When Ji Ran rushed over, this was the scene he found.
He glanced over the accident scene and spotted their familiar car. His eyes filled with shock. What had happened?
But he had no time to dwell on it. He ran straight to Zhao Pingchuan, threw his arms around him and pulled him tightly into his embrace. "Brother! Zhao Pingchuan! Calm down!" he shouted.
The voice was so familiar that Zhao Pingchuan's eyelashes trembled. His vacant eyes finally moved, and he saw the person in front of him clearly.
It was Ji Ran!
Ji Ran, completely unharmed!
Before his mind could make sense of what had happened, he had already wrapped his arms tightly around the person in front of him. He squeezed so hard that Ji Ran felt a little pain.
But Ji Ran didn't stop him. Instead, he stroked the back of Zhao Pingchuan's neck very gently and soothed him. "Brother, I'm all right. I'm all right."
His voice grew quieter and quieter until all that remained was the repeated, soothing motion, letting Zhao Pingchuan feel his presence.
A drop of scalding liquid fell onto his neck and trickled farther down.
Ji Ran froze. He instinctively tried to look at Zhao Pingchuan's face, but the man held him still. His voice was hoarse and barely intelligible. "Don't move. Let me hold you for a while."
Ji Ran obediently stayed still.
Zhao Pingchuan felt sensation slowly returning to his body. His back was drenched in cold sweat, and his heart was racing frighteningly fast. It was the first time in his life he had experienced such a powerful surge of emotion.
Ji Ran felt a sting in his nose. He could guess how desperate his brother must have felt witnessing the crash.
At that thought, unanswered questions rose in his mind.
Why had Jiang Jinyue taken his car?
Who was in the car?
How had he known what would happen here?
He patted Zhao Pingchuan's back and coaxed him, "Brother, I'll explain when we get home. Let's see how things are first."
As long as Ji Ran was all right, Zhao Pingchuan quickly calmed down. But he refused to let go of Ji Ran's hand, insisting on keeping him close before he could feel at ease.
Ji Ran indulged him.
Several strongly built bodyguards arrived even before the firefighters. When they saw the scene, they hurried over to help with the rescue. Someone was making a phone call to report something.
In the end, the driver was pulled out. He was a young man wearing a shirt, most of his white shirt stained red with blood. He was unconscious, and his right hand was twisted at an unnatural angle.
Ji Ran saw him clearly. It was Jiang Jinyue.
His brows furrowed even more tightly. What was Jiang Jinyue doing? Trying to get himself killed?
Zhao Pingchuan saw him too. A storm brewed in his dark eyes as he watched silently while Jiang Jinyue was carried into the ambulance.
Since Jiang Jinyue had appeared here, the matter was clear enough. Gu Xingye was inextricably involved in all of this.
Gu Xingye.
He repeated the name silently, a killing intent clearer than ever before appearing in his eyes.
Someone suddenly squeezed his hand. He turned to see Ji Ran looking at him worriedly. Meeting his gaze, Ji Ran asked, "Brother, can we go home first?"
Zhao Pingchuan nodded. Their car was gone, so the two of them could only take a taxi home.
Zhao Pingchuan didn't say a word the entire way, but he never once let go of Ji Ran's hand.
Ji Ran knew how unsettled he was inside and didn't speak to disturb him.
As soon as they entered the house, Zhao Pingchuan held him in place and kissed him. It was probably the least gentle kiss they had ever shared, savage enough to be called brutal. Ji Ran soon tasted iron, though he didn't know whose blood it was.
His tongue ached from the way it was tangled with Zhao Pingchuan's, but through it, he felt the other man's lingering fear and helplessness more clearly.
Ji Ran gave himself over completely, accepting it gently, wanting to give Zhao Pingchuan a greater sense of security.
The man clearly felt it. His movements gradually softened, turning into licks.
When he finally let go, both of them were breathing heavily.
Zhao Pingchuan's voice was unbearably hoarse. "Ranran, you scared me to death."
When had he ever shown such vulnerability? Ji Ran's heart melted. He pulled him over to sit on the sofa and stroked his back, again and again, as though soothing a wounded beast. "I know, brother. I know. It's all over now. Don't be afraid."
"I just watched that truck come down on your car. I couldn't do anything." Zhao Pingchuan repeated the words helplessly.
Ji Ran's heart ached terribly. He listened patiently to Zhao Pingchuan's disjointed account, and the scene seemed to play out before his own eyes.
At that moment, Ji Ran's heart was full of hatred for Gu Xingye. It wasn't because Gu Xingye had targeted him, but because he had made a car accident into Zhao Pingchuan's nightmare once again.
If everything from four years ago played out again, how was Zhao Pingchuan supposed to get through it this time?
He calmed down and began telling Zhao Pingchuan everything he knew.
When he received Zhao Pingchuan's message, he had set out to pick him up. But on the way, he had suddenly received a call from an unfamiliar number. Puzzled, he had answered, and Jiang Jinyue's voice had come through.
Ji Ran had been surprised. "It's you?"
Jiang Jinyue had spoken quickly and briefly, as though pressed for time. He gave Ji Ran a location and said, "Ji Ran, park your car here now, leave the keys, and then go find Zhao Pingchuan."
Ji Ran had been completely bewildered. "Why?"
"Someone wants to hurt you," was all Jiang Jinyue said. "Trust me."
They had only met a few times, and Ji Ran had no reason to trust him. But Jiang Jinyue's tone was so serious that Ji Ran thought it over. It wouldn't make much difference to him, so he agreed. "All right, I'll go there now."
He had wanted to ask a few more questions, but Jiang Jinyue cut him off first. "There isn't much time. Don't ask so many questions. You'll find out what you want to know in due course."
With that, he immediately hung up.
Ji Ran had done as he was told, but he hadn't expected the crash to have been deliberately staged, much less that Jiang Jinyue himself would get into the car.
Had Gu Xingye gone mad?
After hearing him out, Zhao Pingchuan wasn't as agitated as expected. Instead, he seemed much calmer, as though it was no surprise that Gu Xingye would do all this.
There were actually still many unanswered questions: how Jiang Jinyue had learned of Gu Xingye's plan, why he had disrupted it, how he had gotten in touch with Ji Ran, and, most importantly, why he had gotten into the car despite knowing it meant certain death.
If he had only wanted to save someone, stopping Ji Ran would have been enough. Why put himself in danger?
Ji Ran voiced his doubts. Zhao Pingchuan fell silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I can actually understand what he was thinking. I could tell the last time we met that there was something wrong with his mental state. He probably has strong self-destructive tendencies. Death is a release for him."
Ji Ran was shocked. He hadn't expected the struggle between the protagonist gong and shou to have reached this point. How had they later reconciled and returned to the way they were? Had the course of events in this life already changed?
Before he could think further, a sudden chill ran through Ji Ran. He turned to the man beside him, his gaze fixed on him.
What did he mean, "I can understand what he was thinking"?
Ji Ran heard his own hoarse voice. "Brother, don't scare me. What's wrong?"
Zhao Pingchuan knew he had misunderstood and hurriedly kissed him. "It's all right, Ranran. It's all in the past. I was talking about when you first met me. I'm better now."
Zhao Pingchuan back then had been just like Jiang Jinyue now, intent on dying. Mental illness was difficult to cure completely, but love often brought miracles.
Ji Ran was his miracle.
Ji Ran's expression relaxed, and he leaned affectionately against Zhao Pingchuan's shoulder. "Brother, we both have to be all right. Neither of us is allowed to come to harm."
Zhao Pingchuan answered gently, "All right."