23 Crash Chaos

All of the servants lined up as Hou Wei Yan descended the stairs now dressed in casual clothing. She donned a soft gray knitted long-sleeved shirt and light-washed denim finished off with nude-colored accessories to keep everything simple yet elegant. Her simplicity made the servants awe.

It was so simple but it fitted her well. They can see through her real beauty without any makeup or fancy clothes decorating her body. Overall, she looked majestic.

"Young Lady," Gu Man greeted her with a bow and fetched her by the stairs. She smiled awkwardly at his gestures.

Gu Man felt this but he had no plan of minimizing it. She deserves to be served. "Fang Tao and Ye Zhe will accompany you, Young Lady."

At this, Ye Zhe came to view. He was a young fellow with brown curly hair and eyes almond in color. He has the same height as Fang Tao, 6'1", but his body figure had more muscles compared to the latter. She could clearly see the packs of abs he owns from the tight turtle neck sweater he wore. Based on the liveliness of his face and the young air around him, he was most probably 25 years old or younger than that.

Upon reaching Hou Wei Yan, he took a bow and gave her a smile. She smiled back as she remembered her baby brother Hou Jun Shen in him.

"Madame," he said as he guided her out the entrance. Hou Wei Yan followed after bowing down to all of the servants who were carefully watching her every move.

Upon reaching the stairs out of the mansion, Hou Wei Yan was greeted by three cars; one Mercedes G63 which was an armored limousine, and two BMW 760LI high-security vehicles waiting by the entrance. Besides the two BMW situated at the front and back of the Mercedes, were four bulky men in suits and in shades.

"This is?" she stared at Fang Tao, waiting for his explanation.

However, Fang only stared at her without emotion. He opened the car door and urged her inside. Now that Ye Zhe was here, he can now choose not to talk.

Ye Zhe shook his head at his comrade. He's obviously throwing all the talking to him. "They are your guards."

Hou Wei Yan looked at the four guards standing outside the other cars and sighed. She wants to protest but as this was her husband's arrangement she cannot question it because it's for her safety.

She nodded her head at him and entered the car. "Can we stop by Hunluan Toys?"

Ye Zhe nodded his head at the front seat and immediately directed the driver, Shin Wolter. She stared at the man and saw that he was a bit dark-toned. As he drove away from the Mansion, Hou Wei Yan took another glance at him before dialing Xie Zhong.

"Zhong *Ge" she warmly said as the other line answered her call.

(*Ge is short for Gege which means older brother)

Xie Zhong was surprised by Hou Wei Yan's sudden call. It's been a long time since he talked to her. He was indeed the one who handles the toys that she sends to the orphanage annually but it was Xie Na who contacted him, not her.

"Hello, Zhong Ge?"

Xie Zhong cannot help himself but smile at the thought of Hou Wei Yan finally returning back to her normal state. "Hey Brat, what's up?

Hou Wei Yan smiled as he called her. This is the rude older brother she knows. "Can I fetch the toys now?"

Xie Zhong looked at the pile of toys wrapped in colorful patterned papers in his shop. "It's ready. Are you attending the event?"

"Hmm, I am."

"Aren't you busy?" he asked as he looked at the lady who entered the store.

"I'm on leave," she answered and smiled when she heard children's voices on the other line. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"I'll be waiting." he answered and immediately hung up.

As Xie Zhong hangs up, Hou Wei Yan cannot help but look at her companions. They were obviously listening to her conversation. Feeling their heavy and questioning gazes, she opted to explain to them although they never really asked one.

"It's my best friend's brother," she said to make sure they don't get any odd ideas.

Fang Tao and the driver remained silent while Ye Zhe simply nodded his head.

They know.

They know everything there is to know.

.....

The car stopped at a cabin-inspired store. A huge white tiger mascot dressed in a peter pan costume stood outside holding the signage of the store. From afar, Hunluan Toys can be seen neatly written in Chinese.

Hou Wei Yan entered the store followed by Fang and Ye Zhe.

"Zhong Ge!" she immediately called out.

"Brat!" a man called back as he stepped out of their storage room and came into view. He was tall and masculine and bearded and curled. She giggled as she remembered Aquaman in him with all the muscles and hair.

He came with two children hanging in each of his hands. "You took your time."

Hou Wei Yan beamed him a smile and immediately approached the children. "Are they Yanyan and Xiao Xiao?"

The children looked at the lady and were awed as her beautiful smile came into view. A few seconds later a hint of realization flooded their eyes as they remembered her.

"She's the lady in the photo! Nana's girlfriend!" both of them said as they pointed their hands at her.

She cannot help but smile at their adorable features. "My oh My, I'm glad they look like their mother."

Xie Zhong clicked his tongue. "Nonsense. They look like me!"

She laughed and smiled, even more, when a goddess went inside the door. "I heard you, but I'm sorry. They do look like me."

The lady walked past Fang Tao and Ye Zhe. She didn't even look at them and instead pounced at the woman clutching to talk with her children. "Wei Wei! I missed you!"

Hou Wei Yan accepted her hug and together, the two spun around while skipping like bunnies or children in their wonderland.

"*Unnie!" Hou Wei Yan squealed with her. She was Hyeon Yooni, Aquaman Xie Zhong's lovely Korean wife.

(*Unnie is the Korean of older sister)

"Came to take the toys?" she asked, her Chinese still lacking. Hou Wei Yan smiled at this and decided to converse with her in Korean.

"Yes. I'm on leave so I decided to attend the event. I had nothing to do at home." she said as they walked to the toys, totally disregarding Xie Zhong.

Fang looked outside and motioned the guards to come in and take the gifts. The four bulky men entered the room and made it look too small for their size. They were the same size as Xie Zhong but looked more serious and dangerous than him.

"New guards?" Yooni asked as the guards took the toys one by one.

Hou Wei Yan nodded her head as she glanced at the guards as well. "Yes,"

As the transfer continued with Fang facilitating it outside, Hou Wei Yan and Yooni were playing with the kids. Xie Yan was an adorable prince and Xie Xiao was obviously their cute baby princess. Both of them have Yooni's almond hues and facial features and only have Xie Zhong's curly hair as a special attribute.

"I'll be leaving once this finishes," she said as she took a glance at her clock. It was already near noon and the orphanage was a bit far from the city.

Yooni nodded her head as she took hold of her hands. "I can't go today. Can you send my regards to them?"

"Okay," Hou Wei Yan answered.

Suddenly, the ground began shaking. Hou Wei Yan looked at Yooni as they felt the floor trembling. Soon after, a strong wave of tremors hit them as the shelves of the store and all its furniture moved and shook with the ground.

A loud piercing scream was then heard outside as the shaking intensified. "Earthquake!"

Yooni, upon hearing this, immediately grabbed Xiao Xiao and engulfed her in a hug. Hou Wei Yan looked around in search of Yanyan and saw him crying on one of the corners of the shelves. She ran to him, her heart convulsing as she saw a vase at the top of the shelf. "Yanyan!"

Fang Tao who was reporting to Ji Li Zhao outside suddenly felt terrified by the tremor. He looked inside and saw a horrendous scene. Everything was shaking.

"Madame," he whispered as he remembered she was inside.

His body instantly moved as quickly as he could. He bolted inside but was blocked at the entrance when the staff ran out in terror.

[ Damn it! ]

"Madame!" he shouted, in hopes that Hou Wei Yan would come running out as well. He looked around his men and noticed Ye Zhe wasn't there.

"Ye Zhe! Ye Zhe! Get her out!" he furiously yelled. They were soldiers who were well-skilled in killing, attacking, defending, and surviving. However, no matter how skilled a person is, nature is still a terrifying opponent.

A loud crash was suddenly heard inside making Fang curse. Without second thoughts, he runs inside and destroys the glass window with the use of his body. Sounds of cries were all that he could hear inside along with the crashing of porcelains at the far end.

Hou Wei Yan dashed towards Yanyan and pulled him in her arms a second before the vase fell. Its pieces flew over making Hou Wei Yan clutch to shield both of them from it. Because of this, she didn't see a plate nearly falling where she stayed.

"Madame!" a yell was heard making Hou Wei Yan search for its source and she gasped as the plate fell down.

She was curled and she could not move quickly with Yanyan in her arms. It was too late!

"Shit!" Fang cursed as he finally saw her but didn't like the situation he was under. He was still in the sea of customers and employees! "Ye Zhe!"

Ye Zhe who heard this immediately turned to look where Hou Wei Yan was. He bolted like Flash and didn't mind everyone or everything else. He needed to save her!

Hou Wei Yan who had already accepted her situation suddenly felt a swoosh on her back. A crash was then heard, but it didn't touch her one bit. She slowly looked up and saw Ye Zhe seriously looking at her. "Are you okay, Madame?"

"Ye---"

"Look out!" A lady screamed as the shelf began falling in their direction. Ye Zhe gathered Hou Wei Yan and Yanyan in his arms to shield them from the falling objects on the shelf.

The impact could have been bad, but they were lucky Fang finally got out of the herd. His lean figure was astonishingly strong. He used his right arm to block it from falling further.

"Yanyan!" Xie Zhong yelled as he went back inside after making sure Yooni and Xiaoxiao were out.

"Dad!" Yanyan yelled. He immediately followed their voice and saw a scene that could terrify anyone.

"Fuck!" he yelled as he ran towards them.

"Ye, I will push it to the other side. Make sure they don't get hurt!" he ordered as he exerted more power on his arms. Ye Zhe nodded his head as he held them tighter.

Fang screamed as he pushed the shelf to the other side. Xie Zhong came and helped him make it much easier to push it back. As they pushed it away, the shelves' glass broke out. Hou Wei Yan yelled in terror not for herself, but for the man holding them down.

"It's okay," Ye Zhe repeatedly said as he made sure none of the debris could touch them. He was extremely careful not to cut Hou Wei Yan because he knew its consequences.

"Don't buckle in!" Fang yelled as he used all his might to push it along Xie Zhong.

[ Damn it. Why is it so heavy? What is it made of?! ]

With a strong thrust, the shelf finally trembled down on the other side. Xie Zhong immediately ran towards the curled group. "Yanyan!"

Hou Wei Yan let go of him and allowed Yanyan to reunite with his father. As Yanyan got engulfed by Xie Zhong, Hou Wei Yan immediately turned to her guards.

"Ye Zhe!" she called out worriedly but he had already stood up.

He dusted himself and brushed away all the glasses on his sweater and head. He then beamed her a smile as the quake finally subsided. "I'm fine,"

Fang Tao went to her and grabbed her cold hands. "Let's get you out of here."

Hou Wei Yan dared not object nor have any more reason to stay. She followed behind Fang Tao and was trailed behind by Ye Zhe.

She breathed a sigh of relief upon sighting Yooni safe with her children. She looked at the chaos currently ensuing but was suddenly held by Fang in her arms. "Let's go home,"

"But---"

The earthquake was quite strong, there were bound to be a lot of injuries.

However, Hou Wei Yan was proven wrong. There was no report of injury around their place. She saw crying people but there were no casualties or heavy injuries.

"Wei Wei, everything is fine now. You should go and not worry anyone," Yooni said as she approached the hesitant lady. She hugged Hou Wei Yan and kissed her hair. "Thank you for saving Yanyan."

Noticing Yooni wasn't going to let her stay, Hou Wei Yan turned her gaze to Xie Zhong. But he shook his head at her the moment he felt her gaze fixed on him. "Go home brat. Now's not the time for you to stay here much longer."

She looked around more and landed her eyes on Ye Zhe.

He saved them and got hurt. As the perpetrator of his wounds, she must accompany him and make sure he is well-rested. Even though she was concerned with the people around her, Hou Wei Yan knew her husband's employees should matter to her most. So she sighed as she looked at Xie Zhong and his family.

Slowly, Hou Wei Yan nodded her head and entered the car. Fang was seated on her left side and Ye Zhe on her right. As the car drove away, Hou Wei Yan couldn't help but glance at Ye Zhe worriedly, which the young man immediately noticed.

"I'm fine, Madame," he muttered to ease her anxiety. But she didn't believe this.

"Fang, do you have a medicine kit here?" she asked as she looked around the car.

Without words, Fang Tao took out a huge medicine box under the seat and showed it to Hou Wei Yan. "It's not much."

Hou Wei Yan was speechless after opening the medicine box handed to her. [ Not much? It's almost complete that I can perform surgery if I want to! ]

Bloody hell! She must really applaud her husband.

She took out a swab of cotton and placed some disinfectant in it. As she was doing this, the car entered the huge highway with a lot of crossings. She looked up front and was shocked as the car swayed to and fro. A huge truck was heading their way! It was moving so fast that her eyes went big in horror.

"Fang!" she shouted as the car shifted from the cemented road to the bulky grassland.

There was a loud screeching of brakes and tires...before a blast resonated across the place.