to arrange for personnel to escort the old leader home, then followed Vermilion Bird to the residence arranged for him by the military. Rubbing his throbbing temples, he leaned back against the car seat, preparing to take a short nap.

However, he hadn’t slept for long when a deafening SCREECH pierced the air. The vehicle’s massive momentum threw Ye Xuan forward, nearly launching him out of the car. The seatbelt dug painfully into his chest.

Frowning, he opened his eyes. Ahead, a large cement mixer lay sideways across the middle of the bridge. It had plowed into five or six cars, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Screams and cries tore at everyone’s eardrums.

Ye Xuan and Vermilion Bird exchanged a glance, their expressions instantly turning grave. They quickly unbuckled their seatbelts, threw open the doors, and sprinted toward the crash site.

The surrounding crowd also snapped back to reality, swarming toward the epicenter of the accident. Some of the more faint-hearted onlookers, unable to stomach the gore, were screaming and vomiting on the sidelines. Over a dozen injured victims lay strewn across the road with severed limbs, wailing in agony.

The driver of the cement mixer hung halfway out of his cabin, glaring red blood dripping incessantly from his body. He remained completely motionless; his chances of survival were grim.

"Mengmeng! Mengmeng!"

Suddenly, a tragic scream drew everyone’s attention.

A beautiful young woman, covered in blood, was kneeling beside a stretch Lincoln. She was screaming herself hoarse at the back seat. The vehicle had caught fire due to the collision, yet she seemed completely oblivious to the danger, struggling desperately to pry open the rear door. Unfortunately, a black SUV was crushed on top of the Lincoln, warping the door out of shape. Her face streaked with tears and her voice utterly ragged, the woman pushed at the SUV like a madwoman.

WHOOSH!

The nearby flames blazed higher, threatening an imminent explosion. Seeing this, the bystanders rushed forward to pull the woman away.

"Miss, let’s go! If you don’t leave now, the car is going to explode!"

"The car is completely crushed. Whoever is inside is probably gone. You have to give up!"

"That’s right! Your own life is more important. Don’t do anything foolish!"

But no matter how the crowd pleaded, she refused to budge.

"No! I’m not leaving! My daughter is still inside! Please, I beg you, save my daughter!" Disregarding everything, she dropped to her knees before the crowd and kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead hitting the ground—THUD, THUD, THUD. She begged them to save her child.

But staring at the flames that had already leaped over half a meter high, everyone shrank back.

A flash of despair crossed the woman’s eyes, but in the next second, her gaze hardened with absolute resolve. Until the very last moment, she would never give up on her daughter. Even if it meant death, she would die alongside her!

Getting up stubbornly, she stepped barefoot onto a floor of shattered glass and shoved against the heavy SUV with all her might. Yet, no matter how hard she pushed, the SUV remained firmly pressed against the Lincoln, unyielding. Her heart was entirely consumed by an endless sea of despair.

Right at that moment, a pair of hands suddenly appeared beside her. Ye Xuan glanced at the astonished woman, then silently began to push.

She froze for a second before a surge of wild joy filled her chest, and she shoved alongside him. Soon after, a second pair of hands appeared. Then a third. Then countless more.

With the combined effort of the crowd, they quickly managed to tip the SUV off the car. Working together, they pried open the rear door and pulled a blood-soaked little girl out of the wreckage.

"Mengmeng! Mengmeng, open your eyes and look at Mommy!" Looking at her daughter, the woman’s vision went dark, and she nearly fainted.

Being the closest, Ye Xuan quickly caught her. He then checked on the little girl. Fortunately, her injuries only looked terrifying; they likely weren’t life-threatening. His tense heart finally relaxed. Scooping the woman up into his arms, he gave an order.

"Everyone, evacuate immediately! The car is going to explode."

At his command, the crowd hurriedly carried the little girl and ran over a dozen meters away. Less than a minute after they reached a safe distance, a massive explosion rocked the bridge. Flames shot into the sky, accompanied by a rolling wave of heat that forced everyone to squint.

Soon, several ambulances arrived at the scene. Doctors and nurses sprinted over to Ye Xuan with a stretcher and carefully loaded the little girl onto it. After a quick check of her vitals revealed everything was stable, the woman’s tightly wound nerves finally unwound.

"Benefactor, what is your name? Please leave your contact information. I, Song Ling’er, will definitely visit your home to express my gratitude!" Before leaving for the hospital, Song Ling’er deliberately grabbed Ye Xuan’s hand to thank him.

Ye Xuan smiled and gently withdrew his hand. "It was nothing, there’s no need for thanks. Take your daughter to the hospital first. If it’s fated, we will meet again."

He truly had no desire for Song Ling’er’s gratitude. Seeing her cry so heart-wrenchingly earlier, he hadn’t overthought things; saving a life was the priority. He just wanted to help where he could. Besides, he had merely taken the lead. The rescue was primarily successful thanks to the others who joined in later. Otherwise, it would have been incredibly difficult to save the little girl with only himself, Vermilion Bird, and Song Ling’er.

"Benefactor, you..." Song Ling’er wanted to say more, but the ambulance staff were already rushing her. "I am the second daughter of the Song Family, and my husband’s family is the Wang Family of Jingcheng. If you ever run into any trouble in the future, please come find me!"

Leaving those hasty words behind, Song Ling’er climbed into the ambulance.

Upon hearing her declaration, the surrounding crowd cast envious glances at Ye Xuan. However, most felt a profound sense of regret. They realized that if they had been just a little braver and stepped up to help first, they could have become the great benefactors of both the Song Family and the Wang Family. Unfortunately, such opportunities didn’t come around often. A missed chance was missed forever.

"Tsk, tsk. To think you casually made two of the great Noble Families owe you such a massive favor," Vermilion Bird said, looking at Ye Xuan with a teasing smirk. "You knew that woman’s identity, didn’t you?"

Ye Xuan turned to glance at her, his tone laced with absolute certainty. "Whether I knew her identity or not doesn’t seem to have much to do with you saving her."

Vermilion Bird shrugged, offering no denial.

Ye Xuan pursed his lips and didn’t respond. It was true. Regardless of who Song Ling’er was, he would still step in to save a life. They said that good deeds were rewarded, but he hadn’t expected the return on his investment to come so quickly.

Back when he lived in Jingcheng, Ye Xuan had spent the vast majority of his time out on missions. As a result, he wasn’t particularly familiar with the Noble Families of the capital. Now that he had returned to Jingcheng, befriending these Noble Families would be necessary if he wanted to deal with Qilin Hall and the Xiao Family. Sure enough, doing good deeds had its perks.

"Let’s go. We’re heading home." Ye Xuan took one last look in the direction the ambulance had left, then turned and walked back toward his own car.