They locked Ming Tao in the car, though not in the trunk. This way he couldn’t leave, but his safety was assured.
Through the car window, amid Ming Tao’s contorted face of anger and muffled curses, they gathered a few essentials: flashlights, a compass, Gu Tiancheng’s dagger, and You Mingxu’s hiking pole—the latter two for self-defense—before heading into the woods.
It was past four in the morning, with two to three hours until dawn. The entire wilderness and forest remained as dark as a black sack. They pressed forward into the cold wind.
“Did you get through?” You Mingxu asked.
Gu Tiancheng lowered his phone as he entered the forest’s edge, his face brightening: “Yes! They’re sending a car. There are patrol officers nearby who can be here in an hour!”
You Mingxu’s expression relaxed: “That’s great! However… a lot can happen in an hour.”
Gu Tiancheng’s arm dropped, his fingers gently gripping hers as he said, “We’ll do what we can.” His hand was warm and slightly damp, seeming to carry an unchanging strength and warmth.
You Mingxu nodded: “Yes, I’ll follow your lead.”
Gu Tiancheng paused. He noticed that since the two girls’ disappearance, this stubborn, strong young woman had somehow softened. Perhaps she was truly frightened. In the dim forest, he gazed at her beautiful downturned face beside him. Everything was too quiet; it was as if no one else had ever existed. There was only the rustling wind and the crisp, faint sound of feet crushing leaves. That gentle light that arose because of her seemed to shine quietly in his mind again.
He felt a strong urge, in this moment of impending crisis, in this seemingly eternal moment of solitude, to hold this chance-met girl tightly in his arms, to kiss her, kiss her forcefully, without restraint. To caress her, bring her joy, and cause her pain. Only then could he release the tension, anxiety, emptiness, helplessness, and deep tenderness that a man traveling alone might feel at such a moment.
But he did nothing, only smiled self-mockingly. She didn’t see the smile. Whether they could be called kindred spirits, though they’d only spent a few short hours together, they seemed to have developed an unspoken understanding. It was a good beginning. He didn’t want to frighten her by letting her discover that he was a man with wildness and rebellion in his heart. It was far too early to let her experience his untamed nature.
Perhaps that day would come. If they truly grew closer, if she was the one he’d been waiting for.
It had been over twenty minutes since the two girls disappeared, and they’d been walking in the woods for more than ten minutes. Everything was pitch black, and though they could see the dark mountain base in the distance, they’d found nothing.
You Mingxu was breathing heavily, while Gu Tiancheng stayed constantly by her side, never more than a meter away, carefully protective and decisive in his actions.
“Need to rest?” Gu Tiancheng asked, though his steps didn’t falter.
You Mingxu shook her head. He said, “I don’t want to leave you behind, otherwise I’d go search alone.” You Mingxu replied, “I know.”
“Let’s chat, talking makes it less tiring,” he suggested.
You Mingxu smiled slightly: “All right.”
Still striding forward, he asked casually, “Have you had a boyfriend before?”
You Mingxu glanced at him, took a few more steps, then answered: “Yes.”
“How many?”
“One.”
“Deeply memorable?”
“Not really,” she replied casually. “We liked each other in college, then couldn’t stand each other by graduation, so we split up. Though he was tall and impressive, he lacked responsibility, lacked something meaningful.”
Gu Tiancheng laughed, saying, “So do you think I’m responsible? Would I make a good boyfriend?”
You Mingxu looked ahead at the countless straight trees standing before them, starlight filtering through faintly, the forest’s thin mist seeming to draw her and him toward an even more uncertain future.
“I don’t know,” she said evenly. “That takes time to tell. I’ve only known you for half a day.”
He was quiet for a moment, then said, “Oh.”
They fell silent for a while. You Mingxu called out Song Lan and Zou Furong’s names several times, with Gu Tiancheng joining in, shouting forcefully. His voice was much louder than hers, but after their series of calls, only deathly silence surrounded them again.
Gu Tiancheng looked at her and said, “We haven’t heard any car sounds, so they can’t be far. They must hear us, but the girls probably can’t make any sound.”
You Mingxu gripped her hiking pole tighter and said, “Probably not.”
“We’ve searched this area, let’s try that direction,” he pointed, and You Mingxu followed.
After walking a short distance, Gu Tiancheng said, “Actually, I loved my previous girlfriend.”
You Mingxu remained silent as he continued: “She was like you, strong-willed, thoughtful, not at all ordinary. Different from girls like Zou Furong. She also liked responsible men.”
You Mingxu smiled: “So she ended up with you?”
Gu Tiancheng smiled too, faintly, gentle and calm: “Yes. She stayed with me for five years and gave me her best years. Then, she was gone.”
You Mingxu said softly, “My condolences. The dead cannot return.”
He was quiet for a moment, then said, “I know. I’ve known that for a long time. Let me have a smoke to stay alert.” He stopped, cupped his hand against the wind, and lowered his head to light the cigarette, a slight smile on his lips: “Want one?”
You Mingxu thought for a moment and said, “Sure, my last one for today.”
He said, “Yes, the last one.”
She took one from the pack in his palm and put it to her lips, and he had already tilted his head slightly toward her, the jumping flame illuminating his handsome, profound features. You Mingxu suddenly remembered how he first looked when driving past her, through the foggy car window, the young man turning to look at her, his gaze as deep as the ever-floating clouds of this highland.
She leaned in, using his hand to light her cigarette. His eyes watched her from very close, containing gentle emotions and deeply hidden past. You Mingxu took a drag, smiled, and pretended she hadn’t seen anything.
They stopped for less than thirty seconds.
Suddenly, Gu Tiancheng threw his cigarette to the ground, stomped it out, and shouted, “Stop!” He had already charged forward. You Mingxu’s head snapped up, and she truly saw a dark figure flash past in the forest ahead. The tall figure vaguely resembled that man.
Gu Tiancheng surely couldn’t worry about her now, so You Mingxu took off running too. She watched as Gu Tiancheng sprinted ahead like a black panther, while her long legs trampled the fallen leaves, silence all around except for the intense sounds of their pursuit.
“Ah…” Suddenly, You Mingxu heard a very faint cry for help, far away, coming from behind them. In the opposite direction from where the figure had fled. You Mingxu froze, quickly stopping to listen more carefully, but heard only the whisper of wind.
Yet her instincts told her she hadn’t misheard.
She raised her head and called out, “Gu Tiancheng! Gu Tiancheng!” But in the moment’s delay, Gu Tiancheng had already run far ahead. Whether he had heard but couldn’t respond, or hadn’t heard at all, she saw his figure flash once more before disappearing into the darkness ahead.
You Mingxu stood still, thinking for only a few seconds before resolutely turning back, running toward the direction of the woman’s faint cry for help.
Everything around was pitch black, with only her flashlight casting a thin beam of light surrounded by dense darkness. She had no idea where she was, only feeling the space around her growing more open. All she could hear was her rapid breathing.
“Song Lan! Song Lan—Zou Furong—” she shouted.
“Mmph…” She truly heard it again, a woman’s whimper, as if something was blocking her throat as she desperately tried to make sound. You Mingxu felt all the blood in her body heat up, her scalp tingling with a layer of shivers. She raised her hiking pole across her body, her other hand holding the flashlight, gritting her teeth as she carefully moved forward to investigate.
The flashlight beam swept across her field of vision, illuminating a row of trees, bushes, a face… You Mingxu’s mind buzzed, cold sweat seeping from her palms as she quickly swung the light back to where it had just illuminated.
Someone was there.
No, two people.
It was him.
The young man with eyes as innocent as a child’s had appeared. He stood beside a large tree, carrying Song Lan on his back. Her eyes were tightly closed, her head covered in blood as she lay on his back, showing no signs of life, nor any indication of what torment she might have endured.
You Mingxu didn’t know how long he had been standing there, or how long he had been watching her. As their eyes met, his once-clear eyes seemed covered by a layer of gray mist. You couldn’t see what lay behind them at all. As he stared at her, his lips slowly, ever so, curved into a slight arc. Only then did You Mingxu realize that such a handsome face could, in an instant, become so evil and cruel.