Picking Up a Man
1055 Words
The man in front of her checked both boxes.
Even smeared with blood, his face remained sharply defined. His jaw looked carved from stone, his expression hard and unwelcoming. More importantly, anyone capable of attracting assassins of this caliber before the Cataclysm was almost certainly dangerous, skilled, and connected.
Exactly the kind of person worth keeping alive.
The apocalypse was coming.
And Lu Xue’er happened to be in the market for someone who could fight, endure, and survive.
“Take him.”
Her decision came instantly.
The tone was pure billionaire heiress—soft, casual, and utterly unquestioned.
“Get him into the car. Quietly.”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
Lei Ying moved without hesitation.
He hooked one arm beneath the unconscious man and lifted him as though he weighed nothing at all. A moment later, the group disappeared from the alley.
---
One minute later.
Inside the Rolls-Royce.
Cool air flowed softly through the cabin. The scent of leather mixed faintly with blood and antiseptic.
Lu Xue’er sat beside the unconscious stranger.
His brow remained tightly furrowed even in unconsciousness.
She opened her handbag.
Or rather, she reached into her pocket dimension.
A delicate white porcelain bottle appeared in her hand.
“Candy,” she asked silently, “will spirit spring water help him?”
[~ Of course, Master! Spirit spring water repairs damaged cells and neutralizes toxins! It works wonderfully on injuries like these! ~]
“Perfect.”
She twisted open the stopper.
A clean, fresh fragrance drifted out.
Like mountain rain.
Like spring forests.
She dipped a fingertip into the liquid and carefully touched a drop against his pale, cracked lips.
Then she opened a medical kit.
Top-grade hemostatic spray.
Sterile dressings.
Professional movements.
Steady hands.
No hesitation.
Lei Ying helped cut away the ruined tactical jacket.
Beneath it, the extent of the damage became visible.
Several wounds.
Deep bruising.
Signs of prolonged combat.
Evidence of someone who had pushed his body far beyond normal limits.
Xue’er assessed everything methodically.
Injury locations.
Blood loss.
Muscle tension.
Respiration.
Only after completing that evaluation did her gaze drift slightly lower.
And then—
Her professional composure encountered a problem.
A very specific problem.
A very muscular problem.
Externally, nothing changed.
She continued wrapping bandages with perfect concentration.
Elegant.
Graceful.
Composed.
Internally?
Absolute chaos.
*KYAAAAAA—*
*WAIT. HOLD ON.*
*THAT'S A V-TAPER.*
*AN ACTUAL V-TAPER.*
*NO WAY.*
*ABS OF STEEL.*
*CHEST MUSCLES.*
*THE WHOLE PREMIUM PACKAGE?!*
The bandage remained perfectly aligned.
Her expression remained perfectly calm.
Inside her head, however:
*Look at those abs!*
*Those things look professionally manufactured!*
*Are they hard? Are they soft? Is there some magical middle ground?*
*For research purposes, obviously!*
Her fingers continued securing the dressing.
Not a single movement faltered.
*He's ridiculously handsome AND built like a human space heater.*
*The apocalypse is practically gifting me resources now.*
*Congratulations, sir.*
*You've officially been recruited.*
*Exclusive bodyguard position.*
*Benefits package included.*
*Applications closed.*
The corners of her lips twitched.
*And maybe...*
*JUST MAYBE...*
*In the long freezing winters ahead...*
*If I happened to perform occasional abs-touching debt repayment inspections...*
*Purely accounting-related, of course...*
*Hehehehehe—*
A low groan interrupted the fantasy.
“Mm.”
The man's eyelashes trembled.
Then his eyes opened.
Instantly.
No confusion.
No sluggishness.
Predatory awareness exploded into existence.
Sharp.
Cold.
Dangerous.
His muscles tightened.
Instinct drove him toward violence.
Then he stopped.
Soft leather beneath him.
Bandages.
No pain from the toxin.
The familiar agony that had tormented him for three days was gone.
His breathing stalled.
A sharp spike of pressure erupted behind his eyes.
And then—
A voice.
Not spoken.
Not imagined.
*KYAAAAAA—*
*THAT'S A V-TAPER.*
*ABS OF STEEL.*
*Exclusive bodyguard position.*
*Human space heater.*
*Abs-touching debt repayment inspections...*
*Hehehehehe—*
Jiang Boxun froze.
Completely.
His expression remained controlled.
His soul, however, briefly exited the building.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
He lowered his gaze.
A young woman knelt beside him.
White skin.
Clear eyes.
Perfect posture.
A bandage still in her hand.
When she noticed him looking at her, she smiled.
Sweet.
Polite.
Innocent.
“You’re awake?”
Her voice sounded like honey dissolved in warm tea.
Not a trace of criminal intent.
Not a hint of insanity.
Nothing whatsoever connected this elegant young woman to the catastrophe currently echoing through his head.
Jiang Boxun stared.
Silently.
He had survived assassination attempts.
Interrogations.
Cross-border manhunts.
The underworld.
Military operations.
None of those experiences had prepared him for this.
Not even remotely.
His voice emerged rough and gravelly.
“You…”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“You were laughing.”
A pause.
“Inside your head.”
The smile on Lu Xue’er's face froze.
*HOLY—*
*WAIT WHAT?!*
*HE KNOWS?!*
*HOW DOES HE KNOW?!*
*I DIDN'T EVEN MAKE A SOUND!*
*I WAS THINKING!*
*THINKING!*
*THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE PRIVATE!*
Her eyes widened.
Jiang Boxun watched the rapid sequence of emotions cross her face.
Shock.
Confusion.
Panic.
Calculation.
The mental screaming somehow became louder.
A fresh pulse of pain hit his temples.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Breathed once.
Twice.
Forced the reaction down.
The effort felt physical.
Painful.
Like gripping a blade with bare hands.
When he opened his eyes again, his expression had returned to its usual cold neutrality.
“My name is Jiang Boxun.”
The introduction cost him more than he cared to admit.
For a man like him, names carried weight.
Trust carried more.
This was already a concession.
Lu Xue’er blinked.
Twice.
Then, remarkably, recovered.
The shock vanished.
The smile returned.
Foxlike.
Bright.
Dangerous in an entirely different way.
“Lu Xue’er.”
She tilted her head.
“Remember it.”
Her eyes curved into crescents.
“This life of yours belongs to me now.”
The words sounded playful.
Possessive.
Light.
Yet somewhere beneath them lingered the faintest suggestion of something larger—of lives crossing paths and becoming tangled together in ways neither of them could yet see.
Inside her head:
*Excellent.*
*Even better if he can hear me.*
*Communication efficiency increased by two hundred percent.*
*Future bodyguard secured.*
*And maybe someday...*
*abs-touching debt repayment—*
Jiang Boxun immediately closed his eyes.
Again.
Deep breath.
Hold.
Endure.
Another breath.
Endure harder.
For survival.
For basic sanity.
For reasons he could no longer fully explain.
Just—
Endure.
- Writer
