“Brother-in-law.” Mark Warren suddenly became serious. “The environment out in the suburbs is really bad, the roads are full of potholes—how can you live well there? If you ask me, just buy a place near the Third Ring Road. It’s not that expensive, and the environment is much better.”

“Houses near the Third Ring are nice,” Julia Warren said worriedly, “but they cost at least four hundred thousand. To be honest, we only have a little over ten thousand in our savings account. We really can’t afford it.”

Because Eric Bennett had been so sensible these past few days, Julia Warren didn’t hide this from him.

Mark Warren grinned. “No need to be polite with me. In a few days, just go look at some houses. If you find one you like, put down a deposit right away. Whatever you’re short, I’ll make up the difference.”

Seeing him say this, Evan Bennett sighed with a touch of emotion. “Minmin is still in school, and you’re not exactly wealthy yourself.”

Mark Warren just chuckled indifferently. “You don’t know—now that I have more clients, the company brings in at least a hundred thousand a year. I can easily cover this much.”

Julia Warren just kept sighing and said nothing more.

Evan Bennett felt it was really inappropriate and quickly shook his head, refusing to agree no matter what.

“Brother-in-law.” Mark Warren tapped his brow with his index finger, his expression turning distant. “Back when the family was poor and there were so many kids, honestly, it was hard just to get a full meal. I remember it so clearly—my sister was afraid I’d go hungry, so she’d sneak food from the kitchen and secretly give it to me at night. Later, when Dad found out, she said she’d eaten it herself and never mentioned me. Because of that, my sister got beaten by Dad more than once. In the end, every time we ate, she’d eat a little less and give me her extra cornbread, just so I wouldn’t go hungry.”

Thinking of those hard times, Julia Warren gave a bitter smile. “Why bring up those old, moldy stories?”

Mark Warren grew a bit emotional. “If it weren’t for my sister, there wouldn’t be me, Mark Warren. Brother-in-law, now that I’m doing well, if I can’t even help with this, what kind of person would I be?”

……

Night fell.

Eric Bennett quietly slipped out of the house alone and went to a secluded corner outside the alley to smoke.

That car accident was probably unavoidable. What Eric Bennett needed to consider now was how to deal with the trouble that would follow.

After thinking it over, he came up with a clumsy plan: after the female leader was hit, he would act heroically and take her to the hospital himself. Maybe, out of gratitude, she wouldn’t pursue his uncle’s company any further.

The accident would happen on Shuncheng Street, just behind his alley. Since Eric Bennett couldn’t remember the exact time, he could only wait there every night.

Anyway, it would be in the next couple of days.

At 1:37 a.m. on the 26th.

Screech—

A long, piercing brake sound cut through the night, followed instantly by a thunderous crash!

Bang—

Crouched in a dark corner of the alley, Eric Bennett snapped to attention, flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, and dashed toward Courtyard 13. His was the only through-courtyard in the alley, with a passage to the main street behind—this was the quickest route.

After running for two minutes, as he passed the gas station, Eric Bennett saw from a distance a black Audi with a caved-in side door and a white airbag deployed. A woman, her face covered in blood, was slumped at the driver’s seat, her head hanging by the door. Maybe it was the truck’s impact, maybe the airbag—her head was injured. As Eric Bennett got closer, he could clearly see blood streaming down her forehead.

Drip… drip… drip…

A strong smell of blood hit him. Eric Bennett grabbed the car door and shouted anxiously, “Auntie! Auntie, wake up!” In a situation like this, the woman’s life could be in danger. For a moment, Eric Bennett even forgot his own plan.

He had to save her immediately!

He peered through the shattered, frosted plastic window to check inside. Confirming the woman was alone, Eric Bennett tried to pull open the deformed car door, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Auntie! Can you hear me? Wake up!”

Eric Bennett kept talking to her, then wrapped his arms around her ribs and tried to pull her out through the window. Luckily, her legs weren’t trapped. After brushing past the stiff airbag, Eric Bennett managed to get her out of the car.

The woman never regained consciousness, her head drooping as she remained in a faint.

Without stopping to catch his breath, Eric Bennett kicked in the broken rear window, reached into the back seat, and grabbed the woman’s shoulder bag. He pulled out a Motorola phone and quickly dialed two numbers.

“There’s someone injured at the Shuncheng Street gas station—please send an ambulance right away!”

One call for an ambulance, one for the police.

After hanging up, Eric Bennett anxiously looked at the woman. “Auntie!”

The blood all over her face was a shocking sight, and Eric Bennett couldn’t help but grow more worried.

Any more delay, and her life could be at risk.

True, the newspaper had said the woman wasn’t seriously injured, but his own appearance might have already changed history. Who knew if, in this “different world” from his previous life, the woman would make it through safely?

What to do…

Chapter 15: In Front of the Sewage Pool

After thinking it over, Eric Bennett gritted his teeth, slung the black handbag around his neck, took a deep breath, bent down, and lifted the woman’s full figure into his arms. Adjusting her weight slightly, Eric Bennett strode onto the road.