In the dead of night, the orphanage was utterly silent.
Tong Yang had the others stay in the room while she left to scout the surroundings.
She arrived at the balcony at the end of the second-floor corridor and looked down into the courtyard. It was still empty.
Outside the courtyard walls, hidden within the thick fog, blurred figures gradually emerged. It seemed there were quite a number of them.
"Sis Tong, maybe we should just head back?"
"Find a safe spot and return to the real world."
Tong Yang said, "Let's wait and see a bit longer."
She was the only one who had disrupted the game. The Order Keepers probably wouldn't target the volunteers. The NPC who was pushing the plot forward had already been killed by her, so the others were safe for now.
The figures hidden in the fog drew closer. Tong Yang glanced left and right, then turned and headed for the rooftop.
She planned to lure the Order Keepers to the rooftop.
"Sis Tong, what are you doing going to the rooftop? You won't be able to run if you go up there; it's a dead end!"
Tong Yang walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. The Order Keepers had already scaled the courtyard wall, jumped into the orphanage, and entered the building.
Before leaving, she had warned the others: no matter what happened, they were not to leave the room until she returned. She hoped they would listen.
Otherwise, she wouldn't waste any more effort trying to save them.
The orphanage had two adjacent buildings. Tong Yang roughly estimated the distance between them—about seven or eight meters. Perfect.
The door leading to the rooftop was wide open. The sound of chaotic footsteps echoed from the stairwell, followed by one figure after another rushing onto the rooftop.
Tong Yang darted forward, kicked away the first two, and blocked the path of the other Order Keepers. But with more pouring in endlessly, it was impossible to hold them back.
"Holy crap, what do we do? They're all coming up!"
"Sis Tong is so fast! It's making me dizzy just watching; I feel like I'm about to get motion sickness."
Tong Yang's figure swiftly weaved among the Order Keepers, like a slippery loach. She seemed to be everywhere, yet her movements were impossible to pin down.
The training from this period had yielded substantial results. Tong Yang moved effortlessly among them. Within the dense crowd, her speed made the others appear clumsy and heavy, easily manipulated.
The timing was about right. Tong Yang retreated to the edge of the balcony, calmly making noise to draw their attention.
The Order Keepers finally caught sight of her and immediately lunged toward her.
Unhurried, Tong Yang pulled a grappling hook from inside her jacket, turned, and threw it toward the rooftop of the opposite building. The hook caught firmly on the railing. Gripping one end of the rope, she stepped onto the balcony ledge and leaped off.
"Whoa!"
"That scared me to death!"
"Sis Tong, what are you doing?!"
Hanging from the rope, Tong Yang's body formed a perfect parabola through the air. She landed with her feet against the exterior wall of the building. At this point, she was still three stories above the ground.
"Thud—"
"Splat—"
The Order Keepers, chasing after her, jumped off the rooftop one after another, completely unaware of what awaited them. They plunged down like dumplings dropping into boiling water, relentless and unhesitating.
Hanging against the wall, Tong Yang looked back at this scene, the corner of her mouth lifting. Interesting.
Before long, a mountain of corpses piled up on the ground between the two buildings.
Tong Yang didn't watch any longer. She began climbing hand over hand up the rope.
"Sis Tong!"
"There's someone up there!"
"Watch out!"
A sharp, piercing shriek came through her earpiece. Tong Yang looked up, startled. Under the dim moonlight, a dark figure stood by the railing, leaning forward slightly, right hand propping up its chin, looking down at her from above.
Tong Yang's heart sank. This person was not an Order Keeper.
Tong Yang stopped moving. If she had known there was someone else up there, she could have just let go earlier from her previous position. At that height, she might have gotten off with minor injuries. But from this height now, a fall would mean death or at least severe crippling injuries.
"Who are you?" Tong Yang asked the figure above her, while secretly scanning her surroundings for any possible foothold. Unfortunately, the windows were spaced too far apart; even if she could fly, she couldn't jump that far.
The figure didn't speak. Its left hand, resting on the railing, suddenly moved.
It was then Tong Yang noticed it was holding something. With a light flick of its fingers, a blade flashed into view. Tong Yang saw it clearly now—a black butterfly knife.
"Oh no!"
"It's over! What do we do?!"
Tong Yang knew what it intended to do. Her heart tightened, but her body was suspended mid-air with no footholds around, leaving her no room for resistance.
Watching helplessly as the figure brought the knife toward the other end of the rope, Tong Yang could only think of another way out.
She looked back at the Order Keepers still dropping like dumplings. Just before the rope was cut, she pushed off forcefully toward the other side, grabbing two falling bodies and pressing them beneath her to cushion the impact.
Her body plummeted rapidly, the cold, swift wind whipping her face. Fortunately, there were already many corpses on the ground from the earlier falls, plus the two Order Keepers she had deliberately grabbed as cushions. When Tong Yang landed, she only suffered some scrapes on her palms.
Almost the instant she landed, the severed rope dropped not far away.
The Order Keepers who had fallen were either dead or severely injured, posing no threat to her.
Tong Yang stood up and looked toward the rooftop of the opposite building. That figure was still standing there, motionless, watching her.
She didn't know who it was, not even if it was male or female.
"Who is that?"
"Sis Tong, that person doesn't seem to be planning to chase you. Get out of there, quick."
Tong Yang remained silent. Under other circumstances, she would definitely have gone up to confront this person. But currently, she was caught between enemies. Since the other party showed no intention of continuing the attack, there was no need to provoke them unnecessarily.
However, Tong Yang was not one to swallow her anger. Picking up a gesture she had learned from Xu Junyue, she gave the figure on the rooftop an internationally friendly hand signal. It had to be said, while not physically damaging, it was profoundly insulting—perfect for the current situation and a clear message that Tong Yang would repay the debt of that cut rope sooner or later.
Then, without looking back, Tong Yang fled the scene.
Under the pale moonlight, the figure on the rooftop finally moved.
It placed both hands on the railing and leaped down from the great height, landing with a "thud" on the ground.
Blood gushed from its back, yet the figure acted as if nothing was wrong. It sat up, twisted its fractured, bent arm back into place, brushed aside the disheveled hair from its forehead, revealing a face smeared with blood.
"Ah..." the figure let out a sigh of contentment. "So adorable. I'm about to fall in love with her."
"The same face... how can it be so adorable?"
Wiping away the blood caking its face, the revealed features were strikingly identical to Tong Yang's.
The Order Keepers in the courtyard all turned and began swarming toward Tong Yang.
Tong Yang ran through the orphanage, suddenly feeling an inexplicable chill.
The wound on her hand wasn't serious, just a stinging pain she could ignore.
Tong Yang circled to the other side of the building, quickly took a running start, used the wall to push off and launch herself upward, grabbed the second-floor window ledge, smashed the glass with her elbow, and jumped into the corridor.
Back on the second floor, Tong Yang opened the door closest to the stairwell. Inside, a candle burned dimly. The six people who had originally been sitting around the table were gone. The woman's body, still bleeding profusely, lay on the floor.
"Whoa? Where are they?"
"Could they have been captured? √()√"
"Oh no! Sister Tong hasn't even received the payment yet!"
Tong Yang scanned the room. Everything was in perfect order, with no signs of a struggle or resistance. Those people had most likely walked out on their own.
"Sister Tong, what do we do?"
Tong Yang replied, "We do nothing. I warned them not to leave the room."
If they had been captured, there might have been a reason to rescue them. Unfortunately, these people were disobedient and left the room on their own. Tong Yang didn't want to waste any more time on them.
Moreover, the presence of that person made her feel this place was extremely dangerous.
Tong Yang turned and left the room, heading to the third floor.
She pushed open the doors on the left and right. The room where the adult's fingers were hanging was empty; the volunteers weren't there.
Immediately after, Tong Yang slipped into Room Seven, where the children rested, and assessed its size. It was sufficient for the elevator game.
Meanwhile, inside the orphanage.
"Where is she?"
"Who?"
"The time anchor."
"She's hiding."
"Go after her. Don't let her return to the shadow world."
"Relax. I sent those people back. Didn't she want to save them? She won't go back until she finds them. We have plenty of time."
One person leaned against the wall, pensively looking at the butterfly knife in their hand, an expression that seemed to savor a memory. "I bet she's already left."
"What? But..."
Opening her eyes, a faint light filtered into her vision.
Tong Yang looked around. She was in a storage room.
The light from a street lamp outside the window spilled in. Looking into the distance, the city's nightscape was spread out before her.
"Are we back?"
"Sister Tong, are those people... dead already?"
Tong Yang stretched. "Don't know."
"Anyway, it wasn't me who killed them."
Tong Yang opened the door and walked out, intending to return to the initial resting room. She planned to sleep before heading out again, to avoid being accused of fleeing from the scene of a crime.
Walking into the hallway, she returned to the second floor.
From the room closest to the stairwell, a sliver of faint light leaked through the door crack.
Tong Yang walked straight past it. She wouldn't open that door and leave her fingerprints on the handle, inviting unnecessary suspicion.
"Whimper..."
Just then, a distinct sob came from inside the door.
Tong Yang paused mid-step, walked to the door, and called out, "Open up."
Before long, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.
The door was pulled open. A girl with tear-streaked cheeks appeared behind it. Seeing Tong Yang, she burst into loud sobs.
"You're finally back!"
"Wahh... We heard so many people were chasing you, we thought you were already dead!"
Tong Yang lifted her gaze to look into the room. Six people were gathered around a single candle flame, sitting safely in their places.
So, they hadn't run off. They had returned to the real world.
"I'm fine. It's safe now," Tong Yang said in a low voice.
"Really?"
"That's great!"
"Are those things finally gone?"
Tong Yang nodded. "Mhm. Get some rest early."
With that, she turned and went back to her separate room.
"Do you think Sister Tong feels guilty?"
"She left them behind and came back, and they were worried about her!"
"Sigh, thankfully nothing happened."
Tong Yang entered her room, closed the door, and sat on the edge of the bed with a dark expression.
"Why should I feel guilty?" Tong Yang said coldly. "Whether they live or die has nothing to do with me."
Sensing the unusual edge in her tone, the onlookers in the chat fell silent.
"Sister Tong, we were just joking..."
"I know," Tong Yang's voice remained icy. "I'm not angry at you."
"Then why are you angry?"
"They actually set me up. They sent those people back to the real world ahead of time, thinking I'd stay stuck in the parallel world, searching for them like a headless fly?" Tong Yang gritted her teeth. "If I'd known they were already sent back, I would have gone up and finished off that guy."
"Alright... I was being shallow."
"Forget it. Maybe we'll run into him another time."
"Sister Tong is amazing, getting more and more powerful, hehe."
"Hitching a ride with Sister Tong and making money effortlessly is the best."
Tong Yang ignored their playful banter and asked, "What about the news?"
"I checked. The orphanage news story is gone."
"Okay, good. Hanging up now."
Regardless, the matter was resolved smoothly.
Tong Yang hung up the call, lay down on the bed, and decided to sleep first.
In the morning, after receiving a transfer of thirty thousand, Tong Yang left the orphanage alone.
As usual, she distributed half to the members of the onlooker group. Looking at the balance in her own card, Tong Yang couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips upward.
Indeed, money was the most solid backing.
"All settled?" He Jingjing stood by the car, raising an eyebrow as she asked.
"Mhm," Tong Yang responded.
A-world Chu Shiyu sat in the car, yawning. "I don't know what Dr. Wu is thinking. He clearly told you to handle it yourself, so why send us along?"
Tong Yang familiarly pulled open the car door and said, "Probably thinks you have the makings of a tag-along."
"Tong Yang, you..."
Tong Yang's phone vibrated. Tong Le was calling early in the morning.
She pulled the dagger from her sleeve and, with a "thud," stabbed it into A-world Chu Shiyu's throat, manually silencing her.
Ever since that idiot Tong Le had nearly exposed her during a previous phone call, she made sure A-world Chu Shiyu couldn't make a sound every time Tong Le called.
"Sis, good morning!" Tong Le's clear voice rang in her ear.
During this period, they hadn't seen each other.
"Good morning. Have you eaten?"
"I have! What about you, sis? Have you been eating properly lately?"
"Mhm."
Tong Le said gloomily, "Sis, when are you coming to see me? Shiyu-jiejie comes back every weekend."
"Busy lately, can't get away. Should have time before the New Year."
"Ah? But New Year's is still so far away," Tong Le grumbled.
Tong Yang changed the subject. "How have you been lately? Any strange things happening?"
"Sis, you mean... no, nothing," Tong Le's voice paused for a moment, then she continued softly, "Sis, you have to be careful, okay? When I grow up, let me handle those dangerous things, alright?"
Tong Le was, after all, not an ordinary child. Tong Yang had told her about parallel worlds before, and her unusual absence lately had probably clued him in to something.
Tong Yang smiled and said, "Okay, we'll talk about it when you're older."
"Then you have to protect yourself properly. Don't get hurt."
"Okay..."
BAM—
Before she could finish, a powerful impact slammed into them from behind. The normally moving vehicle was jolted, nearly losing control and swerving left and right on the road.
"Dammit..."
Tong Yang hadn't fastened her seatbelt. Her head slammed into the center console.
"Sis? Sis! Are you okay?" Tong Le heard the noise and asked anxiously.
Tong Yang rubbed her forehead with one hand while holding her phone with the other.
"Hehe..."
In the back seat, Chu Shiyu from World A, her throat not yet fully recovered, let out a mocking sound.
Tong Yang grabbed a decorative figurine from the center console and threw it at her. He Jingjing snapped, "Hey! That's a limited edition!"
Tong Yang glanced in the rearview mirror. A red van was hot on their tail, relentlessly pursuing them.
"I knew nothing good would come from going out with you! It's like this every single time!" He Jingjing complained. "Serves you right for not wearing your seatbelt."
Tong Yang shot her a glare, assuring Tong Le she was fine while simultaneously buckling her seatbelt.
"Big sis, are you okay? What happened?"
Tong Yang explained, "It's nothing, just heavy traffic. I forgot to buckle up."
"Big sis!" Tong Le's tone turned serious. "How can you ride in a car without wearing a seatbelt? Don't you know how dangerous that is?"
"I know, I've buckled up now."
"You can't be so careless with yourself," Tong Le said.
After these words, Tong Yang clearly heard familiar mocking laughter coming through her earpiece.
Chu Shiyu could probably hear their conversation too.
Tong Yang's face darkened. "Those who gloat will drop a hundred places in the final exam rankings."
"Pfft, hahaha..."
"Tong Yang, how childish can you be?"
The mocking voices of the two Chu Shiyus came from front and back, pincering her. Tong Yang snorted coldly.
The red van repeatedly tried to ram their vehicle. He Jingjing swerved to avoid it each time, but the violent left-right swaying was incredibly irritating.
"Big sis, where are you right now?"
Thoroughly annoyed, Tong Yang rolled down the window, unbuckled her seatbelt, pulled out a silenced pistol hidden inside her jacket, leaned halfway out of the window, and fired two shots at the vehicle behind.
Unfortunately, the target was moving rapidly; both shots missed.
"On the road."
The road to sending them to their graves.
"Gotta go, I'll contact you when I have time."
"Okay, big sis, be careful."
"Mhm."
Tong Yang hung up the phone, emptied the magazine—managing only to shatter the van's windshield.
"Bang—"
He Jingjing swerved sharply to avoid a motorcycle ahead, allowing the red van to catch up alongside them.
Amidst the swaying, Tong Yang pulled herself back into the car, grabbing the overhead handle. Seeing the main road with its stream of traffic just a few hundred meters ahead, she knew if they weren't stopped in time, the situation would become troublesome.
"This isn't working."
"Figure out a way to deal with it," He Jingjing said.
The red van had pulled up beside them, trying to force them to stop. Tong Yang glanced inside. A foreign man was in the driver's seat, a woman in the passenger seat, and the back was empty.
The woman in the passenger seat raised her gun, its dark muzzle aimed at Tong Yang.
"Swerve left a bit, ram them back."
He Jingjing complied, first turning the wheel left, then slamming hard into the van. The impact jolted the woman, causing her shot to hit the car door instead.
Seizing the chance, Tong Yang grabbed the window frame, pushed off with her legs, and launched herself out, grabbing the van's window. She delivered a direct blow to the foreign man's temple.
Stunned by the attack, the man lost control momentarily, the van veering to the side and slowing down. Tong Yang flipped onto the hood. The windshield was already shattered by bullets. Seeing the woman pulling back the slide on her gun, Tong Yang kicked out, sending the weapon flying. She nimbly slipped into the vehicle, unbuckled the woman's seatbelt, opened the door, and shoved her out.
Finally, Tong Yang pressed the now-empty pistol against the foreign man's temple.
"Stop the car."
Tong Yang's movements had been lightning fast, all in the blink of an eye.
The foreign man turned pale, stammering in broken Chinese, "Your gun... has no bullets."
Tong Yang smiled. "Do you want to bet on that?"
The foreign man's lips tightened. He suddenly swerved, aiming to crash into a rock by the roadside.
Seeing his intention, Tong Yang said calmly, "Then let's see who dies faster, or if I can jump out faster."
Tong Yang pulled the trigger, poised for action.
At the critical moment, the van screeched to a halt just before the rock.
The foreign man gasped for breath, raising his hands. "Don't kill me. I was just paid. I don't know why they want you dead."
"Bang."
Tong Yang twitched her finger, her lips mimicking the sound of a gunshot. The foreign man froze in terror, not daring to move a muscle.
"You guessed right. No bullets."
Tong Yang raised her hand and slammed the pistol grip hard against his head. Then she got out first, walked around to the driver's side, and dragged the foreign man out.
Chu Shiyu from World A, who had apprehended the woman Tong Yang kicked out, walked over with her. "Can't we just run them over? They might come after us again."
Seeming to understand her words, the foreign man shook his head so hard it was almost a blur. "P-please let us go. I won't ever—"
"Shut up."
Tong Yang cut him off, then tossed him to He Jingjing, who had just arrived. She told He Jingjing to watch him and called Wu Pingxue.
"Being chased. Send someone to clean up."
Wu Pingxue asked, "What's your location?"
Tong Yang frowned. "What are you playing at? You don't know the location? Didn't you plant a tracker on the car?"
Hearing this, Wu Pingxue sighed helplessly. "Alright, I'll send people over immediately."
"Hurry up. Don't waste my time."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Chu Shiyu from World A looked at her as if she were a monster. "After all this time, you still talk to Dr. Wu in that tone?"
Tong Yang sneered. "If you like being his dog, be one yourself."
"Tch. You're still working for Dr. Wu."
"He pays me several million a month, puts up with my hits and insults without retaliation. Isn't it only right that I do some things for him?"
Chu Shiyu from World A's face darkened. "I really don't understand why Dr. Wu indulges you."
"Why? Because I'm more useful than you, of course."
"That's only because of the time anchor point!"
"Even without it, I'd still be more useful than you. Useless."
"You're the useless one! Your whole family is useless!"
"My whole family is more useful than you."
"You're talking nonsense!"
"Touched a nerve?"
"Alright, you two." He Jingjing locked the two captives in the car and looked at Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu with exasperation. "Will you die if you don't argue for one day?"
"She started it," Tong Yang said coldly.
"Nonsense, it was clearly you—"
Before she could finish, Tong Yang completely ignored her, walked over to sit by the rock, and waited for Wu Pingxue's people to arrive.
Ever since Tong Yang agreed to Wu Pingxue's conditions that day, she hadn't contacted anyone else related to the incident.
He, on the other hand, was fine. The very next day, he used Tong Yang's name to parachute into Bureau 749 and helped them resolve the large-scale spread of the defective virus.
Since then, he had been cooperating with Bureau 749 on the surface. All of Tong Yang's requests had to go through him. The purpose was simple: to create the illusion that Tong Yang was working for him.
In reality, everything Tong Yang needed was provided by the state. They could completely monitor Tong Yang's movements, using this as a precondition for cooperating with Wu Pingxue.
Wu Pingxue, for his part, hadn't done anything out of line.
After nearly two hours, Tong Yang was growing impatient. The car couldn't be driven any further, and they couldn't take the two assassins along on the road.
She ordered A-World Chu Shiyu to go buy some food on foot, which included cup noodles with hot water added from a convenience store.
"Thanks," Tong Yang said, taking the warm noodles without a hint of gratitude.
"Can you not make me do this sort of thing every time?" A-World Chu Shiyu said with a face full of exasperation. "We just finished arguing, and you order me around like a dog."
"Who told you to follow Dr. Wu's every word."
"That's because..." A-World Chu Shiyu's voice faltered. "Anyway, you wouldn't understand."
"And I don't want to."
Tong Yang lifted the lid. The noodles were ready, their aroma wafting up.
From last night until now, she hadn't had a single sip of water.
Just as Tong Yang was digging in heartily, the sound of helicopters echoed overhead.
She glanced up. Two helicopters were flying towards them side by side, probably people sent by Wu Pingxue to pick them up.
Tong Yang cursed inwardly. There must be police nearby, right? Did they have to send helicopters from so far away, wasting resources and time?
The road section had long been blocked off; Dr. Wu had probably had someone take care of it.
The two helicopters slowly landed in the middle of the road section. Tong Yang waved a hand, letting He Jingjing and the others handle it. She hadn't finished her noodles yet.
Some conversation sounds came from behind, but Tong Yang wasn't very interested, focusing intently on eating her noodles while mentally complaining about that old fox Wu Pingxue.
A set of unhurried footsteps approached her. Tong Yang grew alert, her movements slowing.
Only when she felt the person stop behind her did she frown and look back.
"Long time no see."
The young man was dressed in a black suit, his frame seeming more robust than the last time they met. His eyes were slightly curved, carrying a hint of a smile.
Tong Yang was taken aback, exclaiming in surprise, "Ye Huai? What are you doing here?"
The young man took the blue handkerchief from his chest and offered it to her, saying, "I contacted Dr. Wu, hoping I could be of some help."
Tong Yang looked bewildered, genuinely not expecting Ye Huai to have taken the initiative to contact Dr. Wu.
Seeing his hand suspended in mid-air, Tong Yang took the handkerchief.
"Hungry?" Ye Huai asked.
"Yeah." Tong Yang nodded, composed her emotions, and took a sip of the noodle broth.
"Sorry. Originally, my coming wasn't necessary. I made you wait a long time."
Tong Yang said, "It's fine. The car happened to break down. The helicopter saves time."
A-World Chu Shiyu sneered, "That's not what you said earlier."
"Do you have proof?"
A-World Chu Shiyu's eyes widened. "You still won't admit it?"
"No proof? Then shut up."
Ye Huai's smile was faint, the coldness in his eyes fading, making him exceptionally handsome. "Have something to eat before heading back?"
"Your treat?"
"My treat."
Ye Huai turned to look at the others. "It's getting late. Let's all have something to eat."
A-World Chu Shiyu said, "No. Time is money. We should head back to Dr. Wu immediately."
Just as Ye Huai was about to say something, Tong Yang grabbed his wrist and said to A-World Chu Shiyu, "Since you're in such a hurry, why don't you take one of the helicopters? We'll catch up later."
Ye Huai gave her a surprised look, unsure of her intentions, but didn't ask.
A-World Chu Shiyu was fuming, squeezing onto the same helicopter with a few others. Fortunately, it was spacious enough to fit them all.
Watching the helicopter gradually ascend, Ye Huai asked, amused, "The crew all left. How are we getting back?"
Tong Yang pointed at herself. "This model of helicopter? I could fly it with my eyes closed by now."
Ye Huai said, "You've been training all this time?"
"Pretty much. I go out occasionally too."
"You're not an adult yet. You shouldn't be allowed to pilot a helicopter, right?"
"I have privileges."
Ye Huai nodded. "Alright then."
"What do you want to eat?"
"Meat. Good meat."
"Let me check what restaurants are nearby."
Tong Yang stood up and threw the trash into the car.
"How's your health?"
"Mm, I've been recuperating. Recovering well..."
Before she could finish, Ye Huai's gaze fell on her knee.
It seemed scraped, with a cut that had stained with some blood.
Ye Huai frowned. "You're hurt?"
Tong Yang didn't mind. "A minor injury. It'll be fine in a couple of days."
"Did you disinfect it?"
Tong Yang met his serious expression. "You guess."
Ye Huai sighed helplessly, said "Wait here," turned and walked towards the helicopter. A minute later, he returned carrying a first aid kit.
"Have a seat."
"Oh."
Tong Yang sat obediently, bending one knee, propping her chin in her hand as she watched him.
Ye Huai was very serious, unwrapping a cotton swab, dipping it in iodine, and cleaning her wound.
Tong Yang had suffered many injuries and usually didn't pay them much mind. If they didn't affect movement, they'd heal in a few days.
The touch of the cotton swab on the wound was light, bringing a slight itch. Tong Yang involuntarily flinched.
Ye Huai looked up at her, his gaze deep, eyelashes long and delicate. "Does it hurt?"
"It's okay," Tong Yang said casually.
"I'll be gentler."
Ye Huai was too good-looking, pleasing to the eye from any angle. Perhaps because she had been either training or studying all this time, her mind constantly tense, seeing something so beautiful for a change actually made her feel somewhat relaxed.
Ye Huai focused on tending to her, cutting the fabric near the wound to prevent friction, then carefully bandaging it with gauze.
"Does it look good?" Ye Huai asked without looking up.
From this close, he could feel Tong Yang's gaze fixed on him.
"Obviously," Tong Yang said lazily.
"I'm going to look up now. Will you still look?"
Tong Yang didn't understand. "You're going to look up. Why wouldn't I look?"
"They say eye contact is a spiritual kiss."
Tong Yang rested her chin on one hand. "So what?"
"Aren't there many people who make eye contact every day?"
Ye Huai looked at her bandaged knee and said, "Right. I think that saying isn't correct."
"Only when both parties harbor the same feelings can that kind of eye contact carry a romantic meaning."
Tong Yang nodded. "You're right."
"Then, can I look up now?"
"Wait a second."
"Hmm?"
Tong Yang's eyes wandered over his face. "How do you confirm that both parties harbor the same feelings?"
"My standard is... not resisting."
Tong Yang nodded, seeming to understand but not fully. "Come closer."
Ye Huai complied, leaning in. A warm breath brushed her cheek, and before she could even register it, something soft touched his cheek.
Tong Yang retreated to her original position and saw Ye Huai completely frozen, a blush visibly spreading across his somewhat sickly pale skin.
It was the first time Tong Yang had seen him like this. It seemed he wasn't such a calm person after all.
"Was that not what you meant?" Tong Yang asked, feigning ignorance.
Ye Huai took a deep breath, looked up at Tong Yang. His eyes were slightly moist. He pressed his lips together and said, "Sorry... I have medicine in my bag. The white box, two pills..."
Before he could finish, Ye Huai closed his eyes and slumped against her.
He fainted?
Tong Yang instinctively reached out to catch his body, only snapping back to reality after a few dazed seconds. She dropped him onto the ground, hurriedly ran back to the helicopter, rummaged through the small backpack Ye Huai always carried, found the medicine he had described, and fed it to him.
She had forgotten—this man couldn't handle stimulation.
Having been through so much, his demeanor was always as calm as if Mount Tai were collapsing before his eyes, so Tong Yang had thought nothing could rattle him.
In such a situation, she had no mood left for eating. Dragging him back into the helicopter, Tong Yang immediately took off to catch up with the others.
Back in the capital, Ye Huai's family doctor was already waiting.
Several medical staff lifted him onto a stretcher bed, and the family doctor immediately stepped forward to check his condition.
Tong Yang stood to the side with her arms crossed, silent.
Chu Shiyu from World A sidled up to her and asked in a hushed voice, "Did you hit him?"
Tong Yang: "?"
Reading the confusion in her eyes, Chu Shiyu from World A explained, "If you didn't hit him, why would he faint?"
Tong Yang shot her a glare. "Ask him yourself when he wakes up."
After examining Ye Huai, the family doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "Syncope caused by cardiac overload. The medication was administered in time, so there's no serious issue."
At this point, the family doctor shifted his gaze to Tong Yang. "Miss Tong, may I ask what happened? Ye Huai is usually very emotionally stable."
"I told him a ghost story. He got scared and fainted."
Hearing this, everyone looked at her with disbelief.
"Ask him yourself when he wakes up."
Tong Yang walked past him, arms still crossed, her face expressionless.
If a mere kiss on the cheek could trigger a heart episode, a real kiss would probably make him evaporate on the spot, right?
Could it be that he didn't actually mean it that way? Was Tong Yang just being conceited?
Impossible. Tong Yang always trusted her own judgment.
It all boiled down to four words: all talk, no game.
When Ye Huai woke up, Tong Yang and the other two had already returned to the training base.
The family doctor asked, puzzled, "What really happened earlier? Miss Tong said you fainted from a ghost story she told."
Ye Huai, his face pale, shook his head. "No. I just... failed to control myself."
The family doctor said, "Well, try to control it next time. While it's not immediately harmful, it's not good in the long run either."
"I'll try."
"Don't just try. You must."
Ye Huai lowered his eyes, his fingers lightly brushing over his cheek, as if reliving the sensation.
It had all happened too fast. He wasn't mentally prepared.
—If only he could have a do-over.
"My heartbeat isn't something I can control either."
Tong Yang stood on the training field, wearing headphones, and fired ten consecutive shots, all hitting the target.
"Your phone has been ringing."
"Your phone has been ringing!"
"Your phone has been ringing!!"
Chu Shiyu from World A took a deep breath and roared, "Your! Phone! Has! Been! Ringing!!!"
Just then, Tong Yang took off her headphones, heard the deafening shout, and frowned. "I'm not deaf. No need to scream."
"Who's screaming?"
Ignoring her, Tong Yang looked at her buzzing phone, picked it up, and left the training field.
"Hello," Tong Yang answered the call.
"...Tong Yang, it's me."
"You're still alive?"
Ye Huai's voice was low. "I'm sorry. I failed to control myself."
"It's fine. I don't even remember what happened," Tong Yang said flatly.
Ye Huai was taken aback. "...You don't remember?"
"Nope. Nothing important anyway," Tong Yang replied casually.
Silence fell on the other end of the line for several seconds.
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up," Tong Yang said.
Ye Huai let out an almost inaudible sigh. "Nothing else. Sorry for startling you."
"It wasn't that bad."
"Are you busy?"
"Training."
"Alright. Shall we talk later?"
"Sure. Later."
The call ended. Tong Yang looked at the call log, a slight smile touching her lips.
Before this, all these days, she had clearly never once answered his calls.
"You're not that clever either."!
