"Hello, who is it?" Ouyang Chen said.
"Mr. Ou, I'm the security guard downstairs from your apartment. I saw Ms. Su getting into a... a black Lincoln Jeep, the license plate number is..."
—Call ended—
Ouyang Chen frowned slightly. This wasn't Wang Ziran's car. He had initially thought it was arranged by the mall upon hearing the model, but the license plate number instantly made him realize it was Colin's ride!!!
Ouyang Chen grabbed his coat and car keys and rushed out of the office. His secretary, who was about to enter with coffee, was almost bumped into.
"Mr. Ou, your coffee..."
However, Ouyang Chen left the company without looking back.
By the time Ouyang Chen returned to his apartment, his parking space was already occupied.
Seeing the familiar car models, Ouyang Chen felt a sense of unease.
Some bodyguards stood in the parking lot as if awaiting orders. They stared intently at Ouyang Chen, who was rushing back, and then reported everything to Colin.
Under their watchful eyes, Ouyang Chen successfully reached the apartment entrance. He didn't even need to open the door himself, as Colin's subordinates were already waiting for him.
Ouyang Chen entered the foyer. Colin stood behind Su Ruiyi, holding a necklace. Red diamonds formed the shape of an apple, and it seemed Colin was about to put the necklace on Su Ruiyi.
Looking further inside, Wang Ziran appeared to be injured, with a very prominent bruise around his eye. Two men in black stood on either side.
Colin shouted excitedly, "Bravo! The male lead has arrived!"
Ouyang Chen remained silent, his eyes fixed on Colin's actions. Su Ruiyi's body trembled slightly. She bit her lower lip, also remaining silent.
Colin glanced at everyone. "Why so tense? Relax, everyone. I just came to see Ms. Su. Look at this necklace I have. It's my sincerity."
With that, Colin slowly moved the necklace towards Su Ruiyi's neck. However, the way he gripped it with both hands wasn't to put it on her, but rather...
Wang Ziran suddenly stood up from the sofa. Su Ruiyi was already being tightly choked by the delicate necklace. She tried to pry it off with her hands, but it was too thin and too tight, preventing her from even digging her nails in.
Wang Ziran cried out, "Yiyi..."
With a loud bang, a punch landed squarely in Wang Ziran's stomach. He coughed up blood from the pain. This punch was a warning; he had ruined the atmosphere.
Su Ruiyi's face turned crimson. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Ouyang Chen, seemingly trying to signal for help.
Colin watched the three of them with amusement. He suddenly let go, laughing heartily as he pointed at Wang Ziran and then at Ouyang Chen.
"A good show! A good show! A good show!"
Su Ruiyi seized the moment, grabbed the necklace, and threw it away forcefully. She coughed continuously, gasping for air.
But Colin seemed unsatisfied. He suddenly grabbed Su Ruiyi by the hair from behind, forcing her head back. The blood-red mark of the necklace was embedded in her neck.
"Prince? Knight? Princess?"
Colin looked at Wang Ziran, then at Ouyang Chen, and then at Su Ruiyi. But he changed his tune.
"He is the knight, you are the prince, because the princess's gaze never left this handsome male protagonist."
Ouyang Chen walked up to Colin and quickly intercepted Colin's hand from holding Su Ruiyi's hair. He noticed that Su Ruiyi's leg, which was in a cast, was bleeding, and a small pool of blood had already formed on the floor.
Ouyang Chen was not polite with Colin at all. "Enough! They are not the ones you are dealing with!"
Colin looked somewhat displeased. "I saved her, so her life belongs to me."
Ouyang Chen suppressed his temper, not wanting to cause trouble. "She helped you salvage your reputation!"
"I know she helped me, and I came to personally express my gratitude. Why doesn't she come and thank me?" Colin looked at Su Ruiyi helplessly.
Ouyang Chen stepped in front of Su Ruiyi. "How do you want her to thank you?"
Colin genuinely pondered. "Let me think. I told the media I had the opportunity to cooperate with the Su Corporation from abroad. I can't go back on my word."
Su Ruiyi shivered. She had seen on the news how Colin had rescued her, but she knew nothing about this man. Meeting him today only made her feel a pervasive sense of danger.
He didn't seem like a businessman, at least not like the uncles and aunts she had met in business over the years.
Ouyang Chen continued, "Then go talk to the current head of the Su Corporation, instead of harassing a child here!"
Colin pouted and shrugged his shoulders, like a child being scolded by an adult.
Colin patted the back of a chair. "It was someone else's trap that forced me to save her. If I hadn't saved her, would all these subsequent events have happened?"
This was Colin's true intention. He wanted to tell Ouyang Chen that by saving Su Ruiyi this time, the Su Corporation owed him. No matter what kind of cooperation it was in the future, the Su Corporation would have to bear it.
Most importantly, Ouyang Chen was the mastermind of this incident and also deserved punishment. Looking at the fates of Su Ruiyi and Wang Ziran today, if Ouyang Chen were to encounter any misfortune in the future, he should remember this life-saving favor.
Su Ruiyi looked at Wang Ziran, who had been beaten to his knees. She remembered what Mrs. Su had said in the hospital. Colin's attitude towards Wang Ziran today proved that Mrs. Su had lied; Wang Ziran was an accomplice!
Su Ruiyi looked at Wang Ziran with some disappointment, but at the same time, she felt pained for her injured friend.
"Do you think meeting me is the worst thing? Is today the worst day of your life?"
Colin pointed at Su Ruiyi, but his smile was even more terrifying.
"If it weren't for your skiing injury, these two wouldn't have gone to the snowy mountains to find you and wouldn't have run into me..."
"So, you are the culprit..." Colin said excitedly, clapping his hands.
"Colin!" Ouyang Chen reprimanded.
"Angry? How disappointing! Alright, that's enough for today. You need to rest and recover. Don't easily—die!"
Colin feigned concern for Su Ruiyi, delivering what sounded like the most human closing remark of the day.
Colin and his entourage left the room. In an instant, Wang Ziran on the floor, Su Ruiyi on the chair, and Ouyang Chen leaning against the door all breathed a sigh of relief.
Ouyang Chen helped Wang Ziran up from the floor, but Wang Ziran brushed his hand away. His hostility towards Ouyang Chen was increasingly evident. Besides Su Ruiyi's constant concern for this man, he was even more upset that this pervert today had been provoked by Ouyang Chen!
However, seeing Su Ruiyi alive and well before him, Wang Ziran's heart wavered. Regardless, Ouyang Chen had saved Su Ruiyi.
After getting their wounds treated at the hospital, the two followed Ouyang Chen back to the apartment in silence. They were quiet, neither wanting to speak first, as if they had found a tacit understanding for the first time – each with their own thoughts.