She didn’t know how long he had been standing there, watching over her.
The villager who had gone down to report the situation dared not return, stammering out: “Th-this mountain is too dangerous now, Miss… you’d better have someone else guide you.”
This little rain was hardly enough to cause a landslide—he simply didn’t want to go.
Rage “exploded” in her head, burning away the last trace of reason.
Almost without thinking, Ling Yue suddenly raised her hand and, using all her strength—
“Smack!” A crisp, loud slap landed squarely on the man’s face!
The slap was fast and fierce. Not only did it stun him, it also instantly silenced the surroundings.
Everyone turned toward them in shock. Ling Yue’s palm burned painfully, her chest heaving violently with anger. She glared at the man, his face turned from the blow, holding his cheek in stunned disbelief: “You worthless—”
She scolded sharply, each word forced out through clenched teeth:
“Get out!”
Because Jiang Muchen was willing to take her up the mountain, she didn’t care about anything else—she went up the slope through the heavy rain.
The mountain path was muddy from the rain. At some point, Jiang Muchen’s hearing aid had been washed away. He stood slightly higher on the slope and extended his hand to her.
She hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand in his.
His palm felt rough and hot, calloused in a way that the rain couldn’t wash away.
When Ling Yue’s icy fingers touched his hand, the sharp contrast made her heart inexplicably flutter—his hand was large, easily enveloping her small one.
Ling Yue’s hand was fair, almost translucent with the faint blue veins beneath the skin. Her fingers were slender, nails neatly rounded and painted a deep crimson.
Now her hands trembled slightly from cold and tension, and resting in his rough, warm palm, the softness of her skin seemed almost painfully delicate.
Jiang Muchen’s grip was steady, applying just enough force to pull Ling Yue up from the muddy slope.
At the top, they found her father near the cable. The rain had come suddenly, and he had twisted his ankle while climbing down the ladder. Luckily, someone had stayed with him, using branches and strips of cloth to immobilize it temporarily.
A few conscientious villagers helped him slowly down the mountain. He said to her, “Yueyue, you go down the mountain too. Dad’s fine.”
Ling Yue nodded. “Okay, I understand.”
But before she could step forward, a strong force pushed her onto the rock. Caught off guard, she sat down hard on the cold, slippery stone. She was about to lash out when she saw Jiang Muchen squat in front of her without a word.
“What’s wrong?” Ling Yue instinctively tried to pull back her foot. His sudden movement carried an undeniable dominance.
Jiang Muchen ignored her startled cry. He bent down, his large hand already gripping her delicate ankle.
Ling Yue was wearing a pair of expensive Chanel soft leather ankle boots today, now covered in mud, along with her lace-trimmed socks, soaked and clinging embarrassingly to her skin.
His movements were swift. He removed her shoes.
She hated being dirty. He wanted to take off her muddy shoes and socks and carry her down the mountain.
Rainwater poured over his neck, but he was completely absorbed in what he was doing.
She struggled. “Let go of me! Why are you taking off my shoes?”
When his slightly rough fingers touched her ankle through the wet sock, Ling Yue shivered, a flush of offended anger rising in her chest.
“Jiang Muchen! Stop!”
She raised her voice, trying to break free.
Perhaps he felt her resistance this time and looked up at her.
But the little hearing aid in his ear had been washed away by the rain. He couldn’t hear her. Rain ran down his black hair into his eyes, yet stubbornly, he lowered his head again.
Before she could react, he had already gently removed the heavy, muddy boot.
Then, his warm fingers touched her cold, wet ankle and calf, carefully peeling off the soaked, sticky sock.
A fair, jade-like foot, toes rounded and painted black, was now completely exposed to the cold air and muddy ground.
The chill of the rain made Ling Yue gasp. She felt unbearably embarrassed at how helpless and messy she was in that moment.
Her foot, as expected, was now inevitably covered in mud.