Yun Su was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Before she could react, she saw Gu Yan’s tiny figure dash out from behind her.
Wrapping both arms around the trafficker’s right leg, Gu Yan opened his mouth and bit down viciously on the man’s thigh.
Yun Su’s heart skipped a beat as she watched Gu Yan rush forward.
“Xiao Yan, come back!” Yun Su shouted.
Pain shot through the trafficker’s leg. He grabbed Gu Yan by the hair with one hand, then lifted his leg and flung him away with force.
Gu Yan’s small body crashed heavily onto the ground.
Yun Su hurried over and helped Gu Yan up, quickly checking his injuries.
Fortunately, there was nothing serious, only a few minor scrapes.
By then, the trafficker had already picked up the gun from the ground and walked toward them.
Tossing the model gun in his hand as he weighed it, he looked down at them from above.
“Damn it. You actually dared to fool me?”
The car’s high beams illuminated Yun Su’s profile, making her face appear deathly pale.
Looking up at him, Yun Su’s heart raced wildly, her chest tightening into a painful knot.
She had learned some self defense techniques when she was younger, but the difference in strength between men and women was undeniable. Moreover, she had always lived in a safe environment and had never experienced a life and death confrontation like this.
Even if her chances of winning were slim, she had no choice but to fight.
The trafficker stepped forward again and seized Yun Su by the collar, lifting her up.
Restraining her with one arm, he attempted to drag her toward the van.
Yun Su pretended to comply and took several steps with him. The trafficker assumed that the person in his grasp was completely incapable of fighting back.
When they reached the car door, he released one hand and switched to restraining both of Yun Su’s arms with a single hand while using the other to open the door.
Yun Su seized the opportunity.
Twisting both hands, she grabbed the wrist that was restraining her and, using all the speed and strength she could muster, bent it outward.
The sound of bones shifting echoed in the air.
The trafficker let out a miserable scream and stumbled back a step while clutching his wrist in agony.
At the very moment he cried out in pain, Yun Su had already snatched up the model gun from the ground.
Before he could recover, she gripped the barrel and swung the handle hard against his head.
The trafficker had barely recovered from the excruciating pain in his wrist before he was struck again, stars exploding in his vision. All he could do was stand there, shaking his head dizzily.
Yun Su immediately rushed over to pick Gu Yan up from the ground, opened the car door, and placed him in the front passenger seat.
The trafficker had regained a bit of awareness by then. Covering the bleeding wound on his head, he charged toward the car, trying to stop Yun Su from getting inside.
Yun Su sidestepped the punch he threw at her and thought to herself that perhaps today she truly would have to fight someone head on.
Turning her back, Yun Su tried to shut the car door and keep Gu Yan safely inside.
Just before the door closed, a dagger was suddenly pressed into her hand.
Startled, Yun Su looked toward Gu Yan in the car, only to see his eyes filled with concern as he stared back at her.
Perhaps while she had been confronting the trafficker earlier, Gu Yan had picked up the dagger from the ground when no one else had noticed it.
The trafficker charged toward her once again.
With the dagger concealed within her sleeve, Yun Su struck swiftly and accurately, driving the blade into the trafficker’s thigh.
The trafficker screamed once more and bent over, clutching the wound.
With his leg injured, his movements became sluggish.
Yun Su didn’t waste the opportunity and kicked hard at his wounded leg.
The trafficker collapsed to his knees in pain.
Yun Su hurried to the driver’s side, opened the door, and climbed inside. As she locked the door, she caught sight of the trafficker kneeling on the ground, glaring at her with resentment.
Just then, the sound of police sirens drifted in from afar.
Growing closer and closer.
The trafficker finally began to panic. Struggling to his feet, he attempted to flee.
Watching his limping figure, Yun Su had no intention of pursuing him further.
There was no way he could escape now.
The police arrived shortly afterward.
Because of his injured leg, the trafficker couldn’t get very far and was quickly apprehended and taken away by the officers.
By the time Yun Su finished giving her statement at the police station, it was already three o’clock in the morning.
After the chaos of the entire night, she felt as though she could fall asleep the moment she hit the ground.
The parents of the other four abducted children had already been contacted, and the children had been taken home.
Gu Jian’an and his wife had been arrested on charges of child trafficking.
Gu Yan had nowhere left to go.
Yun Su had wanted to take him with her, but she was informed that doing so violated regulations.
Gu Jian’an and his wife would have their guardianship rights revoked, and as an orphan, Gu Yan could only be sent to a social welfare institution or a child protection agency.
She hadn’t expected this day to arrive so quickly.
Gu Yan had already fallen asleep on the sofa, while Yun Su sat beside him.
His small hand clung tightly to the corner of her clothing.
Yun Su tried to pry his fingers loose, but the moment she exerted a little force, Gu Yan woke up.
Still groggy with sleep, Gu Yan looked at her.
“What is it?”
Yun Su said softly, “Xiao Yan, Sister has to go back now. I’ll come see you again tomorrow, okay?”
The moment Gu Yan heard those words, his grip on her clothes tightened.
The drowsiness vanished from his eyes in an instant, and tears began falling almost immediately.
“Sister…”
Gu Yan murmured the word through sobs.
Warmth surged through Yun Su’s heart.
This was the first time the little boy had ever called her Sister.
She had referred to herself that way countless times before, yet he had never once addressed her like that.
Yun Su was reluctant to leave him too, but she had no choice.
“Xiao Yan, Sister promises I’ll come tomorrow.”
Tears streamed down Gu Yan’s face as both of his hands clutched at Yun Su’s clothes.
Throwing himself into her arms, he hugged her tightly.
“Sister… Sister…”
Listening to Gu Yan cry until he could barely catch his breath, Yun Su’s heart ached.
He was still just a child.
After everything he had gone through in a single night, being surrounded by so many unfamiliar people would naturally frighten him.
Yun Su gently patted his soft head as she comforted him.
“Xiao Yan, don’t cry anymore.”
But it was no use.
The little golden beans that kept falling from Gu Yan’s eyes were nearly enough to soak through her clothes.
In this state, there was no way Yun Su could leave him behind.
She could only go and discuss the matter with the person in charge.
After Yun Su pleaded repeatedly, they finally agreed to let her take Gu Yan with her temporarily.
By the time Gu Yan walked out of the police station alongside Yun Su, his emotions had finally settled down.
Yun Su stopped by a pharmacy to buy medicine for his injuries. She still remembered the scrapes on his body. Although they weren’t serious, it would be troublesome if they became infected.
Afterward, she hailed a taxi back to the hotel and treated Gu Yan’s abrasions while they were in the car.
By the time they reached the hotel, dawn was almost breaking.
After an entire night of turmoil, the two of them collapsed onto the bed and immediately fell asleep.
When Yun Su woke up again, it was already three in the afternoon.
The golden glow of the setting sun streamed through the window and spread across the floor, creating a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere.
Even now, Yun Su still felt lingering fear whenever she thought back on everything that had happened.
Fortunately…
Fortunately, they were safe now.
While Gu Yan was still asleep, Yun Su slipped out to buy some food.
There were plenty of restaurants downstairs in the hotel, so she bought two boxed meals nearby. Worried that Gu Yan might wake up, she hurried back upstairs without lingering.
The moment she opened the door, she saw a tiny figure crouched on the floor beside the foot of the bed.
Gu Yan hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face in the crook of his arms, making it impossible for Yun Su to see his expression.
Alarmed, Yun Su quickly walked over, set the food containers on the floor, and helped Gu Yan to his feet.
When Gu Yan lifted his head, Yun Su was shocked to find tear stains covering his face.
“Xiao Yan, why are you crying?” Yun Su asked softly, raising her hand to wipe away the tears from his cheeks.
“Sister… I… I thought you had left.”
Gu Yan spoke through sobs as tears continued to fall.
Yun Su felt as though he had saved up five years’ worth of tears just for today.
He hadn’t cried when he was bullied. He hadn’t cried when his uncle had driven him away.
There had even been moments when Yun Su felt he didn’t seem like a child at all.
Yet now, Gu Yan’s tears simply wouldn’t stop, just like earlier at the police station when he had refused to let her leave.
For the first time, Yun Su truly understood what it felt like to comfort a little crybaby.
Lifting Gu Yan into her arms, Yun Su placed him on the bed and gently rubbed his back to soothe him.
“How could I leave?” she comforted him. “Sister only went out to buy food.”
Picking up the meal containers, Yun Su placed them in front of him.
“Look, you’ve slept for so long. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s eat together, okay?”
Gu Yan didn’t answer.
Instead, he asked softly, “Will you leave after we finish eating?”