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When the accident occurred, everything was calm. The city’s broadcast was gently reporting messages, making people feel no hint of lurking crisis.

All the cars were moving smoothly, and the traffic was heavy. People were busy, each following their own rhythm.

“We are now reporting the latest traffic conditions for you. It’s the peak time of school and work dismissal. The First Ring Road is as congested as ever. Let’s take a look at the Second Ring Road and the Third Ring Road. Oh, the Second Ring Road is also congested, and so is the Third Ring Road. Well, everyone, just be patient and wait. If you get impatient, I’ll sing a song for you right here.”

The sweet-toned female radio host, like chatting casually with family, engaged in a conversation with the audience before the broadcast. As they chatted, she even tore open a bag of bread. The other person, while eating and humming a tune, appeared so carefree and joyful that it brought a sense of solace to all the frustrated drivers. Their moods and furrowed brows slightly eased.

Listening to the sound of someone eating, some drivers even felt a pang of hunger in their own stomachs. Consequently, they one by one put down their hands from honking horns, reaching into their car fridges for snacks, and indulging in a hearty feast.

This is the power of uplifting spirits.

The female host proved to be a reserve evolutionary force, quite skilled in soothing the emotions of the citizens. In just a few minutes, on the congested and narrow concrete road, the noise from car horns decreased significantly.

“It’s now 5:30, and traffic is still congested. Fang Fang understands everyone’s emotions. Due to magnetic field reasons, aside from airplanes, other sky transportation is restricted. People can only travel by land, which is a bit crowded and time-consuming. But please bear with each other. After all, no matter how long the journey, safety is the top priority.”

“The Traffic Control Bureau suggests that in the future, it’s better to use public buses for travel. Our improved buses can accommodate over a hundred people, not only looking beautiful and providing a comfortable ride but also immune to the unique magnetic field effects of the floating city, ensuring safe and reliable travel. If everyone takes the bus, it can also reduce traffic congestion and save travel time for all of us. Fang Fang sends you all her best wishes~”

During casual conversation, the female host, endorsing the government’s measures, has become a routine occurrence, and the longtime listeners before the broadcast have grown accustomed to it.

However, today, upon hearing these words, they all hesitated for a moment, thinking, “Why does it always feel like this host named Fang Fang is setting unrealistic expectations again? Last time, she claimed that the maglev¹Magnetic levitation train was absolutely safe, and it ended in disaster, with nearly a thousand lives lost. Now she’s saying buses are safe, urging everyone to take them. Could buses also be in trouble? It’s really making our hearts pound.”

As fate would have it, their suspicions were not unfounded.

The construction of the Jiangxin Bridge had been standing for a century, spanning the rapid-flowing river. It daily bore the weight of countless vehicles, dealing with traffic congestion from time to time. However, until now, no accidents had occurred.

A red bus was cruising smoothly across the bridge. It was one of the newly improved buses, easily distinguishable by its vibrant red color and graffiti, adding a splash of brightness to the gloomy bridge. The elderly passengers and children on board seemed to enjoy the lively atmosphere, occasionally filled with the laughter and joyous chatter of the kids.

The driver, professionally trained, was navigating with great stability, even taking the time to listen to the city broadcast. However, at this moment, a young lady sitting in the rear, appearing to be pregnant with a hand on her belly and an extremely pale face, approached the driver, holding onto the railing for support.

From the onboard cameras, a brief exchange occurred between the two. The woman seemed anxious, and it wasn’t clear what they discussed. Then, within seconds, a crisis unfolded!

Although the driver was holding onto the steering wheel, the entire bus suddenly seemed to lose control, skidding as if in a spin. The massive vehicle tilted at a forty-five-degree angle, startling everyone on board, and abruptly veered towards the bridge railing, eliciting countless screams from the passengers.

The Jiangxin Bridge, weathered by time, had sturdy railings that had withstood many challenges. However, they were ruthlessly smashed through by the speeding bus. The entire bus nearly flew off the bridge, with only its tail hanging precariously on the edge, wildly swaying like a teeter-totter struggling to maintain balance but failing.

Due to the tilt of the bus, numerous passengers were thrown towards the front, narrowly avoiding being flattened into a pancake. Through the bus windows, they could clearly see the turbulent waters below, seemingly bottomless.

Once the bus plunged into the river, it was certain that no one on board would survive. The passengers were in a state of panic, wide-eyed and struggling to escape this dire situation. They cried out, wondering why this was happening. What happened to the assurance of being absolutely immune to magnetic field interference? They didn’t want to die! A tender child cried out, saying, “Mom, I’m scared.”

The collective cries seemed like a death knell, accelerating the swaying of the bus. The entire vehicle sank a bit more. It was a hair’s breadth away from completely detaching from the railing.

Even as they cried out for help, death loomed perilously close, and rescue was nowhere in sight.

Other vehicles on the Jiangxin Bridge had already come to a halt. The drivers inside stared at the unfolding scene, their eyes bloodshot, and their hands ice-cold. The swaying bus resembled a giant hand, each sway mercilessly gripping their hearts, leaving them breathless.

They were helpless, forced to watch as the beautiful bus, accompanied by the passengers’ piercing screams, ultimately slid off with the rolling debris, about to plunge into the embrace of the river. Onlookers felt an overwhelming sense of despair.

However, at this critical moment, a black figure suddenly appeared in the eyes of the crowd.

Compared to the massive bus, the figure appeared excessively slender. No one had noticed how this person had appeared, but what mattered most was that, in this critical moment, the individual single-handedly lifted the weighty bus, supporting the rapidly descending vehicle with their own strength.

This miraculous scene successfully left everyone who witnessed it breathless.

The rescuer was none other than Yin Minglu, and he was grateful that he arrived just in time to avert the catastrophe.

With 116 lives, including the driver, hanging in the balance, Yin Minglu held their fates in his hands. Sensing the tremendous weight, Yin Minglu couldn’t afford to be careless. He strained to lift the bus, raising his arms high and gradually raising the vehicle.

In the chaos of the accident, everything inside the bus was in disarray, scattered in all directions.

Trapped beneath the bus’s glass, the people inside, peering through the transparent window, fixated their gaze on the masked youth before them. Their eyes held fear, relief, excitement, and an indescribable sense of gratitude. Tears mixed with runny noses streamed down their faces, and their mouths repeatedly uttered, “Thank you, thank you.”

There was a child, cheeks and hands pressed against the glass. Perhaps the weight of numerous adults on top of him, combined with the suddenness of the accident, caused him to shiver and convulse. His large, round eyes were filled with fear, mouth wide open, crying in a heartbreaking manner.

It seemed as if a young life was on the verge of crying away.

Yin Minglu approached, silently watching the child.

In the moment of despair, a pair of dark and calm eyes suddenly appeared. The child, who had been crying uncontrollably, paused in his frightened emotions, and his small chest no longer heaved violently. Gazing at the beautiful eyes of his “brother” before him, he was momentarily stunned and forgot to cry.

Timidly looking at his “brother,” separated by only a window, the child saw the slightly curved eyes that radiated a soothing expression, as if saying, “Don’t be afraid.”

Watching as his “brother” lifted them, one arm supporting the entire bus, it was as if he was lifting the entire universe, bringing new life and hope. It felt like an embrace, filled with an indescribable sense of security.

Those warm, reassuring black eyes held immense power. The child hiccupped, stopped crying, and whispered, “Brother, keep it up.” He even extended his tiny hand, pressing it against the window, attempting to connect his palm with the young man’s, as if by doing so, he could transmit his strength to the youth.

“Okay.” The youth smiled and exerted all his strength to lift the bus high. With a heavy, resounding thud, the bus, hanging by a thread, was hoisted back onto the bridge, completely escaping the tumultuous river.

This also signaled that everyone on the bus had narrowly escaped disaster. When the doors opened, everyone rushed out in a frenzy. Some, their legs weak, collapsed on the spot. Those who had almost experienced death hugged each other, overwhelmed with excitement, and could only express their emotions with incoherent shouts.

Apart from a few people with minor injuries and fractures, everyone on board, aside from the shock, was unharmed.

This marked the completion of the youth’s mission.

So, just as he had arrived, he briskly stepped over the roof of the bus and walked away. His footsteps were light, like an elusive wind, but he left an indelible mark on the minds of all the passengers and onlookers.

In the years to come, they would never forget him.

That evening, the harrowing incident of the bus nearly plunging into the river dominated headlines nationwide, triggering an overwhelming wave of emotions. Tens of thousands of people cried and expressed gratitude. This event created a massive sensation across the country. Faced with interviews, everyone continuously thanked the young man who had saved them, grateful that he had spared the lives of everyone on board. Otherwise, they might be facing the remains of 116 bodies now.

“Thank him! That mysterious young man who descended from the heavens. I never thought that fate and death could be so close to me. Thank him for granting me a new life!”

Facing the camera, a middle-aged man embraced his wife, tears streaming down their faces. “When I was on the verge of death, all I could think about was regretting the morning argument with my wife. I regretted that she wouldn’t see me for the last time. Going through this ordeal, I’ve come to understand a lot. She is the most precious person to me. All the quarrels and complaints are fleeting. Thanks to the young man, my regret didn’t turn into a lifelong remorse.”

“Sob… Thank you to that mysterious boy!! I’m the only son in my family. If I had died, my parents would have been left with nothing. Maybe they would have followed suit in seeking death. So, the person he saved wasn’t just me but the lives of my whole family! I wish I could kowtow to him!” As he spoke, the man actually knelt down, fervently knocking his head several times. Tears flowed down his face, clearly expressing profound gratitude to his life-saving hero.

As for the child who had been closest to the young man, after returning to his sobbing mother’s arms, he clenched his little fists and said, “Big brother is amazing, a great hero. I want to become a person like him in the future!”

The hot searches were filled with gripping footage of the perilous situation, captured clearly through aerial shots. The footage documented the young man’s agile moves and the heroic feat of supporting a vehicle many times larger than himself. Each scene was heart-stopping, and people couldn’t fathom how he had managed such a feat.

When he finally succeeded, everyone was overcome with excitement, almost in tears. For a moment, they regarded the young man, who exhibited extraordinary abilities and quietly left after performing a noble deed, as if he were a deity.

Everyone wanted to know the identity of the mysterious young hero.

Unfortunately, the person was completely covered, with a masked face, revealing only a pair of young and delicate eyes. The only visible detail was the letter ‘N’ on the entire body, hinting at some information. Experts were certain that this young man was undoubtedly an evolved individual.

But that goes without saying; everyone has eyes to judge.

The reason for their excitement was also rooted in the rarity of evolved individuals worldwide. While few in number, those evolved individuals who did exist were exceptionally powerful. Moreover, many of them enjoyed generous benefits provided by the government, yet they often held a condescending attitude and rarely regarded ordinary citizens with respect, treating them as insignificant. It was rare to find an evolved individual so approachable, possessing both gentleness and bravery.

As they couldn’t uncover any real information, netizens could only temporarily refer to him as “Young Man N.”

…

With the success of Yin Minglu’s mission and his subsequent withdrawal, he suddenly remembered the matter of making up for the missed class. He hurriedly rushed back to school.

However, it was already dark.

The campus gate was eerily quiet. Except for the warm yellow light of a milk tea shop and a staff member cleaning inside, the place was deserted.

Yin Minglu, now back in his school uniform, scratched his head. Facing the night breeze, he said, “I’m sorry.” The night wind whistled, but it didn’t serve as his messenger to convey his apology to someone else.

After waiting for a long time and not finding the person he was waiting for, Fu Jinxiu quietly packed up his things and headed home. Though his expression remained stoic, his family could sense his mood from the low pressure emanating from him.

“What happened, sweetheart? Why are you wearing such a stern face?” at the dining table, Mother Fu asked gently, addressing her son with an affectionate nickname.

Upon hearing this, Fu Jinxiu paused with his chopsticks and replied coldly, “Nothing. Just wanted to be friends with someone, but they didn’t appreciate it.”

He would never admit it, but apart from the rejection, there was also a sense of defeat. Throughout his life, whether in terms of abilities or family background, he had always been an outstanding figure among his peers—someone who was adored by many. Others went to great lengths to please him, and he rarely took the initiative to befriend anyone. This was the first time he had wanted to make a friend.

It was also the first time he had been treated in such a manner, naturally making him feel a bit down.

“Did you get rejected?” Mother Fu smiled knowingly and continued, “Maybe the other person is just like you, someone shy and reserved. Some people are like sensitive plants; they want to withdraw at the slightest touch. But if you take the initiative a few more times, she will eventually open up to you.”

“You should give him another chance.” Mother Fu’s tone was filled with meaning and encouragement. Fu Jinxiu didn’t pick up on it; he lowered his eyelashes slightly, appearing to be lost in thought.

After a moment of silence, Fu Jinxiu corrected his mother’s perception, saying, “He’s not a sensitive plant; he’s a sword grass.” The cute and shy appearance was just a facade. He had personally witnessed the swift and vigorous figure as she dashed out of the bus this morning.

Because he was on that bus at the time, he watched in astonishment. The boy he had always thought was shy turned out to be capable of riding the wind, leaving others in the dust.

Because he happened to witness that scene and also guessed the act of bravery, his impression and understanding of this classmate were somewhat subverted. Inexplicably, he developed a desire to get closer to him. Watching him feign clumsiness during PE class, pretending to be weak and leaning on him while softly saying thank you, he remained silent but found him somewhat cute in his heart.

Certainly, he also wanted to help him improve his grades. However, he didn’t expect that he would agree to the invitation with a sweet demeanor in front of him, only to stylishly stand him up when the time came.

Was it an accidental forgetfulness? Or did he not want to come at all?

Was he genuinely uninterested in studying, or did he simply dislike him?

Did he initially not refuse him because he didn’t want to damage their classmate relationship? Was he secretly unwilling in his heart?

Contemplating the possibilities, Fu Jinxiu’s gaze turned cold, his thin lips pressed together, and his heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

Was he rejected? That’s what he initially thought. Now reconsidering his mother’s words, regardless of whether it was a misunderstanding or not, he should give him another chance.

He made up his mind—just one more chance! There won’t be a second time!

---

 

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