Chapter Twenty: Leaping into the River to Save the Beauty

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yang suddenly grabbed her hand and asked, "What did you say?"

Su Muyun turned her head to look at Jiang Yang’s hand tightly gripping her own, feeling the warmth of his palm. A lovesick smile appeared on her face as she said, "Are you finally willing to admit how much you care about me?"

Jiang Yang ignored her comment and pressed further, "How did I end up taking that knife wound for you?"

In truth, Jiang Yang was recalling the recurring nightmare that haunted him, in which a woman brandished an ice pick, stabbing it into his chest again and again. It made his blood surge like a fountain, causing him to wake up in a cold sweat time after time. Now that Su Muyun was claiming he had taken a knife wound for her sake, could she be the woman from his dreams?

"It seems you really have forgotten. Very well, I will tell you everything that happened before..." Su Muyun began her story.

Six years ago, at the age of twenty-three, Su Muyun married He Tianxiong, the widowed owner of the Xingyao Casino in Aowan, becoming the much-envied Mrs. He. Although it was her second marriage, He Tianxiong treated her well, and she shared a good relationship with his two ten-year-old sons. As a northerner, she spent three enviable years in Aowan.

However, having operated a casino in Aowan for so long, He Tianxiong had to deal with various forces, inevitably making enemies. During a family outing, they were ambushed by rivals. Their vehicle overturned; He Tianxiong and his two sons were killed on the spot, while Su Muyun, positioned on the side of the car that remained undamaged, narrowly escaped with her life.

With He Tianxiong’s entire family gone, Su Muyun became the heiress to Xingyao, inheriting his influence as well. Just as all of Aowan began to eye Xingyao with covetousness, Su Muyun used iron-fisted tactics to stabilize the group's internal affairs and eliminate the killers who had caused He Tianxiong's death. Shortly after, she also dealt with the mastermind behind the attack: Young Master Le, the third-in-command of the Qiqi Association.

Her methods in handling these matters were clean and decisive, far surpassing even those of the late He Tianxiong. The various factions in Aowan that had been eyeing the Xingyao Casino from the shadows retreated, no longer daring to covet the group. Having stabilized the organization and avenged her late husband, Su Muyun established her authority, and at a young age, she firmly secured her position as the boss of Xingyao.

Over the years, under her management, while Xingyao could not be called brilliant, it operated steadily without any major storms. As for herself, she was too busy managing the group to have any interest in romance. Moreover, there were many who had designs on the Xingyao Casino, and she dared not trust anyone easily.

The number of men pursuing her in Aowan could form an entire battalion, yet she found none of them worthy. In her position, a single moment of carelessness could cost her not just the company, but her life, so she remained a wealthy, single woman.

Over the past year, business at the casino had not been particularly good. Seeing the strong consumer demand among young people in the neighboring S City, she began to consider returning to the mainland to invest in other entertainment projects. She traveled to S City to inspect several ventures. That night, she had been in discussions with a business owner until one in the morning, and when she left, she was accompanied only by her driver.

As the car reached the Beishan River within the city, another vehicle suddenly pulled up from behind, ramming theirs repeatedly until it was forced into the river. Under the impact, Su Muyun was thrown from the vehicle into the water. The car spun several times before overturning on the riverbank, and the driver lost consciousness.

Su Muyun could not swim, and the Beishan River was several meters deep and freezing cold in the winter. She thrashed about, swallowed several mouthfuls of water, and was on the verge of drowning. Her consciousness was fading. Just before losing total consciousness, she saw a man dive into the river, swim rapidly toward her, and wrap his arms around her waist to pull her toward the shore.

That man was, of course, Jiang Yang. He had just finished his shift at Melody Harbor and was passing by when he encountered the accident. Seeing the woman struggling desperately in the water, Jiang Yang didn't hesitate and jumped in to save her.

After pulling her ashore, Jiang Yang realized Su Muyun was unconscious; her breathing was shallow, and her face was pale—she had clearly swallowed a significant amount of water. With the time past one in the morning, there were few pedestrians on the road, and an ambulance would take too long to arrive. Jiang Yang decided to use the meager first-aid knowledge he possessed to save her, fearing that if he waited for the ambulance, it would be too late.

Setting aside all social taboos regarding men and women, he tore open Su Muyun’s upper garment to allow her chest to breathe, then began chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Under his efforts, Su Muyun coughed up a large amount of water and finally regained consciousness. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Jiang Yang’s hand still pressed to her chest, her clothing torn to shreds.

Having not been intimate with a man for a long time, she was so mortified that her face turned beet red. She immediately raised her hand and slapped Jiang Yang across the face with a loud "crack."

Jiang Yang was bewildered by the strike. He clutched his face and said, "Hey! I just saved your life!"

Su Muyun was naturally hot-tempered, and after serving as a boss for several years, she could not tolerate anyone laying hands on her, let alone shouting at her. She covered her chest and cried, "What kind of filthy man dares to touch me..." She raised her hand, preparing to slap him again.

Soaking wet and feeling a surge of anger, Jiang Yang caught her hand and slapped her back. "You ungrateful woman! Get a grip!"

As Su Muyun reached this point in her story, Jiang Yang looked at his own hand and asked, "I hit you?" He felt like he wasn't the type of person who would hit a woman.

Su Muyun caressed his hand and said, "That’s right. My father never hit me growing up, and He Tianxiong never laid a finger on me either. You were the first. I gave my first time to you just like that."

"Hold on, hold on, Sister Muyun, saying you gave your 'first' to me is a bit ambiguous..."

Su Muyun pulled his hand and pressed it against her cheek. "Isn't it true?"

Jiang Yang hurriedly pulled his hand back and asked, "What happened after that? You haven't told me yet—how did I get the scar on my chest?"

"Later that night, you left after giving your statement to the police. I found out you worked at Melody Harbor, so I came looking for you the next evening."

"Uh... Sister Muyun, you didn't come back for me because of that slap, did you?"

"How could that be? I only hit you on impulse. Since you saved me, I naturally came to thank you. When I arrived at the bar, I discovered you were just a waiter there. I immediately gave you a hundred thousand in tips and said that if you would drink a few glasses with me and apologize, I would give you another million."

Jiang Yang frowned. Su Muyun claimed she wanted an apology, but why did it feel like she was still reminiscing about that slap? Could she have some sort of peculiar hobby?

"So... did I apologize?"

"No. You said you wanted the money and were willing to act as a male escort, but you would not apologize to me."