Escape

The corridor was engulfed in a sea of flames, leaving no room to catch a breath. Equally treacherous was the thick, toxic black smoke filling the air—stinging the eyes, choking the throat, and most critically, obscuring vision to the point where even the glowing green exit signs became invisible.

The world beyond the door looked deadly.

But Lin Yu knew.

There were no other choices left.

This was the sixth floor—jumping out the window would be no different from suicide. And with the fire raging this fiercely, staying in the room was certain death.

The seemingly perilous path ahead was now the only way out.

Recalling the layout of the hallway before entering the room, Lin Yu quickly determined which direction to run. Gripping Tang Qinqin’s wrist, he pulled her forward, ready to charge into the inferno.

But the moment he took a step, he felt Tang Qinqin’s wrist tug backward, as if she was trying to break free again.

That single resistance sent Lin Yu’s temper flaring.

What the hell else could you possibly need to grab?

Is it more important than your life?

He turned to look, only to realize Tang Qinqin wasn’t trying to retrieve anything.

Her youthful face was twisted in terror, her gaze a mix of guilt, hesitation, and desperate pleading.

In an instant, Lin Yu understood.

She wasn’t reaching for something—she was afraid of the fire, too terrified to force her way through.

A flood of thoughts rushed through Lin Yu’s mind, only to be dismissed just as quickly.

No.

He couldn’t leave Tang Qinqin here.

Absolutely not.

Lin Yu understood her fear.

Sometimes, the body had a will of its own. In moments of danger, even when the mind knew there was no other option, the body could still rebel.

No time to lament how a small nuisance had turned into a major obstacle, Lin Yu shoved the damp towel into Tang Qinqin’s hands, then scooped her up into his arms, growling through gritted teeth:

"Cover my mouth!"

The cool, wet cloth pressed against his nose and lips, Lin Yu hunched low and plunged into the flames.

The thick black smoke reduced visibility to near zero.

Making matters worse, Lin Yu couldn’t bend down far enough to see the ground—even without Tang Qinqin in his arms, the flames licking at his ankles left almost no safe space beneath the smoke.

In the midst of fire and fumes, stopping meant death.

The fabric of his clothes, especially around his calves, grew unbearably hot and dry. Lin Yu knew he was racing against time.

One misstep, and they’d both be finished.

Pushing forward, he forced his stinging eyes open, scanning the surroundings.

Whenever the smoke thinned or thickened, he kicked out cautiously, hoping to find the stairwell.

Seconds ticked by, and before he could locate the escape route, another problem arose.

Something was wrong with Tang Qinqin.

Lin Yu could feel her grip on his mouth and nose tightening—so much that it felt like she was trying to suffocate him.

He wanted to scream in frustration.

As if escaping wasn’t hard enough.

Now he had a goddamn liability in his arms!

Maybe he should just ditch this world and try another one.

Anger aside, Lin Yu still refused to abandon her.

Enduring smoke, flames, the weight in his arms, and now this bizarre suffocation game, he pressed on.

Then—

At a spot where the smoke seemed slightly thinner, Lin Yu’s foot met empty air.

His heart leapt.

Shifting carefully, he stepped onto a slightly lower, solid surface.

Tears of relief nearly spilled from his eyes.

This was it!

The escape stairs!

Not some idiot’s open doorway!

Holding his breath, Lin Yu hurried down the steps with Tang Qinqin in his arms.

As they descended, the black smoke visibly thinned.

But what Lin Yu couldn’t understand was why Tang Qinqin was still clamping her hands over his mouth and nose like a vice.

Are you actually trying to kill me?

By the time the air cleared enough to breathe, Lin Yu’s lungs were burning.

Dropping to his knees on the landing, he pried Tang Qinqin’s hands away from his face, gasping for air.

The first thing he wanted to do was give her a piece of his mind.

You were really trying to smother me, huh?

Afraid I’d make it out alive?

Furious, he glared down at her—only to freeze in shock.

Only now did he notice that Tang Qinqin wasn’t just covering his mouth—she was also pressing the wet towel tightly over her own face.

And her complexion was all wrong.

Beneath the damp cloth, her skin was smeared with soot, flushed from lack of air—but beyond that, her face was swollen, tinged with purple.

Her eyes rolled back, lips parted in silent, desperate gasps.

Even in this state, her fingers remained locked over her nose and mouth, clenched so tightly that the veins in her delicate hands bulged blue against her pale skin.

A spasm?

Lin Yu’s stomach dropped.

He yanked her hands away, pulling the towel from her face—but her condition didn’t improve.

She sucked in frantic, shallow breaths, but never exhaled.

Her face stayed swollen, her lips darkening further.

As if her body had forgotten how to process oxygen.

Lin Yu didn’t know what was happening to her.

But something told him this wasn’t just the fire’s doing.

No time to think. Seeing her agony, he scooped her up again, pressing the damp cloth lightly over her mouth to filter the smoke as he sprinted down the remaining stairs...

...

The crowded street buzzed with excitement, every pair of eyes fixed on the blazing hotel in the distance.

Now this was a real "hot" show.

Among the onlookers, a strikingly beautiful young girl—almost unnervingly so—hopped down from her perch on a stone ledge, satisfied, and turned to leave.

But just as she took a step, a chorus of gasps and shouts erupted from the crowd, hooking her curiosity once more.

Thinking the spectacle was over, she spun back around, climbing onto the ledge and craning her neck for a better view.

There, bursting through the hotel’s entrance, was a figure blackened by soot, clutching another person in his arms.

Wild-eyed, his hair—still faintly recognizable in color—hung over part of his face.

He looked like some kind of deranged punk.

The man charged out of the burning building without a moment’s pause, clutching the person in his arms as he sprinted desperately.

After putting some distance between himself and the fire, the soot-covered man halted briefly, as if searching for something.

Soon enough, he took off again, bolting toward a specific direction.

He carried the unconscious girl straight to a bystander perched on a motorcycle near the fire, watching the chaos unfold.

Their encounter was fleeting—words might have been exchanged, or perhaps not.

In one swift motion, the grimy man threw a punch, knocking the motorcycle rider to the ground. Then, without hesitation, he mounted the bike with the girl still in his arms and sped away.

Standing on a stone platform nearby, a young girl’s eyes sparkled with admiration. She paid no attention to the cursing man scrambling to his feet, her gaze fixed instead on the retreating figure.

"So cool..." she murmured under her breath.

"Just like a gangster hero from the movies."

"Rebellious, edgy, and totally badass!"

...

...

Ignoring every traffic light along the way, Lin Yu twisted the motorcycle’s throttle to its limit.

The biting winter wind, laced with wet snow, lashed against his face, freezing his damp blond hair into stiff, icy strands.

On the sparsely trafficked road, he reached up and yanked off the hairpin he’d earlier taken from Tang Qinqin’s hair—now nothing more than a nuisance. He tossed it carelessly onto the snow-covered ground, letting the blizzard bury it without a trace.