The production team had no restrictions on where to set up tents.
They could pitch them in the second-floor living room or on the first floor.
The single rooms were on the second floor.
Xie Guanyan and Shen Sizhan both set up their tents in the second-floor living room that night.
Xie Guanyan waited until Shen Sizhan was asleep before sneaking out to knock on Lin Mo’s door.
The night before, he had shared a bed with the girl, watching her peaceful, beautiful face as she slept.
He had stolen countless glances before, but this time, he could look openly.
Her small head rested on his abs, her hair splayed like silk.
His body still carried the lingering sensation of her lips and teeth.
He didn’t fall asleep until dawn began to break.
Because of this, he slept deeply in his tent that night.
When he unzipped the tent and stepped out to see the fire, his mind went blank.
He had experienced a fire once as a child.
Back then, the orphanage had organized an outing.
Someone had knocked him out from behind and locked him in a small house.
He woke up choking, his hands and feet bound.
He couldn’t move, couldn’t escape.
It was the first time he had been so close to death.
Luckily, the director noticed his absence in time and saved him.
But the fire left him traumatized, haunted by nightmares for years—dreams where he died in that blaze.
Over time, the memory faded, and the nightmares stopped.
But they were replaced by new ones.
Now, he dreamed of a radiant girl drifting helplessly in an endless river, just out of his reach.
The sudden fire reignited his deepest fears.
Shen Sizhan grabbed his arm and urged him to run.
His first thought was of Shanshan.
She had slept so soundly the night before—had she woken up yet?
The fire had turned the villa into an inferno, but Xie Guanyan’s body was ice-cold.
Shen Sizhan froze for a moment, watching Xie Guanyan’s resolute figure disappear into the smoke.
"What are you standing around for? Run!"
Gu Jingchuan, coming down from the third floor, shouted when he saw Shen Sizhan motionless on the stairs.
He, too, had woken up choking.
Realizing there was a fire, he bolted from his room, only to see Li Huanyu stepping out as well.
The night before, she had dressed provocatively, trying to seduce him.
He had resisted.
"Did you start this fire by tossing a cigarette?" Li Huanyu snapped, covering her nose.
Gu Jingchuan was furious. "No!"
Shen Sizhan snapped out of his daze and, after a second of hesitation, ran downstairs.
Did Xie Guanyan not trust his sister to get out on her own?
Was he really willing to die for her?
Outside, everyone else had already escaped.
Shen Sizhan stared at the entrance, seconds ticking by.
The flames grew fiercer, but his sister still hadn’t emerged.
Sweat drenched him in an instant. "Jiejie!"
He lunged forward, ready to charge back inside.
Gu Jingchuan grabbed him. "The fire’s too big—you can’t go in!"
"Then I’ll go!"
If he saved Lin Mo, she’d be moved.
Maybe she’d even take him back.
He released Shen Sizhan and sprinted toward the flames—only for his clothes to catch fire almost immediately.
He dropped to the ground, rolling and screaming, "Help! Help!"
No one paid him any attention.
Shen Sizhan’s mind was blank, but he still tried to rush in.
Qiao Yinyin yanked him back.
"Shen Sizhan! Calm down!"
The girl with bangs and a doll-like voice spoke firmly.
The pretty jiejie would make it out.
But if Shen Sizhan went in now, he’d be burned alive before reaching the second floor.
Xu Yan clenched his fists, resisting the urge to run inside. "I’ve called the fire department. Let’s see if there’s a fire extinguisher in the yard."
Going in would be suicide.
Pointless sacrifice was just that—pointless.
Li Huanyu glanced around. "Mr. Xie isn’t out either!"
Should she seize this moment to play the hero?
No, her life was more important.
Shen Sizhan fought desperately to break free.
Jiang Wan and Qiao Yinyin threw their full weight into holding him back, each clinging to one of his legs.
Tears streamed down his face as he screamed, "Jiejie! Jiejie!!"
If something happened to her again, he didn’t want to live either.
The two girls were crying just as hard.
Qiao Yinyin’s large eyes reflected the flames. "She’ll be okay. She has to be!"
The director, staying in the neighboring villa, had also woken up to the smoke.
His first reaction was to yell, "Which idiot decided to barbecue in the middle of the night?!"
But when he looked out the window and realized it was the filming villa on fire, he clutched his head in horror. "No no no no no!"
Were all the guests already dead?
Inside, the fire raged everywhere. Smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe.
The stainless-steel doorknob glowed red-hot.
Xie Guanyan grabbed it without hesitation.
The sizzle of burning flesh shot pain straight to his skull.
He ignored it.
When the door opened, flames surged toward him.
He dodged, his entire body trembling. "Shanshan!"
The single room was small, just a bed—now fully engulfed, the fire like a beast with gaping jaws.
Xie Guanyan swayed, his vision blurring.
Was he going to lose her again?
Needles of agony pierced his heart as despair crashed over him.
But at least this time, he could die with her.
Calmly, he reached into the burning bed, searching for her hand.
Flames licked at his clothes, about to consume him.
Then—
A voice cut through the smoke. "Xie Guanyan?"
That familiar, sweet voice was a lifeline to a drowning man.
Xie Guanyan jolted, turning toward the sound, his voice ragged. "Shanshan!"
Lin Mo had realized the fire too late.
The pills she took the night before had worked a little too well—she barely woke up in time.
By then, the flames were nearly at her feet, smoke pouring under the door.
She immediately decided to escape through the window.
But just as she climbed onto the sill, she heard the door open.
Her first thought was—had Shen Sizhan come for her?
She’d told him to run if there was danger!
Through the haze, she squinted at the figure.
Too tall to be Shen Sizhan.
The man sprinted toward her, his dark eyes brimming with tears.
"Go!"
Without another word, Lin Mo leaped from the window.
The drop from the second floor wasn’t far.
She landed smoothly, then turned. "Xie Guanyan, jump! I’ll catch you!"
He didn’t hesitate—but he didn’t let her catch him, afraid of hurting her arms.
Once on the ground, he pulled her into a crushing embrace.
His grip was so tight it felt like he wanted to fuse her into his bones.
Lin Mo could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest, his heart pounding wildly.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her slender arms wrapped just as tightly around his waist. Her voice wavered. "You’re such an idiot, Xie Guanyan."
She had expected Shen Sizhan to come for her.
Never Xie Guanyan.
They had known each other for less than two months.
His feelings couldn’t be that deep—she had been the one to confess first.
Yet he had risked his life for her.
She couldn’t lie—she was moved.
Time lost meaning as they held each other.
Xie Guanyan finally released her.
The handsome man's face was smeared with soot, patches of black and white.
The radiant young girl was no different.
Just roused from bed, her hair was a tousled mess, her face smudged like a little kitten’s.
One looked down, the other gazed up.
Their eyes met, and they burst into laughter at the same moment.
The next second,
the beautiful man leaned down and captured the girl’s delicate, rosy lips in a kiss.
Amid the raging flames around them, the two who had just faced life and death once again melted into each other’s embrace.
