CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER 337; WHAT DID YOU SEE?

Twilight hesitated, her gaze flicking to Tang Fei for approval. Tang Fei nodded slightly, and Twilight slipped out.

The latch clicked shut.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Huo Ting Cheng crossed to her slowly, stopping a step away. The tension between them was quiet, electric.

"Tell me," he said finally, voice low, " what did you see?"

Tang Fei hesitated for a second because things were truly unexplainable, "You’ll think I’m imagining things."

"I’ll think you’re in danger," he replied evenly. " That’s all."

She swallowed hard before responding. This was her husband; she would need his protection. "The mirror in the washrooms had words on it. They appeared in the fog when the lights flickered."

"What words?"

"’Come alone or everyone dies.’"

The silence that followed was deep and absolute. Huo Ting Cheng didn’t move for a long time. When he finally did, it was to reach out, his fingers brushing her chin up so she had to meet his eyes.

"Whoever wrote that knew you’d be there," he said, voice deadly calm. " They knew you’d read it."

Tang Fei nodded faintly. " And they wanted me to see it... not you."

" Which means it’s personal. They are aiming at you!"

She exhaled slowly. "I thought it was a hallucination until the blood...."

He froze... "Blood?"

Her gaze dropped to her hands, now clean and dry, "It was in the sink, but it was just for a second and then it was gone."

He didn’t speak. He simply reached out, taking both her hands in his and turning them over slowly, inspecting the skin as if her words might leave a physical trace. His thumbs brushed over her knuckles, his grip steady but trembling faintly beneath the surface.

"Next time something like that happens," he said quietly, " you call for me... Mnnnh?"

Tang Fei’s breath slightly hitched, " Ting Cheng..."

"I mean it," he interrupted softly but firmly. " I don’t care if it’s a whisper or a shadow, I come to you."

The weight of his words hung between them, protective, possessive, almost desperate.

Tang Fei searched his face, her own softening despite the fear still lodged in her chest, "You can’t fight what you can’t see," she whispered.

" Then I’ll drag it out of the dark," he said simply.

He didn’t let go of her hands. Outside, the building hummed faintly, static returning to the surveillance feed, systems rebooting, but inside that room, the air was still, almost reverent.

Then, faintly, just faintly, a light flickered in the reflection of the window behind them.

For a heartbeat, a small handprint appeared on the glass.

A child’s hand.

Then it vanished.

Huo Ting Cheng’s eyes darted to it, his body tensing. Tang Fei followed his gaze, and her face went pale again.

Because she knew that hand.

It was smaller than Twilight’s... much smaller.

Tang Fei’s stomach twisted. Her breath caught in her throat, but Huo Ting Cheng’s hands stayed firm around hers, grounding her despite the chill creeping over her skin.

"That’s... impossible," she whispered, voice trembling. " It can’t be..."

Huo Ting Cheng didn’t answer immediately. His eyes narrowed on the window, scanning for any shadow, any movement that could explain what they’d just seen. The reflection of the city lights danced faintly against the glass, but the handprint was gone, vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

"Impossible or not," he said finally, voice low and cold, " it was real. And whoever, or whatever, that is... they’re close. Too close."

Tang Fei’s hands trembled slightly in his. "I saw her," she admitted quietly, the words almost a confession. "The child... the one who looked like Minghao. She was... there, outside the washroom. On the rooftop. And the students...." Her throat tightened. " They had bombs strapped to them."

"Where’s Minghao?"

"Where’s she?"

Tang Fei suddenly got up from the couch worried.

"They have been escorted to their various classes, I have positioned guards around them, they will be protected all the time... We will catch up with this person messing around!"

Tang Fei sank lightly onto the edge of the couch, still trembling slightly, though her posture was controlled. Huo Ting Cheng remained standing beside her, his presence a solid anchor, silent but vigilant. Twilight lingered near the door, sharp, scanning shadows, her hand still hovering near her concealed blade.

Huo Ting Cheng finally spoke, voice low and measured. "Drink." He gestured toward a small glass of water on the side table. Tang Fei obeyed, lifting it with a hand that still shook faintly. He watched her every movement, noting the tension in her shoulders, the faint quiver of her jaw, the way her eyes flicked toward the door even as she sipped.

"You should rest," he said softly, kneeling slightly to meet her gaze. "You’re safe here, Fei’er."

Tang Fei managed a small nod. "I know," she whispered. "But..." Her voice trailed off, unwilling to say what haunted her mind.

He didn’t press. Instead, he reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from her temple. The contact was light, grounding, and intimate. "We’ll handle this," he murmured. "I won’t let anyone hurt you, or anyone under your care."

Twilight, standing nearby, tensed slightly at the closeness, but said nothing. She knew Huo Ting Cheng’s protection ran deeper than simple orders.

Huo Ting Cheng stayed close, kneeling beside her as Tang Fei sank onto the edge of the couch. He didn’t speak, didn’t need to. His presence alone was enough, steady and unyielding, like a wall against the quiet tension lingering in her chest.

He reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from her temple, his fingers lingering there for a heartbeat longer than necessary. Tang Fei closed her eyes, leaning slightly into the touch, letting the warmth anchor her.

Without a word, he took her hands in his, holding them gently but firmly, thumbs brushing over her knuckles in slow, soothing circles. The gesture was simple, unassuming, yet profoundly intimate, his way of telling her that she didn’t need to fight alone, that someone could bear her weight, even silently.