That еvеning, Вауunуe used shоpping as an exсusе to sеnd the оthеr drivеrs аwaу аnd bоught а lоt of suрplies at thе suрermаrket. In the middle оf the night, she sliрped оut оf thе hоtеl whеrе she was stауing, drovе оff аlonе, and аrrivеd at the bоrdеr town inn whеre Brothеr Long was last sееn bеforе dawn.
Upon inquiring hеrе, shе leаrnеd thаt thеrе wеre mаnу rumors аbout thе incident, but nо onе соuld prоvidе а сlear aсcount of the discоvery of Нe Zhengrеn’s bodу. Тhe lоcals couldn’t even agree on whose family had found the body, which Bayunye found very strange. All she managed to find out was that yesterday, villagers had discovered a knife at the edge of the primeval forest upstream of the Dulong River, with some kind of pendant wrapped around it. After notifying the police, the officers began questioning the elders in the ethnic villages about who had been to the forest and was familiar with the paths. This led to rumors of the "murderer" fleeing into the forest in panic, with the villagers saying it was a sure way to die.
A knife with a pendant wrapped around it—wasn’t that the suspected murder weapon and Brother Long’s wooden bead pendant the police had shown them yesterday? So Brother Long had deliberately left it there. He really had fled into the Dulong River primeval forest, a place even the local villagers dared not enter, where 40,000 Japanese invaders were buried!
Bayunye stood by her car drinking water, her back drenched in cold sweat. At that moment, the club drivers finally noticed she had "run off," and calls started pouring in one after another—some scolding her for being disloyal, others for looking down on her peers, and still others for her individual heroism. There was no end to the accusations.
"You all have families to support, old and young. How many lives do you have to follow me into the mountains? If anything happens to you, how could I explain it?" Bayunye said through her earphones, rummaging through the trunk and organizing her backpack as she spoke. "To be honest, I’m not sure I can find Brother Long, but it’s better for me to go alone than for a whole group of us to march in there..."
"Master Ba! Your life isn’t that worthless! You’re not some stone-born creature!" they shouted anxiously. "We’re all your sworn brothers (or fathers)!!"
"Hmph, whoever said they’re my father, I’ll beat them to death when I get back," Bayunye laughed, hanging up the call without another word.
After finishing packing her backpack, she closed the trunk and was about to walk to the front of the car when she saw a tall figure leaning against the hood with his back to her, as if lighting a cigarette. His broad, strong back strained against the fabric of his windbreaker.
The feeling was both unfamiliar and familiar. She couldn’t help but shake her head and rub her eyes.
He turned around, fixing her with a cold stare, crumpling the unlit cigarette in his hand, and gritting his teeth as he pointed at her. "Bayunye, you’re really something!"
"You..." Bayunye felt as if a duck egg were stuck in her throat, momentarily unable to speak. She hadn’t expected Diao Zhuo to appear here. He still had several months left in his current project, and besides, he shouldn’t have known she had come to Nujiang Prefecture. Even if the police had let something slip yesterday, he couldn’t have found his way here so quickly.
She remembered the dream she’d had more than once—the two of them driving toward each other at an intersection, briefly locking eyes before going their separate ways. In the dream, he was distant and cold, as if she could never reach him again, unlike now, when he seemed like an angry lion holding back his fury, ready to pounce at any moment.
He glared at her, while she met his gaze with an innocent expression. After a long pause, she pointed at him and asked, "Why are you wearing a Beidou Rescue uniform?"Diao Zhuo didn't answer, frowning as he glared fiercely at her for a long moment. She wore a leather jacket and short top, paired with camouflage military pants and black waterproof boots, accentuating her already slender and toned legs into an even more elongated silhouette. This sharp, wild beauty stirred both admiration and an inexplicable anger within him. His features were never gentle or kind to begin with, and coupled with his formidable physique, he exuded an intimidating presence even without smiling—let alone when suppressing fury in his eyes, making him look thoroughly unapproachable.
Who had Bayunye ever feared? Yet now, under his gaze, she felt a shiver run down her spine. She shrugged and replied dismissively, "I have important matters to attend to. If you have any grievances with me, we can discuss them later." With that, she waved her hand, signaling for him to move aside, and pulled open the car door, about to step inside.
"I quit my job."
She stumbled, nearly tumbling headfirst into the driver's seat. Gripping the door with one hand, she turned to look at him. "That job with the geological survey team—you quit?!"
His job was a good one, considered an "iron rice bowl" within the system. As long as he didn't commit any major violations or disciplinary offenses, he wouldn't be fired, nor would he have to worry about earning no income during idle periods. Not only did it come with social insurance and housing fund benefits, but he also received holiday gifts. In contrast, someone like her, who relied on clients for a living as a "freelancer," could hardly claim any stable income. Privately, she sometimes envied his position.
What on earth was he thinking, quitting such a job?
Recalling what he had said during their last call—"If I had even the slightest standards or expectations for you, I wouldn't be where I am today"—Bayunye felt she both understood and didn't understand.
He nodded, stepping closer to her. His expression seemed to soften slightly, no longer as angry.
Bayunye wanted to step back, but the car was stuck behind her, leaving her no room to retreat. "When did you quit? Why did you only tell me now?"
"You didn't tell me you came here alone either, did you? What did I say to you before? How did you promise me?" He took another step forward, firing three questions in rapid succession, and even braced his hand against the car, trapping her in the narrow space between the door and his body.
At such close proximity, Bayunye could see him more clearly—the faint traces of weariness and fatigue on his face, the red veins in his eyes. He had looked the same when he struggled to carry Fu Yingtao down from Pearl Peak, enduring the entire arduous journey through sheer willpower. Unconsciously, Bayunye reached out to touch his face. His stubble had begun to grow, prickling slightly against her fingers. He leaned down, bringing his face close to hers.
A kiss to bury the hatchet.
"Mmm... gently..." Bayunye squirmed slightly, but he paid no heed, deliberately chasing her tongue with a playful bite. His resentment and love transformed into a painful entanglement, and unable to break free, she accepted it openly.
Even in the midst of such a kiss, Bayunye still sought confirmation—"Why... did you quit?"
He still didn't answer, only kissed her.
He loved her to the bone—how could a few words ever suffice?
They spent little time together, and whenever they were in a cold war or conflict, unable to see each other, it became difficult to clarify things. Coupled with their completely different social circles, over time, the rift between them would only grow wider. Eventually, the passion would cool, and it would become hard to hold hands again. The other person would become like a utility pole outside the car window—always there, yet gradually drifting further away. For a relationship to last, someone had to make a sacrifice.After a long while, the two got into the car and joined up with the other volunteers from Beidou Rescue. Diao Zhuo told Bayunye about the police’s next steps—"They’ve already found the murder weapon. It’s said that Brother Long’s fingerprints and some bloodstains were found on it, and they’re currently testing the blood. They believe Brother Long fled into the primeval forest, but they don’t know why. The locals don’t dare venture deep into the forest, but our Beidou Rescue previously organized experts to scout the area, so we have some route maps and photos. That’s why, while deploying police to search, they’ve also asked for our assistance."
"We also suspect Brother Long went into the primeval forest." Bayunye proudly recounted the information she had gathered over the past few days. Instead of praising her, Diao Zhuo snorted coldly, "So, not only did you come here on your own, but you also organized drivers from your club."
"We didn’t cause any trouble," she defended herself. "Yesterday, I even warmly received the police officers who came to inquire about the situation. To prove that Brother Long couldn’t have given He Zhengren a chance to fight back, I even personally demonstrated to one of the officers how to kill someone with a single stab."
"In other words, you—assaulted an officer?" Diao Zhuo wiped his forehead in exasperation.
Bayunye brushed it off with a laugh, patting his shoulder. "One of the brothers said a veteran from a nearby village who fought in the Vietnam War heard gunshots coming from the forest. That’s why I decided not to let them go into the mountains with me."
Diao Zhuo frowned. "You think going alone will keep you out of danger?"
"It’s less dangerous," Bayunye said, adopting a worldly tone. "Brother Long is in trouble. I owe him, and I have to repay that debt."
Diao Zhuo looked at her questioningly.
"Do you remember I mentioned that right after I was discharged from the military, I was reckless and restless, and ended up working as security in a gambling den involved in drug trafficking?"
He nodded. "Brother Long got you out."
"Saying ‘got me out’ sounds simple, but do you know how hard it is to get someone out of a place like that unscathed? Especially when you know what they’re up to—how could they just let you walk away? At first, I thought it could be settled with money, but I later learned that according to their rules, even if you had connections and paid up, if you wanted to take someone away, you had to go through the ‘Three Trials.’ That means the person being rescued and the one rescuing them stand under a target ten centimeters in diameter and each take three shots at the bullseye—six shots in total. If both come out unharmed, they let you go."
Diao Zhuo was taken aback, a chill running down his spine. He couldn’t help but turn to look at her—this woman had truly weathered storms.
Bayunye continued, "The ‘Three Trials’ in those drug-related dens are incredibly cruel and shameless, pushing psychological warfare to the extreme. Some people back out as soon as they hear about it, while others reluctantly step up. They stand nearby with guns pointed at you, adding pressure. A ten-centimeter target is like balancing an apple on your head while the other person shoots—it tests your mental stability and the trust between both parties. It’s said no one has ever passed the ‘Three Trials’ together. Some end up shooting each other in the head, while others kill their partner and are let go. The one who walks away, whether they were the one being rescued or the failed rescuer, would never speak about the drug den, because doing so would expose the fact that they shot their companion. See how insidious it is?"
"You passed?"Her heart still held lingering fear, her right hand pressed against her chest, her voice trembling uncharacteristically. "Do you know what it feels like to have a gun pressed to your head, forced to shoot at a target placed on someone else's head? If you harbor even a hint of selfishness—thinking that if you kill the other person, you can escape—then the other person is done for. This game isn't really about who has better aim; it's about who can harden their heart first to kill the other. Some people go insane on the spot after killing their companion." Speaking of this, she grew emotional. "At the time, Brother Long... asked me to fire six shots at the target on his head. He was determined to risk his life to get me out, and at the same time, he trusted me. Even though I hit the target with every shot, they were reluctant to let us go and even thought of killing us again... It was quite an ordeal. I’ve never told anyone about this. I just wanted you to know that when something happened to Brother Long, I couldn’t just sit around waiting for the police report and do nothing."
Diao Zhuo finally understood Bayunye’s earlier anger. This kind of life-and-death bond was enough to make someone like her go to any lengths for the other person.
"But..." Bayunye took a deep breath, her voice gradually softening as she confessed the shame she had held back for so long. "I’ve thought about it for a long time. Last time, when Brother Long wanted to kill He Zhengren, you did everything you could to stop him. Actually... it was for his own good. If I had let him take revenge and kill someone, and he ended up sentenced to death or life imprisonment, that would truly betray the kindness he showed me when he saved me. So, I... I wanted to tell you..."
"Let’s not talk about this," Diao Zhuo said, gently stroking her hair. "I was too harsh with you, and at the time, I didn’t properly explain the stakes. I just insisted you do exactly as I said. No matter what, I apologize for my attitude and ask for your forgiveness."
Bayunye’s breath caught. She suddenly grasped his right hand, and he firmly returned the grip, holding her hand tightly as if he never wanted to let go for the rest of their lives.
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