Peach-Orange! – Chapter 114 – Before We Die, Let Me Hold You One Last Time

Several men glared menacingly, making Chi Xiaocheng feel nervous.

Without her dark transformation, she couldn’t even defeat a rooster.

Meanwhile, Su Tao was racking her brain, trying to figure out who had sent these men.

They were burly and seemed disciplined, definitely not acting on a whim to kidnap her.

Recalling the earlier scene, Su Tao’s heart tightened, and she gripped Chi Xiaocheng’s hand even tighter.

Were they sent by Ye Liang?

Or Lin Fangya?

Whoever it was, their target was Xiaocheng!

“Run!”

She didn’t know how many people were here, but if they could just make it back to the car, they could escape this attack!

Su Tao grabbed Chi Xiaocheng’s hand and immediately dashed toward the stairs leading to the first floor.

The men also began moving at the same time.

Su Tao didn’t even need to shout for help. Chi Xiaocheng’s earlier scream had already alarmed the mall’s visitors.

The news spread quickly, and security guards began converging on their location.

Su Tao was a fast runner, but Chi Xiaocheng struggled to keep up, stumbling several times as if she might fall at any moment.

Seeing this, Su Tao simply scooped her up in a princess carry.

A reassuring voice sounded in her ear: “Hold on tight, don’t fall.”

Her alert skill was still blaring, but Chi Xiaocheng’s panicked heart gradually calmed.

The vicious men tried to block their path, but the mall was crowded with visitors, including some brave souls who, along with the security guards, managed to subdue them.

Su Tao didn’t stop running until they reached the sports car.

She tossed Chi Xiaocheng into the passenger seat and immediately started the engine.

“Xiaocheng, buckle up!”

However, once inside the car, Chi Xiaocheng’s alert skill rang even louder, especially in one particular direction, giving her a foreboding sense that going there would mean no return. She quickly said, “Tao-Tao, don’t… don’t head home. That direction… something feels off the whole way!”

Yes, she realized now. Her alert skill wasn’t triggered by Dark Xiaocheng.

Someone had been watching her this entire time!

“Then we’ll go the opposite way. Call Dongfang Yang and Si Chen!”

Su Tao had already started the car. Though her expression was grim, she remained utterly calm.

While Chi Xiaocheng made the calls, Su Tao spotted three cars recklessly chasing after them in the rearview mirror.

This was downtown!

The slightest mistake could cost lives!

Just as she thought this, a little girl appeared at the corner of the street, bending down to pick up a teddy bear she had dropped.

Su Tao slammed the brakes and yanked the steering wheel.

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The car jolted violently, narrowly avoiding the child.

Chi Xiaocheng steadied herself and quickly said, “Si Chen isn’t answering. Dongfang Yang said he’s sending people. The police told us to head to Binjiang Bridge. It’s less crowded there, and a precinct is deploying officers.”

“Got it!”

Su Tao spun the wheel again, executing a sharp drift to change course.

The three pursuing cars clearly hadn’t expected Su Tao, a novice driver, to handle the car so skillfully in such a crisis.

Instead of going straight, she was drifting!

At night, visibility was low, and the roads were covered in snow, extremely slippery!

Inside one of the black cars, a middle-aged man in a suit grinned savagely. “Even veteran drivers wouldn’t attempt this. Kid, don’t get too cocky!”

He stomped on the accelerator and roared, “Brace yourselves, boys!”

Then, he executed an even more impressive drift than Su Tao’s sports car.

In an instant, the expressions of the other men in the car shifted from admiration to calm, then to panic, before they started cursing.

With a deafening “BOOM—”, the car skidded and crashed into a lamppost. The front burst into flames, followed by an explosion.

A pillar of fire shot into the sky!

Watching the explosion in the rearview mirror, Chi Xiaocheng gulped nervously.

Over the past two weeks, her emotional points had barely increased, and she had spent some earlier to protect herself.

Now, she only had 300 points left… useless in this situation.

Noticing Chi Xiaocheng’s unease, Su Tao reached over and patted her head reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Her slender figure suddenly seemed towering.

Chi Xiaocheng’s gaze lingered on Su Tao’s resolute, beautiful profile, her heart pounding wildly.

Just then, as their car crossed an intersection, an Audi suddenly swerved out from the left, attempting to sideswipe them.

But the driver hadn’t anticipated Su Tao’s speed. The Audi missed them and instead collided with one of the pursuing cars.

Another dazzling explosion followed, lighting up the night like fireworks.

The flames reflected on Su Tao’s face as she cracked the window slightly, letting the wind tousle her gray-black hair.

There was no fear in her expression.

No, perhaps there was.

Chi Xiaocheng looked down and saw Su Tao’s hands gripping the wheel, her feet on the pedals, trembling uncontrollably.

The harsh conditions, the dark night, the shadowy hands of their pursuers reaching from the darkness… it was terrifying.

But to comfort her, to give her courage, to keep her from being too afraid, Su Tao was suppressing her own panic.

With another sharp turn, they finally left the regular road and ascended the overpass. Beyond it lay Binjiang Bridge.

Su Tao exhaled in relief, gripping the wheel tightly to steady her shaking.

She glanced at Chi Xiaocheng and smiled. “See? I told you we’d be fine. They can’t catch up, and there aren’t many cars on the overpass.”

“Yeah, Tao-Tao, you’re amazing.”

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Chi Xiaocheng nodded vigorously.

“Xiaocheng, look over there, across the river.”

Su Tao guided her gaze, trying to distract her from the night’s dangers.

Chi Xiaocheng looked out the left window.

Across the river, skyscrapers stood tall, their lights shimmering on the half-frozen water. Ripples danced as delicate snowflakes drifted down.

The scene was picturesque, dreamlike in its beauty.

But even more beautiful was the person in the driver’s seat.

Su Tao gazed out the window, her profile cool and determined. Her gray-black hair was tied into a loose low ponytail, a few strands clinging to her slightly sweaty forehead.

Her fair, delicate features made Chi Xiaocheng’s heart race again.

Not from fear or tension.

This feeling was more like… infatuation.

Being comforted, protected, and treated so tenderly… Chi Xiaocheng had never felt her affection for Su Tao so clearly before.

In the past, she had half-hypnotized herself into pursuing Su Tao, telling herself to hold onto this perfect girl to avoid reliving her past life’s tragedies.

But now, she knew without a doubt, that she was drawn to Su Tao’s gentle strength.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating Chi Xiaocheng’s face.

At the same time, Su Tao turned to her with a smile. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Chi Xiaocheng’s heart swelled with sweetness. She beamed. “So beautiful.”

‘You’re talking about the scenery.’

‘I’m talking about you.’

Chi Xiaocheng pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her pounding heartbeat. She recalled something someone had once said.

The tips of her ears tinged pink as she mustered her courage and looked up at Su Tao. “Tao-Tao, will you be my….”

Before she could finish—

A sharp sound shattered the night.

“BANG—!”

A bullet grazed the sports car’s window, leaving a web of cracks and a piercing screech in their ears.

“A gun?!”

The confession died in her throat. Both Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao widened their eyes.

Looking in the rearview mirror, they saw two more black cars had joined the chase.

Under the dim streetlights, two men leaned out of the windows, holding something dark, the barrels still smoking.

“Damn it!” Su Tao cursed under her breath, her knuckles whitening around the wheel.

She slammed the accelerator. “Xiaocheng, hold on!”

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The sports car sped down the overpass toward Binjiang Bridge.

But something was wrong.

The police had told them to come here, so why was there no sign of them?

Just then, Chi Xiaocheng’s phone rang again.

She answered immediately. Dongfang Yang’s relieved voice came through: “Finally got through! Where are you? Don’t go to Binjiang Bridge!”

Chi Xiaocheng cried, “What do you mean? The police said they were deploying there!”

Dongfang Yang quickly explained, “For the past half hour, your and Su Tao’s phones were unreachable. The police lost contact mid-call. Binjiang Bridge was safe earlier, but five minutes ago, it started collapsing. The middle section is gone. No car can cross!”

Chi Xiaocheng’s pupils shrank, a chill spreading through her body.

“Tao-Tao, can we change routes?”

Su Tao’s face was pale, but she clenched her jaw. “No. There’s only one path now. Pray they don’t shoot our tires.”

The good news was that Dongfang Yang’s paranoia meant the windows were bulletproof.

But if this continued, they’d plunge into the river.

If the river was frozen, the fall would kill them.

If not, how could they swim to shore in subzero temperatures?

Gunfire rang out again, bullets pinging against the car’s rear.

Dongfang Yang shouted through the phone, “Just hold on! My helicopter’s on the way!”

Life or death hung in the balance.

Chi Xiaocheng knew the world of romance novels was dangerous. She’d always been careful, never provoking trouble even with her hacking skills.

But now, she understood.

“The world’s will is trying to erase me, isn’t it?”

She asked the System silently.

The voice in her mind sounded somber.

[Yes, Host. This incident was likely triggered by Ye Liang or Lin Fangya targeting you and Su Tao. At most, it should’ve been a simple kidnapping or threat. But the world’s will has pushed the plot further.]

Thus, it became a Hollywood-style car chase.

Cars lunging from the shadows, illegal firearms appearing way too early, a decades-old bridge collapsing.

All to force her into a corner.

Pursuers with guns behind them, the sports car speeding toward the bridge—

Binjiang Bridge stretched nearly 3 kilometers. For a speeding car, that distance would vanish in moments.

“System, three single draws.”

Her last hope lay in these three chances.

[Drawing in progress.…]

[Host obtained: Nutritious Chocolate x2]

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[Host obtained: Substitute Straw Doll x1 (When Host suffers a fatal injury, the doll will die in Host’s place, preserving a sliver of life and putting Host in a deathlike state. Duration varies.)]

The rewards brought her no joy.

The pursuers seemed to realize they had nowhere left to run. The gunfire gradually ceased.

Now, only the sound of the car filled Chi Xiaocheng’s ears.

She leaned back in the passenger seat, glancing at Su Tao.

“System, can the Substitute Straw Doll be bound to Su Tao?”

She might survive, but what about Su Tao?

If she’d drawn two dolls, she could’ve given one to Su Tao.

But the System’s reply was as expected.

[Sorry, Host. But Su Tao is this world’s heroine. Her protagonist halo is strong. The world’s will is targeting you, not her. She’ll likely survive through some twist of fate.]

“But she’ll get hurt.”

Chi Xiaocheng’s voice was a whisper in her mind, her clear eyes clouded with despair.

Then, the window rolled down.

Su Tao had opened it herself.

The howling wind whipped her hair into disarray. Her lips were pale, but she forced a smile. “Sorry, Xiaocheng. It’s cold with the window open, but I need the wind to calm down.”

Her voice was nearly drowned out by the gale.

Su Tao stared ahead, her tone apologetic. “I’m so sorry. I wanted tonight to be special, but my first drive turned into this. I’ve been clashing with Lin Fangya… this is probably her doing.”

“She wants me gone for Ye Liang’s sake.”

“And I dragged you into this… even risking your life. I….”

She slapped her cheeks lightly. “No. We’re not giving up yet!”

Her resilience shone through.

Leaning closer, she raised her voice over the wind. “Xiaocheng, listen. The bridge’s broken section is at the arched part up ahead!”

“I’ll floor it and try to jump the gap. If… if we don’t make it, you.…”

Seeing the despair in Chi Xiaocheng’s eyes, she stopped.

Her hands weren’t shaking anymore. Her body no longer reacted with fear.

For some reason, the thought of protecting this girl filled her with strength.

Her smile softened. “If we fall, come into my arms.

“Before we die, let me hold you.”

‘And I’ll hold you tight.’

‘So when we hit the water, I’ll cushion your fall. You’ll be okay.’

Snow began to fall as Su Tao pressed the accelerator.