Jiang Yan's feelings for Lin Yu were definitely not love—not even close to affection. But the moment she saw him charge into the burning building, she felt as if her entire body had been hollowed out.
This man, who had shared her life for over twenty years, who bore the title of her husband, had—for the first time—made her look at him in a new light. For the first time, she felt an emotion she couldn’t name: reluctance.
She knew that this silhouette might be their final farewell.
**"A hero!"**
**"So brave... but so foolish. With a fire that big, how could he possibly come out alive?"**
**"Yeah, such a good young man... what a shame."**
The crowd was equally moved as they watched Lin Yu rush in, their voices filled with regret.
Some even silently judged the pink-clad mother for her selfishness, though they understood—what parent could stand by and watch their child burn to death?
---
The moment Lin Yu entered the stairwell, the thick scent of smoke and fire assaulted his senses. And this was just the first floor. If the fumes were already this strong, the actual flames must be catastrophic. If not for the firefighters battling the blaze, the situation would have been far worse.
Compared to an ordinary person, Lin Yu’s reflexes and movements were much faster. In just a few minutes, he had sprinted up to the sixteenth floor. But He Jiarong’s body was still mortal. After such a rapid ascent, Lin Yu was left gasping for air.
The stairwell was choked with smoke, so thick he could barely see his own hand. Waves of heat rolled through the air, and he could already feel his skin beginning to scorch.
He should have been able to hear the child’s cries more clearly now that he was closer, but instead, the whimpers had grown faint. The girl was on the verge of death.
Gritting his teeth, Lin Yu plunged into the smoke.
---
**"Hello, everyone. I’m Li Ling, a reporter from Qinghai TV’s *First Scene*. I’m currently at the intersection of Qingjiang Road and Shangmao South Road, where the Qilin Building behind me erupted in a massive fire an hour ago, followed by an explosion. So far, dozens have been injured or killed."**
A female reporter in a dark suit stood outside, speaking rapidly into her microphone as the camera rolled.
**"Fortunately, firefighters arrived in time to control the blaze, and all civilians inside the building have been evacuated. However, just moments ago, bystanders spotted a surviving little girl trapped on the twentieth floor. Due to the limited height of the aerial ladder, firefighters were unable to reach her. That’s when a man claiming to be a retired special forces soldier borrowed a fire suit and charged inside. His heroic act—"**
**BOOM!**
A deafening explosion cut off the reporter’s broadcast. Debris rained from the sky as the crowd screamed and scrambled back. Thankfully, the firefighters had already cordoned off a safe perimeter, preventing further casualties.
**"Just now, the twentieth floor experienced a major explosion! The fire has now spread entirely upward!"** The reporter’s voice trembled with alarm.
**"It’s over... it’s really over now!"**
**"That young man shouldn’t have gone in!"**
**"With a fire that big, not even a god could survive!"**
The crowd murmured, some praising Lin Yu’s courage, others lamenting his foolishness.
At the sound of the explosion, Jiang Yan’s vision darkened. She nearly fainted.
What was she supposed to do now? How could she explain this to her parents?
Lin Yu’s last words to her—*"This time, do I count as a man in your heart?"*—echoed in her mind like hammer blows, a relentless reminder that **she** was the one who had sent him to his death.
---
**"It has now been twenty minutes since the man entered the building. Given the intensity of the flames, it’s likely..."** The reporter’s voice was heavy with sorrow. **"Let us pay tribute to this nameless hero."**
**"He’s out! He’s out!"**
Her words were barely out when the crowd erupted into deafening cheers.
**"Oh my God! How is this possible?!"**
**"Heaven has eyes!"**
**"A hero! A real hero!"**
**"Some men are simply born extraordinary!"**
From the smoke-choked entrance emerged a resolute figure, a little girl cradled in his arms.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
The fire suit covering his forehead to his left shoulder had been burned away, revealing skin blackened with soot. His face was unrecognizable beneath the grime—except for his eyes.
Those dark, bright eyes.
Jiang Yan recognized Lin Yu instantly. She sprinted toward him, desperate to throw her arms around him, but she stopped short at the last moment. Afraid he might be injured, she didn’t dare touch him.
*"This time... did I make you proud?"*
Lin Yu’s voice was weak, but his smile—his **teeth**—stood out starkly against his blackened face.
Jiang Yan pressed her lips together, her beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears. She trembled slightly, as if struggling to contain a storm of emotions.
**"My daughter!"**
The pink-clad woman and firefighters rushed forward to take the child, immediately carrying her to an ambulance.
After a few steps, the mother suddenly stopped, turned, and dropped to her knees.
*"Thank you... thank you, my savior..."* She kowtowed repeatedly, her voice choked with tears.
The onlookers’ eyes grew damp, deeply moved by the scene.
Lin Yu couldn’t speak anymore. He simply waved her off weakly.
**"This is unbelievable! Against all odds, this nameless hero emerged from the inferno with the little girl—unharmed! It’s nothing short of a miracle!"** The reporter exclaimed. **"Let’s go interview him!"**
*"Take me home..."*
Lin Yu managed to rasp those words before his legs gave out. He collapsed.
**"He Jiarong!"** Jiang Yan screamed.
---
When Lin Yu woke again, it was already past midnight. He blinked, relieved to find himself in his own bedroom.
He lay on the bed he’d only slept in once before. Beside him, seated in a chair, was his wife—asleep, her cheek propped on her hand.
Jiang Yan had refused all interviews. After examining Lin Yu and finding, to her astonishment, that he wasn’t injured—just exhausted—she’d brought him straight home. Before leaving, she’d asked the reporter to protect their privacy.
Watching Jiang Yan sleep like this, her long lashes brushing her cheeks, her lips slightly parted, Lin Yu couldn’t help but smile.
She looked like a child—adorable.
A sudden warmth bloomed in his chest. For some reason, he found himself longing for a daughter. A little girl who looked just like Jiang Yan.
---
**"You’re awake!"**
Jiang Yan jolted upright, her nap interrupted. Seeing Lin Yu staring at her, her face lit up.
*"Is the little girl okay?"* Lin Yu asked hoarsely.
**"She’s fine. Perfectly fine. She woke up already. Her family’s been trying to find you through connections."** Jiang Yan paused. **"But I told the TV station not to reveal our information."**
*"Smart."* Lin Yu grinned, then winced as he tried to sit up. His entire body ached as if it had been dismantled and hastily reassembled.
He sighed inwardly. He Jiarong’s body was still too weak.
(Though, thanks to the emerald spiritual energy within him, it was already far stronger than an average person’s. Anyone else would have been completely incapacitated.)
**"How did you even find her in that fire? And how did you get out?"** Jiang Yan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity—and something else. Admiration, perhaps.
*"Oh, well... from the outside, the fire looked worse than it was. Half the building wasn’t actually burning. Broken water pipes kept the flames from spreading."*
Lin Yu didn’t even blink as he spun the lie.
In truth, the opposite was true. The interior had been an ocean of fire. By the eighteenth floor, the heat had been so intense it nearly knocked him off his feet.
But then—suddenly—a coolness had washed over him. A faint emerald glow had emanated from his skin.
Lin Yu knew then that his ancestors were watching over him.
That was how he’d made it to the twentieth floor, how he’d found the girl—already unconscious in the hallway, spared from the worst of the flames.
---
When Jiang Yan saw Lin Yu struggling to sit up, she hurriedly helped him, propping a pillow behind his back and handing him a glass of water.
Only then did Lin Yu realize he was wearing nothing but a bathrobe—and underneath, **nothing at all**.
He spat out his water.
*"Did you... undress me?"*
Jiang Yan’s face turned crimson. She stared at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.
**"Mom and Dad... they insisted I... wash you."**
Lin Yu’s jaw dropped. So she’d seen **everything**?
Jiang Yan seemed to read his mind. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
**"I... I closed my eyes..."**
*Closed eyes?* Then she must have... **touched** him?
Lin Yu’s jaw dropped further.
But then he remembered—it wasn’t **his** body she’d seen or touched. It was He Jiarong’s.
The realization brought instant relief.
After all, wasn’t it only natural for a wife to bathe her husband?
---
The next day, Lin Yu’s rescue made headlines. News outlets everywhere hailed his heroism—but thankfully, no one revealed his identity. His face had been too covered in soot to recognize, and any footage of Jiang Yan had been cut entirely.
**"Tsk tsk, what an impressive young man. A true hero."**
Jiang Jingren and Li Suqin ate breakfast while praising the "nameless hero" on TV, completely unaware it was their son-in-law.
Jiang Yan hadn’t told them—partly to spare them worry, partly to avoid their scolding.
As for the soot on Lin Yu? She’d lied and said it was from standing too close to the explosion.
Since Jiang Yan hadn’t said anything, Lin Yu saw no reason to enlighten them. He shoveled porridge into his mouth, ravenous.
**"Jiarong, don’t just eat. Learn from this man. Maybe you’ll finally outgrow that cowardly nature of yours."**
Li Suqin shot him a disapproving look. Even if her son-in-law could make money now, he was still too timid—too **soft**.
*"Mhm."* Lin Yu nodded, stuffing his face with fried dough.
**"Mom, just eat."** Jiang Yan quickly passed her a fried egg, shooting Lin Yu an apologetic glance.
---
After breakfast, Lin Yu remembered Old Man Song’s request and called Xue Qin, asking if she had time to meet.
The moment Xue Qin heard his voice, she agreed immediately, telling him to come straight to her office.
Lin Yu hailed a cab and headed to the commercial high-rise she’d mentioned—a forty-story landmark just steps from the beach. Xue Qin’s company occupied the entire thirty-eighth floor, a testament to her prowess as a businesswoman.
When Lin Yu arrived, Xue Qin was watching the news. The TV across from her desk played footage of yesterday’s fire—of Lin Yu charging into the building.
It was a habit of hers, checking the news morning, noon, and night for updates on policies and economic trends that might affect her business.
Today, this story had captured her attention completely.
**"Xue—"**
Lin Yu, ushered in by her secretary, started to speak, but Xue Qin silenced him with a finger to her lips. She motioned for him to sit on the sofa in the reception area, her eyes still glued to the screen.
**"Once again, let us salute this nameless hero!"**
As the segment ended, Xue Qin finally smiled.
**"That’s the first real man I’ve seen in years."**
Lin Yu laughed. *"What, have all the others been fake men?"*
**"Yes. Fake men. Full of empty words and posturing. Softer than women."** She smirked, scribbling something on a notepad.
Lin Yu chuckled. *"And what about me?"*
Xue Qin glanced up, her smile fading.
In her eyes, Lin Yu wasn’t much better. Her grandfather’s glowing praise over the phone last night didn’t change the fact that he was just another opportunist.
He’d helped her once, and now here he was, already coming to collect.
**"Mr. He, here’s two million. Thank you for your help yesterday."**
She slid a check across the desk, her smile polite but distant.
