"Ah, heavens! It's really happening..."
Jian Youyou clutched her necklace as Yu Hekun grabbed the back of her neck and flung her onto the roadside. He wiped his lips roughly with his other arm, as if brushing off something filthy, then straightened his suit and said in a suppressed voice, "Walk back yourself!"
Here it was—the original plot unfolding. While still bent over from being thrown, Jian Youyou quickly pulled off her necklace and stuffed the large diamond into her clutch before letting out a panicked cry, "President Yu! Don’t do this, I... I'm scared of the dark!"
This time, she hadn’t gotten his name wrong. Mentally, she gave herself a pat on the back.
She took a step forward, positioning herself to follow the script—trembling as she clung to Yu Hekun’s calf, begging for mercy at the feet of this cold, god-like man, only to be abandoned in the darkness.
But as luck would have it, she was standing right at the edge of the road, wearing high heels. One misstep on the uneven pavement caused her to wobble, completely derailing her intended trajectory. Instead, she found herself plummeting straight toward the hard asphalt.
If she really landed like that, her knees would be done for. So she let out a shriek, instinctively reaching out to grab something. Her clutch flew out of her hand, skidding far away. Yu Hekun, who was just about to get into the car, turned at the sound, assuming she was just scared. His face remained icy as he prepared to deliver another warning to deter her from acting out again.
But fate had other plans. The moment Yu Hekun turned, Jian Youyou’s flailing hands caught onto him. What followed was nothing short of spectacular—Yu Hekun felt his shirt being yanked downward. White objects (his shirt buttons) went flying, one even hitting him square in the eye with enough force to make him yelp in pain.
That wasn’t the end of it. Even with his shirt torn, it couldn’t support the combined force of her lunge and gravity. Jian Youyou’s fingers slid down to his belt, and thanks to his tall frame, she managed to cling on for dear life.
Just as she thought she might be safe, there was a loud snap—the belt buckle gave way. Jian Youyou still ended up on the ground, but the makeshift support had softened her fall. Once she steadied herself, she gasped out the rest of her line, "President Yu, don’t leave me here, I’m really scared of the dark..."
The line was supposed to be delivered with a tear-streaked face and trembling eyes, but Jian Youyou was too busy squinting at the ground, searching for her clutch. Spotting it under the front wheel, she immediately let go of Yu Hekun and scrambled toward it, calling out to the driver, "Uncle, don’t drive yet! My bag’s under the wheel!"
Meanwhile, Yu Hekun stood there, "tears streaming down his face" as he clutched at his pants, which were now sliding down without the belt to hold them up.
The night was thick, the breeze cool. His torn shirt billowed in the wind, letting the chill wrap around his waist. He shivered, his injured eye still watering from the button assault.
Never in his life had he been this humiliated.
The shock left him momentarily dazed, unsure why he was even here or what he was doing.
Then he looked down.
The culprit—Jian Youyou—was halfway under the car, her shimmering designer gown hugging her curves as she wriggled, just inches short of reaching her bag.
Yu Hekun felt like his eyes were about to combust.
The driver, Uncle Lin, was a meticulous man who had worked for the Yu Family his entire life. He’d even married one of their maids. After Yu Rong moved abroad for business, Uncle Lin had taken on the role of household steward.
He’d known Yu Hekun since childhood. Unlike other kids, Yu Hekun had never come home dirty or disheveled—until now.
Uncle Lin hurried out of the car, stripping off his jacket as he rushed over to drape it around Yu Hekun’s exposed chest.
"Young Master," he gasped, noticing the tears. His eyes widened in shock—he hadn’t seen Yu Hekun cry since he was a toddler.
Even as a child, Yu Hekun had never used tears to get his way. He’d once famously declared that crying was nothing but shameful and solved nothing.
Now, wrapped in the jacket, Yu Hekun growled, "A button hit my eye!"
"Drive! Just drive!" He shoved Uncle Lin toward the car, fury finally igniting. One hand holding up his pants, the other pointing at Jian Youyou—who was now wriggling out from under the car like a snake—he snarled, "Run her over!"
Of course, it was an empty threat. The Yu Family was strictly legitimate business, and Yu Hekun himself avoided even the typical rich-kid parties. He was disciplined, restrained.
But everyone had their flaws. When pushed too far, Yu Hekun had a habit of venting with violent hyperbole. Right now, he was like a firecracker with its fuse lit—hopping mad, one eye bloodshot from the button attack, looking every bit the ruthless killer.
Uncle Lin knew better. He’d raised this boy. With a resigned sigh, he let Yu Hekun glare him toward the driver’s seat, thinking privately that it had been years since the young master had been this furious. The last time he’d stomped around like this was when his parents moved overseas for business, leaving him and his older brother behind.
Back then, Yu Hekun had vowed never to speak to them again—only to camp by the phone for hours whenever his father was due to call.
Same as now. Just words.
Too bad Jian Youyou didn’t know that.
She crawled out from under the car, clutching her handbag tightly. After hearing Yu Hekun's threat to run her over and seeing the ferocity in his expression, she was genuinely terrified. Stuttering "President Yu... Boss Yu..." a couple of times, she scrambled backward under his deathly glare, then turned and bolted—
This lunatic was trying to kill her!
Jian Youyou stumbled after a few steps, kicked off her heels, and sprinted barefoot while holding up her dress, moving astonishingly fast. After all, this was a matter of life and death for her. In no time, she vanished beyond the reach of the car's headlights.
Yu Hekun remained standing by the car, his gaze dark and fixed on the direction where Jian Youyou had disappeared, until Uncle Lin spoke up. "Young Master, Miss Jian is afraid of the dark. Besides, it's unsafe for her to run off like this."
"Leave her be!" Yu Hekun snapped, sliding into the back seat with a stormy expression. "Drive back to the villa!" Then he shut his eyes.
Uncle Lin started the car but didn’t turn around. Instead, he drove straight ahead, following the path Jian Youyou had taken, scanning the road carefully with the headlights. The stretch was long and empty, with the city still far away. Yu Hekun had brought Jian Youyou to a business banquet earlier, and at this hour, there wasn’t even a single private car on the road. Yet, strangely, no matter how far they drove, there was no sign of Jian Youyou.
Frowning, Uncle Lin continued for a while longer before turning to Yu Hekun. "Young Master, we still haven’t found Miss Jian."
"Did she hide somewhere?" How could she just vanish? She had just run off barefoot in a dress—how far could she possibly go?!
Yu Hekun opened his eyes irritably, his vision blurring with pain. But this time, he clenched his jaw and didn’t repeat his earlier dismissal. Instead, he ordered, "Contact the house. Search every patch of greenery along this road, and go door-to-door in the villa area!"
His eyes throbbed as he glared, making him hiss in pain. He was furious. That damn drunkard had caused all this trouble and then stormed off. He really should’ve just let her be—she was the one who broke their agreement. But against his will, Yu Hekun recalled the way Jian Youyou had wriggled under the car earlier.
Dressed like that, squirming around… If she had the sense to hide, that would be one thing. But this stretch of road was impossible to hail a cab, and she was drunk. What if she just wandered off with some stranger…
Yu Hekun’s face twisted in frustration. Tonight was destined to be chaotic.
The Yu Family was highly influential in Zhouning City, their empire spanning countless industries and connections in every upper-class circle. With their recent dominance in overseas markets, everyone was eager to cozy up to them, hoping to ride their coattails to profit.
That was why Yu Hekun dared to order a door-to-door search. Anyone who dared to take what was his and not return it might as well kiss their future in Zhouning City goodbye.
But after turning the entire villa district upside down—every possible hiding spot along the street scoured—there was still no trace of her. The woman who had barely taken a few steps away from him had seemingly vanished into thin air!
Meanwhile, the person Yu Hekun was tearing the city apart to find was currently bolting upright in her own bed, clad in a bulky rabbit onesie, her delicate features half-hidden behind black-framed glasses. She glanced at the bunny-shaped clock on the wall—2:00 AM.
The book she had been clutching to her chest fell to the floor as she jolted awake. Suddenly remembering something, Jian Youyou scrambled off the bed, snatched the book from the carpet, and watched as a pendant tumbled out of its pages.
She caught it deftly, dashed to the door to switch on the light, and then gaped at the diamond in her hand, turning it this way and that. The way it sparkled under the light sent her heart soaring.
"Oh my god… It’s real!"
She had actually brought back the reward promised by the book for completing her mission—into the real world!
