Before Zhu Yan could finish speaking, a harsh screech of brakes suddenly came from behind.
Then, a 'bang' of impact.
Both their bodies quickly began to lean forward due to inertia.
Just then, for some unknown reason, Zhu Yan's body acted before her brain.
Even before she could steady herself, her left hand grabbed the headrest of Jiang Cheng's seat, while her right hand shielded Jiang Cheng's forehead.
"Look out!"
She threw herself onto Jiang Cheng.
The moment Zhu Yan lunged over, Jiang Cheng's body also reacted.
His lower back quickly straightened, and his hands instinctively wrapped tightly around Zhu Yan, pulling her into his embrace.
As the world spun, Zhu Yan smelled Jiang Cheng's scent.
Her ears even directly heard Jiang Cheng's heartbeat.
At the same time, Wang Sheng in the front seat was also greatly startled by the sudden impact.
He abruptly turned his head, his face pale, and cried out in terror, "Young Master Jiang!"
"It's alright, it's alright." Jiang Cheng's voice was steady, and his palm gently patted Zhu Yan's trembling back.
The way she curled up in his arms was like a startled fawn, her hair brushing against his chin, bringing a subtle tickle.
Their car was normally stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for a red light.
The sudden collision could only be caused by the vehicle behind failing to brake in time.
Through the windshield, he glimpsed a silver car behind them, skewed and stopped outside the crosswalk, its front caved in, and the airbags deployed.
Jiang Cheng held Zhu Yan, patting her back to reassure her, and at the same time said to Wang Sheng, "Don't be afraid, go see what happened?"
The sound was quite loud, but the actual impact force wasn't that strong.
When the car was hit, he only felt a pushing sensation in his back.
Mainly, this pushing sensation wasn't strong.
Even the Danger Perception Skill didn't activate a warning.
That meant it might have just been a light bump.
Moreover, this car was not an ordinary vehicle.
Even in a severe car accident,
At most, it would be pushed forward; generally, the car wouldn't have any significant dents or collapses.
Seeing Zhu Yan's pale face, Jiang Cheng reassured her again, "It's alright now."
Zhu Yan suddenly sprang back, frantically tidying her disheveled hair, her professional composure quickly prompting her to check her surroundings.
"Are you alright? The rear car is fully responsible for the rear-end collision; do I need to contact the insurance company?" She spoke rapidly, concealing her pounding heart.
"No need, they'll handle it."
Jiang Cheng was actually quite surprised by Zhu Yan's actions just now.
Jiang Cheng looked at Zhu Yan, a little surprised in his heart.
He was actually quite surprised by Zhu Yan's actions just now.
If it were Yu Xiaoxiao or others, Jiang Cheng believed they might have similar reactions.
But Zhu Yan, he hadn't communicated or connected with her yet.
By common sense, her subconscious protective action was not something an ordinary person could easily do.
"Why did you do that?"
Zhu Yan naturally understood what Jiang Cheng was referring to; when danger struck, her first thought was to protect Jiang Cheng, not herself.
Actually, Zhu Yan couldn't quite explain why this happened.
Although serving Jiang Cheng well was part of her job, risking her life for him seemed to go beyond the scope of her work.
However, in that instant, her body reacted involuntarily, as if it were an instinct.
Zhu Yan touched her burning cheeks.
Biting her lower lip, Zhu Yan spoke haphazardly, "Perhaps this is also my professional instinct?"
Jiang Cheng chuckled, "I asked you to make reports, not to be a human airbag. Next time, protect yourself."
He was also a man of flesh and blood.
Although he wasn't lacking in Girls around him.
But if a Girl instinctively acts like that towards you,
Which man could resist that?
"Then... let's just say it's my personal wish." Zhu Yan mustered her courage and looked directly into his eyes, "You are very important to CMB, and to me... you are also very important."
Jiang Cheng stared at Zhu Yan, not answering.
Words spoken in such an emotional impulse would naturally carry a hint of irrationality.
It was still the same point.
As a good man, he couldn't proactively offer any words of responsibility.
Soon, Wang Sheng returned in a hurry.
He panted, "Young Master Jiang, it wasn't a problem with the car behind us, but rather the car behind *that* car had an issue. It seems the driver of that car was drunk driving and completely failed to brake, hitting five cars in a row. Our rear car was also squeezed, which caused it to hit our car. But I just checked, the rear compartment of our car only has a small scratch in the paint, no major problems."
The newly dispatched black sedan silently pulled up to the side of the road.
As the window lowered, Jiang Cheng reached out to block the edge of the car roof, gesturing for Zhu Yan to get in first.
Her steps, on high heels, trembled slightly.
Although the car accident hadn't caused her any substantial harm,
This was the first time she had so truly felt the fear brought by a car accident.
At this moment, her knees were still a little weak.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng subtly supported her.
The feeling of their palms meeting made Zhu Yan's earlobes flush red.
The car was filled with a luxurious fragrance, a blend of cedar and sandalwood.
After getting in, the seat automatically adjusted to a comfortable temperature.
Zhu Yan composed herself slightly, preparing to move towards the window.
To give herself some space, she saw Jiang Cheng sit directly beside her.
Such close proximity could no longer be described as merely ambiguous.
The driver Bodyguard in the front quickly confirmed through the rearview mirror that both were seated securely, then started the car, the tires making a soft crunching sound over the accumulated snow.
"Does it hurt?" Jiang Cheng suddenly asked, his fingertip gently touching her reddened forehead.
Zhu Yan was startled by his sudden question.
Only then did she remember that in the emergency just now, she had accidentally hit the seatbelt buckle.
Now, with Jiang Cheng's touch, the faint dull ache on her forehead made her frown involuntarily.
Zhu Yan instinctively recoiled, but hit the soft headrest, with nowhere to hide.
"N-no, it doesn't hurt." She lowered her gaze to her interlaced fingers on her knees.
But then she saw Jiang Cheng had already pulled out his phone, the cold white screen light reflecting on his profile, his jawline sharp enough to cut through the night.
"Don't move." He suddenly leaned closer, his warm breath brushing past her ear.
Zhu Yan froze in place, watching Jiang Cheng pluck a small stray hair from her hair.
The black strand of hair wound around his distinctively jointed fingers, creating an indescribable sense of intimacy.
"It had snow on it." Jiang Cheng explained softly, then gently blew the stray hair away.
Zhu Yan noticed that Jiang Cheng's tone was now a few shades softer than before.
This was most likely due to her subconscious actions just now.
When the car entered the hutong alleys of the Rear Sea area,
Zhu Yan realized they hadn't gone to a hotel, but instead to Jiang Cheng's Courtyard House.