The flames engulfed the entire laboratory.
Liu Yi’an struggled to get back on her feet when a sharp “crack” suddenly came from above. She looked up and saw a burning beam collapsing straight toward her.
Her pupils contracted. She instinctively tried to roll aside, but her body simply wouldn’t cooperate.
“BANG!”
The beam crashed heavily onto her leg, and a searing pain shot through her instantly.
Cold sweat poured down Liu Yi’an’s face. She gritted her teeth and used all her strength to try to push the beam away, but the flames scorched her fingertips, filling the air with the sickening smell of burning flesh.
“Help…” she rasped.
The thick smoke made it almost impossible to breathe, and her consciousness began to fade.
In a daze, she heard hurried footsteps.
“Yanchen!” Wei Qing’s voice came through, trembling with sobs. “I can’t get out!”
Fu Yanchen rushed into the burning laboratory. When he saw Wei Qing trapped in a corner, he immediately ran toward her without hesitation.
Liu Yi’an struggled to lift her head and watched as the man stepped right over her and headed straight for Wei Qing.
She suddenly laughed.
In her previous life, she had spent thirty years waiting faithfully for this man, living like a widow while he was away. In the end, she wasn’t even worth making him turn his head back to look at her when she was dying.
“Yanchen, save An’an first!” Wei Qing pointed toward Liu Yi’an, her voice urgent. “She’s trapped under the beam!”
Fu Yanchen’s footsteps paused.
He glanced back at Liu Yi’an.
That one look was so cold and indifferent, as though he were looking at a complete stranger.
“There’s no time,” he said in a deep voice. He picked Wei Qing up and hurried toward the exit. “I’ll get you out first.”
Wei Qing struggled in his arms. “But An’an…”
“She won’t die,” Fu Yanchen interrupted, his tone utterly certain. “Liu Yi’an has always been tough.”
With that, the two disappeared into the flames.
Liu Yi’an closed her eyes.
So all those promises from her previous life “I’m staying away for the sake of protecting our country,” and “Once I’ve achieved something, I’ll bring you to Kyoto” had all been lies.
From beginning to end, this man had only ever had Wei Qing in his heart.
The fire grew fiercer, and Liu Yi’an found it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Just when she thought she was going to die there, another burst of hurried footsteps sounded.
This time, the footsteps came directly toward her.
“Found her!”
A deep male voice rang beside her, carrying an unmistakable firmness.
Liu Yi’an struggled to open her eyes. Through her blurred vision, she could only make out a tall figure bending down and lifting her into his arms.
The man’s movements were gentle, as though he were afraid of hurting her.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said.
Those two simple words inexplicably made Liu Yi’an’s nose sting.
She wanted to see his face clearly, but the thick smoke and excruciating pain overwhelmed her, and she finally lost consciousness.
…
When Liu Yi’an woke again, she was lying in a hospital room.
The pungent smell of disinfectant made her frown. She moved her fingers slightly, and pain spread throughout her entire body.
“You’re awake?”
A familiar female voice came from beside her.
Liu Yi’an turned her head and saw her colleague, Xiao Zhou, sitting beside the bed with a worried expression.
“You’re finally awake. You scared me to death!” Xiao Zhou’s eyes were red. “The doctor said you suffered severe smoke inhalation. If you’d arrived even a little later, you might have…”
Liu Yi’an’s throat felt dry and raw.
“Who saved me?”
She remembered the man who had rushed into the fire. She remembered the warmth in his voice when he told her, “Don’t be afraid.”
Xiao Zhou froze for a moment.
“You don’t know? It was Researcher Fu. After he carried Wei Qing out, he rushed back inside to save you.”
Liu Yi’an’s heart sank.
Fu Yanchen?
Impossible.
She clearly remembered the way that man had held her. His movements had been gentle, and there had been a warmth in his voice that she had never once felt from Fu Yanchen.
“Are you sure you didn’t see clearly?” Liu Yi’an asked.
Xiao Zhou looked a little embarrassed.
“Well… I didn’t actually see it clearly myself. But everyone says it was Researcher Fu who saved you. And he’s in the hospital too. Apparently, he was injured while rescuing you.”
Liu Yi’an said nothing.
An indescribable sense of disappointment filled her heart.
Who exactly was the man who had told her “Don’t be afraid” in the middle of that fire?
“Oh, right.” Xiao Zhou suddenly remembered something. “Researcher Fu asked me to tell you that once you woke up, you should go to his room. He has something to tell you.”
Liu Yi’an sneered.
“I’m not going.”
Xiao Zhou was startled. “But… he did save you, after all.”
“He didn’t save me,” Liu Yi’an said firmly. “Someone else did.”
Xiao Zhou looked completely confused.
“How do you know?”
Liu Yi’an didn’t explain.
Some things didn’t need evidence.
She simply knew.
“Are you angry because Researcher Fu saved Wei Qing first?” Xiao Zhou asked cautiously. “Actually, I can understand it. After all, Wei Qing is his sister-in-law, and the situation was so urgent…”
“I’m not angry.” Liu Yi’an interrupted her, her voice frighteningly calm. “I just don’t love him anymore.”
Xiao Zhou froze.
Liu Yi’an gazed out the window, her eyes clear and resolute.
In her previous life, she had wasted thirty years of her life on Fu Yanchen.
This time, she would never make the same mistake again.
As for the man who had saved her from the fire…
Liu Yi’an clenched her fists.
She would find him.
Fu Yanchen stood outside the hospital room, his face so dark and gloomy it looked as though water might drip from it.
He had just come from the room next door. He had originally intended to return and stay with Wei Qing, but while walking down the hallway, he overheard Xiao Zhou and Liu Yi’an’s conversation.
“He didn’t save me.”
“I just don’t love him anymore.”
Those two sentences pierced his heart like two sharp thorns.
Fu Yanchen pushed open the door.
Xiao Zhou jumped in fright and hurriedly stood up.
“R-Researcher Fu…”
“Get out.” Fu Yanchen’s tone was cold and harsh.
Xiao Zhou glanced at Liu Yi’an. Seeing that she said nothing, she could only lower her head and hurry out.
Only the two of them remained in the hospital room.
Fu Yanchen walked to the bedside and looked down at Liu Yi’an condescendingly. “What do you mean?”
Liu Yi’an looked up, her expression calm. “Exactly what I said.”
“Exactly what you said?” Fu Yanchen sneered. “Liu Yi’an, I risked my life to save you from the fire, and this is how you repay me?”
Liu Yi’an didn’t answer. She simply looked at him in silence.
Her gaze inexplicably irritated Fu Yanchen.
In the past, whenever Liu Yi’an looked at him, her eyes had always been filled with cautious affection and dependence. But now, her gaze was as clear and still as a pool of dead water, without the slightest ripple.
“Are you jealous because I saved my sister-in-law first?” Fu Yanchen’s tone softened, as though he were coaxing a child. “The situation was urgent at the time. She was closer to the exit, so I got her out first and then came back to save you. That was the most reasonable choice.”
Liu Yi’an finally spoke. “You didn’t save me.”
Fu Yanchen frowned. “What did you say?”
“I said you didn’t save me.” Liu Yi’an enunciated every word. “Someone else saved me.”
Fu Yanchen’s expression changed. “What nonsense are you talking about? There was only me and my sister-in-law in the fire. Who else could have saved you?”
“I don’t know who he was,” Liu Yi’an said calmly. “But I remember his voice. I remember the way he held me. That person wasn’t you.”
Fu Yanchen froze for a moment before sneering. “Liu Yi’an, have you lost your mind from the smoke? When I carried you out of the fire, you were already unconscious. How could you possibly remember those details?”