Chapter 15: The Hunt Begins
753 Words
The safehouse was compromised.
Zihan dumped the unconscious attacker in the trunk of their backup vehicle while Yuyan swept the house for any tracking devices. She found three — one beneath the couch, one in the light fixture, and a tiny one slipped into the hem of her coat.
“They’ve been watching us for days,” she said, voice low.
Zihan slammed the trunk shut. “Which means they know we have Lixia. And if they went through this much trouble, it means Lin Ruo doesn’t just want her back — she wants her silenced.”
They didn’t waste another second.
By nightfall, they had relocated to an abandoned inn in the outskirts of Chengde, one of Zihan’s old family properties — dusty, isolated, and completely off-grid.
No cameras. No eyes.
Just them.
---
Zihan moved through the space with practiced efficiency, setting up portable lights and testing the satellite phone. Yuyan stood at the center of the room, her mind already running two steps ahead.
“We need to figure out how Lin’s moving her girls,” she said. “She’s not keeping them in the city. Too risky. Too visible.”
“Lixia said something about trains,” Zihan replied. “Freight lines. They use refrigerated containers.”
Yuyan nodded. “That’s how she hides them.”
“We need access to cargo logs,” Zihan added. “Which means either hacking the system…”
“Or getting someone inside.”
They both turned toward the same idea at the same time.
“You’re not suggesting—” Zihan started.
“I am,” Yuyan said.
“Yuyan—”
“I can handle it.”
Zihan stepped closer. “It’s too risky. Lin already has a target on your back.”
“She doesn’t know my face. Not my undercover one.”
Zihan ran a hand through his hair. “You could get killed.”
“I could get Lixia’s life back. And the lives of every girl still trapped.”
There was a pause. A heavy silence.
Then, quietly, Zihan said, “I’m coming with you.”
She looked at him. “You’re not trained for undercover.”
“No,” he said, “but I’m trained to keep you alive.”
Her heart thudded — not from fear this time, but from something far more dangerous.
Trust.
---
Later, as they prepared disguises and fake credentials, Yuyan caught Zihan watching her in the reflection of the mirror.
“What?” she asked, a teasing edge to her voice.
“You’re terrifying,” he said softly.
She raised an eyebrow. “That a compliment?”
“It is when I say it.” He stepped closer behind her. “But you’re also… breathtaking.”
Yuyan froze.
He met her gaze in the mirror, voice lower now. “I know this isn’t the time. I know we’re standing on the edge of war. But I can’t keep pretending like I don’t want every moment with you.”
She turned to face him.
Their eyes locked.
“Then don’t pretend,” she whispered.
They kissed again, slower than before, as if learning each other for the first time. There was no rush, no chaos — just the heat of everything they’d held back, finally rising.
His hands on her waist.
Her fingers threading into his hair.
The world outside could fall to ashes, and still, she would’ve chosen this moment.
When they pulled apart, breathless, she touched his cheek.
“If we do this… we don’t hold back.”
“Not in anything,” he promised.
And for the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to believe that something beautiful could exist — even in the middle of a battlefield.
---
The next morning, they moved.
Fake passports. Cheap clothes. New names.
Zihan became “Liu Feng,” a logistics specialist with a quiet past and few connections.
Yuyan became “Mei Yan,” a trafficking recruit with no papers and a forged debt history.
They rode separately, avoiding major transit hubs. Burned their burner phones. Switched vehicles three times.
By dusk, they stood near a freight yard on the northern edge of Tianjin — where girls like Lixia vanished without a trace.
Yuyan looked at Zihan one last time before they split up to enter the facility.
His hand brushed hers.
“See you on the other side,” he whispered.
Her voice was steady, but her eyes told a different story.
“You’d better.”
- Writer
