Chapter 21: A Bold Idea (Part 2)

But Du Tian didn’t want to bother with this obviously unimportant man, so she gave him a perfunctory smile.

In Dai Ning’s mind, Qingtuan ^[1]the green orb spirit was shocked. “How did you know Du Tian was coming too?”

It all made sense now—Dai Ning hadn’t suddenly become less delicate. She just knew Du Tian would be there.

Dai Ning replied, “Yesterday at the meeting, Du Tian looked shifty, obviously up to something. Besides, you said Du Tian has the fortune of a heroine. A heroine isn’t about to give up on the male lead so easily, right?”

In this male-centric story, Du Tian, as the only one qualified to be the female lead, wasn’t about to bow out so easily.

For the first time, Qingtuan thought Dai Ning, despite being the female side character, was rather clever.

After less than an hour of walking, Dai Ning, who had been poking around out of curiosity, began to look weary and shuffled over to Zhao Yu.

“My feet hurt.”

“Just bear with it a little longer,” Zhao Yu said.

Dai Ning tugged on his sleeve. “They really, really hurt.”

Zhao Yu glanced down at her shoes. True to her stylish self, she had picked out pale pink lace-up flats to match her outfit. While lovely, they were clearly not suitable for long walks.

With over thirty people in the group, including Shen Tuo She’s men and the villagers, Zhao Yu couldn’t easily check what was wrong with her. Thinking she might be acting spoiled, he spoke more sternly. “If you insisted on coming, you can’t cause trouble now. Huan County is far—we need to keep moving.”

Dai Ning could care less; her feet really hurt. The pale pink lace-up flats were brand new, a gift from Uncle Qian that she adored. Excited to wear them, she hadn’t realized that the inside wasn’t soft enough and now her feet were sore.

Tears welling in her eyes, her voice wavered. “Zhao Yu, I’m serious. I think they’re bleeding.”

Seeing her genuine distress, Zhao Yu’s expression shifted.

He addressed the group, “Keep going; we’ll catch up soon.”

Ignoring any looks from the others, Zhao Yu led her to the side of the forest. Kneeling, he gently removed her shoes and saw that her tender feet were indeed chafed and bleeding.

Frowning, Zhao Yu massaged her feet, then took off her other shoe and lifted her up.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Given her delicate nature, he thought she would’ve complained ages ago.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and said softly, “I knew it’s your first time leading a group, so I didn’t want to cause trouble.”

He paused mid-step.

When she was difficult, she could be exasperating. But when she behaved, it was heartwarming.

Dealing with Shen Tuo She had earned Zhao Yu the respect of the others. They knew that without him, cut off from the outside world, they could’ve suffered a terrible fate at Shen Tuo She’s hands.

This was Zhao Yu’s chance to solidify his authority, and he was well aware of it.

As the team leader, carrying a woman would be inappropriate. Zhao Yu set aside his calculations for a moment and spoke softly. “If anything else bothers you, let me know right away.”

Dai Ning nuzzled her face against his chest.

For once, she was so well-behaved that it melted his heart.

Qingtuan, who had been quiet, recalled how, that morning, Dai Ning had chosen this particular pair of shoes over another comfortable but still pretty pair.

Dai Ning was not as simple as she seemed.

——

When Zhao Yu and Dai Ning fell behind, Du Tian couldn’t help but glance back.

Li Zhuang said, “Don’t worry, Zhao Yu will catch up with us.”

Du Tian smiled politely.

Soon, Zhao Yu returned, carrying Dai Ning in his arms, nearly making Du Tian lose her composure. This was a prisoner escort, not a leisure trip—did Ji Dai Ning even understand the situation?

A villager asked with concern, “What happened to Miss Ji?”

Zhao Yu replied, “She injured her foot. I’ll take her out of the forest first, and then she can see a doctor.”

Du Tian gave Dai Ning a disapproving look and said sternly, “Miss Ji, it takes four hours to walk out of the forest, and it’s only been one hour. Zhao Yu can’t carry you for three hours, can he? Besides, we’re all on a schedule. If you can manage, try to endure it and walk on your own.”

At first glance, her words seemed reasonable.

But Dai Ning wasn’t one for reasoning. She replied to Du Tian, “I didn’t ask you to carry me. Zhao Yu hasn’t complained.”

Zhao Yu said, “It’s fine. Let’s keep going; we won’t delay the group. I’ll take care of the young lady.”

Since he’d said that, the others had no objections; after all, it was Dai Ning who provided the vehicles they were using. Using someone’s resources and then calling them a burden wouldn’t be polite.

Moreover, with such a delicate beauty like her, they’d be happy to help carry her themselves if needed.

Without passing her to anyone else, Zhao Yu carried Dai Ning for three hours straight.

It was early autumn, and the sun was warm in the forest. Zhao Yu was sweating, so Dai Ning took a tissue from her small bag and wiped his brow.

Zhao Yu’s expression softened, though when he noticed people watching, he murmured, “It’s okay.”

Dai Ning didn’t insist and soon they spotted the minivans Uncle Qian had arranged. The group got into the vans, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Uncle Qian had thoughtfully arranged for drivers since the villagers couldn’t drive.

The drivers were all temporary hires who didn’t know the young lady. With Shen Tuo She’s group numbering 22 and Zhao Yu’s group, including Dai Ning, Du Tian, and Zhuang Hongxiu, totaling 13, they had 35 people—more than the vans could accommodate. Fortunately, Uncle Qian had sent an extra vehicle for luggage, which freed up some seats.

Knowing Shen Tuo She was the most dangerous of the gang, the villagers didn’t want to share a van with him.

Zhao Yu said, “I’ll keep an eye on him myself.”

He placed Dai Ning in a van with Liu Shuan.

“I’ll ride in the van with the luggage to watch over Shen Tuo She. Liu Shuan will take care of you, and if anything comes up, just call me, alright?”

Dai Ning nodded.

Remembering Zhao Yu had carried her the whole way, she didn’t make any further requests.

Zhao Yu moved to the van with Shen Tuo She and kept a close eye on him. When it was time for lunch, Zhao Yu pulled the tape off Shen Tuo She’s mouth.

Shen Tuo She narrowed his eyes slightly.

“So, that’s how it is—you fancy that fresh-faced young lady. That’s why you took it out on me yesterday.” After being silent all morning, he was now eager to make Zhao Yu uncomfortable. “What, because I wanted to kiss her, touch her? Haven’t even kissed her yourself, have you? Figures. Her family’s clearly rich, and you’re just—”

Zhao Yu unwrapped a boxed meal, wordlessly shoving a spoonful of rice into Shen Tuo She’s mouth.

“Another word of filth, and you won’t eat at all.”

Shen Tuo She fell silent.

Under different circumstances, he might have admired someone like Zhao Yu, but now, he only felt bitter frustration.

The van drove all day, and by nightfall, they stopped at a hotel.

Uncle Qian had booked rooms, but once they arrived, a problem became apparent: the original room arrangement didn’t account for two extra people, so they didn’t have enough rooms.

Remembering Shen Tuo She’s foul-mouthed behavior earlier, Zhao Yu coldly instructed, “At night, tie Shen Tuo She and his group separately at the corners of the double rooms.”

This way, each room that could normally hold two people could now bind four, freeing up space. With 12 rooms now available, the calculations left one room needing to be shared by two people…

Du Tian’s internal alarm went off. She quickly suggested, “I’ll share a room with Miss Ji. She hurt her foot, and since we’re both girls, I can also treat her injury and take care of her.”

Li Zhuang chimed in, “Du Tian, you’re so kind.”

Dai Ning pouted, clearly unimpressed. “I don’t want to sleep with her. Zhao Yu, I want to—”

Zhao Yu quickly covered her mouth, knowing that finishing her sentence would create quite the headline. His expression was calm as he said, “That’s settled then. Tie up Shen Tuo She and his group securely, and give everyone else their own room. Du Tian, you’ll room with the young lady and look after each other.”

Du Tian smiled in agreement.

Dai Ning was unhappy the whole way until Zhao Yu helped her down.

“I’ll go buy you some shoes for tonight. What size do you wear?”

“Size 35. But I’m not sharing with Du Tian, that ugly hag. I don’t need her taking care of me.”

Zhao Yu shook his head. “Every villager’s room has a violent criminal across the hall, and they’ll be checking the rooms regularly at night. You and Du Tian’s room is the safest. Your foot is injured, and Du Tian knows medicine and can look after you.”

At the mention of danger, Dai Ning’s sense of caution kicked in.

She rested her chin on Zhao Yu’s shoulder, whispering in his ear, “Zhao Yu, why don’t I just sleep with you?”