Let us wind back the clock a bit.
Right as Yu Jin headed straight to the 46th floor to confirm the safety of old Director Chi, Tang Yaoting was frantically searching for Wu Xinting inside the hospital.
He worried that Yu Jin's words might turn out to be prophetic—that Xia Jie might still have accomplices left in the hospital. Since Wu Xinting was an undercover agent tasked with security, she would definitely interrogate and vet any suspicious person she found.
If an accident happened during that process...
The pain of Group 4's departure was still raw; Tang Yaoting simply could not accept another loss.
He searched at high speed, banging on doors one by one—the nurse's station, patient wards, doctors' offices, and the Compounding Room. He checked everywhere he could think of, searching several floors up and down, but there was still no sign of her.
He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. In his desperation, a flash of inspiration hit his mind: since she was here to protect old Director Chi, perhaps she would be on the 46th floor right now.
And so, he frantically mashed the elevator buttons to go to the 46th floor. But the elevators were busy, stuck going up and down and barely budging.
Burning with anxiety and realizing he couldn't wait for the elevator, Tang Yaoting gritted his teeth and resolutely charged into the stairwell.
It was only thirty-something floors. How hard could it be?
Thirty floors left. Victory was within sight.
Twenty-five floors left. He couldn't do it; he needed a break.
Twenty-three floors left. Wu Xinting, you had better be on the 46th floor.
Twenty-two floors left. He had suffered for love.
Twenty-one floors left. Love was truly bitter.
Twenty floors left... Actually, forget it. Marriage wasn't necessarily happy anyway; there was nothing wrong with being single.
Tang Yaoting collapsed in exhaustion, sprawling flat on the floor like a pancake. He gasped for breath, trying to comfort himself.
He thought to himself that if only one party was putting in the effort and feeling thoroughly exhausted in a relationship, then that kind of love couldn't even be called love.
True love should be a mutual, two-way street.
It seemed she wasn't the one he was waiting for.
Tang Yaoting came to terms with it; Tang Yaoting's heart was broken.
After a moment, his sore and limp legs regained some strength.
Pushing himself up against the wall, Tang Yaoting believed in love once more.
What if she was also rushing to meet him, but he was the one who had collapsed halfway?
With that thought, a look of determination filled his eyes, and he set off upstairs again. Right at that moment, a set of light, hollow footsteps suddenly echoed from above.
Tang Yaoting looked up toward the sound, catching only a glimpse of the hem of a nurse's skirt.
Yet just that sliver of a hem made his breath hitch, and his heart began to race.
Could this figure be...?
Tang Yaoting knew that the probability of Wu Xinting and him appearing in the stairwell at the same time was virtually zero.
As his P.E. teacher had taught him, events with zero probability basically never happened.
But what if?
Reality demanded logic, but love defied all reason.
If she really appeared here, it would prove she was his destiny.
Tang Yaoting held his breath, filled with anticipation.
As the figure descended, Tang Yaoting's eyes widened more and more. When she finally stepped fully into view, he froze, and then a wave of sheer ecstasy washed over his face.
!!!
Who said there was no such thing as a two-way street in this world?
Who said superficial... love at first sight was destined to be fleeting?
Who said Tang Yaoting didn't deserve love!
Haters, speak up!
Tang Yaoting was incredibly thrilled. His entire body trembled—whether from excitement or exhaustion, he didn't know. Staring with pure delight at the approaching figure, his mouth opened and closed several times, but he actually started stuttering.
“Y-You... Y-you...”
Enormous joy filled his heart, temporarily stripping him of the ability to form words.
It was Wu Xinting instead—yes, the person walking down from above was indeed Wu Xinting in her nurse's uniform. She looked rather weak, her lips pale and her face completely devoid of color.
Clearly, she was also surprised to see Tang Yaoting here. But soon, as if realizing something, a faint smile graced her face. She walked up to Tang Yaoting with slow steps, looked into his eyes which were brimming with unconcealable joy, and said: “Are you here looking for me?”
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Hurry up and speak, you useless mouth!
Tang Yaoting was so anxious his lips were practically tripping over themselves. After trembling for a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence: “I do.”
“...”
Wu Xinting was taken aback, then gave him a charming roll of her eyes.
Tang Yaoting had never seen that look before, but he knew that she, too, was saying, “I do.”
Overjoyed, he wanted to embrace her, but feeling it might be too forward, he awkwardly withdrew his half-opened arms.
Wu Xinting seemed to read his intentions. She let out a soft chuckle, pouted slightly, and suddenly, her legs buckled, sending her falling straight into Tang Yaoting's arms.
The instant her hair brushed against his neck, Tang Yaoting froze.
Help... Help!
This question wasn't in the study guide!
This was way out of syllabus! What was he supposed to do?!
Strategist, where were you?!
I NEED HELP!
His rigid body bore Wu Xinting's weight, locking him to the spot, completely at a loss.
His mind felt like a boiling kettle. His brain was screaming, and his cheeks burned red.
He stared straight ahead, keeping his eyes glued to the staircase railing, not even daring to steal a glance at the “love” in his arms.
He was terrified that with just one glance, this dreamlike love would vanish.
Feeling his awkward tension, Wu Xinting leaned against his shoulder and said weakly: “I couldn't get the elevator and walked up the stairs for a bit, so my blood sugar is a little low. There wasn't much work today on my first day, and I've basically finished everything. I got permission from the head nurse to leave... Will you... take me back?”
“!!??”
Tang Yaoting shuddered all over, unable to believe his ears.
What did she say?
She wanted him to take her back?
“Back where?”
“Home.”
Whose home?!
Instead of the expected ecstasy, Tang Yaoting was utterly stunned, every single muscle in his body as rigid as a board.
Seeing him so tense, Wu Xinting's eyes rippled with amusement. She rested against his chest and giggled. “Your heart is beating so fast.”
Tang Yaoting's stiff body tightened even further, his rigid face unable to squeeze out even the slightest smile.
She looked up at him, pursing her lips. “Is the medicine to save you not working yet?”
Tang Yaoting looked down into those autumn-water eyes and felt a metaphorical arrow pierce his heart.
He recalled the words he had spoken to Wu Xinting in the Compounding Room: “Yes, I am sick, terminally ill! And you are the medicine that can save me.”
She was admitting that she was his medicine!
In that moment, all of Tang Yaoting's shock dissolved into a tenderness soft as water. He gave the woman in his arms a firm nod, saying with utmost seriousness: “Okay, yes. I'll take you home.”
He scooped her up in his arms without a second thought, various emotions flashing through his eyes.
Wu Xinting lay in his embrace, offering a bright smile before closing her eyes and falling into a light slumber.
Tang Yaoting stood frozen on the spot for a long while. Soon, his gaze turned resolute, and he began taking steps down the stairs one by one.
Love was truly bitter, and he was tasting it once more.
The battle downstairs was still raging, and most of the hospital's attention was focused on the front courtyard.
However, the Bureau's field agents had not slacked off; there were large numbers of personnel guarding every entrance and exit.
Carrying her, Tang Yaoting walked all the way to the guard post, where he was stopped by a field agent who demanded to verify their identities.
He refused the check, telling them that field agents didn't have high enough clearance, and demanded they bring over the Special Response Squad.
When she heard the words “Special Response Squad,” the body of Wu Xinting in his arms visibly tensed slightly, though she did not open her eyes.
It was a good thing she didn't, or she would have seen the silent Tang Yaoting frantically winking and making faces at the field agents.
The field agents were smart. Realizing something was off, they quickly summoned reinforcements.
The moment the backup Special Response Squad waiting on the perimeter arrived, Tang Yaoting looked like he had found his savior. He tossed the person in his arms right at them, pointing at Wu Xinting as he wailed in heartbreak and agony: “She has a problem! She betrayed our pure love!”
“???”
Everyone present was stunned. So was Wu Xinting.
She certainly couldn't allow herself to fall into the hands of the Special Response Squad. She snapped her eyes open midair, twisted her body to cushion her fall, rolled onto the ground, and stabilized herself.
The entire movement was smooth as silk. There wasn't a trace of her supposed weakness left.
The surrounding agents instantly reacted as well, raising their firearms to encircle her.
Half-kneeling on the ground, Wu Xinting's face was dark. She looked up at the man standing not far away, whom she had once deemed an idiot, only now realizing that she was the truly foolish one.
She had actually fallen for an idiot's trick.
She let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“How did you find out? Didn't you like me?”
She slowly got to her feet, acting like a pitiable abandoned soul as she demanded an “explanation” from Tang Yaoting.
Tang Yaoting was furious. Clutching his chest dramatically as if he were “wounded,” he said: “You don't deserve to speak of love to me! The one I liked was Wu Xinting, my special agent colleague, not you—this suspicious Wu Xinting who sneaked around and tried to use my identity to leave the hospital at such a sensitive time! Tell me, you aren't the real Wu Xinting! Where did you hide the real Tingting?!”
“...”
The Special Response Squad had only thought they were here to make an arrest; they hadn't expected to get a ringside seat to such juicy drama.
Their curious gazes drifted from the man to the woman, only to see the woman snort in disgust and say: “Tingting? Truly disgusting. Feelings really are a stumbling block, whether they're real or fake. I am Wu Xinting, and only Wu Xinting. I have never been anyone's accessory, and I was never your colleague. As for my true identity—hmph, don't waste your breath, I'm not telling you. Only the unknown can summon fear, and fear is the ultimate truth of this world. May we all descend into eternal fear. I will be waiting for you in hell. We... will meet again.”
Saying that, Wu Xinting whipped out a gun from nowhere and aimed it at her own temple without a second thought.
Bang!
“!!!”
After the gunshot, everyone was shocked.
Before the body could even hit the ground, the Special Response Squad rushed over. They immediately snatched the gun from Wu Xinting's hand, picked it up to examine it closely, and were shocked to discover it was a standard Bureau-issue firearm.
Tang Yaoting was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected her to die so decisively.
He felt his waist, only to realize his gun was missing. She had used the very firearm she had swiped from him.
Staring at the collapsed corpse and the pooling blood, Tang Yaoting's lips trembled as a complex look crossed his face.
His love had truly been like a night-blooming cereus—over before it could even blossom.
But!
His career was just beginning.
Suddenly, his grief-stricken face turned dead serious. Turning to his surrounding colleagues, he earnestly sought their advice: “Say, if my gun neutralized a suspicious individual, does this count as my achievement?”
“?”
The Bureau agents present were completely flabbergasted.
They hadn't even fully recovered from the juicy drama, yet Tang Yaoting, the main protagonist of the soap opera, was already pondering how to leverage it for performance points.
Was this really the Post-Disaster Investigation Team's Group 4 that had been hunted down by Xia Jie?
Looking at it now, it seemed there was a very good reason they were targeted.
Just as everyone was left speechless, a violent consciousness disturbance suddenly erupted from the upper floors of the hospital, triggering the alarms once again.
Only this time, it was no longer the frequency of an emergency response, but a warning of an impending nightmare!
A Nightmare Disaster had descended without warning!
Everyone spun around in shock and horror, unable to believe it.
“What?!”
“How could it happen now?!”
...
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