Chapter 156: Take a Bath First

The torrential rain continued to pour.

The relentless raindrops fell like silver needles, every single one of them striking Lu Yao's body.

Her hands gripped the rocks at the edge of the cliff with desperate strength as she hauled herself upward, expending nearly all her remaining energy with every inch she gained.

"Lu Yao!"

Ye Zehong's voice came from above. She raised her head, rain blurring her vision.

Amidst the swaying motion, her wrist was grasped firmly.

Her body lifted into the air as she was pulled up.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

A suffocating tightness gripped Lu Yao's chest, throwing her into a fit of violent, distressing coughs.

Ye Zehong cupped his palm slightly and patted her back firmly, each stroke executed with practiced professionalism.

After a long while, the coughing finally subsided.

Zhou Luoxi stood to one side, holding an umbrella, and said with concern, "Yao, you scared the life out of me. Are you alright?"

Lu Yao raised her exhausted gaze, meeting Zhou Luoxi's worried eyes. She shook her head, and when she opened her mouth, her voice sounded frighteningly hoarse: "I... I'm fine. It's just that the dark cave where I was hiding had no ventilation, and coupled with the heavy rain, it was so stuffy I almost... suffocated."

Earlier, when Lu Yao was driven to the edge of the cliff by her kidnappers with nowhere left to run, she had discovered a small cave opening on the side of the precipice. In her desperation, she had risked crawling into the dark recess to save her life.

The cave was not deep. Unsure whether the kidnappers had left, she had dared not expose herself, choosing instead to wait silently inside for a long time before attempting to crawl back out.

"As long as you're safe. Let's get in the car first, we can talk when we get back."

Zhou Luoxi started to bend down to pick Lu Yao up, but before he could complete the motion, he saw Ye Zehong scoop her up in his arms with a dark expression, striding toward the car with his long legs.

Lu Yao wrapped her arms around his neck, looking at his stern, resolute face, her eyes growing slightly moist.

The heavy rain fell like falling daggers, plunging straight down from the high sky onto Ye Zehong.

Ye Zehong did not speak a single word from beginning to end, silently carrying Lu Yao into the car.

Shen Yang immediately drove off.

Halfway through the journey, he asked cautiously, "Young Master Ye, should we take Lawyer Lu to the hospital or...?"

Ye Zehong glanced at the rearview mirror, noticing that Zhou Luoxi's car was tailing them relentlessly, and said indifferently, "Head to..."

"Let's go back to my brother's villa instead." Lu Yao secretly gauged Ye Zehong's expression, sensing that he did not want Zhou Luoxi at his residence, and thoughtfully spoke up first.

Unbeknownst to her, her words only deepened the ache in his heart.

The car soon came to a halt outside the villa.

Lu Yao reached for the door handle, but saw Ye Zehong quickly get out, walk around to her side of the car, and without a word, lift her into his arms, carrying her into the villa and straight to her bedroom.

He carried her to the doorway, lowered his gaze to meet her eyes, and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Go take a hot shower, take some cold medicine to ward off the chill, and get some proper rest."

Lu Yao slipped from his embrace, looking at his frosty expression, feeling a twinge of unexplained guilt.

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, attempting a smile.

Unfortunately, that smile looked far worse than crying.

"Go wash up."

Ye Zehong raised a hand to gently pat the top of Lu Yao's head, escorted her to the bathroom door, and before leaving, thoughtfully closed the bedroom door behind him.

When he walked down to the living room, Zhou Luoxi was just stepping through the front door.

"Where is Yao?"

Ye Zehong raised his chin slightly and glanced upstairs.

Zhou Luoxi made to head toward the stairs, but an icy command rang out from behind him.

"No matter how anxious or worried you are, you have to wait until she finishes her hot shower."

"Or is it that the two of you, being brother and sister, can freely enter and exit each other's bedrooms without needing to mind the boundaries between men and women?"

Hearing this, Zhou Luoxi's anger flared. He rushed over to Ye Zehong, grabbed him by the collar, and cursed through clenched teeth, "If it weren't for your Ye family, Yao would never have been kidnapped, nor would she have suffered like this!"

With that, Zhou Luoxi delivered a fierce punch straight to Ye Zehong's face.