For her, he was even planning to divorce the person he had sworn to protect for life, just to give her a proper identity, but she completely misinterpreted and resisted all he wanted to offer, rejecting him without a second glance.
The heartache she had cast aside was like a thick fog surrounding them now, and even the faint street lamp could no longer illuminate them clearly.
This time, he did not avoid the pain, allowing it to slowly ravage him. Yet this pain made him afraid to confront a tender shoot of love sprouting in his heart.
“Hey, we’re not a couple, so why are we wasting time staring at each other? Let’s go to Lan Gui Fang for a drink. There are plenty of beautiful women and handsome guys there,” Ou Xue Man said, trying to appear carefree as she pulled him by the arm down the mountain.
Walking with her arm linked through his felt unusually secure. The quiet path had only the two of them, resembling an intimate couple. This thought made her heart skip a beat, and she abruptly let go of his arm, surprising him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, feeling the warmth of her presence vanish suddenly.
Ou Xue Man walked behind Di Xi Huang and whispered, “Can you hear someone talking?”
Di Xi Huang listened carefully and indeed heard faint, almost imperceptible crying sounds nearby in the dark mountain area, which sent chills down his spine.
“Yes,” Di Xi Huang replied.
“But don’t people usually take the cable car up the mountain? Why would someone be hiking?” Ou Xue Man shivered at the thought, recalling stories from servants about unclean things in these mountains.
“Aren’t we hiking up right now?” Di Xi Huang said, shaking his head.
“That’s because you suddenly went crazy. If it were me, I wouldn’t hike up. You go check it out,” Ou Xue Man urged, still fearful.
Di Xi Huang glanced at her and smiled. “What are you doing?”
Ou Xue Man desired to shoulder throw him to wipe off his cunning smile but was more concerned about the sounds growing closer. She pointed ahead, “As a man, you should walk in front.”
Di Xi Huang elegantly offered her his coat. “Okay, I’ll walk in front,” he said, strolling leisurely. “Actually, sometimes walking behind is the most terrifying.”
Ou Xue Man trembled, glancing sideways but unable to see behind her. A chilling wind swept over, causing goosebumps. She quickly ran back to Di Xi Huang’s side, gripping his clothing, her charming eyes now filled with panic.
Di Xi Huang turned slightly, a teasing look in his deep eyes, “Changed your mind? Want to walk in front now?”
“No, at times like these, we should be in the same boat. We should go… go and see together,” she said, clinging to his arm again for security.
He raised an eyebrow, gave a “hmm,” and held her in his arms, a smile on his thin lips like a cat that had stolen something.
Unexpectedly, the quiet mountain erupted with a high-decibel female scream, startling birds in the forest. Di Xi Huang’s handsome face mirrored the gloomy sky before a fierce wind, his thick eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the two women hugging each other with closed eyes, still screaming.
He felt an impulse to knock them unconscious as the trembling person in his arms was scared by their ghostly screams.
He tightened his arms, providing wordless comfort with his warmth. Through the faint light filtering through the trees, her small face grew increasingly pale.
His eyes turned frost-like and gloomy as he said in an eerily low voice, “Shut up.” The silence that followed was palpable, except for the lingering sounds in their ears.
In stark contrast, he spoke softly near her hairline, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid.” His thin lips pressed a kiss on her forehead, and his large hand gently stroked her back.
Memories resurfaced—a woman with an indistinct face caressing her with a gentleness she longed for, causing her fear to dissipate.
She raised her head from his embrace, noticing his shirt was creased from her grip, but fortunately in black, it wasn’t too obvious. When she met his gaze, she became lost in his warm, spring-like eyes.
Seeing the infatuation in her eyes, a genuine smile spread across his lips; it seemed his appearance wasn’t entirely unappealing to her.
It seemed that only in these moments of her daze could they have such a warm interaction. Perhaps he could try using his looks to bewitch her in the future.
At that moment, an inappropriate voice interrupted them. Di Xihuang’s eyes instantly darkened, intimidating the two women who froze in fear.
Ou Xueman suddenly woke up, noticing two young girls nervously leaning against a golf cart on the roadside. She was puzzled about their fear, thinking she and Di Xihuang couldn’t possibly look like ghosts at night. “Ladies, don’t be afraid, we’re human, not monsters,” Ou Xueman reassured.
“We… know… we’re… lost, and our car… crashed into the wall…” one girl in a red vest stammered, clearly scared of the handsome man who looked displeased.
“Why are you still scared?” Ou Xueman asked, noticing they were fixated on Di Xihuang. Looking up at him, she saw only gentle tenderness and a light smile. He might be annoying, but not scary enough to provoke such fear.
Looking back at the girls, they now appeared completely infatuated, almost drooling—how quickly they changed their attitude.
“Alas, what a sin,” she elbowed Di Xihuang’s chest, “stop giving off such vibes.”
As she moved away from his embrace, a night breeze swept over her, making his lingering warmth even more enticing, tempting her to come closer again.
Ou Xueman shook her head, dispelling those impulses, and looked at the girls. She didn’t want to deal with them, so she lazily waved her hand, “Continue finding your way. We’re leaving.”
Di Xihuang remained silent, gently draping his suit jacket over her, his unique fragrance surrounding her. The two girls watched them leave, only coming to their senses after they had gone far.
“Please wait!” the girl in the red vest shouted.
Ou Xueman slightly turned her head while Di Xihuang didn’t look back, his hands in his pockets, casually looking aside. A few strands of hair swayed lightly, sending chills to the girls who wanted to approach him.
“Um… could you tell us where the barbecue place is?”
Ou Xueman glanced at Di Xihuang, who also looked at her. Without words, they shared an understanding through their eyes.
Sighing, she said, “Follow us. We’ll pass by it anyway.”
“Thank you.”
The girls hugged Ou Xueman, initially perceiving her as a seductive woman and the man beside her as an angel, only to realize that the “fox” was kind while the “angel” resembled a fallen angel.
Despite the late hour, the Hong Kong police station’s lights were bright. As they exited the police car, Ou Xueman’s face reflected her distress, while the man beside her remained calm and composed, as if unbothered by the impending legal troubles.
She attempted to disregard the man holding her hand. The warmth of their intertwined hands surprised her, reminding her of the coldness she felt when offering her hand in the past, making her question her memories.
Lost in thought, she and Di Xihuang paused as a couple emerged from a nearby car. The two looked sweetly at each other, deeply in love, their interlocked fingers displaying intimacy despite the handcuffs they wore.
Ou Xueman slapped her forehead, exclaiming, “Oh my god, what a day! We’ve all ended up at the police station. It’s rare to see people looking so happy after being arrested.”
Di Xihuang smiled slightly, gently pulling her hand as they approached the couple.
“Oh? Xueman? Playboy? You’re here too?” Huang Tianli called out.
Ou Xueman forced a bitter smile, “What a coincidence.”
“A coincidence?” Owen was surprised, “Were you also…?”
Di Xihuang raised an eyebrow, stating, “I’ve already called a lawyer.”
