Chapter 21 Concern "No," Yu Tang met his dark eyes...

He tugged at her hair and said, "You won't die. Did you wipe your tears or snot on my neck? And what did you call me just now?"

That's incredibly disrespectful, calling him by his name without even asking. But it seems that Yu Tang is the elder.

Before Yu Tang could even catch her breath, the sound of car horns suddenly came from afar, and there was more than one. Yu Chaoxian frowned, fiddled with his phone, then grabbed Yu Tang by the waist and carried her into the abandoned apartment building with one hand.

A heavy shadow fell over the small apartment, and the faint, suppressed breathing of Yu Tang echoed in the hallway. Yu Tang pressed herself against the wall, her fingers gripping Yu Chaoxian's clothes tightly. Her pupils dilated with fear, and she could hear the assassin's footsteps outside the door, the static of the walkie-talkie, and—the crisp sound of a bullet being chambered.

Yu Chao didn't look at her; his gaze, sharp as a knife, swept across the room quickly before he swiftly fired a shot at the power switch. In the instant sparks flew, darkness engulfed the entire space.

The next second, a deafening explosion shattered the doorframe, sending splinters and smoke billowing in. About eight fully armed mercenaries surged in like a tidal wave. Yu Chaoxian pulled the trigger; the bullet pierced the smoke precisely, striking the first intruder between the eyebrows. The body crashed to the ground, but more figures approached from the darkness.

Yu Chaoxian grabbed Yu Tang and led her upstairs. The dressing mirror shattered in the stray bullets, shards flying everywhere. Yu Tang screamed in fright at the sight of her shattered reflection and Yu Chaoxian in the mirror, but Yu Chaoxian immediately covered her mouth, saying, "Don't be afraid."

As he spoke, he took a flashbang from the tactical vest of the fallen mercenary with his other hand and moved the hand that was covering Yu Tang's mouth to cover her eyes.

Bang--!

A blinding white light, accompanied by a blast of sound, filled the room. Taking advantage of the moment, Yu Chaoxian rushed out and accurately shot down two enemies.

Solve three, and there are five left.

Then Yu Chaoxian grabbed Yu Tang's wrist and quickly retreated into the bathroom. Yu Tang looked at him, her voice trembling, "Will we...die?"

Yu Chaoxian did not reply. He had just sent a message to Chen Diao, but it would take Chen Diao some time to arrive.

Yu Tang had never seen such a scene before, and she was trembling all over. Yu Chao glanced at her, then suddenly raised his hand and fired several shots, smashing the wall of the ventilation duct.

He held the discarded kettle on the bathroom sink horizontally to Yu Tang's shoulder, then tossed it down. He heard a clear thud as it landed; the width was sufficient for her to reach it easily. Yu Tang was slender, so the drop was just right. The villa was only two stories high; going down the pipes wouldn't be a problem, at least it was safer than staying here.

Yu Tang felt a lightness in her body as the man's strong arm slipped under her armpit, suddenly closing the distance. Yu Tang couldn't see him clearly, but she could feel his breath so close to hers.

Their cheeks brushed briefly during their movements, like a dragonfly skimming the water. What should have been a fleeting touch was, in an illusion, extended into an embrace due to the tight, unobstructed contact of the rest of their bodies.

Yu Chaoxian picked up Yu Tang and placed her at the hole in the broken wall, instructing her without hesitation: "Go down using the ventilation duct."

The moment she was lifted and lowered into the hole, Yu Tang's feet were already on the pipe. Suddenly, she quickly grabbed Yu Chaoxian's wrist and anxiously stopped him, "No."

Yu Chaoxian thought she was scared, and that his aunt was quite afraid of death. He reassured her, "Don't worry, the area behind this villa is safe. Chen Diao will come to pick you up soon. I said I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and nothing will happen."

“No,” Yu Tang said quickly, meeting his dark eyes, “it’s just that this passage was too narrow for you, which is why I barely managed to squeeze in.”

Yu Chaoxian looked into her eyes and remained silent for two seconds. Yu Tang was worried that he wouldn't be able to go down.

"Want to stay with me?" In the dim moonlight, Yu Chaoxian looked directly into her dark eyes. The girl's clear black and white eyes reflected his image.

Yu Tang nodded emphatically; she would not abandon her family to escape alone.

Seeing that Yu Chaoxian was staring at her silently again, Yu Tang hugged his neck tightly, afraid that he would drop her.

Yu Chaoxian pinched her dusty little face: "Aren't you afraid of being shot to death?"

Yu Tang sobbed, her eyes revealing her absolute dependence on Yu Chaoxian. Being alone outside was worse than being with Yu Chaoxian. "I'm scared, I'm scared, but brother said you're very capable."

Yu Chaoxian ruffled her soft hair, seemingly pleased by her words. He then lifted her out and placed her in the innermost bathtub, saying, "Wait for me here."

Yu Tang's eyes flickered slightly, and she hummed in response with a nasal tone.

The sound of furtive footsteps approached from the stairwell. Yu Chaoxian rummaged through the backpack of the corpse on the ground for bullets and found several hand grenades.

Yu Chaoxian thought for a moment and came up with a simpler and faster method.

The bathroom door opened silently, revealing only a fallen corpse on the floor. The mercenaries crisscrossing the stairwell dared not approach. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and a water pipe in the ceiling burst, gushing out icy water that instantly blurred everyone's vision.

Fearing an ambush, the mercenaries hurriedly ordered a retreat.

The visibility was already dim, and as Yu Chaoxian retreated, he deliberately revealed a corner of his clothes.

The mercenaries who were looking around at the top of the stairs gestured for him to step forward.

Yu Chaoxian chuckled and retreated into the bathroom. He turned his head to look inside and saw Yu Tang obediently hugging her knees and hiding in the bathtub, her body curled up into a small ball.

The corpse on the ground was undoubtedly the best equipment pack, and thanks to his thorough preparation, Yu Chaoxian was able to make the most of it. Yu Chaoxian took out the rope from his backpack and tied it to the window railing.

“Little Aunt,” Yu Chaoxian walked over and easily lifted her up, “hold me tight.”

Yu Tang understood Yu Chaoxian's intention. Afraid of falling and dying, she clung tightly to Yu Chaoxian's neck, her legs hooking around his strong waist with all her might, terrified of falling. Her fear of death made Yu Chaoxian lower his eyes and smile slightly. Earlier, she had refused to step down the pipe, but now she insisted on going down with him.

Just as Yu Tang hugged Yu Chaoxian tightly, a loud bang suddenly came from outside the bathroom—red flames burst through the bathroom door, a huge heat wave assaulted them, the flames seemed to be chasing after them, and a severed arm flew over.

Yu Chaoxian held onto the rope with one hand and supported Yu Tang with his arm. Just as the two were descending, the shockwave from the explosion reached the window.

He suddenly turned to the side, using his back to absorb most of the impact of the heat wave. When he landed, his palm cushioned the back of Yu Tang's head, and he rolled to safety with her in his arms.

Yu Chaoxian's shirt had been cut in several places by broken glass, and blood was faintly seeping from the back of her shoulder. He looked down, his gaze carefully sweeping over every inch of her potentially injured area.

Aside from a little dust on his face and a few strands of messy hair, Yu Tang beneath him was perfectly fine. In particular, her dark, piercing eyes began to scan him without any hesitation.

Yu Tang was unharmed, which satisfied Yu Chaoxian. He released her and stood up. Since leaving the task force, he hadn't participated in any rescue operations, and he was tired of search and rescue.

Who knew that the moment he let go, his aunt would excitedly hug him back, showing no sign of being afraid of him at all.

"Are you hurt?" Yu Tang cried, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you for saving me."

Yu Tang wasn't stupid. She could tell that several shots were aimed at her position. Although she didn't know who she had offended, and for a moment she suspected it was a classmate seeking revenge, it didn't seem like her classmate would send an assassin to kill her.

There are many unclear questions, but the only thing that is certain is that Yu Chaoxian has been guarding this abandoned apartment all along, which is why those people have not been able to get close at all.

Yu Chaoxian saw that her eyes were redder than ever before, her nose was red, her eyelashes were still covered with glistening tears, her eyes were watery, and she was still holding his coat tightly in her arms.

When asked to put it on, she hugged it to her chest instead.

"Oh no, you cut your hand! Does it hurt a lot? There's iodine and band-aids in the car!" Yu Tang exclaimed, releasing Yu Chaoxian's neck, but tears flowed even more freely.

Hot, thick tears fell onto Yu Chaoxian's arm.

Yu Chaoxian's hand was lifted by a soft, fleshy hand, the white of which contrasted sharply with Yu Chaoxian's. He lowered his eyes; the back of his hand was where he had been scratched by a stone on the ground when he had rolled over to dodge bullets while carrying Yu Tang. But what kind of injury was this? Even in the military, where a bullet piercing the body meant certain death, no one cried like this.

She's a crybaby; she cried a few days ago because of her scraped knee, and now that he's injured, she can cry too.

She cried even harder than when she was injured herself.

"Where does it hurt?" Yu Chaoxian turned her around, and there wasn't even a speck of dust on her face.

Yu Tang shook her head. "I'm fine."

"If it doesn't hurt, then why are you crying?" Yu Chaoxian frowned.

Yu Tang held his hand, feeling that Yu Chaoxian must be in a lot of pain. She felt like crying from the pain of her knee falling, so Yu Chaoxian must be in even more pain. He was probably too embarrassed to cry in front of her, so she had to bandage him up quickly. Otherwise, her brother would be heartbroken to see Yu Chaoxian injured, since he was her brother's child. If her brother's emotions fluctuated too much because of this, it would be bad for his blood pressure.

From Yu Chaoxian's perspective, Yu Tang's wet eyes were filled with his image, and her pale face showed her deep concern for him.

Such emotions and expressions were both unfamiliar and strange to Yu Chaoxian.

"What are you crying about?" Yu Chaoxian stopped Yu Tang, who was heading to the car to get the first-aid kit and wanted to help him bandage his wound. He raised his hand and brushed the strands of hair that were wet with tears and stuck to her cheeks behind her ear. "You care about me?"

"Of course I care about you," Yu Tang blurted out. After all, her brother had said that she, her brother, and Xiao Xian were a family. "Don't worry, I'll apply the medicine and bandages too. The school has an elective nursing course, and I've been attending it diligently. Then we'll go to the hospital for a thorough check-up."

This is no lie. The class that Yu Tang took most seriously was nursing, which is related to medicine. She plans to study medicine in college for a simple reason: she hopes to take care of her brother in the future and help him immediately when he is unwell.

Yu Chaoxian only heard the first half of Yu Tang's sentence and didn't pay any attention to the second half.

As Yu Tang finished speaking, she could feel Yu Chaoxian's strong heartbeat in the palm of her other hand, thumping so hard it almost made her palm numb: "Are you really okay? But your heart is beating so fast all of a sudden. Are you in a lot of pain? Let's get in the car."

Her fair face was streaked with wet tears, her expression innocent yet filled with anxiety. So Yu Tang really is foolish.

Whether it's liking, disliking, being angry, caring, or being anxious, all emotions are revealed along with one's mood.

Seeing that Yu Chaoxian didn't speak but kept staring at her, Yu Tang tilted her head in confusion. The silence was broken when something very light hit Yu Tang on the head.

Startled, Yu Tang's slender body trembled, and she instinctively hid next to Yu Chaoxian, her fingers nervously gripping his wrist.

"Open your eyes." Yu Chaoxian saw that Yu Tang had closed her eyes in fright. This crybaby was scared by the bullet just now.

The soft, lightweight object hit Yu Tang on the head and then fell into her arms.

Yu Tang looked down and saw a doll—a blue shark with its eyes rolled back—in her hand.

The shark plush toy is about the same size as Yu Chaoxian's arm.

It turns out that the sniper's last shot shattered the claw machine behind him, and all the plush toys inside escaped, landing on Yu Tang's head.

Yu Tang hugged the blue shark that was rolling its eyes, and when she looked up, she saw Yu Chaoxian rolling his eyes at her.

It seems so. Yu Tang didn't dare to laugh.

Yu Chaoxian narrowed his eyes for a moment, catching the inexplicable upturn of her lips. She was terrified just a moment ago, but now she's laughing because of a toy.

Because Yu Tang insisted on bandaging him, Yu Chaoxian temporarily ignored the man across the street who was still panting. He spared the life of the teammate across the street who was pulling his companion's body, only shooting him in the legs. He needed to save his life first to figure out what was going on with this sudden assassination attempt. It wasn't just assassins; there were even professional mercenaries involved. It seemed like a premeditated assassination.

Yu Tang treated Yu Chaoxian's wounds very carefully. She first cleaned the exposed flesh with purified water from the car, and then carefully disinfected it with iodine using cotton swabs.

Before applying the cotton swab, Yu Tang observed his expression: "Disinfection will hurt a little, but it will be over soon."

Yu Chaoxian didn't feel any pain; rather, the itching from Yu Tang's hair falling on his arm was more intense than the pain.

Applying the iodine solution didn't take long, but finding a band-aid took Yu Tang a long time rummaging through the medicine box.

"Wait for me a moment," Yu Tang said softly.

Yu Chaoxian remembered that Yu Tang had always spoken to Yu Yanting in this tone.

Yu Chaoxian gave a faint "hmm" and didn't urge her. Perhaps it was because Yu Tang's serious and earnest expression was rare and quite interesting, so Yu Chaoxian was much more patient than usual.

A moment later, a relaxed voice came from beside her. Yu Tang cupped his hand in her palm and said, "Okay!"

Yu Chaoxian noticed a cartoon-themed band-aid on the back of her hand. He glanced down at Yu Tang, wondering where she got all these things, even the band-aids were strange.

"Yu Tang, do you have a single word of truth in your mouth?" Yu Chaoxian raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes scrutinizing her.

"Huh?" Yu Tang looked completely innocent. What had she done now?