“A gas blast?” Shen Yi repeated what his wife said. His face darkened as he remembered that his father-in-law, Lu Sibai, was torn away from his wife because of a gas blast that killed him.

Was this a coincidence? Probably not. He made a mental note to pay attention to the reports, but first, he needed to make sure Lu Xinyi’s safety.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked her.

Lu Xinyi shook her head.

“Zhang Qing took all the impact to save me. My hair was caught on fire, but overall, I only have a few bruises and scratches. Another paramedic had checked on me before you came.”

Neither of the twins understood what was going on. The only thing they knew was their mother and Zhang Qing were hurt. Qiao He stepped forward with Shen Zichen. The young boy clutching his hand tightly as if his life depended on it. He was trying to look brave for her sister and mother’s sake, but his eyes showed fear and uncertainty over the matter.

A moment later, Lu Xinyi was led outside and accompanied Zhang Qing inside the ambulance. Shen Yi informed her earlier that he’d take the twins at the Shen Estate and would follow at the hospital later.

—-

Tian Lingyu ran through the halls of the hospital, his heartbeat racing as he tried to find the room on the private floor where his sister was confined. Shen Yi had given him a call in the middle of his studies to go to the hospital and check up on Lu Xinyi while he was taking the twins to the Shen Estate.

Shen Yi had given him a quick brief of what happened at the restaurant. Tian Lingyu left the dormitory where he was staying and went with Huang Shenghao.

“Calm down, Lingyu. Didn’t President Shen say she was out of danger?” Huang Shenghao told him, but Tian Lingyu would only calm down once he’d seen her with his own eyes.

They arrived at the reception area and demanded to know the room where he could find his sister. The receptionist barely uttered the room number before Tian Lingyu ran. Huang Shenghao shook his head and apologized to the nurse in the station.

“It’s alright. CEO Shen called and informed us of his arrival.” The woman smiled back.

Tian Lingyu was already at the door in less than a minute. He knocked once and opened the door, only to see his sister sitting on the bed in a hospital gown with three of her bodyguards accompanying her inside the room.

“Yu Gege? What are you doing here?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that, Xinxin? What happened to you?” he retorted. He pulled a chair and placed it next to her bed.

“I’m okay. I’m going to be fine,” she said, knowing how worried her brother could be when he heard the news of the explosion.

“Shen Yi said that it could be a gas blast.” Tian Lingyu said, implying what the accident could mean.

Lu Xinyi hardened her jaws and looked down on her hand. If she found out that it wasn’t an accident and someone plotted to harm her, she’d never forgive the mastermind behind it. Zhang Qing was hurt because of it, and she hated to see her friends getting hurt because of her.

—-

Several days passed quickly, and the short-haired Lu Xinyi found herself standing next to Han Yixin within the Headmistress’ office ready to receive their flight tickets and itinerary for the competition. While the other students walked out of their classrooms happily, finishing their final exams; Lu Xinyi and Han Yixin wouldn’t be able to enjoy their semester break anytime soon.

Their training lessons came and went quite quickly, and Lu Xinyi was immensely pleased that she wouldn’t be subjected to Han Zhiling’s intensive training. While she was glad that she was able to learn from the woman, she thought that her way of teaching was harder than what her Uncle He’s way.

“These are your tickets. Your flight is scheduled for a week from now. If you’ll bring companions for this trip, the academy wouldn’t be able to give them accommodations so you’ll have to deal with it,” Headmistress Han said, glancing on Lu Xinyi’s way knowing that she’ll take her bodyguards and a few family members with her.

“I understand.” Lu Xinyi checked her travel documents and pleased that the academy had also dealt with their itinerary.

“The competition itself may take 2 to 4 weeks so you should make preparations ahead of time,” Han Zhiling added.

Lu Xinyi and Han Yixin thanked her and bid goodbye before leaving the office. As they stepped outside, Han Yixin called Lu Xinyi’s attention before she could walk away.

“Is there something you need?” she asked, silently praying that the young woman wouldn’t ask her to taste her horrendous homemade jams again. While Han Yixin was good at making pastries, her cooking skills were subpar.

“Miss Lu, are you sure you’re fine now?” Han Yixin asked.

“Yes. Don’t worry, we can practice a little before the competition if you want,” she replied thoughtfully and saw the Fu Siblings appearing out of nowhere and following behind them.

To this day, they didn’t lower their guards on Shen Yi’s insistence until Li Yuren subdued the missing Feng Zexian. With Zhang Qing being confined at the hospital to recover from her injuries, the Fu Siblings didn’t dare leave Lu Xinyi out of sight.

As they walked down the corridor, few students glanced on their way and started talking in low voices. After months of their wedding ceremony, there were still people who didn’t believe that Lu Xinyi married President Shen out of love, not that Lu Xinyi could be bothered with their opinions.

A tiny frown creased her brows, but that was it. None had been brave enough to ask her about it anyway.

As she pondered about this, her phone beeped, indicating she received a message. Taking it out from her pocket, Lu Xinyi was surprised to see a message from her husband, informing her he’d be picking her up in front of the academy.