He immediately envisioned the scene: himself leaning back on the sofa, his feet inevitably propped on You Mingxu's lap. She would use her slender, soft fingers to gently massage the soles of his feet. She would be smiling, and he would be utterly comfortable.
Suddenly, he felt a tingling electric current shoot up from the soles of his feet, rushing straight to his thighs and abruptly striking his lower abdomen. He felt a swelling sensation—strange, exciting, yet somewhat restless and disorienting. Though he didn't understand why, a subconscious awareness told him that this feeling absolutely must not be known to You Mingxu. So, with a slightly flushed face, he continued to look around for their target.
After crossing the mountain, the view opened up before them—a valley with clusters of green trees at the bottom and a lake reflecting shimmering ripples under the moonlight.
You Mingxu's clothes were soaked with sweat, and she stood panting lightly on the hillside, her heart momentarily stilled by the scene. Yin Feng, gazing at the view, thought the place seemed rather fun. The lake was quite large, filled with aquatic plants, but he knew You Mingxu wouldn't allow him to play in the water now... He felt a bit dejected at the thought.
As his eyes scanned the lakeshore, he suddenly froze, pointing at a dark shadow near a large tree: "A Xu, is that a person? Or something else?"
You Mingxu, already focused on the search, followed his direction and indeed saw a shadow. Though it was some distance away, she could still make out its movement. Her heart tightened, and she immediately gestured for Yin Feng to stay quiet as they slowly descended the hill to approach.
Unexpectedly, the figure stood like a wooden post for a while, seemingly even wiping tears. Just as You Mingxu and Yin Feng were about to reach the lakeshore, the person plunged into the lake with a "splash."
You Mingxu burst out of the grass and shouted, "Yin Feng, call for backup!" She dashed to the lake's edge in a few steps and jumped in. Before Yin Feng could even react, both figures had vanished. Suddenly, he felt utterly unsettled and, ignoring her instruction to call for help immediately, ran to the lakeshore, craning his neck to see.
The lake was murky and shadowy. You Mingxu had already dived in, submerging to search for the person, leaving only a few bubbles on the surface.
Yin Feng felt bewildered and instinctively wanted to jump in, but a thought surfaced on its own: he couldn't swim.
Damn it, he actually couldn't swim! How useless his past self had been! Dressing poorly, having bad taste in women, and now failing to learn even a simple skill like swimming!
Then, images flooded his mind: a man with a well-proportioned, muscular build, wearing only swim trunks and goggles, floundering in the water, choking on mouthfuls of it. Finally, he struggled to surface, barely managing to grab the pool's edge with his long arms. Chen Feng handed him a towel, looking as if he wanted to laugh but didn't dare. The man—clearly himself—grinned cheekily, waved his hand, climbed out of the water, picked up a glass of red wine from the side, and sauntered off, giving up on learning!
Yin Feng fumed, utterly annoyed. Yet he felt aggrieved, and in the end, he could only blame himself.At that moment, there was movement in the water. Yin Feng widened his eyes, only to see You Mingxu briefly surface. Her long hair was plastered wetly against her face, and her complexion appeared pale and ghostly in the night. She saw him too. Their eyes met for a moment before she took a deep breath, said nothing, and plunged back into the water, disappearing from sight.
Yin Feng stood frozen in place. The image of You Mingxu from moments ago lingered before his eyes. A wave of distress surged within him, and he recalled their time in Tibet—when Gu Tiancheng had knocked You Mingxu to the ground, pressing a blade to her throat. Using the razor blade she had secretly slipped him, he freed everyone. Yet in their rush to escape, no one looked back. You Mingxu had lain on the ground, watching them leave with that same detached, indifferent expression she wore now.
He decided to jump in!
Yin Feng crouched, swinging his arms back and forth in preparation for a standing long jump. But despite his resolve, the shimmering water inexplicably unnerved him. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he was about to take the plunge when hurried footsteps sounded behind him.
Reinforcements?
In the dead of night, in this desolate wilderness, it couldn’t be anyone else. He opened his eyes and turned eagerly.
Several dark figures emerged from the grass.
——
Liu Ruoyu had lost consciousness. You Mingxu held him tightly from behind, dragging him out of the water with all her strength. The young man had struggled desperately underwater, nearly pulling her down with him. Exhausted, You Mingxu swam one-armed toward the shore.
But when she lifted her head and saw the scene on the bank, she froze completely.
Under the moonlight, five men in black masks stood on the shore. Two of them forced Yin Feng to his knees, while another stood behind him, holding an iron rod. Yin Feng struggled briefly, and the man behind him struck his leg with the rod. Yin Feng let out a low, animal-like groan and remained kneeling.
He looked up, meeting You Mingxu’s gaze across the seven or eight meters between them. She saw the fury and pain in his eyes, along with unshed tears—clearly fighting not to cry. Her heart felt as if struck by a heavy blow, leaving her momentarily blank.
Yet she paused in the water for only a few seconds before continuing toward the shore, expressionless, with Liu Ruoyu in tow.
Two other men stood to the side. As You Mingxu reached the bank and pushed Liu Ruoyu upward, they reached out, pulled him from the water, and hauled him ashore.
You Mingxu climbed out herself, collapsing on the ground as she gasped for breath. When she looked up, the iron rod was already pressed against her neck. Yin Feng stared intently at her and said, "A Xu, run!"
You Mingxu remained silent, turning to look instead. The unconscious Liu Ruoyu was now restrained by the two men, a dagger held to his throat.
You Mingxu asked, "What do you want?"
The man with the iron rod replied, "Nothing much. Frankly, we’d prefer you stay out of this—it’s none of your concern. This pretty boy stole something from our boss. We’re here to collect."
Yin Feng widened his eyes and retorted, "That’s a lie! I never stole anything! I don’t even know you!"The man chuckled and said, "If I say you stole it, then you stole it. But you actually dared to lay hands on our boss's most treasured possession." He then glanced at You Mingxu, adding, "It seems without a lesson, you won't remember this."
You Mingxu felt every muscle in her body slowly tense up. A fierce impulse surged within her, and she might lose control and charge forward the next second. Yet the iron rod overhead and the dagger pressed against Liu Ruoyu's throat were starkly visible before her eyes.
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