Chapter 383: It

The crowd was still immersed in the joy of having survived the disaster, and none of them noticed the frantic actions of the two lovestruck girls.

Queen Fatima looked at the blood-red, mangled hands of Xie Wanning and Laila, feeling a pang of heartache; she wanted to go and stop them, but seeing their grief-stricken faces, she could not bring herself to do it.

Thus, Queen Fatima also joined in the effort to move the stones.

Gradually, as the crowd calmed down from their joy, more and more people noticed the actions of the Princess and the Queen, and for a time, they were at a loss.

"What are the Princess and Her Majesty the Queen doing? Why are they moving stones?"

"And that woman from Xia... their hands are already covered in blood!"

"Oh, I know!"

At this moment, someone exclaimed and said, "Before the explosion, that man from Xia rushed into the palace; he must have gone to stop the bomb from detonating!"

"If that's the case, are the Princess and Her Majesty the Queen looking for that man from Xia? Could he be buried underneath?"

"It looks like it... I'll go help too! After all, he saved me, and I was even deceived by Hogan earlier and wronged him!"

"That's right, we were shouting for his blood earlier, yet our friend from Xia not only bore no grudge but even saved our lives; we can never repay this kindness!"

"Let's go, everyone help together and find our benefactor!"

The crowd rolled up their sleeves one after another and joined the ranks of those moving stones to find the person.

However, even though everyone participated in the search and the efficiency was greatly improved, they still could not find a single trace of Chen Che.

Xie Wanning's mental state gradually began to collapse; she forced herself not to think about it, but after a long time without any results, that terrifying outcome became increasingly solidified in her mind.

She clenched her hands tightly, using the pain to force herself to stay calm, and continued searching.

Princess Laila's eyes were blurred with tears and she felt dizzy; she was not a Martial Artist and had been pampered since childhood, so such a long period of physical labor had left her almost exhausted to the point of fainting.

Queen Fatima noticed her daughter's state immediately, walked over quickly, and hugged the swaying Princess Laila, saying with heartache, "Laila, rest for a while."

Laila saw stars, but she shook her head stubbornly: "I must find Chen, even if he is already... I must find him!"

Queen Fatima sighed and said nothing; she knew that saying anything at this moment would be useless.

Moreover, although Laila said she wouldn't give up, she no longer had the strength to search; lying in her mother's embrace, her head grew heavier and heavier, and she was about to pass out the next second.

"Crack!"

At this moment, the sound of rubble rolling down rang out, and everyone's body jolted as they stood up and looked toward the source of the sound.

Right in a spot no one had searched, a hand reached out from the ruins, and immediately after, Chen Che climbed up from below with a face covered in soot.

He stood up, took a few deep breaths, and muttered, "There was only one switch left to turn off, and it still had such a kick..."

For a moment, everyone looked at Chen Che, and there was dead silence.

Xie Wanning's pupils trembled, and Chen Che's image was reflected in her crystalline tears; with an excited expression, she trotted toward Chen Che.

Princess Laila was about to faint, and in her hazy consciousness, she suddenly saw Chen Che.

Although he was covered in dirt and his face was full of soot, that all-too-familiar figure still made the Princess instantly wake up.

"Chen... Chen!"

The Princess wept with joy, left Queen Fatima's embrace, and stumbled as she ran toward Chen Che.

Queen Fatima followed a few steps out of concern but eventually stopped, her eyes filled with gratitude and excitement as she looked at Chen Che: "Friend from Xia, it is so good that you are alive."

Chen Che was brushing the dust and grime off his body and did not notice Xie Wanning and Laila running toward him.

By the time he realized it, the two women had already reached him; one pressed against his back from behind, her hands tightly wrapped around his waist, while the other was in front, burying her head in his chest.

Chen Che was stunned, and then he heard the sobbing of the two women.

"You're still alive, that's just wonderful!"

"You scared me to death, I thought... I would never see you again..."

Chen Che scanned the crowd looking at them and felt a bit awkward for a moment; his hands had nowhere to rest, and not knowing which one to comfort first, he simply said something that ruined the atmosphere: "Um... I'm dirty... and smelly... how about you wait until I take a bath before hugging?"

However, the two women seemed not to hear him; not only did they not let go, but they hugged him even tighter.

Seeing this scene, the crowd revealed smiles with different meanings.

"Two beauties throwing themselves into his arms, and one of them is our Princess; this is enough for him to brag about for a lifetime!"

"He is our savior, isn't he? His abilities are worthy of the beauties' affection, how can you call it bragging?"

"That's true, but I wonder which one our benefactor likes?"

"Does it matter to you who he likes? He doesn't like you anyway."

"How does it not matter to me? Have you forgotten? Our Ansili has a rule: if the Princess marries an outsider and the King encounters an unforeseen accident, then the Princess's husband is qualified to become our King!"

"Oh right, now that you mention it, I do remember that!"

"Our friend from Xia has great skills and a broad mind; it wouldn't be impossible for him to be our King, but the main thing is to see his own wishes."

"Sigh, such an excellent man, let alone the Princess, even I like him to death!"

"Stop being lovesick; we men aren't even envious yet, and you women are already daydreaming."

"Envious? I think you're jealous, right? You don't have his skills and you want his treatment? Tsk tsk... go home and eat!"

The crowd chatted back and forth, having a great time.

Queen Fatima listened to the crowd's conversation and looked at the three people embracing not far away, a motherly smile appearing on her face: "Laila, your eye for men is even better than mine. Chen Che is indeed a man more excellent than your father, and he is more than qualified to be the King of Ansili... It's just that your competitor is also very strong, and as for matters of the heart... it depends on your fate."

………

"Plop!"

"Ah~~ Comfortable! It's so good to be alive!"

Inside the palace, Chen Che dove into the hot spring pool; after washing off the grime, soaking in a hot spring bath was as comfortable as it could get.

After swimming a few laps underwater, Chen Che spread out in the pool like a starfish and closed his eyes to rest.

At the same time, in another magnificent room in the palace, Xie Wanning put down the phone and walked into the bathroom with a slightly solemn expression; after showering, she actually put on that piece of clothing she had been too shy to even take out—the sexy qipao that Li Qingyan had secretly stuffed into her luggage when she first came to Ansili.

After changing, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe, let her wet hair hang loose, and walked toward the hot spring pool.

In Princess Laila's room, a doctor was bandaging the wounds on the Princess's hands, and the sting of the disinfectant made the Princess almost cry out several times.

"It is nothing serious, a period of rest will be enough."

The doctor withdrew, and Princess Laila looked at her pair of hands wrapped up like rice dumplings, her face full of sorrow.

Queen Fatima said resentfully, "Do you know the pain now?"

Princess Laila shook her head: "It doesn't hurt! As long as Chen is fine, I don't hurt at all!"

Queen Fatima's eyes turned gentle, she stroked her daughter's head and said, "It is truly rare for you to love someone this much, and Chen is indeed very outstanding, but Laila... does Chen like you?"

Princess Laila lowered her head and thought seriously for a moment: "... I don't know."

"Then do you want him to stay?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then why don't you ask him what he thinks?"

Laila suddenly realized: "I understand what I should do! Mother, I will go ask him right now!"

Running to the door, she turned back, and Princess Laila asked with blushing cheeks and embarrassment: "Mother, what do you think I... should wear to look good?"

………