CHAPTER 17

The next day, Wen Yang sat in the main hall all afternoon, waiting for Qi Chen’s grandmother to show up.

Around four in the afternoon, thunder rumbled outside, and the sky darkened. The temperature dropped, making Wen Yang’s calves break out in goosebumps.

Her gaze locked onto a slow-moving target within her field of vision. Immediately, she jumped up from her stool.

To ensure the plot unfolded smoothly, she had sent Zhang Yuan and Xu Yi away an hour earlier. The two of them were now happily catching fish.

“Grandma, why are you out here alone? Where’s Qi Chen?” Wen Yang spoke to the elderly woman with patience and warmth.

“You are…?” The old woman stared at her in confusion.

“I’m Wen Yang, Yangyang.” Wen Yang gently took her hand and coaxed, “Grandma, why don’t you come sit at my house for a bit?”

“Yangyang?” The old woman mumbled something incoherent. Suddenly, she trembled and tried to shake off Wen Yang’s hand, her lips quivering. “Not Yangyang… not Yangyang.”

Afraid she might fall, Wen Yang instinctively placed a hand behind her for support. “I really am Yangyang. Look at my face.”

The old woman shook her head, dodging her touch without a word, stubbornly insisting on leaving.

Wen Yang: System, what do I do?

System: Why don’t you carry her inside?

Wen Yang: How am I supposed to carry her? What if I break something?

They circled each other like a hawk chasing a chick, one pursuing, the other evading. Wen Yang had no idea where to start—especially with the woman’s hunched back. Maybe she could just lift her by the waist and haul her upstairs?

That thought turned into action. Wrapping her arms around the old woman’s waist, Wen Yang half-dragged, half-lifted the struggling figure into the courtyard.

“Grandma, look, this is my house.” She tried to soothe her, feeding a harmless lie to the senile woman. “My grandma is inside waiting for you. She said she misses you.”

“Come on, Qi Chen and Yangyang are inside too.”

The old woman seemed persuaded and stopped resisting Wen Yang’s touch. “Yangyang’s grandma is here too?”

“Yes, yes!”

Sensing she was on the right track, Wen Yang continued, “She’s been waiting just for you. She told me to come get you.”

“Oh dear, let’s hurry then. We can’t keep her waiting.”

Wen Yang led her into her own room. “Grandma, wait here for a bit. You came too late—Yangyang’s grandma has already fallen asleep. You can wait until she wakes up, okay?”

“Sigh… alright, alright. I was too late.”

Like coaxing a child, Wen Yang added, “Grandma, you have to stay quiet. Don’t wake her up.”

“I won’t make a sound. I won’t say a word.” The old woman’s expression was firm.

With that settled, Wen Yang let out a breath of relief and casually strolled back to the courtyard, waiting for her next “prey” to arrive.

Almost perfectly timed with her descent, Xiao Yan came running over, looking anxious. “Wen Yang, have you seen Qi Chen’s grandma?”

“No.” Wen Yang calmly shook her head. “But I think I saw a shadow of an elderly person heading toward the mountains earlier. I’m not sure if it was her.”

“Okay, thank you.” Xiao Yan was desperate for clues—any possibility was worth checking.

Wen Yang watched as she dashed off. Xiao Yan was wearing a white dress today, her thin arms exposed to the cool air. When she had run over earlier, her collarbones had shifted with her breaths.

The sky had started to drizzle, and the wind had grown even colder.

Wen Yang went back upstairs and brought the old woman down. “Grandma, I’ll take you home. Yangyang’s grandma is too tired today. She said she’ll visit you tomorrow, so you should wait at home for her.”

“She’s coming to see me?”

“Mm, yes.”

On the way, the old woman mumbled things Wen Yang couldn’t understand—something about “Yanyan” and “crying.”

Wen Yang had no interest in deciphering it. By the time she delivered the old woman home, Qi Chen had just returned.

“Qi Chen, your grandma got lost earlier. I brought her back,” Wen Yang said.

Qi Chen set down the farming tools in his hands and walked over to his grandmother, then turned to Wen Yang. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll be going now.”

Wen Yang’s opinion of him hadn’t been great lately, so she didn’t bother saying anything else.

——

By the time Wen Yang returned to the courtyard, the rain had grown heavier. She went upstairs to her room and placed last night’s matches back into her bag. Now, she just had to wait for Qi Chen to show up.

She figured Zhang Yuan and Xu Yi would be back soon. Right then, laughter echoed from downstairs.

It was 5:30 PM, but the sky outside was already pitch black. In a few minutes, Qi Chen should arrive.

Xu Yi came upstairs, drying his wet hair with a towel, and knocked on Wen Yang’s door.

Today, in an effort to redeem himself from the “fish-stealing” incident, he had braved the freezing creek water to catch an entire basket of fish for her. He was drenched.

“Didn’t you say you wanted fish? I caught some for you, and you’re not even coming to look?”

Wen Yang glanced at his soaked clothes, the towel draped around his neck. That was just an excuse to get you two out of the way.

“Why are you completely soaked?”

“My foot slipped—I fell into the water.” Xu Yi intentionally didn’t change clothes, trying to earn sympathy. He held his hand up near her face. “Look, I got scratched by the fish.”

The dim lighting made it hard to see, so Wen Yang nudged the door open with her heel. The warm glow spilled out, illuminating the cuts on his hand and his fingers, slightly swollen from being submerged in water for too long.

“Does it hurt?”

It actually looked painful, but Wen Yang had no idea how high his pain tolerance was.

“It hurts.” Xu Yi spread his fingers—one hand could easily cover her entire face.

“Have Uncle Zhang put some medicine on it.” Wen Yang gave him a once-over. “Your clothes are completely wet. If you don’t change, you’ll catch a cold.”

Xu Yi, hearing the subtle concern in her words, felt inexplicably pleased. “Alright, I’ll go change then.”

Wen Yang watched as he tugged at his damp clothes sticking to his back. Go ahead, change. Then you can leave again.

“Wen Yang! Are you home?”

Wen Yang glanced downstairs—Qi Chen had arrived.

Before she could answer, Xu Yi’s door creaked open. He had just pulled off his pants when he heard Qi Chen’s voice, so he hastily yanked his wet clothes back on.

“Aren’t you changing?” Wen Yang asked.

“I’ll do it later.” He had to keep an eye on his rival first.

Qi Chen came upstairs. “Has Xiao Yan been here?”

Wen Yang: “No. She hasn’t come back yet?”

Qi Chen: “Do you know where she went?”

“She came over to ask if I’d seen Grandma. At the time, I saw someone who looked like Grandma heading into the mountains. As soon as Xiaoyan heard that, she ran straight in that direction. Later, I found Grandma and brought her back, thinking Xiaoyan would return soon after.”

Qi Chen’s face was cold and serious. “She hasn’t come back.”

Wen Yang frowned. “What do we do now? Let’s go find her together. It’s dark and raining—she can’t have gone too far on her own.”

Xu Yi agreed, “Alright.”

He had been silent this whole time, but after he spoke, Qi Chen shot him a brief look.

“Wait a moment,” Wen Yang said before turning back to her room. She grabbed a bag and waited a few minutes before heading out.

“You know the mountains well. Once you find Xiaoyan, these should come in handy.”

Qi Chen didn’t have time to think too much about it. He quickly thanked her, stuffed the bag inside his raincoat, and ran down the stairs.

Wen Yang went back to her room to find a dark blue raincoat and a flashlight for Xu Yi. She put on a black one herself before stepping out. “Put it on. Let’s go.”

Zhang Yuan was already waiting downstairs. “I have an umbrella. I’ll come too.”

——

There were many winding paths in the mountains, hidden by thick vegetation. As the heavy rain poured down, Zhang Yuan’s umbrella was battered and bent under the relentless downpour. Wen Yang suggested they split up to increase their chances of finding Xiaoyan.

Xu Yi, worried she’d get lost, initially refused, but Wen Yang insisted. In the end, the three of them split up to search.

Xu Yi wanted to remind her to be careful, but when he turned around, he was met with nothing but darkness.

After parting ways with Xu Yi and Zhang Yuan, Wen Yang turned her flashlight to the lowest setting and quietly retraced her steps.

With Qi Chen searching for Xiaoyan, there was no need for her to worry. In the novel, neither Xu Yi nor Zhang Yuan would get into trouble either. All she had to do was sleep through the night and wait for good news in the morning.

The rain had turned the mountain paths into a muddy mess. Wen Yang took off her shoes and socks, leaving them in the courtyard to be rinsed clean by the rain.

She boiled some water, soaked her feet, turned off the lights, and went to bed.

Meanwhile, Xu Yi, still searching in the mountains, ran into Lin Minjing.

Her injured foot had healed, and she was now holding an umbrella as she looked for Xiaoyan. The light from her flashlight shone directly on Xu Yi’s face, causing her to gasp before quickly apologizing. “Sorry! I heard you guys talking about Xiaoyan going missing, and I was worried, so I came out to help look.”

“Hmm.” Xu Yi brushed aside the wet branches and kept moving forward.

“Can I follow you?” she asked in a timid voice. “It’s too dark, and I’m a little scared.”

“Fine,” Xu Yi replied flatly.

Lin Minjing followed closely behind him, already scheming in her mind—she had to find a way to lead him to the cave where Xiaoyan was trapped. If the two of them spent the night together, it would push them closer.

That way, Qi Chen would be hers.

Thinking of this, she said, “I’ve already searched ahead. We should check this way instead—I haven’t been there yet.”

Xu Yi weighed the credibility of her words.

The wind whipped raindrops into his face, sliding down the bridge of his nose.

Gradually, the two of them approached the cave where Xiaoyan was stranded.

Lin Minjing hesitated. “Should we find somewhere to wait out the rain?”

“You can go on your own. I need to keep searching.”

“Is anyone there? Someone outside?” Xiaoyan’s frantic voice suddenly rang out. “Help!”

Xu Yi stopped in his tracks, his flashlight beam cutting into the darkness of the cave.

“Xiaoyan.”

“Xu Yi, it’s me!” Xiaoyan inhaled sharply, swallowing back her tears. She tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot through her ankle, causing her to collapse again.

Xu Yi entered the cave, and behind him, Lin Minjing quietly slipped away.

Just as she was congratulating herself on her successful plan, Qi Chen arrived at the cave as well.

Xu Yi was trying to figure out how to carry Xiaoyan back. He decided to take off his raincoat and let her wear it, thinking he could use this as an excuse to look a little pitiful later.

Just as he removed his raincoat, Qi Chen stepped inside. Xiaoyan’s restrained sobs immediately turned into open crying.

“Qi Chen, why did you take so long? Ugh… wuuuuu…” The moment she saw him, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

Qi Chen crouched beside her, casually placing his flashlight on the ground. He touched her bare arms and then pulled out the bag he had tucked inside his raincoat. “It’s cold—put this on.”

Xu Yi’s brow twitched. That blanket was meant for me and a certain someone else—how did it suddenly become a prop for their lovey-dovey moment?

He put his raincoat back on and didn’t bother lighting the way for them anymore.

Standing at the entrance of the cave, he watched the rain pour down, heavy and relentless.

“Are you two ready yet?” he asked.

When he turned around and shone his flashlight, he immediately looked away, shaking his head.

Qi Chen had undone all the buttons on his raincoat and draped it over Xiaoyan’s shoulders. Then, he carried her on his back, sharing the coat between them.

Xu Yi begrudgingly carried the bag and flashlight for them, playing the role of the third wheel.

The cold rain and howling wind slipped through the gaps of the cluttered balcony, chilling the room. Wen Yang curled up under her blanket, telling herself, Just a few more days. Once I get through this, I can finally leave.

Downstairs, five thick fingers pressed against the wooden stair railing. Footsteps creaked on the stairs, but the heavy downpour masked the sound.

Lin Minjing entered the courtyard, humming a tune, her mood soaring.