Chapter 12: The Rescue
“Teacher Gu!”
“Don’t go in there again! It’s too dangerous!”
“...”
Huo Qiliang’s cold voice cut through sharply: “If she wants to die, let her. Don’t interfere.”
Gu Lingyi cast a distant glance at the staircase engulfed by flames, then tore down the white lining fabric from the curtain beside the main door.
There was a swimming pool in the backyard of the villa. Carrying the thin white fabric, Gu Lingyi strode decisively toward it.
The long white cloth intertwined with emerald green resembled a unique wedding dress train, trailing behind her with a fragmented yet exquisite beauty.
A few staff members, puzzled, followed her, while most stayed in the front yard waiting for the firefighters.
The backyard was silent. Gu Lingyi replayed in her mind the conversation between Gu Yanyue and the system.
Her thoughts expanded, reconstructing the events upstairs one by one.
The fire had been set by Gu Yanyue, and Yu Xi was still on the second floor.
Gu Yanyue had intended to use the fire to stage a rescue for the studio’s founder.
But she hadn’t anticipated that the synthetic fibers were highly flammable, and the flames spread uncontrollably. Even Gu Yanyue had only managed to escape unharmed by exchanging with the system for immunity items.
The crucial point was that Gu Yanyue could have exchanged for one more item to use on Yu Xi.
But she refused—unwilling to spend 800 crowd favor points to save a life.
Eight hundred! She was a celebrity with over 50 million Weibo followers, yet she was stingy enough not to spend even a single point on someone else!
Gu Lingyi’s face darkened as she soaked the fabric in the pool, waiting until it was fully saturated before casually draping it over herself.
“What is she trying to do?”
“She… she…”
Climbing the stairs barehanded was no challenge for Gu Lingyi, especially since the villa was exquisitely decorated with plenty of footholds.
If she weren’t afraid they’d capture her for study, she could have leapt to the second floor in a single bound.
Click, click, click—
Camera shutters rapidly fired, sparks almost flying off.
Someone scratched his head: “Who has the heart to take pictures at a time like this?”
Looking toward the source of the voice, they realized it was Lao Ke, the studio’s top photographer.
“Teacher Gu…”
Two stylists in charge of Gu Lingyi had also followed her to the backyard.
They watched helplessly as Gu Lingyi nimbly leapt to the second floor, using the angel statue between floors for leverage, all in just over ten seconds.
---
Glass shattered, and Gu Lingyi disappeared into the thick smoke. Someone’s eyes grew moist with worry. “Quick! Go ask if the firefighters have arrived…”
“Is Gu Lingyi insane? Why is she going up there?” The set designer was overwhelmed, running his hands through his short hair in frustration.
Before he finished speaking, one stylist suddenly shuddered, tears streaming down again: “Sister Yu! Sister Yu might be upstairs!”
Though Gu Yanyue claimed she didn’t see anyone, what if…
The person sent to inquire at the front yard returned quickly, followed by a large crowd.
The fire trucks were still en route, about ten minutes away by car.
Gu Yanyue led the crowd, her fists clenched tightly, her gaze toward the smoke on the second floor growing increasingly hostile.
She wished Gu Lingyi would die in there; those not under her halo shouldn’t exist.
Huo Qi stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes full of doubt as he questioned the guide, “How exactly did Gu Lingyi get up there?”
When that person had asked around in the front yard, he had casually shouted, “Gu Lingyi climbed up to the second floor!”
This caused an uproar, and everyone hurried to the backyard, their faces filled with disbelief.
“Teacher Gu jumped up using that statue!” The staff pointed to the angel decoration embedded between the two floors.
Following the direction of the finger, Huo Qi saw a cherubic angel sculpture crowned with a halo, marked with a blackened footprint.
Huo Qi: “...”
The villa had a high ceiling; the statue was at least two meters from the broken window on the second floor.
Jumped up there? Most people couldn’t even dream of it.
Was Gu Lingyi a martial arts star?
Huo Qi furrowed his brows but caught the fleeting malice in Gu Yanyue’s eyes as she lowered her gaze.
Noticing Huo Qi’s stare, Gu Yanyue’s heart trembled, and a few tears slipped down: “Brother Qi... do you think Yi Yi will be alright?”
A strange feeling welled up inside Huo Qi but soon vanished: “She chose to go up there herself. She’s an adult and must be responsible for her actions.”
---
On the second floor, Gu Lingyi entered through the window. Her calf had been cut by glass but healed instantly, leaving only a torn hem on her dress.
“Yu Xi?”
The crackling flames and smoke filled the entire floor. The backyard faced the props storage area, which was also the part of the second floor with the least fire.
“Yu Xi!”
The fire suppressed by sprinklers still belched thick smoke in rolling clouds. Gu Lingyi crouched low, moving toward the rack displaying the Rococo-style dress.
Yu Xi had come for that dress, and there was only one way to reach it.
Instinct drives people toward the smaller flames.
Narrowing her search, Gu Lingyi’s eyes scanned the chaotic props.
Flames and smoke alternated, and when her gaze landed on a particular spot, her pupils contracted sharply. In a blink, she was in front of Yu Xi, who was lying prone.
Yu Xi seemed unconscious, with burn marks of varying sizes on her calf and arm.
Gu Lingyi tore off the wet cloth wrapped around her and tightly wrapped it around Yu Xi, then scooped her up in a princess carry.
The window she came through was no longer an option—the fire was spreading toward it.
Moreover, she couldn’t be seen jumping down like this.
Gu Lingyi measured the distance, found another window, broke it open, and leapt down.
Her coiled hair scattered, and the hot wind hit her face.
Someone in the backyard heard the breaking glass and instinctively looked toward the sound.
Something fell from the second floor.
Rubbing his eyes, he checked again and finally shouted in astonishment, “Gu Lingyi!”
Countless eyes fell upon her in an instant.
The wishing pool on the open ground was still spraying water. Gu Lingyi held Yu Xi, separated by the pool from the crowd in the backyard.
The distance was still too close. Surely, they hadn’t seen her?
Gu Lingyi lowered her head to check on Yu Xi’s condition, only to meet a pair of bright, shining eyes.
Gu Lingyi: “...”
She had miscalculated.
“Cough, cough, cough...” Gu Lingyi tilted her head as if choked by the smoke, feigning weakness: “You... can you get down? I’m out of strength…”
“I can…” Yu Xi blinked, feeling that the arms holding her showed no sign of weakness at all.
She slowly slid down from Gu Lingyi and asked in a small voice, “Did you receive some special training?” Then she assured her, “Don’t worry! I won’t tell anyone!”
Gu Lingyi was momentarily speechless, suspiciously glancing at Yu Xi—how much had she seen?
Yu Xi trembled as she held up three fingers: “I swear!” She had regained consciousness the moment Gu Lingyi had picked her up. So she had seen everything—kicking the tempered glass, jumping from the building, everything.
Gu Lingyi wiped her face, smoke and ash covering her like a bamboo charcoal mask. She wore a dark expression and said seriously, “Well, as an artist, it never hurts to have a few extra skills…”