He stopped and held her hands, "I want to cherish every moment we have together, and I know you're not ready to fully accept me yet. I will respect you and wait until you're willing to give yourself to me completely."
Gu Susu smiled, "Okay, then I won't call him."
She pulled her hands away and continued walking, feeling that the night air was particularly beautiful.
Even on the road, the night always passed quickly. She had never had the leisure to appreciate the city's night like this.
She tilted her head back, looking at the sky, which was not very vast amidst the towering buildings. A sense of melancholy welled up in her heart as she remembered how Yang Sijie had once said his greatest wish was to see the Great Wall.
She turned to look at Yang Sijie behind her and asked, "Brother Sijie, have you been to the Great Wall yet..."
Just as Yang Sijie was about to answer, he heard the roar of a motorcycle approaching from behind and turned his head in surprise.
Mark, who was driving behind them, stopped his car at some point, got out, and rushed towards Yang Sijie, shouting, "Mr. Yang, be careful!"
Gu Susu, facing the approaching motorcycle, saw two people on it. One was driving, and the other, sitting behind, held a burning gasoline bottle.
She instantly realized that the gasoline bottle in the hands of the person behind the motorcycle was meant for her. Terrified, she covered her head, wanting to dodge, but not knowing where to go.
At the very moment the person on the motorcycle, wearing a helmet, threw the gasoline bottle, Yang Sijie, without a second thought, lunged towards Gu Susu and shielded her.
The burning gasoline bottle landed directly behind Yang Sijie, igniting his clothes, and the flames grew.
The two people on the motorcycle quickly escaped.
Mark took off his jacket and rushed over, forcefully extinguishing the fire on Yang Sijie's back, but it was a little too late.
Yang Sijie's clothes on his back and a section of his right sleeve were completely burned off.
From Yang Sijie's pained expression, Gu Susu instantly understood what had happened. Yang Sijie had taken the burning gasoline bottle for her.
She frantically grabbed Yang Sijie and asked, "Brother Sijie, are you alright?"
"Take Mr. Yang to the hospital." Mark, standing behind Yang Sijie, had seen clearly that even though the fire was extinguished promptly, the remaining inner shirt that hadn't fully burned would still be terrifyingly hot. It was unavoidable that Yang Sijie's skin on his back would be scalded.
Gu Susu released Yang Sijie and looked at his back. She couldn't help but gasp and quickly supported him, intending to take him to the hospital with Mark.
Yang Sijie stopped them, saying, "No need. Take me back, and have Allen come over. He can handle it."
"But Sijie, you're burned on your back. If you don't go to the hospital, can Allen really treat it?" Gu Susu felt they should go to the hospital.
Yang Sijie endured the intense pain on his back and forced a smile, "Don't you remember? I told you Allen used to be a doctor."
"I didn't forget, but..."
Mark interrupted Gu Susu, "Miss Gu, we'll do as Mr. Yang says and take him back first. I was just in a hurry and forgot how skilled Allen is."
Seeing Yang Sijie's firm insistence, Gu Susu carefully helped him into the car, constantly mindful of his back, preventing anything from touching it.
When Allen received Mark's call, he had just returned to the dessert shop. He was truly happy for Yang Sijie that his friend had finally achieved his long-held wish and pursued the woman he loved.
He had expected Yang Sijie and Miss Gu to have a very romantic evening. He hadn't expected Yang Sijie to suddenly have an accident. He drove quickly towards Yang Sijie's villa.
As soon as he saw Mark coming out to greet him, he asked, "What happened? Why is his back burned?"
Mark led him inside and said, "Someone was going to throw a gasoline bottle at Miss Gu. Mr. Yang was burned while protecting her."
"I see, but his back was already covered in scars..." Allen didn't finish his sentence and walked quickly into the villa, very worried.
As Allen painstakingly peeled off the residual clothing stuck to Yang Sijie's skin, Gu Susu stood by, finding the sight horrifying. Each peel must have been very painful.
Yang Sijie, however, endured it without a groan. Gu Susu couldn't bear to watch and started to cry, blaming herself, "It's all my fault. I was the one who said we should walk back. If we hadn't walked, this wouldn't have happened..."
Yang Sijie, his face covered in sweat, still smiled at her, "It was an accident, it has nothing to do with you."
"It wasn't an accident. They were on a motorcycle and came for me. Those two wanted to burn me to death!" The more Gu Susu thought about it, the more self-reproach she felt. She inadvertently saw some old scars on his back besides the burned areas.
Yang Sijie gritted his teeth and comforted her, "How could that be? Those two were after me. You're just a designer; no one would have such a grudge against you. It must be my business enemies."
Gu Susu cried, disbelieving, "You haven't been in Lancheng for long, how could you have enemies?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but reach out and touch a scar on his back that extended almost to his waist, then asked, "But what about this scar?"
Yang Sijie motioned for Allen to stop and smiled at Gu Susu, "What scar are you talking about? It must be from the burn just now. Don't be too nervous. Don't stay here and watch me. Go out and rest for a bit. Once Allen finishes treating my burns, I'll be fine."
Allen chimed in, "Miss Gu, you're here feeling his pain and crying. It makes me nervous while I'm treating the wound. Please wait outside for a while."
Gu Susu felt her eyes hadn't deceived her; some old scars were not from the recent burns. However, thinking that Allen treating his burns was most important, she obediently left his room.
At this moment, Mark, standing at the doorway, said to her, "Miss Gu, please sit in the living room for a while. I'll make some coffee."
With Yang Sijie so injured, she couldn't sit in the living room and have coffee. As she walked downstairs, she said, "I'll make it. What kind of coffee does Brother Sijie like?"
Mark followed her and said, "Very strong black coffee. No sugar or milk needed."
"Okay." Gu Susu walked directly into the kitchen. She had watched Yang Sijie work in the kitchen last time and roughly knew where things were kept.
After Gu Susu put the coffee beans into the coffee machine, she turned to Mark and said, "Brother Sijie's back is burned, so he can't drink coffee. He should eat something light recently, which will be good for his wound recovery."
"Miss Gu, you are right. I'll leave the care and diet for Mr. Yang's wounds to you these few days. I don't know much about these things," Mark said respectfully.
Gu Susu thought of Chen Ma, who knew how to take care of people around Qin Tianyi, and how Yang Sijie was surrounded by men. How could they take good care of him?
"When Brother Sijie returned, was there only you with him? Did he not bring... did he not bring a woman who could take care of him?"