Chapter 16: Searching for Yu Yanan
Tang Ziran, upon hearing Shen Xin’s request, immediately said, “I’ll set out with Bear Bao right away, but you need to give me something with Yu Yanan’s scent on it.”
“Alright, come with me.”
Shen Xin made another trip to Yu Yanan’s dormitory and collected some of her clothes, shoes, socks, and bags.
When Tang Ziran summoned Explosive Bear, it instantly caused a commotion. Shen Xin eyed the bear’s massive frame and ferocious aura with concern, asking, “Ziran, can you make Explosive Bear smaller?”
“Make it smaller? I’m not a magician.”
From a distance, Shen Xin spotted a dog dressed in clothes and had a sudden idea. “We can disguise it. Put it away for now.”
The two of them went to a rented apartment. Shen Xin asked Tang Ziran to summon Explosive Bear again, then carefully dressed it up with his own clothes. After the makeover, the bear’s fierce aura was much diminished—it looked more like an oversized plush toy.
Tang Ziran let Explosive Bear sniff all of Yu Yanan’s things and said gently, “Go on, find this person. It’s up to you now, Bear Baby.”
Explosive Bear nodded almost humanly, sniffed the air a few times, locked onto a direction, and took off running. Shen Xin and Tang Ziran hurried after it.
Explosive Bear moved in fits and starts for over half an hour before finally stopping outside a family-run inn on the outskirts of the city.
“Is it in here?”
The bear nodded.
A sense of foreboding gripped Shen Xin as he rushed inside. Spotting the receptionist, he roared, “Where’s Yu Yanan? Where are you hiding her? Speak up or I’ll get rough!”
The receptionist, a young woman in her early twenties, trembled in fear under Shen Xin’s fury.
Tang Ziran hurried in and said, “What are you waiting for? Check if there’s a record for a young woman named Yu Yanan staying here.”
“Oh, I’ll check right away.”
The receptionist quickly searched the records and, within seconds, looked up. “Yes, there’s a record for Yu Yanan. Last night around ten, a young man carried her in.”
Shen Xin’s eyes blazed with rage, as if they might burst into flames.
“Cut the nonsense, what room?”
“302.”
In the next instant, Shen Xin dashed up to the third floor, found room 302, and burst through the door, rushing inside in a heartbeat. Finally, he saw Yu Yanan lying asleep on the bed.
Seeing that Yu Yanan was fully clothed and lying peacefully, Shen Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tang Ziran ran in after him and said, “Shen Xin, the front desk said the man left right after putting her down—he was in and out in less than five minutes.”
Shen Xin approached the bed cautiously. Seeing that Yu Yanan was still breathing lightly, his worry finally eased.
He sat at the bedside and called out softly, “Yanan, wake up, it’s time to go back to school.”
Yu Yanan didn’t respond. Shen Xin called her several more times, but still got no reaction. His worry flared up again as he examined her closely and noticed a bite mark on her neck, as if from a canine.
“Yanan, wake up!”
He reached out, placing his palm on her forehead.
“She’s burning up. Ziran, quick—call an ambulance! Wait, it’ll be faster if we take her ourselves!”
Shen Xin hoisted Yu Yanan onto his back, rushed downstairs, stopped a cab in the street, and climbed in. “Driver, to Central Hospital, please—it’s an emergency!”
A passenger in the back began to complain, but Shen Xin cut him off, drawing a throwing knife and saying coldly, “I’ll pay you double, including your fare. Say one more word and I’ll cut out your tongue.”
The cab instantly fell silent as the grave.
“Drive! If you waste another second, you’ll all pay for it!”
The driver, terrified, floored the accelerator and sped off, reaching Central Hospital in less than ten minutes.
Tang Ziran stayed behind to pay the fare before following.
Shen Xin rushed into the hospital, found the emergency department, and laid Yu Yanan on a hospital bed. An ER doctor hurried over, checked Yu Yanan’s condition, and told Shen Xin to go register.
It was only then that Shen Xin managed to calm himself a little.
Tang Ziran came over to comfort him. “Shen Xin, don’t be like this—it’s frightening.”
Shen Xin took a few deep breaths and said, “Sorry, I lost my head.”
About half an hour later, a doctor emerged from the emergency room. Shen Xin hurried over to ask, “Doctor, how is Yu Yanan now?”
The doctor wore a thoughtful expression and replied slowly, “She’ll need to be kept under observation. Judging by the wound, she was bitten by a canine. We’ve administered a rabies vaccine. Her fever has subsided, but for some reason she still hasn’t woken up.”
“Is it serious, doctor?”
“According to the test results, everything appears normal, but we’ll need further examination. She should stay in the hospital for a few days—she could wake up at any time.”
“Alright, I’ll handle the admission paperwork. Thank you, doctor. Tang Ziran, you should head back to the compound—be careful on the way.”
She chuckled. “Don’t worry, Bear Baby is with me.”
Shen Xin nodded. With Explosive Bear’s formidable combat skills, and given that Central Hospital wasn’t far from the compound, Tang Ziran—who could summon five different beasts—wasn’t likely to run into trouble.
That night, a little past nine, Yu Yanan finally woke up. She opened her eyes, looking around in confusion.
“Shen Xin, where am I?”
“Yanan, you’re finally awake. This is the hospital. Do you want some water or something to eat?”
“The hospital? I… don’t seem hungry.”
She struggled to sit up.
“Ow, my neck hurts.”
“Take it easy, Yanan. You were bitten on the neck. Do you remember what happened?”
Yu Yanan held her neck, trying to recall, then suddenly exclaimed, “I remember now! It was He Xuantong. He called me yesterday around noon, asking me to meet him at East Suburb Park. When I got there, he was nowhere to be seen. Then someone came up behind me and pressed a towel over my mouth. After that, I don’t remember anything.”
“Him? He Xuantong? Why would he want to hurt you?”
Shen Xin was completely baffled.
“I don’t know either,” Yu Yanan said, frowning. “If he hadn’t disappeared for so long, I wouldn’t have rushed to meet him! But I can’t be sure it was him who hurt me.”
Shen Xin smiled and said, “It’s all in the past now. Let this be a lesson—no matter who asks you out in the future, you should be cautious and never go alone.”
“Even if you ask me, I shouldn’t go alone?”
“I’m the exception. I’d never hurt you.”
“Shen Xin, I want to go home. I don’t want to stay in the hospital.”
Shen Xin hesitated. “It’s already late. I don’t think they’ll discharge you now. Let’s wait for the doctor’s checkup in the morning and decide then.”
“Alright. You should get some sleep too.”
“How are we both supposed to fit in this tiny hospital bed?”
Yu Yanan obediently lay back down, gazing at Shen Xin with a smile. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright.
“Shen Xin, oh no! Was I violated?”
“No, no—the receptionist said the man who brought you in left in under five minutes.”
“Still, I feel really strange. My body’s so hot… I’m burning up!”
“What?!”
Shen Xin leapt up, dashed out the door, and shouted, “Doctor! Doctor! Hurry, please help!”