Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 229; Kidnapping 2

Yuyan’s eyes fluttered open, unfocused and glassy with chemical influence. "Mom...ma..."

"Don’t attempt speech. Conserve energy for metabolizing the sedative."

But Yuyan’s eyes were already sliding closed again, the drug pulling her deeper into unconsciousness despite her apparent desire to maintain awareness.

Shuyin’s jaw tightened fractionally. She adjusted her grip, redistributing Yuyan’s weight for optimal carrying efficiency, and turned....

A sound cut through the urban ambient noise. Rhythmic mechanical thumping, rapidly intensifying in volume.

Helicopter.

Shuyin looked upward, shading her eyes against the afternoon sun glare.

Black aircraft. Sleek military-grade design. Descending with reckless velocity that suggested the pilot had received emergency override authorization to ignore standard urban flight regulations. The trajectory aimed directly at the wide delivery staging area where the abandoned van sat idle.

Rotor wash hit first, violent downdraft scattering loose debris, making the incapacitated men curl tighter against the pavement, forcing Shuyin to brace her stance to maintain balance while protecting Yuyan.

The helicopter touched down with precision that spoke of extensive combat zone experience.

The door slid open before the landing skids had fully settled.

And Lu Yuze emerged.

She was surprised because she hadn’t notified or called him, this definitely was the work of Ting Fei. The way he looked....

This version of him was fundamentally different.

His tie hung loosened, hair disheveled from rapid transit. His face displayed barely contained fury mixed with something rawer, fear that he was fighting to control. His eyes locked first on Shuyin, scanning her with laser intensity before dropping to Yuyan cradled in her arms.

He crossed the intervening distance with long, urgent strides.

His hands came up immediately, gripping Shuyin’s shoulders with enough force to ground but not hurt. His eyes swept over her face, her body, cataloging for injuries with the kind of desperate precision that spoke of genuine terror barely held in check.

"Are you hurt?" The question came out rough, strained. "Did they touch you?"

"I’m fine," Shuyin managed, but her voice came out smaller than intended. "I’m not...."

But Lu Yuze was already looking her over anyway, his gaze tracking every detail as if confirming her words through visual evidence. Only when he seemed satisfied that she was physically intact did his attention shift to Yuyan.

His expression cracked for just a moment, something vulnerable flashing across his features before he locked it down again.

He looked back at Shuyin, and she could see him struggling for composure, could see the fear and fury warring beneath the surface.

"Next time...." He stopped, exhaled sharply, then tried again. "Next time you don’t do this. You don’t run after armed criminals alone. You notify me immediately. Do you understand?"

His voice shook slightly despite his obvious effort to maintain control.

Shuyin felt her own trembling intensify. She’d been preparing for blame, for accusations, for cold dismissal of her failure to protect her as her stepmom. Not this. Not concerned that seemed to encompass her safety as much as Yuyan’s.

"I know," she whispered. Her throat felt too tight for more words. "I’m sorry, I just...."

She couldn’t finish. Couldn’t explain the panic that had driven her forward without thought, the terror of losing Yuyan that had overridden every rational calculation.

Lu Yuze exhaled slowly, deliberately, forcing air through his lungs in a visible attempt to calm himself. Once. Twice. Three times. His hands were still on her shoulders, grounding both of them.

"You’re shaking," he said, quieter now.

"I know." Shuyin couldn’t make it stop. Couldn’t suppress the physical response no matter how hard she tried.

Lu Yuze’s expression softened fractionally. His hands slid from her shoulders to gently take Yuyan’s weight from her arms.

"Let me," he said, and it wasn’t a command this time. Just a quiet offer.

Shuyin let him take Yuyan, watched as he cradled his daughter against his chest with infinite care. His jaw was still tight, but some of the terrible tension had eased from his shoulders now that he could hold Yuyan himself, could feel her breathing, could confirm with his own hands that she was alive.

"Daddy?" Yuyan’s voice emerged barely audible, heavily slurred.

"I’m here," Lu Yuze said, his voice rough with emotion he wasn’t quite managing to contain. "You’re safe now. I’ve got you."

He looked back at Shuyin, at Ting Fei approaching with the security team, at the incapacitated kidnappers still writhing on the ground.

"Let’s go to the hospital," he said, his executive voice returning but still edged with that underlying fear. "She’s been drugged. She needs immediate medical attention."

"Not a hospital," Yuyan mumbled against his chest. "Please... no hospital..."

Lu Yuze’s expression tightened. "Baby girl, you need a doctor....."

"Should we go home?" Shuyin interjected quietly, her voice still unsteady. "She might be... psychologically affected. Six months in a coma, all those hospital stays..."

She understood the aversion to medical facilities. Understood what it felt like to be poked and prodded and treated like a specimen rather than a person.

"No." Lu Yuze’s voice was firm, absolute. "You two need to be checked. It won’t take even twenty minutes, and then we’ll go home immediately." His eyes met Shuyin’s with unwavering intensity. "When it comes to your safety, both of you, I don’t compromise. It’s Non-negotiable."

Shuyin knew Yuyan was just drugged, could feel through her mermaid senses that there was no serious physical trauma. But looking at Lu Yuze’s expression, the fear barely masked by executive control, the desperate need to confirm they were truly safe, she understood this wasn’t about medical necessity.

It was about him needing proof. Needing doctors to tell him what his eyes and his terror-stricken heart couldn’t quite believe yet.

She had no room to argue. No leverage to negotiate.

She would have to listen to her husband.

"Okay," Shuyin said quietly, her trembling hands clasping together. "We’ll get checked."

Yuyan made a small sound of protest, but she was too drugged to mount any real resistance.

Movement at the perimeter caught Shuyin’s attention. Ting Fei appeared with additional security personnel, coordinating the scene with professional efficiency.