C22 Lucky Escape!

The man caught by surprise struggled fiercely, yet he couldn't break free from Faang Ming's strong grip.

"Shh! Don't move! Just stay quiet, and as soon as they leave, I'll let you go," Faang Ming whispered in the man's ear.

As the man frantically nodded, Faang Ming gradually released his hand from the man's mouth.

"Is that you, Faang Ming?" the man immediately whispered as soon as he was released.

In the darkness, Faang Ming couldn't make out the man's face, but the voice struck a chord. After a moment, he blurted out, "Zhang Ruoyu?"

"Yes, it's me! What's going on?" Zhang Ruoyu's voice was tinged with concern.

"I... I..." Faang Ming fumbled for words, unsure how to explain the situation to Zhang Ruoyu. Internally, he was cursing his luck for running into her again.

Zhang Ruoyu, hearing Faang Ming's hesitant mumbles and getting no clear answer, peered at the officers in uniform searching the area. She whispered a warning, "Spill it now, or I'll shout."

"Don't, don't, don't..." In a panic, Faang Ming had no choice but to recount the events to Zhang Ruoyu.

Zhang Ruoyu listened intently, then fell silent, deep in thought.

Noticing Zhang Ruoyu's silence and unable to discern her expression in the dark, Faang Ming ventured, "I've told you everything. You can take me in now, but I won't go down without a fight..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Ruoyu felt him slump, and she realized Faang Ming was ashen, his body drenched in blood.

"You're hurt?" she asked, her voice laced with alarm.

Faang Ming was now so weak he could barely speak.

As Zhang Ruoyu tried to rise, she found Faang Ming's hand still firmly around her, and to her embarrassment, his right hand was on her chest. She had only just noticed.

Under normal circumstances, Zhang Ruoyu might have exploded with anger, but given Faang Ming's injuries, she instead said with flushed cheeks, "Let go of me. I can distract them."

Faang Ming, oblivious to her blushing in the dim light, hesitated but ultimately released her.

Once free, Zhang Ruoyu quickly got to her feet and stepped out. The searchers spotted her, and one with sharp eyes recognized her, exclaiming, "Isn't that Ruoyu? What are you doing out so late?"

"Oh, Little Wang! I just couldn't sleep and needed a walk! By the way, what are you all looking for?" Zhang Ruoyu asked, feigning nonchalance.

"Hey! We got a call about a brawl in 'Sleepless Town'—lots of people and a fatality. We arrived to find someone climbing down the building, and now they've vanished," the young man surnamed Wang explained with a hint of frustration.

"Oh! I see! I just came from that way and didn't spot anyone. Maybe they've headed across the street," Zhang Ruoyu said with feigned nonchalance.

Upon hearing Zhang Ruoyu's words, the others quickly responded, "That explains why we couldn't find them for so long. Thanks, Ruoyu."

With that, they hurried off in the opposite direction. Faang Ming listened and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Once Zhang Ruoyu watched them disappear into the distance, she patted her chest and hurried back to Faang Ming, reassuring him, "Okay! They're gone now."

"Thank you! I owe you one for this," Faang Ming said, attempting to stand up. But Zhang Ruoyu stopped him.

"Having second thoughts?" Faang Ming asked with a frown.

"I saved you because I didn't want Ning'er to be upset. You're seriously injured and the police are everywhere. Where could you possibly go? Come to my place first!" Zhang Ruoyu insisted, draping Faang Ming's arm over her shoulder and leading him forward without waiting for his consent.

With no other options, Faang Ming complied. Once inside Zhang Ruoyu's home, she propped him against the wall and dashed to switch on the lights. Turning back, she found Faang Ming collapsed on the floor, his blood staining the floorboards.

"Hey! Don't you dare scare me!" Zhang Ruoyu exclaimed, rushing to his side and shaking his body.

When she rolled Faang Ming over and saw the long slash on his back, she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in shock.

After a moment of stunned silence, Zhang Ruoyu sprang into action. She grabbed all the dry towels from the bathroom, rummaged through her drawers for a roll of gauze and scissors, and hurried back to Faang Ming.

With care, she cut away the clothing around Faang Ming's waist and began to clean the blood from around the wound. But as soon as she finished, fresh blood poured out again. Clutching her head, Zhang Ruoyu panicked, "What do I do now? What do I do?"

Then it struck her – the drugstore downstairs. She bolted out the door and down the stairs.

Returning with the hemostatic medicine, Zhang Ruoyu was relieved to see that while Faang Ming was still bleeding, it was significantly less than before. Without wasting a moment, she applied the medicine to his wound, then took the blood-soaked towels to the bathroom to rinse them before cleaning the blood from Faang Ming's body.

Once she had cleaned all the blood from his upper body and saw the bleeding had stopped, Zhang Ruoyu finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.

She intended to move Faang Ming to her bed but noticed his pants were soaked through with blood, the fabric stained a dark red. Hesitating only briefly, she steeled herself, picked up the scissors, and cut away his trousers and bloodied underwear. Blushing, she shredded them and tossed the pieces into the trash can.

At that moment, Faang Ming was stark naked, and Zhang Ruoyu's face turned a deep shade of red, reminiscent of a ripe apple. Clutching a towel in her hand, she began to wipe down Faang Ming's lower region. Despite her best efforts to avert her gaze, Zhang Ruoyu couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Faang Ming's private parts.

Wiping him down had taken quite a bit of effort, and it was with great exertion that Zhang Ruoyu managed to haul Faang Ming onto the bed. Concerned about the risk of infection, she insisted that he stay in bed, gently draping a blanket over him before she turned to leave her room.

Once the door was closed, Zhang Ruoyu's cheeks flushed even redder at the memory of Faang Ming's anatomy. Shaking her head in an attempt to dispel the image, she stepped into the bathroom, stripped off her bloodied clothes, and tossed them into the washing machine.

Emerging later wrapped in a bath towel, Zhang Ruoyu surveyed the blood splattered across the floor and the shredded, bloodied clothes. She muttered to herself with dissatisfaction, "It seems like nothing good ever happens when I'm around him."

With a sigh, she began the disheartening task of cleaning up. It wasn't until noon the next day that Faang Ming finally stirred awake. Finding himself on a pristine bed, he struggled to piece together the events of the previous night.

Suddenly, it dawned on him that he was in Zhang Ruoyu's home. "If he hadn't saved me last night," Faang Ming mused, "I'd probably be nothing more than a cold corpse by now."

Attempting to sit up, Faang Ming felt only a mild ache in his back—nothing serious. But as he threw back the covers, he was shocked to discover his nudity. "Holy sh*t! What happened?" he exclaimed, shaking his head in confusion. Without delay, he leaped out of bed and began to search for his clothes.

Just then, the door swung open, and Zhang Ruoyu's piercing scream filled the room. In a panic, Faang Ming dove back under the blanket. The door slammed shut with a thud.

"What's the matter with you? Can't you put on some clothes when you wake up?" Zhang Ruoyu's voice floated in from the hallway.

"I was just looking for my clothes when you barged in," Faang Ming replied, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

Outside, a blushing Zhang Ruoyu suddenly remembered she had cut up and discarded Faang Ming's clothes the night before.

As Faang Ming puzzled over the situation, the door cracked open again, and a piece of clothing sailed in, landing on his head. The door snapped shut once more.

Pulling the garment off, Faang Ming discovered it was a set of pink women's pajamas. His expression stiffened, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "What's this supposed to be?"

"Your clothes were covered in blood, so I cut them up and threw them out last night. Those are my pajamas; just make do with them for now!" Zhang Ruoyu called out from behind the door.

"Uh…"

Finally grasping the fate of his clothes, Faang Ming looked down at the pink pajamas in his hands and sighed in resignation, "Well, it beats being naked."

With that, he donned the pink pajamas and, steeling himself, stepped out of the room.

"Haha!"

Zhang Ruoyu burst into laughter upon seeing Faang Ming emerge in her pajamas.

"What's so funny?" Faang Ming asked, his tone nonchalant.

"Do you realize how adorable you look right now?" Zhang Ruoyu was laughing so hard she could barely stand up straight.

"Enough already! A smile will do," Faang Ming said, his face flushed with embarrassment.

It took a while for Zhang Ruoyu's laughter to subside. She then told Faang Ming, "Your breakfast is on the table—the milk and sandwiches."

Faang Ming walked over, took a seat, and glanced at the milk and the palm-sized piece of bread. Turning to Zhang Ruoyu, he inquired, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I've already had mine," Zhang Ruoyu said with a smile.