After walking a certain distance, Ryan Bolton secretly looked back and saw John Green still standing dazedly next to his sapphire blue Jin Cheng Suzuki. Even from such a far distance, Ryan Bolton could still feel the murderous intent in his eyes. He couldn't help but sigh, glanced at Sophie Harris beside him, and slowly commented with two words, “Cruel!”

Sophie Harris couldn’t help but laugh. “Stop talking nonsense. I don’t have any feelings for him!”

“The Buddha once said, ‘If I do not descend into hell, who will?’ He treats you so well, he’s handsome and talented, and still young and promising. Why not just accept him?”

“Are you looking for a beating?”

A string of cheerful laughter echoed through the alley.

True to her word, Sophie Harris treated Ryan Bolton to a meal at Zhiwei Ju, the most famous restaurant in Chunyang County. Since it was Valentine’s Day, the place was especially crowded. Fortunately, they didn’t run into anyone they knew. Sophie Harris regarded Ryan Bolton as a friend she could get along with, a shield to fend off John Green’s advances, and nothing more.

Ryan Bolton was used to being treated to meals in the past, so he ate with a clear conscience. However, as they walked out of the restaurant after their meal, a little girl with pigtails ran over, holding a rose high in her hand. “Big brother, your girlfriend is so pretty. Buy her a flower!”

Ryan Bolton was momentarily stunned, while Sophie Harris blushed slightly. Even though it was a misunderstanding, her heart still skipped a beat.

But Ryan Bolton’s next words were a real mood killer: “I don’t have any money!”

The little girl, though young, was very quick-witted. “Big brother, don’t be so stingy. It’s Valentine’s Day—buy your girlfriend a rose. Just two yuan, it’s not expensive.”

“I really don’t have any money!” Even with his thick skin, Ryan Bolton couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed under the child’s persistent persuasion.

“So stingy, you can’t even spare two yuan!”

Sophie Harris really couldn’t listen anymore. She took two coins from her wallet and handed them over. The little girl beamed as she handed the rose to her. “Big sister, you’re so pretty, but your boyfriend is too stingy. You should just dump someone like that…”

Ryan Bolton was so angry his nose was almost crooked. Am I stingy? I really don’t have any money! At that moment, he suddenly realized just how important money could be to a person.

Looking at Ryan Bolton’s embarrassed expression, Sophie Harris couldn’t help but laugh. She handed the rose to Ryan Bolton. “Here, for you!”

Ryan Bolton took the rose without hesitation, then solemnly handed it back to Sophie Harris. “For you. Just treat the two yuan as a loan—I’ll pay you back as soon as I have money.”

Sophie Harris couldn’t help but sigh. “Tacky, you’re really tacky. Something so romantic becomes unbearably tacky as soon as it comes out of your mouth.” Holding the rose that had gone from the end back to the starting point, Sophie Harris still showed a knowing smile. Others borrow flowers to offer to Buddha, but she even had to pay for her own flower.

The two of them walked along the Chunshui River in the county town toward the county hospital. Sophie Harris occasionally lowered her head to smell the rose in her hand, her mood becoming light and happy. This was, after all, the first time in her life she had spent Valentine’s Day with a boy. As soon as this thought surfaced, Sophie Harris’s pretty face flushed red. Where was she letting her mind wander? Ryan Bolton was just an ordinary friend, and they just happened to be interning at the same hospital. Besides, he was even younger than her—a junior. For a moment, her mind was a complete mess.

It was also Ryan Bolton’s first Valentine’s Day, but he didn’t think too much about it. Sophie Harris had made it clear she was using him as a shield tonight. It was mutually beneficial: he helped Sophie Harris get rid of John Green, she treated him to dinner, and they owed each other nothing.

Just as Ryan Bolton was about to break the silence and say something, he suddenly heard a terrified scream—a woman’s voice, by the sound of it. Ryan Bolton and Sophie Harris exchanged a glance, then looked toward the left bank of the river. On the south bank of the Chunshui River was a greenbelt about four kilometers long and fifty meters wide, commonly known as Riverside Park—a popular spot for young couples.

Without thinking, Ryan Bolton ran toward the source of the sound. Sophie Harris, not daring to stay alone on the main road, followed him.

Hidden among the trees was a Toyota Land Cruiser. When they arrived, a woman in a police uniform was frantically jumping out of the car, stumbling and running aimlessly. When she saw Ryan Bolton and Sophie Harris, she became even more panicked, her once fair face now deathly pale.

There were no streetlights, so they couldn’t see the policewoman’s face clearly, but her figure looked beautiful.

“What happened?” Ryan Bolton called out loudly.

The policewoman was clearly scared out of her wits. Trembling, she said, “Help… help… help me…” Her finger shook as she pointed at the jeep five meters away. Overwhelmed by terror, her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Sophie Harris hurriedly supported her, softly comforting her.

Ryan Bolton immediately rushed into the jeep. On the back seat lay a man. By the moonlight, Ryan Bolton saw that the man’s pants were halfway down, and that thing was limp between his legs.