The speedometer's red needle instantly swept past 140 mph.
Ruan Yu's heart leaped into her throat, her breath tightening.
A police car outside the median strip matched Xu Huaisong's speed, pulling up alongside him and rolling down its window to shout.
Ruan Yu lowered her own window and saw Fang Zhen in the back seat, holding a gun.
Amid the howling wind, his voice carried over: "Lawyer Xu, the police have set up a roadblock ahead! The suspect is likely under the influence of drugs—we don’t recommend approaching him by driving against traffic!"
Xu Huaisong kept accelerating, too focused to respond.
Ruan Yu glanced at him, then leaned out the window to answer for him: "Officer Fang, the roadblock might be too late! We just saw what looks like a female hostage in the suspect’s car—he might try to escape by jumping into the sea with her, using a life jacket and ropes!"
Fang Zhen immediately grabbed his radio: "Move the roadblock forward! There may be a boat waiting under the bridge—prepare for maritime operations!"
The BMW ahead shrank further into the distance. As Fang Zhen finished speaking, Xu Huaisong pressed the accelerator again, pushing the speed past 180 mph, nearly 200.
The police car, slower to accelerate, fell behind, leaving Fang Zhen’s distant warning: "Be careful—don’t push beyond your limits."
The engine roared, the sound chilling to the bone.
Xu Huaisong kept his eyes locked on the road. As he closed in on Wei Jin, he spotted an orange truck ahead of the BMW—likely one that had entered the bridge before the road closure.
The two vehicles were about to collide. Wei Jin swerved violently, his wheels nearly lifting off the road.
The truck, however, lacked such agility. The panicked driver jerked the wheel and slammed the brakes, sending the vehicle skidding uncontrollably sideways.
Ruan Yu stifled a scream in her throat.
Without a word, Xu Huaisong eased the steering wheel, slipping past the out-of-control truck via the emergency lane.
The truck plowed through the median and skidded to a stop, blocking all lanes on that side.
Fang Zhen’s police car screeched to a halt beside them.
Ruan Yu glanced back, relieved to see the truck’s front end wedged into the guardrail instead of plunging into the sea.
When she turned forward again, Wei Jin’s BMW was much closer.
Xu Huaisong adjusted their trajectory, lining up to sideswipe the BMW’s rear bumper—but then the sunroof suddenly opened, and the hostage was shoved halfway out.
A collision now would likely send her flying to her death.
Xu Huaisong had no choice but to abort, staying tight on Wei Jin’s tail.
Thirty seconds later, two police cars appeared ahead, speeding toward them.
Wei Jin braked sharply. The hostage, thrown forward by inertia, tumbled out of the sunroof and flew straight toward one of the police cars.
Ruan Yu instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, then heard the screech of brakes—one police car stopping abruptly to save the hostage.
The other spun sideways to block the road.
Xu Huaisong slowed, preparing to cut off Wei Jin’s escape.
But Wei Jin, like a madman, refused to stop. Instead, he steered toward the bridge railing along the emergency lane, slipping past like a fish and escaping once more.
Xu Huaisong’s brow furrowed as he accelerated again. The police cars turned around and gave chase.
Ruan Yu’s throat was parched with tension as she looked to the left.
Noticing her gaze, Xu Huaisong kept his eyes forward and said, "After scraping the railing, his car won’t hold up much longer."
She nodded. When she looked back at the BMW, she saw it was indeed struggling—slowing down, its path wobbling unsteadily.It seemed the situation was under control.
With the police car speeding up behind them, Xu Huaisong didn’t recklessly attempt to ram Wei Jin’s rear bumper and instead maintained a close pursuit.
A minute later, the police car overtook them and signaled with its turn lights.
Ruan Yu glanced through the rearview mirror. “Are they planning to flank him?”
Xu Huaisong was about to nod when a sudden flash caught his eye—a safety hammer was thrown out of the BMW’s sunroof ahead.
The claw hammer hurtled straight toward Ruan Yu’s windshield.
For a moment, she was too stunned to even scream, her mind blank as she stared wide-eyed.
The next instant, her vision blurred. Instead of smashing into the windshield as expected, the hammer veered off course.
Their car suddenly swerved and crashed with a loud “bang” into Wei Jin’s rear bumper.
The airbags deployed, and both cars came to a halt amid the collision.
In the thick white mist that filled the air, Ruan Yu lifted her head. For a moment, the world fell silent, as if she couldn’t hear a thing.
Then the silence was shattered by the police siren and Xu Huaisong’s voice.
He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to check on her. “Are you hurt?”
Ruan Yu, still dazed, replied, “No…” It took her a few seconds to process before she frantically reached for his shoulder. “What about you? Are you okay?”
Xu Huaisong shook his head, got out of the car, and circled around to her side to help her down.
Her legs wobbled weakly, and she only steadied herself when he pulled her into his arms. Then, belatedly recalling what had just happened, she asked, “Where’s the claw hammer? Just now…”
She trailed off, freezing in place.
Earlier, Wei Jin, high and deranged, had desperately thrown the claw hammer through the sunroof in an attempt to force Xu Huaisong to stop.
At such high speed, the hammer could have shattered the windshield and posed a fatal threat to her.
At the critical moment, Xu Huaisong had jerked the steering wheel to change their trajectory.
So, where had the hammer ended up?
Seeing him unharmed, Ruan Yu turned to look at his Cayenne.
A clear dent marked the A-pillar—likely where the hammer had grazed past.
But that spot was mere inches from the windshield in front of him. If their speed had been slightly off or the angle even a fraction different, the hammer would have pierced the glass and struck him.
A hammer that had been aimed at her.
The realization hit Ruan Yu like a wave, leaving her breathless and dizzy, stars dancing before her eyes.
Compared to the tension of the chase, this delayed terror was far more paralyzing, suffocating her with dread.
One misstep, and she would have lost him.
Her legs gave way, her body sliding down weakly as if drained of all strength, her throat burning.
Xu Huaisong held her firmly. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Cold sweat drenched Ruan Yu’s back as she clung to his waist, tilting her tear-streaked face up. “Xu Huaisong, were you trying to get yourself killed…?”
He glanced at the dent on the Cayenne, then wiped her tears with his thumb, smiling. “Of course not. I calculated the angle before turning the wheel.”
Ruan Yu sniffled, wiping her tears. “Since when are you some kind of clairvoyant who can calculate angles?!”
He chuckled helplessly. “I really did. If I hadn’t been sure it was safe, would I have had the presence of mind to ram Wei Jin’s car?”
Ruan Yu paused. That did make sense.She cried for a while before slowly drying her tears. Looking around, she saw police officers dispersing—some checking on Wei Jin's condition, others coming over to ask if they were injured.
The BMW had malfunctioned, with only half of the airbags deploying. Wei Jin was carried out, apparently unconscious.
Ruan Yu, aside from her legs still feeling weak, was unharmed. Xu Huaisong held her in his arms while answering the police's questions.
The scene was chaotic all around.
Leaning against Xu Huaisong, Ruan Yu's complexion gradually regained color under the afternoon sun, though her mind remained somewhat dazed. She blankly watched as two ambulances arrived—one taking Wei Jin away on a stretcher, the other continuing forward to pick up the hostage and the truck driver.
Soon after, traffic police and insurance adjusters arrived to handle the scene and assess the vehicle damage.
Xu Huaisong hadn’t stopped for a moment, yet he never let go of Ruan Yu. Only after the tow truck took the car away did he finally lower his head to ask, "Feeling better?"
Before Ruan Yu could answer, an unfamiliar police officer approached and shook Xu Huaisong's hand. "Comrade, thank you for your significant contribution to the police's arrest operation. Earlier, we discovered a yacht under the bridge, suspected to belong to the suspect's accomplice. If you hadn’t pursued and cut off this escape route, the situation would have become much more complicated once the chase moved to the sea."
Xu Huaisong freed one hand to shake his, replying calmly, "No need for thanks."
Glancing at the visibly shaken Ruan Yu, the officer added apologetically, "You two can ride back in our police car. Let’s get you checked at the nearby hospital first."
The two underwent full medical examinations. By the time the results confirmed they were unharmed, they learned Wei Jin had also regained consciousness. However, due to a mild concussion, he wasn’t yet fit for interrogation and remained under strict police surveillance.
The flight to the U.S. had departed hours ago. There was no making it now.
Xu Huaisong hailed a cab to take Ruan Yu home. As soon as they closed the door, finally able to catch their breath from the chaos, his phone rang.
It was Tao Rong, her voice frantic the moment the call connected. "Huaisong, I just saw the news about the bridge! Was that you? Are you both alright?"
Xu Huaisong reassured her, but Tao Rong seemed terrified, repeating "Thank goodness, thank goodness" over and over.
Before this call could end, Ruan Yu's phone also rang—her family, equally concerned.
The two turned away to reassure their respective loved ones. After hanging up, Ruan Yu asked in confusion, "What’s going on? Did the news cover it in detail?"
"Not sure," Xu Huaisong replied, glancing toward the kitchen. "What should we eat?"
"Instant noodles are fine. I’ll make them."
As she started toward the kitchen, he stopped her. "Rest for a bit. I’ll handle it."
Ruan Yu sat on the sofa and opened Weibo to check the news. A trending video immediately popped up: "Real-Life Hollywood on the Cross-Sea Bridge: A 20-Kilometer Desperate Chase—Salute the Hero!"
While TV news would focus more on the police, platforms like Weibo celebrated such feats.
Ruan Yu first gave the "hero" a like, then clicked to play the video.
The footage, captured by surveillance cameras, showed clips of Xu Huaisong's pursuit earlier that afternoon. A male voiceover provided detailed commentary on every maneuver—until the final moment.He said, "When the claw hammer incident happened unexpectedly, the Cayenne driver suddenly swerved the steering wheel to protect the passenger from getting hurt. That maneuver was actually quite risky—avoiding the accident was pure luck..."
Ruan Yu's hand holding the phone suddenly froze.
The male voice continued, "But the driver's reflexes were indeed extremely sharp. After swerving sharply, he hit the front car's bumper as a buffer to avoid the risk of flipping over..."
Ruan Yu sat motionless on the sofa, no longer able to hear the words that followed.
She raised her head, her eyes blurred with tears as she looked toward the person in the kitchen who was opening a packet of instant noodle seasoning.
This liar who had once been full of deceit had deceived her yet again.
Of course. In that situation, how could he have known for sure that he would be able to avoid it?
He didn't know.
He truly didn't know.
Author's note: Wuwu, he didn't know...
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