Ye Zhen had unilaterally made a huge sacrifice for Jiang Xiaoyi’s sake, originally planning to find some opportunity to subtly hint at his own devotion, letting Jiang Xiaoyi gradually sense his feelings for her. But as it turned out, plans never keep pace with change — before Ye Zhen could even make his move, Dan Hui had already come on aggressively ahead of him.

That evening, Jiang Xiaoyi had no dinner engagements scheduled, and Ye Zhen had originally planned to ask her out alone for a candlelit dinner, but as it turned out, Dan Hui had beaten him to it —

“Sorry, Ye Zhen, my senior schoolmate already made plans with me today.”

Jiang Xiaoyi’s tone sounded rather apologetic. Ye Zhen knew he had no right to feel sour about it, but he couldn’t help himself. “Didn’t you say you have no romantic feelings toward him? Then why are you still going to dinner with him — carrying on like this, being ambiguous, does a lot of harm to a man in today’s society…”

“I already clearly turned him down.” Jiang Xiaoyi blinked. “My senior schoolmate is very understanding, he gets it, and there was none of that clinging, pestering behavior. I thought after I rejected him we might not even be able to stay friends, but instead he suggested we just continue being friends, staying in touch in whatever way feels comfortable for me. Tonight is actually a team-building event for the Firefighting Club, and he invited me along — it’s not a one-on-one dinner, no ambiguous stuff going on.”

Hmph, that shameless Dan Hui, planning to advance by retreating, was he?

A team-building event? Didn’t Ruiyi just recently do a joint lawn team-building event with the Firefighting Club? Another one already, so soon?

Did Ye Zhen not know exactly what Dan Hui was up to? Wasn’t this precisely his boiling-the-frog-in-warm-water strategy, gradually infiltrating every corner of Jiang Xiaoyi’s life? And “just friends,” was it — wasn’t he still planning to go down the slow-burn, feelings-develop-over-time route?

What a pipe dream.

Ye Zhen said, as though it were nothing, “So where’s this team-building event of yours happening?”

“Just at that campground out in the suburbs. Their club rented a bunch of camper vans, planning to grill barbecue in the evening and then stargaze. I heard the stars out there are gorgeous.”

Jiang Xiaoyi said it without thinking much of it, but Ye Zhen listened with great interest.

Dan Hui naturally wouldn’t invite Ye Zhen along to the team-building event, but Ye Zhen decided he’d go anyway, on his own.

A good assistant ought to worry about every aspect of his boss’s affairs, and besides, when it came to Jiang Xiaoyi, rather than letting some mediocre nobody benefit, wouldn’t it be better if he benefited instead!

Jiang Xiaoyi had such a soft, pushover personality, so easily fooled — camping under the stars, with everyone’s emotions more likely to run high late at night, what if Dan Hui staged another on-the-spot confession right in front of his own Firefighting Club staff, coming out with some line about “starting as friends”? Caught off guard and manipulated, who knew whether Jiang Xiaoyi could firmly refuse him this time?

Ye Zhen pinpointed the location of Dan Hui’s team-building event and decided to secretly tag along himself.

It wasn’t to sabotage Jiang Xiaoyi’s camping trip — as her assistant, Ye Zhen felt he simply had an obligation to confirm his boss’s safety. This was only being conscientious.

**

Jiang Xiaoyi’s life recently had been going quite smoothly. She’d gradually adapted to being a boss, and after the initial panic and pressure of taking over Ruiyi, with Ye Zhen’s help along the way, she’d finally gotten a handle on the rhythm of work, and now had enough breathing room to relax and enjoy some leisure time privately too.

The campground Dan Hui had invited her to this time was actually a spot Jiang Xiaoyi herself had long been fond of. Now that it was midsummer, besides the vast, beautiful starry sky, fireflies flitted about at night too, and being a well-developed campground, besides these gifts from nature, there were also activities like water splashing, river rafting, fishing, and ice bucket challenges available.

Dan Hui remained as gentle as ever, and his attitude toward Jiang Xiaoyi hadn’t changed at all because of her rejection — still that same warm, gentle senior schoolmate.

The Firefighting Club staff were all young people, chattering away happily, drinking cold beer, eating barbecue, and playing Werewolf — the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Jiang Xiaoyi grew a bit tired from playing and sat down in a tent off to the side to drink something and rest, and before long, Dan Hui came and sat down beside her too.

The environment here really was lovely — the tent’s back side faced a fast-flowing river, and listening to the evening birdsong, cicadas, and the sound of the water, Jiang Xiaoyi felt quite at ease, though she kept sensing some kind of sound in the bushes by the river behind her.

“Are there wild animals around here at night?”

Dan Hui, sitting beside Jiang Xiaoyi, blinked, then shook his head and laughed. “Don’t worry, there’s no mountain around here, so no large predators. At most, some very small animals. This campground is professionally managed too — they regularly drive off snakes and the like. Camping here at night is absolutely safe. If you’re not comfortable being alone in a tent, you could pair up with one of our other female staff members…”

Jiang Xiaoyi glanced around — this campground really was well-managed. Perhaps what she’d just heard was only a small rabbit or something similar?

Jiang Xiaoyi stopped dwelling on it, and Dan Hui began telling her interesting stories from their college days, which she listened to with great interest…

**

As Jiang Xiaoyi and Dan Hui’s conversation grew more engrossing, Ye Zhen, hidden in the bushes by the river, was practically grinding his teeth.

Was this what “just friends” looked like?! Since when do friends sit that close! And what were they even talking about, laughing so happily!

That sly, cunning fox Dan Hui — already rejected, and still acting like this! Not only was he a shameless flirt, he had no regard for male virtue at all!

Jiang Xiaoyi and Dan Hui had started off talking rather loudly, and even from a distance, Ye Zhen could hear every word clearly.

Ye Zhen intended to pull Jiang Xiaoyi away, he couldn’t let her fall for Dan Hui’s tricks!

Only, right at this moment, Ye Zhen realized he’d somehow gotten himself stuck in the bushes.

Ye Zhen truly had come out of genuine worry for Jiang Xiaoyi, but this campground itself was an open space, and besides Dan Hui’s Firefighting Club staff, there were other casual visitors too — Ye Zhen could have walked in openly without any issue. But perhaps out of some guilty conscience, though he’d originally been walking along steadily behind Jiang Xiaoyi at a distance, the moment she glanced his way, Ye Zhen ducked toward the riverbank to avoid being seen…

By the time he realized it, he was already standing at the edge of the bushes.

Only now, as Ye Zhen tried to step away from the stuffy, humid bushes, he discovered he was stuck.

He’d been so focused on watching Jiang Xiaoyi and Dan Hui that he hadn’t paid attention to his footing, and only now did Ye Zhen discover his foot had gotten wedged between two rocks at the edge of the bushes.

Being as tall as he was, if you weren’t paying close attention, the bushes might have concealed him well enough, but if you actually looked carefully, there was no way the bushes could hide someone his height with such long legs. Ye Zhen struggled to pull free while glancing up nervously, watching for Jiang Xiaoyi to look his way.

But perhaps the more nervous a person gets, the harder it becomes to accomplish their goal — Ye Zhen, both anxious and mortified, exerted too much force all at once, and his foot came free, but the rocks in the bushes by the water were slick with river water, and his foot slipped, causing him to lose his balance and plunge straight into the river…

**

At the sound of a splash, Jiang Xiaoyi, who had just been discussing the Firefighting Club’s future development plans with Dan Hui, heard a loud noise from not far behind her, followed by someone shouting anxiously —

“Someone’s fallen in the water here!”

If it was that same river behind her — it had rained continuously for several days not long ago, and the water level had risen. If whoever had fallen in couldn’t swim, it really was quite dangerous.

Jiang Xiaoyi felt worried about the person who’d fallen in too, and followed the crowd toward the riverbank.

There weren’t few people at this campground, but as it turned out, not a single one of them could swim. A few young men and women were holding hands, preparing to wade into the river to attempt a rescue, and the person who’d fallen in seemed to have some water skills, but the current was moving too fast — Jiang Xiaoyi could only watch as the person was quickly swept downstream.

Jiang Xiaoyi could swim, and knowing the rescue team wouldn’t make it in time, she immediately decided to jump in herself, but Dan Hui grabbed hold of her right beside her. “It’s too dangerous.”

Dan Hui’s eyes remained gentle, full of concern. “Xiaoyi, you need to learn to protect yourself first. This river is deep, and the current is fast — the rescue team will be here soon…”

Jiang Xiaoyi’s own swimming ability wasn’t particularly strong either, and hearing Dan Hui’s words, she hesitated for a moment. She had parents to look after now, and by the principle of being responsible to herself and her parents, she shouldn’t be taking risks with her own life, only…

Only just as Jiang Xiaoyi was about to turn and leave, she glanced at the river’s surface once more, and then froze.

In that instant when the person struggling in the water surfaced, she caught sight of the clothes the drowning man was wearing.

Wasn’t that exactly what Ye Zhen was wearing today!

Could it be Ye Zhen?!

In that instant, Jiang Xiaoyi could no longer think of anything else, and before she’d even fully realized it, she’d already broken free of Dan Hui’s grip and jumped into the river without a second thought.

Even as she leapt into the river, Jiang Xiaoyi immediately realized the current was even swifter than she’d expected, and the person who’d fallen in probably wasn’t Ye Zhen at all — the similar clothing was probably just a coincidence, after all, Ye Zhen couldn’t possibly be here at this time. Jiang Xiaoyi herself didn’t understand why the mere thought of Ye Zhen had made her act so irrationally, but she didn’t have much time for regret either, and could only swim desperately toward the person in the water.

Only, she hadn’t expected that it really was Ye Zhen!

The moment she saw Ye Zhen’s face clearly, Jiang Xiaoyi had just grabbed hold of his hand.

Looking at this drowning man’s disheveled, wretched face in front of her, Jiang Xiaoyi almost wanted to roll her eyes. She had no time to question why Ye Zhen was even here — right now, in this moment, she had only one question in mind —

“Ye Zhen! Didn’t you say you already learned how to swim?!”

Wasn’t he the one who’d confidently pulled her along to go swim in the ocean not that long ago?!

Ye Zhen choked on a couple mouthfuls of water as he struggled, still stubbornly arguing even as he thrashed, “This river’s current is too fast — the ocean’s calmer when there’s no swell, it’s easier to manage…”

Even at a time like this, still refusing to admit defeat!

Jiang Xiaoyi held onto Ye Zhen; by now, the current had swept them from upstream toward downstream, and after several twists and turns in the river, they’d already drifted far from the campground, the people preparing to rescue them on the bank no longer visible either. Jiang Xiaoyi tried desperately to swim toward the shore, but swimming against the current proved far too difficult.

The river had also grown more complex further along, no longer as wide open as before — some sections were deep, others shallow, with quite a few rocks scattered in the shallower areas.

Jiang Xiaoyi had just been focusing intently on reaching for a tree branch along the bank to pull herself along, and she’d almost been able to grab hold of it! Suddenly Ye Zhen yanked her back forcefully from behind.

Before she could even complain, she found herself pulled into Ye Zhen’s arms as he crashed into something with tremendous force — more precisely, it was Ye Zhen who crashed into it, because Jiang Xiaoyi, held in his arms, wasn’t injured at all, and only heard Ye Zhen’s short, muffled grunt of pain.

Only once the two of them were swept along by the current again did Jiang Xiaoyi realize that Ye Zhen had just used his own body as a shield to protect her, slamming into a rock in the water.

What should she do?

Jiang Xiaoyi grew increasingly panicked, but reality offered her no better options — both of them were gradually losing strength, and the river curved into a gently sloped lake up ahead.

Jiang Xiaoyi’s last clear memory was of being held by Ye Zhen, tumbling straight into the lake along with the falling current, followed by the sensation of weightlessness and dizziness from the water’s impact, and the suffocating feeling of water flooding into her nose after they plunged in…

**

“Beep — beep —”

Jiang Xiaoyi woke up amid the sounds of various mechanical monitoring devices. Opening her eyes, she was met with a glaring white, the air carrying the smell of disinfectant. She rubbed her aching, swollen head and looked around, finally confirming she was in a hospital.

“Dad, drink a bit more of the soup, it’ll do you good…”

“No, no, I just want to get up and walk around.”

Through the curtain, the conversation between a father and daughter drifted over from the other side, and Jiang Xiaoyi struggled to sit up, realizing she was in a multi-bed hospital room.

Although it was an ordinary ward, the room was clean and tidy, and Jiang Xiaoyi wasn’t the fussy type, so she wasn’t picky about the environment — it was just that…

It was just — who had sent her to the hospital? Now that she was some kind of company head, she’d even hoped to try out a private room for the experience.

Just as she was thinking this, a nurse pushed open the door, and upon seeing Jiang Xiaoyi awake, smiled with delight. “Oh, you’re awake! Let me go call your coworker — he happens to be here visiting the other person who fell in the water with you.”

Jiang Xiaoyi still hadn’t fully come to her senses, her head still a bit foggy, but the moment she heard “Ye Zhen,” she immediately grabbed hold of the nurse and anxiously asked, “How’s the person who fell in with me? Are they awake?”

“Not yet, that one probably can’t swim very well, swallowed quite a lot of water. He’s fine physically though, should wake up soon too, no need to worry.”

Hearing this news, the stone in Jiang Xiaoyi’s heart finally settled.

Ye Zhen was fine, that was good.

So who exactly was this coworker coming to visit her?

Just as Jiang Xiaoyi was about to try to guess, a familiar male voice suddenly came drifting in, its rhythm rising and falling dramatically —

“Jiang Xiaoyi, you’re finally awake!”

Jiang Xiaoyi looked up and saw Li You’ai walking in wearing an expression of stern accusation, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking thoroughly punchable.

Jiang Xiaoyi was just about to put on some of her Boss Jiang airs and scold Li You’ai for daring to call her by her full name so brazenly, but Eunuch Li spoke first, pointing a finger accusingly at Jiang Xiaoyi’s nose. “Jiang Xiaoyi, you’re really something else now, aren’t you — grown some wings on you, daring to kick President Ye’s backside! Do you have a death wish? You think that precious golden backside of his is something you’re allowed to kick?”

“Do you have any idea — with so many people up on deck, everyone watching from the yacht’s view-suite balcony, you kicked President Ye straight into the ocean with one foot! Even though you’re currently working part-time as President Ye’s assistant, your official position is still under our Project Incubation Department — are you trying to get yourself killed, or trying to get the entire Project Incubation Department wiped out along with you?”

…

Li You’ai continued pointing his finger, enumerating Jiang Xiaoyi’s crimes at length, while Jiang Xiaoyi’s eyes went wide.

Could it be…

An ominous premonition crept over Jiang Xiaoyi. “I’m not Boss Jiang anymore?”

Li You’ai, interrupted by Jiang Xiaoyi, grew even more displeased, immediately rolling his eyes. “Falling in the river must have flooded your brain too. ‘Boss Jiang’? I strongly advise you to resign before President Ye wakes up! Pack your bags and get out tonight!”

Jiang Xiaoyi felt utterly devastated inside — had she somehow, by accident, traveled back to the original timeline? Or was this whole thing — after falling in the water with Ye Zhen — actually all just a dream she was having while unconscious?

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before Wang Yani came rushing into the room, making Jiang Xiaoyi profoundly aware that this probably wasn’t a dream at all.

She really had, in fact, traveled back!

“Look, before President Ye wakes up, you absolutely must resign and get out of here, our Project Incubation Department isn’t going to take the fall for you! I need to go change the flowers in President Ye’s room now!”

Li You’ai gave Jiang Xiaoyi a thorough dressing-down, then stormed off in a huff after that remark, leaving Wang Yani looking at her with a sympathetic expression.

“Xiaoyi, what are you going to do now?” Wang Yani looked utterly distraught. “You were way too impulsive back there.”

Amid the massive shock inside her, Jiang Xiaoyi hadn’t fully processed things yet, her mind not quite catching up, so her face instead turned completely calm to the point of numbness. “I shouldn’t have kicked Ye Zhen, is that it?”

Wang Yani looked at her with intense frustration. “Kicking him was one thing, the problem is, if you’re going to kick him, do it somewhere no one can see! Kicking the boss straight into the sea in front of that many people, with that many witnesses — how are you supposed to cover that up? President Ye getting kicked into the sea by an assistant in front of so many people — if he doesn’t discipline you for that, would he even be able to hold his head up anymore? Face is the most important thing to a man, isn’t it?”

Jiang Xiaoyi couldn’t take any of this in, she had only one question. “Did I lose consciousness after falling in the water? How long was I out? Three months?”

“You just swallowed some water! Unconscious for three months, are you kidding me, you think this is a drama? You’ve only been out for three hours! And that’s because you got hit by a bottle — a minor concussion. Don’t worry, no critical condition, nothing wrong with you at all!”

But in the parallel timeline, three whole months had already passed?! And here, only three hours had gone by?

Wang Yani rambled on about everyone’s reactions after the fire on the yacht, cursing Li You’ai’s practiced skill at fleeing the scene, but inside, Jiang Xiaoyi was thrown into complete chaos and unease —

Could it be that there had never been a parallel timeline at all?

Was it possible that everything from the past three months had merely been a dream she’d had during those three unconscious hours?

Was it because she’d been so excessively exploited by Ye Zhen and Li You’ai in reality that, out of some subconscious compensation, her mind had constructed this whole scenario in a dream?

Jiang Xiaoyi grew more and more frightened the more she thought about it.

If it had all just been her own dream…

Then thinking back to the righteous, indignant kick she’d delivered to Ye Zhen earlier, now that she’d calmed down, she realized her palms were covered in cold sweat — given Ye Zhen’s notoriously vindictive and difficult personality, wouldn’t this practically guarantee he’d want her dead? At the very least, he’d probably send a lawyer’s letter demanding compensation! And if she didn’t have the money, she’d get forcibly enforced and put on some deadbeat debtor blacklist!

The more Jiang Xiaoyi thought about it, the more terrified she became; her head still ached, and she felt dizzy all over, her mind in complete disarray. She hurriedly pulled up her phone and transferred the last small remaining debt owed to her uncle to pay it off completely, then rapidly began typing out a resignation email.

The situation didn’t look good — in all likelihood, there was no parallel timeline at all, she’d simply hit her head and had a dream, and now that the dream was over, Jiang Xiaoyi decided that before things turned truly dire for her, she’d strike first and get ahead of it — pack up and make a run for it.

The situation was unclear, better to lay low for now. Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat is best.

Jiang Xiaoyi decided: tonight, she would flee the earth itself.