“Mu Heng…” Yu Xingliang scrambled up awkwardly, feeling the distinct embarrassment of a student caught slacking off by their teacher. “What brings you out here?”
Mu Heng looked as though he wanted to smile, yet his lips failed to form a complete curve. “Lele, you have made your choice.”
Yu Xingliang glanced behind him at Fan Shenggang, who happened to be staring right back at him.
Yu Xingliang gave a gentle nod. Fan Shenggang was a good man, or at least that was the impression Yu Xingliang had formed during their time together.
Since Mu Heng had already married Chu Muyao, there was no way Yu Xingliang could continue entangling himself with him.
Though Yu Xingliang cared little for Chu Muyao, he had no intention of forcing her into a loveless marriage with a closeted husband.
Besides, since he had arrived in this world by accidentally tumbling into the sea, he did not truly belong here anyway. Yu Xingliang had already resolved in his heart to make the ultimate sacrifice. He would prevent Mu Heng from facing a firing squad, yet he would still save Fan Shenggang.
He would restore a happy life to Fan Ruyi.
This time, he intended to have his cake and eat it too.
Watching Yu Xingliang nod, Mu Heng felt as though an invisible hand were tightly gripping his heart and tearing it apart.
“When I chose Chu Muyao, was this the exact heartache you felt?” Mu Heng murmured, a single tear escaping the corner of his eye.
Having never witnessed Mu Heng shed a tear before, Yu Xingliang parted his lips, entirely at a loss for words.
Quickly wiping his face, Mu Heng lowered his head, turned around without another word, and strode away.
A sudden, sharp pang pierced Yu Xingliang’s chest. Mu Heng’s retreating figure resembled a young, defeated general, looking heartbreakingly vulnerable.
Hastily bidding Fan Shenggang a brief farewell, Yu Xingliang bolted out in pursuit.
Yet by the time Yu Xingliang emerged outside, Mu Heng had already vanished.
Anxious and uneasy, Yu Xingliang jogged all the way back to their newly constructed coastal cabin, only to find it completely deserted.
Mu Heng had not returned.
A wave of dejection washed over him. If Mu Heng was not here, where could he have gone?
“Could he have gone to look for Ruyi?” A sudden surge of hope reenergized Yu Xingliang. He locked the door in a rush and hurried toward the rose garden where Fan Ruyi had gone.
With the weather being bright and clear, numerous local residents were currently strolling through the rose garden with baskets, admiring the blossoms.
Along the way, Yu Xingliang inadvertently bumped into several passersby, offering hurried apologies to each one.
Fortunately, after searching about half the grounds, he spotted Fan Ruyi.
“Dr. Yu?” Catching sight of him, Fan Ruyi looked momentarily surprised. “Did Mu Heng not say he needed to discuss something important with you? Why are you here?”
Panting heavily from his hurried run, Yu Xingliang caught his breath and asked, “You said… did you say Mu Heng wanted to speak with me about something important?”
Fan Ruyi nodded. “Yes, and he even said it was something a child should not hear. He looked quite excited when he left.”
Frowning, Yu Xingliang repeated, “Mu Heng, excited?”
Pondering for a moment, Fan Ruyi corrected herself. “Well, excited is not quite right. Expectant is a much more fitting description.”
Lowering his gaze, Yu Xingliang could not guess what Mu Heng intended to tell him, yet he could vividly feel one thing: he had deeply hurt Mu Heng.
“Did something happen between the two of you?” Fan Ruyi tilted her head, asking with concern, “Dr. Yu, why do you look so terribly sad?”
Startled, Yu Xingliang wondered if his inner grief was truly that visible on his face.
“Ruyi, listen…” Raising his head to address her, Yu Xingliang abruptly caught sight of two individuals dressed in the uniform of the general’s residence patrolling through the crowd.
Since the general’s residence was now under Chu Fengyuan’s absolute control, a dark premonition gripped Yu Xingliang’s chest.
“Ruyi, stick with me!” Grabbing her hand, Yu Xingliang broke into a run, only to spot another pair of guards in the opposite direction.
“Over here, let us keep low.” Crouching down, Yu Xingliang urged Fan Ruyi to follow his lead.
Noticing Yu Xingliang’s tense posture and spotting the guards nearby, Fan Ruyi instantly understood the danger and cooperated fully.
Fortunately, the rose garden was densely populated, and the two managed to slip away under the cover of the bustling crowd.
“Are they looking for me?” Fan Ruyi asked, her hand tightly clutched in Yu Xingliang’s as lingering terror gripped her heart.
With a grave expression, Yu Xingliang replied, “Tomorrow is the final deadline for your father’s appeal. I am afraid Chu Fengyuan intends to seize you as leverage to threaten him.”
Hearing this, tears immediately welled up in Fan Ruyi’s eyes. “Then… does that mean I am only bringing more trouble to my father?”
“That is precisely why I will never let them capture you and use you against him.”
Just as he finished speaking, Yu Xingliang collided head-on with a passing figure.
“Watch it!” Yu Xingliang started to apologize, only to realize the person in front of him was none other than Chu Muxuan.
Rubbing his bruised shoulder with a grimace, Chu Muxuan recognized Yu Xingliang and instantly forgot the pain. “You!”
Seemingly remembering to keep his voice down, Chu Muxuan lowered his volume and hissed, “My father has people scouring the streets for you, how on earth do you have the nerve to walk around so openly!”
Yu Xingliang asked in genuine confusion, “What would they want with me?”
Shooting him a look of utter disdain, Chu Muxuan sneered, “You seduced my brother-in-law, what do you think my father wants with you?”
Hearing this, Fan Ruyi widened her eyes in astonishment as she stared at Yu Xingliang.
Frowning, Yu Xingliang quickly clamped a hand over Fan Ruyi’s ears and turned to glare fiercely at Chu Muxuan. “What kind of reckless rumors are you spreading? Is that any way to talk about your own brother-in-law?”
“I am not spreading rumors! Ever since the wedding, my brother-in-law has refused to spend a single night with my sister. My father investigated and found out that back in Langya Village, you were recognized as my brother-in-law’s wife!”
Yu Xingliang nearly choked on his own saliva, profoundly grateful that he had covered Fan Ruyi’s ears in time.
“Do not talk nonsense, there is a child present.”
“I am not talking nonsense,” Chu Muxuan insisted with absolute seriousness. “I am simply stating the facts.”
At that moment, Fan Ruyi pried Yu Xingliang’s hand away from her ear. “You do not need to cover my ears, I can hear just fine.”
Embarrassed beyond measure, Yu Xingliang awkwardly dropped his hand.
Only to hear Fan Ruyi declare, “Dr. Yu is Mu Heng’s wife, I knew about it back when we were living in the village.”
Now it was Yu Xingliang’s turn to widen his eyes in shock. Ah right, he had completely forgotten that this fifteen-year-old girl was also a former resident of Langya Village.
“Therefore, you cannot claim Dr. Yu seduced Mu Heng.” Pushing her hands against her hips and standing on her tiptoes, Fan Ruyi glared up at Chu Muxuan. “It was your sister who insisted on forcing her way into marriage with another man’s husband despite knowing he did not love her, how utterly shameless!”
“How dare you insult my sister!” Furious, Chu Muxuan turned crimson and raised his fist to strike Fan Ruyi.
Fortunately, Yu Xingliang reacted swiftly, intercepting Chu Muxuan’s arm. “She is just a child… a mere child. Surely a grown young man like you can show some restraint!”
“What do you mean a child!” Defending himself indignantly, Chu Muxuan retorted, “She is the exact same age as me! Just because I am tall does not make me an adult!”
Yu Xingliang could not suppress a chuckle; Chu Muxuan truly shared the exact temperament as his older sister. It reminded him of how he had once mistaken Chu Muyao for Mu Heng’s older sister, a misunderstanding that had driven Chu Muyao up the wall.
“A young man like you need not worry so much about age comparisons.”
“Of course I care. She is a child, and I am a child too, you cannot use gender as an excuse to demand I surrender to her every whim.”
Thinking it over, Yu Xingliang realized he had always advocated for true gender equality.
Often, society stubbornly demanded that young boys yield to girls simply because of their gender, a double standard hardly different from patriarchal households forcing daughters to step aside for their brothers.
Just as Yu Xingliang prepared to offer a conciliatory remark, a shout rang out from a guard dressed in the general’s uniform. “There is Zheng Lele! I see him!”
Exchanging a quick glance, Yu Xingliang and Chu Muxuan turned and broke into a sprint.
Remembering Fan Ruyi trailing behind, the two sprinted five meters ahead before screeching to a halt, turning back to haul her along between them.
“This will not work, the three of us together make too big of a target!” Yu Xingliang panted while running. “Chu Muxuan, aren’t those guards after me?”
Chu Muxuan nodded vigorously. “Yes! Which is why I am wondering why on earth I am running alongside you!”
Cracking a breathless smile, Yu Xingliang teased, “Because you are a passionate youth at heart.”
Rolling his eyes, Chu Muxuan retorted, “Shut your trap.”
“Passionate youth, do me a favor.”
“What?”
Spotting an upcoming fork in the road ahead, Yu Xingliang instructed, “Can you help protect Fan Ruyi until tomorrow evening?”
“What for?” Chu Muxuan asked.
“Can you promise me that no one, not even your father or your sister, will be able to track down Fan Ruyi before tomorrow night?”
Though puzzled by Yu Xingliang’s hidden agenda, Chu Muxuan agreed without hesitation. “If I do not want anyone to find someone, nobody will. Hiding a young girl is child’s play for me.”
Reassured by his confidence, Yu Xingliang offered a comforting smile. “Then right at this intersection, I entrust Ruyi to your care.”
Before Chu Muxuan could respond, Yu Xingliang shoved Fan Ruyi straight into his arms and dashed down the opposite path.
“Hey! You!” Chu Muxuan shouted in exasperation, yet unable to halt his momentum, he grabbed Fan Ruyi’s hand and fled down his designated route.
Seeing their targets split up, Chu Fengyuan’s subordinates hesitated for a moment before dividing into two groups to pursue both directions.
Spotting a shuttered tea stall, Yu Xingliang ducked inside and hid behind the counter just before the pursuers swept past outside.
Remaining silent as the guards hurried by, Yu Xingliang avoided detection completely.
The moment he stepped out from the stall to run in the opposite direction, a strong pair of arms dragged him backward into the shadows.
Before a startled gasp could escape his lips, Yu Xingliang realized the person pinning him down was Mu Heng.
Wrapping his arms firmly around Yu Xingliang’s waist, Mu Heng pressed him down into a thick pile of dried hay.
Another squad of guards in military uniform pounded past the alleyway from the direction Yu Xingliang had just arrived.
As the echoing footsteps faded into the distance, Yu Xingliang let out a long breath. “That was close, thank goodness you found me, Mu Heng.”
Remaining silent, Mu Heng locked his gaze intently onto Yu Xingliang’s lips.
Startled by the predatory hunger in Mu Heng’s eyes, Yu Xingliang stammered, “Mu Heng…”
Before he could finish, Mu Heng crashed his lips down in a fierce, torrential kiss that covered his mouth, brows, cheeks, neck, collarbone, chest, and stomach.
“Wait…” Yu Xingliang pushed weakly against Mu Heng’s chest, his limbs turning to jelly. “This is wrong, Mu Heng… we cannot do this…”
Veins bulging slightly in his reddened eyes, Mu Heng rasped in a choked whisper, “Lele, tomorrow we may be parted forever… give yourself to me.”
A sudden realization struck Yu Xingliang: That is right, tomorrow I will likely face execution.
Within moments, all coherent thought dissolved as the roaring tide swept over him, and he willingly allowed himself to drown.