"Didn't you promise me you wouldn't act alone? Not only did you follow that strange guy, but you even dared to break into an empty house by yourself?"
A cool breeze blew, fluttering their intertwined hems. Feng Chengyuan frowned, rarely showing a serious look in front of Yu Nian. It was quite intimidating.
Yu Nian stared blankly at Feng Chengyuan, who suddenly appeared, still in a daze. "Weren't you supposed to come back tomorrow? Why are you here..."
Feng Chengyuan looked down at Yu Nian for a while, then the corner of his mouth curled up. He reached out and ruffled Yu Nian's hair, his tone laced with a tenderness and indulgence he himself didn't notice.
"I finished the business there early and came back ahead of schedule. I just happened to pass by here... Why do you look like that? Aren't you happy to see me?"
Only then did Yu Nian come to her senses. She sized Feng Chengyuan up carefully from head to toe.
Feng Chengyuan was wearing a black overcoat. There were two understated gemstone cufflinks on his cuffs, and a delicate tie clip on his tie. He looked noble and cold.
The car couldn't reach Jiang Li's residence, and the gondolas weren't running at this hour. Feng Chengyuan carried the scent of the wind on him. Apparently, he had walked all the way from the entrance of the town.
Yu Nian was silent for a moment, clearly not believing Feng Chengyuan's explanation.
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
Feng Chengyuan didn't expect Yu Nian to react like this. He suddenly let out a low laugh. The smile was so sincere and gentle that it softened Yu Nian's heart.
Feng Chengyuan took off his overcoat and draped it over Yu Nian. Then he took something out of his pocket and held it out in front of Yu Nian.
"The moment I saw this, I thought of you. It'll look great on you."
Feng Chengyuan opened his palm. A delicate jade hairpin lay in his broad palm.
The hairpin was a deep green all over. There were vivid carvings on the shaft, and a magnolia flower was in full bloom at the head. A delicate lotus seed pendant hung down, making it look extremely elegant and otherworldly.
"Let me put it on for you, okay?" Feng Chengyuan's voice was soft, as if he was coaxing a child.
Yu Nian nodded blankly. Her cheeks felt inexplicably hot.
Feng Chengyuan gently removed Liu Mo, which had transformed into a hairpin. His movements were delicate and slow.
His slightly cool fingertips accidentally brushed against Yu Nian's neck, and her eyelashes fluttered.
After he put it on, Feng Chengyuan stared at Yu Nian without blinking and sincerely praised, "You look beautiful."
The two stared at each other in silence. In less than three seconds, Feng Chengyuan reached out again and pulled her into his arms.
His warm breath fanned against Yu Nian's earlobe. She instantly stiffened. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You..."
Feng Chengyuan buried his chin in the crook of Yu Nian's neck. "Why have you lost weight? Haven't you been eating properly?" He paused for a moment, then finally let out a very soft sigh. "I mean, I miss you so much."
Yu Nian was stunned. She swallowed back all the joking remarks.
Like her, Feng Chengyuan was a person who didn't easily show his emotions. Since he had voiced his longing, this emotion must have been building up for a long time and was too intense to hide.
Yu Nian could feel Feng Chengyuan's slightly trembling breath.
She knew that Feng Chengyuan was restraining the strength of his embrace.
Yu Nian didn't hesitate any longer. She reached out and hugged Feng Chengyuan around the waist.
The two hugged under the tree. They didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly a weak voice said, "Um, if we don't go after Jiang Li now, he'll get away..."
Both Yu Nian and Feng Chengyuan were startled. They looked down at Liu Mo, the "hairpin" still held in Feng Chengyuan's hand.
Feeling their ambiguous gazes, Liu Mo forced out a couple of awkward laughs and simply pretended to be dead.
...
After Yu Nian and Feng Chengyuan walked into the factory side by side, they smelled the pungent odor of rust in the air.
It was pitch-black all around. Only with the light of their phones did Yu Nian finally manage to make out the surrounding scene.
The empty interior of the factory had a high - ceiling design. The floor was piled up with discarded dark - blue mechanical equipment. The walls were mottled and yellowed, with many unknown dark - brown marks still remaining.
Feng Chengyuan raised his eyebrows slightly. "There's a thick layer of dust on the floor, but Jiang Li didn't even leave a single footprint. Did he fly in?"
The moment his voice faded, a rustling sound came from the darkness.
Yu Nian and Feng Chengyuan glanced at each other and fell silent in tacit understanding.
She casually picked up a pebble and flicked it in the direction of the sound. A heavy thud came from the darkness, and a pair of green eyes appeared in the dark.
"Meow~"
It was a tiny black kitten, shivering behind a steel frame.
When it saw the light source, it trembled at first, then quickly ran towards Yu Nian and Feng Chengyuan and rubbed affectionately against Yu Nian's hand.
Feng Chengyuan picked up the kitten and gently stroked its head with his long fingers.
This worked like a charm. The kitten, which had been trembling just now, gradually calmed down and began to act coquettishly in Feng Chengyuan's arms.
Feng Chengyuan whispered, "Judging from its appearance, it should have been born not long ago. Why is it here?"
Yu Nian surveyed the surroundings and replied in a low voice, "There's a very fierce barrier set up outside this factory. Not even a mosquito could get in, let alone a cat. This cat must have been raised here by Jiang Li."
Yu Nian stared into space and thought for a moment. Then she threw a talisman towards the direction where the kitten had fallen. There were a few soft clicking sounds, and the wall in front of them began to quickly recede. An actual trap had been opened!
As the wall moved aside, a dim entrance was revealed to Yu Nian and Feng Chengyuan.
Feng Chengyuan stopped Yu Nian from stepping in and gently placed the kitten on the ground.
"I'll lead the way. Just follow me."
Yu Nian was in a daze for a while, then softly replied, "Okay."
She was used to taking the lead, but ever since Feng Chengyuan walked into her world, there had always been a broad back shielding her from the wind and rain.
Inside the elaborate secret chamber, a long and irregular staircase coiled like a giant python and led straight underground. It seemed to have no end in sight.
Feng Chengyuan protected Yu Nian and walked forward carefully. But he felt that the walls on both sides were getting narrower and narrower, like two lines that were destined to intersect. The path ahead was almost disappearing, and it was extremely oppressive.
Just then, there was a soft clicking sound under Yu Nian's feet. She had stepped on a raised object.
The sound was quite loud. Feng Chengyuan turned to look at Yu Nian and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
Yu Nian stared blankly and shook her head. "I'm okay for now, but I won't be soon."
Feng Chengyuan raised his eyebrows slightly. Before he could say anything, the ground began to shake violently. Along with the strange roars echoing in the narrow space, it seemed as if some extremely terrifying monster had awakened from its slumber and was about to break through the ground at any moment.
Feng Chengyuan frowned tightly. "Hurry up and get out of here!"
But before they could retreat, the steps under their feet suddenly tilted at an exaggerated angle. Without the support of the ground, they were falling at an extremely fast speed!
An evil and stinky wind blew from below. Just as Yu Nian was about to frown, she was tightly protected in a warm embrace.
"Thud!"
After a heavy impact, the two finally fell to the ground.
Yu Nian opened her eyes, frowning. It was pitch - black all around, and she couldn't see anything.
"Chengyuan?" she called out softly.
But there was no answer. It was deathly silent all around.
Yu Nian's eyebrow twitched. She took out her phone to provide some light and saw that Feng Chengyuan was lying quietly under her. His handsome eyes were closed tightly, and his hands were still wrapped around her waist.