Chapter 13

Zhu Feng originally intended to further explain the Restlessness Period to her, but her single utterance of Wang Zhu Feng completely broke his composure. He collapsed onto the bed, laughing uncontrollably.

Yuan Ying shot him an annoyed glare, turned around in a huff, and walked away.

Three minutes later, Shu Lin appeared by the bedside.

I just ran into the Queen, he said.

Zhu Feng glanced at him. Oh.

Shu Lin added, She looked really angry.

Zhu Feng responded, Mhm.

So, what did you do to upset her this time? Shu Lin tried his best to remain calm.

Zhu Feng paused, giving him a thoughtful look.

…What are you staring at? Shu Lin felt a bit nervous.

Zhu Feng remarked, You’ve become much bolder since coming here.

In the past, Shu Lin would act like a mouse spotting a cat around him, but now he even dared to question him.

Hearing this, Shu Lin immediately grew somewhat guilty.

Before he could come up with any explanation, Zhu Feng had already changed the subject. I mentioned the Restlessness Period to her.

Shu Lin jolted. And then?

She didn’t believe me.

Shu Lin hesitated. …You only brought up the Restlessness Period and didn’t explain anything else?

Zhu Feng leaned back against the pillow. I didn’t get the chance before she stormed off in anger.

Shu Lin took a deep breath. Then you should go after her! Strike while the iron is hot and explain everything. After all, we don’t have much time left—

Before he could finish, Zhu Feng had already pulled the blanket over his head, clearly unwilling to communicate further.

Shu Lin had no way to deal with him and could only leave with the same huffy expression Yuan Ying had worn earlier.

The local bullies at Jin Yuanbao’s entrance had been cleared out. Xiao Yu was busy attending to guests, while A Ye was occupied searching for snacks in every nook and cranny.

Bored and alone, Shu Lin wandered aimlessly around Jin Yuanbao. Eventually, behind the building near a small pond, he spotted Yuan Ying lost in thought.

After a moment’s consideration, Shu Lin walked over proactively. Boss Yuan.

Hm? Yuan Ying snapped out of her reverie. Seeing it was him, she waved casually and glanced behind him.

Shu Lin put on an innocent expression. The King… Zhu Feng didn’t come with me. It’s just me.

A flicker of discomfort crossed Yuan Ying’s face. Oh, I see.

Shu Lin smiled and, noticing a folding chair beside her, went over and sat down.

Summer in Jinlin Town was refreshingly cool, especially on mornings like this—the air seemed sweeter than anywhere else.

The small pond was surrounded by wildflowers and grasses, now lush and growing wildly, their verdant hue even tinting the pond water green. Despite the abundance of vegetation, there were hardly any mosquitoes or bugs—only the soothing fragrance of flowers that lifted one’s spirits.

This place reminds me of my hometown, Shu Lin said.

Yuan Ying turned to look at him. Your hometown?

Shu Lin nodded. The scenery in my hometown is beautiful too. No skyscrapers or bustling traffic—just grasslands, wilderness, mountains, forests, and lakes. Even the wind feels free.

Noticing the nostalgic expression on his face as he spoke of home, Yuan Ying asked, Do you and Zhu Feng come from the same place?

The three of us all come from the same place, Shu Lin replied.

Yuan Ying nodded, her gaze returning to the clear pond water, and fell silent.

Watching her lowered eyelashes and thinking of how their King kept procrastinating, Shu Lin decided to lend a helping hand.

Boss Yuan, deep down, you still care about the King… Zhu Feng, don’t you? he ventured cautiously.

Yuan Ying answered bluntly, No.

Shu Lin insisted, I don’t believe you.

Yuan Ying fell silent.

Realizing he had killed the conversation, Shu Lin gave an awkward laugh: At least you had a sweet year together, and you were each other’s first love. How could he possibly have completely forgotten you?

Yuan Ying wanted to deny it, but paused when she heard the words first love: How did you know we were each other’s first love?

He told me, Shu Lin replied.

Yuan Ying’s heart stirred: What else did he tell you?

Seeing her interest, Shu Lin quickly seized the opportunity to help: What else would he say? Definitely how kind, considerate, and adorable his girlfriend was. He bragged about you nonstop every day. I was lucky—I only had to endure it occasionally. But poor A Ye, being in the next room separated only by a few iron bars, had to listen to him praise you daily.

Yuan Ying: …Was it really that exaggerated?

Yes! Of course it was! Shu Lin nearly swore to the heavens. You know how A Ye is—like a simpleton, only caring about what to eat and drink. And him? Every time he mentioned you to A Ye, he’d especially emphasize your cooking skills. A Ye would drool every time he heard it. It was truly pitiful.

Yuan Ying couldn’t help but chuckle at the mental image, though her smile quickly faded: If he really liked me that much, he wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye back then.

Ah, about that… it’s better to let Zhu Feng explain it himself. He had his reasons, that’s for sure, Shu Lin sighed. Boss Yuan, Zhu Feng really likes you. Do you know what he talked about most often when we met?

Yuan Ying didn’t play along by asking what.

But Shu Lin continued anyway: It was your first meeting. He was seriously injured and hiding in the mountains when he suddenly heard noisy voices. That’s when he discovered it was your company’s team-building hiking trip…

Wait, Yuan Ying interrupted, seriously injured?

Yeah, don’t you remember? His injuries were quite severe. Shu Lin tried to jog her memory while evoking her sympathy.

Yuan Ying’s eyes flickered: …Oh.

Why that reaction?

Shu Lin pressed on: He said there were over twenty people, but you were the only one who approached him, the only one willing to sit beside him. Later when he fell unconscious and tumbled down the cliff, you took him to a clinic. When you heard he had nowhere to stay, you even brought him home to recover. Boss Yuan, you’re truly too kind!

Yuan Ying forced a laugh: Yeah… that’s right.

Shu Lin wanted to say more but suddenly noticed her strange expression, growing nervous: Did I say too much? Or did I say something wrong?

His intention was to help—if he’d said something inappropriate that made the Queen dislike the King even more, he’d truly deserve to die.

No, no, it’s not your fault, Yuan Ying hurriedly assured him.

Shu Lin still felt uneasy: Then why do you look so troubled?

Yuan Ying felt complicated, unsure how to explain it to him.

She couldn’t very well say that after all these years, she’d just realized Zhu Feng never knew the truth about how he fell off the cliff.

She remembered it was only her second month at the company. Though she disliked corporate team-building activities, she’d gone along to secure her probationary period.

It was May in the south—stiflingly hot and humid, with the mountain offering no respite from the blazing sun.

Carrying her water bottle, Yuan Ying trudged slowly at the back of the group, her face flushed red from sun exposure, beads of sweat covering her nose.

She rarely exercised and had average stamina. By the time she reached the mountaintop, she was already dizzy and lightheaded. She stopped to rest, trying to distract herself by playing with her phone, but after reading a text message, she felt even more nauseous.

The leaders who often arrived late, left early, fished, and gardened clearly had better stamina than the young employees who worked overtime and stayed up late every day. They climbed such a high mountain without even breaking a sweat, and were now smugly accepting flattery from their subordinates.

Yuan Ying wanted to offer some praise too, but her dizziness was getting worse, so she had to find a place to rest first.

Then she went to a secluded area by the cliff and randomly found a shady spot to sit down.

She was so unwell that she didn’t notice there was already someone there—until she tried to lean against the rock wall to rest and accidentally leaned against a warm body.

Yuan Ying instinctively pushed the person away, and they immediately slumped softly over the cliff edge.

It wasn’t until she heard a dull thud below that Yuan Ying snapped back to reality and rushed to the edge to look down.

Fortunately, there was a viewing platform below the cliff, so the person hadn’t fallen into the abyss.

The bad news was that their clothes were torn, bloodstains were everywhere, and there was a deep wound on their waist—clearly, they had fallen hard.

Yuan Ying’s mind went blank. She scrambled down through the grass where the person had fallen and shakily reached out to check for a breath.

There was still breathing—they were alive.

Just as Yuan Ying was about to sigh in relief, her wrist was grabbed. The man who had been unconscious moments before suddenly opened his eyes.

That was the first time Yuan Ying made eye contact with Zhu Feng.

Though it was hardly the right moment, the only thought in Yuan Ying’s mind at that instant was: So handsome.

Zhu Feng was still watching her, his expression calm.

Yuan Ying blinked slowly, then suddenly came to her senses: A-Are you okay? I’ll call an ambulance right now!

Zhu Feng tightened his grip on her wrist and closed his eyes again.

By the time the ambulance arrived, her team-building colleagues had already taken the cable car down the mountain. No one noticed that one good-natured intern was missing.

Yuan Ying stayed by Zhu Feng’s side alone, trying several times to pull her hand free, but failing each time.

Transporting someone down from the mountaintop wasn’t easy. Even with the help of the cable car, it took over an hour.

Yuan Ying accompanied Zhu Feng to the hospital in the ambulance. Finally managing to free her hand from his grasp, she was about to handle the admission procedures and call the police when a doctor approached her.

He’s gone? she asked in surprise. How could he just disappear?

The doctor replied, I was going to ask you the same thing. He was lying in the hospital bed just moments ago—why did he suddenly vanish?

Still suffering from heatstroke, Yuan Ying’s mind was foggy. It took her a while to remember to ask security to check the surveillance footage.

The footage showed that the man had left on his own.

Then… should I still call the police? Yuan Ying hesitated.

The doctor, who had already heard the whole story, offered advice: Yes, file a report. Leave a record to prove he left on his own and that it has nothing to do with you.

Yuan Ying nodded and gave a statement after the police arrived.

By the time she finished and left the hospital, the sky was already dim. Just as she took out her phone to call a ride, a hand covered in small cuts suddenly reached out and enveloped both her hand and her phone.

Yuan Ying looked up in shock and met a pair of dark eyes.

…It’s you? she gasped. Why did you run away from the hospital?!

Zhu Feng stared at her for a long moment before saying, I ran away from home. I didn’t bring my ID.

Yuan Ying: ?

Zhu Feng: If the police find me, they’ll send me home.

Yuan Ying: ?

Zhu Feng: If I get sent home in my current condition, my sister will beat me to death.

Yuan Ying didn’t understand why he was telling her this, but responded as politely as possible: I see.

And then?

Zhu Feng waited for a long time but didn’t hear her continue, so he had to be more direct: I need to stay at your place for a while.

Yuan Ying was shocked by his bluntness and momentarily lost for words.

As the city lights began to glow, specks of light reflected in Zhu Feng’s eyes. He chuckled softly, seemingly confident that Yuan Ying would agree.

In that moment, countless thoughts raced through Yuan Ying’s mind.

For instance, his words clearly carried a threat – if she refused, he might choose to report to the police and tell them she had pushed him. Although she had already explained to the officers that it was an accident, there was no evidence to prove her innocence, while the fact remained that she had indeed pushed him off the cliff.

Furthermore, if the police filed a case, they would inevitably conduct multiple interviews and investigations. This would certainly involve questioning her colleagues and supervisors who were also on the mountaintop at the time. If her boss thought she was problematic, her probationary period would be in jeopardy.

Moreover, this job offered better benefits than any she’d had before, and she had recently drained her savings to buy an apartment. She desperately needed this good job to pay the mortgage. Losing it would mean facing the risk of default.

According to his implication, as long as she took him in and provided him with food, none of these possibilities would occur.

He hadn’t even mentioned medical expenses or compensation.

Although Yuan Ying’s extensive reading experience told her that randomly bringing men home often marked the beginning of misfortune, she couldn’t help but waver.

Of course, before nodding in agreement, she took a photo of Zhu Feng and had someone compare it with nationwide wanted fugitives, confirming he wasn’t among them before consenting.

Then Yuan Ying took him to a nearby clinic for bandaging, and neither of them mentioned the falling incident again.

At that time, Yuan Ying thought their mutual silence was a gentleman’s agreement.

Now it appeared that Zhu Feng had simply been too severely injured to realize he had been pushed off the cliff!

No wonder, Yuan Ying muttered. Someone as sharp-tongued as him would never let something like that go completely unmentioned.

Zhu Feng smiled: What thing?

Yuan Ying snapped back to reality, only to discover the person beside her had somehow become Zhu Feng, while Shu Lin had disappeared without trace.

What were you thinking about just now? Zhu Feng asked, sitting on a folding chair as he quietly moved it closer.

Yuan Ying pondered: About you.

Zhu Feng paused, raising his eyes to look at her.

After staring at each other for a long time, Yuan Ying asked: Do you remember that day we first met, when you said outside the hospital that you wanted to stay at my place?

Of course.

It was a good sign that she was willing to reminisce with him, and Zhu Feng cooperated fully.

Looking at his upturned lips, Yuan Ying sincerely inquired: How did you manage to say those words with such confidence back then?

It would be one thing if he knew she had pushed him off the cliff, but the problem was he didn’t know at all. From his perspective, she was purely his lifesaver.

Yuan Ying really wanted to know how he had the nerve to make such unreasonable demands of his rescuer?

Facing Yuan Ying’s question, Zhu Feng carefully considered his words before seriously responding: Because I could tell you had fallen in love with me at first sight.

Yuan Ying: ?

Zhu Feng touched her earlobe: You like me, so you were bound to bring me home.

Yuan Ying laughed.

Seeing her laugh, Zhu Feng laughed along with her.

After laughing for a while, Yuan Ying said: You were the one I pushed off the mountain peak.

Zhu Feng froze.

Yuan Ying continued twisting the knife: The reason I brought you back then was because I thought you were threatening me.

The smile on Zhu Feng’s lips stiffened.

Yuan Ying delivered the final blow: I didn’t fall in love with you at first sight either.

Zhu Feng completely lost his ability to smile.

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