The tip of the knife was hazy in the rain, as if it wasn't quite real, but Han Xinyi was sure that the person wearing the black duckbill cap was full of malice towards her!

The man was tall with long legs, and soon he was close to her. He didn't carry an umbrella and didn't care that his whole body was soaked. He ran towards her in a highly aggressive posture.

His sports shoes splashed through the puddles on the ground without any concern, creating a series of terrifying splashes.

The desire to survive made Han Xinyi turn around and run. She threw away the umbrella that would affect her speed and instantly became a drenched rat, while also using her loudest voice to scream, "Help! Help!"

Despairingly, her voice was drowned out by the sound of the rain, not causing even the slightest ripple.

As Han Xinyi ran frantically, she couldn't hear how close the other person was to her. She couldn't suppress her nervousness and wanted to confirm, so she gritted her teeth and turned back.

"Swish!"

A cold light flashed in her line of sight. She instinctively dodged to the side, feeling a sharp pain in her shoulder as she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Ah... it hurts so much." She grimaced and touched her left shoulder, feeling a warm liquid in her hand.

She was bleeding... all of this was real.

This person... wanted to kill her!

And from the angle of the blade just now, he wanted to slit her throat!

Han Xinyi's face turned pale, and the pain quickly formed a layer of fine sweat beads on her forehead. She looked up at the man in the black duckbill cap who was slowly approaching her and finally saw his eyes from an upward angle.

They were a pair of excited, bloodshot eyes, with the ferocity displayed vividly in the blood vessels on the whites of his eyes. Water droplets gathered and flowed down from the brim of his cap, suffocating Han Xinyi.

Her voice trembled, but she still kept her composure, ready to roll to the side at any moment. "Who are you... no, I don't want to know who you are. I didn't see your face. Can you let me go?"

The man in the black duckbill cap finally spoke, deliberately lowering his voice to sound hoarse and cruel, making it difficult to hear clearly amidst the dense rain. "Hehe... what do you think?"

He bent down, raised his right hand, and the fruit knife cut through a semicircular arc, aiming straight for Han Xinyi's exposed neck in the air.

"Ah!"

A painful cry. The man in the black duckbill cap covered his sore leg and looked menacingly at Han Xinyi, who was struggling to get up and continue running. He reached out and grabbed her hair. "You dare to resist. It's better to just die obediently!"

Han Xinyi was pulled backward and felt despair in her heart.

A woman's strength was no match for a man's. Was she really going to die here, and then the murderer would escape in the rain...

Just then, a roar that didn't belong to the pouring rain approached from a distance. The man in the black duckbill cap holding her body stiffened, then dragged her into a nearby alley.

It was then that she realized it was the sound of a motorcycle.

Someone was coming, someone was coming?

If she was left alone after they left, she would still die. It was better to seize the last chance to survive.

"Help! Help!" Han Xinyi screamed and desperately grabbed the hand of the man in the black duckbill cap holding the fruit knife, making it impossible for him to kill her immediately.

"You bitch, shut up!" The man in the black duckbill cap sounded a bit impatient. He used his free hand to cover Han Xinyi's mouth.

The sound of the motorcycle gradually approached, and suddenly, the sound stopped nearby, not moving further away.

It was heard! A glimmer of hope rose in Han Xinyi's eyes. The man in the black duckbill cap's knife cut her arm, but she didn't care. She shook her head desperately and took the opportunity to bite the hand on her mouth.

The man in the duckbill cap winced in pain and let go. She took the opportunity to call for help again. "Help! In the alley!"

"Damn it!" A resentful voice came from the man in the duckbill cap, and at that moment, a tall figure with a motorcycle helmet had already run to the entrance of the alley and witnessed the scene.

To Han Xinyi, this was the most comforting voice she had ever heard. Tears that she had been holding back flowed down uncontrollably.

"In this day and age, there are actually people who meddle in others' business. Damn it, then you can die with her!" The man in the black duckbill cap angrily slammed Han Xinyi against the alley wall, and the pain in her spine made her momentarily lose the ability to move. She looked at the man in the black duckbill cap, who was holding a fruit knife, walking towards the entrance of the alley.

Right... wasn't this the person who had splashed her with water just now... If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have noticed the danger behind her.

If she was followed home, she wouldn't be able to escape.

If she could survive, she really had to thank him...

Her vision became somewhat blurry, and Han Xinyi vaguely thought that this person looked a bit weak, and the murderer had a knife.

The man in the black duckbill cap also sized up the man who had appeared midway. The man wore a motorcycle helmet and seemed smart, protecting his vital points.

He was very tall, wearing a seemingly soft white turtleneck sweater that was loose and oversized, indicating that he didn't have much muscle.

His legs, mainly covered by jeans, were very slender, like those delicate-looking men on TV, showing that he didn't have much fighting ability.

"Heh, just here to die." The man in the black duckbill cap sneered, afraid that the other person would run away and spread the events of today. He took a few steps closer.

"Are you the one responsible for the recent throat-slashing cases?" The man with the helmet seemed incredulous and reached out his hand towards the knife held by the man in the black duckbill cap.

Seeing this action, the man in the black duckbill cap inexplicably felt a bit excited.

Damn, this guy was just a fool, wasting my time.

Since he was a fool who didn't know anything, he should scream in terror when he was about to be killed, just like a woman, right?

However, his thoughts came to an abrupt halt the next moment.

Because this man, who didn't look strong, really used one hand to stop the knife that the man in the black duckbill cap had swung down."Tsk, looks like you're not the one." The man's voice from within the helmet was magnetic and clear, tinged with a hint of disappointment. The man in the duckbill cap didn't have time to react before he was suddenly punched in the abdomen.

It felt like a stormy sea had erupted within him.

At that moment, he couldn't even ponder why this person's strength was so immense; all he felt was bone-deep pain, as if all his internal organs had been shattered.

With a single move, the man in the black duckbill cap was downed. The helmeted man looked at the curled-up, wailing assailant, kicked the fallen knife away, and quickly ran to Han Xinyi's side.

At this moment, Han Xinyi was in shock amidst her pain.

Was this person who came to save her the hero from the TV shows?

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

The man knelt down and pushed up the visor of his motorcycle helmet.

A face stunning enough to take anyone's breath away was revealed, causing Han Xinyi's pupils to dilate, forgetting to breathe.

"Are you hurt anywhere else besides your shoulder? Oh, don't worry, my name is Yu Xing, I'm a good person," the man said with a gentle smile, his tone full of concern.

...

In the bookstore, the female clerk behind the counter stood up as her shift ended, looking out at the rain curtain that had lessened but still obscured the view, her expression no longer warm.

Another clerk responsible for different book sections came over, glanced at her, and hesitantly asked, "Um... Ranran's illness isn't serious, right? Will you come to cover for her again tomorrow?"

"You seem very worried about her," the female clerk said, her gaze seemingly hiding something indescribable.

The male clerk's breathing became erratic. For some reason, this "friend" who had come to cover for the sick Ranran today gave him an oppressive feeling. His usually accurate intuition made him want to stay away from this average-looking woman.

He was a bit nervous, feeling inexplicably that something had happened to Ranran, and forced a smile, "Ha-ha, I, I'm also friends with Ranran. She hasn't spoken in the group chat all day, so it's normal for me to be worried, right?"

"Tomorrow, her illness will be better, and I won't come," the female clerk smiled, showing no interest in chatting.

Really... Will Ranran come back to work tomorrow?

The male clerk breathed a sigh of relief, watching the substitute clerk sling her bag over her shoulder, pick up a wet black folding umbrella from the counter, and leave with the umbrella open. As the glass door was pushed open, a gust of cold wind carrying rain swept into the bookstore, and the wind chime by the door let out a rapid and crisp sound, making him shiver involuntarily.

"Oh, by the way," the female clerk said, turning her face while maintaining the door-pushing gesture, "Has anyone ever told you? You're quite handsome."

The male clerk didn't expect her to say something like that and felt a bit awkward, "Uh..."

But the female clerk made no further move, as if the statement was just a casual remark.

With such heavy rain, she left decisively, the black umbrella swaying in the rain.

The male clerk was in charge of the mystery, supernatural, and fantasy sections, and he himself was a mystery enthusiast. Watching the female clerk's retreating figure, he felt something was off.

What was it...

Right!

When he came to work in the morning, although the sky was overcast, it wasn't raining.

During lunchtime, he hadn't seen this substitute woman go out to buy food.

Why was the umbrella she took out wet?

That type of black folding umbrella was very common on the market. Just now, he had seen a cute girl with dimples who had picked up a book from the mystery shelf holding the same kind of umbrella.

But that seemed to be no problem... The male clerk frowned and thought for a while, but aside from finding it strange, he couldn't figure out why, so he gave up.

He was off work too. At worst, he would go to Ranran's place later to check on her. They say when a girl you like is sick, it's the best time for a boy to show his worth!

An hour later, he arrived at the house Ranran rented, only to find no one home, just the latest local newspaper placed under the door.

The side facing up seemed to be a summary of the recent serial throat-slashing cases, a news story that had gained high attention lately. Although it was suppressed online, the local people of Flower Market were generally aware of it.

He knew Ranran was a literary girl who usually had a habit of subscribing to newspapers. Compelled, he picked up the newspaper and skimmed through the news.

"The killer's habit is to slit throats with a single strike during heavy rain, and so far, the victims have all been young men with outstanding appearances..."

Wait a minute.

The male clerk's pupils constricted as he replayed the substitute woman's words before she left.

"Has anyone ever told you? You're quite handsome."

The torrential rain continued to pour.