The snow-capped mountains are silent.

After returning from the clinic, Sang Qi took the medicine as prescribed and went back to sleep.

Perhaps the medicine was taking effect, because I became drowsy and slept until it was just getting dark.

After getting up, Sang Qi washed her face and felt much more awake.

She felt her dizziness had subsided and she was completely recovered, marveling at how effective the medicine given by the doctor at the small-town clinic was.

Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door. Sang Qi guessed it must be Lu Min, so he slowly came out of the bathroom and then leisurely went to open the door.

She had just pressed the doorknob and the door had only opened a crack when the person outside eagerly pushed the door open and came in.

Before Sang Qi could react, she realized that the person outside the door was not Lu Min, but a man dressed all in black and wearing a mask.

The man only showed his eyes, which were cold and gloomy, exuding a murky and ruthless aura.

The man didn't speak, but silently approached step by step, his right hand unconsciously reaching behind him.

“You are…” Sang Qi retreated timidly, her voice trembling.

Just then, Lu Min's voice suddenly came from outside.

For some reason, the moment Sang Qi heard Lu Min's voice, all the fear in her heart vanished completely.

"Who are you!" Lu Min rushed forward, shoved the man aside, and stood in front of Sang Qi.

"Who the hell are you? Why are you in my girlfriend's room? What do you want?" Lu Min pressed closer.

The man in black backed away, chuckling awkwardly, "Sorry, wrong room, wrong door."

Just as he was about to leave, Lu Min grabbed him, quickly pinning his hands behind his back and bracing him against the wall: "Don't go, explain yourself before you leave. Who are you?"

The man feigned weakness, saying, "Brother, I'm a guest at the inn. I went to the wrong room. I'm really not a bad person."

"Did I say you were a bad person? Why did you confess without being asked!" Lu Min slapped the man on the head.

"I really went into the wrong room."

"Then why are you wearing a mask!"

"I have a bad cold and I'm afraid of catching it."

Lu Min released him and pushed him away: "Let me tell you, whether you really went to the wrong place or you pretended to, don't mess with my people, or you'll die a horrible death!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

After a series of apologies, the man ran off like the wind.

After driving the people away, Lu Min turned to look at Sang Qi and saw that her face was still pale and bloodless.

"Scared?"

Sang Qi shook his head: "No."

Lu Min looked around Sang Qi's room: "That person didn't do anything, did he?"

"without."

"Don't open the door to just anyone in the future," Lu Min said in a deep voice, as if giving a warning.

“I thought it was you who opened the door,” Sang Qi said.

Lu Min raised an eyebrow: "You miss me that much?"

"..."

Sang Qi knew that Lu Min had misunderstood and was about to explain when Lu Min said, "Even I wouldn't be in such a hurry to open the door."

"..."

Sang Qi wanted to say that she wasn't impatient at all.

"By the way, are you feeling better? Are you still dizzy?"

"Much better."

"That's good. Are you hungry? I'll take you to eat."

Sang Qi shook her head and refused: "I'm not hungry, and I don't have much of an appetite. You eat it yourself."

Lu Min stood in front of Sang Qi, glanced at her indifferently, and said nothing, only saying, "Then you should get some rest."

After saying that, he left Sang Qi's room.

Sang Qi closed the door, patted his chest, and took a deep breath.

That was close! If it weren't for Lu Min, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Because she always felt that the man she just saw was definitely not someone who had simply wandered into the wrong room.

She couldn't pinpoint all the problems, but she had a bad feeling about it.

…………

On an autumn night, the temperature dropped significantly, and Sang Qi felt cold all over, so she turned on the heater.

Someone knocked on the door again.

Now, Sang Qi jumps at the sound of a knock on the door.

Her nerves inexplicably tensed up.

She walked over cautiously and called out to the door, "Who is it?"

Suddenly, a man's laughter came from outside the door, and then the man spoke: "Not bad, you've become more vigilant."

That was Lu Min's voice.

Upon hearing that it was Lu Min, Sang Qi completely relaxed, let out a long sigh, and closed the door wide.

As soon as the door opened, Lu Min smiled and said, "Not bad, you've remembered."

"...You didn't come here just to test if I opened the door randomly, did you?"

"That's one point."

"And the second one?"

"Here." Lu Min held up the bag in his hand. Inside the transparent bag was a round takeout box.

"These are some light porridge and side dishes. If you don't have an appetite, have some porridge instead. You can't go hungry."

"Thank you." Sang Qi took the bag.

Just then, the proprietress passed by, stopped, and patted Lu Min on the shoulder: "You're here."

As she spoke, the proprietress smiled and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

“Much better,” Sang Qi replied.

"Alright, you get some rest. Lu Min, come with me for a moment, I need to talk to you about something."

Lu Min hummed in agreement: "Remember to drink the porridge, and take your medicine before going to sleep."

"oh……"

Lu Min left after giving his instructions.

Sang Qi watched Lu Min and the proprietress leave together, lost in thought.

…………

The guesthouse's backyard offers views of distant snow-capped mountains.

Under the moonlight, the snow-capped mountains seemed to be immersed in the deep sea, deep blue and mysterious.

"I've already checked the person you asked me to look into, and there's no such person staying at the inn at all," the landlady said.

After Lu Min chased the man in black away, he immediately asked the landlady to check the surveillance footage.

The results of the investigation are exactly what he least wanted to see.

Seeing that Lu Min didn't look too good, the proprietress comforted him, saying, "Don't worry too much, they might just be criminals trying to rob you."

Lu Min shook his head and said slowly, "I don't think things are that simple."

The proprietress frowned: "What do you mean?"

“The first time I met Sang Qi was at Lijiang Sanyi Airport. At that time, someone was following Sang Qi and followed her all the way to her hotel. There were also people following her suspiciously in Lijiang Old Town. Now someone is inexplicably approaching her again. I think Sang Qi is being targeted.”

"What exactly did she do to be targeted?"

“Who knows?” Lu Min shrugged without exaggeration. “She said she had been studying abroad and only graduated and returned to China this year. Logically speaking, someone with her background shouldn’t have any trouble. Even if she does, it’s trouble abroad.”

"So what do you plan to do now?" the landlady asked.

Lu Min was filled with worry. After a long silence, he said, "Let's leave it at that for now. I'll be by her side at all times, so nothing should happen. Otherwise, we'll call the police."

"Okay, you should first check what's going on, and try to figure out where those people come from and what their purpose is. If all else fails, call the police."

"Okay, thank you."

"polite."

…………

After returning from the courtyard, Lu Min went upstairs to his room. Passing by Sang Qi's room, he saw that her light was still on, so he knocked on her door.

After a while, a voice came from inside the room: "Lu Min?"

“It’s me,” Lu Min replied with a half-smile.

When the door opened, Sang Qi had already finished showering and was wearing pajamas: "What's up?"

"Um."

"explain."

"Just make sure the doors and windows are locked when you go to sleep at night. If anything happens, remember to call me. I promised you I'd be there whenever you need me."

Sang Qi was stunned, somewhat bewildered.

"Did you hear that?" Lu Min raised his voice slightly.

Sang Qi belatedly responded with an "oh," and then asked, "Did something happen?"

Lu Min shook his head: "It's nothing, just be extra careful when you're out and about."

"Okay, I understand, thanks for reminding me."

"Okay, get some rest."

After saying that, Lu Min left. Sang Qi didn't think much of it, closed the door, and went back to bed.

………

The town was quiet and peaceful late at night.

The Snow Mountain Inn was brightly lit, its lights shining through the night.

All the windows on the second floor were dark, except for one window that still had a light on.

That was Lu Min's room.

He lay on the bed, his hands folded behind his head, staring fixedly at the ceiling.

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, constantly thinking about Sang Qi.

Looking back now, he regrets letting the man in black go; he should have detained him and questioned him.

Just as he was feeling frustrated, he heard Sang Qi shout from his room: "Lu Min!"

They're calling him!

The moment he heard Sang Qi's call, Lu Min practically jumped out of bed and dashed out of the room like a whirlwind.

…………

There was a loud knocking on the door, followed by Lu Min's loud voice: "Sang Qi, Sang Qi..."

Sang Qi's tense heart relaxed, and she was about to get out of bed and open the door when she saw Lu Min kick the door open.

The commotion was so great that the sound echoed throughout the room.

Sang Qi was dumbfounded.

Lu Min rushed into the room, looking anxious: "What's wrong? What happened?"

Sang Qi pointed to the dresser opposite the bed: "There are snakes under the dresser, and more than one!"

Lu Min could see with his own eyes that Sang Qi was terrified, his body trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Lu Min placed his hands on Sang Qi's shoulders to stop her trembling. He said softly, "Don't be afraid. Stay in bed and don't get up. I'll go catch the snake."

Looking into Lu Min's bright and piercing eyes under the lamplight, Sang Qi's agitated and anxious mood surprisingly calmed down.

It was as if Lu Min's appearance reassured her and also symbolized her safety.

Sang Qi gripped the blanket tightly, wrapping her entire body in the thick blanket, leaving only her head exposed.

Lu Min went to get a broom, took out the broom handle, and then used it to sweep the space under the dresser a few times.

Two dark snakes quickly crawled out from underneath. Just then, Lu Min swiftly grabbed a stick and smashed it down on the snakes' heads.

The force was very strong, and it hit one of the snakes, which immediately became stunned and stopped crawling.

Another one darted out and crawled toward the bedside. Sang Qi screamed in fright, "Here it is!"

As Lu Min turned around, he quickly pressed the stick down on the snake's tail. With its tail pinned down, the snake turned and crawled back. The next second, Lu Min actually grabbed the snake's vital spot with his bare hands.

Lu Min acted swiftly and decisively, quickly bringing the snake under control.

Seeing that the two snakes had been dealt with, Sang Qi breathed a sigh of relief. She loosened her grip on the blanket, which slipped off, and stood up from the bed, beaming with joy.

Lu Min lifted his eyelashes to look over. Under the light, Sang Qi's smile was clear and bright, like the gentle flow of melting snow in winter irrigating the heart, both like the cold winter and the warm spring.

At that moment, Lu Min felt that everything around him became completely silent, with only their shallow breathing clearly perceptible to each other, and the passage of time could not be prolonged.

………

After dealing with the snakes in the room, Lu Min returned to Sang Qi's room.

Sang Qi put on a coat and sat on the bed with her neck hunched.

Seeing Lu Min return, she looked up at him and only spoke when he approached her, "Thank you."

Lu Min just smiled and then asked, "You weren't bitten, were you?"

Sang Qi shook his head.

"That's good." After saying that, Lu Min frowned and said in confusion, "It's already autumn, how can there still be snakes?"

Sang Qi also said, "Yes, I feel something is unusual. How could there suddenly be a snake in the room?"

Are your doors and windows tightly closed?

Sang Qi nodded emphatically: "Yes, you made sure all the doors and windows in my room were closed before I went to sleep."

Lu Min couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Snakes shouldn't be around this time of year, and even if they were, Sang Qi's room was always kept tightly closed. It could only mean someone let the snake in.

Throughout the day, only the man in black entered the room. If the snake was deliberately released, it is highly likely that he seized the opportunity to release the snake into the room at that time.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing that Lu Min remained silent, Sang Qi frowned slightly, her face grim, and she looked somewhat puzzled.

"It's nothing," Lu Min smiled and shrugged.

"Oh, right," Lu Min changed the subject, "the door was kicked open just now, the lock must be broken, I'll fix it for you."

Sang Qi asked in surprise, "You can even fix doors?"

A slight smile played on his lips: "Absolutely. How can you be a team leader if you're not all-around capable?"

"..."

He started being narcissistic again, leaving Sang Qi speechless.

………

Another ten minutes or so passed.

Sang Qi sat on the bed, feeling a little sleepy.

"alright."

Lu Min tested the door lock and it worked normally.

Sang Qi was a little confused: "Is it fixed?"

"It's fixed."

"Alright, you should go back to sleep early, it's getting late." As he spoke, Sang Qi yawned.

Seeing that Sang Qi was really sleepy, Lu Min packed up his tools, said "Goodnight," and went back to his room.

After tossing and turning for most of the night, Lu Min was wide awake.

Back in his room, he washed his hands and face, but a strange unease lingered in his heart. So he opened the door again and went out, stopping in front of Sang Qi's room.

The door crack below was completely dark; the person had already turned off the lights and gone to sleep.

Lu Min stood still for a while, seeing the complete silence inside, like the distant snow-capped mountains. His tightly pursed lips slowly relaxed.

He didn't leave, but sat by the door, leaning against the wall, one leg stretched out, the other bent, one hand casually resting on his knee, sitting quietly as if guarding something.

In the darkness of night, the snow-capped mountains silently guarded the town, and he guarded her.

That night, the snow-capped mountains were silent, and the town was silent too.

…………