Chapter 219: Chapter 219: She Must Stay Away from Jerks
"Alright, let’s wait then." Sang Ning adjusted her posture again, ensuring Wen Jiu’s head rested comfortably on her shoulder.
"Sangsang, why don’t you put her down first? The ambulance will still take some time," Li Juezhou suggested.
"No way!" Sang Ning’s tone was serious. "The lakeshore is so damp, and Xiao Jiu is a girl—how could I possibly leave her on the ground here?"
Li Juezhou felt a headache coming on. Wasn’t she tired from carrying her like that?
But seeing how resolute Sang Ning was, he didn’t press the issue. To help ease her burden, he offered, "Why don’t I carry her instead?"
"Absolutely not!" Sang Ning shot him a wary look. "Xiao Jiu was just harassed by a bunch of disgusting men. If she wakes up and finds another one carrying her, won’t she be scared out of her mind?"
"I..."
Li Juezhou was speechless. How did he suddenly become one of those "disgusting men" in her eyes?
He was just about to defend himself when Sang Ning, still carrying Wen Jiu, started to stroll back towards the lake.
Once Sang Ning had walked a bit of distance, Li Juezhou gave the burly man from earlier a swift kick, grumbling, "Have you finished your hundred slaps yet?"
The burly man was so frustrated he almost wanted to jump into the lake. This kind of humiliation was just unfair.
His chest had taken a beating all night, and he was pretty sure he had internal injuries by now.
But seeing as he couldn’t fight back, he yielded once more, kneeling again and slapping his face relentlessly, one hit after another.
"Twenty-one, twenty-two..."
The burly man dared not half-ass his slaps, ensuring each hit resounded loud and clear.
Hearing the crisp, repeated slaps, Li Juezhou grew even more irritated. Digging out his phone, he dialed a familiar number.
"Shen Fang, if you don’t care about Wen Jiu’s life, go ahead and dawdle!" His tone sharp with impatience, Li Juezhou barked into the phone as soon as the call connected.
Without waiting for a response, he hung up abruptly.
"Hey, hey, hey..."
"Li Juezhou, you son of a—!"
Shen Fang hadn’t even uttered a word before the call was cut off, leaving him fuming. He slammed a fist onto the steering wheel in frustration.
His mind was a mess right now, nervous beyond belief.
Shen Fang had been staking out a criminal gang for days to bust them. After finally completing the operation successfully tonight, he planned to collapse into bed for a full 24-hour sleep. But just as his head hit the pillow, Li Juezhou called, claiming Wen Jiu was in trouble.
Li Juezhou hadn’t explained much, only sent a cryptic location and urged him to rush over.
At first, Shen Fang thought it was one of Li Juezhou’s stupid pranks, but then he reconsidered. Li Juezhou wasn’t the type to pull such stunts—he barely bothered to reach out for a meal, let alone waste time on jokes.
The call left Shen Fang completely unsettled, his drowsiness wiped out. His nerves were taut—he wouldn’t rest until he saw Wen Jiu safe and sound.
**
By the lakeshore, Sang Ning was still pacing back and forth with Wen Jiu on her back.
As she walked, she kept talking softly to her, trying to wake her up.
No matter what she said, Wen Jiu remained unresponsive, and Sang Ning’s heart tightened with worry.
She walked back toward Li Juezhou and asked anxiously, "Big Brother, stop messing with me. Are you sure the ambulance is the express kind? It’s been ages, and I can’t even hear a siren yet."
Li Juezhou glanced down at his watch. "It’s been ten minutes. It should be here soon."
"Sangsang, if you’re struggling, let me carry her," Li Juezhou said, feeling a stab of pity for Sang Ning. She was tall, sure, but her frame was delicate—he didn’t know how much longer she could last.
"No need, just five more minutes; I can handle it!" Sang Ning refused yet again, though her breathing had noticeably quickened. Gritting her teeth, she hoisted Wen Jiu higher onto her back.
Hold on! Just hold on!
Sang Ning resumed pacing along the lakeshore with Wen Jiu on her back. But this time, she hadn’t gone far when the sound of a car horn startled her.
Thinking the ambulance had finally arrived, she looked up, only to see a sedan pulling up and switching on its high beams.
The glare stung her eyes. Supporting Wen Jiu with one arm, she raised her free hand to shield herself from the light.
Through the cracks between her fingers, she could make out someone stepping out of the driver’s seat and sprinting toward her.
"Xiao Jiu! Xiao Jiu, where are you?"
The harsh glare of the high beams left Sang Ning unable to discern who was running toward her.
But the moment the person spoke, Sang Ning recognized the voice—it was Shen Fang!
Sang Ning was taken aback. How on earth did Shen Fang know Wen Jiu? These two seemed to have zero connection at all.
Before she could move with Wen Jiu on her back, Shen Fang was already upon them.
"Ms. Sang Ning, what happened to Wen Jiu?"
As he got closer, Shen Fang noticed Wen Jiu slumped lifelessly on Sang Ning’s shoulder and immediately grew alarmed.
"She’s been drugged and is unconscious. We already called the police and an ambulance," Sang Ning responded honestly, considering Shen Fang was a police officer.
"Let me take her!" Shen Fang’s urgency was palpable as he reached out to lift Wen Jiu from Sang Ning’s back.
Sang Ning suddenly realized something: "Wait a second, aren’t you supposed to wear a uniform and drive a squad car when on duty?"
Just as Shen Fang extended his hands, Sang Ning instinctively stepped back. "Actually, never mind—you’re a guy too. Considering what Xiao Jiu just went through, it’s better if you don’t touch her."
"Sang Ning, what do you mean by that? Are you discriminating against men?" Shen Fang snapped, respect momentarily forgotten in his frustration. He just wanted to check on Wen Jiu.
Hearing their dispute from afar, Li Juezhou shouted, "Shen Fang, Sangsang didn’t want to put Wen Jiu on the ground because of the dampness, so she’s been carrying her this whole time. She’s doing you a favor—where do you get off yelling at her?"
"I... I’m sorry..." Shen Fang immediately felt ashamed. He didn’t dare force Wen Jiu out of Sang Ning’s arms, though his gaze remained fixated on her.
"Officer Shen... Officer Shen..."
"Shen Fang... Shen Fang..."
Sang Ning noticed movement from the person on her back. She tilted her head and listened closely, realizing Wen Jiu was murmuring faintly, alternating between "Officer Shen" and "Shen Fang."
For a moment, Sang Ning thought Wen Jiu had woken up. But when she glanced down, her eyes were still tightly shut, showing no signs of consciousness.
Just as Sang Ning was about to dismiss it as her imagination, Wen Jiu’s weak voice mumbled again, "Officer Shen, please save me..."
So they really did know each other—so well, in fact, that it couldn’t be more obvious!
"Xiao Jiu, no need to call for him anymore. Your Officer Shen’s already here," Sang Ning quipped before turning to face Shen Fang. "Alright, Officer Shen, hurry up and take Xiao Jiu."
Shen Fang carefully transferred Wen Jiu from Sang Ning’s back into his arms, holding her securely as he asked, "What exactly happened?"