I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

Song Yuqi sat barefoot on the wooden box.

The excitement I felt when I received the "Heart of Wuhan" was completely wiped out by this shout.

"It's over."

She stared at the open iron gate in front of her, tears welling up in her eyes.

Jiang Che, however, remained calm.

He stuffed the gemstone necklace into his suit trouser pocket and turned to look at Song Yuqi.

My gaze swept from her face, which was filled with despair, down her high-slit burgundy cheongsam, and finally settled on her pair of pale, white insteps.

"Teacher Song, can you run by yourself?"

Song Yuqi laughed in exasperation, tugging at the tight hem of her skirt: "Do you think I can take a long stride like this?"

"Even if I tear my cheongsam and step onto this rusty ground, we'll meet in the hospital emergency room."

The footsteps on the stairs grew closer.

Lu Han's excited voice came over: "Brother He! The door's open! They can't have gone far!"

"I'm sorry to offend you," Jiang Che said, uttering those three words.

Before Song Yuqi could even figure out how she had offended him, the man's large hand had already slipped under her knees, and his other hand firmly wrapped around her back.

In a dizzying moment, she was suddenly lifted up horizontally in a hug.

"Jiang Che, what are you doing!" Song Yuqi was so frightened that she instinctively hugged his neck and her legs tightened reflexively.

"Shut up and don't move." Jiang Che's voice came from above her head.

Thanks to the physical bonus he received from the system, he now feels that carrying a woman weighing around 90 pounds is not much more strenuous than carrying that corgi.

He carried Song Yuqi and, instead of going through the main entrance, took a long stride and darted directly into the maintenance backup passage next to the boiler room.

The two had just turned the corner when Chen He and Lu Han led three black-clad NPCs into the power room.

"Where is she?! I just heard a noise!" Chen He panted as he paced around inside. "How did you open that broken brass lock? Didn't Old Wu say the key was on the second floor?"

The maintenance passage was too narrow, and it was full of tangled steam pipes.

Jiang Che walked for a while, then heard the sounds of NPCs searching ahead, so he had to stop.

He laid Song Yuqi flat on the ground and pulled her into the corner between two huge water tanks.

This place is pitifully small.

In order not to expose his position, Jiang Che could only press forward, bracing his hands against the iron wall next to her ears, covering her completely beneath him.

The distance is too close.

Song Yuqi was so close that she could clearly count how many eyelashes Jiang Che had.

He was so close that his warm breath landed right on her nose.

Footsteps could be heard outside, and Lu Han was peeking in this direction.

Song Yuqi didn't even dare to breathe too hard, her cheeks turning red from holding her breath.

She looked up and met Jiang Che's lowered gaze.

In the dim light of the lower deck, the man's eyes shone almost unfairly.

Jiang Che looked at her face, which was flushed from holding her breath, and her tightly clenched lips, and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.

He lowered his head, his lips almost touching her ear, and asked in a very low voice, "Teacher Song, your heartbeat is so loud, people outside can almost hear it."

The hot air entered her ears, and Song Yuqi shivered.

This person definitely did it on purpose!

She was furious and reached out to pinch the soft flesh on Jiang Che's side hard.

Jiang Che grunted and grabbed her wrist that was causing trouble.

"Stop messing around, do you really want to get caught?" His voice was a little hoarse, carrying a warning, but the grip on her wrist wasn't strong.

Song Yuqi's fingers were enveloped in his palm.

The heat of his palm made her want to pull back, but she had nowhere to retreat.

The chat in the live stream was completely unreadable at this point.

Is this first-person perspective something a VIP like me can watch?

[Help! Such terrible physiques! Such cramped space! I don't understand how a variety show can be more erotic than an idol drama!]

[When Jiang Che picked her up and ran just now, the definition of his arm muscles was absolutely amazing!]

If these two don't talk, I'll eat that water tank!

Outside, Chen He circled around twice but couldn't find anyone, and started to get lazy.

"Alright, stop looking. Those two must have slipped out through another door. Let's go back and wait for the elevator."

Lu Han persisted, "Impossible. I saw only footprints in the dust on the ground; they didn't come out."

"Let's go, my back hurts." Chen He dragged Lu Han away.

Only after the footsteps had completely faded away did Song Yuqi finally let out a long sigh of relief.

She pushed against Jiang Che's chest: "The person is gone, let go of me."

Jiang Che released his grip and took half a step back.

Seeing her face flushed red from being covered, he casually tidied her messy hair.

"Let's go, Teacher Song, the real show is just beginning."

The two men crawled out from behind the water tank.

Jiang Che did not return the way he came, but instead led her around to the other side of the power room, where there was a row of employee fire escape stairs leading directly to the top deck.

Just as they reached the top of the stairs, a mournful wail suddenly came from below: "I told you they were still inside! They're there! Go after them!"

It turns out that the old fox was just bluffing them; he hadn't left at all!

Jiang Che glanced back and saw Chen He and Lu Han leading a group of people running frantically this way.

He decisively pushed open the fireproof iron door of the fire escape and pulled Song Yuqi inside.

Just as Chen He was about to grab the doorknob, Jiang Che pulled out the old-fashioned brass lock that he had just pried open from his pocket.

It was fastened directly to the iron ring of the fire door.

"Click".

Locked shut, perfectly sealed.

Chen He slammed his fist against the door, making the iron gate rattle loudly: "Holy crap! Jiang Che, how did you get a lock?"

Lu Han cried out desperately from outside, "Brother! Brother Che! Let's talk this out! It's too stuffy in there, let us out!"

Jiang Che, speaking through the door in a sarcastic tone, said, "Brother He, it's warm down there. You guys stay a while longer. I'll call someone to come and get you after I win."

"Jiang Che! You son of a bitch!"

Hearing the impotent rage below, Song Yuqi couldn't help but laugh so hard she could barely stand up straight, leaning on the stair railing.

"How can you be so mean?"

Jiang Che looked at her smiling eyes and his own lips curled up in a smile.

"To deal with old foxes, you have to be even more ruthless than them."

He turned around and looked at the long iron staircase leading upwards: "Alright, stop laughing, there are still five floors to climb."

Song Yuqi's smile vanished instantly.

She looked at her bare feet, then at the metal staircase covered with anti-slip bumps.

Jiang Che glanced at her, and without saying a word, squatted down on the steps with his back to her.

"Come up."

"what?"

"What? Are we waiting for those idiots to bring NPCs to bang on the door?"

Jiang Che patted his shoulder: "Hurry up, I'll carry you up."

Song Yuqi pursed her lips, unable to suppress the sweetness in her heart.

She pounced on him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist.

Jiang Che helped her to her feet and began to climb steadily.

One floor, two floors, three floors.

The only sounds in the fire escape were Jiang Che's steady footsteps and the intermittent breathing of the two.

"Jiang Che." Song Yuqi lay on his back, resting her chin on his shoulder, and called him softly.

"what?"

"Did you wear perfume today?"

"I didn't spray. What, you think I smell bad?"

"No." Song Yuqi buried her face in his neck. "It smells reassuring."

Jiang Che paused for a moment as he climbed upwards.

This woman, who's usually so easygoing and like a buddy, suddenly started being really direct...

It's absolutely maddening.