Chapter 239

Chapter 239

A faint smile appeared on Yanny's face.

"Maybe I just look like a good student."

William let out a soft sigh.

"Sometimes I still think you're that little girl who used to follow me around when we were kids, but now you've grown into a capable adult. I think your parents would be proud of you if they knew."

At that moment, it was as if the old grudges between them had dissolved, and their relationship had become harmonious.

Yanny smiled.

"Thanks."

In Celestria, after tracking down the two men's addresses, Aubrey had wanted to send someone into the lab to see if there was any opportunity to gather more information—ideally, to make sure Ethan never came back.

But Jack's lab had tight security and wouldn't allow outsiders in easily.

"Dad, are we just going to give up like this? This is our best chance to take Ethan down."

Aubrey's brow furrowed.

"Why are you so anxious? I'm working on it, aren't I?"

After a moment of thought, he spoke.

"I heard an intern had a conflict with Yanny a few days ago. We can use him to kill Ethan."

Soon, Aubrey lured the intern with a hefty sum of money, even promising him a job at the Smith Group once the deed was done.

Inside the lab, the intern concealed a handgun beneath his shirt. Because of something Yanny had said, Jack no longer trusted him.

He spent every day in the lab being ignored. Since that was the case, he might as well take a different path.

He had originally planned to use the gun to eliminate Ethan directly, but Yanny was there around the clock, watching over him. When she saw him approaching, a flicker of wariness rose in her chest.

"You've already been ordered not to enter this lab. What brings you here?"

The intern looked at the woman before him, his hateful gaze nearly impossible to suppress, but he still needed to get inside.

"Dr. Wilson sent me to apply medication. I've already submitted a written apology for last time. I'm here to apologize properly."

Yanny still didn't believe him. Something felt off.

After all, the intern had refused to admit his mistake last time. How could he have turned over a new leaf so quickly?

"The medication's already been applied today. You can go rest."

The intern said nothing more. He turned and left. William looked puzzled.

"Yanny, why didn't you let him in?"

Yanny lowered her eyes, the unease in her chest growing stronger.

"Something doesn't feel right. He definitely didn't come here to apply medication."

William didn't believe her.

"Aren't you overthinking this? After all, we're all part of the lab. He wouldn't hold a grudge forever over one conflict, especially when he still needs to study under Dr. Wilson. How could he do anything out of line?"

What neither of them noticed was that the intern who had just left had now doubled back. The moment Yanny looked up, she saw him raise the gun.

"Watch out!"

A sharp crack rang out. Yanny and William dove to opposite sides, but they couldn't dodge the bullet completely. Yanny's arm was grazed. Ignoring the pain, she tried to move forward to shield Ethan.

This man was desperate. She had no time to think. Yanny rushed forward and positioned herself in front of Ethan.

The second shot rang out. William lunged forward and shoved Yanny aside.

"Yanny, are you insane?! You'd risk your life for Ethan?!"

A brief moment of clarity returned. Seeing the intern still advancing, Yanny gritted her teeth, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and hurled it at him.

The bullet's trajectory shifted. This time, no one was hit. But the fire extinguisher was too heavy. Yanny's body tilted uncontrollably, and after stumbling a few steps, she crashed into the wall.

She hadn't been resting properly these past few days, and now, completely drained, she couldn't hold on any longer. She collapsed to the floor.

William's anguished voice rang out.

"Yanny, run!"

But in her current state, how could Yanny possibly run? And how could she leave the two of them behind?

At the critical moment, Ethan—who had been lying in bed—suddenly woke up. He grabbed the fire extinguisher Yanny had used and slammed it down hard on the intern's head.

A heavy thud echoed. The gun clattered to the floor. The intern collapsed, unconscious.

Yanny looked up at Ethan, gasping for breath. Tears streamed down her face.

"You're awake?"

Ethan nodded and took her hand.

"Yanny, go get help. It's safe outside now. With a gun, there's no telling what he might do. We'll watch him."

Knowing this wasn't the time for emotional confessions, Yanny glanced at William, whose arm was bleeding steadily. She forced herself to her feet and ran outside with every ounce of strength she had left.

Ethan reached for a bandage and began wrapping William's wound.

"Thanks."

William stared hard at the man before him, his tone stiff.

"Don't mention it. If it weren't for Yanny, I wouldn't have protected you."

Ethan looked up at him.

"You've been the one by Yanny's side this whole time?"

Yes. Too bad Yanny never cared about him.

When rivals meet, hostility is inevitable. Even in a moment like this, the tension between them was palpable.

But when Yanny returned, both men suppressed their emotions.

Jack arrived with several security personnel. He signaled for the guards to drag the intern out, then looked at Yanny with guilt written all over his face.

"Ms. Spencer, I'm so sorry. When he made that mistake before, we were already discussing whether to expel him from the lab. But firing someone over something that hadn't actually happened seemed too extreme, so we kept investigating to see if there were any other issues."

But they hadn't expected that just as they'd discovered the intern's accomplices had purchased a gun, this would happen.

"We realized the seriousness of the situation immediately and rushed over, but you still got hurt."

Yanny shook her head.

"It's fine. No one expected him to do something like this. The other people in this lab are victims too."

Most importantly, Ethan was awake now. That was the best news of all.

Yanny's gaze fell on Ethan, her eyes filled with warmth.

Jack couldn't help but tease them.

"Actually, Mr. Smith woke up suddenly because you were in danger. I didn't realize your bond was so strong. It's truly enviable."

This time, neither of them denied their feelings for each other in front of others.

But neither noticed the dejection in William's expression.

After everything was settled, Jack took Ethan for a full examination.

"All the indicators look normal. He just needs to do rehabilitation exercises gradually."