Cynthia hit the ground hard, feeling the pain shoot through her body, indicating her hands and chin must be scraped raw. "Where is she?" Cynthia heard them whispering urgently, their footsteps approaching rapidly. Ignoring the wounds on her body, Cynthia struggled to stand, wanting to bolt, but two healthy men trying to catch a woman who had only taken a sip of a sedative were sure to succeed.

Cynthia was tackled to the ground, thinking, 'This is it,' and began screaming loudly, using all her strength to shout.

Gabriel attempted to cover Cynthia's mouth, but she writhed and twisted her body, her clothes gathering dust on the ground, her hair disheveled. Gabriel's friend urged anxiously, "Gabriel! Make her shut up!"

"I'm trying to get her to shut up, okay? She obviously didn't drink enough of that drink. Do you have more pills?"

"I don't. I only brought that much." Gabriel started looking around anxiously, luckily there was no one around.

Cynthia screamed, kicking Gabriel with all her might. Gabriel, in pain, grunted and grew enraged. He grabbed Cynthia by the hair and slapped her hard, causing her vision to blur, and of course, silencing her screams.

Gabriel's friend was stunned. "You really have no mercy, do you, bro?"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a dull thud as Gabriel's friend collapsed. Gabriel, startled by his friend's fall, had just made sure there was no one around. He looked up and saw someone. "Teacher Ethan."

Ethan looked at the scene before him with anger, his muscles tense. "This is how you behave? I wonder how you even got into college with such manners." He kicked Gabriel aside, and Gabriel's friend, scared, covered his face and ran off.

Gabriel glanced at his fleeing friend, then at Ethan. "What a busybody." But despite his tough words, he quickly got up and ran away.

Ethan looked at Cynthia lying on the ground, his heart full of pity. He carefully helped her up. "Are you okay?"

Cynthia took a deep breath. "Do I look okay to you?" She had unknowingly ingested some unknown drug and had just been slapped hard. It was impossible to recover in a few minutes.

Ethan took off his suit jacket and placed it over Cynthia's legs, then helped her walk to where he parked his car. "I think you should go somewhere quiet and safe now. Let me take you to my car to rest for a while. It's parked by the roadside, occasionally someone passes by. It's not as quiet as here."

Cynthia leaned on Ethan's arm without speaking, just nodding.

Inside the car, Cynthia stared blankly at her torn skirt. Ethan brought some water and ice from the ballroom. "I think you need some water now. You know, finding water at a party is really difficult. Everyone's drinking alcohol. So, it took me a while. But ice is easier to find, and I think it can help your face recover its original beauty quickly."

Cynthia mechanically took the water and nodded silently, without saying anything.

"Are you okay? I really think you should see a doctor."

Cynthia took a deep breath. "Thank you, really, thank you."

"Don't mention it. If I saw this and did nothing, I'd be a jerk." Ethan looked at Cynthia seriously. "You really don't want to go to the hospital?"

Cynthia recalled today's events and felt she had been too foolish. Although she felt that something was wrong, she still walked step by step to the end. If Ethan hadn't shown up today, she didn't dare to think about what would have happened.

"I really... don't need to!" Cynthia's heart was burning with anger. As her consciousness gradually cleared, this fire burned stronger and stronger. "Do you know? Your American medical expenses are really frightening. I don't know if my medical insurance can cover it. If I just bravely see a doctor once, I might go bankrupt immediately. I'm just an orphan, as they say, an orphan who needs to sell her body to go to school. Although someone is sponsoring me, I've been trying to save money, so I haven't participated in any social activities for two years. Because I'm afraid. I'm afraid that once I come out, I won't be able to resist spending money on meaningless things. So, this is my first time attending a dance party in two years, the first time!" Cynthia finished a long speech and then began to gasp heavily, tears streaming down her face.

Ethan gently patted Cynthia's shoulder, hoping to calm her down. "Just let it all out. You'll feel much better if you do."

"I can't believe they had the audacity to do such a thing! I spent the whole morning curling my hair, choosing jewelry. I've been looking forward to this all day!... After this incident, I don't think I'll ever want to attend any parties or dances again." Cynthia realized she was getting too worked up. "I'm sorry, I might have scared you."

Ethan recalled the scene he witnessed, and he angrily pounded the steering wheel. "What a pair of scumbags!" Then he started the car.

"Where are you going?" Cynthia felt a bit panicked seeing him start the car.

"First, we're going to the hospital." Before Cynthia could say anything, Ethan gently pressed a finger against her lips, looking into her eyes. "Forget about all the what-ifs. Just keep your mouth shut and follow me. I'll take care of everything. Besides, I'm an old man now, old men always have a lot of money to spare. Then, we'll go to the police station. We must show those two scumbags who's boss."

Cynthia grabbed Ethan's arm as he prepared to drive. "You really don't have to, it's too much trouble for you."

Ethan glanced at the hand holding his arm. "If you're afraid of troubling me, I actually enjoy being troubled by you."

Cynthia froze, suddenly feeling the warmth of the arm she held, even sensing the blood flowing beneath the surface, feeling the shape of the muscles beneath her grip. She released his arm abruptly.

"Well... um... alright, let's skip the hospital then. You can just accompany me to the police station."

Ethan gently touched Cynthia's cheek, turning her head slightly to examine her face. There was a red mark from the slap. "Does it hurt?"

Cynthia touched her cheek. It didn't hurt anymore, but it still felt swollen.

"Let's go then, to the police station, okay?"

Ethan sighed helplessly and started the car.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at the hospital entrance. Cynthia looked at the hospital's doors and then back at Ethan. "What's going on? I said I wanted to go to the police station, why did you bring me to the hospital? Did I not mention that seeing a doctor once could bankrupt me?"

"I also mentioned that I'm a rich old man with nowhere to spend my money. You don't have to worry about medical expenses at all. I'll cover it for you. So, I think it's more suitable for you to come here first." Ethan's tone was resolute.

At the hospital entrance, the white fluorescent lights cast a cold glow, creating a chilly atmosphere. Cynthia stood at the doorway, feeling like the air around her had frozen, while the hurried nurses and medical staff quickened her heartbeat.

Guided by a nurse, Cynthia was led to the doctor's office. The doctor, a woman in her thirties, wore a white lab coat and had a serious expression on her face. She carefully examined Cynthia's injuries, gently pressing her head with her fingers and asking about her symptoms. Cynthia nervously answered the doctor's questions, her voice trembling slightly.

After the examination, the doctor turned to Cynthia and Ethan. "Your condition cannot be ignored; there may be a mild concussion. I'll prescribe some medication to alleviate the symptoms," the doctor said in a serious and professional tone.

Then she turned to Ethan and said separately, "Please get some water from the nurse; she needs to drink and rest for a bit."

Once Ethan left, the doctor quickly closed the door to ensure privacy and turned back to Cynthia. "Have you been a victim of domestic violence? Do you need me to help you report it to the authorities?" she asked.

Cynthia realized that the doctor had misunderstood. "No, I was just attacked by some thugs on the way... we're planning to go to the police station later," she replied.

The doctor nodded. "I see. Who were these thugs?" She seemed genuinely concerned.

At Ethan's insistence, Cynthia underwent a CT scan of her brain. She felt a pang of regret over the lost money, but as the procedure neared its end, the doctor wrote something down, likely a prescription for medication.

Anxious, Cynthia looked at Ethan, trying to convince the doctor not to prescribe medication. "Doctor, I don't think I need medication. I just have minor injuries; I should recover quickly on my own."

The doctor, slightly annoyed, glanced at Cynthia. "You should listen to my advice; it's for your own good. I'll prescribe some medication to prevent your condition from worsening."

Ethan, seeing Cynthia's distress, gently patted her shoulder, signaling her to trust the doctor's judgment. "The doctor knows best; we should trust her judgment," he said gently but firmly. Then he turned to the doctor. "Don't mind her; she'll take whatever medication you prescribe."

Cynthia looked at Ethan helplessly, while the doctor nodded in approval. "Your boyfriend is right; you should listen to him. And considering your situation, you'll also need to go to the police station. I'll make the report more serious."

"Thank you," Cynthia said gratefully. She felt a surge of complex emotions but chose to remain silent. Finally, she reluctantly nodded in agreement with the doctor's advice. The doctor entered some information into the computer and handed Cynthia a prescription.

As the doctor left, leaving Cynthia and Ethan alone, he said, "Let's head back; you need to rest." He gently took Cynthia's arm and guided her out of the office.

After finishing the paperwork at the police station, it was almost nine o'clock at night. "Everything will be alright, okay? Let me take you home so you can rest," Ethan said.

Standing outside the police station, feeling the cool autumn breeze, Cynthia felt utterly disheveled. The events of tonight had taken her from the excitement of attending a dance to the fear and anger she experienced later. She had held back her emotions all night, but now that she let them out, Cynthia couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Seeing Cynthia like this, Ethan's heart ached. If he hadn't heard her cry for help earlier, tonight's events could have been unbearable for her. Ethan couldn't help but wrap his arms around Cynthia's shoulders, holding her close. Cynthia leaned her head against Ethan's chest, feeling warmth, and cried even louder. Unable to find any tissues, she didn't care and used Ethan's shirt to wipe away her tears.

Ethan found Cynthia's actions both amusing and heartwarming, so he didn't stop her.