Chapter 147: Life After the Disaster

Seeing Shen Yanhui did not speak, Gu Yan repeated anxiously, "I said... I love you, I love..."

The remaining word "you" had not yet been spoken when he lowered his head and kissed her heavily.

Urgent, overbearing, irresistible, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

Gu Yan hesitated for only a second before raising her hands to wrap them around his neck and kiss him back.

Outside, the sound of gunfire was still ringing out, the bodyguards were still shouting, the car doors were tightly shut, and the glass was occasionally struck by stray bullets, emitting muffled thuds.

But she could hear nothing at all.

She only knew to crave this final tenderness, only knew to hold him tighter, only knew to respond to his kiss with every ounce of her strength. Their tongues tangled, and it was impossible to tell who was taking and who was giving.

Shen Yanhui let out a muffled groan, kissing her even more fiercely.

Gu Yan could feel his heartbeat, faster than ever before, thumping against her chest. She gave her own heartbeat to him too, telling him that she was here, she was here too.

There was a faint taste of rust on the tip of her tongue; she did not know whose lip had been bitten.

She did not pull away.

She only responded to him with more force.

With all the passion she could muster.

If this were the last time they saw each other, if this were the final moment...

She wanted to remember him.

Remember his scent, remember his warmth, remember the way he kissed her, remember the tiny version of herself in the depths of his eyes.

Shen Yanhui finally let her go.

She was panting, her eye sockets red, her lips slightly swollen from his kisses, with a bit of blood still staining them. Her eyelashes were damp and clumped together, and she looked disheveled and pitiful.

He rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.

The car windows shut everything out, and the world seemed to have been muted.

"Silly girl," Shen Yanhui said in a low, hoarse voice, "Those people outside are here to meet us."

Gu Yan did not react immediately.

She just looked at him like that, her eyes still red, tears hanging on her lashes, her mind a complete blank.

What?

To meet them?

His thumb brushed across the corner of her mouth, wiping away the blood.

"A mock drill arranged here in Dubai," he lowered his voice to coax her, "In such a chaotic place, this way is the safest."

His words drilled into her ears, one by one.

A drill.

A disguise.

Fake.

Something in her mind exploded with a "buzz."

"Shen Yanhui!" Gu Yan came to her senses and punched him in the chest.

He laughed and caught her hand.

"Are you sick!"

She swung her other hand, and he caught that one too.

She struggled twice but could not break free; her eyes turned red again, and a wave of lingering fear washed over her.

Shen Yanhui leaned over to kiss her eyes and said softly, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Hearing this, Gu Yan became even angrier. She broke free from his hands and punched him again. This time he did not catch it, letting her hit him until she was tired.

She panted, glaring at him fiercely.

The next second, she suddenly reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and threw herself into his embrace.

He leaned back slightly from the impact, then held her firmly.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck, holding him so tightly it was as if she wanted to embed herself into his body.

He was stunned for a moment.

He raised his hand and patted her back gently.

After a long while, her muffled voice came from the crook of his neck: "Shen Yanhui."

"Hmm."

"Even though you're hateful..."

"Hmm."

She held him even tighter: "But... I still like you."

Before Shen Yanhui could speak, she suddenly pushed him away and turned her face aside: "You must think I'm so stupid, being led around by the nose... and crying so ugly..."

He raised his hand, pinched her chin, and turned her face back.

"Gu Yan."

She continued to glare at him.

He was silent for a few seconds, then sighed, "What should I do?"

"What do you mean, what should you do?" The young girl's tone still carried a hint of awkwardness from being teased.

"I'm giving my life to you."

Gu Yan froze.

Watching her stunned expression, the smile in his eyes deepened.

Gu Yan's heart began to race, belatedly.

She bit her lip, and finally leaned over to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Then give it to me."

——

The sound of gunfire outside had stopped at some point.

Chang Su held the walkie-talkie, feeling incredibly conflicted; should he really disturb Sir and Madam?

But they couldn't just stay parked here forever, could they?

The military escort personnel were still waiting, which was quite embarrassing.

He took a deep breath, bit the bullet, and pressed the walkie-talkie button: "Sir... um, we need to switch to another car to head to the airport."

It was quiet in the car for two seconds.

A moment later, the car door opened, and Shen Yanhui stepped out first, his expression as usual, as if nothing had just happened.

Gu Yan followed behind him, her face still a bit flushed, though she tried hard to maintain a serious expression. As she passed by Chang Su, she paused and glared at him.

That look clearly said: Why didn't you speak up sooner?

Chang Su silently lowered his head.

He was wronged.

He was truly wronged.

The motorcade started up again and drove toward the airport.

This time, the journey was smooth and unobstructed.

Upon arriving at the airport, the private jet was already waiting on the tarmac. Several people in uniforms stood by the boarding stairs; seeing them get out of the car, they bowed slightly in greeting.

Gu Yan was led by Shen Yanhui as she climbed the stairs and entered the cabin.

The moment the cabin door closed, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally, she was safe.

The plane taxied, took off, and pierced through the clouds. Outside the window was a blinding white; sunlight poured down from above the clouds, bathing the entire cabin in warmth.

She leaned back into her seat, her whole body finally relaxing completely.

Shen Yanhui turned his head to look at her: "Want to sleep for a bit?"

She shook her head: "I can't sleep."

He curled the corners of his mouth, raised a hand to call over a flight attendant, and whispered a few instructions.

Soon, the flight attendant walked over with a tray holding a pen and a sketchbook.

He handed the sketchbook and pen to her.

She was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "How did you know I wanted to draw?"

"Of course I knew." He said it as if it were a matter of course.

Gu Yan hummed softly, took the notebook and pen, and stopped paying attention to him, focusing on her drawing.

The cabin was very quiet, with only the rustling sound of the pen tip moving across the paper.

Shen Yanhui leaned back in his seat, watching her. The light fell on her face, and her eyelashes cast shallow shadows under her eyelids, as bright and clear as the moon in the sky.

Yet the moon said she loved him.

——

Several hours later, the captain's voice came over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the plane is about to land at Bamako International Airport. Please fasten your seatbelts."

Gu Yan sat up from Shen Yanhui's arms and rubbed her eyes: "Are we almost there?"

She asked casually, then suddenly froze.

Bamako?

Isn't that...

She blinked and looked out the window.

The clouds gradually dispersed, revealing an unfamiliar land below. Vast deserts, scattered oases, winding rivers, and the faint outline of a city in the distance.

It wasn't Jingzhou.

It was Mali.

She turned her head back to look at the man beside her and blinked again.

Shen Yanhui raised an eyebrow: "Weren't you going to prepare a birthday gift for me?"