If You Could Hear My Heart

Two cars faced off for quite some time before Shen Chi lowered his car window.

“Was Xu Chaomu taken away by you guys?

Hollow, icy, and hoarse, his voice seemed to come from the heavens, like that of the Grim Reaper himself.

There was rain splashing on his face, but he remained motionless, his cold gaze piercing through the air like a lethal noose!

This boss was used to seeing the ways of the world, and he had already realized that he had tangled with someone he shouldn’t have. Indeed.

This man was no simple character!

No one spoke. The boss signaled with his eyes to the driver, telling him to back up and escape!

Understanding the cue, the driver was about to hit the brakes when Shen Chi made his move with lightning speed and opened the car door with a “clang”!

Bang Bang!

Two gunshots rang out as Shen Chi pulled the trigger of his handgun; the van’s window glass shattered, and shards flew everywhere!

“Ah!” someone screamed as pieces of glass stuck into their eyes!

Shen Chi moved with incredible speed, pressing the gun against the temple of the man in the passenger seat, his index finger on the trigger!

“Speak!” he roared.

“Look, brother, I don’t know who you are or what street you’re from, but this person you’re talking about, Xu Chaomu or whatever, I really don’t know who that is.”

The boss in the passenger seat clung to his own life, daring not to make any rash moves, yet his lips still refused to admit anything.

He too had weathered great storms, but now, with this man having the upper hand, he couldn’t just brawl his way out. One wrong move, and his life might be over!

He knew he shouldn’t have taken this job!

Rain trickled down Shen Chi’s hair, making the man in the dark night appear even colder and more forbidding. His eyes were blood-red with murderous intent, ready to pull the trigger at any moment!

“My fingers aren’t equipped with eyes. Are you really not going to talk?” Shen Chi asked in a cold tone.

“I honestly don’t understand what you’re saying…” the boss still stubbornly persisted.

Bang!

A gunshot went off, Shen Chi’s hand moved, and the bullet hit the car interior, causing the vehicle to explode, rendered completely inoperable. While the gun’s echo lingered, the pistol was still aimed at the boss’s head.

“Police will be here in three minutes. Tell me now, while there’s still time.”

Everyone in the car was terrified. They realized they couldn’t leave now—what chance did they have to live if Shen Chi went berserk?

It was a certain death either way!

A man inside the car, his courage bolstered by fear, stood up: “What’s in it for me if I tell you?”

The corner of Shen Chi’s lips curved into a cold, bloodthirsty smile: “Whoever speaks first gets to keep his dog life!”

Shen Chi was never known to be merciful in others’ eyes; that shot that had just blown up the engine was already him showing restraint!

He was always a cold-blooded man, only forgetting his nature in front of that one particular person.

“Xu Chaomu was thrown on the hillside ahead; whether she’s dead or alive, we don’t know!” A man in the car finally braved up to speak.

Thrown on the hillside!

Shen Chi’s face turned an iron shade of blue. He clenched his fists, and just as he was about to pull the trigger, several police cars approached.

The wailing sirens, in the deserted mountains, were especially loud and clear.

Shen Chi did not want to kill. He retracted his gun and got into his Hummer. Flooring the gas pedal, he headed down the small road in front!

He would deal with them after he found Xu Chaomu!

The road ahead was covered in yellow muddy water; each passing car sent splashes soaring. Shen Chi paid it no heed, driven by a single belief—he had to find Xu Chaomu.

He had to find her!

He would not abandon her in the wilderness!

“Mumu, you must be safe…”

Shen Chi’s gaze was glued ahead, his heart in a vise grip, a mix of bewilderment, tension, and pain roaring and raging within him.

Since Xu Chaomu was ten years old, he had never let her suffer. Now, these people dared to throw her on a hillside, out in the rain!

Rage accumulated and exploded inside his chest, needing only a fuse to erupt into all-consuming flames!

Following the tire tracks on the ground, when the car reached halfway and the marks disappeared, he knew she had to be nearby!

Without even taking an umbrella, he jumped out of the car and walked into the rain.

Shining the flashlight around, all he saw was yellow soil, tall trees, even tumbling boulders. There was no sign of Xu Chaomu; he couldn’t find her.

One step at a time, he moved forward on the muddy ground. Halfway through, he found Xu Chaomu’s backpack!

His eyes immediately turned even redder, Shen Chi feeling an urge to explode. He placed the backpack in the trunk and continued to search for Xu Chaomu in the rain.

The rain showed no sign of stopping; by now, it was already 2:40 a.m.!

“Chaomu! Chaomu!” Shen Chi roared into the night.

But Xu Chaomu couldn’t hear Shen Chi’s voice; she clung desperately to a life-saving tree. She dared not let go, fearing that once she did, there would be an endless abyss below.

If it was an abyss, her life would be over.

She didn’t want to give Shen Chi the satisfaction. The grand goal she had set for herself at the age of ten—how could she not fulfill it?

But fate had other plans.

A massive boulder slid down the mountain, headed straight for her location!

With a thunderous boom, the rock struck the trunk of a pine tree, cleaving it in two. Xu Chaomu’s hands flailed in search of something to grab, but she failed to hold onto the trunk!

Her footing gave way, and she fell backward!

“Help!” she screamed with all her might.

Xu Chaomu tumbled down alongside the rock, plunging into a water-filled culvert with two resounding splashes!

There was supposed to be no water in the culvert, but after tonight’s downpour, it had filled up quickly.

Xu Chaomu gripped the rock, standing her ground, but the water was already reaching her neck.

All around was pitch-black darkness, not a speck of light to be seen. Rain continued to hammer into the entrance; she knew that before long, the culvert would overflow!

And she, she could not swim…

All the way down, she had imagined countless ways to die, but never had she thought she would drown!

“Help! Help!” She cried out, hoping against hope that someone might pass by.

Was it the two loud splashes from her fall that caught his attention? Shen Chi heard them, loud and clear.

“Chaomu!” he rushed toward the source of the sound.

Scanning around with the flashlight, indeed, he saw a black bag hanging from a branch, with a piece of light green fabric nearby.

Xu Chaomu had been wearing green clothes that day!

“Chaomu! Chaomu!” he shouted into the surroundings.

The rain drenched his suit, his hair, his face, but he was past caring.

Xu Chaomu heard it, she heard it!

It was Shen Chi’s voice, it was him!

“Help! Help! Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother…” Xu Chaomu used every last bit of her strength to scream.

If he could hear her, could she be saved?

The rain continued to pour into the culvert, swiftly submerging her neck. She strained to keep her head above water; in just a moment, a little moment, if the water rose over her mouth, she’d surely drown…

She didn’t want to die—not like this.