Chapter 71: Calling Out Another Man’s Name

The moment she fell, Xu Anan grabbed Gu Yang's outstretched hand, causing Gu Yang to tumble into the pit as well, and she ended up landing on him. Beneath her, Gu Yang let out a muffled groan, feeling as though the ribs on his left side might have cracked. Sensing something was wrong, Xu Anan hurriedly scrambled up and anxiously asked, "Gu Yang, are you alright?" Not wanting Xu Anan to blame herself, Gu Yang forced himself to shake his head, though a sheen of cold sweat already streaked his forehead and his face was pale. "I'm fine, really."

Xu Anan was no fool; she knew Gu Yang was considering her feelings. She was both moved and guilty. If only she had been more careful, she wouldn't have stepped into the trap, nor dragged Gu Yang down with her. She tried to help Gu Yang sit up, but he said lying down would be better and still didn't mention his ribs. "Did you bring your phone?"

Xu Anan pulled out her phone, utterly despairing. There was no signal. Gu Yang wasn't surprised. After retiring, his grandfather had grown fond of peace and quiet, deliberately choosing a secluded spot to build a villa. Sometimes, he didn't stay overnight because the signal was so weak.

"Don't worry, let's wait a bit," Gu Yang reassured her. The steward had taken people to search elsewhere. If they didn't see them, they’d likely realize something was wrong—after all, the traps had been dug by the steward’s own men.

Xu Anan stood up, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted loudly, "Steward! Can you hear me? We're here!" She wasn't one to sit and wait for fate. Unfortunately, the steward and his team had gone too far, intent on finding rabbits for Old Master Gu, and hadn’t noticed Xu Anan and Gu Yang were missing.

After calling out for a while and receiving no response, Xu Anan had no choice but to sit down. She tried to find humor in the situation. "We aren't going to spend the night here, are we?"

"It's possible," Gu Yang replied. He wasn’t being pessimistic; back in junior high, he’d been trapped in a similar pit and wasn’t found until the next day. He hadn’t wanted to tell Xu Anan, but now he thought it better she know, lest she cling to hope until morning.

After hearing Gu Yang’s words, Xu Anan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "We’d best prepare for the worst."

"Help me take off my jacket, so we can use it as a blanket later," Gu Yang said.

Having cared for Jiang Li before, Xu Anan understood Gu Yang’s condition and felt even more guilty. She gently helped him remove his jacket and covered him with it, accepting the fact that they might have to spend the night in the pit.

She noticed the trap was filled with little grasses, and even clusters of white flowers had bloomed. She leaned closer and breathed in a faint, delicate fragrance. Was it the scent of flowers? Xu Anan sniffed again, only to feel her mind growing fuzzy. Sleepily, she lay down. "Sleep, sleep… I’m so tired."

...

At the pet hospital.

Jiang Li had come to collect the fat cat after its surgery. Seeing its right leg wrapped in bandages, resembling a chicken drumstick, he sighed and rubbed the cat’s little head. "Let’s see if you dare next time."

If he hadn’t sent someone to find the fat cat, it would likely have wasted away in the filthy gutter. To this day, he hadn’t figured out how the cat had ended up there—the wall wasn’t high, and for the cat, it shouldn’t have been difficult.

"Meow..."

The fat cat awoke and, seeing its patron, let out a plaintive cry. Jiang Li settled the cat in the back seat and tried calling Xu Anan, but her phone never connected, and his brow furrowed tightly. Was she still not home?

Thinking of their encounter at the private kitchen, Jiang Li had someone investigate Xu Anan’s whereabouts and learned where she was.

"Miss Xu is currently at a secluded villa. According to our findings, it belongs to Old Master Gu."

The mention of Old Master Gu made Jiang Li inevitably think of Gu Yang. He knew well the old man wanted to match Xu Anan and Gu Yang—his schemes practically bounced right off Jiang Li’s face.

Jiang Li had his assistant Wang come to pick up the fat cat. Using Xu Anan’s phone location, Jiang Li led his men searching through the woods for hours, well into the night, before finally finding Xu Anan and Gu Yang.

But when Jiang Li saw Gu Yang holding Xu Anan as they slept peacefully, he nearly exploded with rage. Gritting his teeth, he barked, "Separate them!"

No one dared touch Xu Anan, so naturally all hands were on Gu Yang. Already injured, Gu Yang was rudely pulled away, pain instantly waking him, but he restrained himself so as not to startle Xu Anan.

"My ribs are broken," he said.

At that, everyone immediately gentled their movements, carefully lifting Gu Yang away, leaving Xu Anan still lying there.

Seeing Xu Anan sleeping so sweetly, Jiang Li was both infuriated and amused.

How could she dare sleep with any man but him!

He crouched down, pinched her cheek. "Hey, wake up."

Xu Anan opened her eyes drowsily, Jiang Li’s handsome face coming into view. Yet she murmured, "Gu Yang... is hurt."

Mistaking him for Gu Yang, Jiang Li’s expression darkened instantly and he turned away. After a moment, Xu Anan realized she’d been rescued. She scrambled up, "Hey, Jiang Li, wait for me!"

By the time she chased out of the woods, she only saw Jiang Li’s Rolls-Royce Phantom driving away.

"Miss Xu, are you alright?" The steward rushed over. "Young Master’s ribs are broken—oh heavens, if the old master wakes and finds out his grandson was injured on his account, he’ll be beside himself with guilt! What should we do, Miss Xu? Please go in and see the young master!"

Xu Anan couldn’t catch up to Jiang Li, so she followed the steward to check on Gu Yang, since he’d been hurt because of her.

Gu Yang’s wound had been bandaged. He lay in bed, and at the sight of Xu Anan, his restless heart finally calmed. He couldn’t explain it, but he simply disliked seeing Xu Anan leave with Jiang Li. Even so, he knew their relationship was anything but simple.

"I’m sorry—I didn’t pay attention and ended up getting you hurt too."

Gu Yang shook his head, indicating she needn’t blame herself. "Anyone would have reached out to help you in that situation. Besides, these traps were set by our own people. If we’re to blame, really, it’s me who owes you an apology."

The steward, standing nearby, timidly apologized. "We didn’t expect to overlook one of the traps and failed to fill it in. We’re truly sorry. Tomorrow I’ll bring people to check again, and I promise nothing like tonight will happen again."

Xu Anan chatted with Gu Yang for a while, then let the steward escort her to the guest room for rest. After all the commotion, dawn was almost breaking.

Before falling asleep, Xu Anan felt grateful that tomorrow was the weekend; otherwise, she wouldn’t have the energy for work. She thought of Jiang Li, puzzled at why he’d been angry, but glad that he’d found her.

Never mind—she’d seek him out herself once she woke up.