Chapter One: So You Were the One Who Saved Me?

"Xiao Chen, you actually remembered to come home!" At midnight, Xiao Chen dragged his weary body through the door, only to be greeted by an angry voice.

The lights in the living room were still on. Three people sat on the sofa.

The speaker was Xiao Chen’s mother-in-law, Sun Ling.

Though Sun Ling was already in her forties, she was well maintained, her figure graceful, looking not a day over thirty.

"Mom, you’re still up?" Xiao Chen called out.

He was the live-in son-in-law of the Xu family. His wife, Xu Qingran, was renowned as a beauty not just in the Xu family but throughout Linzhou City.

Their wedding three years ago had been a sensation. But the reason for the sensation was that Xu Qingran had married such a worthless man as him—a joke to everyone in Linzhou.

Because of this, no one in the Xu family treated Xiao Chen kindly. Sun Ling would scold and beat him at every turn, while his wife, Xu Qingran, treated him like a stranger. In three years, Xiao Chen hadn’t even held her hand; he slept most nights on the floor.

"Don’t call me Mom!" Sun Ling’s brows arched angrily, her face twisted in annoyance, her pent-up rage finally finding its outlet as she jabbed a finger at Xiao Chen’s nose and unleashed a torrent of abuse. "Our family must have terrible luck to end up with a good-for-nothing like you."

"Look at other sons-in-law—every one of them works hard to earn money, treats their wives and mothers-in-law to good food and drink. And you? You laze about all day, living off Qingran’s allowance. Have you any shame?"

Beside Sun Ling sat a girl of seventeen or eighteen—Xiao Chen’s sister-in-law, Xu Qianran.

At that moment, she looked at Xiao Chen with open disdain.

Having such a brother-in-law was an embarrassment.

Xiao Chen felt helpless.

The truth was, Xiao Chen’s identity was top-secret, an S-class confidential matter that could never be revealed, not even to his family. For the past three years, his early departures and late returns, sometimes staying out all night, were all for the sake of completing dangerous, covert missions.

Yet no matter how much hardship he endured outside, whenever he came home, he would always take the initiative to handle all the household chores, just so that his mother-in-law and wife would not have to lift a finger.

But Sun Ling saw none of his efforts.

Sun Ling would not relent, continuing her tirade: "Now Qingran has been kidnapped. They’re demanding five million, or they’ll kill her. And you? You’re out fooling around and only now stroll home."

"I’m telling you, if anything happens to Qingran, I’ll never forgive you!"

"What did you say? Qingran’s been kidnapped?" At these words, all trace of exhaustion vanished from Xiao Chen’s face, his eyes suddenly flashing with a cold, piercing light.

Xu Qingran was his bottom line. Anyone who dared to harm her, even a little, would not escape his wrath.

Sun Ling ignored him completely.

"Don’t worry, Auntie, I’ll pay the five million," the last person on the sofa spoke up.

He was a tall, handsome man named Jiang Yichen, the owner of Chenxing Group in Linzhou, whose company did considerable business with Xu Qingran’s firm.

Jiang Yichen was personally close to Xu Qingran and had been pursuing her for some time.

It was said that Xu Qingran was also fond of Jiang Yichen.

He opened a case on the coffee table, revealing stacks upon stacks of red banknotes—five million in cash.

In front of Jiang Yichen, Sun Ling’s demeanor changed instantly, her voice warm and pleasant. "Yichen, I’m so sorry to trouble you like this. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely pay you back."

Jiang Yichen smiled. "Auntie, what are you saying? This is for Qingran. There’s no reason for me to take the money back."

The more Sun Ling looked at Jiang Yichen, the more she liked him. Looking at Xiao Chen, he seemed no better than a pile of dog dung.

Just then, she noticed Xiao Chen turning and hurrying out the door, making her even more furious. "Xiao Chen, where do you think you’re going? If you go out carousing again, don’t bother coming back!"

But Xiao Chen was already gone.

"Auntie, I’ll go with Qianran to ransom Qingran," Jiang Yichen said, picking up the case and heading out with Xu Qianran. Together, they sped toward the location the kidnappers had given.

...

"I need to know Xu Qingran’s location. Now." As soon as he burst out the door, Xiao Chen made a call, his voice low and commanding.

The reply came quickly: "Abandoned factory in the west of the city."

Xiao Chen flagged down a taxi and sped toward the west side, silently praying, "Qingran, you must be safe."

His eyes were bloodshot, icy with murderous intent. "If anyone dares harm you, I’ll wipe out their entire family!"

The taxi driver glanced at Xiao Chen, muttering to himself that this must be a madman.

Half an hour later, the taxi arrived at the abandoned factory.

Xiao Chen tossed the fare and dashed inside.

Soon, he spotted three people not far off.

The woman bound on the floor was Xu Qingran. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes closed, unconscious.

Two men were guarding her—one with a sharp, rat-like face, the other balding.

"Why’s it the wrong person?" The two exchanged a glance, muttering under their breath.

"Must be some idiot who wandered in. Let’s scare him off," said the rat-faced man, twirling a watermelon knife in his hand as he strode toward Xiao Chen. "Hey, kid, who are you—"

Before he could finish, Xiao Chen stepped forward and struck his neck with the edge of his hand.

The man’s head slumped; he collapsed, unconscious.

The balding man panicked. "He’s not messing around!"

Seeing Xiao Chen drop his accomplice so easily, he lost all will to fight and bolted.

Now it was Xiao Chen’s turn to be surprised.

These kidnappers had no backbone.

No, something was wrong.

With one already unconscious and Xu Qingran safe, Xiao Chen realized he needed to catch the escaping man and get to the bottom of things.

Having made his decision, Xiao Chen sprinted after him.

The balding man was no match for Xiao Chen’s speed. After a few hundred meters, Xiao Chen caught up.

Seeing Xiao Chen in hot pursuit, the man was terrified. "Don’t hit me, big brother! Weren’t we just supposed to put on a show? Why are you being serious?"

"If you want, I’ll return the money! Just let me go!"

"There’s definitely something wrong," Xiao Chen’s expression darkened. "Who ordered you to kidnap Xu Qingran?"

"It was… Young Master Jiang Yichen." The thug confessed without even needing to be threatened.

At that, Xiao Chen understood Jiang Yichen’s intentions all too well. To use such despicable means to pursue Xu Qingran—utterly shameless!

With a thud, Xiao Chen knocked the man out and hurried back to the factory, determined to warn Xu Qingran.

...

Jiang Yichen and Xu Qianran entered the abandoned factory, seeing the unconscious man on the ground. Jiang Yichen’s heart skipped a beat.

Then, spotting Xu Qingran, they rushed over to untie her. Xu Qingran slowly regained consciousness.

"Sis, you’re awake! Thank goodness!" Xu Qianran exclaimed in relief.

"Qingran, you’re awake," Jiang Yichen said with a gentlemanly smile.

"Where am I..." Xu Qingran glanced around, memories flooding back. "I... I was kidnapped."

She looked for someone, but didn’t see the person she hoped for. Disappointment flashed in her eyes, but she forced a smile. "Was it you who saved me?"

Jiang Yichen didn’t answer, but Xu Qianran quickly spoke up, "Sis, it was Brother Yichen who rescued you! You have no idea, when he heard you’d been kidnapped, he was frantic."

"The kidnappers demanded five million, and Brother Yichen immediately raised the money overnight."

Even Xu Qingran was moved by this. Jiang Yichen’s company was only worth about twenty million in total, yet he had handed over five million for her without hesitation.

Compared to someone who hadn’t even shown his face when she was in danger, Jiang Yichen seemed so much better.

Jiang Yichen gazed at Xu Qingran with deep affection. "As long as you’re safe, nothing else matters. For you, I’d give up everything."

With that, he gently reached for her delicate hand.

At that moment, Xiao Chen returned to the abandoned factory.