Chapter 22

Chu Linchuan's eyes swept back and forth between the two men's faces.

Xia Lanzheng almost leaned on Lu Yanqing's shoulder, while Lu Yanqing hugged him from behind, with his hands on... a very wrong place.

Chu Linchuan repeated coldly: "What are you doing?"

Xia Lanzheng was half-conscious, but she recognized the person at the door almost instantly: "Brother... I'm asking him to help me."

This was the first time in Lu Yanqing's almost thirty years of life that he encountered such an embarrassing situation, so embarrassing that it was a little funny.

After weighing the pros and cons, he waited for his friend's brother to explain himself.

Unexpectedly, the man made things worse and stopped talking halfway. Chu Linchuan's face was so ugly that it was unbearable to look at.

Lu Yanqing suddenly wanted to laugh again, this time he was really laughing out of anger.

Chu Linchuan pulled Xia Lanzheng out with great force, and Xia Lanzheng frowned in dissatisfaction.

"I was just about to look for you," Lu Yanqing moved aside to make room, "I can't handle it, please."

Chu Linchuan nodded. He and Lu Yanqing grew up together. Neither of them was childish. Even though they had conflicting interests, they had never had any conflicts.

But at this moment, Xia Lanzheng's face was full of confusion, and seeing Lu Yan's calm and relaxed look, Chu Linchuan was inexplicably a little dissatisfied.

"I was wondering what took you so long," Chu Linchuan held Xia Lanzheng's arm, "it turns out you ran into a drunk."

Lu Yanqing understood the meaning of his words, and the two looked at each other, and the atmosphere was a little strange.

Thinking that the source of all this was Xia Lanzheng, it suddenly became even more strange.

What was Chu Linchuan's attitude in the past? Seeing Xia Lanzheng squatting on the side of the road, she was not willing to give anyone a ride.

When did you become so biased towards Xia Lanzheng?

Lu Yanqing kicked open the cubicle door, walked to the sink, and turned on the water: "As long as you know what I mean."

Chu Linchuan laughed: "You two have a pretty good relationship."

Xia Lanzheng opened her eyes when she heard the sound of water: "Stop arguing. If you want to argue, can you please go outside and do it?"

He fiddled with the rope around his waist. Lu Yanqing glanced in the mirror and said, "Help him. It's tied in a knot."

Chu Linchuan had drunk a bit too much, but he sobered up after what he had just done. Xia Lanzheng had promised herself to rest at home, but was this how she rested?

He brushed aside Xia Lanzheng's hand, bent over and moved closer. After taking a look, he sighed, "Don't move. Don't blame me if you get burned."

Two seconds later, Xia Lanzheng screamed, and even Lu Yanqing's hands trembled, and he turned back in shock.

Chu Linchuan held a lighter, lit it, and passed it to Xia Lanzheng's waist. Xia Lanzheng was drunk, not stupid, so she was naturally startled by his action.

"You murdered me!" Xia Lanzheng's face turned pale and she pushed his head hard.

Chu Linchuan's scalp was aching from being scratched, but he managed not to get angry because he saw that Xia Lanzheng was really drunk.

His glasses were pushed askew, so he simply took them off and put them in his bag, then dragged Xia Lanzheng back by her pants.

"Speak sensibly. There are witnesses here. Do I dare?"

Witness Lu Yanqing walked over, pressing his forehead: "Don't be mean to him. He's drunk."

Chu Linchuan breathed a sigh of relief: "I know he's drunk, help me hold him down."

Xia Lanzheng repeatedly shook her head at Lu Yanqing: "Mr. Lu, think twice before you act."

Chu Linchuan was amused and slapped him on the lower back: "I almost want to praise you for your culture."

Xia Lanzheng shivered from the cold: "I'm quite educated to begin with."

Chu Linchuan didn't waste any time talking to him. He turned to Lu Yanqing and said, "Hurry up. I'm afraid he'll do something."

Lu Yanqing was forced to wade into the muddy water and once again grabbed Xia Lanzheng's waist from behind: "What?"

Chu Linchuan narrowed his eyes and flicked on his lighter with a click: "That's it... Xia Lanzheng, don't move, I really can't stand you anymore!"

Xia Lanzheng felt hot, his back and waist were hot. He vaguely came back to his senses and roughly knew where he was and what he was doing.

However, when he looked down and saw Chu Linchuan's face, and turned back to see Lu Yanqing holding him, he closed his eyes and became distracted again.

Is this the scene where men are on both sides in the melodramatic novels? What a chaotic scene.

Must be dreaming.

With two men sandwiched around him, Xia Lanzheng didn't dare to say a word even in her dreams.

But his waist was still hot, and something was licking his skin.

Oh, it's fire.

Xia Lanzheng's hands were restrained, his arms pressed tightly to his sides. Lu Yanqing held him tightly. He felt dizzy, but the minty scent behind him made him feel better.

He leaned back and thought that this guy had well-developed chest muscles.

Chu Linchuan paused for two seconds, avoiding Lu Yanqing's hand and holding him down: "Xia Lanzheng, don't move."

Xia Lanzheng didn't say anything, just raised her head and howled twice.

Chu Linchuan tutted, "Stop whining. Don't wear these pants next time you drink."

Lu Yanqing grabbed Xia Lanzheng's skirt with his right hand: "Be careful, if it doesn't work, I'll ask someone to get a pair of scissors..."

"Tell him not to move." Chu Linchuan looked up and saw Lu Yanqing's whole hand on Xia Lanzheng's waist, leaving faint red marks on her waist. "Forget it, Lu Yanqing, be gentle too."

Just then, there were sounds of dragging footsteps outside, and it was obvious that someone was drunk.

Chu Linchuan couldn't help but speed up his movements, causing Xia Lanzheng's brows to frown even more tightly.

Yu Yang pushed open the bathroom door and was suddenly surprised to see this scene. His lips trembled in disbelief: "Boss Lu, Boss Chu?"

Lu Yanqing glanced towards the door, saw who was coming, and frowned: "Get out."

"Okay, I, I, I... I'll come back later!"

Yu Yang's green hair was smoking, and he ran away in a hurry with the door closed.

Chu Linchuan burned the belt, loosened his hands, and the waistband of his pants bounced directly onto Xia Lanzheng's waist.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Lu Yanqing, "Alright, let go."

After saying that, he pushed Xia Lanzheng into the compartment, closed the door, and asked through the door: "Do you need any more help?"

"No!" Xia Lanzheng said, "Wait!"

Lu Yanqing walked to the door first, turned around and waved to Chu Linchuan: "Come out and wait."

So the two of them stood guarding the door as if they were guarding something. Chu Linchuan held the trouser string, but couldn't find the trash can, so he finally stuffed it into his bag.

"Why didn't you come and call me?" he finally found a chance to ask.

Lu Yanqing glanced into the bathroom and heard nothing, so he said, "He said it was urgent, so I didn't have time to attend."

Chu Linchuan still remembered the scene he saw when he pushed the door open just now: "He's in a hurry, but why would you help him like this?"

"What?" Lu Yanqing glanced at him sideways, "Are you angry with me?"

Lu Yanqing didn't usually talk like this, at least not to his friends. He couldn't explain why, but he felt a little annoyed at the moment and didn't want to endure it.

"No," Chu Linchuan laughed, "I just think it's strange that you would take the initiative to help him."

This left Lu Yanqing speechless for a moment. He later realized that he had indeed done too much today.

He loosened his collar and felt that he could breathe more easily.

"What about you? You're pretty weird too."

Chu Linchuan looked natural: "It's okay, he is my brother, isn't he?"

Lu Yanqing frowned and wanted to say something, but Chu Linchuan didn't give him a chance. Chu Linchuan didn't continue the topic, and didn't even mention Xia Lanzheng's name again.

"Anyway, thanks."

Lu Yanqing came back to his senses: "He said he had a falling out with Yu Yang and his gang."

Chu Linchuan snorted with disdain: "Good thing."

"You don't seem surprised." Lu Yanqing said.

There was a sound of running water from inside, and Xia Lanzheng came out of the toilet.

Chu Linchuan took a step forward, then stepped back when he saw the man was walking steadily. "Nothing to be surprised about. It's just a matter of time."

Lu Yanqing glanced at him, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he said, "I'm not going back. What about you?"

Chu Linchuan pushed the door open a little: "Well, what car are you taking?"

Chang followed Lu Yanqing's driver back to his hometown to get married, and Chu Linchuan originally wanted him to ride in the Chu family's car.

"I'll call the driver, you guys go first," Lu Yanqing refused without a second thought, "I'm going to the terrace to smoke a cigarette."

Chu Linchuan looked up and suddenly saw the hint of annoyance between Lu Yanqing's eyebrows.

"Okay," he said without saying anything more, "then I won't send it off."

*

Xia Lanzheng was finally carried home, her waist resting on Chu Linchuan's shoulders, her whole body as stiff as a javelin.

"I feel a little pain in my waist." Xia Lanzheng muttered.

Chu Linchuan had been tormented all the way and his patience was exhausted: "You think it's wrong, don't think it's wrong."

Xia Lanzheng added, "I feel like the floor tiles are spinning."

Chu Linchuan held down his knees and said, "Yes, the earth is rotating."

"Second Young Master!" Li Pingan followed behind, fearing that Chu Linchuan would accidentally stab someone to the ground. "How about I do it?"

Chu Linchuan couldn't pull his hands away: "No, you open the door."

Li Ping'an pushed open the courtyard gate and ran in a few steps to knock on the main door.

When the aunt saw it was him, she winked and said, "Sir, they are all home, why are you knocking so urgently?"

When Li Pingan heard this, he ran back to Chu Linchuan and said, "Second Master, there are people at home. What should we do?"

Chu Linchuan pushed the man up and said, "What should I do? I'm not the one who's drunk."

"No, no... I mean, will the young master be criticized?"

Li Ping'an has been on good terms with Xia Lanzheng recently and is really worried about him.

One year, Chu Linyu came home drunk. When he sent the person back, he could hear Chu Lang's angry voice from a distance.

At that time, the aunt secretly told Li Ping'an that the master didn't like the young master to play around outside. Chu Linyu was already a grown-up and didn't dare to go home every time he got drunk.

"That's not what I meant," Chu Linchuan interrupted his thoughts. "He's the one who's drunk. Is anyone willing to say anything?"

Li Ping'an was stunned and exclaimed "Ah", took two steps back, and hurriedly chased after him.

"I'm worried that Ms. Yang will cry, and that idiot Chu Linyu will probably be worried too," Chu Linchuan said with a headache, "My dad...my dad will probably make hangover soup with a cold face."

This is also based on facts. Li Ping'an didn't follow Xia Lanzheng before, so he naturally didn't know much about it.

One time last year, Xia Lanzheng was sent back by Yu Yang, and Yang Yuxiao almost cried when she saw him drunk.

This is a very sentimental musician, and he is the most doting on his children in the Chu family.

Chu Linchuan said to Li Pingan, "Just send him here, and then go back and rest."

Xia Lanzheng started struggling again, so Chu Linchuan put her down.

They walked slowly, and when they passed the fountain in the yard, Xia Lanzheng stopped and took a look.

He pointed to a place not far away and said, "There used to be a tree there. I think I planted it."

Chu Linchuan looked in the direction of his hand. There was nothing under the streetlight except for green grass swaying in the night wind. "It died a long time ago. It was cut down by Chu Linyu."

Xia Lanzheng was silent for a moment. There was light from the street lamp in her eyes, and her gaze seemed to be focused on the distance, but in fact she could not see anything clearly.

"Yeah," he replied softly, "it will definitely grow back."

She leaned her head back on Chu Linchuan's shoulder, her long curly hair falling randomly on his neck, with a few strands sticking to the sides of her face.

The wind suddenly blew.

Chu Linchuan's heart was suddenly gripped by something. It was a very subtle feeling. He felt like a blade of grass caressed by the wind.

At the turn of spring and summer, the grass in the yard grew very tall. Chu Linchuan quietly withdrew his gaze and half-supported and half-carried Xia Lanzheng into the house.

The evening TV series was still playing in the house. The people sitting in the living room turned around and saw the two people who had been talked about just now coming back together.

Xia Lanzheng was dazzled by the bright light, and she perked up like plants illuminated by the light.

He stood there, many figures reflected in his eyes and several voices reaching his eardrums.

"Zheng Zheng! Oh, how much did you drink?"

"Lin Chuan, where did you meet him? Who was he with tonight?"

"Auntie... forget it, I'll go get some hangover soup."

Xia Lanzheng felt like she was soaked in a pool of warm water, so heavy that he couldn't move his feet.

Yang Yuxiao's eyes turned red with anxiety, and she asked Chu Linchuan, "Have you checked your brother's condition?"

Chu Linyu touched Xia Lanzheng's forehead and asked, "Should we rush to the hospital?"

Chu Linchuan had checked in the car. Xia Lanzheng had just drunk a little too much and was slow to react. After getting out and taking a few steps, she seemed like an idiot.

"No need," Chu Linchuan took Xia Lanzheng a step forward, "He just has a poor alcohol tolerance and is drunk, but he doesn't need to go to the hospital."

Xia Lanzheng held his arm and interrupted, "Mom?"

"Hey," Yang Yuxiao turned around and asked, "Is Zhengzheng feeling unwell?"

Everyone was waiting for his answer, but he didn't make a sound for a long time, only his Adam's apple moved up and down as he swallowed.

The floor seemed to be spinning again, and the sound of cutting vegetables came from the kitchen, and someone in front of him called him "Zheng Zheng" cautiously.

Xia Lanzheng closed her eyes, and suddenly two tears fell quietly.

*

Xia Lanzheng seemed to be entangled in a big net.

He felt a slight discomfort in his stomach, and then he realized he was dreaming. But the dream was too real. Chu Lang squatted in front of him, looking a little younger than he was now.

He spoke slowly so that Xia Lanzheng could hear every word clearly: "Zhengzheng, do you want to come home with me?"

"Where's Brother Daniu?" Xia Lanzheng asked, "Can he go home too?"

When he spoke, he realized that his voice was also childish.

Chu Lang smoothed his hair and said, "Zheng Zheng, Daniu has his own family now."

Xia Lanzheng turned her head and blinked in confusion, her hair sweeping across the corners of her eyes again.

"Those aren't Big Bull's parents."

Big Niu said his mother was very tall and thin, with a slightly dark complexion. His father was also tall, and in Big Niu's words, he was the tallest man in the world, so tall that he could block out everything.

These are not Brother Da Niu’s parents.

Chu Lang closed his eyes, not knowing how to answer the child's question.

Chu Lang's face was right in front of him, as if he could touch the stubble on his chin with his hand.

Xia Lanzheng had heard from Brother Danniu that his father always had black hair on his face that felt prickly. So he raised his hand to touch it, but didn't feel the prickly sensation he had imagined.

In the chaos, footsteps were heard from a distance.

Xia Lanzheng opened her eyes. The room was empty, save for two water cups on the bedside table. The curtains were drawn tightly, and there was no light in the room.

He got up from the bed and was stripped naked, leaving only a pair of shorts.

The dream just now suddenly disappeared, and Xia Lanzheng quickly walked into the bathroom. The pants she wore last night were thrown in the clothes basket.

But the trouser string... why is the trouser string gone!

The aftereffects of a hangover suddenly hit Xia Lanzheng. She leaned against the wall and looked at the gaps between the tiles.

"Do you need help?"

It was Lu Yanqing's voice.

With a splash, the hand sanitizer was knocked over by Xia Lanzheng.

I remembered it all, not even a single detail!

——He even remembered the minty smell on Lu Yanqing's body and the temperature of the lighter in Chu Linchuan's hand clearly.

There was also the hangover soup cooked by Yang Yuxiao and Chu Lang, his breakdown and crying, and his salty tears.

It's over.

Why on earth was he crying yesterday?

Xia Lanzheng couldn't accept it for a moment. What was going on? No straight man could accept it!

After taking a shower, the room was filled with hot steam. Xia Lanzheng hesitated in the room for a moment and finally opened the door.

Today is a weekday, and the Chu family doesn't keep idle people, so no one will be at home.

However, Xia Lanzheng tiptoed to the stairs, glanced at the living room, and her heart skipped a beat.

What the hell! Isn't today a workday?

I saw the whole family sitting neatly downstairs, and they looked up immediately when they heard the sound.

"Zheng Zheng, are you feeling unwell?" Yang Yuxiao stood up and waved to Xia Lanzheng.

"I left some porridge," Chu Lang asked, "Would you like some now?"

Chu Linyu looked at him carefully: "Zhengzheng, are you sober? Yesterday you..."

Chu Linchuan poked his elbow and interrupted, "Drink some porridge to prevent stomach discomfort."

Xia Lanzheng gripped the armrest until his fingers turned white. This feeling was something he had never experienced in his previous life. He thought he knew why he was crying.

When we sat down, the hot porridge had already been served on the table. The millet porridge was cooked very finely and thickly, and it must have been simmered for a long time.

He wiped his eyes, and then Chu Lang and Chu Linchuan set off for the company.

His relationship with Chu Linchuan has been quite strange recently. For example, Chu Linchuan took the initiative to find an acting teacher for him, and he also took him home last night.

Xia Lanzheng put down the spoon. He vaguely remembered that Chu Linchuan did more than just that.

A deep voice echoed in my mind.

"Lift your foot," Chu Linchuan said, "left foot."

It was he who brought Xia Lanzheng back to the room last night, and he was also the one who put water on the bedside table.

At that time, Xia Lanzheng felt sore all over and lay in the quilt. Then Chu Linchuan handed the straw to his mouth.

"Drink it."

Xia Lanzheng didn't dare to think about it anymore and forced herself to swallow the porridge in her mouth.

What exactly does Chu Linchuan mean? Does he really treat him as his younger brother or what?

But it’s not like this in the original book. He clearly hates this outsider.

Chu Linchuan stopped behind Xia Lanzheng for a few seconds. Xia Lanzheng held her breath and sat there without moving.

There was no special smell on him, only the faint scent of laundry detergent, floating behind him.

"What's wrong?" Xia Lanzheng finally couldn't help but ask.

Chu Linchuan stared at the back of his head for a long time, ruffled his hair, and withdrew his hand before he could react.

The usually indifferent man spoke in an unusually gentle manner today: "Drink less from now on, okay?"

Xia Lanzheng said awkwardly, "I see. Thank you for last night."

"No need," Chu Linchuan laughed, his tone hard to tell, "Go thank Lu Yanqing."

Xia Lanzheng didn't know what to say, so she turned around and glared at him, then simply stopped talking.

After a meal that was either lunch or breakfast, Xia Lanzheng watched some TV with Yang Yuxiao. The noontime show wasn't as dramatic as the evening show; it was a political drama about ancient costumes that made him dizzy.

Xia Lanzheng walked the sheep around the yard twice, then finally returned to the house and said, "Mom, I'm going out for a walk."

He walked down the mountain and met Li Ping'an who was returning from sending someone off. He wanted to pretend not to see him, but Li Ping'an lowered the car window and greeted him from a distance.

"Young Master! Nothing happened last night, did it?"

Everyone in the family knew that he cried after drinking too much last night. Even his aunt came quietly to ask him if he was okay in the morning.

Xia Lanzheng rarely cries. Except for the time when she was chased by a dog, she has never cried in front of others.

He always used to tell Da Niu, "Don't cry, tears are the most useless thing in the world."

Daniu pulled up the quilt while crying: "I'm just crying! Xia Lanzheng! I don't want you to care!"

Li Pingan called him again: "Young Master?"

"I'm fine," Xia Lanzheng laughed dryly. "Brother Li, go ahead and do your work. I'll go out for a walk by myself."

He walked for half an hour and reached the mountainside. He sat on a stone pier for a while and received a message from Zhang Cheng.

"Zhang Cheng: You're back."

"X: How do you know?"

"Zhang Cheng: You posted a wrap photo on Weibo."

After Xia Lanzheng changed her name last time, her Weibo account has been managed by Yu Jiawei.

"Zhang Cheng: Congratulations."

"X: Thank you."

Xia Lanzheng and Zhang Cheng haven't seen each other for a long time. He would send her some photos from time to time, through which he could get a glimpse of his life.

Most of the photos were taken of the sea and trees, with occasional stray cats and dogs. Zhang Cheng's condition had improved a lot.

He sent a location.

"Zhang Cheng: Are you coming?"

"Zhang Cheng: I miss you so much."

Xia Lanzheng almost threw her phone away and quickly sent a voice message.

"We Chinese don't usually talk to our friends like this."

Zhang Cheng called and Xia Lanzheng picked up the phone. His voice coming from the receiver was faintly accompanied by the rustling sound of the waves.

"You and I are from the same country."

Xia Lanzheng didn't dwell on this question: "Are you at the beach?"

"Well," Zhang Cheng said, "the sea looks just like you, very beautiful."

Xia Lanzheng gave up correcting Zhang Cheng's wording. He really wanted to relax, so he took a taxi over.

There were no tourists on this beach. Xia Lanzheng saw Zhang Cheng sitting on the beach from a distance.

He was still wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with a long hem, which hung on the edge of the waves washing ashore, like the afterglow of the sea.

Xia Lanzheng took off his shoes and stepped on the beach. The soft and warm sand immediately wrapped him up.

He had just walked behind Zhang Cheng when Zhang Cheng heard the voice and turned back to smile at him. He held up the sketchbook and said, "Look, isn't it beautiful?"

The shell on the drawing paper was different from the one in front of Zhang Cheng. It was outlined with colored pencils, and Zhang Cheng covered it with a layer of light color.

Xia Lanzheng sat down next to him: "Yeah, very beautiful."

Zhang Cheng continued sketching with a blue colored pencil: "Is the filming going well?"

Xia Lanzheng was stunned for a moment: "No."

"Then why are you unhappy?" Zhang Cheng asked.

Xia Lanzheng grabbed a handful of sand, and the fine sand slipped quietly through his fingers. He also laughed: "You found out."

Zhang Cheng didn't ask him why he was unhappy: "Will basking in the sun make you happier?"

Xia Lanzheng said, "Yes, the sun isn't shining brightly today, but it's very nice."

Zhang Cheng spoke Mandarin much more fluently than the last time they met; he must have been practicing privately. He was indeed mixed-race, and his words were always surprising, something Xia Lanzheng had grown accustomed to.

Xia Lanzheng suddenly felt a little envious of him.

Being able to express likes and dislikes without hesitation is something many adults cannot do.

Zhang Cheng painted the shell with the last bit of blue: "Zheng Zheng, are we friends?"

Xia Lanzheng said, "Yes."

After saying that, he realized what Zhang Cheng meant, put his feet into the fine sand, waited for a moment and said, "Do you think there is another world at the end of the sea?"

Zhang Cheng laughed again: "Zheng Zheng, I don't understand."

Xia Lanzheng swallowed her flowery words, finding them amusing. She changed her tone and said, "I can't tell whether the world is real or fake."

He thought Zhang Cheng would understand, it was an intuition.

"The sand is hot," Zhang Cheng put down his sketchpad and looked at him seriously. "The shells are hard, and the sea is salty. Do you feel it?"

Zhang Cheng picked up the shell and threw it into the sea.

Xia Lanzheng didn't answer and listened to Zhang Cheng continue.

“If you feel it, it’s real.”

Xia Lanzheng looked at Zhang Cheng's profile and said, "Then I feel like everything is real."

The memories of the previous life are true, and some of the memories of this life are also particularly real.

He remembered how Chu Lang's stubble was so prickly that it made his palms turn red. He also remembered that soon he had his own little bed, with a fluffy green cover and a soft quilt. It felt like lying on green grass.

Xia Lanzheng looked at Zhang Cheng again. Zhang Cheng's pupils were a little blue, the color of the deep sea, and the teardrop mole under his eyes looked like a shell on the beach.

At this moment, Xia Lanzheng thought of "Su Cheng" again. As the third attacker in the book, this person has not appeared yet.

Zhang Cheng felt uncomfortable being stared at by him and turned around to cover his eyes.

These hands were delicate and white, as if they had never suffered any hardship. It was impossible that he studied auto repair as he said.

Xia Lanzheng's suspicion resurfaced.

Zhang Cheng interrupted his thoughts: "Don't keep looking at me, I can't help it."

Xia Lanzheng's eyelashes trembled. These words sounded... too ambiguous.

Fortunately, Zhang Cheng quickly added the next sentence: "Zheng Zheng, I want to draw you."

Xia Lanzheng pulled his hand away and handed him the sketchpad at her feet: "Okay, I'll be your model."

Zhang Cheng brushed aside his sleeve, which was covering the paper, and picked up the colored pencil. The tip of the pencil left a mark on the white paper. But after a few seconds, he immediately let go.

"Be my model," Zhang Cheng's deep voice blended into the sea. "Come to my studio, Zheng Zheng."

When Xia Lanzheng returned, she had a black business card in her bag compared to when she arrived. There was an address on the front and a simple shell pattern engraved on the back.

He got out of the car at the foot of the mountain and went up the path beside the road. It had rained heavily late last night, and the road was muddy and slippery.

He stroked the dents and ridges on the business card when suddenly two dogs barked not far away.

Xia Lanzheng paused, a cool breeze brushed past his ears, goose bumps appeared on his arms, and he looked up instantly.

The branches directly above were crumbling, the bark cracked, revealing sharp edges.

Xia Lanzheng's temples were throbbing wildly, and she immediately ran away.

"Bang--"

Someone suddenly hugged him from the left side, and in an instant his feet left the ground and the world was spinning.

In the chaos, a branch brushed past his leg.

Xia Lanzheng's adrenaline surged, and she subconsciously curled up her body, grabbing the clothes of the man in front of her in panic.

As he fell into the grass, he saw a familiar face.

It’s Lu Yanqing.