The Insomniac Movie King (18)

As soon as Si Jiu rushed into the inferno, she realized that Qi Yan wasn’t inside.

The system had scanned the warehouse interior immediately.

But since she was already here—and as far as she knew, there were still people trapped inside—she decided she might as well bring someone out with her.

With this mindset, she had the system pinpoint the exact location of the two trapped individuals and made her way over to rescue them.

The system filtered out most of the smoke for her; aside from the excessive heat, she didn’t feel too uncomfortable.

But the people inside weren’t so lucky. One of them had been especially unfortunate, trapped beneath a fallen beam. By the time Si Jiu reached him, he had already stopped breathing.

The other person wasn’t doing much better; it was unclear how he’d been injured, but his sleeve and hands were smeared with blood.

“Can you walk?” she asked.

At the sound of her voice, the man jerked his head up, scrutinized her closely, and gradually a strange joy and excitement flickered in his eyes.

“Yes,” he rasped. His voice was terribly hoarse, likely from inhaling too much smoke.

Si Jiu nodded, signaling for him to save his breath and follow her.

Flames licked above their heads and all around; their path back was anything but smooth, the front entrance blocked by burning debris.

Fortunately, the system guided them around to another side, where a back door was located. It was normally locked, but that was no obstacle for Si Jiu.

They were nearly out when, suddenly, the system’s voice sounded in her mind: “Qi Yan came in to look for you.”

Si Jiu fell silent.

She stepped forward and kicked the iron door open with brute force, then told the man, “Go ahead.”

Seeing her turn to leave, the man called out anxiously, “Where are you going?”

“To save someone.”

Si Jiu’s figure quickly disappeared into the smoke.

Now, only he and the other—already dead—remained inside. Who else was she going to save?

Conflicted and troubled, the survivor suddenly gritted his teeth and chased after her.

With no one else around, Si Jiu no longer bothered to suppress her strength. She bulldozed through the blocked paths, clearing the way by force. Near the entrance, she heard Qi Yan’s voice calling for her again and again—each cry filled with unwavering determination.

She hurried toward him and saw Qi Yan, his clothes nearly scorched to cinders.

…

Si Jiu’s shirt carried her scent; when she draped it over Qi Yan’s head, he felt as though he might drown in it.

As she took his arm to support him, Qi Yan grabbed her wrist in return. With his other hand, he yanked the shirt from her grip.

And then he saw her—standing there in nothing but her undergarments.

“Cough, cough… You. Put it on.” He tossed the flimsy shirt back at her, face dark with embarrassment.

Who wears two layers in the height of summer?

She’d only given it to him because she saw how the heat was tormenting him.

And yet he didn’t appreciate it!

Si Jiu pursed her lips but slipped the shirt back on.

Qi Yan’s voice was tight with anger, “Why do you always make me look for you? Huh? Always make me look!”

All the fear and anxiety he couldn’t voice turned to fury as he saw her standing before him, utterly unharmed.

“If you keep making reckless decisions, I’ll chain you up!”

“Hey, who do you think I’m doing all this for?”

Qi Yan opened his mouth but the retort died on his tongue.

That’s right.

It was for him.

What could she have been thinking, throwing herself into a burning building just to save him?

He hadn’t even witnessed it himself—just hearing a terse report from a bodyguard had already shaken him to his core.

Even if she was a hired bodyguard… did she really have to go this far?

“Cough… Is it possible that you…” like me?

“Are you done? Is this the time or place for a chat? Let’s get out of here before the place collapses,” she cut him off.

His words stuttered to a halt, his turbulent emotions forcibly quelled.

This was certainly no place for confessions.

He’d wait until they were outside.

Then he could let this stubborn little girl know: since you like me so much, maybe I can like you a little, too.

After all, what could he do with her?

“Let’s go,” Qi Yan said tersely.

The two bodyguards immediately turned to lead the way.