Xu Xiaoyue recalled a news report she had once read in the newspaper—a college student from the 1990s who had been trafficked to a mountain village and forced to marry a man old enough to be her father.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Just as she was about to be dragged off the vehicle, at the critical moment, a warm touch pressed against the back of her neck.
Before she could even process what was happening, she was lifted by the collar like a kitten.
Her petite body pressed against the man’s cool outerwear, the intense sensation jolting her slightly awake.
Her eyes barely able to stay open, she instinctively reached out and clung tightly to the man’s waist.
The young woman nestled softly in his arms, and before Yan Ye could react, those small hands had already wrapped tightly around his waist.
Xu Xiaoyue seemed to have grasped her last lifeline. Her slender, pale fingers traced the line of his waist, slipping beneath his clothes to clutch his shirt tightly, refusing to let go.
A fire ignited at his waist, and Yan Ye’s expression shifted almost instantly. His throat moved as he forced out two cold words: “Let go.”
At this point, Xu Xiaoyue was in no state to heed his words. Her consciousness was completely blurred, and she clung to the man before her purely on instinct.
The situation unfolded too quickly. The male accomplice was the first to react, immediately reaching out to drag the woman away.
Yan Ye shielded Xu Xiaoyue in his arms, driving his elbow hard into the face of the man clutching the briefcase.
Then, with swift precision, he unfastened the belt from his trousers and, in a flash, bound both the female accomplice and the man doubled over in pain.
The entire process took less than three minutes to subdue the criminal duo.
“Wow, Regiment Commander Yan, that was just too fast…”
The man who had witnessed the entire scene couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement. He hadn’t even had time to intervene before Yan Ye had already handcuffed the two.
Glancing at the young woman curled up in Yan Ye’s arms, the man teased, “Not only did you cuff them in a flash, but you’re holding her pretty fast too.”
A vein throbbed on Yan Ye’s forehead as he shot a cold glare. “Wang Jianhua, take these two to the nearest police station immediately and await further instructions!”
Wang Jianhua immediately straightened his expression. While Yan Ye usually didn’t mind their banter, when he used someone’s full name, it was a direct order from a superior that had to be obeyed unconditionally. Grabbing the handcuffs linking the two, he led them off the vehicle.
Yan Ye strode into the adjacent compartment, his large hand cupping the woman’s buttocks as he lifted her like a child, then turned and locked the door.
Xu Xiaoyue buried her face in Yan Ye’s chest. She lifted her head, intending to see what had happened to the others, but the loosely tied scarf around her face brushed against the man’s chest and slipped off unexpectedly.
Their eyes met abruptly in mid-air.
For a rare moment, Yan Ye was stunned. The woman before him was extraordinarily beautiful—her delicate face smaller than his palm, her skin glowing with a translucent, faint pink hue. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled like pools of water, and her lips were a lush, enticing red.
Xu Xiaoyue paused, reflexively flexing her fingers. A burning sensation spread from her palm, and she unconsciously squeezed the man’s abdominal muscles twice—hard and unyielding.
An involuntary low groan escaped Yan Ye’s throat, and he nearly threw the woman out of his arms.
His expression darkened severely. His throat moved as he spoke in a voice hoarse beyond recognition, “Where do you think you’re touching? Behave yourself!”
With that reminder, Xu Xiaoyue finally snapped back to reality. Blood rushed to her head with a roar, and she hurriedly pulled her hand out from inside the man's clothes, her frantic movements lifting a corner of his shirt hem.
The two were extremely close, and the wheat-colored lines of his abdominal muscles abruptly entered her line of sight. His scorching body heat carried a faint woody scent, making her limbs go weak.
Xu Xiaoyue tucked her head into the man's embrace and mumbled an explanation, "I… I didn't mean to."
Yan Ye didn't speak. His ice-cold face showed no expression as he lowered his gaze to stare at the top of Xu Xiaoyue's fuzzy, jet-black head. "You have the strength now. Get down by yourself."
"I don't have the strength."
Xu Xiaoyue really wasn't lying. Her head was spinning, and after using a bit of effort just now, her whole body felt utterly limp.
Yan Ye pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. The woman in his arms was soft everywhere, her fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose. He wanted to just peel her off, but Xu Xiaoyue was nestled so perfectly against his chest that he couldn't find a place to start.
It was fortunate no one was watching inside the train compartment; otherwise, the distance between them would have drawn attention long ago.
Xu Xiaoyue had no concept of the crime of hooliganism. She tugged at the man's collar and asked, "Are you a police officer? What will happen to those two traffickers after they're taken to the police station?"
"They'll be executed by firing squad."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yan Ye felt Xu Xiaoyue tremble in his arms. He looked down.
"I still don't know your name. How should I thank you?" Xu Xiaoyue looked up again, her damp, misty almond-shaped eyes gazing at the man.
Before Yan Ye could answer, a voice came from the doorway.
"Are you sure it's this compartment?"
"Wang Jianhua?" Yan Ye frowned. Just as he was about to set Xu Xiaoyue down to open the door, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Bright light pierced toward them, and Xu Xiaoyue instinctively closed her eyes and burrowed deeper into Yan Ye's embrace.
"Yan… Regiment Commander Yan?" Wang Jianhua stared wide-eyed at the two tightly embracing figures before him.
He had only been gone for a short while—how had things progressed so quickly?
Even though Regiment Commander Yan still wore his usual unchanging ice-cold expression, Wang Jianhua keenly noticed that the man's earlobes were flushed bright red. Good heavens, was this really his unsmiling, ever-reticent Regiment Commander Yan, who usually shied away from female comrades?
Yan Ye furrowed his brows, unconsciously shifting his body to block Wang Jianhua's view. His tone was serious. "Why are you back?"
Mentioning official business, Wang Jianhua set aside his curiosity. "The police need to take statements. Those two might have accomplices…"
Hearing this, Yan Ye understood immediately. He freed a hand to place Xu Xiaoyue on the nearby bunk. Just as he was about to stand up, the woman's slender fingers softly grasped his collar, her jet-black, fine hair brushing against his cheek, carrying a subtle fragrance and a tingling sensation.
"Are you leaving?" Xu Xiaoyue didn't even realize the dependence in her tone.
Yan Ye lowered his gaze to the woman's face beneath him, then turned to look at the train attendant. "I'm Yan Ye, commander of the 181st Regiment. Please take good care of this female comrade."
After speaking, Yan Ye's eyes fell on the dirty gauze scarf on the floor. His fingers curled slightly, and as if guided by some inexplicable impulse, he took off his own jacket and draped it over the woman's head, covering that overly captivating little face.
The train attendant clicked his tongue in amazement. Earlier, he had seen these two subdue the traffickers with ease, but he never expected them to be from the military. His smile grew noticeably warmer.
"Don't worry."
After such a major incident, the train attendants remained on high alert for the remainder of the journey, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
As for the attendant who had previously mocked Xu Xiaoyue, his face now looked as wilted as frostbitten vegetable leaves, too afraid to dwell on the punishment that awaited him from his superiors.
Outside the train station, a young woman tapped the ground with the tip of her foot as she watched the distant sound of a train whistle, occasionally glancing down at her wristwatch.
"Brother Shuli, it's already past the scheduled time. Why hasn't Sister Yue's train arrived yet?"
With that, she took a few steps forward and raised her wristwatch to the man's eyes. "Take a look—maybe my watch is broken."
Yan Shuli furrowed his brow, noting that the watch showed it was already noon. They had been waiting under the sun for quite some time, and it seemed the train had been delayed.
Glancing at the young woman in front of him, whose forehead was beaded with sweat from the heat, Yan Shuli hesitated for a moment before saying, "Perhaps the train is running late. It's mealtime now, Jiaojiao. If you're hungry, we can go eat first."
Zheng Jiaojiao was taken aback for a moment before hurriedly waving her hands in refusal. "Brother Shuli, how could we do that? Sister Yue hasn't arrived yet. Even if we're hungry, we should wait for her and eat together."
Yan Shuli pursed his lips. "It's fine. We can eat now and pack a meal for her as well."
"Well… alright then, Brother Shuli. But we should hurry so Sister Yue doesn't arrive and can't find us."
Yan Shuli frowned slightly. Although he hadn't yet met Xu Xiaoyue, he couldn't help but feel a subconscious resistance toward her. If it weren't for having to pick her up, they wouldn't have had to endure the scorching sun or rush through their meal.
"It's fine, Jiaojiao. We can take our time eating. Comrade Xu should know we're here to pick her up—she won't wander off."
His eyes were nearly overflowing with sympathy for Zheng Jiaojiao. At nineteen, she should be under the care of her parents, but instead, she was living under someone else's roof, staying with the Yan Family, always wearing this cautious expression.
Following behind the man, Zheng Jiaojiao glanced at their elongated shadows on the ground, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes.