Chapter 40: Finding Gou Dan

“By the way.” Wanqing tapped her hand and said, “Gou Dan went missing along with his mother.”

Lu Demin, who was standing nearby, looked somewhat displeased and said, “So are they suspecting we had something to do with it?”

“The last time Cui Ju went missing, they said we were responsible, and now that Gou Dan is missing, they say we’re behind it again. Why don’t they just blame everything on us whenever someone disappears?” Bai An said angrily, “This isn’t fair.”

“Bai An,” Lu Demin sighed and said, “Let’s find Gou Dan first, then talk.”

Bai An lowered her head, reluctantly following Lu Jin’an.

Along the way, Bai An saw large groups of villagers searching the mountains for Gou Dan and his mother.

Seeing this scene, Bai An quietly leaned over to Lu Jin’an and whispered, “Why weren’t they in such a hurry when Cui Ju disappeared?”

Lu Jin’an chuckled softly, “Do you think Cui Ju really disappeared?”

“Maybe,” Bai An replied.

Lu Jin’an glanced down at Bai An, his expression unreadable. He patted her head and said, “Don’t overthink it.”

Bai An whispered, “I don’t know why, but I feel like Cui Ju is safe somewhere now. Otherwise, why does it seem like no one is really anxious?”

“Then just go with your instincts,” Lu Jin’an said.

He took Bai An’s hand and walked behind the villagers, not saying a word.

By the time it was dark, they still hadn’t found Gou Dan or his mother. Gradually, the villagers’ looks toward Bai An’s family became more and more suspicious, as though they were plotting something. Lu Jin’an also noticed the change in the villagers and tightened his grip on Bai An’s hand.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a villager’s voice broke the silence.

“Gou Dan has been found.”

Bai An sighed in relief and looked up at Lu Jin’an. He nodded toward Lu Demin, who was holding Wanqing’s hand, then followed the villagers to where Gou Dan was found.

Bai An couldn’t help but wonder if it was her imagination, but in the villagers’ eyes, she saw a mix of regret and desire.

“Where did you find Gou Dan?” Bai An asked curiously, turning to Lin Zhixia. “We searched for so long and couldn’t find him.”

Lu Jin’an glanced at Lin Zhixia, who was sitting on a stone, as though deep in thought. Lin Zhixia, however, met his gaze without fear and slowly smiled.

When Lin Zhixia didn’t answer, Bai An frowned and unhappily said, “Why do you keep smiling at my brother?”

“Then I’ll smile at you,” Lin Zhixia said, turning to face Bai An and slowly curling the corners of his mouth.

Bai An quietly looked at him for a long time before continuing, “You should smile at my brother instead.”

Hearing that, Lin Zhixia stopped smiling, got up suddenly, and walked over to Bai An’s side. Watching the villagers struggling to rescue Gou Dan from the pit ahead, he casually asked, “Why do you think they came to such a remote place and just happened to fall into that big hole?”

Bai An looked up at the sound of his voice, her eyes cold and lifeless. “Since you’re asking me, I suspect it was you who pushed them into that hole.”

Lin Zhixia’s expression froze, and he forced a couple of laughs before softly saying, “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

Seeing that she had frightened him, Bai An helplessly stared at him and continued, “I was just teasing you. How are you so easy to scare?”

Before Lin Zhixia could respond, Lu Jin’an, who had been silent, casually added, “Maybe you actually spoke the truth, which scared the one who did the bad deed.”

Lin Zhixia slowly turned his head and looked at Lu Jin’an, his face full of disbelief.

“Do you even hear what you’re saying?”

They were both intelligent, and they knew exactly what each of them was doing.

Bai An, standing beside Lu Jin’an, nudged him and whispered, “Don’t say that. What if those people hear it and take it seriously?”

Lu Jin’an glanced at Lin Zhixia, who met his gaze with an accusing look, and chuckled softly. “What can we do? Let those villagers search his house too, maybe they’ll find something.”

Lin Zhixia looked at the smiling Lu Jin’an, his eyes filled with gloom.

Bai An looked at Lu Jin’an in confusion.

“Gou Dan’s mom, how did you end up here? It’s so far out.” Gou Dan’s dad had finally managed to pull Gou Dan and his mother out of the pit and immediately started bombarding her with questions.

Gou Dan’s mom wiped the dust from her face and angrily slapped Gou Dan on his back. The sound was loud enough for Bai An to hear, and just watching it made her feel pain.

“TMD, this son of a b*tch, he kept pulling me, insisting on going this way, insisting on going this way. Now look, he fell down!” Gou Dan’s mom became increasingly agitated, her words coming out like rapid gunfire.

Lu Jin’an expressionlessly covered Bai An’s ears, but the words still filtered through.

Bai An was truly amazed by the variety of curses coming from Gou Dan’s mom. Not a single word was repeated, and she was still going on without any hesitation.

The others, unable to stand it any longer, hurriedly asked, “Didn’t you see this huge pit?”

When Gou Dan’s mom heard this question, she became even more agitated, pointing to the pit and saying, “How was I supposed to know there was a pit here? When we walked here, it wasn’t even there. But now look, one step and down he goes!”

Although this is what Gou Dan’s mom said, no one present believed her. They all thought it was her own fault for not paying attention and falling into the pit.

Bai An walked over and asked the trembling Gou Dan, “How did you end up here?”

Gou Dan shook his head, not wanting to tell anyone that he had been hit by a stranger.

Seeing he wasn’t speaking, Bai An didn’t push further, taking Lu Jin’an’s hand to head home.

Gou Dan’s mom asked, “Why did it take you so long to get here?”

“How dare you say that? It’s so remote here, who could find it?”

“Then who found us?”

“Lin’s eldest son.”

In an instant, everyone’s gaze shifted to Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia, under everyone’s scrutiny, smiled faintly, “I came here to pick some wild vegetables and happened to overhear some people talking. I came over and saw them stuck in the pit.”

Everyone nodded, but Bai An frowned. She felt like something was off with Lin Zhixia’s story.

Seeing that nothing more was happening, Lu Jin’an took Bai An’s hand and said to her parents, who were waiting not far away, “It’s time to go back for dinner.”

On the way back, Bai An turned to look at Lin Zhixia. He was smiling slightly in her direction. In the light of the fire, his face looked gentle, but the half of his face in the shadows seemed like a demon from hell.

Bai An quickly turned her face away, shaking off the unsettling thoughts.