Fire in Your Hands

Hill

The moonlight was hazy, with autumn winds and nighttime rain. The air in London was cold and unwelcoming.

Near an old, windswept subway entrance, Elysia wrapped her thin coat tighter around her, discreetly observing the man ahead.

He stood tall and poised, with broad, straight shoulders. His silhouette was as sharp as a pencil line drawn on paper. Although a face mask and hat concealed most of his face, his dark, deep-set eyes and eyebrows alone were enough to leave a lasting impression. Amidst the crowd, he stood out like a regal bird.

The man retrieved a small paper bag from the nearest convenience store and handed it to her.

"It's warm," he said, surprisingly in fluent Mandarin.

Sitting on her suitcase, Elysia took the warm bag. The dizziness from her recent bout of hypoglycemia hadn't completely subsided, and she still felt somewhat lightheaded.

Upon opening the bag, she saw a cup of hot milk and two round caramel cookies. She paused. When she was a child, this type of cookie, with its thin crispy layers sandwiching caramel filling, was among her favorite treats. Back then, adults only allowed her half a cookie at a time.

She was tempted but hesitant to eat something from a stranger. As she debated internally, she looked up at the man.

With a neutral expression, he stated, "I'm not a bad person. Eat." His gaze, however, held a hint of sternness, as if overseeing her, silently implying she wasn't allowed to speak until she finished eating.

Feeling caught off guard, Elysia's cheeks flushed. She hurriedly said, "No, I just... wanted to thank you."

"Hmm," the man responded, his expression unchanged.

Elysia: "Was it you who saved my life during the transfer earlier? I recognize you!" To be precise, she recognized his hands.

"Hmm."

Elysia, slightly excited, said: "Thank you, thank you two times!" Standing up as she spoke.

But as she did, she felt dizzy again.

Those beautiful hands once again supported her, and he took a caramel cookie from the bag, feeding it to her.

Almost instinctively, Elysia obediently opened her mouth, allowing the man to feed her the entire cookie.

Once she felt revitalized after eating, her interest in the man who saved her life grew. "Hey, where did you go earlier? I couldn't find you before the transfer. You were really incredible back there! You know, I was so scared..."

"Scared to death?" The man finally responded to her, his voice deep.

"Next time you think about acting heroically, remember how scared you were today," he continued.

Detecting a coldness in his tone, Elysia paused, sensing an inexplicable feeling as if this stranger she'd just met was upset with her. Perhaps he felt her actions earlier were reckless, causing trouble for others, which explained his tone.

With that thought, she lowered her head, feeling as if she'd been reprimanded and slightly wronged.

"Regardless, I really want to thank you. I wish you... a pleasant life." She gave the man a slight bow, then turned around and began to walk away with her suitcase in tow.

From the corner of her eye, she sneakily glanced back. He hadn't moved from his spot.

She dawdled near the exit, checked her wallet, and then, with a flushed face, doubled back to stand in front of the man again.

"Um... Do you have any money?" She couldn't reach her friend on the phone, she'd left in a hurry without bringing any British pounds in cash, and the London subway station didn't accept mobile payment for tickets, so she couldn't even ride the subway.

The man didn't speak, as if he wasn't surprised by her returning for help. Silently, he pulled his right hand out of his pocket. In his fair palm, Elysia saw several two-pound coins.

"One, two, three...These are enough, thank you!" She breathed a sigh of relief, counting and collecting the coins into her own hand.

Feeling awkward about taking his money without offering something in return, she reached into her bag and pulled out a handful of US dollars cash. "I'll exchange these with you."

She had expected him to select a ten-dollar bill that was of similar value. Instead, he simply took all the money from her hand.

"These are enough, thank you," the man echoed her words, lifting his eyebrows slightly in amusement.

Elysia blinked in surprise. One hundred thirty-five dollars for six pounds was clearly not a great deal. Realizing the disparity, she quietly pouted but didn't complain after all, since she was the one asking for a favor.

However, at the same time, she noticed that, for the first time, there seemed to be a hint of a smile crossing the man's eyes.

"Hehe," she couldn’t help but chuckle softly in response.

When she smiled, the ends of her eyebrows curled downwards, her eyes full of innocent honesty, revealing a naivety that seemed at odds with her age.

The man's gaze was deep, his expression inscrutable.

The two of them walked towards the subway entrance together. The passengers who had previously disembarked from the plane had already scattered in different directions. On the platform, only she and he remained, along with two staggering drunks.

Elysia discreetly moved a couple of steps closer to the man, shortening the distance between them. On this cold evening in a foreign land, the elusive, tiny sense of security made her unconsciously want to be nearer to this stranger, just a bit closer.

A gust of wind carried raindrops onto the edge of the platform. Elysia instinctively ducked behind the man to shield herself. He turned to look as she did, and their eyes met unintentionally, creating a vague atmosphere that made her heart race a little bit.

"Um... Let's get to know each other," Elysia said, flipping her windswept hair and extending a hand towards him. "I'm Elysia. And you?"

She noticed a subtle narrowing of his eyes, hinting at a smile. However, instead of immediately shaking her hand, he pulled a business card from his coat pocket and handed it to her.

His casual gesture left her in awe. How could someone look so good just handing over a card? The elegant posture and the hands she'd been captivated by from the beginning now held an ordinary white business card, which somehow seemed more alluring in his grasp.

Elysia suddenly felt her throat go dry as if the caramel biscuits she'd eaten earlier hadn't quenched her sudden craving.

Just as she was about to take the card from the man, a hand adorned with flamboyant nail art appeared in view, grabbing her and pulling her aside.

It was her friend earlier on the phone, Russ.

"Runaway princess!" Russ rushed over, giving Elysia's male companion a wary glance before dragging her to the other side of the platform.

"How could you be so late? I was getting hypoglycemic waiting for you!" Elysia said, playfully pushing and shoving Russ. After the arduous journey, seeing a familiar face made her forget everything else.

"What do you mean? Someone stole my phone and wallet on the way here. I had to walk, and my heels were blistered..." Russ was full of complaints too. The two women comforted each other for a while.

After venting, Russ leaned in, her voice lowered, "Hey, who was that guy earlier? He doesn't look trustworthy. What were you two talking about?"

Elysia looked back, seeing the man still waiting for the train, looking calm and composed. The business card was no longer in his hand, suggesting he wasn't particularly interested in getting to know her after all.

A brief flicker of disappointment crossed her face.

But of course, she didn't voice these feelings. She recounted the day's events to Russ, emphasizing how the mysterious man had helped her twice, trying to prove that he wasn't a bad person.

But Russ seemed more alarmed, "Are you nuts? Who in their right mind disarms a g*n with their bare hands? He might even be with the criminals..."

"Don't exaggerate. It's not a movie," Elysia retorted. She believed that not everyone in the world could be bad.

"Life is always more dramatic than movies. You're too young to understand," Russ replied with feigned wisdom. "Otherwise, why wouldn't the news report it? Something's off."

"But he agreed to give me change, see," Elysia said, taking out her coins.

"How did you exchange?"

"Six pounds for over a hundred dollars."

"..."

"In short, stay away from these people!" Russ said irritably, massaging her temples. "Saving you twice doesn't necessarily mean they're genuinely helping you. They might be eyeing you. Be careful or you might get kidn*pped again!"

"Can we not talk about that?" Elysia fell silent. One can't help but mention the trauma the k********g incident from her childhood left on her psyche.

With mixed feelings, she couldn't resist glancing over at the other side of the platform.

The man was still there, as handsome and mysterious as ever, both alluring and menacing. He reminded her of the movies she was too scared to watch as a child and could only peek through her fingers, yet she was utterly captivated by them.

"Let's not talk about that." Russ's voice drew her attention again.

"You haven't told me yet why Edward suddenly decided to set you up for this blind date," Russ inquired. Edward was Elysia's older brother.

Hearing that, Elysia became irritated instantly, her brows furrowed. "It's not a blind date; it's an engagement! Edward is heartless!"

Her parents passed away early, and her brother, being more than a decade older, raised her like a daughter. Perhaps feeling sorry for her losing her parents at such a young age, Edward always spoiled her, which made her a little headstrong. Anyone familiar with them knew this.

"How could your brother be willing to marry you off so young? It's baffling," Russ wondered.

"It's simple," Elysia replied, her demeanor sullen, "I heard the Moon Mountain is on the verge of sinking."

The Moon Mountain was a century-old massive ship and the ancestral property of Elysia’s family. Initially a restaurant, it then evolved into the country's only massive maritime dining and entertainment complex. It was prosperous during her parents' time, and under Edward's management, it flourished for a while. Unfortunately, due to recent pandemics and closures, combined with the ship's age and the vast sums required for annual maintenance, the financial strain became unbearable.

"So my brother sold me to the wealthy Ian Hill," Elysia continued bitterly.

Ian Hill was the "fiancé" who forced her to flee across the ocean to the British Isles. The Hill family's businesses spanned the globe, so they certainly had money. As for the man himself...

"I thought you two got along," Russ interjected.

Elysia’s family and Hill's family had been friends for generations, and their younger members often played together as children. When Elysia was kidn*pped, she was with Ian. Being a few years older than her, he bravely protected her and smartly called the police, saving her life.

However, at this moment, she did not want to hear his name at all. She admitted she once had a little crush on Ian for saving her when she was an innocent girl. But as they grew older, he lost that youthful hero vibe, especially after he took over the family business. The man had become a shrewd businessman.

"I don’t even want to see his face anymore!" She exclaimed with a wrinkle of her nose.

Russ chuckled at her expression, teasing, "Well, if you don't marry Ian Hill, the Hill family has other men. Take your pick."

In fact, Ian's father had three sons, but none were born in wedlock, resulting in complicated family relationships. Currently, only Ian Hill was set to inherit the family business. The second son became a doctor, and never came home, while the youngest had long severed ties with the family and disappeared.

"I'd rather pick a rotten sock!" Elysia snapped, her voice rising, "I despise the entire Hill family! From now on, I'll loathe anyone with the surname Hill!"

"Alright, alright, calm down..." Russ quickly tried to soothe her. As they chatted, a train thundered into the station, and the two girls clambered on.

After the train departed, their faint voices still lingered, carried back to the platform by the wind.

All had left, except for one silhouette standing silently in the night.

The man still held a business card he hadn't managed to give out. Most of the handwritten name was obscured by his thumb, revealing only the surname—

Hill.

Truly a detestable surname.

Mysterious emotions flickered once more in Hill Zai's deep, night-sky-like eyes.