Chapter 12: The Unlucky Soul I Saved Turned Out to Be Him!

After struggling out of the narrow alley, Shi Yi immediately jumped onto her three-wheeled bicycle and patted the back seat.

“Get on, I’ll take you away!”

For a moment, Gu Hansheng stood there in a daze.

He glanced at the battered tricycle, momentarily at a loss.

Seeing his stunned expression, Shi Yi tugged at his arm and pulled him straight onto the tricycle.

“Hold on tight!” she said, and with that, she pedaled furiously, wheels spinning beneath her.

But this time, riding was much more difficult—after all, there was now the weight of a grown man added to the tricycle.

Shi Yi pedaled with all her might, puffing and sweating, wiping her brow from time to time.

After making a sharp turn at a traffic light, she finally managed to shake off the crazed fans trailing behind.

Shi Yi pulled over to the side of the road and took several deep breaths, utterly exhausted.

“That was something… Are you a celebrity or what? Why were so many people chasing after you?”

Once she caught her breath, Shi Yi turned to look at the man bundled up like a dumpling.

He had shed his layers of hat, sunglasses, and mask, revealing a bright, handsome face.

Shi Yi stared at him for a few seconds, and Gu Hansheng flashed a charming smile.

“We meet again, little fortune-teller.”

At that, Shi Yi’s irritation flared.

Not only had she earned nothing today, but she’d been surrounded by a mob, unable to do business. Out of the goodness of her heart, she’d rescued another unfortunate soul like herself, only to realize it was the very same idiot who’d insulted her the night before.

“It’s you?” Shi Yi’s brows knitted. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

She was annoyed, though if she knew a stampede would have happened there, she likely would have made the same choice again.

Gu Hansheng hopped down from the tricycle with a flourish, brushing invisible dust from his hands.

“Fate really has a sense of humor. Last time, I saved you. This time, it’s your turn. Thanks.”

Shi Yi looked at him deeply but said nothing, simply jumping onto her tricycle, intending to head straight home.

“Hey, don’t go,” Gu Hansheng called as Shi Yi made to leave without a word, amusement lighting his eyes.

He grabbed her arm. “Wait, let me return the favor—let me give you a ride home.”

Shi Yi was baffled. Normally, people would thank you with money or a meal. But this guy wanted to take her home?

It was entirely unnecessary.

“No need, I can find my way just fine.”

Seeing her frown as he held her arm, Gu Hansheng raised an eyebrow and let go.

“Then how about you see me home instead?”

Shi Yi wondered if she’d misheard. “Are you out of your mind? You want me to take you home? On this tricycle?”

She spoke with open annoyance. “Fine, but it’s two hundred a trip.”

Gu Hansheng looked at her, unmoving.

Shi Yi knew that no reasonable person would pay two hundred yuan just to ride her tricycle.

She snorted, turned, and climbed onto the bike, ready to leave.

But then, two bright red bills appeared before her eyes.

“Alright, two hundred it is,” he said, dropping the money into the basket at the front of the tricycle and leaping onto the seat, patting Shi Yi’s back. “There you go, Master Fortune-Teller.”

Shi Yi was exasperated by his shamelessness. She’d refused so clearly, yet he pressed on regardless.

After a while, Shi Yi pulled over and got off, her expression dark.

“You’re too heavy. I can’t pedal anymore.”

She crossed her arms, giving him a look that said, figure it out yourself.

Seeing her play tough, the man’s smile deepened.

With long strides, he hopped off the tricycle and walked to its front, basking lazily in the sunlight.

“In honor of you rescuing me, hop on. I’ll do the pedaling.”

He put his foot on the pedal, making as if to ride off.

Shi Yi hesitated. “You look like someone with money. Can you actually ride a bike?”

Gu Hansheng looked at her as if deeply insulted, his tone rising unconsciously. “Who are you underestimating? What’s so hard about riding a tricycle? Get on! If those women catch up again, we might not escape so easily this time.”

Shi Yi frowned, hesitating for a long moment before finally, reluctantly, climbing aboard.

“Hold tight.”

Before she could settle in, Gu Hansheng was off like a shot, pedaling the tricycle at full speed.

At the entrance of her neighborhood, Gu Hansheng swung his long leg over and stopped in the middle of the road.

He gazed at her with a look Shi Yi couldn’t quite decipher.

“You live here?”

Shi Yi nodded. “That’s right.”

She hopped off the back seat and moved to the front, pushing the tricycle.

“Alright, I’m home. You can go your own way now.”

With that, she greeted the security guard at the gate, opened the door, and prepared to wheel her tricycle inside.

Gu Hansheng chuckled softly, following her at a leisurely pace.

Shi Yi parked and locked her tricycle inside the complex, then walked to her building.

Noticing Gu Hansheng still trailing her, she grew annoyed.

“Why are you still here? Are you planning to come home with me?”

Though he’d saved her once, they were still little more than strangers—not nearly close enough for an invitation home.

Hands in his pockets, Gu Hansheng strolled past her and, before she could react, activated the facial recognition at the building door.

“Welcome home, resident!” a mechanical voice chimed from the doorway.

Shi Yi stared at him, dumbfounded. Gu Hansheng lowered his head, studying her pretty face now so close.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I live here, too—I’m not following you.”

With that, he pulled open the door and walked inside.

Shi Yi was left gaping, but followed him in nonetheless.

When they entered the elevator together, Shi Yi pressed the button for the thirty-second floor—the top floor. Gu Hansheng’s gaze grew even more suspicious, scrutinizing her up and down.

Shi Yi met his gaze without flinching. “Aren’t you going to press your floor?”

Gu Hansheng leaned in, the scent of citrus wafting over her. “How do you know I’m not living on the thirty-second floor as well?”

Shi Yi’s eyes narrowed in alarm. Before she’d moved in, Zhao Yong had told her there were only two apartments on the thirty-second floor. She’d never met her neighbor across the hall, but what were the odds?

Her vigilance grew, and she edged away from Gu Hansheng.

He looked civilized and had once saved her, but could he be some sort of weirdo stalker?

“Ding, thirty-second floor.”

The elevator doors slid open.