Chapter 108

 

Amid the ice and snow, every sound that reached her ears seemed especially clear.

Aside from the soft rustling of falling snow, there was only Ming Xi’s own breathing. For a long time, she slightly opened her mouth, taking deep breaths in, then exhaling heavily.

One rapid, persistent breath after another, again and again. Accompanied by the fierce pounding of her heart, the scorching breath burst out, turning into clouds of white vapor that dispersed and gathered again above the cold snow.

Everywhere she looked was white.

This pure and dazzling white seemed to be the most “arrogant” color in the world. It wantonly covered everything, as if to turn the entire heaven and earth into a white paradise.

A sudden fear seized Ming Xi. Over and over she asked herself in her heart: Had she really not stepped into heaven? Had she really not died? Was she truly unharmed?

Again and again she confirmed that she was still alive in this real world.

How could she die so easily? If she had died today just like this, the hundreds of millions in wealth she had built over the past eight years, the Mingzhou company she had founded with her own hands and hoped would surpass Xinghai, and the Bright brand whose reputation was only beginning to rise—all of it would vanish into nothing, losing all meaning.

And what about her Boss Liang, her friends, her employees and workers… what would become of them?

The employees and workers might be alright. At most, they would lament their boss’s untimely death, find another company or factory, and life would go on as usual. Her friends would surely be devastated, after all, she was such a good friend. Especially Caini, she’d probably cry her heart out. But after the tears, they would still remember her and slowly accept the reality.

But what about Liang Jiancheng?

What would he do? Would he cry bitterly? Would he be unable to bear the pain? Would he struggle to accept her departure? These guesses all seemed inevitable. Ming Xi had never doubted Liang Jiancheng’s love for her. His love was so focused and intense—magnificent and bright—and it filled her heart with boundless strength and a deep sense of security.

During these eight years, no matter when it was, everything Liang Jiancheng gave her was something he could proudly stand by. So much so that at this moment Ming Xi clearly realized that in this lifetime, Liang Jiancheng would probably find it very difficult to love another woman with the same complete devotion.

So, if she were to die here today, how would Boss Liang come to terms with it? After she left, would his love vanish as well? When that love was torn out of his body, could he still live happily and freely in the years to come?

Ming Xi could not find the answer. So she clenched her teeth and, before escaping from the overturned car, forced out every bit of brute strength she had.

After a long while, the first burning tear—carrying the taste of having narrowly escaped death—finally overflowed from Miss Ming’s reddened eyes. She lifted her head slightly and glanced at the height of the steep slope. The disbelief that had been building in her heart finally shattered the calm and resolute composure she usually maintained. Only now did she truly realize what it meant to be terrified.

At that moment, she wished she could immediately kowtow several times to the heavens before her vast expanse of snow, to express her gratitude for surviving such a close call!

Then, Ming Xi cried, crying uncontrollably, overwhelmed with emotion! In her panic, she suddenly remembered: Where’s her phone? Her phone was still in the car…

She needed to call Liang Jiancheng to tell him that she was not only alive but also mostly unharmed, though her limbs were weak and she couldn’t get up for a while. Then, several dark figures hurried towards her, struggling through the thick snow.

The howling wind whipped up Ming Xi’s already disheveled hair, strands clinging messily to her face, mixing with the streaks of blood and tears on her cheeks.

Her entire face was flushed red from excitement and stiffened by the bitter cold. She looked extremely disheveled, yet there was a vivid kind of beauty about her.

“Miss, Miss… are you alright!” ”

Between the national road and the field was a steep slope. The onlookers who had gotten out of their cars wanted to help, but climbing down was not easy. Yet faced with a life-and-death situation, these few passersby who came to help did not hesitate at all, resolutely making their way down toward Ming Xi.

However, they never expected that the female driver would climb out of the smashed car window in a way that surprised and delighted them, before they even arrived!

“I’m fine… just scared so badly my legs went weak…” Ming Xi forced a grin, then realized she still had plenty of strength left in her voice.

Not just her—even they had felt their legs go weak watching it earlier. The scene had been more terrifying than something in a movie. Yet there really were people in this world blessed with astonishing luck.

They carefully helped Ming Xi to her feet. She moved her hands and then her feet, confirming that she truly had no serious injuries. Only the skin on her arm and chin had been scraped open and bled a little, but the blood had already begun to clot.

Even so, an experienced bystander suggested she lie down and wait for professional rescue.

Lie down again in this snow? If rescue didn’t arrive anytime soon, she might not die from the crash, but she from the cold.

Ming Xi confirmed once more that she only felt weak in her limbs. Her spine was not injured, her head was not dizzy, and there was no heavy bleeding or severe pain elsewhere. What she felt most now was urgency—she wanted to tell Liang Jiancheng as soon as possible that she was safe.

“Miss, is this your phone?” An uncle wearing a thick Lei Feng hat bent down and found her phone beside the car. It turned out that when Ming Xi struggled to get out of the car, her phone fell out with her. Luckily, the uncle had sharp eyes; otherwise, buried in the snow, the phone would have been hard to find.

Surprisingly, the phone had remained on call…

The man was still a few steps away from Ming Xi when, through the phone, a man’s voice came through—hoarse, as if frozen by ice and snow:

“Ming Xi—” The uncle, being a kind-hearted man, quickly said to the person on the other end of the line, “Don’t worry, the car flew out, but she should be alright; she climbed out herself!” He then quickly stepped forward and handed the phone to the female driver who had narrowly escaped death.

“Liang Jiancheng… I’m amazing!” Ming Xi’s voice sounded as if it had been scorched by fire, hoarse and burning. She managed to squeeze out those few words with difficulty.

On the other end of the phone, there was no response from Liang Jiancheng, only a sound of breathing strikingly similar to her own. Each heavy, rapid breath was just as labored as Ming Xi’s. Yet hearing those breaths so clearly made Ming Xi truly feel what it meant for two heartbeats to intertwine, what it meant for life to continue.

“Good… you’re alright… you’re alright…” After a long time, Liang Jiancheng’s voice finally came through the phone, almost choking with emotion.

As tears streamed down Liang Jiancheng’s face far away, Miss Ming standing in the frozen snow once again shed burning tears.

“Thank you! Thank you all!”

More and more people came down to help, some even taking off their coats to keep her warm. Her legs still weak, Ming Xi was supported as they slowly climbed back up to the road. The leather bag was also brought up by the man in the Lei Feng hat and safely returned to her.

No one knew that the bag contained 600,000 yuan in cash.

Brushing the messy hair away from her face, Ming Xi bowed gratefully to everyone who had helped her.

Snowflakes swirled through the darkening sky. Only now did the crowd clearly see that the remarkable woman who had crawled out of the wrecked car was actually so young—and so beautiful.

In January 2008, Miss Ming truly experienced a terrifying car accident. And Liang Jiancheng, far away in Haigang, experienced a shock just as devastating—like surviving a catastrophe himself.

Liang Jiancheng never told Miss Ming—

If she hadn’t survived the car accident, he probably wouldn’t have survived either.

What surprised all the drivers and passersby who had gathered to watch was that the rescue arrived extremely quickly.

Not only did a professional ambulance come, but also police cars and a road-rescue convoy…

The kindhearted person who made the call was also puzzled; he had only dialed 119 and 120, so why did even the police (110) arrive?

No one knew that during the ten-plus minutes in which Miss Ming experienced the accident, in order to get every rescue force to her location as quickly and precisely as possible, not only had Liang Jiancheng mobilized all of his personal connections, but Gu Shuangyang and Mr. Liao had also stepped in. Yet Miss Ming, who had gone through such a serious accident, might only need a few adhesive bandages to deal with the scratches on her body.

Because the accident site was closer to Ning City than Haigang, the arriving ambulance took Miss Ming to a hospital in Ning City.

Although Ming Xi was anxious to hurry to the factory, she still obediently followed Liang Jiancheng’s arrangements and first went to Ning City Central Hospital for a physical examination. Even after learning that she was not seriously injured, Liang Jiancheng’s voice still carried a tense restraint beneath its calm before he could see her with his own eyes. If she refused to go to the hospital, Boss Liang might truly lose his mind.

Thus, for the rest of the journey, the police cleared the road ahead. Miss Ming lay flat on the stretcher inside the ambulance, while a large bag of money sat firmly at her feet.

For Ming Xi, since she hadn’t died, the money was naturally still very important.

From beginning to end—from the moment the accident happened—her phone and Liang Jiancheng’s phone had remained connected. Because of this, Liang Jiancheng could clearly hear inside the ambulance as the nurse measured her blood pressure and heart rate. All the indicators showed normal results.

“Did you hear that? I’m really completely fine. You really don’t need to rush over…” Ming Xi was still trying to persuade Liang Jiancheng not to come.

Today the roads were icy from the snow. She had already encountered such danger just driving out—could Liang Jiancheng truly guarantee his own safety if he rushed here?

“So Miss Ming was aware of the danger!” From the phone, Liang Jiancheng’s voice finally sounded a little more normal. And with it came the beginning of his scolding.

Ming Xi felt slightly embarrassed and glanced awkwardly at the nurse treating her arm wound.

Liang Jiancheng had mobilized such a large rescue operation that she felt both touched and ashamed. Her injury really wasn’t impressive at all—it had nearly healed on its own before the nurse even treated it. Now the disinfection was mostly just a formality.

“That’s right, it’s just a small cut on my hand. It might be healed by the time you get here,” Ming Xi said jokingly, lowering her head.

“I’ll find a safe way to get there. Miss Ming doesn’t need to worry.” No matter what Ming Xi said, Liang Jiancheng remained resolute and unyielding.

Alright then… Ming Xi blinked and let out a small sigh. By chance her eyes met the nurse’s gaze. Embarrassed, she turned her head away, yet the corners of her lips lifted uncontrollably and refused to settle down.

No matter what tomorrow might bring, at least today she really could feel a little proud of herself.

“Fine then. Come over and witness the most amazing woman in the world,” Ming Xi teased herself, trying to help Liang Jiancheng relax.

Even without seeing him, judging from her voice, she, the person involved, seemed more calmer than Boss Liang.

About half an hour later, Ming Xi arrived at the hospital.

The hospital had been notified in advance and immediately arranged various tests for her. Liang Jiancheng arrived shortly after Ming Xi had completed two of the tests.

In the hospital corridor, Ming Xi and the bag of money sat together on a bench. As Liang Jiancheng walked toward her step by step, she lifted her head. The moment she saw him, she felt that the exhaustion and hardship on his face seemed even worse than her own. Then his gaze fixed straight on her, scanning her body like a CT machine.

Ming Xi knew Liang Jiancheng must be terribly worried, but the accident had already happened and she didn’t want to be scolded. In fact, she had done very well—the police had even praised her earlier, saying that her reaction at the final moment had been extremely precise. If she had collided with that overturned truck, the consequences would have been unimaginable. So, please don’t scold her, okay?

Liang Jiancheng stood before her without moving. After thinking for a moment, Ming Xi stood up on her own initiative. She planned to jump a little or walk a few steps to show him that she really was fine.

Then he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Waaah!

Ming Xi buried her head in Liang Jiancheng’s coat and didn’t lift it for a long time.

Sometimes she was merely careless about small details—not reckless or rash. But when responsibilities pressed heavily on her shoulders, when she had too many things to consider, it was inevitable that she sometimes placed life and death aside.

It wasn’t that she had no fear at all, but she had always been used to living bravely and fearlessly, forgetting that she was no longer alone.

Having experienced this life-and-death accident, the moment she lay on the snow, she realized that the person she couldn’t bear to part with the most was Liang Jiancheng! So when Liang Jiancheng rushed here through wind and dust, although Ming Xi had been smiling and chatting with the doctors during her examinations, now she buried her face in his arms and began crying uncontrollably.

If she had truly died by accident, what would have happened to her money? Who would inherit her estate? The Young Miss Ming hadn’t even written a will yet! Without one, wouldn’t her fortune of hundreds of millions end up benefiting Ming Decheng and Ming Yue for nothing?!

Waaah! The thought of this made Ming Xi’s heart ache even more!

During the subsequent examinations, despite Ming Xi repeatedly stating that she was perfectly healthy, Liang Jiancheng insisted on pushing her in a wheelchair. After the test results came out, Liang Jiancheng asked Doctor Zhang, who was personally in charge, “Does hospitalization require?”

Doctor Zhang also wanted to do his best to complete the task assigned by the higher-ups, but he was also a doctor with a conscience. So, with a serious look, he said, “If Mr. Liang can’t return to Haigang for the time being and can’t book a hotel, our hospital does have two empty beds that we could lend you temporarily.”

At that moment, Miss Ming—sitting in the wheelchair—raised her head. Seeing that Liang Jiancheng was still hesitating about whether to keep her in the hospital for further examination, she suddenly sprang up with surprising agility. The imposing aura that had been suppressed by Boss Liang’s stern face suddenly surged out again: “Liang Jiancheng, I have to rush to the factory later. This bag of money can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Liang Jiancheng slightly lifted his eyelids and looked straight at her. His eyes were clear and dark, calm yet resolute.

Ming Xi was the same—completely unwilling to back down.

“Fine. Let’s go to the factory together. I’ll accompany you,” Liang Jiancheng said decisively.

“…”

Originally Ming Xi had planned that once Liang Jiancheng confirmed she was fine, he would hurry back by train before services were suspended. No one knew whether trains might stop running later, when this heavy snowstorm would end, or how much damage it might bring to the entire transportation system.

But the current situation was clearly not optimistic.

She had two factories in Ning City. Even if she managed to distribute the money today, she couldn’t leave immediately. She might have to stay at the factories during the New Year to help the workers maintain production and ensure employee safety. If Factory Manager Lou couldn’t make it, she would have to remain there herself

Liang Jiancheng could naturally think of all these things Ming Xi could. It was very likely that if he didn’t rush back to Haigang today, he would be forced to stay in Ning City.

Being forced…

wasn’t so bad.

He hadn’t taken a vacation in a very long time, nor had he spent a long stretch of time day and night with Miss Ming.

Compared to the past, when everything was always done according to plan, for the first time Liang Jiancheng felt that life was full of unexpected twists. He didn’t want to plan anymore.

No matter what might happen later, at least before the snow covering the sky melted, he wanted to follow his heart and simply stay by Ming Xi’s side.

“Miss Ming, let’s go. Take me to visit your factory.”

Previous     TOC