Wei Yumeng felt that it was the right decision not to tell Zhan Mohan about the situation at home. The family's circumstances had been quite dire these past few days. For their safety, she had been sleeping with the two children every night.
At times, she even noticed suspicious individuals loitering near their home at night.
She was well aware that some people, influenced by online videos, considered themselves netizens. They believed the videos presented the whole story and had begun to threaten Wei Yumeng.
In fact, she had already received several anonymous threatening letters. Once, a delivery even contained a dead rat.
However, she had not disclosed these incidents to anyone. Initially, they had only startled her and had no other effect.
But recently, these occurrences had become more severe. For instance, the suspicious individuals in the vicinity, and the bodyguards had even apprehended several people suspected of attempting to sneak into the villa.
Wei Yumeng had a premonition that if this continued, their actions would only escalate.
“Mom, I can’t seem to sleep,” Zhan Shiqing said, her eyes wide as she looked at Wei Yumeng.
“What is it?” Wei Yumeng was perplexed. Had the children sensed that something was amiss?
Zhan Shiqing looked at Wei Yumeng sadly, “Mom, my classmates told me that Dad likes another woman and that Mom is a bad woman for not letting them be together.”
Wei Yumeng bit her lower lip. She had desperately wanted to shield the children from this matter, but to her dismay, they had eventually become aware of it.
Zhan Jinzhi said calmly, “We don’t need to listen to what others say. Mom and Dad are ours, and only we truly understand them.”
Zhan Shiqing also said indignantly, “I know, but they don’t listen to me, and now they’re not even talking to me.”
“I’m sorry.” Wei Yumeng felt a deep sense of guilt towards her children, believing they shouldn't have to face such issues at their age.
“Mom, what they’re saying isn’t true, is it? Mom and Dad won’t separate, right?”
Wei Yumeng nodded. “Of course. Mom and Dad have a very good relationship. I will never leave your father, and naturally, he will never leave me.”
“Then why hasn’t Dad been home for so long?” Zhan Shiqing asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
Wei Yumeng wiped away her tears. “Don’t overthink it. You’ve heard about what’s been happening lately. Someone is deliberately trying to frame us. So, for our protection and to manage his work, Dad has to be busy during this time. When this is over, we’ll all go on an outing, okay?”
Zhan Shiqing’s mood seemed to improve. “It’s a deal, then. You can’t go back on your word.”
Just then, the voice of a bodyguard was heard from outside the window.
“Who’s there?”
Wei Yumeng was startled by the shout. Her nerves were already frayed, and now she sat up abruptly. But she soon noticed something was wrong.
Why was there a faint haze of smoke inside the room?
“This is bad! The house is on fire! Quick, save them, Madam and the young lady and young master are inside!”
The bodyguards outside descended into chaos, some fighting the fire, others calling the emergency services.
Wei Yumeng now understood what was happening. The smoke was not an illusion. Escaping through the main entrance was impossible; they had to find another way.
“Mom, let’s go to the bathroom!”
Zhan Jinzhi reacted the fastest. He took off his clothes, covered his mouth and nose, and then escorted Zhan Shiqing.
Fortunately, each bedroom had a separate bathroom, and they hid inside.
“What?” Fang Xun could hardly believe what he heard on the phone.
Zhan Mohan frowned and looked at Fang Xun. “What is it?”
“Mr. Zhan, the house is on fire… Madam and the children are still inside.”
Zhan Mohan stood up immediately, disregarding everything else, and rushed towards home.
By the time Zhan Mohan arrived, rescue personnel were already in action.
Zhan Mohan watched, wanting to rush in, but he was stopped.
“Don’t go in. The fire is intensifying. Rushing in now would be suicidal.”
But Zhan Mohan couldn't afford to care about that. His wife and children were still inside.
At that moment, a firefighter descended slowly from the lift of a rescue vehicle, carrying the two unconscious children.
The children seemed to have inhaled smoke but were not in mortal danger.
“Why is my wife not here?”
The firefighter looked anxious. “The fire upstairs is too intense. It seems to have reached the bathroom, making it difficult for us to enter. Your wife handed the children to us. The rest of our team is still trying to rescue her.”
Zhan Mohan couldn’t wait around idly. “Please, take me up too.”
The firefighter hesitated for a moment, but ultimately ascended again with Zhan Mohan.
“Yumeng! Are you there?”
Zhan Mohan looked through the window. The situation inside was indeed grim. The bathroom had not been far from the window initially, but in the current inferno, it seemed impossibly distant.
Zhan Mohan searched frantically and finally spotted Wei Yumeng in a corner. She was still trying to move towards him. She didn't reply because she was covering her mouth and nose with a wet cloth and dared not make a sound.
Wei Yumeng felt her head spinning. She could hear nothing and felt increasingly dizzy. However, her subconscious urged her to survive and get out.
“Yumeng!”
Just then, a familiar figure appeared before her. He quickly scooped her up and carried her out through the window, braving the flames.
“Yumeng, how are you? Are you alright?”
Wei Yumeng wanted to answer, but her throat was so sore she couldn’t make a sound.
Zhan Mohan didn’t force her. He simply handed her over to the medical personnel.
Finally, Zhan Mohan, the children, and Wei Yumeng were all in an ambulance heading to the hospital.
Fortunately, due to their timely escape, they were all unharmed.
Seeing them regain consciousness, Zhan Mohan breathed a sigh of relief. He was still deeply shaken. It had been a close call; he could have lost his entire family.
“Mohan.” Wei Yumeng’s voice was still hoarse from the smoke inhalation.
“Don’t speak. The doctor said you and the children are fine. You just need to rest.”
Zhan Mohan gestured for Wei Yumeng to look to the side. Indeed, the children were in the same hospital room as her.
After confirming their safety, Zhan Mohan left the room. He now had to find out the cause of this fire.
Several bodyguards on duty, covered in soot, were waiting at the door, and the police had already arrived.