The violent impact sent the car swerving sharply to the side.
With a loud "bang," it crashed into the guardrail.
The force of inertia threw him forward as the airbag deployed, and he slammed heavily onto it.
The collision left Gu Jingchuan grimacing in pain, feeling as if his internal organs had been jolted out of place.
"Damn it! Who the hell hit my car?" he cursed, removing his cap to rub his head.
No blood, no bump—just a dull ache.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Soon, someone knocked on the car window.
A towering, burly man appeared beside the vehicle.
Gu Jingchuan's eyelid twitched. His first thought: Was this guy going to pin the blame on him?
He had been speeding before the crash.
But the other driver must have been going even faster to hit him like that.
Rolling down the window, he suppressed the urge to yell and simply asked, "You hit my car?"
Surprisingly, the man was apologetic. "Sorry, sorry! My dad's in the hospital—well, not giving birth, but something's up. I was in a hurry to get to him and didn’t notice the lane change. You okay?"
Gu Jingchuan frowned and stepped out of the crumpled car.
"Nothing serious. Just handle the insurance."
He pulled out his phone to call a friend to deal with the accident.
"You sure you're fine? I don’t buy it!" The man suddenly reached out to feel his head.
Gu Jingchuan dodged, but not before losing a few strands of hair.
"I said I’m fine! I’ve already called someone. I’ve got urgent business!"
The man insisted, "You’re bleeding from your nose. Let me take you to the hospital—I’m headed there anyway. I’m a law-abiding citizen; I’ll cover your medical bills!"
Gu Jingchuan removed his mask and touched his nose. His fingers came away warm and sticky—definitely blood.
Normally, he’d go to the hospital.
But today, he didn’t have time.
"Forget it. It’s nothing."
He flagged down a taxi.
The high school was less than two kilometers away—a quick ride.
"No, no!" The man grabbed his arm and yanked him back, then suddenly brightened as if seeing him clearly for the first time. "Wait—you’re Gu Jingchuan, the movie star! I’m your biggest fan!"
The crash had happened on a relatively quiet road, but plenty of cyclists passed by.
The man’s outburst made several electric scooters screech to a halt.
The fan grew even more excited, wrapping him in a bear hug. "I loved you in Heartbreak! That full-frontal scene? Your dedication to art is inspiring!"
Gu Jingchuan wheezed, crushed against the man’s chest. "Okay, okay—let go!"
Celebrity came with these headaches—overzealous fans everywhere.
Finally free, he noticed a dozen phone cameras pointed at him.
People were abandoning their scooters to approach.
"Gu Jingchuan? Oh my god, a real-life movie star! Take a selfie with me!"
"Me too! My daughter adores you—let’s film a TikTok!"
A middle-aged woman shoved her phone in his face. The beauty filters had stretched his features into an unrecognizable, pink-skinned alien.
Image was everything for a public figure.
Trapped, he forced a smile and flashed a peace sign.
The crowd swelled, blocking the road entirely.
"Everyone, don’t block traffic!"
But no one cared. He’d just been in a crash—did anyone care if he was hurt?
The fan’s booming voice cut through the chaos. "Mr. Gu, let me take you to the hospital. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck here all day!"
Gu Jingchuan’s frown deepened.
No better options. He couldn’t outrun this guy—or the army of aunties surrounding them.
"Fine. Hospital it is."
The fan’s black SUV had barely a scratch, despite nearly totaling Gu Jingchuan’s car.
"My friend’s not here yet. The accident’s unresolved," Gu Jingchuan said.
The man waved, and another burly figure emerged from the back seat.
Fan A said, "No worries. My brother will wait for your friend and the cops. I’ll take you to the hospital."
Gu Jingchuan’s instincts prickled—something felt off.
But before he could react, he was shoved into the car and whisked toward the hospital.
The fan babbled nonstop about his filmography during the ride.
Gu Jingchuan’s head throbbed. He managed a text to Gu Jingzhou:
[Delayed by an accident. If you see Lin Mo, keep her there.]
At the hospital, Gu Jingchuan hesitated.
No escape. The fan hoisted him over a shoulder and sprinted inside.
He dared not shout—too risky to draw more attention.
"Doctor, give him a full checkup! I hit him, and I’m very concerned," the fan pleaded.
The doctor blinked. Never seen a this conscientious driver.
Then he recognized Gu Jingchuan. Ah—a starstruck fan. Made sense.
---
The game was about to start when Gu Jingzhou read his brother’s message.
He frowned and replied:
[That girl just resembles your high school girlfriend. She’s not her—you said she died over a decade ago.]
[Just get here.]
Initially, he’d only wanted to prove he wasn’t mistaken. Now, seeing his brother’s obsession, Gu Jingzhou regretted mentioning it.
Scanning the basketball court, he searched for that striking figure but found nothing.
Too crowded.
But she had to be here.
She liked him!
That paparazzi photo was nonsense—probably just her friend.
He’d analyzed their body language. No romantic tension.
Besides, she messaged him every day without fail.
The thought made him smirk. He slicked back his hair.
"Confident, Captain?" a teammate asked.
Gu Jingzhou scoffed. "Crushing Third High’s trash is child’s play."
Third High was Beijing’s worst school—academically, morally. A cesspool of delinquents.
No one with money or connections went there.
First High had drawn the short straw in the tournament lottery.
Gu Jingzhou sneered. Their mere presence polluted his school’s air.
His mother had always warned him: Stay away from the low-class poor.
"There! There!"
Zhang Shuo’s heart shattered as Lin Mo appeared—walking shoulder-to-shoulder with a tall, devastatingly handsome guy.
The man was handsome, the woman beautiful—as they walked through the crowd, it was as if they existed on another layer entirely.
Many couldn’t help but steal glances at them.
At the second look, Zhang Shuo’s eyes widened. The man looked so familiar!
As the pair drew closer, he cautiously looked up and asked, “Could you be… Mr. Xie Guanyan?”
That very same big-shot alumnus their teachers at No. 1 High School never stopped talking about!
Xie Guanyan glanced at the chubby young man before him and nodded. “Mm.”
Zhang Shuo clapped a hand over his mouth. “It really is you! You’re my idol!”
Though he wasn’t much of a student himself, his idol had always been Xie Guanyan—the philanthropic tycoon.
Noticing the gold bamboo-patterned bracelet on the magnate’s wrist, Zhang Shuo marveled.
Even billionaires weren’t immune to the gold trend.
“These two seats are the best in the house—I picked them myself!” Zhang Shuo beamed.
They were front-row seats.
Then again, No. 1 High School owed its state-of-the-art gymnasium to Xie Guanyan’s donations.
Lin Mo thanked him and sat down, her gaze immediately drawn to the center of the basketball court.
The game was about to begin, with players from both schools already on the court.
Her eyes instantly landed on Gu Jingzhou.
He wore a black headband, his forehead exposed, radiating youthful energy.
At the second glance, she noticed a tall, slender boy standing opposite him.
His long bangs obscured his eyes, his aura gloomy and listless.
In an instant, Lin Mo recognized him.
It was her fourth brother, Shen Ji’an.
