Chapter 113: Rescued

In a moment of crisis, I instinctively threw my arms around the tree trunk and hooked my legs around it, barely managing to halt my slide. Then, using both hands and feet, I scrambled back up to the top of the trunk.

Only once I was safe did the delayed rush of adrenaline hit me, causing a cold sweat to break out across my back; I was nearly faint from the terror of what had just happened. Ignoring the danger, Xu Shu was climbing rapidly toward me. I had only just sat upright when she reached me. Her face was pale with fright, and she burst into loud, wailing tears, throwing herself into my arms. "Tang Qian, you scared me to death! You scared me to death!"

I held her, feeling her body tremble uncontrollably—I couldn't tell if it was from fear or from weeping. Her crying seemed endless; it was clear she had been truly terrified.

Moved, I pulled her tightly against me, a mix of sweetness and joy welling up in my heart. Overwhelmed with emotion, I said gently, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! See? I'm fine. There, stop crying now."

Xu Shu lifted her head, looking at me with a mixture of sorrow, lingering fear, and resentment. "I told you not to go over there! It was dangerous, but you wouldn't listen! Are you happy now? Do you only feel satisfied when you've scared me to death? Let me tell you, Tang Qian! If you had died, I would never have forgiven you—not in this lifetime, never!"

Although her words were harsh, the concern in her eyes was undisguised. Tears glistened on her exquisite face, making her look as heart-wrenchingly beautiful as a rain-drenched begonia. In an instant, it felt as though my heart was no longer my own, drifting away to some unknown place. I could no longer control my feelings; status, social standing, responsibility, and conscience were all cast to the winds. I ceased all restraint. I had eyes only for her—the woman I loved deeply, the woman who usually felt so untouchable.

I pulled my hands back, gently cupping her face. I wanted to say something, but not a single word would come out, so I leaned forward and kissed her trembling lips.

As our lips met, I felt her whole body shudder, then freeze in surprise. I didn't care about that anymore; I kissed her lips desperately, my tongue reaching out to part her teeth and enter her mouth.

As if by some strange fate, she didn't stop me. Instead, she quietly parted her lips, letting me intrude. Yet, she seemed half-reluctant, her small tongue frantically dodging mine, trying to avoid my pursuit.

But how small could her mouth be? I easily captured the warm, soft, slippery thing and tangled with it without hesitation.

Her tongue was truly sweet! I instantly fell in love with it. Although I was clumsy, I had at least received some "guidance" from Qiu Jieqin. I understood what to do at such a moment, so I persisted, launching an all-out, relentless assault on that little thing.

Xu Shu’s breathing grew heavy, and her hands behind my back gripped my sweater tightly. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she pressed her hands against my chest and pushed with all her might. Caught off guard, I tipped backward and nearly slid off the tree again.

Xu Shu gasped, quickly reaching out to grab my wrist and steady me. My mind was in turmoil—filled with shame, sweetness, and the fear that she would immediately turn on me and cut ties.

Her face flushed a deep red, her eyes darting about in shy, uncontrollable confusion. She shot me a glare—just like last time—and hurriedly turned away, scrambling back toward the cliff face.

I didn't know what to make of it. Was she blaming me? Or was she just embarrassed? I sat on the tree, feeling anxious and uncertain about what to do next after what had happened.

Back at the tree roots, Xu Shu seemed completely flustered. She kept touching things, looking around, and putting on a show of being busy, refusing to glance at me. After a while, I calmed down. Although I felt my actions had been impulsive, I didn't regret them. What was done was done; a man must take responsibility. I decided that regardless of how she felt, I owed her an explanation. It was time to confess my love. Even if she never spoke to me again, or if she mocked me for being a toad lusting after a swan, I had to make my feelings clear.

With that resolution, I crawled over to her and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, I was too impulsive just now, but the truth is, I've always..."

Before I could finish, Xu Shu interrupted, "Tang Qian, I'm so hungry, I feel terrible. Are you?"

I blinked, stunned. "I'm hungry too, but there's no food here. We'll just have to endure it. About what I did earlier, actually..."

Again, she cut me off, speaking hurriedly. "Tang Qian, maybe my bodyguards are looking for us at the top of the mountain! Should we call out? Maybe someone will hear us!"

I looked at Xu Shu, who was acting panicked and willfully ignoring the obvious, and thought to myself that she was playing the fool again. Why couldn't she just tell me? Why act like this? What was this all about?

A sense of desolation filled me. I sighed and said, "There's no hurry to call out. I have something I must say to you. Please, can you just listen?"

Xu Shu ignored me completely, tilting her head back and shouting at the top of her lungs, "Is anyone there? Help! Someone help!"

I could only shake my head and sigh in disappointment.

Xu Shu avoided any conversation, shouting for help again and again. I was just about to say, "Save your energy, no one will hear us," when a faint voice drifted down from high above: "Miss, is that you? Hang on, we’re coming!"

We both heard it. Xu Shu nearly jumped, shouting back in wild joy, "I'm here! Come down and save us!"

I crawled back a few paces, peering around a massive boulder. About a hundred meters up the cliff, three people were rappelling down quickly. Their movements were agile and professional—they were clearly soldiers. In no time, they cleared the boulder and reached the tree.

The first to arrive was the lead bodyguard, Wang Bingzhang. The moment Xu Shu saw him, she looked like she had found a long-lost relative. Her lip quivered and she cried, "Uncle Wang, why did you take so long?"

"Thank heavens you're safe!" Wang exclaimed. "You scared the life out of me!" As soon as he stepped onto the trunk, he unclipped his safety harness and asked, "Miss, are you hurt? Shall we pull you up now?"

"I'm fine," Xu Shu said. "My wrist just hurts a little." Wang immediately moved to secure the rope around her.

The other two bodyguards arrived. Without a word, one of them unhooked his rope and secured it to me. Once we were tethered, Wang took out a walkie-talkie. "We've found them. Pull the ropes up."

No sooner had he spoken than a voice crackled through: "Copy!" Then, a frantic female voice followed: "Sister! Are you there? Are you okay?"

Xu Shu smiled and took the walkie-talkie. "I'm here! I'm fine!"

"What about Brother Tang Qian? Is Brother Tang Qian okay?"

Xu Shu glanced at me, rolling her eyes. "Your Brother Tang Qian is perfectly fine, not a scratch on him. Happy now?"

"Really? If he's okay, I want to talk to him!"

Xu Shu handed the walkie-talkie to me with a helpless expression. I reached for it, but Wang snatched it back without even looking at me. "Let's get up there first, it's too dangerous here." He spoke into the device, "Alright, I'm counting to three, start pulling!"

"Copy!"

"One, two, three!"

I felt my waist tighten and my body lift, as if I were floating on clouds. Xu Shu and I used our feet to push against the cliff to avoid hitting the rocks as we were hoisted up. Soon, we reached the top. Three off-road vehicles were parked on the mountain path, and several other bodyguards were straining at the ropes.

As soon as Xu Shu cleared the edge, her sister, Xu Xin, rushed over with open arms, weeping. They hugged tightly, as if they had been separated for an eternity rather than half a day.

"Sister, you scared me to death!" Xu Xin sobbed. "When I saw the car down the mountain, my heart almost stopped!"

Xu Shu’s eyes were also filled with tears. "I'm sorry, I made you all worry. But I'm okay now. Don't cry, don't cry!"

I climbed up just then, unhooking my harness while watching the sisters' emotional reunion, feeling deeply moved. Xu Xin pulled away from her sister, caught sight of me, and immediately ran over, heedless of the crowd. Pouting, she cried, "Brother Tang Qian! I... I thought I'd never see you again!"

She threw herself into my arms, hugging me so tightly she could barely catch her breath. I patted her back, smiling to comfort her. "It's alright, it's alright. See? I'm perfectly fine."

That was when I noticed the guards staring in stunned silence and Xu Shu biting her lip, looking up at the sky in speechless frustration.

Xu Xin stepped back, looking me over carefully. "Fine? Look at you! You're covered in blood!"

I looked down at myself. Between the car crash and the friction from saving Xu Shu, my clothes were in tatters, and I was covered in scrapes and gashes. Only then did I realize what a miserable sight I must have been.