Rescue
He didn't know how he ran back to Yunyin Hall; he only felt that his legs were as heavy as lead.
He stumbled into the study, "Zhang Xiande!" You Jiale called out hoarsely, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiande's calm expression froze for a moment when he saw You Jiale's disheveled, pale, and bloodshot appearance: "What's wrong?" He stood up and hugged You Jiale; his body was a whole size larger than hers.
You Jiale told Zhang Xiande everything he had just seen on the street. "We have to save them! We can't let them die!" He stared at Zhang Xiande with an almost pleading look in his eyes.
Zhang Xiande gently patted You Jiale's back, as if to comfort her, but his words hit You Jiale's heart like ice: "Revolution means sacrifice, Lele."
You Jiale abruptly shook off Zhang Xiande's embrace, taking a step back. "How can you be so calm?!"
"Sacrifice?" You Jiale felt like the strings in his brain were about to snap. He shouted, "Those are living, breathing people! They're not just numbers!" He pointed to himself, tears welling up in his eyes, but he desperately held them back. "If I were arrested, would you say the same thing?! Would you also think, 'Revolution means sacrifice'?!"
Zhang Xiande's lips pressed into a straight line. He raised his hand and gently stroked You Jiale's cheek, which was flushed with excitement. You Jiale subconsciously...
He instinctively tried to dodge, but Zhang Xiande grabbed his chin, forcing him to look him in the eye.
Zhang Xiande's voice was extremely soft, carrying a gentleness that sent chills down You Jiale's spine, "You know I won't let anything happen to you."
These words did not comfort You Jiale; instead, they made him feel even more humiliated and angry. What did he mean by "I won't let anything happen to you"? Did that mean other people could get hurt? Was his life more precious than others'? Moreover, Zhang Xiande's gentleness always carried a suffocating desire for control.
"Let me go!" You Jiale turned her head and tried to break free.
Zhang Xiande didn't let go, but used a little force to turn You Jiale's face towards him. Looking at the undisguised anger and pain in You Jiale's eyes, his tone remained calm, as if analyzing a completely unrelated issue: "We can't save everyone, nor can we hide everyone. If you rush out now, or I rashly lead a rescue, what do you think the consequences will be?"
Before You Jiale could answer, he continued, each word like a knife piercing You Jiale's heart: "Who do you think they are? Just bandits? They are Japanese soldiers. Rushing in will only ruin everything and put more civilians and comrades in danger. You think you're a hero for rushing in? No, that's just recklessness!"
You Jiale felt a surge of anger churning within him like molten lava, yet every word Zhang Xiande spoke left him speechless, while simultaneously causing him excruciating pain. He hated this sense of powerlessness, hated Zhang Xiande's calmness and rationality—why could he so coldly analyze the pros and cons when lives were at stake?
"So we're just going to do nothing?!" You Jiale's eyes were completely red, and her voice was trembling with tears.
Zhang Xiande finally released his grip on You Jiale's chin. "We can't do nothing, but we can't do anything stupid either."
"I contacted your superiors yesterday. Only when the main force arrives will we have enough strength to fight the enemy and rescue our captured comrades. For now, we can only wait."
"Wait?!" You Jiale was practically going crazy. "How long?! How long can they hold out?! What if they can't wait?! What if they are..." He couldn't help but shudder at the thought of those gallows.
Zhang Xiande looked up, his gaze fixed on You Jiale, his eyes carrying an undeniable air of authority. "This is the only one..."
"There's a way." His voice was unusually firm. "Sacrifice is inevitable; you must learn to accept that. You must consider the bigger picture."
"I don't accept this!" You Jiale abruptly overturned everything on the desk, scattering things all over the floor. He felt like a caged beast, desperately trying to break free from this despairing reality. He roared at Zhang Xiande, "How can you be so cold-blooded and heartless? I thought you joined the revolution because you didn't want to see anyone else sacrifice their lives."
"Do you think I don't know the pain of sacrifice!" Zhang Xiande grabbed You Jiale, forcefully making him sit on his lap, unable to break free. "I know better than you! But if we provoke them again now, it won't be as simple as killing one or two people; it could be a massacre of the entire city, do you understand? Do you want to see that happen?!"
You Jiale was restrained, and the pain in his arm made him involuntarily flinch. But his defiant spirit resurfaced. He could feel the anger emanating from Zhang Xiande behind him, but he was overwhelmed by fear and rage and couldn't control himself.
"I don't know! I only know they can't die!" Tears finally streamed down You Jiale's pale face. He struggled desperately, trying to break free from Zhang Xiande's grip. "Let me go! If you won't help me, I'll find my own way!"
Looking at the tears streaming down You Jiale's face, and seeing his desperate and painful expression, Zhang Xiande felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
"You're not allowed to go!" Zhang Xiande's voice carried an undeniable command, yet trembled slightly. He held You Jiale tightly, as if only in this way could he calm the turmoil within him and his worry about You Jiale's reckless behavior. "You're not going anywhere! Calm down!"
“They will die…” You Jiale buried her face in Zhang Xiande’s shoulder, her voice muffled as she sobbed, her body trembling slightly from the immense grief and helplessness.
Zhang Xiande lowered his head, his burning lips covering the cool tear tracks on You Jiale's face, and gently kissed it. The warm, wet touch made You Jiale's body stiffen abruptly, and his sobs stopped. Zhang Xiande's deep voice sounded in his ear, "I got the means to communicate with your superiors. I notified them before yesterday's operation."
You Jiale suddenly raised her head, her red and swollen eyes fixed on Zhang Xiande. "Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice was hoarse and incredulous.
Zhang Xiande straightened up, but still kept one arm around You Jiale's waist, pressing him close to him. He looked at You Jiale, his deep eyes reflecting You Jiale's disheveled appearance.
“They’ll be here as soon as possible, but we don’t know how long it will take. We can only prepare.” He paused, his voice lowering, each word like a blow to You Jiale’s heart. “Even if we win, and temporarily hold this city, we have to retreat completely. We can’t stay here any longer.” He looked at the lingering confusion in You Jiale’s eyes and continued, his tone revealing a cruel reality. “If we lose, it won’t just be a matter of killing a few people on these walls. Do you understand, Lele?” He didn’t mention “sacrifice” again, but every word conveyed a consequence colder than “sacrifice.”
Seeing You Jiale's distraught state, Zhang Xiande sighed softly, lifted him by the bottom, and placed him on the desk he had just cleared. You Jiale's body was suddenly lifted, and he let out a low moan. Before he could react, Zhang Xiande pressed down on him, his burning lips fiercely kissing him.
It was a kiss filled with predation and possession, mingled with You Jiale's tears. Zhang Xiande held the back of his head with one hand and tightly wrapped his other arm around his waist, locking him completely in his embrace, leaving him nowhere to escape. You Jiale was completely stunned, his mind blank, only feeling his legs go weak from the kiss and his body go numb as if electrocuted. He subconsciously reached out and grabbed Zhang Xiande's shirt collar.
Zhang Xiande's tongue forcefully probed in, stirring and swirling. You Jiale was forced to respond, saliva uncontrollably flowing down the corners of his mouth. The kiss was fierce and intense until Zhang Xiande felt You Jiale's breathing become completely disordered and his whole body go limp as if he had no bones. Only then did Zhang Xiande reluctantly release him.
A few seconds later, Zhang Xiande still held You Jiale tightly as if he were holding a precious treasure, resting his chin on the top of You Jiale's head, his voice filled with loneliness and melancholy, and whispered in You Jiale's ear, "If only this weren't a chaotic world."
Yu Jiale was held in Zhang Xiande's arms, his legs dangling over the edge of the desk, still feeling weak. The kiss just now was like a sudden storm, blowing away the last bit of his consciousness. His mind was blank, with only Zhang Xiande's burning body temperature and those light words echoing in his ears.
He didn't know why Zhang Xiande kissed him, especially after he had told him those cruel facts. The kiss, intense yet tender, and the words contained an emotion he had never seen in Zhang Xiande before, an emotion bordering on weakness.
“I…” You Jiale finally found his voice, hoarse from crying and panting from being kissed, his voice so weak it was almost inaudible, “You…” He didn’t know what to say, all the questions he wanted to ask were stuck in his throat, he just stared straight at Zhang Xiande.
Seeing You Jiale's stunned expression, Zhang Xiande felt a surge of tenderness welling up inside him. He knew his actions had been abrupt, but he couldn't bear to see You Jiale so desperate. In that instant, all he wanted was to pull this person into his arms like this, to let him feel in the most direct way—no matter how cruel this chaotic world was, at least he was still here.
“Now, wipe your tears. We still have a lot to do.” Zhang Xiande’s tone regained some of its usual calmness and control, as if the sudden kiss and the sad words just now were just a brief interlude.
Hearing this, You Jiale seemed to snap out of his daze. He reached up and wiped his face; it was wet, and he couldn't tell if it was tears or saliva. He looked at Zhang Xiande, his eyes still confused, but the light in them had refocused somewhat.
Yes, they still have a lot to do; it's not the time for sentimentality. His fingers were still gripping Zhang Xiande's shirt collar, but that helpless grasp had turned into an unconscious reliance, as if searching for a fulcrum to prevent himself from collapsing in this sudden impact.
There was something he seemed to be beginning to understand: in this chaotic world, he and Zhang Xiande seemed to be bound together more and more closely by fate, in whatever form.
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