IJLHTW - 27

Yi Zecheng looked down at the woman in his arms—her face, like cold jade, was full of anger.

In his hand was a gun, its dark muzzle pointed at the kneeling black man. When he had arrived earlier and saw her being choked by the neck, fury and panic surged within him, making him instinctively pull out the gun and aim it at the assailant.

As a member of Médecins Sans Frontières, Yi Zecheng had never held a weapon before.

They were neutral, never involved in a country’s internal conflicts. As long as you were a patient willing to lay down your weapons and walk into their hospital, Médecins Sans Frontières would treat you.

He had never pointed a gun at anyone—until this moment.

Huo Ci leaned against him, coughing continuously. Her neck was red from being strangled, and now that she could breathe freely again, the sudden relief caused her to cough even more.

The black man opposite them was terrified, kneeling on the ground and babbling incoherently.

Xu Siyang held a wooden stick; the dull thud heard earlier was the result of him hitting the head of the black man who had been choking Huo Ci.

“Xu Siyang, go get the camera back,” Yi Zecheng said, still holding Huo Ci, tilting his head slightly toward the person behind him.

Xu Siyang walked forward with the stick, gesturing with his hand, and the man quickly handed over the camera. Xu Siyang then returned it to Huo Ci, who glanced at it—it was indeed her camera.

Undamaged.

“You can go now,” Yi Zecheng said in the local language, his voice cold and stern.

The two black men hadn’t expected him to let them go so easily. Though still afraid, they cautiously walked out. Once they reached the alley’s entrance and saw no one pursuing them, they bolted away.

Once they were gone, Yi Zecheng released Huo Ci.

He put the gun away and looked down at her. His handsome face was icy, his brows tightly furrowed, his thin lips pressed together as he examined her from head to toe. No missing limbs—she was still perfectly fine.

Finally, his heart settled back down.

“What do you think this place is? Do you know how dangerous it is here? Didn’t I tell you not to leave the hotel?” Yi Zecheng looked down at her, his face dark and terrifying.

This was the first time Huo Ci had seen him display such raw emotion.

She should have been happy at this moment because he was clearly worried about her. He had always been calm and collected, as if nothing could stir his emotions. Even during surgeries or when his palm was cut, he remained composed. Yet now, he was scolding her without hesitation—only those who care become agitated.

He was agitated for her.

But Huo Ci wasn’t happy at all. She coldly glanced at him.

She placed the camera back into her backpack, deliberately avoiding looking at him. She feared losing control—if she looked into his eyes, she wouldn’t be able to resist asking why he hadn’t told her something so important.

She picked up her bag and started walking back, but Yi Zecheng grabbed her wrist and asked in a low voice, “Where are you going?”

Seeing them ready to fight, Xu Siyang quickly intervened: “Don’t get angry. Huo Ci, Zecheng didn’t mean to be harsh. He was truly worried. As soon as we returned to the hotel and found you weren’t there, he dragged me out to look for you.”

“Shut up,” Yi Zecheng coldly rebuked him.

Xu Siyang looked wronged—he was just trying to mediate, yet he was still scolded.

“I’m going back to the hotel,” Huo Ci said indifferently, shaking off his hand.

This was the first time she had actively shaken him off. Before, every time she had tried to take advantage of him. After having her hand shaken off, Yi Zecheng stood there, watching her retreating figure.

“Why aren’t you chasing after her?” Xu Siyang beside him urged anxiously.

He said, “Women are like this—they say one thing but mean another. Look how tightly she hugged you just now.”

Yi Zecheng turned to glare coldly at him, and Xu Siyang immediately covered his mouth: “I’ll shut up.”

On the way back, Huo Ci walked ahead while the two men followed behind. The hotel wasn’t far—just a twenty-minute walk.

When they reached the hotel, Pan Chen and others were waiting in the lobby.

Seeing her enter, Pan Chen immediately approached, relieved: “Good to see you’re back.”

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to take a casual stroll,” Huo Ci said to him. Hearing her apology, Yi Zecheng behind her raised his head slightly.

She knew she was wrong but hadn’t apologized to him.

“It’s okay, it’s natural to want to go out sometimes. It’s just that the security here isn’t good. If you want to go out again in the future, it’s best to have me or Zecheng accompany you. This place isn’t like our home country,” Pan Chen said with a hearty laugh. Seeing everyone had returned, he invited them to have lunch together.

Huo Ci shook her head and said, “I’m a bit tired; I’ll rest first.”

After saying that, she went straight to the elevator.

Unable to stop her, Pan Chen asked Yi Zecheng, “What’s going on?”

“Don’t mention it. If we hadn’t found her, this girl would probably have been left stranded today. She risked her life over a camera,” Xu Siyang wanted to continue but, seeing Yi Zecheng’s gaze, obediently closed his mouth.

**

After returning to her room, Huo Ci took a shower and casually draped herself in a long dress.

She had no reason to be angry with Yi Zecheng—it was his business whether he told her or not. Yet the fire in her heart couldn’t be suppressed. She thought that after so long, at least he was wavering.

No matter how she pursued him, deep down, she was certain that this man would eventually be hers.

But Xu Siyang’s words made her doubt her certainty. If he could withhold something so important from her, her confidence and assumptions were utterly baseless.

Huo Ci wasn’t discouraged—she was angry.

A surge of frustration coursed through her body. Afraid of losing control, she didn’t even eat lunch.

Then came a knock on the door—the hotel didn’t even have a doorbell. She didn’t respond.

A voice sounded at the door: “Are you there?”

Still that cold voice, refreshing like ice in the sweltering air, striking one’s heart.

Why did even his voice have to sound so good?

Yi Zecheng stood at the door, one hand in his pocket.

He was always sparing with words. After uttering that question, he fell silent, simply standing there waiting.

Inside, she waited for him to speak again. Huo Ci strained her ears but heard no movement outside. This lousy hotel didn’t even have a peephole. She pressed her ear against the door, but it was quiet outside. Had he already left?

After five minutes, she couldn’t bear it anymore.

As soon as she opened the door a crack, she caught sight of the pants by the door. She hastily pushed the door to close it, but it was too late—a foot clad in black shoes had already blocked the doorway, and then Yi Zecheng squeezed himself in.

Huo Ci stared as he forced his way in and closed the door.

Furious, she exclaimed: “Who gave you permission to come in?”

Yi Zecheng chuckled at her: “Didn’t you open the door?”

“I just wanted to see if you’d left,” Huo Ci snapped angrily.

Yi Zecheng glanced at her. “Oh, I haven’t left.”

Infuriated, Huo Ci glared at him and turned to leave. But Yi Zecheng grabbed her hand and said, “Xu Siyang told me you were angry today because of my medical report, huh?”

Though he spoke seriously, that final “huh” made Huo Ci’s lower abdomen tighten.

She thought, she really liked him too much—even a single word from him could tickle her heart.

She pursed her lips and remained silent until he spoke again: “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were so worried. Such things, I’ve experienced several times before—I’m not used to telling others. So I didn’t tell you, and it wasn’t intentional. If you’re angry about this, I apologize.”

Huo Ci turned to look at him, her big, bright, black eyes filled with shock.

She never expected Yi Zecheng to say such words.

“You don’t need to apologize to me,” Huo Ci’s voice choked as she spoke.

Because she heard him say that he had already experienced such things several times. Thinking that he might have lived in fear during some past time, she felt heartbroken—deeply, deeply heartbroken.

Yi Zecheng looked at the girl before him—her shiny black eyes now veiled with a thin layer of moisture.

He said these things to tell her it wasn’t serious.

But why did she look like she was about to cry?

Yi Zecheng truly lacked experience dealing with women. Before university, he mostly hung out with his buddies. After university, his favorite place was the lab, where he earned his medical doctorate at 26. While others attended parties and made friends, he spent his time in the lab.

He understood medical knowledge well; he knew how to save lives but had never loved anyone.

Yet just moments ago, at the alley’s entrance, when he saw Huo Ci being choked by the black man, her legs flailing in mid-air, his heart ached with both pain and anger.

Without hesitation, he pulled out the gun and aimed it at them.

Hands that had always held a scalpel to save lives now grasped a gun because of her.

“Huo Ci, actually, my personality isn’t good, and…” he began, but before he could finish, the person opposite suddenly crashed into him, pinning him against the door.

She lunged, pressing him hard against the door. The man towering at 187 cm was pinned by her, and she fiercely said, “You’re not allowed to reject me again. If your personality is bad, it doesn’t matter—I’m blind.”

Her tone was fierce, looking less like a confession and more like she was there to fight.

Yi Zecheng: “...” He hadn’t finished speaking.

But before he could say anything, he felt a hand reach for his pants, and with a snap, his belt buckle was undone. One hand supported her weight against his chest, feeling the hard muscles beneath the thin shirt. Everything about him was firm, even...

Her other mischievous hand suddenly stopped because she had already felt the shape inside his pants.

It wasn’t soft—it was hard.

Huo Ci looked up at him, and then her waist was grabbed, her body spun, and she was pressed against the door. It didn’t hurt because his hand cushioned her waist and back from the door.

Yi Zecheng leisurely watched her and calmly said, “Go on, why did you stop?”