1 – Picked up a drowning beauty
A crimson sun rose from the east.
On Mandarin Duck Lake, a small boat drifted along with the current.
A handsome man with ash-green short hair sat cross-legged on the deck, holding a fishing rod casually in his hand.
He glanced at the motionless float, then impatiently tossed the rod aside on the deck before turning toward the man in the cabin with a roguish smirk. He teased,
“Ji Hanyuan, you just got back from abroad, and the Ji Family can’t sit still anymore—they’ve been pulling all sorts of little tricks. Why don’t you just wipe them all out in one go?”
The man sitting in the cabin let out a cold scoff.
With his eyes lowered, he toyed with the black jade thumb ring on his thumb. His aura was icy and formidable, as if separating him from everything and everyone around him, allowing no one to come close.
“Just a bunch of clowns. Are they worth my effort?”
His voice was like a deep cello—low, husky, yet carrying an overbearing force, chillingly cold and ruthless, enough to make one tremble.
Hearing this, Lin Qingmian smirked and habitually brushed aside his ash-green bangs.
Indeed, who was Ji Hanyuan? He was a king who had broken away from the Ji Family and built countless underground forces!
His methods were ruthless—the Cold-Faced Asura!
Those small fry from the Ji Family weren’t even worth a glance in his eyes!
Suddenly, a “thump, thump, thump” sound came from outside the cabin.
At the same time, a weak, soft female voice called out.
“Help… help me…”
“Who’s there?!” Lin Qingmian immediately stood up alertly, scanning his surroundings.
However, the sight before him froze him in place.
“Ji Hanyuan… it’s… it’s a woman who fell into the water…”
When Lin Qingmian looked at Ji Hanyuan, he found that Ji Hanyuan had already turned his gaze toward her.
A faint, almost imperceptible glint flashed in his dark pupils. In an instant, he stood up, his entire body suddenly tensed to the extreme!
The girl in the water clung to a floating piece of wood, her face deathly pale, with smears of blood still staining her forehead and cheeks. Against her delicate, palm-sized face, it created a shattered beauty, as if painted with the marks of battle.
Seeing Ji Hanyuan, she seemed to have found her only lifeline.
With the last remnants of her will to survive, she whispered slowly, “Please… I beg you… save… save me…”
As her voice faded, she seemed to lose strength. Her eyelids drooped, her grip on the floating wood loosened, and she began to sink into the lake.
Lin Qingmian was about to warn Ji Hanyuan that this might be a trick by the Ji Family and to be cautious, but he saw Ji Hanyuan shoot forward like an arrow released from a bow. With a splash, he leaped into the lake and firmly pulled the girl into his arms.
Lin Qingmian was utterly stunned, a small tuft of green hair standing up on his head in shock.
Ji Hanyuan… what was going on?!
Such an unknown girl, and he, always so cautious, had jumped straight into the lake to save her??
And even held her in his arms?!
Ji Hanyuan, the fourth master of the Ji Family, known for his cold indifference and ruthless detachment—when had he ever been so… chivalrous?!
Under Lin Qingmian’s astonished gaze, Ji Hanyuan’s strong arms lifted the girl steadily onto the deck. Then, with a push of his arms, he leaped up himself.
His dark, ink-black eyelashes lowered, concealing the deep emotions in his eyes. His slender fingers trembled slightly as he checked the girl’s breathing. Suddenly, he let out a sigh of relief.
He knelt on the deck, and in the next second, he swept the girl—limp and boneless—into his arms and carried her into the cabin.
He laid her sideways against his chest, her head tilted downward to prevent any remaining water from pooling in her lungs, while covering her with the blanket he often used.
The carefulness in his actions was as if he were handling a priceless treasure.
Lin Qingmian was so shocked he felt as if the top of his skull were about to blow off.
Ji Hanyuan… had he… been possessed?!
Before he could gather his thoughts, Ji Hanyuan’s icy gaze shot toward him, his voice sharp as frozen daggers.
“Full speed ahead. Return to Moonlight Manor immediately!”
Lin Qingmian: “?”
Ji Hanyuan… why did he seem so worried about this girl who had fallen into the water?
The small boat, which had been drifting downstream, suddenly roared to life and began speeding forward.
The calm lake surface was sliced by two churning white wakes.
Inside the cabin, Ji Hanyuan held the girl tightly in his arms, his deep eyes clouded with unreadable emotions.
He raised a slender finger, slowly moving it toward the girl’s pale cheek, only to freeze just before touching her, his hand suspended in mid-air.
In the end, he lowered his hand again.
Suddenly, the girl’s long, delicate eyelashes fluttered.
A few seconds later, her beautiful eyes slowly opened.
Her crescent-shaped eyes gazed at Ji Hanyuan, then blinked in confusion as she asked in a soft, gentle voice, “Who… are you?”
Seeing the unfamiliarity in her eyes, Ji Hanyuan’s heart tightened, a fleeting trace of loneliness and self-doubt flashing in his gaze.
His arms around the girl trembled slightly. Two seconds later, he finally placed her on the seat, putting distance between them. Lowering his gaze, he murmured softly, “My apologies. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Lin Qingmian, who was sitting nearby steering the boat, couldn’t help but chuckle at this. He teased deliberately, “What’s this, Miss? It was our Fourth Master Ji who jumped into the water to save you just now. Are you so important that you’ve already forgotten?”
Heaven knew how cold and detached Ji Hanyuan usually was—as if he had been born without emotions!
Yet just now, Ji Hanyuan hadn’t hesitated to dive into the water to save her, and after pulling her out, he had held her in his arms the entire time!
What’s more, Ji Hanyuan was in poor health. He had only recently recovered somewhat after convalescing abroad, and now he was soaked through, having even given his only blanket to this girl!
She might have woken up, but if Ji Hanyuan fell ill again because of this, it would be him who suffered!
Lin Qingmian truly couldn’t understand what had come over Ji Hanyuan.
Could it be… he was simply captivated by the girl’s beauty and had fallen in love at first sight??
But the girl was in such a sorry state, her face smeared with blood and grime. How could Ji Hanyuan… not mind it?
Hearing the green-haired man’s words, the girl’s long eyelashes fluttered again, and guilt instantly filled her crescent-shaped eyes.
She instinctively looked up at Ji Hanyuan before her.
This brother in front of her was so handsome, as if meticulously carved inch by inch by God—his features sharp and noble, elegant and refined.
Yet at this moment, he was completely drenched, even his black hair dripping water, drop by drop tracing the line of his jaw before disappearing into his fair collarbone.
Even his face was pale from the cold, adding a touch of fragile, sickly beauty to his handsome features.
But… she had a warm blanket wrapped around her, while he… had nothing.
Clearly, the only blanket, he had given to himself.
In that instant, the girl couldn’t help but develop a strong fondness for this brother before her.
He must be… a naturally gentle and kind-hearted good person!
Immediately, she felt both grateful and guilty. Gently biting her lip, her clear black-and-white eyes like those of an innocent kitten, she looked at Ji Hanyuan with a watery gaze and said softly, “I’m… I’m sorry, I… I seem to have forgotten everything…”
She raised her hand in frustration and lightly tapped her head, desperately wanting to remember something, but the harder she tried, the more her head ached.
In that moment, a dark glint flashed deep within Ji Hanyuan’s profound eyes.
He suddenly looked up at the girl, ripples of light shimmering in his deep gaze, as if a cold abyss had suddenly welcomed the first rays of the rising sun—faint yet bright.
A few seconds later, he raised his hand again, this time gently stroking the girl’s head. The tone of his voice was so tender it was as if he had become a different person.
“It’s alright. Since I saved you, I will… take responsibility to the end.”
The girl’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Feeling how cold the man’s hand was on her head, her guilt deepened even more.
This brother truly is too kind.
She should repay him with all her heart.
Instinctively, the girl reached out both arms and hugged Ji Hanyuan, sharing the blanket from her own body to cover him as well, wanting to give him all her warmth.
Her soft lips parted slightly, and her voice came out sweet and gentle.
“Brother, thank you…”
“In the future, I will repay you properly…”
That one word, “brother,” made Ji Hanyuan’s back stiffen. A tingling sensation seeped into his bloodstream, instantly flowing through his entire body.
He lowered his gaze, his thick lashes concealing the deep emotions in his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing gently.
It was she… who had taken the initiative to draw near to him.
Since that was the case, then he… would never let go again!
For the rest of his life, he would keep her in his embrace, not allowing her to leave his side even a little!
From now on, he would be her exclusive prison!
The next second, Ji Hanyuan naturally reached out and wrapped his arm around the girl’s slender waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace. His voice was filled with extreme tenderness and indulgence.
“From now on, I’ll call you Tangtang, okay?”
She was the bright moon in the sky, and also the sweet candy in his heart.
“Tangtang…” The girl tilted her head, murmuring the name twice.
It seemed she instinctively felt that this name was very familiar and dear to her.
And so, she obediently nodded, curving her lips into a smile at Ji Hanyuan.
“I like the name Tangtang!”
When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, and two dimples appeared beside her lips, as if she truly had candy in her mouth—sweet and utterly adorable.
Ji Hanyuan couldn’t help but curve his lips slightly, his slender fingers gently tapping her dimples.
“Mhm, I also…”
Like it.
Very much.
——Reading Guide——
Ji Hanyuan VS Tang Jiaojiao (jiao, third tone)
Couple Name: The Sweet Couple
The entire story is overflowing with sweetness. Welcome to indulge in the sweetness of The Sweet Couple~