Zhou Yushen looked up at Shen Nanyue and gently tugged on the rope.
“I’ll come up in a minute.”
His voice was soft.
The warmth in his eyes vanished the moment he turned away, instantly replaced by a layer of icy coldness.
A chill ran through Shen Nanyue’s heart as she watched him charge straight toward Chen An.
“Zhou Yushen!”
His figure disappeared into the white mist.
Shen Nanyue’s heart tightened painfully.
Soon, the sounds of fighting echoed from below—heavy blows landing with sickening force, mixed with occasional groans of pain.
Her grip on the rope tightened unconsciously.
“Big Sister!”
Shen An’an suddenly cried out.
Turning around, Shen Nanyue saw a bodyguard wielding a knife.
He had broken through Li Che’s defenses and was charging directly toward her.
Shen Nanyue immediately pulled Shen An’an closer to the manhole.
“Keep an eye on what’s happening down there.”
With that, she stood and walked toward the approaching bodyguard.
Her fighting skills weren’t bad.
If she had one disadvantage, it was that she lacked the raw strength of a trained bodyguard.
But that was enough.
She dodged the knife thrust aimed at her, swiftly moved to his side, and snatched a smaller knife from his belt.
Then she bent down and drove it hard into his thigh.
The bodyguard cried out in pain and collapsed, clutching his leg.
She had deliberately avoided the major artery.
The moment he went down, she grabbed his hair and slammed his head against the ground.
His eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness immediately.
Shen An’an stared in shock.
She knew Shen Nanyue had taken a few self-defense classes when she was younger and had done quite well.
But she had almost never seen her actually fight.
She had no idea her sister was this capable.
Looking around, Shen Nanyue saw Chen family’s bodyguards lying all over the ground, while almost none of Li Che’s men had fallen.
That was enough to tell her everything.
The Chen family’s men were useless.
Suddenly, a loud explosion-like sound erupted from inside the tunnel.
It sounded frighteningly similar to a gunshot.
Shen Nanyue’s face turned pale.
She immediately ran back to the manhole.
“Zhou Yushen?”
The white mist had not completely cleared.
She could vaguely make out two figures.
One was standing.
The other was lying on the ground.
The standing figure appeared tall and broad-shouldered.
It looked like Zhou Yushen.
A small part of the tension in her heart eased.
But she couldn’t relax completely.
The sound she had heard moments earlier was too alarming.
No one answered her from below.
Instead, the distant sound of police sirens echoed through the night.
Unable to wait any longer, Shen Nanyue rose to jump down into the tunnel.
Shen An’an immediately grabbed her arm.
“Sister, what are you doing?”
“I’m going down to check.”
“No!”
Shen An’an held onto her with all her strength.
“An’an!”
Shen Nanyue continued struggling.
Then Zhou Yushen’s voice drifted up from the tunnel.
“Don’t come down.”
Shen Nanyue froze.
The moment she heard his voice, she hurriedly asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
His tone sounded as calm and indifferent as ever.
It didn’t sound like someone who was seriously hurt.
Only then did Shen Nanyue finally relax.
The white mist in the tunnel gradually thinned.
Peering downward, she could make out more of the scene.
She saw Zhou Yushen crouch beside Chen An, who was sitting on the ground.
He seemed to whisper something quietly to him.
Then Zhou Yushen punched him in the head.
Chen An immediately collapsed.
At last, the police arrived.
The well-trained officers quickly established a perimeter and began securing the scene.
When Zhou Yushen was finally brought up from the tunnel, Shen Nanyue rushed straight to him.
The moment she saw how pale his face was, her heart tightened again.
“How are you?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the strong scent of blood hit her.
She looked down.
The black fabric of Zhou Yushen’s trench coat was soaked and sticking to the side of his waist.
Her face turned white.
Zhou Yushen swayed and began to collapse.
Shen Nanyue hurried forward and caught him.
He was tall and heavily built, and she could barely support his weight.
Using all her strength, she managed to help him lower himself into a crouch.
A sticky warmth spread across her hands.
The smell of blood grew stronger.
“You’ve been hurt.”
Her voice trembled.
Then she hurriedly called for help.
Before losing consciousness, the last thing Zhou Yushen saw was Shen Nanyue’s graceful jawline and the look in her eyes when she turned toward him—eyes filled with worry and fear.
Exhausted, he slowly closed his eyes.
His body was weary.
His heart was even more exhausted.
……..
One hour later.
At the hospital.
The bullet had already been removed, and Zhou Yushen had been transferred to a private room.
Shen An’an and Li Che had gone to the police station to give their statements.
Shen Nanyue remained by Zhou Yushen’s bedside.
Looking at his pale face, her heart felt unbearably heavy.
The doctor had said the bullet hadn’t hit any vital organs.
He hadn’t lost a dangerous amount of blood either.
Now that the bullet was out, he should recover gradually.
Yet Shen Nanyue still couldn’t relax.
She kept thinking about what Chen An had said while being escorted away by the police.
In a chilling voice, he had looked at her and said:
“Zhou Yushen will never survive.”
Then he had laughed.
A ghostly, unsettling laugh that seemed to pierce straight into her heart.
The memory made her feel colder and colder inside.
Since Zhou Yushen’s physical condition wasn’t life-threatening, then what Chen An meant by “he won’t survive” must be psychological…
What exactly had the two of them talked about down there?
The IV drip flowed steadily through the tube and into the veins on the back of Zhou Yushen’s hand.
Shen Nanyue gently held his cool hand, trying to warm it with her own body heat.
She had to admit it.
At this moment, her heart ached for him.
It was a persistent, tearing kind of pain.
Just a short while ago, she had truly been terrified that Zhou Yushen might die.
And she could no longer deny the truth.
She wasn’t without feelings for him.
Perhaps…
It was time for her to take a step closer to him.
“Don’t… come back… fire…”
A faint murmur drifted from the hospital bed.
Shen Nanyue immediately looked up.
Zhou Yushen’s forehead was drenched with sweat.
His brows were tightly knitted, as though he were trapped in immense suffering.
She quickly stood and gently patted his shoulder.
“Zhou Yushen? Zhou Yushen?”
“I’ll find you… I’ll marry you… don’t leave…”
Hearing what he was saying, Shen Nanyue froze.
Then, the name he whispered next left her completely stunned.
She stood motionless.
“Nannan…”
He had someone he wanted to marry.
A lump seemed to lodge itself in Shen Nanyue’s chest, making it difficult to breathe.
She watched as Zhou Yushen’s expression gradually relaxed.
The overwhelming tenderness and concern she had felt moments ago turned into a flood of bitterness.
The thought she had just begun to entertain—of taking one step closer to him—vanished completely.
She was such a fool.
After being deceived once, she had almost allowed herself to be deceived a second time.
Soon, Zhou Yushen sank back into a deep sleep.
Shen Nanyue returned to the chair beside his bed and quietly watched the IV drip.
Drip.
Drip.
A layer of moisture gathered in her eyes.
She forcefully blinked it away.
…..
The next day.
Shen An’an and Li Che finally arrived at the hospital.
Shen Nanyue had fallen asleep with her head resting against the edge of the bed.
The sound of the door opening startled her awake instantly.
Zhou Yushen still hadn’t regained consciousness.
Shen An’an walked over, her face full of concern.
“Sister, go home and get some rest. Let Li Che take care of him.”
This time, Shen Nanyue didn’t insist on staying.
She simply nodded.
Then Shen An’an led her away.
Li Che remained standing in the hospital room, watching the sisters’ departing figures.
A puzzled look crossed his face.
He couldn’t help wondering why Shen Nanyue’s expression seemed so strange.
Yesterday, she had been desperately worried about Zhou Yushen.
Why had she become so distant overnight?
— The end of the Chapter–
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