Zhan Yichen sat on the hospital bed, gazing at the night sky outside the window, his mood as somber as the darkness.
He believed that Sara's current predicament was, in no small part, due to him. If he hadn't drawn her into this again, none of it would have happened.
He still remembered how he first met Sara. He had gone alone to the black market to gather information, only to be quickly discovered by members of BD.
During this perilous time, a discovered outsider was destined for death.
But Sara had suddenly stepped forward, blocking his path. "You've got it wrong. This guy is with me."
The burly men looked at Sara, hesitant to believe.
Sara dismissed them with a wave of her hand, "What? You don't like that I've found someone new?"
Zhan Yichen could sense that Sara held some sway here; people generally deferred to her.
As she spoke, Sara deliberately walked up to Zhan Yichen and gently touched his face.
"Why are you so disobedient? I told you to stay put at home, but you snuck out. If they catch you again, I can't help you."
Zhan Yichen couldn't expose her lie at that moment, especially with his own life in danger.
He simply nodded.
Seeing the situation unfold, the men who had been blocking him had no more to say. After a brief exchange with Sara, they left.
"Thank you," Zhan Yichen said to Sara.
Sara waved it off carelessly, "Outsider, I can help you this once, but don't count on it again. Be careful."
Even then, Zhan Yichen had a feeling that despite living in such a place, Sara was not a bad person.
He even harbored a thought: if he had the chance, he wanted to take Sara out of this dark world and let her live a better life.
Their second meeting was also an accident.
Zhan Yichen had finally found a trace of Zhan Mohan and followed some BD members to a nightclub.
There, he encountered a heavily inebriated Sara.
"Isn't that Sara? Usually, she looks down on us. Why don't we take advantage of this opportunity..."
Several men leered at Sara, their smiles lewd. One even reached out to touch her.
Zhan Yichen recalled how he had been saved. He couldn't stand by and watch. He stepped forward, adopting a roguish tone, "You dare touch my woman? You must be tired of living."
Naturally, the men's attention shifted to him.
"And who are you?"
Zhan Yichen simply stretched his limbs. During his time here, he had gradually learned that reasoning was useless; only brute force mattered.
Fortunately, the Zhan family had always instilled good discipline. The Zhan brothers were all at least proficient in some form of combat.
The petty thugs in this place were no match for him.
Seeing the men retreat, Zhan Yichen turned to check on Sara.
To his surprise, Sara had already sobered up and was staring at him dazedly.
"Are you alright?" Zhan Yichen asked softly.
Sara gave a wry smile. "Do you know? You're the first man who's ever saved me."
Zhan Yichen felt a little awkward, sensing a subtle shift in the atmosphere. He quickly said, "It's just because you helped me before, so I did this."
"Is that so?" Sara said slowly, a cryptic smile playing on her lips.
Later, their relationship deepened. Sara helped him a great deal, and Zhan Yichen was happy to have found a friend in such a place.
"You're saying you're looking for your brother? Maybe I can help you," Sara said, then raised her hand, only to realize she had no cigarette.
Quitting smoking was a suggestion Zhan Yichen had made to her.
"Really?" Zhan Yichen's spirits lifted at her words. "I believe with your help, I'll definitely find my brother this time."
Zhan Yichen thought for a moment, then looked at Sara with sincerity. "Since you're willing to help me, how about I promise you something in return?"
Sara's eyes sparkled. "Oh? There's nothing I need you to do."
"Then how about this: when everything is over, I'll take you away from here. You're a good girl, you deserve a better life, not to be stuck in this dark place."
Zhan Yichen's gaze was filled with sincerity. "I own a company. I can give you a better life. What do you say?"
Sara's heart leaped with joy at his words.
She had lived in this dark, squalid place her whole life and had longed to leave for a long time.
"But... but someone like me..."
Zhan Yichen interrupted her. "Don't talk about yourself like that. I can see you're different from the others here. You deserve a better life."
Finally, Sara beamed at Zhan Yichen. "Then it's a deal!"
Zhan Yichen nodded. "Agreed. A promise is a promise."
Originally, Zhan Yichen had thought that regardless of whether he found Zhan Mohan, at least he could bring Sara out of that place.
But he never imagined that just as he felt he was getting closer to Zhan Mohan, he would be discovered by BD members.
"It's him! He's the outsider," Sara told the other BD members.
Zhan Yichen looked at Sara, disbelief etched on his face. But Sara couldn't meet his eyes.
"We're supposed to be so strict, yet someone still managed to sneak in."
"Let's take him to the boss for handling."
Sara spoke up then. "Don't trouble the boss with such a small matter. Just beat him up and throw him out."
"But..."
"What 'but'? Don't you remember the boss has been stressed about things here lately? Do you want to add to his troubles? You know the boss can be deadly when he's angry."
After Sara's words, the two men finally agreed. They simply tossed Zhan Yichen out.
Only after Zhan Yichen left the black market did he discover that Sara had, at some point, slipped a note into his pocket. It read: I'm sorry, I can't leave with you. The boss has discovered someone infiltrated. I had no choice. Go, and never come back.
Zhan Yichen withdrew his thoughts. The note Sara had given him was still in his hand. He had always held onto the promise of taking Sara away from that place, but now, he couldn't.
Everything felt as vivid as if it had just happened, yet also like events from a past life.
"I'm sorry..."