What Could You Possibly Do to Save Me?

[Name: Lin Ao]

[Looks: SSS]

[Personality: Complicated.]

[Hidden Traits: Tsundere, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, completely defenseless against women's tears.]

[Relationships: Father: Lin Dong, Mother: Li Wanyu, Fiancée: Gu Wanqing (to be confirmed).]

[Current State/Thoughts: Awkward. Should I say something to ease the tension? Will I scare her?]

[Affection: 50.]

[Heart Rate: 100.]

[Current Goal: Ease the tension.]

[H-Index: 60.]

[All data is updated in real time.]

[Congratulations on breaking free of the Destiny Path.]

Xia Qiange studied Lin Ao's information panel with curiosity.

Excitement and curiosity flickered in her eyes from time to time.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Lin Ao, Lin Ao, what good deed did you do in your last life to make me, this young lady, come back from the dead to save you?"

In Xia Qiange's mind, she must have returned to help Lin Ao.

To make sure he survived.

She stared at Lin Ao until he got goosebumps.

What was wrong with this woman? They'd only hugged. Was she planning to get revenge afterward?

Was she going to call Xiao Fan and have him sneak over to the villa to kill me?

As if I was afraid of you.

Lin Ao immediately stared right back at her!

[Current State/Thoughts: Defiant! As if I was afraid of you.]

Xia Qiange let out a little "oh-ho" to herself.

"This man is defiant? What is he defiant about?"

Xia Qiange rose to her feet and sauntered over to Lin Ao, swaying her hips.

She slapped a hand against the wall behind him.

Lin Ao was so startled that he almost dropped the glass in his hand. Was she pinning him against the wall?

"Lin Ao~ What are you defiant about? I came here to help you, you know!"

Xia Qiange's expression was serious, with a hint of mischief.

Lin Ao's heart gave a thump. What was this woman playing at? How did she know I was defiant? Help me? What did she mean?

Why had she changed so much after that hug?

Lin Ao pushed aside his other, unnecessary thoughts.

"Help me? What do you mean?"

Xia Qiange was about to say something when Little Assistant and the others could be heard outside. She released Lin Ao, quickly whispered something in his ear, then went to meet them.

Lin Ao's expression turned grave. His mind was full of questions as he turned and headed back to his room.

His thoughts were a mess. What exactly did Xia Qiange mean? What exactly?

Xia Qiange retrieved her luggage and chose the room next to Lin Ao's.

She shut the door, flung herself onto the bed, and hugged the covers, wriggling around.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Xia Qiange was terribly excited. She hadn't actually spent much time with Lin Ao before. Most of what she knew came from Xiao Fan, who'd called him sinister and crafty, a lecherous fiend, cold and ruthless.

But after this latest encounter, she didn't think Lin Ao was like that at all. His information panel was completely clear; if he had any bad intentions, she could find out right away.

She'd test it later and see if the panel was accurate.

It all felt so fresh and astonishing.

She felt as though Heaven had given her a mission.

She was a great hero who'd returned from the dead to save poor Lin Ao.

Then Lin Ao's information panel came to mind again.

Was his H-Index for me really that low? And his affection was only an ordinary 50?

What did that mean? Was I not beautiful? Was my figure not good enough? Did he look down on me, Xia Qiange?

As Xia Qiange thought about it, her mind wandered off track again...

Late that night, on the beach.

All around them, the only sound was the surf pounding the shore.

Two figures emerged from the villa, one after the other.

Xia Qiange came out first, followed by Lin Ao.

The last thing Xia Qiange had whispered to him that day was an invitation to meet her on the other side of the beach in the middle of the night for a proper talk.

Lin Ao saw Xia Qiange standing on a rock by the shore, facing the sea. Moonlight fell over her long, shapely legs, making her look especially alluring.

And her pert bottom, framed by her hot pants...

"You came?"

Xia Qiange stood atop the rock without turning around, her voice cool and distant.

"I came!"

Lin Ao's expression was solemn. He was desperate to find out what Xia Qiange meant.

"You really shouldn't have come."

Xia Qiange still didn't turn around.

"?"

"But I'm already here... Ah!"

Lin Ao froze. Weren't you the one who asked me to come? What did you mean?

"What did you come here for?"

At Xia Qiange's words, Lin Ao's mouth twitched.

"I came to get an answer!"

"What answer?"

"Xia Qiange, are you done messing around?"

She had him completely bewildered.

"Lin Ao~ Did I seem like some kind of heroine just now?"

Only then did Xia Qiange turn around, grinning at Lin Ao.

"Cut out the weird stuff. What did you mean by what you said tonight? What did you mean, you came to help me?"

Lin Ao rolled his eyes at her. Why did she seem so unhinged?

"Hehe~ Just what I said. I came to help you. It was fated by Heaven!"

With a playful "heya," Xia Qiange jumped down from the rock.

Lin Ao still didn't understand. Couldn't she just explain it clearly? Forget it. He'd ask directly.

"Did Xiao Fan send you? He managed to find me in a place this secluded? He really went to great lengths."

Hearing Lin Ao's words, Xia Qiange understood why the eldest young master of the Lin Family had shown up somewhere like this. He was hiding from Xiao Fan. Had he already clashed with him?

"It looks like you've already crossed paths with Xiao Fan. You need to watch out for him. He's a ruthless, twisted murderer."

Xia Qiange's expression turned grave. So that was what was going on. Her memories must have awakened at this point so she could warn Lin Ao.

Lin Ao was stunned. Was that really something Xia Qiange would say?

"Weren't you his fangirl? How could you..."

The moment Xia Qiange heard Lin Ao call her Xiao Fan's fangirl, she bristled. Before he could finish, she cut him off.

"Pah! That greasy, perverted creep? How could I be his fangirl? Don't go spreading rumors about me, or I'll sue you for defamation! Pah, pah, pah!"

Lin Ao was bewildered again. Had things gone off track?

Had Xia Qiange gone completely off track too?

"What do you mean, you came to help me? What do I need your help with? And what could you even do for me?"

Lin Ao could feel things veering in a completely different direction again.

"I just came to warn you. Xiao Fan isn't a good person. And there are some others—what were their names? Lin Feng from your family. Right, right, him. And someone surnamed Ye and someone surnamed Chu."

"That's all I remember."

Xia Qiange sorted through her memories. She'd only learned about the others indirectly, through what happened later, so she didn't know much.

"How... do you know all this?"

Lin Ao was utterly astonished. How did she know?

"Me? You don't need to worry about how I know. I've told you what I needed to tell you. So, how are you going to thank me?"

Xia Qiange felt she'd done a great deed, and she was thrilled.

"If you won't tell me how you know, I won't believe you."

Lin Ao was speechless. She knew all that? I'd died at their hands before. The only thing he wanted to know now was how Xia Qiange had found out.

"Hey~ I came here to save you. Isn't that enough?"

Xia Qiange didn't know Lin Ao had also returned from the dead. He knew far more than she did.

"Save me?"

Lin Ao suddenly felt lost. Was there really anyone who could save him?

"Who could save me? Who could save me??? I've been through it so many times! I couldn't control myself, like a puppet, and they tore me to pieces again and again!!"

"Back then! Why didn't you save me?"

"Huh?"

"What gives you the right to step forward now and say you'll save me?"

"Every time I thought I could survive, every time I thought I could escape, fate played a joke on me! In the end, all I ever faced was despair!"

Xia Qiange's words sounded like one huge joke to Lin Ao. The emotions he'd kept bottled up for so long burst out all at once.

His eyes were bloodshot, brimming with resentment and fury. He was like a wounded beast.

Xia Qiange froze in place.

"Again and again, you so-called protagonists tore me apart, then stitched me back together just to tear me apart again."

"Do you know what that feels like?"

"And this time! I'd been avoiding all of you! So why do you keep showing up around me, one after another? Why?!"

"Now you're telling me you came to save me?"

"What could you possibly do to save me?"

"Tell me! Tell me!"

Xia Qiange gently stepped forward and pulled Lin Ao, who was on the verge of breaking down, into her arms.

She held him tight, softly patting his back.

Her eyes fell on the line of information that made her heart ache.

She whispered into his ear.

[Current State/Thoughts: Despair! Breaking down!]

"I'm sorry!"

"So you remember everything?"