When Cheng Ji took Wuyou and Wulv and went fishing by the river, Xu Yan was accompanying Xu Ruyi, the distributor of Hengshan City, and his family to go mountain climbing.

Business could be discussed outside of the office as well. Before she arrived at Hengshan City, she had already arranged everything properly for the weekend.

First, they would climb the mountain, followed by a cable car ride, grass skiing, and a dip in the hot spring. For their midday meal, they would enjoy a farm-to-table feast within the scenic area. Xu Yan's quality of service surpassed that of a local tour guide. After dinner, Xu Ruyi said with satisfaction, "Miss Xu, I have felt your sincerity. I will arrange for the contract and payment to be made on Monday."

Xu Yan replied happily, "Thank you, Mr. Xu. Selecting Meisi Group is undoubtedly the perfect decision for you."

After sending Xu Ruyi away, it was still early, so Xu Yan planned to go out for a walk. In recent years, Hengshan City had done a great job in urban planning and had won a lot of praise for its unique charm in night scenes on We-media platforms.

According to the navigation, Xu Yan walked from the hotel to the riverside.

The riverside was very lively, with families coming out for a ride, couples dating. Vendors peddled enticing snacks. This scene added to the ambiance teeming with human activity.

Xu Yan stood by the riverside, leaning against the railing, lost in a daze as she observed the bustling scene around her. How long had it been since she had been in such a good mood?

The days by Jiang Han's side were always difficult to endure, at first with a sense of humiliation, and later with a repressed and self-deprecating unrequited love. Working as a medical assistant in Xia'an City, she witnessed the bleakest aspects of the human condition. Regardless of the breathtaking landscapes that surrounded her, everything seemed to fade away on the dissecting table.

At this moment, she wanted to cry. She was glad that she could return to her normal life.

She walked along the leisure road by the river for a long time. It was not until she had digested most of the food in her stomach that she turned back.

Turning back, she chose to forge a new path instead of retracing her steps. There was a narrow motorway on the riverbank, and there was an open-air night market on the roadside. The vendors here set up pots, barbecue grills, and a few tables, turning it into a recreational place. Although it was a little cold, there were a lot of people in the night market. They enjoyed drinking and playing finger-guessing games.

The aroma of sizzling animal fat permeated the air, its fragrance lingering, yet it failed to captivate her. Because of her professional habit as an assistant medical examiner, she didn't like to eat at roadside stalls.

As she was about to leave the night market, a piercing female voice captured the onlookers' attention. Xu Yan looked over and saw two tall men smiling cheekily at three thin girls.

The girl in red scolded angrily, "Are you crazy? We don't know you. Why should we drink with you?"

One of the men said, "Wouldn't we know each other after a few drinks?"

"Get lost! I don't want to drink with you. If you want to drink, ask your mom to drink with you." The black-clad girl retorted sharply.

"Wow! What a hot girl! It must be exhilarating to make love with you." Another man reached out to touch the girl's butt.

The girl who experienced harassment grabbed the rice noodle bowl from the table and hurled it towards the man. The rice noodle soup containing chili splashed into the man's eyes. The man scolded, "Bitch! Stop feigning ignorance. Weren't you out here in the middle of the night, luring men over for supper?"

After that, he raised his hand and hit the girl's head. When the other man saw his companion make a move, he pushed the other two girls to the ground without hesitation.

The three girls screamed. Some people were watching, some were taking videos, and some were calling the police. However, no one tried to pull the two men away.

Xu Yan couldn't tolerate witnessing others being bullied. Without hesitation, she rushed up, pushed away the man who had been splashed with soup, and then punched him in the nose.

She was very familiar with the anatomical structure of the human body and was well aware of the delicate regions.

The man's nose was sore and painful, and he couldn't help but howl, "Stay out of this, bitch! I swear, I'll make you regret it if you don't back off!"

Xu Yan snapped, "How dare you harass a woman? You're nothing but trash. You don't even deserve to be considered as fertilizer once you're cremated."

Seeing that his companion was covering his nose, another man picked up a stool and was about to throw it at Xu Yan. Seeing this, the girl in red, who had been saved by Xu Yan before, quickly stepped forward and blocked it for Xu Yan with her body.

The girl let out a miserable scream.

The onlookers gasped. When several righteous individuals noticed Xu Yan standing up, they wasted no time taking action. Within moments, a group of four or five young men stood out and separated them.

The two unpopular men cursed loudly, "Do you know who we are? How dare you ruin my business? I swear that you won't last a day in Hengshan City. I'll chop you up and feed you to the fish!"

The man who had been slapped in the nose by Xu Yan pointed at her and threatened, "You b*tch, just wait and see. I'll make make you suffer a gruesome death!"

The three girls who were harassed for no reason were scared and hugged each other, crying.

Xu Yan glared at the two men and comforted them. "Don't be afraid! Once the police come, they will incarcerate these scoundrels!"

A man smiled evilly. "Incarcerate us? Believe it or not, I won't let you live until tomorrow and see the sunrise!"

Many people were recording videos with their mobile phones. Xu Yan sneered and said, "Let's see if you can outshine the jurisdiction!"

The policemen from the neighboring police station quickly arrived and escorted them to the police station for a statement. However, the girl in red was struck by a stool, causing her immense pain and rendering her unable to speak.

Xu Yan asked the police, "Can we send her to the hospital first? I'm afraid that her bones may have endured fractures."

The policeman glanced at her and said, "Okay, I'll arrange someone to take you there. You can cooperate with us to make a statement in the hospital."

As they made their way to the police station, the crowd of onlookers gathered their courage and eagerly spoke up, saying, "Officer, I have a recorded video on my phone. I would like to go with you."

"Yes, I'll go too."

The policeman nodded and agreed. "Alright, you can come along with us."

Xu Yan and the girl in red were escorted to the hospital by the police. In the emergency room, Xu Yan told the doctor on duty that the girl had sustained a substantial impact, potentially resulting in a bone fracture. She needed an X-ray. After settling the girl in red, she cooperated to make a statement, narrating the cause and process of the incident in full.

As a result, it was late at night.

The family members of the girl in red clothes arrived. Since Xu Yan was not injured, she finished the handover with her family and left the hospital, taking a taxi back to the hotel where she was staying.

After closing the door and taking a shower, she lay down on the bed to sleep.

In a daze, she heard a slight noise from the door. Xu Yan was particularly alert when she was sleeping. She got up from the bed, put on her clothes, tiptoed to the door, and leaned over to listen.

It seemed that someone was trying to open the door with a lock-picking tool.

She asked loudly, "Who's outside?"

The sound ceased instantly, followed by the gradual receding of footsteps. Xu Yan didn't dare to go out. She called the receptionist and wanted to check the surveillance video to see who was outside.

The receptionist replied, "I'm sorry, Madam. We need permission to check the surveillance footage."

Xu Yan thought that it might be the accomplice of the two bastards in the night market. She didn't dare to take it lightly and said to the receptionist, "I suspect that some criminals have tried to pry open my door."

The receptionist said, "Then I'll ask the security guards to go up and check the surroundings."

The security guards quickly came up. After conducting a thorough patrol of the corridor, including a thorough inspection of the fire exit, they reassured that no anomalies were found.

Xu Yan believed in her intuition that it must be the accomplice of the gangsters who came to take revenge. She turned on the lights in the room, changed her clothes, and planned to switch to another hotel.

Halfway through changing her clothes, the power was suddenly cut off in the room. Xu Yan was in a panic. An extremely vicious person could do anything. In the bathroom, she called the receptionist again.

The receptionist said impatiently, "There's no power outage. Our hotel has backup power. It could be a tripping malfunction. I'll call my colleagues to go and have a check."

A few minutes later, the receptionist replied to her through the internal line, "Madam, the electrician said that a tripping malfunction is normal. If it's convenient for you, I can have them come to your room to inspect the wiring."

Xu Yan was afraid that the electrician would be bribed, so she refused immediately. "No, I'll pack up and check out now."

After packing up, Xu Yan stepped out of the room and headed towards the elevator. As she spotted a robust man waiting there, greeting her with a peculiar smile. She trembled with fear, hastily spinning around and making her way towards the fire escape elevator.

However, there were also two people obstructing the fire escape, unmistakably identifying them as members of a criminal organization.

Xu Yan hurried back to the room, her heart beating fast. It was dark in the room, and she didn't dare to sleep. She sat on the bed and planned to stay up until dawn.

In Hengshan City, she found herself in unfamiliar territory and couldn't disturb Xu Ruyi at this time. Since there was no significant harm done to her, involving the police would be futile.

When she couldn't stand it anymore, she smelled a strong smell of gasoline. She turned on the phone light and saw that there was liquid slowly seeping in through the crack between the door.

Xu Yan screamed and fell onto the floor in the room. At this time, if someone set fire outside, she couldn't go out immediately because she would suffocate because of the smoke. She was so scared that she forgot to call the police. She frantically pressed a string of numbers on the phone keyboard with both hands.

After the phone was connected, she said in a trembling voice, "Cheng Ji, find a way to help me as soon as possible!"

Hearing this voice, Jiang Han suddenly sat up from the bed and asked tentatively, "Xu Yan?"

Xu Yan immediately hung up when she heard Jiang Han's voice. She was obviously calling Cheng Ji. Why was it Jiang Han who answered the phone?

She sniffed and wiped away her tears. When she saw the number she dialed, she was stunned. She hadn't called that number since she left Canghai City three years ago. Why did she still remember it at such a critical moment?

After she ended the call, Jiang Han quickly called back. She was crying just now and asked Cheng Ji to find a way to help her. Something must have happened to her.

Xu Yan did not answer the phone the first time. Jiang Han was so anxious that he dialed again, but she still did not answer.

Jiang Han got up and put on his clothes. While dressing up, he dialed Cheng Ji's number. Cheng Ji had fallen asleep and asked him in a daze, "What's the matter?"

"Call Xu Yan right now and ask her where she is and what happened to her. Ask her to answer my phone. I'm in Linjiang City now." Jiang Han ordered.

"What are you doing in Linjiang City?" Cheng Ji asked in surprise.

Jiang Han roared, "Is it the right moment to worry about this? Contact Xu Yan immediately!"

Xu Yan didn't dare to answer the phone from Jiang Han just now. She was very annoyed that she still remembered his phone number. After ending the call, she regained her composure and had the urge to contact Cheng Ji, but he beat her to it by calling first.

"Where are you now? What happened?" As soon as the call was connected, Cheng Ji asked anxiously.

Xu Yan cried and said, "I met local hooligans in Hengshan City. They trapped me in the hotel and wanted to set a fire to burn me."

"Jiang Han is in Linjiang City. You should answer his phone. It will take an hour and a half for him to drive from Linjiang City to Hengshan City. I'll hang up now." Cheng Ji said.

Jiang Han waited anxiously, every second during the two minutes of waiting for Cheng Ji's phone call was torture for him.