Chapter 6 : Throwing Herself Into His Arms

Upon hearing the commotion, everyone turned to see Su Zhiqing, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, pushing through the crowd. His tall figure stood out prominently among the people, and his loud shout succeeded in drawing everyone’s attention toward him.

This was the first time Liang Qingqing had seen this man, who had been a constant presence in the original host’s thoughts. As expected, he had the kind of handsome, delicate features that could captivate women—his skin was fair, his features were well-defined, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses. Even in his current state of anger, he exuded an aura of cold, restrained elegance.

Unfortunately, Liang Qingqing wasn’t into this type.

“Hey, hey, hey, Qingqing, it’s Su Zhiqing! Su Zhiqing!” Qiu Xiaoyan, upon seeing him, excitedly grabbed Liang Qingqing’s arm, completely forgetting the latter’s earlier instructions.

Liang Qingqing rolled her eyes and turned to leave, “You keep watching, I’m leaving.”

Having seen the most exciting part, she had no interest in sticking around to watch the heroic rescue scene. The outcome was already predetermined, so what was there left to see?

Realizing she had made a mistake, Qiu Xiaoyan wanted to follow but feared irritating Liang Qingqing, so she remained where she was, anxiously like an ant on a hot pan, finally managing to stammer, “So Qingqing, you’re just leaving like this?”

By then, Liang Qingqing was already far away and didn’t respond.

As evening approached, the sky gradually took on a soft, rosy hue. The afterglow danced in the wind, creating the most beautiful melody. The low buildings with their gray brick and wooden walls, set against the backdrop of the rolling green hills and thin mist, resembled a landscape painting casually brushed by an artist.

Admiring the beauty she could never have seen in the city, Liang Qingqing felt an unprecedented tranquility, thinking that perhaps this new life was a different kind of experience…

Of course, that was if it weren’t for the sudden appearance of a large yellow dog!

“Good dog, there’s a path over here. Can you come this way?” Liang Qingqing swore she flashed the most gentle and kind smile she had ever given in her life, but the dog didn’t seem to care and instead bared its teeth and barked at her.

Seeing this, Liang Qingqing reflexively turned and ran as if a flood or wild beast was chasing her.

Even though her mind told her not to run when a dog chases, as it only excites the dog more, her body was out of control. She feared that if she stopped, the dog would pounce and carry her off.

Yes, carry her off!

As for why she had such an absurd thought in front of a dog not even as tall as her waist, it dated back to when she was four years old.

To save time and effort, her unreliable father had left her alone in the garden with toys. As a result, a neighbor’s Alaskan Malamute had slipped in and grabbed her by the back of her clothes, running around the villa twice!

Twice!

This incident left a significant scar on her young mind, and even now, she was terrified of large dogs. She would rather avoid them from a distance of twenty or thirty meters if she could.

The saying that childhood trauma can take a lifetime to heal had some truth to it, as she was now experiencing. Although she knew she shouldn’t run, her feet kept moving!

Feeling the large yellow dog closing in, Liang Qingqing shivered all over, her lips trembling and unable to scream for help. Even if she could, it would be useless—the villagers had gone to the fields to watch the commotion, and there was no one at the village entrance.

Most alarming was that after running for a while, her legs grew weak, and she could no longer run. It was partly due to fear and partly due to exhaustion. This body was in worse shape than her previous one—fragile and weak, she was panting heavily after just a short run.

Liang Qingqing quickly scanned her surroundings and, gritting her teeth, ran towards a nearby road corner, hoping to hide behind a large tree at the corner. If she was lucky, she might lose the dog. If not, the worst that could happen was getting bitten to death—who knows, maybe she could even get transported back.

With the mindset of trying anything as a last resort, she quickened her pace. However, before she could reach the corner, a tall, sturdy figure emerged from the road, carrying a bamboo basket and looking like he had just come back from the mountain.

Their eyes met unexpectedly in mid-air. The other person was clearly surprised to encounter her in such a situation. After a moment of surprise, noticing her disheveled appearance, he raised his eyebrows slightly and a smile appeared on his lips.

“Oh, taking the dog for a walk?”

Who’s taking whom for a walk, it’s hard to say!

Liang Qingqing was immediately exasperated. Was this a joke? Was he mocking her? Fine, if it’s like that, she would make her move!

With a burst of energy, as if she had practiced it countless times, Liang Qingqing charged straight into his arms with precise aim, so fast that he didn’t have time to react. She grasped his short hair for support and wrapped her long legs tightly around his slim waist, her arms hugging his head.

After running so long, Liang Qingqing’s chest was heaving heavily. Due to the intimate position, her soft body pressed tightly against his mouth and nose, and the thin summer clothing allowed them to clearly feel each other’s body temperature and breath.

The heated, ambiguous atmosphere mixed into the air, fermenting uncontrollably and spreading around them.

At that moment, Liang Qingqing didn’t care about the romantic atmosphere at all. She just wanted to lift her legs higher so that the big dog could never reach her.

It seemed that the dog heard her disgusted thoughts, as it barked even more cheerfully in dissatisfaction, circling around them but showing no intention of attacking. Nevertheless, just this was enough to frighten Liang Qingqing into screaming and shrinking further into his arms, making her body shake even more.

“Woof woof woof.”

“Da Huang, stop barking!” He said in a dog and somewhat frantic voice, trying to calm the dog.

Then, his panic increased.

“Liang Qingqing!”

After he told the dog to stop, the barking did quiet down a bit, but the dog seemed puzzled about why it was being told not to bark. It jumped up a couple of times, and its head bumped into Liang Qingqing’s pant leg.

“Ah ah ah ah ah ah!”

In her attempt to avoid the big yellow dog, Liang Qingqing used all her life’s experience. She rubbed her rounded buttocks upwards incessantly. If such frantic rubbing and crawling could get her to the sky, she would probably be sitting at the Gate of Heaven by now.

Listening to the tragic and piercing screams, Fan Yanxing’s face could not be described as merely difficult. He used his hands to push at her upper body to give himself some breathing space and said through gritted teeth:

“Liang Qingqing, get down!”

“I won’t!”

Her voice was so defiant that, if it weren’t for the trembling tone and the series of genuine fear reactions she had just displayed, Fan Yanxing would have suspected she was deliberately trying to disgust him.

“Then why are you still touching my butt?”

“Who’s touching you…”

The words abruptly stopped. Fan Yanxing suddenly lowered his head, his gaze falling on the large hand that had somehow come to rest on her buttocks. After realizing it, he closed his eyes tightly, wishing he could slap himself.

“Woof, woof, woof.”

The dog’s barking made the atmosphere even more tense and awkward.

“I was just trying to prevent you from falling and getting hurt,” Fan Yanxing said, knowing that such an explanation was weak but still trying to justify himself.

Sure enough, the next moment, a snicker came from above them, “A man’s words are harder than a rock.”

“I’ve let go.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t let go. Here’s the deal: if you help me get rid of the dog, I’ll come down.” Liang Qingqing, seeing the opportunity, decided to negotiate. Understanding that even a strong woman can sometimes yield, she cleared her throat and softened her tone, “I’m really scared. Please help me, okay?”

Fan Yanxing, who was about to move to drive the dog away, said: “…”

“Speak nicely!” Did his throat get stuck?

“…” As expected, the dog was unworthy of her goddess-like tone. What was that saying? A wild boar can’t eat fine bran!

Liang Qingqing rolled her eyes dramatically, not wanting to waste time debating whether he was speaking nicely. Moreover, she feared that if they stayed in such an ambiguous position for too long, someone might see them.

If they were seen, no amount of explanations would help.

In this day and age, issues between men and women are a big deal! It could lead to serious consequences.

Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Fan Yanxing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and raised his voice to shout, “Da huang, it’s time to eat. Hurry up and go back, let’s go, let’s go.”

The big yellow dog turned around in place and then dashed back in the direction it had come from, disappearing from sight in no time.

Liang Qingqing, who had witnessed the whole scene, was baffled: “???”

It was really resolved so easily? The problem that had made her so embarrassed?

It seems that nowadays, not only is it difficult for people to get a full meal, but it’s also hard for dogs. Look at that, as soon as it heard it was mealtime, it ran faster than anyone!

“Come down.”

With Fan Yanxing applying more force and Liang Qingqing’s cooperation, the two, who were previously stuck together, were soon separated.

Liang Qingqing adjusted her clothes, which had ridden up, and, feeling somewhat uneasy, avoided looking at Fan Yanxing. She spoke gruffly, “What are you staring at? Haven’t you seen someone who’s afraid of dogs?”

“Never seen a woman so scared of dogs that she throws herself onto a man,” Fan Yanxing retorted without any politeness. While speaking, he bent down to pick up the basket that had fallen to the ground at some point.

Liang Qingqing’s sharp eyes caught sight of a flash of grayish-white fur under a large green leaf.

“Hey, you’re actually hunting rabbits in the mountains!” The words slipped out, and both of them were stunned.

In this day and age, whether it’s something running in the mountains or swimming in the river, it all belongs to the public. If you privately take it for yourself, you not only have to compensate at market value but also face ideological education and public criticism in front of the whole village.

But with everyone struggling to stay fed and warm, who can follow every regulation? So, people have tacitly turned a blind eye and secretly gathered some food to satisfy their hunger.

Some things are overlooked to avoid letting villagers starve in their homes.

Fortunately, in recent years, the village has frequently organized men to hunt in the mountains and distribute the catches to the villagers, so fewer people go hunting privately.

However, this has led to the nearby mountains being stripped bare of both meat and vegetables. To find good things, like the rabbit in Fan Yanxing’s basket, one has to venture into the deeper mountains. But the deep mountains are full of unexpected dangers, and most people who value their lives are too afraid to go.

Yet, Fan Yanxing not only dares to go into the deep mountains but actually brings things back! Who would have thought he had such skills and determination?

Returning to the main point, although the regulations are not as strict as before, being caught by the village officials or reported by someone still has serious consequences. Liang Qingqing’s loud exclamation, combined with the “grudge” between the two, makes it hard not to suspect she might be planning to report it.