Marked by the Milk-Soft Alpha I Picked Up (Entertainment Circle) - Chapter 23

“Hurry, hurry… Call 911!”

“It’s too late. The fire department will take at least ten minutes to get here. Go find a fire extinguisher!”

“Oh my God… Sister Ruoyun… Sister Ruoyun is still inside…”

Guan Yinghan stood frozen in place, unable to hear any of the surrounding sounds. A few seconds later, a trembling gasp escaped her lips. Her eyes were filled with immense fear and, reflected in the firelight, she looked like a demon from hell.

The entire set was in chaos. People were calling, looking for fire extinguishers, or huddled together in fear. But no one was running toward the third floor.

Only Guan Yinghan, after a brief moment of dizziness, came to her senses and ran toward the third floor with reckless abandon.

Ji Wan noticed her movement and grabbed her from behind, holding on tightly. “Second Miss, don’t go! It’s too dangerous! Flames are already shooting out the windows. The entire third floor must be on fire.”

Guan Yinghan forcefully pried her hands away, her eyes wide with rage. “Let go! Ruoyun is in there! I have to save her!”

Ji Wan didn’t let go; instead, she tightened her grip. “Second Miss, let me go instead! I promise I’ll get Miss Lin out without a scratch.”

“No! That’s Ruoyun. I won’t feel at ease until I see with my own eyes that she’s safe.” Guan Yinghan was a top-tier Alpha, and her strength was no less than Ji Wan’s. She easily broke free. “Ruoyun is afraid of fire. You won’t be able to comfort her.”

Ruoyun’s grandmother died in a fire. In her extreme grief, she chose to forget the experience, but she was still subconsciously terrified of fire.

At home, she used an induction cooktop, with no open flames.

She would even close her eyes in fear when someone used a lighter to light a cigarette.

Thinking of this, Guan Yinghan didn’t dare to delay for a second. She ripped off a male actor’s thick costume, draped it over herself, and snatched a bucket of water from a young male Omega. She doused herself from head to toe and ran toward the stairs like an arrow.

This three-story wooden building was a temporary republican-style mansion built for the show. To save costs, they used recycled wood.

Because of this wood, the fire spread rapidly. When Guan Yinghan reached the third floor, she could see the wardrobe room was engulfed in flames from a distance.

Guan Yinghan covered her mouth and nose and charged into the fire. The flames and thick smoke rushed toward her face, but she felt no pain. Her mind was focused only on Lin Ruoyun, who was in danger.

She bent her body, using the wet costume to protect her head, and frantically searched the burning wardrobe room.

“Jiejie… Jiejie… where are you?”

When the fire started, Lin Ruoyun was changing in the small inner room of the wardrobe room. She felt something was wrong when she saw smoke coming through the crack of the door.

She quickly pulled up her clothes, ran over, and opened the door. The flames that rushed out made her shrink back.

She actually had a chance to escape at that moment, but her extreme fear of fire made her legs go weak. She collapsed next to the vanity, trembling and curling into a ball. She watched the rising flames in terror, unable to even cry for help.

Just as she was isolated and on the brink of despair, she heard a voice so anxious it was shaking.

“Jiejie… Jiejie…”

Is it a hallucination?

I think I hear Nai Tang’s voice.

“Jiejie… it’s me, Nai Tang… where are you?”

Nai Tang!

It really is Nai Tang!

Why did she come here?

Lin Ruoyun tensed and slowly regained consciousness. She forced a word from her throat—

“Nai Tang… I’m here…”

She tried her best to control her fear, propping herself up with her hands, and slowly crawled toward the door. When she reached the doorway, she suddenly saw a burning figure stumbling toward her.

The roiling air distorted the view of the entire room, but that burning silhouette became clearer and clearer. She rushed over, threw off the badly burned costume, and revealed a face covered in soot.

Lin Ruoyun stared at her blankly. Anxiety, heartache, fear, helplessness, and gratitude all intertwined, finally turning into a cascade of tears.

Guan Yinghan hugged Lin Ruoyun tightly, then tighter still. She felt her solid, real presence in her arms and let out a small sigh of relief. Then she pulled her away and checked her from head to toe. “Are you hurt? Can you walk?”

Lin Ruoyun suddenly shivered as she stared at the sparks in the fiery air. She closed her eyes in fear. “Nai Tang, don’t worry about me. Get out of here!”

Guan Yinghan knew she couldn’t overcome her fear. She made a quick decision, pulling several unburned costumes from a metal rack. She quickly tied them together and wrapped them around Lin Ruoyun’s waist, tying her tightly to herself.

“Nai Tang, what are you doing?” Lin Ruoyun didn’t want to be a burden on Nai Tang. She shook her trembling hands, trying to untie the clothes that bound them together. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Nai Tang, please go… I’m scared of fire… so scared… I can’t move. I’ll only hold you back.”

“Jiejie, don’t be afraid.” Guan Yinghan held her hands down firmly, tying the clothes in a secure knot. Then she picked her up and quickly walked toward the window of the small inner room.

When most people face danger, their brains freeze.

But Guan Yinghan was the opposite. She could make the calmest decision in a life-or-death crisis.

The entire wardrobe room was almost swallowed by fire. It was impossible to go back the way they came. The only way out was to jump from the window where the fire hadn’t spread yet.

Lin Ruoyun stared at her in a daze. Nai Tang’s profile, reflected in the firelight, seemed to have changed completely.

In her eyes, Lin Ruoyun saw a composure and calmness she had never seen before, and also…

A solid sense of security.

Does a person’s behavior and demeanor change when they are facing death?

Lin Ruoyun had no time to think more deeply. Guan Yinghan held her and lifted her to the windowsill. She was so scared that she curled up in her arms.

Guan Yinghan quickly opened the window and leaned out to look down. A row of people stood vaguely below, racing against time to spread out all the cushions and inflatable items from the set on the ground.

Guan Yinghan forced herself to remain calm, finding the best angle to fall. Then, with her back against the window, she positioned Lin Ruoyun above her.

Lin Ruoyun suddenly realized that Nai Tang was going to use her body as a cushion, so she could land on top of her. This would minimize the damage from the impact.

Nai Tang was going to use her own life to protect her.

Lin Ruoyun’s tears immediately began to fall. She choked and shook her head. “Nai Tang, don’t do this… you’ll die…”

“No, we’ll both be okay.” Guan Yinghan raised her hand to wipe away her tears, looking at her with a deep, fond gaze. “Ruoyun… Ruoyun… Guan Guan loves you so much…”

Guan Guan?

The two words hit Lin Ruoyun’s ears like a ringing bell. Her mind buzzed as if a hammer had struck it.

She must have… heard that name somewhere.

Because her trembling heart was telling her…

It hurts so much!

I want to cry so badly!

Lin Ruoyun was still trying to remember when Guan Yinghan, holding her, fell backward out the window. Lin Ruoyun reacted and tried to flip herself over, to put herself on the bottom and take all the impact for Nai Tang. But her head was splitting with pain, and she had no strength. She couldn’t break free.

Guan Yinghan wrapped her arms around Lin Ruoyun’s head, holding her close to her chest in a protective posture.

Lin Ruoyun’s long hair flew in the air. Her body was torn by the weightless feeling of falling. In her blurred vision, she saw Nai Tang’s smiling eyes.

CRUNCH!

There was a muffled, shattering sound as a body hit the ground.

All the pain and impact were absorbed by Guan Yinghan.

And Lin Ruoyun, protected in her arms, was completely unharmed.

Guan Yinghan’s eyes were half-closed, her vision growing blurry. She forced her heavy eyelids open. When she saw Lin Ruoyun’s uninjured face, she smiled and closed her eyes.

Lin Ruoyun fell into a brief moment of deafness. Then all the sounds from the crew flooded in like a tide—gasps, screams, and crashing sounds all mixed together.

Lin Ruoyun felt someone come to help her, but she was too weak and just slumped on the ground.

Guan Yinghan lay beside her with her eyes closed. There were wounds on her neck and arms, and bl00d was gushing from a cut on the back of her head.

But her lips… were curved in a satisfied smile.

Lin Ruoyun’s heart trembled with pain.

Nai Tang… how can she still be smiling?

Doesn’t she know that such a big impact can cause fatal injuries?

I only took care of her for one month, with simple meals and basic clothes.

But Nai Tang was ready to protect me with her life at any moment.

She… is such a fool!