’Her skills are better than mine?’
Tang Yuanxiao’s face was a mask of shock, but his movements were swift as he rushed back into the restaurant with Lin Huanzhu.
As they charged in, the remaining crowd just stared at each other in bewilderment.
From Tang Yuanxiao rescuing Lin Huanzhu, to Lin Huanzhu dousing and tearing her shirt, to them both rushing back inside, no more than ten seconds had passed.
But the shock those ten seconds delivered was immense.
The person who looked like a young man based on her clothes and hair was actually a girl—a girl who claimed she had better skills.
Only after Tang Yuanxiao and Lin Huanzhu were inside did the crowd erupt into a flurry of discussion.
"That was a girl! She’s so brave, getting pulled out one second and going right back in to save people the next."
"I know, right? I was terrified."
Tang Yuanxiao and Lin Huanzhu could no longer hear the crowd’s chatter. The moment they stepped inside, their hearts sank.
In just that short time, the fire had grown larger and the smoke had become thicker, choking them and making it impossible to open their eyes.
Tang Yuanxiao had been worried about Lin Huanzhu’s safety, but he quickly saw that she was methodical and knew what she was doing.
"They should be in the back kitchen."
Working together, Lin Huanzhu and Tang Yuanxiao dodged and weaved through the flames, gritting their teeth as they pushed into the back kitchen. There, they found the husband and wife, who had crawled to the doorway before passing out from the smoke.
Tang Yuanxiao helped get the owner’s wife onto Lin Huanzhu’s back, then hoisted the owner onto his own. They charged out as fast as they could.
Since it wasn’t during meal hours, the owner and his wife were the only ones inside. With them rescued, everyone was out.
After dodging two falling, burnt-out beams and navigating around several patches of fire, the two of them finally managed to carry the couple to safety.
"They’re out! They saved them!"
"Oh my god, they’re out."
Ignoring the crowd’s commotion, Tang Yuanxiao and Lin Huanzhu carried the couple away from the storefront before collapsing to the ground, coughing violently.
In a fire, the billowing smoke is often more dangerous than the flames themselves.
Although they had used wet cloths to cover their mouths and noses, they had still inhaled a painful amount of smoke.
Compared to the choking sensation, the burns on their bodies were temporarily forgotten.
With the people rescued, the firefighters finally arrived.
The crowd worked together to send the unconscious couple, along with Tang Yuanxiao and Lin Huanzhu, to the hospital.
After their coughing fits, Tang Yuanxiao and Lin Huanzhu were completely drained of strength. They insisted they didn’t need to go to the hospital, but their protests were ignored.
"Just go to the hospital and get checked out. You’re both heroes! We can’t have anything happen to you."
"You two are amazing."
The crowd was full of nothing but goodwill for Tang Yuanxiao and Lin Huanzhu. In the end, left with no choice, they went to the hospital together.
The couple’s condition wasn’t great, but at least their lives had been saved.
Tang Yuanxiao’s and Lin Huanzhu’s burns were treated. A medicated patch was also applied to the spot on Lin Huanzhu’s neck where she had been hit.
The people fawned over them, asking about their well-being and inquiring where they worked so they could write commendation letters to their employers.
After finally bidding farewell to the enthusiastic crowd, the two of them left the hospital.
"Phew."
They both let out a sigh at the same time, and Lin Huanzhu couldn’t help but chuckle when she heard it.
"Hi, I’m Lin Huanzhu. The ’Huan’ for joy and the ’Zhu’ for bamboo. Thanks for your help today. I’m a first responder; I work at the rescue station up ahead."
Lin Huanzhu introduced herself with a smile. At twenty-six, she was different from most young women. She had a calm and steady demeanor and was taller than the average girl.
She was tall and well-proportioned, with a head of neat, short hair.
Lin Huanzhu had an oval face and a pair of almond-shaped eyes that, while not large, were full of life. From years spent in the sun, her skin was a light, sun-kissed tan.
She radiated a bright, handsome, and positive energy—vibrant and full of life. Her dimples added a touch of softness to her features, creating an overall impression of strength tempered with gentleness, and gentleness with strength.
Her entire aura didn’t quite match her name, Lin Huanzhu. Hearing it, Tang Yuanxiao paused for a moment before waving a hand and replying.
"No need to thank me. I’m Tang Yuanxiao. I’m currently an intern at a training program."
His gaze swept over Lin Huanzhu’s incredibly short hair. He then remembered touching her when he’d carried her out, back when he had mistaken her for a man, and his expression grew a little awkward.
In the previous chaos, seeing only her short hair from behind, it was an easy mistake to think she was a man. But now, looking at Lin Huanzhu’s face, there was no way to get it wrong.
She still had short hair, but she was clearly a girl.
A pretty and... handsome girl.
’And just now, I had...’ Tang Yuanxiao subtly hid his hands behind his back. Even though it had happened while saving her and wasn’t intentional, he couldn’t act as if nothing had happened now that he was face-to-face with her.
His only relief was that Lin Huanzhu had been unconscious at the time and didn’t know.
Lin Huanzhu didn’t notice his discomfort. "It’s great to meet you, Tang Yuanxiao. Yuanxiao, as in, the Lantern Festival?"
Tang Yuanxiao nodded. "Mhm, I was born on the Lantern Festival, so my dad gave me the name Yuanxiao."
Lin Huanzhu nodded in understanding. "That explains it. Why not Tangyuan? I love eating tangyuan, especially the sesame-filled ones."
Tang Yuanxiao: "...My nickname... is Tangyuan."
Another flash of embarrassment crossed his face.
’Liking to eat tangyuan... especially the sesame-filled kind... It sounds a little strange, somehow.’
’Although, I also like the sesame-filled ones.’
Hearing this, Lin Huanzhu let out a hearty laugh. "Your nickname is really Tangyuan? That’s a great name. Your given name is Yuanxiao, and your nickname is Tangyuan."
She studied Tang Yuanxiao’s overly serious face and thought about the nickname "Tangyuan," finding it inexplicably funny.
Tang Yuanxiao: "..."
Lin Huanzhu laughed a couple of times before noticing the embarrassment on Tang Yuanxiao’s face. She cleared her throat twice to stifle her laughter and thanked him with a straight face.
"Thanks for saving me today. Otherwise..."
Lin Huanzhu shook her head. Who knew what would have happened by the time the fire department arrived.
"It was my fault for being careless. I was in such a rush to save people that I wasn’t paying attention and got knocked unconscious."
Lin Huanzhu had been chasing a thief when she passed by the burning restaurant. Seeing the critical situation, she went in to help, only to end up... needing to be rescued herself.
Only then did Tang Yuanxiao realize Lin Huanzhu had been hit while trying to rescue someone. "But you helped me with the rescue afterward."
He wouldn’t have been able to save both of them on his own.
Hearing Tang Yuanxiao’s words, Lin Huanzhu nodded. "That’s true."
She gave another cheerful nod and coolly ran a hand through her hair. Glancing at the time, she said, "I guess it took a rescue for us to meet. Do you have time for a meal? My treat, to thank you for saving my life."
"You don’t have to treat me to a meal," Tang Yuanxiao quickly refused. "I have something to do. Maybe some other time..."
Tang Yuanxiao really wasn’t used to this.
Lin Huanzhu’s personality was forthright and generous, but she was still a girl, and he wasn’t very accustomed to interacting with girls.
"Alright then, see you next time."
Lin Huanzhu nodded and said her goodbyes to Tang Yuanxiao.
Tang Yuanxiao stood there for a moment. Seeing the sky gradually darkening, he started walking toward the sanatorium.
Upon arriving at the sanatorium, Tang Yuanxiao entered and was walking with his head down when he suddenly heard a familiar yet somewhat distant voice.
"Auntie, I’m suddenly craving tangyuan. Let’s have some tangyuan."
Tangyuan, tangyuan, tangyuan. Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t ignore it even if he wanted to.
Stunned, Tang Yuanxiao looked over, just as the person on the other side looked toward him.
"Huh? Tangyuan... no, wait, Tang Yuanxiao? What are you doing here?"
Tang Yuanxiao: "..."