Free Web NovelChapter 513: Chapter 511: Had a Bit to Drink
"Over there at the lab!" Someone shouted loudly on the playground.
Thick smoke billowed out from the lab’s windows, and faint flickers of fire could be seen.
"Quick, call 119."
Soon, many people gathered under the laboratory building, all speculating that an experiment went wrong, leading to an explosion.
Thick smoke rolled out like waves through the windows.
The teachers and the principal arrived, both anxious and worried as they looked toward the laboratory. They were overwhelmed and unsure of the situation inside.
The person in charge of daily lab management said the teacher had taken students inside for an experiment.
The scene was chaotic, with various speculations, and the strong, unpleasant smell gradually wafted into everyone’s noses. There were too many chemical supplies in the lab, making it hard to ensure that no toxic components were present.
The mixtures also posed a risk of a more serious accident occurring, so the principal evacuated the students.
...
Soon, a fire truck arrived at the school.
"Captain Lu, a small-scale explosion in the lab caused the fire." The team member reported the situation.
Lu Yan nodded slightly: "Start by extinguishing the fire from the outside. A few of you, come with me to rescue people inside."
"Yes!"
"Ask the teachers for the list of people in the lab, see how many are inside." The man’s voice was calm and composed as he gave orders.
In less than a minute, the list was delivered.
But Lu Yan and his team couldn’t wait and had already gone inside.
The team member outside read the names on the list through the walkie-talkie.
When Song Nuan’s name was heard from the intercom, the man’s body suddenly froze, his lips quivered slightly, and his voice carried uncertainty: "Who?"
"Song Nuan." The person repeated.
Lu Yan’s heart tightened in an instant, his hands clenched into fists, as he exhaled deeply, his teeth gritting hard.
Upon hearing that name, his mind went blank for a moment. The buzzing noise echoed in his ears.
"Captain Lu, what’s wrong?" A team member noticed Lu Yan’s unusual mood: "If you’re not feeling well, step outside; we’ll carry on with the rescue inside."
Lu Yan adjusted his mood, gritting his teeth, and replied with two words: "No problem."
...
Thick smoke poured out of the lab, the fire didn’t spread too far due to the quick reporting.
The air was filled with a pungent odor.
"Captain, people are inside, unconscious, but showing signs of life."
"Rescue them!"
...
The rescue mission was swift, as the fire brigade was close to the school and responded quickly, had taken measures promptly inside the lab, and both students and teachers were injured and unconscious.
One experiment, plus the teacher, totaled five people.
Only four were rescued, one was still missing.
The team member reported: "Captain Lu, the one named Song Nuan..."
Before finishing the sentence, he was pushed aside with great force, only to see Lu Yan’s back rushing toward the lab.
The fire was extinguished, but the smoke hadn’t cleared, and the air still carried a pungent smell; the safety hazard hadn’t been eliminated as it was a chemical lab, there was a chance of another explosion.
"You all go out first! I’ll find the remaining person myself."
He heard just this one command from Lu Yan, firm and unavoidable.
"Captain Lu, be cautious."
...
The visibility inside the chemical lab was low due to the thick smoke, all around there were test tubes, reagents, and instruments.
"Song Nuan." He called out her name while walking inside.
Aside from his voice, he could only hear his own pounding heartbeat, almost breaking out of his chest, his eyes were red, unsure if it was due to the smoke or urgency.
"Song Nuan! Song Nuan!"
Calling her name, he overturned everything inside that could pin someone down, searching repeatedly without finding any trace of her.
His mouth uttered her name, without any response.
Lu Yan dared not imagine anything, kept moving to find her, continually reassuring himself that she was all right.
Outside was noisy, but inside it was a scene newly burnt by fire, yet wet everywhere, each step accompanied by the sound of water.
At the innermost part, when Lu Yan rushed over, he saw a strand of hair sticking out from under a desk, his pupils contracted instantly and he immediately ran over, forcefully flipping the desk.
A loud rumble ensued.
An instant, he was confronted with the sight of a girl covered in blood all over, face caked with dirt, hardly recognizable.
She lay on the ground, her thin body drenched in blood.
The blood seemed to be still flowing from her neck...
For a second, his vision darkened, his mind became foggy as if something was suppressing his breathing, at the same time, he felt all the blood in his body freezing.
The dull pain resonated through his chest, the overwhelming despair and heartache nearly choking him into silence.
He pressed on her wound, his eyes had turned red terrifyingly, as he held her carefully and carried her out.
He rasped out:
"Ambulance! Ambulance!"
The doctor rushed over when he saw the girl cradled by him for emergency treatment.
Undoubtedly, she was the most severely injured in the accident.
"Captain Lu, the rescue is complete, there’s some aftermath still..."
"You lead the team." Lu Yan, trembling slightly, the girl’s blood staining his chest, spoke hoarsely while removing his firefighting gear, visibly frantic: "I’m heading to the hospital."
The man’s voice trembled, his eyes red too.
"Are you injured?" A team member worriedly examined Lu Yan: "Where do you feel unwell?"
Saying this, intending to check on Lu Yan.
"Don’t ask me that!" Lu Yan angrily flung his coat to the ground and turned, boarding the ambulance.
His silhouette exuded an intense aura of malice.
Currently, his feelings were agitated, oppressive.
Especially seeing Song Nuan’s condition, making him almost unable to breathe.
Leaving the team behind, staring in a daze at the ground and then at the departing ambulance, somewhat at a loss.
"That’s Captain Lu’s girlfriend, seems her name is Song Nuan." A team member came over to say.
That team member looked at the bloodstains on the ground, which was from Lu Yan carrying Song Nuan out, dripping from her.
"Looks like..." He tightened his lips: "The odds are slim, right?"
"Huh?" The other opened his mouth in disbelief: "She should... be fine, right?"
...
Meanwhile, Song Yi grabbed her coat, intending to head out.
In her mind, she couldn’t shake off seeing Tang Si coming out, eyelashes wet, whether from water or something else.
And the man’s hoarse voice.
Initially, she thought it was due to exhaustion.
But upon careful reflection, it was because the video she watched, Tang Si knew there was a chance it might get circulated.
As she walked out, she called Tang Si. The call connected, but no one answered.
Her pace quickened as she exited the elevator, almost running outside.
"Ring ring ring—" The phone in her hand suddenly rang.
Song Yi’s heart skipped a beat, thinking Tang Si was calling back, without breaking her stride, she picked up the phone to check.
The caller ID showed it was her mother.
She pursed her lips tightly and was about to swipe the screen to answer the call: "Uh—"
Lowering her head, she suddenly bumped into someone’s embrace.
"Thud—" The phone in her hand was knocked to the ground.
"In such a hurry, what are you doing?" At this moment, a familiar male voice came from above.
Song Yi stopped her action of crouching to pick up the phone, suddenly looked up.
She saw Tang Si at once, as usual, he had a faint smile on his face, looking down at her.
Song Yi’s eyes instantly reddened, she stood on tiptoe and hugged Tang Si tightly.
Faced with her sudden embrace, the man was slightly stunned, not knowing what was wrong with her, sensing her unease, he gently hugged her back and asked softly, "What’s wrong?"
"Where did you go?"
In her ear, came the muffled voice of a woman, a bit anxious, with a hint of panic.
"Taking care of something."
"Why didn’t you answer the call? The team had something urgent." Song Yi released Tang Si slightly, still holding him, and asked while looking at him in his arms, "They called me because they couldn’t find you; I was worried sick."
"Hmm?" Tang Si touched himself, couldn’t find the phone, and smiled: "The phone might have been left in the prison."
He asked again: "What’s the matter?"
This time Song Yi frowned slightly: "Did you drink?"
Tang Si raised his hand, the back of his hand covering his forehead: "Yeah, met an old friend, had some drinks. Haven’t drunk in a long time; now my head hurts a bit."
Song Yi’s lips moved slightly, wanting to say something.
She saw it clearly, it wasn’t about drinking with an old friend, but rather he was in a bad mood and went to isolate and adjust himself.
Some things that seem unbearable to others are extremely harsh, pressing down with the weight of a thousand pounds.
Especially, for him as the person involved.
His casual remarks tugged at her heart fiercely.
If she didn’t know about that video, she would have been fooled by him.
"Ring ring ring—" Before Song Yi could speak, the phone on the ground rang again, almost like urgency itself.
It was still her mother calling.
Song Yi bent down and picked up the phone: "I’ll take the call; my mom might have something urgent."
"Hmm." Tang Si put one hand in his pocket and nodded slightly, watching Song Yi answer the phone.
"Hello?" Song Yi: "Mom, what’s wrong?"
Something on the other end was said, Song Yi’s face changed immediately, turning deathly pale.
"Thud—" The phone once again fell to the ground.
Song Yi’s body went limp, and Tang Si immediately supported her with one hand.
He frowned, his expression filled with seriousness: "What’s wrong?"
Before Song Yi could say anything, Tang Si supported her with one hand and picked up the phone from the ground with the other, taking over the call: "I’m Tang Si, has something happened?"
On the other side, there seemed to be sobbing voices, wanting to speak but unable to.
"Song Nuan is in trouble." The phone was picked up by Father Song, his voice heavy, saying these words, then paused for a few seconds, trying to compose himself: "There was a mistake in the lab, an explosion and fire. When she fell, her neck was cut by a sharp object, losing a lot of blood, and there are other injuries, now in emergency rescue, we don’t know if she can..."
Tang Si frowned: "Before the doctor’s results come out, it’s all unknown; don’t worry, which hospital is she in? I’ll take Song Yi there immediately."
...
In the hospital.
The atmosphere was extraordinarily quiet and tense.
Outside the operating room, Father Song and Mother Song were anxiously waiting, Mother Song already cried until she couldn’t speak, inconsolable.
The daughter was still so young, encountering such a thing, the thought of that possibility immediately overwhelmed her, her heart seized with pain.
Meanwhile, Lu Yan sat in the chair, head bowed, fingers interlaced, elbows resting on his knees, his aura particularly silent.
Before, he thought Song Nuan was nothing more than an innocent girl with no special traits, just a bit cleaner and purer than others, playful and mischievous, and liked to cling to him.
Whenever she saw him, she’d bend those pretty apricot eyes, posing in a soft and obedient manner to act coquettish, or pout stubbornly at him.
She could even bid farewell to him cleanly, like an adult.
What he thought was, they were people from two worlds that couldn’t possibly belong together. Hence, they could separate, and being together was just a superficial formality.
The least interference was the best.
Now, with her life on the line, her safety uncertain, his mind was empty and lost, he thought that when she moved out, it was a matter of getting used to it. He comforted and convinced himself that way.
Only now did he realize it was because Song Nuan was okay, he knew she was living well, but now, he might never see her again.
That sweet girl, her smile pure and innocent, blood seemed irrelevant to her, yet now it surrounded and invaded her.
Lu Yan raised his hand, covering his face, deeply inhaling.
The dense scent of blood still lingered in his nostrils, constantly stimulating his nerves.
He couldn’t let her go.
He... liked her.
This was the truth.
Seeing her covered in blood, he nearly broke down.
...
Father Song was comforting Mother Song, glanced at Lu Yan sitting over there.
He thought for a moment, then spoke to Lu Yan: "Captain Lu, if you’re busy, you can head back, there’s no need to wait here. We really appreciate you saving Nuannuan."
"We can handle watching over here ourselves."
Lu Yan heard Father Song’s words, his body froze a bit, gradually raised his eyes to look at him, for a while, he couldn’t find words to respond.
His mind was muddled and chaotic.
His lips moved slightly, wanting to speak, but those words were swallowed back down, given the situation, it wasn’t appropriate to say anything now.
It was laughable, as he really didn’t have the identity to stay here and watch over her now.
No way to wait for her to come out openly.
Seeing that Lu Yan hadn’t spoken for a long time, Father Song spoke again: "Don’t feel embarrassed, we all know you’re usually busy at work, you’ve worked hard this time; you should go rest instead of staying here."
Father Song, being a businessman, would consider thoroughly on behalf of others.
In situations like this, it’s generally hard to leave without a good reason, and he would surely give him an excuse to leave conveniently.
Not expecting that the other party didn’t actually want to leave.
"I..." Lu Yan pressed his lips together, saying just this one word, realizing his voice was terribly hoarse, he cleared his throat slightly: "It’s fine, I’m not busy, I’ll wait until she comes out so I can feel relieved. I also need to go back and write a summary of this incident."
Although he cleared his throat, the voice was still hoarse, full of emotion.
Ultimately, he could only use this work excuse to stay.
Father Song nodded upon hearing this, no longer insisting that he leave.
At this moment, the door of the operating room suddenly opened.
A doctor came out: "Who is a family member? The patient is losing a lot of blood and the blood bank is insufficient, needs a transfusion."
