"What? Lili didn't follow us?" Yue Yunfei was also startled and quickly jumped up from the ground. He glanced around at the people present and indeed did not see Ding Lili's petite figure. His heart sank, and he shouted at everyone, "Who the hell has seen Lili?"
"Yunfei, Lili should still be in the room and hasn't come out!" Bowa looked at Yue Yunfei with a worried expression. After spending so much time together, she knew that the timid Ding Lili would never run off on her own without an adult's instruction. The only possibility now was that she was still in the room.
"Are you all a bunch of pigs? Not a single adult knows how to take care of a child!" Yue Yunfei was extremely angry, holding his head and panting like a fierce beast. At this moment, Ding Jie could no longer care about being angry with him and hurriedly rushed over to grab his pant leg, pleading urgently, "Yunfei, save Lili! You have to go save Lili; she's your own flesh and blood…"
"Save? How do I save her? The upper floor must be filled with zombies by now. Didn't you see that Jack hasn't come down yet? If I go up, it's just going to be a death sentence!" Yue Yunfei, in a fit of rage, shook off Ding Jie and, holding his head, walked to a pillar, ignoring her pleas.
In fact, he wasn't really making excuses for himself to avoid going into the empty hallway to save his daughter. When they passed the first floor, Yue Yunfei had caught a glimpse of the hunter that Jack had kicked down, charging towards the main entrance of the hall. He had closed the door to the first floor out of guilt, preventing others from seeing it. If he recklessly rushed out now, he would likely run into that frenzied hunter head-on.
"Yue Yunfei! Today I, Ding Jie, have finally realized that you are not only a heartless man but also a coward. You don't even deserve to be called a man; you only care about yourself!" Ding Jie pointed at Yue Yunfei furiously, but Yue Yunfei, with his back to her, remained unmoved. Ding Jie's face turned pale with anger as she gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, if you won't save her, I'll go save her myself. Lili's misfortune is having a father like you!"
With that, Ding Jie turned to run towards the hallway, but Gao Chujing quickly grabbed her and shouted urgently, "Mayor Ding, you can't go! You'll be going up there empty-handed; it's just looking for death!"
"Hmph~ Even if I seek death, I want to die with my daughter. Besides, Jack is still up there; he will definitely protect me!" Ding Jie said as she shook off Gao Chuanjiang's hand and tried to run away again. At that moment, a man rushed out from the side, grabbing her around the waist and shouting loudly, "Xiao Jie, don't be impulsive. Leave Li Li to me; I will definitely bring her down safely!"
"Old... Old Ryan?" Ding Jie initially thought it was Yue Yunfei who had changed his mind, a moment of surprise flashing in her heart. But in the blink of an eye, she realized that the man holding her was actually Ryan Lin. Ding Jie looked at Ryan Lin, who wore a helpless smile, in shock, and heard him calmly say, "I have always treated Li Li as my own daughter. No matter what, I cannot just stand by and watch her get into trouble!"
"Old Ryan, what are you doing?" Yue Yunfei suddenly turned around, his face cold as he said to him, "The corridor is already filled with zombies. Li Li is destined to be beyond saving. No one will blame you if you don't go up, but you must not sacrifice yourself in vain. Do we not have enough lost companions to mourn? As long as you have this heart, Li Li... she will be grateful to you in heaven!"
"President Yue..."
Ryan Lin slowly released Ding Jie from his embrace, looking calmly at Yue Yunfei not far away. He habitually pushed up the nonexistent glasses on his nose; he had lost his glasses a year ago. At this moment, he slowly raised his head, straightened his chest, and stood tall. His middle-aged, balding figure no longer seemed so disheveled.
With an unprecedented aura, Ryan Lin coldly said to Yue Yunfei, "Do you know why I have willingly followed you for so many years? It's not because of your grand ambitions that moved me, nor your abilities. The qualities you think you have are, in my eyes, worthless. If I wanted to, the biggest partner of this hotel would never have been you; it would have been me long ago! Your success owes a lot to me, and to say something disrespectful, without me, your success would be uncertain. But the reason I willingly help you is solely for one person; as long as she can be happy, I am willing to be your servant for life!"
"Ryan Lin, have you taken the wrong medicine today?" The veins on Yue Yunfei's temples throbbed, and his teeth ground together with a "crunching" sound.
But Ryan Lin didn't even look at his former boss. His gentle gaze slowly fell on Ding Jie's face. At this moment, everyone finally realized who the "she" Ryan Lin was referring to was. No one expected that this man, who was usually flattering, respectful, cautious, and timid, was secretly in love with Ding Jie. Even Ding Jie looked at him in disbelief, murmuring, "Old Ryan, you... I..."
"Hehe~ Xiao Jie, from the first moment I saw you, I fell deeply in love with you. But I know I am not worthy of you because you are so, so beautiful. I only dare to secretly watch you from afar. Every smile and frown of yours is etched in my mind. You may not know why I never let anyone go to my house; it's not because my home is a pigsty, but because every inch of my walls is covered with your photos, all of you smiling!"
As Ryan Lin said this, he let out a gentle sigh, suddenly smiling freely, and said in a relaxed tone, "Alright, this secret that has been buried in my heart for many years is finally revealed in front of you. Even if I die this time, I have no regrets!"
"Old Ryan, you... don't..." Ding Jie waved her hands somewhat incoherently, not even knowing what she wanted to say to Ryan Lin. The man she had never even dreamed of loving her secretly was showing such bravery and generosity at this moment, which undoubtedly indicated that Ryan Lin's love for her was genuine. In contrast, the selfishness and domineering nature displayed by Yue Yunfei made the situation seem rather absurd.
"Yue Yunfei..." Ryan Lin looked at the pale-faced Yue Yunfei and chuckled lightly, staring directly into his eyes as he said, "Let me give you one last piece of advice: a person cannot always live for themselves; otherwise, no one will be willing to live for you. This time, you are a complete coward!"
After saying that, Ryan Lin ignored the furious Yue Yunfei and turned to stride towards the exit. At that moment, Thomas Xu came up to him, not only handing him his handgun but also patting him heavily on the shoulder, saying, "Old Ryan, this gun is for you. I underestimated you; you're a real man. Be careful, and make sure to bring Xiao Dingdang back. Good luck!"
"Hmm!" Ryan Lin nodded, touched, gripping the warm handgun. He looked back longingly at Ding Jie, who was dressed in white. In his eyes, Ding Jie was always so beautiful, beautiful enough to often take his breath away. Ding Jie suddenly smiled, tears of emotion welling in her eyes, and said earnestly, "Old Ryan, come back safely. As long as you don't mind… I, Ding Jie, will be your wife!"
"Hmm… hmm…"
At that moment, Ryan Lin was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. He nodded repeatedly, tears of joy welling up in the eyes of this nearly seventy-year-old man. After nodding one last time, he turned and strode towards the exit. As he twisted the door handle, he shouted without looking back, "Xiao Jie, I will definitely bring Li Li back safely. Even if it takes a lifetime, I will marry you!"
"Bang…"
The heavy gray iron door slammed shut, completely obscuring Ryan Lin's somewhat frail figure. However, his last bold words still echoed in everyone's hearts. But upon reflection, one would realize that Ryan Lin was going with a determination to die; he only mentioned bringing Ding Li Li back safely, but he never mentioned himself!
"Wuw~" Ding Jie covered her mouth and began to cry out loud. There was a saying that she only truly understood today: the person you cherish the most is often right beside you; you just have been ignoring them all along!