Chapter 129 — I Owe the Si Family, and I Must Repay Them

“Shameless, aren’t you? Since when did she become your girlfriend?”

Cheng Yishu dropped the brick in his hand, dusted off his palms, and strode toward them.

When Si Nan and Lin Xiaowen saw who it was, both were stunned and overjoyed. Lin Xiaowen, in particular, was nearly moved to tears.

She had thought she would never see him again in this lifetime, yet at the most critical moment, that cool yet endearingly obedient face appeared before her once more.

“Xiaowen, you’re hurt? Let me see…” Cheng Yishu crouched in front of her and gently tore away the black tape covering her mouth. At last, Lin Xiaowen could breathe deeply. As Cheng Yishu began examining the wounds on her face, she rasped weakly,

“Why did you come too? Do you know how dangerous this is?”

“My woman was in trouble. Of course I had to come!”

Cheng Yishu frowned, gazing at Lin Xiaowen with tender concern that overflowed from his eyes.

Then he suddenly turned toward Si Nan and called out, “Although I was dragged into this because of certain people, I still think it’s safer if I personally take you back. Who knows whether someone might confine you again?”

Si Nan glanced speechlessly at the man Cheng Yishu had knocked unconscious on the ground and said in a low voice,

“Stop wasting time. Get Xiaowen out of here!”

Cheng Yishu ignored him and continued untying Lin Xiaowen’s restraints one by one.

“Heh. So after all that effort, this woman isn’t actually President Si’s woman? But I do find it strange. If she has nothing to do with you, why are you willing to risk yourself for her? Could it be that the great President Si is secretly in love with her?”

Miss Yang’s voice dripped with mockery.

Si Nan’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing. In truth, his injuries were severe, and he no longer had the strength to speak.

“What’s it to you?”

Cheng Yishu scooped Lin Xiaowen into his arms and glared darkly at Miss Yang, who was now at their mercy.

Actually, Cheng Yishu had already reached the vicinity when one of Miss Yang’s henchmen left. He had not acted only because he did not know what was happening inside.

Now it seemed that the person who had planned this crude scheme was nothing more than a vicious, twisted woman.

“Leave quickly. I don’t know where the other man went…” Cold sweat rolled down Si Nan’s forehead, quickly soaking his collar. After steadying himself, he continued, “Su Nian is nearby too. Get out and find him!”

“Don’t waste your strength.”

After a brief silence, Miss Yang suddenly spoke. With a strange, conspiratorial hush, she added, “Haven’t you noticed the smell?”

The other three froze. Then Si Nan suddenly shouted,

“Go! It’s gasoline!”

At once, the increasingly powerful stench of gasoline drifted over on the cool night wind.

“Hahahaha… Too late. Look!”

Miss Yang laughed so hard her body shook. While Si Nan was staring out the window at the wall of flames that had already erupted, she seized the opportunity to shove him with all her strength toward the crumbling wall.

With a deafening crash, the remaining wall collapsed. After Miss Yang escaped the building, Cheng Yishu followed close behind, carrying Lin Xiaowen as he rushed out of the house, where roof tiles were still raining down.

Flames soared into the sky. The smell of gasoline mingled with thick smoke, and Lin Xiaowen, already weak, immediately began coughing.

“Miss Yang, where is he?”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Only after escaping did Miss Yang remember the man Cheng Yishu had knocked unconscious.

She looked back at the house engulfed in flames and said flatly, “Forget it. We can’t save him. Let him keep him company.”

The man shifted uneasily, his feet moving beneath him. But the fire was spreading too quickly, and in the end he could only stamp his foot in frustration.

Lin Xiaowen and Cheng Yishu were panting nearby. Hearing Miss Yang’s words, Lin Xiaowen suddenly realized that Si Nan had not come out.

“Si Nan—Si Nan is still inside!” Lin Xiaowen suddenly tightened her grip on Cheng Yishu’s arm.

Although Cheng Yishu disliked Si Nan intensely, he could not simply stand by and let him die.

But with the two dangerous people still in front of him, he was even less able to leave Lin Xiaowen behind.

While he hesitated, Miss Yang suddenly said with chilling indifference, “These two know who we are. You understand what to do, don’t you?”

The man nodded silently and began advancing toward Cheng Yishu and Lin Xiaowen. At the same time, he reached behind his waist and drew a long butcher’s knife.

Cheng Yishu moved Lin Xiaowen behind him. The two of them backed away nervously, step by step. Miss Yang seemed to have lost patience and snapped,

“Hurry up. We can’t let the fire attract too much attention.”

With Miss Yang’s order, the man did not dare delay. He strode rapidly toward Cheng Yishu and Lin Xiaowen, then swung the knife.

“Ah…”

Lin Xiaowen had been bound for an entire day and was still unsteady from fear and exhaustion. Cheng Yishu could only shield her with one hand while grabbing a dry, weathered branch from the ground with the other to meet the attack.

There was a sharp crack as the dead branch snapped. Immediately afterward came the sound of a blade sinking into flesh. Cheng Yishu did not even cry out in pain. He kicked hard with one foot, striking the knife-wielder squarely on the wrist.

The knife fell to the ground. The man stared blankly for a moment, then charged forward again. Cheng Yishu retreated repeatedly, pulling Lin Xiaowen with him.

One hand pressed against the wound in his abdomen, blood flowing without end; the other remained tightly clasped around Lin Xiaowen’s hand. For the first time, Cheng Yishu felt that they might truly be unable to escape.

Lin Xiaowen knew that Cheng Yishu had been injured, but because he had not cried out, she had no idea how serious the wound was.

The burly man found the knife in the weeds, stained with Cheng Yishu’s blood. When he raised his head again, everyone heard the sudden wail of sirens, followed by barking dogs and police vehicles closing in from every direction.

Police lights illuminated the night. Miss Yang, panic-stricken, fled toward the depths of the forest.

Seeing that Miss Yang had abandoned him, the man lost his bearings. After a moment’s thought, he stopped worrying about anything else and chased after her in the direction she had disappeared.

“Xiaowen… Xia…”

As though he had survived a catastrophe, Cheng Yishu managed a difficult smile at Lin Xiaowen. But he saw the complicated expression on her face—and then watched in pain as she released his hand.

“What are you…”

Cheng Yishu sensed that something was wrong.

Lin Xiaowen suddenly leaned forward and kissed the corner of his lips. Misty tears shimmered in her eyes, reflecting the flames in the distance and lending her an especially tragic beauty.

“Yishu, wait for me!”

“Xiaowen, what are you going to do? Listen to me—the police are here. They’ll go in and save him.” Cheng Yishu rose painfully and reached for her hand.

But Lin Xiaowen evaded him. She shook her head silently, then smiled faintly and said softly,

“This is what I owe the Si family. I have to repay it.”

Lin Xiaowen gave Cheng Yishu one deep, lingering look before turning resolutely and rushing toward the house engulfed in flames—the house where Si Nan was still trapped.

“Xiaowen…”