Chapter 39

Wen Ziqing exited after delivering these remarks. I thought he would witness his own directed drama in a secure and secluded area.

But I didn’t want to be a part of his show. 

The ground was littered with gravel. I attempted to reach a triangular piece of brick and rubbed the rope that bound me between my hands bit by bit.

I couldn’t exert strength in this posture, and after a while, my actions devolved into a mindless mechanical repetition. The only notion that arose to me was that I needed to get out of here.

I couldn’t keep waiting for Zhou Chen to come and save me.

My body hurt and my brain became dizzy as the minutes passed. After being blown by the night wind for so long, the clothes on my body did not dry, but instead became wetter from sweat. 

I think I have a fever, and I don’t think I can last much longer at this rate.

In my trance, a weird odor invaded my nostrils and got stronger and heavier. I readied myself for a whiff and discovered that the odor was caused by gasoline.

What’s Wen Ziqing planning to do, is he crazy..?

Fear propelled my entire body, and my hands sped up.

The brick had already dug my palms into flesh and blood, but my survival instinct had caused me to ignore the ache and concentrate on the thinning rope.

Finally, at some point, I cut the rope.

I didn’t even attempt to delay I got up from the ground when I untied it. My blood circulation was weak after being tied up for too long, and I fell back after two steps.

I wanted to stand up again this time, but I couldn’t. 

I felt light-headed, and my whole body lacked strength; my legs seemed to be unconscious and turning a deaf ear. I was much more frantic because I had no idea where the exit was.

If the gasoline would be utilized for what I imagined, the decision of whether to leap out a window or stay here and burn had become my paramount concern.

I hadn’t given it any thought for a long while because I heard Zhou Chen’s voice.

When I suddenly heard him call my name, I assumed I was hallucinating. I wasn’t sure it was him until I saw his form emerge from the far darkness as the footsteps and shouting got closer. 

He raced so fast that he tripped numerous times over a crossbeam on the ground. I’d never seen him so terrified and worried.

“Sir…” I tried to call him, but my voice was hoarse.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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I experienced both anguish and a sudden sensation of tranquility.

“Sorry… for needing you to save me again…” I apologized.

He was buried on my shoulder, shaking. “You almost scared me to death, do you know that…” 

I couldn’t fathom why, every time I leave Zhou Chen, something bad happens.

“From now on,” he said, “Xiao Yu, you will have no freedom.”

“I’m not leaving, even if you drive me away; I’m not leaving you anymore.”

Is that so…? It’s really good news. 

I closed my eyes in his arms and honestly wished that I could snuggle with him until the end of my life.

When the fire raged, all I felt was remorse.

Unfortunately, we met too early and got to know each other too late.

“Don’t sleep… I’m going to take you home.” 

Zhou Chen had just picked me up and was ready to go when there was a tremendous blast in front of him, followed by a man shouting my name and stumbling over from the smoke and dust.

It looked like Qi Shu.

It was clearly a trap. What exactly was he doing here?

He’d never been this dumb before. 

From my blurring consciousness, I heard him question if I was okay and mention the stairs had been blown up and the only route out was gone

As the fire burned hotter and the smoke heavier, Qi Shu said he asked for a helicopter, but the building was too short and narrow for it to land.

“Wait by the window first,” he instructed.

Roof tiles tumbled down from time to time as a result of the explosion. Zhou Chen’s arms shielded me. They both walked with difficulty since they had to avoid falling debris on their heads and keep an eye out for the unexpected flames. 

When the blazing steel rod plummeted to the ground, I reached out almost automatically to protect Zhou Chen.

A single touch was enough for the hot iron to sear the flesh of my hand into a charred paste, and I became sober as a result of the excruciating pain.

It hurts ten thousand times more than a cigarette burn…

“Xiao Yu!” exclaimed Zhou Chen and Qi Shu at the same moment. I’d never heard them scream out to me with such urgency. 

I wanted to pretend I was alright, but all I could do was grunt in agony.

The burst of hot air turned my tears into moisture before they could roll down.

Zhou Chen gripped me even tighter, and said with a knot in his throat, “How can you be so stupid? I’m not worth ruining your hand…”

How could he think that? He was far more important than my hand. 

It must be because I didn’t tell him he was first in my heart.

In the face of danger and death, I finally chose to be honest with myself and with him.

“You’re worth it.” I uttered the words I had long buried. “I love you ya…”

My body is buried in wounds and devoid of love.  

If he still wants it, then I want to give it all to him.

In the light of the blazing fire, I saw his eyes redden.

“I love you, too,” he said. “I’ll always love you.”

All of the pain appeared to vanish, and at that moment, I thought I was the luckiest person on the planet. 

Outside the window, the sound of propellers could be heard, and a little helicopter dangled alarmingly high. The noises of fire vehicles on the street in the distance seemed to be approaching this way.

The buildings behind us crumbled little by little, giving us little time.

The pilot tried to get near to the building while a ladder swung from the helicopter. The ladder eventually came to a halt within arm’s reach of the window after a lengthy journey.

If Qi Shu didn’t say “You guys go up first”, I’d almost forgot that he had been following us. 

His voice was calm and sad, as if he had let go of something, and as if he hadn’t let go of anything.

For the first time, I fully understood his gaze.

——Don’t you love me anymore…

——I love you too ah. 

I shook my head at him and quietly apologized.

I’m sorry, I went to love the one I should have loved.
When we arrived at the window, Zhou Chen put me down and requested me to lie on his back. Qi Shu took a rope and tied Zhou Chen and I together so I wouldn’t fall if I couldn’t hold on tightly.

He didn’t say anything during the process.

The ladder hung precariously. Before allowing us to climb up, Qi Shu held the bottom end with one hand and supported my waist with the other. 

The unanticipated change happened at that point.

His palm was still warm on my waist when t he entire structure rumbled with a tremendous roar the following second. When I turned back, the roof had collapsed, leaving bricks and stones all over the place. Qi Shu’s form vanished into the sea of dust and flames.

I could hear my own piercing screams.

Then the yells morphed into desperate cries. 

“….Save him…

“Qi Shu…”

“Let me down…

“Zhou Chen, please save him ah…” 

Please save him.