Chapter 127: The Car Accident Additional Chapter for Proud668565

I nodded and watched as the manager brought over the red wine. "Red wine lacks a kick," I said. "Bring us some baijiu instead."

Nie Ge looked at me. "Are you serious?"

I smiled. "I’d be a dog if I were lying."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Lan Shan, have you lost your mind?"

I continued to smile. "What heart? My heart was eaten by dogs a long time ago."

In the end, the baijiu was brought out. Xia Qi stood up and said, "Everyone, please, do me a favor and let me pour the drinks."

She was beautiful and well-known as the daughter of Principal Xia, so naturally, no one objected. Using a bit of sleight of hand, she ensured that while my glass was filled with plain water, everyone else’s was poured with genuine, potent *laobai gan*.

Shu Congxuan noticed as well. I don’t know when they had developed such a profound tacit understanding, but he even took the initiative to propose a toast.

Everyone raised their glasses. The beautiful woman beside Luo Ange spoke in a dainty voice, "Oh, I can't drink, I’m allergic."

I felt a wave of contempt for her in my heart. You can't drink? Was it manure that Luo Ange was feeding you mouth-to-mouth just a moment ago?

My own thought amused me, and I couldn't help but laugh. Nie Ge caught me and asked, "Lan Shan, do you actually dare to laugh at Third Brother’s new flame?"

I rolled my eyes at him, picked up my glass, and stood up. "My apologies to the lady and Young Master Luo. I’ll make it up to you—I’ll finish my drink in one go."

I feigned a fierce, gutsy attitude, and after downing the "liquor," I didn't forget to take a sip of tea to rinse my mouth.

Luo Ange held his glass, his gaze flickering vaguely over me. I didn't look at him, focusing instead on Yong Changzhi and the others. "Shall we continue?"

Xia Qi suddenly stood up. "Young Master Luo, Shu Congxuan is your uncle. Shouldn't you call our Lan Shan 'Aunt' and offer her a drink out of respect?"

Mei Xiuji, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Miss Xia, what is the basis for this claim?"

Xia Qi raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious? When Lan Shan was bitten by a poisonous snake deep in the mountains and was hovering between life and death, it was Shu Congxuan who disregarded his own safety to suck the venom out for her. When Lan Shan was unconscious, she only called out Shu Congxuan's name. Even my parents said they were a match made in heaven."

There was a sudden *thud* from Luo Ange’s side, followed by the beauty’s startled cry: "Ange, your hand is bleeding..."

Luo Ange sat there with a dark expression, his hand covered in glass shards. He stared at me coldly. "It's nothing, don't worry..."

My heart sank, but I also felt a sense of relief. I stood up at the right moment. "In that case, we won't disturb you any further. Goodbye."

Everyone was watching me. Long Jue’s eyes were filled with desperate pleading, but my only response was to take Shu Congxuan’s hand and walk out with a swagger.

Our youth, much like the famous *Tu Mi* flowers of Y City and my own name, Lan Shan, could not escape the fate of withering in the end.

I curled up in Xia Qi's arms and wept uncontrollably.

Back at the courtyard house, I couldn't sleep. I cleaned every corner of the place and began counting my savings. It wasn't until 3:30 in the morning that I finally finished, and sleep began to wash over me.

In my dream, the phone seemed to be ringing, but I couldn't find it. Then, I heard a frantic knocking at the door.

I woke up after a long time and realized it wasn't a dream—the phone really was ringing, and someone was knocking.

I found the phone and glanced at it, my sleepiness vanishing instantly. Luo Ange’s voice, cold and chilling, came through: "Open the door."

Fearing he would disturb the elderly neighbors, I went to open it. He stood outside, I stood inside, and we just stared at each other, neither of us moving.

His gaze was icy, as if he were trying to bore a hole through me. Yet, it was also like a fire that could incinerate me at any moment.

The scent of alcohol wafted off him. I froze, then turned to walk away. After two steps, I was grabbed from behind, and a kiss reeking of spirits pressed down on me.

I pushed him away. "Luo Ange, you..."

He cradled my head. Under the moonlight, his eyes seemed clouded with a thick, impenetrable fog that drew me in.

We were both gasping for breath. After a few seconds, he let me go and shook his head. "Yi Lan Shan, you win. Congratulations."

I didn't understand what he meant, but as I watched him turn to leave, a sharp, stabbing pain erupted in my heart.

He pulled the door open, paused, and said, "I'm sorry. I drank too much tonight. It won't happen again."

I don't know what came over me; as I watched him vanish before my eyes, I couldn't bring myself to speak.

The next day, Shu Congxuan called to tell me to check the news. That was how I learned Luo Ange had been in a car accident.

It was said his car had crashed off an overpass; if not for a large tree breaking his fall, it would have been fatal.

I assumed Shu Congxuan was going to the hospital to visit, but he said, "I'm at the airport now, heading to Japan to sign a contract."

My heart pounded. "Is... is he okay?"

"Luo Ange has always been the most pampered in the family. As soon as the news broke, even his grandfather returned. With one word from the Old Master, the entire Luo family gathered. My sister has been recuperating in Switzerland due to poor health, but out of obligation, she rushed back overnight."

Still uneasy, I asked, "Is it serious?"

Shu Congxuan laughed strangely, his answer somewhat evasive: "His grandfather is from the first generation of revolutionaries, a commander who strikes fear into the hearts of many. His grandmother is a daughter of a warlord family, famous in the old Shanghai Bund. His father—my brother-in-law—is their youngest son. Our families are close friends, though things became complicated after my sister married into theirs."

I was distracted all day, the words "car accident" haunting my mind. According to Shu Congxuan, the accident happened around four o'clock—just after he left my place.

What exactly happened?

Shu Congxuan only said he was unconscious. Where was he hurt? Was it critical?

I spent the whole night in insomnia, listening to the rain hitting the banana leaves outside, gripped by an ominous premonition that I would never have the chance to see Luo Ange again in this lifetime.

If I had asked him to stay, he wouldn't have had the accident.

If I had told him that A-Jiu missed him, would he have stayed?

I desperately wanted to visit the hospital, but I didn't dare. The news said Yuan Shengxiao was keeping a twenty-four-hour vigil by his bedside.

It also reported that Luo Ange’s grandfather was very pleased with this granddaughter-in-law and had already declared that once Luo Ange recovered, he would hold their wedding.

The news further claimed that Yuan Shengxiao, out of devotion to her lover, had performed the "three steps and one kowtow" pilgrimage up Longyan Mountain, the most sacred site in Kangcheng.

In the photos, her forehead was bruised and bloody, and her knees were scraped.

Legend had it that the Guanyin Temple on Longyan Mountain granted every wish, and there were over three thousand steps from the foot to the summit.

It was said that a pilgrim recognized Yuan Shengxiao, which attracted a swarm of reporters, allowing us to witness this moving scene.

During an interview, Yuan Shengxiao said that as long as Luo Ange could wake up, she was willing to trade ten years of her life and give up everything.

After dinner, Xia Qi came over, and we went for a walk by the river. We ran into the beautiful woman who had been with Luo Ange that night—I think her name was Xiaolian.

She was playing with some children in the small square and ran over with a smile when she saw me.

It seemed that since Yuan Shengxiao’s return, Xiaolian no longer had a place by Luo Ange’s side.

After all, things that don't belong to you must eventually be returned.

Xia Qi went to watch people rollerblading, while I stood by the stone bridge with Xiaolian, looking at the scenery on the moat.

The night was hazy, and everything felt just right.

"Young Master Luo had an accident. Did you know?"

I nodded. She said, "Why haven't you gone to see him?"

I gave an awkward smile. "Shu Congxuan, he..."

She interrupted me. "I know there’s nothing between you and Shu Congxuan..."

I looked at her in surprise. She pointed to the outer corner of her right eye, and looking closely, I saw a small red dot—a beauty mark.

Seeing that I had noticed, she said, "I had dinner with Young Master Luo twice. One night, he took me away from the club, saying he wanted to take me to Wuyou Island. But when we reached the edge of Lan Jing Lake, he stopped the car and fell into deep thought. I asked him if he liked me. Do you know what he said?"

I shook my head. Luo Ange was temperamental; I could never guess what he would say.

Xiaolian gave a bitter smile. "I've known many rich kids over the years; who among them doesn't treat women like toys? Only he told me clearly and plainly that he only saw me as a younger sister. I asked him why he brought me out. He looked at this eye of mine and said one thing: 'You have a mole just like hers, but it’s a pity you aren't her.'"

I sensed what was coming and turned my face away.

She looked at the water. "I never knew that playboys could be so devoted. He loves you, and you clearly love him too. Why won't you go see him?"

I turned back to look at Xiaolian. She looked about my age, yet she was so perceptive, seeing through everything.

"You don't know anything..."

She became agitated. "I know everything. Back then, I didn't know it was you; I was just envious of the person who could have his love. I didn't expect it to be you. I suspected it that night, and seeing your tear mole, I became absolutely certain."

I couldn't bear to listen any longer and made an excuse to leave. She didn't stop me, but she said, word by word, behind my back: "That night, he said he regretted it... I know it was because you drove him away that he had the accident. What would it hurt to go see him? The doctors said if he doesn't wake up, he might stay like this forever. Don't you have any regrets?"

I turned back to look at her. "Regrets? Do you know what a real regret is? Do you know what he and I have been through?"

She wasn't intimidated by my tone at all. She said, "I don't know what you've been through, but I do know that if you really love someone, what is there that cannot be forgiven? Do you dare say you have no faults? The reason you are so reckless is because you rely on the fact that his love for you is just a little bit more than your love for him."

I felt that everyone harbors a little monster deep within their hearts. It understands our inner light and darkness better than we do ourselves. Throughout the long, embroidered years, we feed it with the gentleness of our souls and our festering anger, making it hide behind layers of scars, watching me with the most humble and primitive gaze.

I had had this thought before, but back then, I was a master of suppression, using one or two blood-oath seals to bury it deep within the demon-locking tower of my heart.

But now, Xiaolian’s few words had easily broken the seals and let that little monster out.