CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: RESCUED!

Yue Ning’s strength gave out, and the pain on her leg increased.

Right before her vision darkened, she heard a familiar notification.

[Hidden Mission: Save Huo Yan]

[Status: Completed]

There was a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips before darkness swept over her, and she fainted.

Huo Yan’s eyes widened as panic surged within her. She finally registered the danger around as her eyes darted around. She saw the flames, and she broke into cold sweat.

A group of men rushed forward, beating at the fire with cloths and buckets of water. Their shouts mingled with the frightened cries around them.

Through the smoke, a familiar figure pushed his way in. Ah Si’s expression hardened as he took in the sight of Yue Ning on the ground. Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms.

"Clear the way!" he barked. His voice cut through the noise, commanding obedience.

Huo Yan stumbled after him, clutching the parchment she had forgotten to drop. Her face was pale, her earlier resolve replaced with fear.

Ah Si’s strides were steady, urgent. "She needs the hospital. Now."

"I’ll inform my brother..." She murmured as they weaved their way through the crowd.

__________

The sharp scent of disinfectant hung in the air. Yue Ning lay unconscious on the narrow hospital bed, her leg wrapped in bandages. The steady beeping of the monitor was the only reassurance that she was still breathing.

Huo Yan sat at her side, fiddling with her fingers. The parchment from the competition had long been abandoned on the floor.

The door pushed open, and Huo Feng entered with hurried steps. His usually composed expression was gone, replaced by a tight grimness.

"What happened?" He asked. His voice was low, but the weight of it made Huo Yan’s throat tighten.

She rose quickly, eyes red. "Brother, I... I couldn’t move. Sister-in-law... she saved me." Her voice cracked, guilt washing over her as she spoke.

Huo Feng’s gaze fell on Yue Ning, and his jaw clenched. He reached for the chart at the end of the bed, scanning the notes with a dark expression.

"She fainted from the pain. The doctor says the burns aren’t life-threatening, but the injury will take time to heal," Ah Si reported, standing at the door with his head lowered.

He partly blamed himself. If he had been more firm with them, and be their bodyguard, then none of this would have happened.

Huo Feng set the chart aside and moved closer to the bed. For a long moment, he said nothing, simply watching Yue Ning’s pale face. His hand hovered in the air before finally resting lightly against hers.

"You’re reckless," he muttered under his breath, though the tremor in his voice betrayed more worry than anger. His heart ached, and he was not sure why.

When he heard the news of the accident, only he knew how disconcerted he had been. He left everything he was doing, and drove to the hospital with immediate effect.

Huo Yan lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"Brother, if not for her, I..." She swallowed hard, her words fading as she couldn’t complete her statement.

Huo Feng’s expression softened for the briefest instant, but his voice remained steady. "Stay with her. I’ll handle the rest."

He turned to look at Ah Si who understood what he meant by his gaze, and they both walked out of the hospital room.

"Your orders." Ah Si said respectfully.

Huo Feng exhaled, and looked up at the ceiling. "Today’s matter is definitely not simple, someone targeted Huo Yan. If Yue Ning wasn’t present, then Huo Yan might have lost her life."

"Does the Young Master suspect someone?" Ah Si asked carefully.

Huo Feng thought for a while before shaking his head negatively. The Huo’s had a long list of enemies. He couldn’t pinpoint who would be responsible for today’s matter.

"Don’t worry boss. I’ll investigate this matter properly, and give you a befitting answer." Ah Si vowed solemnly.

Huo Feng patted his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Huo Yan was seated beside Yue Ning with tears in her eyes.

"Sister-in-law..." She mumbled with a cracked voice.

"You shouldn’t have saved me. Now see, you are in this position because of me," she continued with a pained sigh.

Huo Feng walked into the hospital room, his steps steady and firm.

"Brother!" Huo Yan called out while biting her lips.

"It has been had on you, let’s have Ah Si drive you home to freshen up."

"But Sister-in-law..." She protested in reply.

Tucking his hands into his pockets, he said. "I will watch over her. And besides... it won’t be nice if she wakes up and sees you with soot all over your body."

Huo Yan glanced down at her body, and her lips twitched imperceptibly.

"I will go home with Ah Si then." She could only give in.

_____________

The sky darkened as the sun set.

In a lavish ward, the only sound which could be heard was the beeping of the heart-rate monitor.

Huo Feng sat on the sofa as he watched over the unconscious Yue Ning.

Suddenly, with his sharp eyes, he saw her fingers twitching. He rose to his feet hastily as he strode towards her.

Yue Ning’s lashes fluttered before her eyes opened to the dim ceiling light. A dull ache throbbed through her leg, causing her to knit her brows in pain .

She turned her head slowly. Beside the bed, Huo Feng stood with his arms folded, his posture upright yet tense. He had not changed his clothes from earlier, and his eyes were extremely deep as he stared at her.

"You’re awake," his voice was low, steady, but the tightness beneath his voice betrayed the relief he felt within.

Yue Ning’s lips curved faintly. "It seems I troubled you."

"You risked your life." Huo Feng’s jaw clenched as he scolded her.

Her smile did not fade,instead, she teased. "I completed a mission."

He leaned forward, his gaze sharp. "This isn’t a game, Yue Ning. You could have died." His voice was laced with uncontrollable worry.

The weight of his words settled between them, heavy but unspoken with all that lay behind it.

Yue Ning lowered her gaze, her hand shifting slightly on the sheets. "But I didn’t."

For a moment, silence filled the room, broken only by the monitor’s steady rhythm. Then, almost hesitantly, Huo Feng reached out and adjusted the blanket over her arm. His hand lingered, though his eyes never left hers.

"Rest," he said, voice quieter now. "You’re safe now."