The snow fell harder and harder, blanketing the entire world in its cold embrace.
Snowflakes crept down her neck, melting into icy droplets upon contact with her skin, chilling her to the bone.
Back in the car, her fingers were already numb with cold.
Qiao Yimian cupped her hands to her mouth, blowing a gentle breath, then dialed the number that had been automatically disconnected.
"Nanxing, what's up?"
On the other end of the line, her colleague Song Nanxing's voice was filled with excitement: "Sister Yimian! The editor wants the two of us to go to Linchuan Television Station for exchange training!"
Linchuan City, bordering Chucheng, is one of the larger cities in the North River area.
To strengthen its news team, Chucheng Evening News assigns two reporters each year to study and exchange experiences at the Linchuan Television Station.
Qiao Yimian had only been working for a year, and Song Nanxing was just starting out. Both of them were considered newcomers. The fact that the editor-in-chief allowed them to attend this training showed how much he valued them.
Her pent-up emotions dissipated somewhat, and Qiao Yimian curved her lips.
"Okay, I'll go back and prepare."
The call ended, and a WeChat message immediately popped up.
[Shi Yan: Mianmian, my mother is just straightforward, and her words can be harsh. I apologize to you on her behalf. If you're angry, take it out on me, but don't upset yourself!
It's all my fault, completely my fault. I'll make things clear to them tonight. I won't marry her, I only want you! I'll come find you tomorrow, and we'll talk face to face!]
Qiao Yimian looked at the message for two seconds without replying. She then exited the chat box and blocked him directly.
At the same time, she opened her phone's contacts and blocked his phone number as well.
The next morning, Qiao Yimian drove to the entrance of Song Nanxing's apartment complex.
The young man, fresh out of university, had a youthful face, slightly wavy, tea-colored hair, and clear, bright eyes; he looked sunny and naive.
Seeing Qiao Yimian lower her car window, Song Nanxing waved to her happily.
"Sister Yimian!"
Qiao Yimian smiled and responded, unlocking the car door.
Song Nanxing stuffed his suitcase into the trunk, then opened the front passenger door and ducked inside.
"Sister, why aren't we taking the bullet train? We can get the tickets reimbursed. Taking the expressway will take three or four hours! Won't you be tired driving alone?"
Qiao Yimian: "It's nothing, it's not far. Driving is more convenient."
She took out the receipt from when she just filled up the gas tank and waved it at Song Nanxing. "I can also get the road fees reimbursed."
"Great! As long as you don't end up losing money!" Song Nanxing chuckled as he placed his photography backpack in the back seat. While fastening his seatbelt, he casually asked, "Sis, you just got back from a business trip, and now you're going to training. Won't Yan-ge be angry?"
Qiao Yimian lightly turned the steering wheel, entering the main road. She only responded casually, not wanting to share her personal matters with him.
Song Nanxing continued to express his own thoughts:
"I heard from some seniors at the newspaper that Yan-ge is super good to you! He pursued you for two whole years. He really has perseverance! He definitely truly loves you!"
Qiao Yimian pursed her lips and didn't reply for a moment.
Indeed, Shi Yan was genuinely good to her.
She never denied this.
Whether it was during the two years he pursued her, or the one year they were together.
He was attentive to her every need, caring for her to the utmost degree, practically the "perfect boyfriend" in everyone's eyes.
But from the moment he secretly got engaged to another woman, the scales in his heart had already tipped.
He abandoned everything he once had.
And he abandoned her too.
The car entered the expressway, and snowflakes once again danced in the air.
The road surface was somewhat icy, so Qiao Yimian slowed down and tried to maintain a certain distance from the car in front.
After driving halfway, nearing the border of Linchuan City, the traffic gradually increased.
Suddenly, a semi-trailer truck rushed over from the adjacent lane, cutting in front of them at an extremely high speed and crashing directly into the central guardrail!
Qiao Yimian slammed on the brakes, her heart pounding.
A sharp screech of brakes rang out, mixing with the buzzing in her head, leaving her feeling shocked and frightened.
In a matter of seconds, the semi-trailer overturned, its cargo scattered everywhere, and the front of the truck smashed into the guardrail, severely deformed.
Song Nanxing, who was dozing off in the passenger seat, was jolted awake by the inertia, the seatbelt biting into him.
"What's wrong!"
Song Nanxing's gaze froze on the scene ahead, and he sucked in a breath: "Vocal…"
Before he could finish, the car door slammed open, and Qiao Yimian had already grabbed a reflective vest and jumped out of the car.
A semi-trailer had crashed through the central barrier, its body blocking three lanes in both directions, and the vehicles behind were slowing down and stopping.
Watermelons had spilled everywhere from the trailer, with green rinds and blood-red juice scattered across the road.
Falling snowflakes covered the scene, like roses silently blooming under a pure white veil.
Qiao Yimian stepped over the mess, heading straight for the front of the truck. The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, hit her, and she realized she'd forgotten her down jacket.
She didn't bother to go back for it. She ran toward the truck, simultaneously dialing 120 and the highway rescue service.
Quickly explaining her location and situation, Qiao Yimian hung up the phone. A series of hurried footsteps sounded behind her.
Qiao Yimian quickly stepped aside to make way, but her foot slipped on a piece of melon rind. The snowy weather made the ground slick, and she stumbled.
"Careful." Someone behind her grabbed her arm, preventing her from a close encounter with the mess on the ground.
The person's fingers were slender and long, yet full of strength. Their voice was also deep and powerful.
Qiao Yimian hurriedly thanked them, not bothering to look up. Several young people then ran up behind her, chattering amongst themselves:
"How's the driver? Is he hurt?"
"The front of the car is too high, can't see."
While everyone was discussing whether to climb onto the front of the car to check the situation inside, the man had already nimbly leaped onto the front of the car, climbing to the window in a few swift moves.
Qiao Yimian finally got a good look at the person. He was wearing a black business jacket and dark pants, standing on top of the car, looking tall and imposing.
Qiao Yimian's eyelids twitched slightly. She watched as he efficiently smashed the car window and shouted inside twice.
It seemed he got a response. He straightened up and shouted down from the car's hood, "The driver is stuck inside. Come up here, two of you, and give us a hand to pull them out!"
Several young people immediately climbed up to help.
Qiao Yimian knew she couldn't be of much help, so she found a good spot and raised her phone to take photos.
When Song Nanxing came to take over with the camera, she returned to the car and retrieved the first-aid kit.
Within fifteen minutes, the rescue team, spontaneously organized by the crowd, had pulled the co-driver out.
Qiao Yimian hurried forward with the first-aid kit and asked about the driver's condition.
She had learned some basic first aid before, and after confirming that the driver only had external injuries, she quickly bandaged his head wound.
Just as she finished, police cars and fire trucks arrived one after another, and the sound of an ambulance grew closer.
Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, taking off her medical gloves and briefly explaining the injured person's condition to the medical staff.
Then, she took out her press card and, after greeting the traffic police on the scene, joined Song Nanxing to report on the scene.
"It's now 10:20 a.m. on February 9th, at the 685-kilometer mark of the Linchuan section of the Linchu Expressway. Twenty minutes ago, a serious traffic accident occurred here. A semi-trailer carrying watermelons suddenly crashed into the fast lane, crushing the central guardrail, and blocking the three lanes in both directions.
After the accident, the people at the scene spontaneously carried out a rescue, saving the two drivers from the vehicles in advance. Now, traffic police, firefighters, and medical teams have arrived one after another and are carrying out follow-up rescue work..."
Qiao Yimian transmitted the on-site videos and interview materials back to the newspaper office in real time. Seeing Song Nanxing's pale face, she asked with concern:
"Are you scared?"
Song Nanxing patted his chest with a look of lingering fear. "It's the first time I've been to an accident scene; it was so scary! Luckily, you were driving. If it had been me, I might have just crashed right into it!"
Qiao Yimian pursed her lips and softly comforted him, "It's good that nothing happened."
Judging from the damage to the semi-trailer, although the two drivers were injured to varying degrees, it was truly a stroke of luck that they had survived.
With the joint efforts of the rescue team and the crowd, a lane was quickly cleared at the scene, and vehicles slowly passed through in an orderly manner.
Qiao Yimian gestured for Song Nanxing to get in the car. But as they took two steps, a motorcycle suddenly darted out from the side, almost brushing past her. It sped through the accident area and sped away.
Qiao Yimian instinctively dodged and took two steps back, narrowly avoiding it. But her right foot stepped on a piece of melon rind and slipped, twisting her ankle directly. She gasped in pain.
Song Nanxing immediately supported her. "Are you injured?"
"Twisted it," Qiao Yimian frowned, bending over to touch her ankle, which sent a sharp pain shooting through her.
"I'll go find the paramedics!"
Song Nanxing craned his neck to look, but he saw that the ambulance had already left with the injured.
"It's okay." Qiao Yimian pushed herself up, supporting herself on her knees. Her ankle still hurt badly. "It shouldn't be a broken bone. I can walk slowly, but it seems I can't drive."
"Then what do we do!" Song Nanxing was anxious and paced back and forth, then tentatively asked, "How about... I drive?"
Qiao Yimian considered it for a moment and could only nod. "Alright, but drive slowly and don't rush."
Song Nanxing had only recently gotten his driver's license and wasn't allowed to drive alone on the expressway.
Fortunately, Qiao Yimian had held her license for over three years, so she could sit in the passenger seat to accompany him.
If it weren't for the special circumstances, she really wouldn't have trusted him to drive.
He told himself not to panic, but Song Nanxing rarely drove, and even with Qiao Yimian in the passenger seat, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
The car slowly drove out of the accident area, and the cars behind them couldn't wait, honking their horns impatiently.
Song Nanxing subconsciously stepped on the accelerator, but he didn't control the force well, and the car immediately shot forward.
There happened to be a car in front going just as slowly.
The safety distance was insufficient, and coupled with the slippery road surface, the car's front end went straight for the other car's rear!