Awe

Her body was numb and ice-cold, but the imagined pain did not come, nor was the sensation of impending death as intense as before. In her haze, Zeng Kehen heard gunshots, agonizing screams, and a woman's voice. Before she could recall whose voice it was, she was lifted into someone's arms.

A fresh scent of perfume mingled with the rain drifted into her nose. The warmth from the other person's body brought Zeng Kehen back to her senses. She snapped her eyes open, only to see Su Aoning looking down at her with a conflicted expression. Her face held a rare seriousness, and even her usual gaze had vanished, replaced by reluctance and confusion.

"Why did you save me?"

Zeng Kehen spoke, her eyes scanning the people Su Aoning had shot dead. So, the other woman pointing her gun at her earlier had just been a ruse; her real targets were the people rushing over to kill her.

The heavy rain showed no signs of letting up, even after pouring all night. As the wind grew stronger, Su Aoning's long, slender legs were soon soaked in the water, and the clothes on both her and Zeng Kehen were drenched. At this moment, carrying a girl of similar height, Su Aoning did not find it difficult, simply because the person in her arms was incredibly light.

The two had been strangers, but a turn of events half a month ago brought them together. Su Aoning could not forget that night when Zeng Kehen had dragged her battered body into her home. She had helped her undress and tend to her wounds, seeing her body covered in scars.

Su Aoning had asked Zeng Kehen why she had thought of her in that situation. Wasn't she afraid she would kick her while she was down and kill her while she was weak? But Zeng Kehen had smiled cheerfully and told her that at the time, she had no one else to trust. If she hadn't come to her, she would have died on the streets. Since she was going to die anyway, why not gamble once to find a way to survive?

Hearing Zeng Kehen's explanation, Su Aoning marvelled at how incredibly smart this girl was, yet she also felt a pang of sorrow. Zeng Kehen had no one to trust. At a time like that, a doctor like Lu Weilai was undoubtedly her best choice. Yet she would rather die on the streets or turn to her than seek out Lu Weilai. This meant Zeng Kehen wanted to sever ties with Lu Weilai, even if it cost her life.

"For no reason at all. I just didn't want the world to lose a beauty."

Su Aoning replied casually, carrying Zeng Kehen toward her car.

"Ah... so... Great Beauty Su has been thinking of me... Where are you taking me?"

Zeng Kehen smiled as she spoke. The moment she opened her mouth, fresh blood rushed out, but since she had lost almost all sensation, she didn't realize it.

"To find Lu Weilai to treat your wounds. After all, she was the one who hurt you, so she has to take responsibility, right?" Su Aoning said this with a hint of playfulness. After the shootout today, no matter how foolish she was, she wouldn't actually let Lu Weilai treat Zeng Kehen.

However, perhaps dazed by the rain, Zeng Kehen began to struggle violently upon hearing Lu Weilai's name, whispering weakly that she didn't want to. Seeing her wounds tear open from the movement, Su Aoning was genuinely afraid she would bleed to death before they even reached her house.

"Zeng Kehen! Calm down! I was just joking. I'm taking you to my place."

Seeing Zeng Kehen so agitated, Su Aoning quickly reassured her. Once the other woman heard this, she obediently leaned back into her embrace, her slender frame trembling. Su Aoning didn't know what caused this trembling, but she knew Zeng Kehen's current condition was far from optimistic.

"Hey, don't die in my arms, or carrying you back will turn my house into a funeral home."

Seeing that Zeng Kehen did not reply but gently rested her head on her shoulder, her long purple curls cascaded down, partly floating in the air and partly clinging to her pale face. Rainwater dripped from her hair, making her look breathtakingly beautiful. Seeing her wounds bleeding continuously, Su Aoning quickened her pace, hoping to get home quickly to treat her.

"Dong... Dong Yufei... has a problem..."

After a long while, Zeng Kehen managed to squeeze out those words. Hearing her speak, Su Aoning's body stiffened, and her expression darkened. Perhaps neither Lu Weilai nor Zeng Kehen knew what had happened today, but standing on the sidelines, she had seen everything clearly.

That shot hadn't been an accidental discharge from Lu Weilai's gun. Instead, Dong Yufei had taken advantage of the chaos to shoot Zeng Kehen! This discovery had initially shocked Su Aoning, and she had almost doubted herself, thinking she was seeing things. But hearing Zeng Kehen say it now, she was certain she hadn't misjudged.

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Finally reaching the parking spot, Su Aoning placed Zeng Kehen in the passenger seat, then ran to the driver's side and stepped on the gas, heading toward her house. Although the car's air conditioning was on, Zeng Kehen's injured body wouldn't stop shivering. She leaned her head against the window, gasping for breath, trying to raise her hand to cover her wound but dropping it halfway, lacking the strength to lift it again.

"I... believe Weilai wouldn't hurt me... That shot... was definitely Dong Yufei's doing. Besides, Chi Qing and Bai Lin fell into the sea. You guys probably haven't told her yet, right?"

Those words were like a wake-up call. Hearing Zeng Kehen, Su Aoning finally realized something was amiss.

She had taken a night flight back from Germany to Haishi last night. This morning, she met Lu Weilai at the villa and told her about Chi Qing. Immediately after, the two were called to a meeting by the Boss. Throughout the process, neither she nor Lu Weilai had told Dong Yufei about Chi Qing's accident, and the bodyguards only knew that Chi Qing had an issue, not the details. Therefore, the only explanation was that Dong Yufei was fully aware of what had happened that night, perhaps even more than Lu Weilai did. Furthermore, how could an ordinary doctor, with no underworld backing or sphere of influence, face a standoff with armed bodyguards without showing a shred of fear?

Even if Lu Weilai had told Dong Yufei about her and Chi Qing's backgrounds, Dong Yufei, no matter how calm, should have shown some normal human reaction. Unfortunately, she hadn't shown even a hint of fear. The only explanation was that, just as Zeng Kehen said, Dong Yufei had a problem—and a major one at that.

"Haha, it seems the people around us are all crouching tigers and hidden dragons. You're a traitor to the organization, and Dong Yufei's background is unknown. Don't tell me in a few days that the Boss is actually one of Bai Jun's men."

Su Aoning laughed, but a meaningful silence filled the car.

Zeng Kehen's silence made Su Aoning uneasy. Thinking about her own question, Su Aoning weighed a thousand possibilities in her mind. Just as she turned to ask Zeng Kehen if she had remained silent because she guessed correctly, she discovered that the other woman had already lost consciousness.

"Damn it!"

Su Aoning cursed in frustration, but looking at Zeng Kehen's heavily injured body, she unconsciously drove faster.

By the time Su Aoning carried the blood-soaked Zeng Kehen into her house, she saw the medical staff ready. She also saw Su Su standing at the door like a ghost, making no move to help. Only then did Su Aoning remember she had promised to come home early to have dinner with her today, yet she had shamelessly broken her promise again. Looking at the youthful face trying hard to maintain a stony expression, she knew Su Su was angry.

Looking down at her blood-stained body and hands, Su Aoning sheepishly let the medical staff lay Zeng Kehen on the medical bed, then walked over to Su Su.

"I'm sorry, I broke our promise again. But you know what I went to do. I didn't go fooling around at some bar. Don't be mad, okay?"

Ever since she started living with Su Su, Su Aoning felt she was becoming more and more lively. She used to find her life incredibly boring, so she had wanted this quiet girl to live with her just to tease her. But after spending some time together, she realized that instead of her teasing Su Su, it was Su Su who had her wrapped around her finger.

Her carefree days of indulgence ended after living with Su Su. She couldn't go to bars, couldn't bring women home, couldn't smoke, couldn't drink too much, and even her curfew was strictly enforced—returning after ten meant being locked out. The terrifying part was that although she claimed to dislike Su Su's nagging, she actually loved the feeling of having someone waiting for her at home every day.

Come to think of it, she wasn't young anymore. At forty, she would have been an old woman on the verge of the grave in ancient times. Nowadays, forty-year-old unmarried women were rare. However, the thought of marrying some man made Su Aoning shudder. Had she been queer for forty years only to turn straight for marriage? Ridiculous! How could she be so weak? A single life was just a game, and it was much more interesting than the game of marriage.

Thinking of this, Su Aoning looked at Su Su standing aside, then thought of her perfect sister who had already departed to the Yellow Springs.

Su Aoran, if you were still alive, perhaps I would be a bit more noble.

"What are you dazing off for? You're so dirty, go take a shower."

Just as Su Aoning lost herself in reminiscence, Su Su suddenly reached out with a handkerchief to wipe her face. The handkerchief was soft, and Su Su didn't use much force, so it didn't hurt. Instead, it warmed Su Aoning's heart. As her face was being wiped, Su Aoning looked at Su Su, who was ignoring her, and felt that this tsundere little thing was simply too adorable!

"Miss Su, please come over for a moment."

Just as Su Aoning was happily teasing Su Su, the anxious voice of the medical staff came. Without a word, she rushed inside, only to see Zeng Kehen lying naked on the bed. Aside from the wound on her abdomen, there were numerous other scars. Su Aoning pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, thinking that it was a good thing she hadn't brought her to Lu Weilai. Doing so might not have helped Zeng Kehen at all.

"How is she?"

Su Aoning squinted, looking at Zeng Kehen, who was clearly struggling to remain conscious, and asked in a low voice.

"We've administered anesthesia and are preparing to extract the bullet. But because of the delay and severe blood loss, we're worried there might be danger during the surgery. Furthermore, your friend seems to have something to say."

"Alright, go ahead and extract the bullet. I'll talk to her."

"This..."

The staff hesitated. After all, extracting a bullet could be simple or highly risky; what if an infection occurred?

"Don't worry. This person has survived countless fatal wounds before and always treated them carelessly. Just do it."

Having said that, Su Aoning stood by the bed, looking down at Zeng Kehen.

"Su Aoning..."

"Yes, go ahead."

"Actually... I've always wanted to travel the world, but I never had the time. Why don't... you let your little girl help me out, okay?"

Perhaps others wouldn't understand Zeng Kehen's words, wondering if she had lost her mind to talk about traveling at a time like this. But Su Aoning understood the deeper meaning behind them. Looking at Zeng Kehen's pale face and her blood-mangled abdomen from the surgery, Su Aoning nodded and walked toward the door.

"I won't tell her any news about you. Rest assured."

Zeng Kehen, you are so stubborn... stubborn enough to command my utmost respect.