Chapter 20: Something More Romantic Than Eloping

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Shen Xing exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Yang Qing’s waist.

“Are you trying to take advantage of me?” she teased.

“I’m just worried I won’t hear clearly. So, where exactly are we going?”

“To risk our lives. Dare to come?”

“…What’s there to be afraid of? But first, clarify—whose life are we risking?”

As Shen Xing groaned, the car sped up, roaring toward the outskirts of Tianhe City.

Twenty minutes later, the vehicle slowed and came to a stop. Shen Xing ruffled his wind-tousled hair, looked around at the disordered surroundings, sighed, and said plaintively, “If you wanted to be with me, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble. I could have just agreed. This place is so rundown. Can’t we find a better hotel first?”

Yang Qing shot him a glare and pulled him into the shadow nearby.

One hallmark of the suburbs was the vast space with few people, dotted with half-finished abandoned buildings and empty houses. During the day, there were barely any people around, let alone at night.

“Stop joking around. Do you think I’m kidding? Look over there,” she said, brushing off his hand that had casually rested on her thigh, and pointed in a direction.

Shen Xing followed her gaze and was stunned. “So many military vehicles? Is there a combat operation going on?”

Yang Qing shook her head. “No, they’re just here to take someone away.”

“Such a big operation just to capture one person? How come I didn’t know there were such powerful people in this backwater?”

Shen Xing was utterly baffled.

“This is to ensure absolute success. Because the target is too important to risk any failure. You’ve been wanting to know why we came to Tianhe City, right? Now you see—Ouyang Lin is in one of those military vehicles,” Yang Qing explained.

Shen Xing inhaled sharply. “Who exactly is this guy? He’s really influential!”

Yang Qing sighed. “Honestly, given his value, even a bigger operation would be justified. The news just hasn’t spread yet; we’re taking advantage of that. In normal circumstances, various organizations and even foreign forces would intervene, and this place would turn into a bloodbath.”

***

Shen Xing was astonished. “That serious? A scientist?”

“Almost. He’s a pharmacist. He likes to tinker with inventions but isn’t very talented in that area. After burning through his money, he used his work connections to secretly produce and sell illegal potions. With the money earned, he’d go back to inventing, living a cycle of poverty and struggle. Not long ago, he got caught stealing company raw materials and was fired. With no money, he moved here,” Yang Qing explained.

Shen Xing was speechless. “That’s not your average guy. So, what? You’re interested in his inventions?”

Yang Qing grew serious. “No. His inventions are worthless. But he has a potion formula that’s priceless!”

Shen Xing was stunned. “That powerful? What kind of potion?”

“It doesn’t have a name yet. It’s based on the prototype of the Dynamic Beta-type potion, typically used for emergency trauma healing and with mild anesthetic effects. But after his unauthorized modifications, the potion drastically drains life force and causes irreversible bodily damage.”

“Ah? That’s a terrible side effect. How can that be priceless?” Shen Xing asked, puzzled.

“Because tests show that it works on the near-dead too, with effects that are… extraordinary. Imagine a soldier on the brink of death, injected with this potion, suddenly regaining full combat strength as if reborn, even exceeding their prime. What do you think that means?”

Shen Xing’s pupils dilated, and he blurted out, “Battlefield!”

“Exactly! If we get the formula, it could give us a huge advantage in many conflicts! It’s a trump card with tremendous deterrent power!” Yang Qing’s eyes sparkled with passion.

Shen Xing rubbed his hands eagerly. “So, we’re here to support them? Just say so instead of sneaking around.”

Yang Qing sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s the opposite. We’re here to snatch someone.”

Shen Xing’s smile froze. He stammered for a few seconds, “W-What? Snatch someone? From the military? But aren’t you on the same side as Ouyang Lin? Why sabotage her?”

Yang Qing glanced toward the military vehicles, which had now shut down, soldiers dismounting one after another. Gritting her teeth, she said, “There’s no time to explain. If we don’t get this person today, your life won’t be easy from now on! What happened when you saved me has had terrible consequences. You were implicated because of me, so I have to find a way to fix this for you!”

With that, she quietly led Shen Xing closer to the scene.

“Damn! What’s wrong with the military? Not even allowed to save their own people?” Shen Xing muttered.

***

Shen Xing had never imagined it was for this reason.

“Saving someone is fine, but your counterattack against them made the military suspicious. You want to become their research subject? Or be imprisoned and turned into a mindless tool? If not, you’d better listen to my plan now.”

Yang Qing briefly explained the gravity of the situation.

Shen Xing cursed inwardly. A super potion that amplified anesthetic effects a thousandfold? That was beyond explanation.

Yang Qing was one of their own; she surely wouldn’t have such methods.

So, without doubt, Shen Xing himself was the one who used the potion.

Yang Qing had thought no one noticed, so she claimed to have killed the enemy with a dagger to avoid a detailed autopsy.

But she had been secretly monitored, and this lie only exposed that both of them were compromised.

When a soldier’s loyalty is questioned, it’s a death sentence.

Yang Qing felt that Ouyang Lin hadn’t immediately thrown her in jail out of respect for the years they’d risked life and limb together.

But recently, she had betrayed that trust once again.

“Shen Xing, neither of us has a way back. After I returned to the Tang family, I was locked up. Unless something unexpected happens, I’ll spend the rest of my life in a high-security prison. So for both your sake and mine, I knocked out the guard and escaped. Now we’re taking a gamble—a chance to regain our voice! Then… we can negotiate a solution.”

Yang Qing hesitated but decided to fully disclose her situation to Shen Xing.

She worried that if Shen Xing doubted her, this already slim plan would plunge into despair.

Shen Xing quietly studied her, lost in thought.

Yang Qing felt guilty and ashamed, thinking that if she hadn’t run to him back then, things wouldn’t be so complicated now.

Since someone was secretly watching her, surely they wouldn’t stand idly by.

But now, she was utterly speechless.

“Shen Xing, I’m really sorry, I…”

Suddenly, Shen Xing lowered his head and kissed her, silencing her.

Yang Qing’s eyes widened in surprise but she neither resisted nor responded.

After a moment, Shen Xing released her and laughed.

“This time I was the one taking advantage. I figured in this situation, you wouldn’t refuse. Anyway, no need to apologize. I saved you, but mostly to save myself. I don’t believe a single word of what that guy said, and even if it’s true, I’d never join them. So really, I have no choice. This isn’t so bad—fighting side by side does sound pretty romantic.”