Chapter 46: Saving Her

At that moment, Chu Xuan woke up.

Through the car window, she saw Zhang Qiu and his gang of troublemaking friends leaning against the entrance of the market, empty-handed.

But Chu Xuan could tell they had axes and clubs hidden under their clothes.

She hesitated, unsure whether to get out of the car.

She was worried these people were here for her.

One-on-one, she might have stood a chance.

One against six, she was no match.

Even with Lin Yong and Mu Chenze on her side, three against six was still a losing battle.

Besides, the three of them were carrying a lot of goods. If a fight broke out, the losses would be huge.

Mu Chenze, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned to look at Chu Xuan. “I think they’re waiting for you.”

“No need to guess, I’m sure they are.” Chu Xuan had seen Zhang Qiu leading his group toward the truck, so she shouted, “Brother Lin, start the car! Go!”

Lin Yong sensed something was wrong too. Luckily, he hadn’t turned off the engine.

He slammed on the gas, and the truck sped away.

In the rearview mirror, they saw the group chasing after them, now openly wielding axes and iron rods.

They drove three kilometers without seeing any sign of the gang before Lin Yong finally slowed down. “That was close!”

His truck had almost been trashed.

He’d borrowed a lot of money to buy this truck less than two years ago, and had just finished paying it off. He was counting on it to make a living—he couldn’t afford to have it smashed.

Mu Chenze felt frustrated. “Getting chased by a bunch of punks—what a joke! Brother Lin, I remember there’s a public phone up ahead. Stop there, I’ll call a friend.”

Chu Xuan didn’t want Mu Chenze to get in trouble because of her. “We can’t get into a brawl. If we do, we’ll all get arrested.”

Mu Chenze shot her a glare. “Who said anything about fighting? My classmate works for the security team! He doesn’t cover the market area, but he’s on duty in the office these days. I’ll ask him to give the local team a heads-up—get them to step up patrols at night. We can’t let those punks take advantage of the situation!”

Only then did Chu Xuan realize that in her previous life, she hadn’t cared about Mu Chenze at all—she hadn’t even known he had a classmate in the security team.

“I support you making that call! If they can drive those punks out today, we won’t have to haul all this stuff back.”

The round-trip fuel cost was no small amount.

They could just go back to the market and keep selling.

A few minutes later, the truck stopped at a public phone.

Mu Chenze called his classmate and explained the situation.

His classmate said he’d contact the security team leader for that area right away, and told him to call back in ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, Mu Chenze called again.

After hanging up, he hopped back into the passenger seat. “Brother Lin, let’s head back to the market.”

Lin Yong was still a bit nervous. “Are you sure? Your friend can’t be that fast, can he?”

Mu Chenze looked relaxed. “My classmate got in touch with the security team leader over there. Turns out, they just caught a group of punks with axes and iron rods—one of them named Zhang Qiu. They’re being questioned right now.”

Crisis averted.

Only then did Lin Yong feel at ease driving them back.

Chu Xuan didn’t say anything, but she was already making plans in her mind.

When they arrived, Chu Xuan went to rent a temporary stall—second one from the entrance, just like before. Mu Chenze and Lin Yong helped unload the goods.

Soon, they had three flavors of grilled fish fillets set up for sale.

Chu Xuan tried to give Lin Yong extra money for the ride.

He firmly refused and drove off.

Mu Chenze stayed to help sell the fish fillets.

The neighboring stall belonged to Lian Mei and her partner. Chu Xuan nodded in greeting.

Lian Mei smiled back.

Both were busy with their own business and didn’t chat.

Business was good for Chu Xuan that day. Mu Chenze handled the weighing, while Chu Xuan took care of payments and making change. After two hours, only about twenty pounds of fish fillets were left.

If Zhang Qiu’s gang hadn’t delayed them, they would have sold out and gone home by now.

“Mu Chenze, I’m about to pack up and head somewhere.”

Mu Chenze pointed at the remaining fish fillets. “Why not sell the rest first?”

“I need these for something.”

Chu Xuan divided the remaining twenty-plus pounds of fish fillets into three portions, wrapped them in paper, and put them in mesh bags before starting to pack up.

Seeing Lian Mei was busy, she didn’t go over to say goodbye.

She and Mu Chenze left the market.

Mu Chenze smiled. “So, where are we going?”

Chu Xuan handed him two mesh bags of fish fillets. “To the market security office to thank them.”

Mu Chenze weighed the bags in his hands. “These two must be twelve or thirteen pounds together. You’re really generous!”

“If it weren’t for them, I’d be hauling three hundred pounds back home today. Think how much the fuel alone would cost! Giving them this is totally worth it.”

Mu Chenze could tell Chu Xuan was genuinely grateful to the security staff.

“You should go yourself. At least then they’ll remember you and be more helpful in the future.”

Chu Xuan shook her head. “Would they feel comfortable accepting it if I went? They might worry about being accused of taking food from the public. But if you go, it’s different. Say your classmate asked you to deliver it. They’re all colleagues—sharing food between coworkers is no big deal.”

She successfully persuaded Mu Chenze.

A few minutes later, Mu Chenze walked into the security office with the two mesh bags of fish fillets.

He chatted with them for a while.

A few minutes later, he came out empty-handed.

Chu Xuan quickly smiled and said, “Thanks for your help! Sorry to trouble you again, but could you take this bag to your classmate?”

She handed him another bag of fish fillets.

This time, Mu Chenze didn’t take it. “No need to give it to my classmate. We’re in touch all the time.”

Chu Xuan shoved the bag into his arms, looking admiringly at him. “Then take it for yourself! I really owe you today. Also, I’ll cook for you and Ji Ping at his place this afternoon to thank you—and him too.”

Mu Chenze joked, “So I’ll accept it, then?”

“Go ahead! And if you ever want more, just ask!”

They chatted as they walked to the bus stop.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll eat you out of house and home?”

“Not at all. With your build, you can’t possibly eat more than me—I’m two hundred pounds! By the way, are you coming to Ji Ping’s for dinner this afternoon?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s not every day you offer to cook. I wouldn’t miss it!”

After everything that happened today, Mu Chenze suddenly felt like he and Chu Xuan were closer than ever.

Chu Xuan felt a bit complicated inside. She honestly didn’t know how to thank Mu Chenze.

He’d helped her so much lately.

If a few meals could repay his kindness, she wouldn’t mind cooking for him more often.

But what did Mu Chenze like to eat?

She racked her brain, trying to remember from her past life, and wanted to scold herself—she honestly couldn’t recall his favorite dishes.

It wasn’t until he died unexpectedly in her previous life that she realized how much she should have cherished him.

This time, she’d make him his favorite dishes to make up for it a little.

“Mu Chenze, what do you like to eat? I’ll prepare in advance.”

Mu Chenze didn’t hold back. “I love braised ribbonfish with eggplant, moo shu pork, and braised pork belly. Let’s start with those three! Don’t worry about the ribbonfish—I’ll bring it from home.”

“What about Ji Ping? What does he like?”

“He likes whatever I like!”

“Alright then! I’ll definitely make those three, and I’ll come up with the rest myself.”

Chu Xuan was getting excited as she talked, and didn’t notice a car speeding toward them as they crossed the street.

She was about to be hit when Mu Chenze suddenly pushed her out of the way.

“Mu Chenze!”

In that instant, Chu Xuan’s heart leapt into her throat. She wanted to rush over and save Mu Chenze, but it was already too late—unless..."