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The smoke that kept spreading around them swirled between them, and the pungent smell made it hard to open their eyes. In a daze, Chen Miao heard Yu Xi say something, and his blood-drained and muddled mind suddenly woke up.

He was visibly taken aback, then cautiously asked, "Xiaoyu, you know everything?"

Yu Xi mustered all her strength and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her tearful eyes in his shoulder. Her chest heaved like a butterfly's wings, and she said in a sob, "You are Chen Miao; the Chen Miao who was willing to play with me in the orphanage; the Chen Miao who made me happy on my first birthday; the Chen Miao who gave me the pink hair tie..."

"I remember you. I'm sorry, I forgot about you before..."

Upon hearing this answer, Chen Miao's hands, which he wanted to embrace Yu Xi, hung suspended in mid-air. The soul belonging to this body trembled, silently wept, and sobbed softly, yet it could not express even a trace of emotion.

Let him become Chen Miao in her memory.

Be the one who accompanies her through her first happy birthday.

Regardless of the outcome, he was always there for Yu Xi throughout the process, and that was enough.

He lowered his head, looking at the person sobbing softly in his arms, a smile playing on his lips, a smile he was forcing back his grief, and then he replied, "Yes, I am the Chen Miao you mentioned."

The fire grew larger and larger, gradually engulfing the group. The silkworm silk crackled and burned. Chen Miao didn't hear what the person in his arms said before she fainted.

"Wake up, little fish, we'll be out soon. I'll take you out right away." He held Yu Xi tightly in his arms, his broad back shielding her from the intense heat of the flames.

Chen Miao struggled to lead the group toward the factory gate. Huang, the senior executive who was suppressing his panic, bent over, covered his mouth and nose, and shouted indistinctly, "Chen Miao, stay where you are. The best thing to do now is to wait for rescue."

"I will protect her." Rather than waiting idly for a rescue that might never come, Chen Miao preferred to place the hope of survival on his own shoulders.

As he entered, he glanced at the factory gate. One of the rusty iron gates had lost several screws and was held together by a bolt. If he could move the heavy bolt, there would be a sliver of hope for his escape.

Behind him were his arms and hands dragging on the ground, leaving shocking trails of blood. As if oblivious to the pain, he stubbornly led Yu Xi to the gate, where the fire had already seared the iron gate to a scorching heat.

With each step closer, the heat intensified, not to mention the effort of removing the latch by hand.

When Huang, the executive, saw him slowly put Yu Xi down and then struggle to walk towards the door, he guessed what he was going to do. Ignoring the danger, he got up and ran towards Chen Miao, saying, "Are you crazy? You'll burn your hands like that."

"Chen Miao, stop! Let's think of another way to escape."

However, Chen Miao didn't listen to a word. He resolutely strode forward, and when he saw the red-hot iron bolt, he clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and pulled it out with his arm veins bulging. Without the slightest hesitation, he forced his curled fingers open.

With a loud crash, the iron gate collapsed to the ground, and dust billowed up with the heat. Chen Miao stood there and looked back.

He stood at the boundary between shadow and light, the swirling dust symbolizing his glory, and dark red blood dripping from his palm.

"Quickly, save them!"

"Quick! Quick! Put him on the stretcher first."

"A few more people are coming; there are still people inside this factory."

A cacophony of shouts, hurried footsteps, and the calls of Senior Manager Huang…

All of this seemed to vanish from Chen Miao's mind; the world suddenly went silent. Even as he fell straight down, he still mustered all his strength to shout, "Save Xiaoyu first..."

My vision gradually blurred until it was completely dark, and I could see nothing at all.

Just like during that car accident, the excruciating pain struck again, and when he saw Executive Huang help Yu Xi up, he completely lost consciousness.

The sirens of more than a dozen police cars and ambulances blared, accompanied by the noise of the congested crowd. Yu Xi watched as people in white coats carried Chen Miao away.

Ding Dayong and a group of people were handcuffed. When he saw Yu Xi stagger out, he glared at her fiercely and said, "You just wait."

"I did nothing wrong, why are you arresting me? What right do you have to arrest me? Let me go!" he screamed hysterically.

Several police officers restrained him, shouting sternly, "Aren't the charges against you enough: trafficking women, raping women, and intentional homicide?"

"What do you mean by trafficking? I took her in out of kindness! If it weren't for me, she wouldn't even have a place to stay!"

"She ate my food, lived in my house, and yet I'm accused of kidnapping her? What kind of good person could she be, dressed like that back then?"

"Is it wrong for me to take her in?"

As Ding Dayong spoke, he looked at Hong Huazhu, who was hiding behind the police officer and peeking out at him, with a malicious gaze. Upon meeting that gaze, the latter shrank back and clung tightly to the police officer's clothes, no longer daring to look up at him.

Yu Xi couldn't bear to listen any longer. She opened her eyes, which were being supported by the nurse, and quickly stepped forward. A crisp slap landed on Ding Dayong's face, and a burning pain spread through her palm.

"Watch your mouth!"

Ding Dayong wanted to argue, but another slap landed on his face. Yu Xi couldn't suppress the hatred in her eyes, and she continued, "Can't you be quiet?"

After saying that, another slap landed on Ding Dayong's face.

"You should go and be buried with them!"

The crowd could only offer token words of protest. They hated the man before them, but were bound by the red line and could do nothing to him. The punishment he received was far less than the suffering endured by the victims.

In the end, Ding Dayong, with his face swollen from being slapped, was still angrily taken to the police car.

It turned out that on the way away, the driver heard Hong Huazhu say that everyone in the village was involved in the trafficking of women. He was worried that if he didn't bring enough support, he would lose control of the situation, and he was also worried that if he contacted the local police, they would retaliate.

They contacted the Municipal Public Security Bureau, which has been paying attention to cases of missing persons in recent years, but had been without any leads. This report undoubtedly brought unprecedented progress to the Municipal Public Security Bureau's case, and they rushed over as quickly as possible.

Yu Xi nodded as she listened to the driver's muttered explanation, "Well done."

She wasn't seriously injured; she had just been unconscious for a while due to the effects of the drug. After realizing something was missing, she searched through the crowd but couldn't find Chen Miao anywhere.

In the factory, she remembered Chen Miao leading her to escape together, but now he was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Chen Miao? Where did he go? We haven't seen him since we left."

The executive and the driver exchanged a glance, stammering and neither daring to speak.

Yu Xi raised her voice and asked again, "I said, where did Chen Miao go?"

Seeing the regretful expressions on their faces, she instantly understood, "Was he seriously injured?"

The two remained silent. Yu Xi grew increasingly anxious and pressed, "Say something! Where's Chen Miao?"

In a moment of panic, people often lose their composure, and Yu Xi, who is usually calm and composed, was no exception. Like a ship that had lost its way, she struggled to move forward, searching through the flow of people.

Executive Huang hurriedly followed her, "President Yu, Chen Miao's injuries are serious, and he has been taken away for treatment."

This mountain village is far from the city. For those like Yu Xi who were not seriously injured, the medical staff immediately began to treat them. They brought enough medicine and only took away those who were seriously injured or killed in the fight without stopping.

"Take me to him! Let's go!" Yu Xi's heart ached more and more, to the point that even breathing became difficult.

Executive Huang didn't dare to waste a moment. He turned around and signaled the driver to follow, and the group immediately turned back.

—

The guest room on the second floor of the villa was dimly lit, with the windows tightly closed. Meng Yun leisurely coiled a black snake around his wrist, letting it crawl up his arm. He casually asked, "How did things go?"

The newcomer stood on the dark red carpet in the center of the room, his face filled with fear. He lowered his head, not daring to look directly at the person sitting in the soft chair, and spoke in a trembling voice, "It failed!"

"Young Master Meng, Ding Dayong is just a greedy and lecherous man. We told him to stick to the plan, but who knew he would..."

Meng Yun grabbed the wine glass beside her and threw it at him. "You can't even handle Chen Miao? When have I ever failed?"

“If I give him power and money and he doesn’t want them, then I’ll just have to make him disappear from my sight forever.” Meng Yun said, getting up and walking to the man’s side, placing her hand on his shoulder. “He doesn’t know what’s good for him, and you can’t even handle such a small matter?”

"Then it seems there's no use keeping you around."

"Young Master Meng, please let me explain. This mission failed because of a sudden turn of events." He grabbed Meng Yun's right leg, struggling to break free. "Everything was fine until the president of Jin Xuexiao showed up. We couldn't make a move, after all..."

Meng Yun's dark eyes narrowed instantly, carrying an imperceptible danger. He leaned down and pinched the man's chin, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "Who did you say went too?"

“Jin… Yu Xi, the president of Jin Xuexiao.”

After he finished speaking, Meng Yun kicked the man away, "You hurt her?"

The man struggled to his feet after being kicked, and said tremblingly, "I heard from the underlings there that she only suffered minor injuries."

Meng Yun remained silent, allowing him to continue, her eyes bloodshot.

Thinking he had been given a chance to survive, the man embellished the story, saying, "Although Chen Miao didn't die this time, he almost lost his life trying to save her. Young Master Meng, please give me another chance, and I will definitely be able to handle this matter well."

Meng Yun sneered and slowly walked towards him, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He didn't say a word, but the aura around him was chilling. The black snake on his wrist received a command and pounced towards the man. Its sharp fangs pierced the skin, and after a scream, the man on the ground was lifeless.

Meng Yun looked at him like he was a pile of garbage, and with a wave of his hand, gestured for the person outside to come in.

"Pack it up, so the old man doesn't see it."

He twirled the ring on his little finger, a smile playing on his lips. "Chen Miao, you might not be so lucky next time."