Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Aiyun obeyed Xiao Cheng’s words, quickly crouching down and curling into a tight ball.
The next second, the car lurched forward again. Thankfully, she’d grabbed the seat cushion in time—otherwise, she’d have been thrown violently. At the same time, several gunshots rang out, the impact shaking the glass violently, though it didn’t shatter.
“Hold on tight.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xiao Cheng wrenched the wheel, ramming straight into a truck that had just closed in on the left. The enemy clearly hadn’t expected him to pit a sedan against a truck head-on—nor had they anticipated that this was no ordinary sedan. The truck was sent skidding two meters, half its wheels sinking into the roadside ditch. It was forced to slow down to avoid flipping.
The other truck immediately filled the gap, chasing from the right. After multiple attempts to hit the tires proved useless, they swiftly changed tactics.
The two vehicles drove side by side. Suddenly, the truck’s driver-side window rolled down, revealing a dark machine gun. It opened fire with brutal intensity, and soon, cracks spiderwebbed across the sedan’s windows.
When the glass finally shattered, Lin Aiyun’s heart pounded violently. Thankfully, she was wearing long sleeves and pants and was lying flat, so she wasn’t hurt. But her nostrils were filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder, choking and unpleasant. She didn’t dare make a sound, afraid of distracting Xiao Cheng.
At a moment like this, even a second’s lapse could be fatal.
At some point, the car had slowed down, widening the gap between them. Without giving the enemy time to react, Xiao Cheng made a sharp turn and sped back the way they’d come.
But just then, the truck they’d shaken off earlier reappeared on the horizon.
Xiao Cheng’s grip tightened as he made a split-second decision. Just as the two vehicles were about to collide, he swerved right and plunged into a field. The farmland, not yet planted, offered a natural dirt road—but most of the soil in Jiangming Province was loose and soft, ill-suited for high-speed driving. A single misstep and the tires would sink, and the heavier trucks would be even more vulnerable.
But that gave them a sliver of hope.
The three vehicles chased one another relentlessly. Before long, a wide, fast-flowing river appeared ahead—the mother river of the surrounding villages.
To the right lay a large village. It was mealtime, with cooking smoke rising in wisps, a thick haze of domestic life. The villagers had no idea that less than a few hundred meters away, a deadly chase was unfolding.
Xiao Cheng stole a glance at the passenger seat. What he saw wasn’t a person trembling like a leaf, but someone quietly staying put, following his instructions to the letter—she hadn’t even changed position.
Huh. Got some nerve. Not bad.
“On the count of three, jump over to my side.”
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun poked her head up. Her big eyes were fixed anxiously on his lips, her heart hammering.
“One.”
A bullet whizzed past Xiao Cheng’s shoulder, striking the windshield and leaving a deep gouge. His expression didn’t waver—but Lin Aiyun’s eyes reddened, her face turning pale, her lips quivering, the muscles at the corners of her mouth twitching.
“Two.”
He swerved again, and the pursuing bullets hit the rearview mirror. Shards of glass flew through the air, some lodging into Xiao Cheng’s arm, blooming into small crimson flowers. The two trucks were closing in, but there was still some distance.
“Three.”
The moment the word left his mouth, Lin Aiyun gritted her teeth and lunged with all her might, throwing herself into Xiao Cheng’s arms. At the same time, the driver’s door was kicked open. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they tumbled into the churning river.
She sank, water rushing into her mouth and nose. Even prepared, she still choked on a mouthful of water. The air in her lungs seemed to be squeezed out, suffocation closing in. The terror of her past drowning experience surged back, making her struggle violently.
At the brink of despair, the arm locked around her waist tightened. Moments later, they surfaced from the raging current. She gasped greedily for air, tears streaming down her face, clinging to him like a survivor clutching life itself.
Xiao Cheng was momentarily stunned by the sudden soft weight pressed against him. After a long pause, he turned his head away, a faint blush creeping to the tips of his ears. He reached out awkwardly and pulled her closer.
But soon, he sensed something was wrong with her. Frowning, he began swimming forcefully toward the shore.
He pushed her onto the bank first, then climbed up after her. Almost immediately, the thunderous sound of gunfire erupted ahead—but he didn’t spare it a glance. All his attention was on Lin Aiyun.
She was drenched, her face deathly pale, her forehead beaded with sweat. Her whole body trembled violently, her eyes shut tight, tears still clinging to their corners. She looked utterly pitiful, as if trapped in a nightmare.
“It’s over. You’re safe.” The moment his fingers touched hers, she flinched back reflexively. He reached for her again and held her hand firmly. He called her name a few times, but she didn’t wake. He gave up and lifted her into his arms.
“Brother Cheng, I caught those bast—”
Xiao Cheng had been facing away from him, but now he turned fully, and Dongzi finally saw the woman in his arms. His jaw dropped, frozen in place like stone. His instincts screamed at him to look away, but his curiosity held him prisoner, staring openly.
“Still looking?” The words were calm—deceptively so—but Dongzi caught the unmistakable threat beneath them.
He quickly averted his gaze, scratched the back of his head, and chuckled dryly: “Let’s get going—we’ll be back just in time for dinner.”
Xiao Cheng shot him a glance and strode toward the village on the right. Dongzi hurried to follow.
“Oh! Brother Cheng, you’re hurt!”
“Where’s Zhou Jin? How did he let this happen? I should be the one by your side instead.”
…
The village was neither large nor small, consisting of over a hundred households. Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, it was a place of idyllic beauty.
In a house near the foothills, Xiao Cheng carried Lin Aiyun inside. He glanced at the messy bed with a look of distaste. Dongzi, standing nearby, didn’t understand and assumed he thought the room was too small. “Brother Cheng, this is the biggest and best room in the whole village.”
He usually slept here himself—if it weren’t for Brother Cheng’s arrival, he wouldn’t have given it up.
“Get a new set of bedding.”
“Huh?”
Xiao Cheng kicked him impatiently: “Just go.”
“Oh, right.” Dongzi didn’t waste much time before returning with a large red cotton quilt. He first put away all his own bedding, then wiped the sawdust off the bed frame with a rag, and laid out the new bedding. It took a good while before he was done.
Xiao Cheng looked at the festive color, pressed his lips together, and only said: “Make sure to pay them well.”
It took Dongzi a moment to realize what he meant, then he nodded. In these times, most families used the same quilt for years. Only the wealthy could afford to make new ones. This very quilt had been a splurge by the village chief’s family, made for his son’s upcoming wedding.
Lin Aiyun was placed on a large wooden chair. Her soaked clothes clung to her body, outlining her alluring curves—her full figure faintly visible, her slender waist, her skin soft and smooth from the water, with a slight sheen.
Thankfully, aside from being unconscious, she had no other external injuries.
Xiao Cheng stayed by her side, glanced at her drenched clothes, and sent Dongzi to fetch a set of dry clothes and a capable woman to help.
The room fell silent, leaving just the two of them.
Time seemed to be working against him, crawling at a snail’s pace. The doctor they’d sent for still hadn’t returned. Irritation and anxiety warred in his mind. He pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing himself to stay calm, and used a dry towel to wipe her hands and face.
He himself looked far worse.
The wound on his arm, after all that trouble, was still bleeding. Though the glass shards had been removed, dirt from the river water was still lodged in the wound, uncleaned. To say it was mangled would be no exaggeration.
“It was just a couple of mouthfuls of water—how did it end up like this?”
His murmured words carried undisguised worry.
—
Lin Aiyun felt as if she were trapped in a haze. A small drum seemed to be beating in the depths of her heart, echoing relentlessly. At the same time, from unseen crevices around her, trickles of water began to seep out. Within moments, it had risen to her waist. She tried to flee but couldn’t find an exit. Her breathing grew faster and faster.
“Help me, please help me.”
Just then, a pair of strong hands grabbed hers and pulled her out of that void.
“Awake?” A familiar voice reached her ears. She turned her head, and when she saw Xiao Cheng’s face, the unease in her heart found a moment of peace—but the tears wouldn’t stop.
“What are you crying for? There’s nothing to cry about—it’s not like you died.” Xiao Cheng’s tone was awkward as he wiped away her tears with his fingers.
“I was scared.” Lin Aiyun didn’t care how harsh his words sounded. Her voice was soft as she held his hand tighter. Only then did he realize that he’d been holding her hand to comfort her—and now they were still holding on, their fingers intertwined.
The position was too intimate. He cleared his throat but didn’t let go. Instead, he shifted his gaze to her face.
“Are you afraid of water?” They hadn’t been in the water long. Under normal circumstances, there was no reason for her to pass out—so this was the only explanation.
Sure enough, she nodded pitifully.
“I fell into a river before and almost drowned. If someone hadn’t saved me…”
Since then, she’d had a psychological scar—she was terrified of rivers. She usually kept her distance. Today had been sudden, and the unexpected plunge into the water had magnified her fear and despair tenfold, causing her brief fainting spell.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” If he had, he wouldn’t have chosen that way to buy time.
He’d calculated everything—except this.
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun looked at Xiao Cheng in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to apologize to her—the sun must be rising from the west. But…
“This isn’t your fault. Why apologize? You didn’t know I was afraid of water.”
“Dragging you into a life-or-death escape—that deserves an apology too.” After speaking, a hint of awkwardness flashed across Xiao Cheng’s face—clearly, he wasn’t used to saying such things.
Lin Aiyun shook her head, signaling it was alright. She noticed he was still wearing the same clothes from before, half-damp and clinging to his body. Though it didn’t diminish his handsomeness in the least, he still looked a bit worse for wear.
She, on the other hand, had already changed into dry, clean clothes and was lying in a warm, cozy quilt.
The contrast was impossible to ignore.
Leave a Reply