Chapter 18 Not Really, Just His Wishful Thinking

Chapter 18: Not Really, Just His One-Sided Wish

After the sun had fully risen above the horizon, the entire campsite bustled with activity, a noisy yet orderly process of packing up.

Everyone seemed to be in a hurry as if chased down the mountain, moving much faster than when they set up camp the previous day.

Guan Xia and Pang Le also worked swiftly, dividing tasks to pack everything into bags and stuff them into their backpacks.

Once they confirmed that all items inside the tent were packed away, Dong Yuncheng and Shi Lu began to dismantle the tent.

Guan Xia followed suit, collecting loose nails and other small items, making sure nothing was left behind for future use.

After the tent was packed, Shi Lu walked to a corner to make a phone call. Pang Le, who had disappeared for a while, reappeared with two instant noodles, running over to hand them to the two, "I traded tea eggs for hot water, just boiled them, eat first." He then ran off again.

Guan Xia and Dong Yuncheng exchanged a glance and found a secluded, sheltered spot to eat.

Both of their instant noodles were the same flavor. Just as they were halfway through, Shi Lu finished his call and walked over, looking even more troubled than the night before.

Without him saying a word, Guan Xia already had an idea of what was coming.

Sure enough, Shi Lu said, "The rescue team searched all night and still hasn't found anything."

Guan Xia instinctively looked toward the Bull's Horn Peak across the way, feeling a heavy weight settle in her heart.

If there had been a sliver of hope last night, it was now replaced by a grim certainty.

With rain falling for half the night and in such deep mountains, even adults could easily succumb to hypothermia, let alone a frail child.

"You go ahead," Dong Yuncheng said, "don't worry about us, you need to take care of your own safety."

Shi Lü nodded, glanced around but didn't see the person he was looking for, then turned back to ask Guan Xia, "Where's Pang Le?"

Just as Guan Xia was about to answer, she saw Pang Le jogging back holding two cups of instant noodles.

"Hurry up and eat," Pang Le said, shoving one of the cups into Shi Lü's hand. "I just looked around and saw that almost everyone is packed up. We’ll probably set off soon, so eat quickly while you can."

Shi Lü seemed about to say something, but Pang Le had already plopped down casually next to Guan Xia and started eating quickly. Shi Lü swallowed his words, thought for a moment, then walked over and squatted beside Pang Le to eat as well.

This was the most hurried meal Guan Xia had ever eaten. To keep her energy up for the descent, she even drank every last drop of the soup and ate two more pieces of chocolate.

Dong Yuncheng finished eating faster than Guan Xia. He walked over to where the backpacks were, picked up the plastic bag for trash, and casually handed Guan Xia a few pieces of candy.

"Try this," Dong Yuncheng said, taking the empty noodle cup from Guan Xia and tossing it into the trash bag with a smile. "I found this treasure of a shop online. The candy isn’t too sweet and has a strong fruit flavor."

Guan Xia followed his suggestion, unwrapping one and popping it into her mouth. It was indeed much less sweet than the ones Pang Le had given her, and not too rich.

Shooting a quick glance at Pang Le beside her, Guan Xia lowered her voice and commented, "These are good."

Dong Yuncheng’s smile widened, and he pulled out another handful from his pocket, placing them in Guan Xia’s palm.

Guan Xia quickly put them away.

After hurriedly finishing their meal, everyone was indeed getting ready to depart, just as Pang Le had predicted.

Shouldering her backpack, Guan Xia observed that only a handful of people—three or four at most—were heading directly down the mountain. Everyone else was joining the search and rescue effort, including Song Yi, who was always full of energy, her ponytail bouncing high with every step.

Watching their serious but pumped expressions, Guan Xia suddenly felt a sense of guilt. She couldn’t help but look at Pang Le and ask, "Are you really not going? I’ll be okay—see, there are a few others going down too. I promise I’ll get home safe and sound."

Guan Xia wanted to swear on her life to prove her point.

Pang Le glared at Guan Xia. "I don't want to lose my temper first thing in the morning. You'd better think before you speak."

Guan Xia immediately clammed up. She could tell Pang Le was a bit angry.

The group walked a few hundred meters together, made it back to the summit before they had to part ways.

Lawyer Shi gave Dong Yuncheng a solid clap on the shoulder, whispered a few words to him, and then said to Pang Le, "I'll call you when I get back." He then went to join the rescue team, heading down another path without looking back.

Guan Xia and the others watched until the group disappeared from view before finally turning away.

"Let's go, we should head down too," Pang Le adjusted Guan Xia's backpack straps and took the lead, leading the way.

Dong Yuncheng, as before, walked behind Guan Xia.

They say going up a mountain is easier than coming down, and Guan Xia truly understood that now.

Although the rain hadn't been heavy the previous night, it had persisted for half the night, thoroughly soaking the soil. One had to watch their step very carefully to maintain balance.

Guan Xia tried her best to step firmly with each foot, but she still took a few spills on the way down. Some of the steep slopes were practically slid down. By the time they finally reached the bottom, everyone, including Pang Le, looked pretty rough.

The first thing Guan Xia did upon reaching flat ground was dig out some wet wipes to pass around for wiping faces and hands.

Finally free of that grimy, sticky feeling, Guan Xia breathed a sigh of relief. "Are we driving straight back? Or are we waiting for Lawyer Shi? Will the rescue team take them back after the mission?"

Guan Xia had never been involved in something like this and genuinely didn't know the procedure.

"No need to wait for him," Dong Yuncheng pulled the car keys from an inner pocket of his jacket. "They'll catch a ride back with the rescue team. Did you bring a change of clothes? Change in the car later, and we'll drive straight back."

Guan Xia was about to say she hadn't brought any when Pang Le suddenly spoke up. "I did."

Pang Le looked at Guan Xia. "I brought some for you too."

"Then let's go," Dong Yuncheng headed toward the parking lot, his tone noticeably lighter. "Finally off the mountain. I can't stand these wet clothes another minute."

They took turns changing in the car, then roughly balled up their wet clothes and stuffed them into an empty bag. Dong Yuncheng eagerly started the car. "Let's get moving."

On the way back, none of the three were in the mood to talk. The drive was silent until Dong Yuncheng pulled up at the entrance of Guan Xia's apartment building.

Pang Le finally spoke, "Don't overthink it. Go back and take a hot shower right away. It'd be best to drink some Ban Lan Gen tea or something too, to avoid catching a cold. Give me a ring if anything comes up."

Guan Xia gave an obedient 'mm-hmm', then after a moment's thought added, "That child... if there's any news about that child, give me a call. And also—"

Guan Xia's words were cut off by Pang Le.

Pang Le gave Guan Xia's cheek a pinch and said, "Don't worry, I'll see what I can find out. I'm also very curious about the killer's identity and why he would kill a child in that manner."

"Go on," Pang Le grabbed Guan Xia's shoulders, turned her around, and gave her a gentle push. "You didn't sleep well last night and came down the mountain early this morning. Hurry back and get some sleep."

Guan Xia said goodbye to Pang Le and waved to Dong Yuncheng, who was standing to the side, before heading into the building.

Guan Xia had assumed it would be very late before any news came, but she had just finished her hot shower and her takeout still hadn't arrived when Pang Le called.

Guan Xia answered to hear Pang Le say, "I checked with my ex-boyfriend about it. The killer is the little boy's biological father."

Guan Xia wasn't surprised, just puzzled. "Why would he kill his own child? Even a tiger doesn't eat its own cubs. And he tried to make it look like an accident? Was he trying to commit insurance scam?"

That was Guan Xia's first thought.

Pang Le scoffed. "Because of love. Well, not really. It was just unrequited." Guan Xia understood but found it even harder to believe. "Unrequited?!"

Pang Le couldn't help but scoff. "Absurd, right? I think so too. That guy and Lawyer Shi both called the police last night, one after the other. That man thought his plan was flawless, never expecting that his entire crime would be caught on video. When he was first handcuffed, he kept cursing at the police. But as soon as he learned there was video evidence, he totally broke down and quickly confessed. He and his ex-wife had been divorced for years, and he'd always wanted to remarry. He'd been on quite a few blind dates, and some women were willing, but he either criticized them for being too old or not pretty enough, or he had issues with them being divorced with children. So it never worked out. A few months ago, a young woman who had just graduated a couple of years ago started working at his company. He was instantly smitten, but he felt that having a child would be the biggest obstacle between them. On top of that, the little boy was a bit mischievous and didn't do well in school. He always thought the child took after his mother—not too bright—and that he wouldn't go anywhere in life. He figured it would be better to start over with that young woman and have a new child. He'd already looked into it—that young woman graduated from a prestigious university. Her family background wasn't great, but she herself was very smart. He was also a college graduate, so no matter which of them the child took after, the IQ wouldn't be low."

Guan Xia was so mad she actually laughed. "So he killed the child? Just because he set his sights on an outstanding girl, he came up with all these excuses and killed his own child?"

Pang Le didn't speak, but the rapid breathing coming through the phone made it clear that her anger was even greater than Guan Xia's.

After a moment of silence, Pang Le spoke again. "Song Yi's video didn't just help catch a murderer—it also saved that girl."

Guan Xia was surprised. "That creep had further plans?"

Pang Le: "When the police searched his home, they found many secretly taken photos of the girl hidden under the bed's headboard. He had followed her multiple times, and even took advantage of a company dinner to sneak a camera into a birthday gift someone gave her."

Guan Xia was so shocked her mind went blank, and she didn't know what to say.

Pang Le also cursed angrily a few times before speaking in a heavy tone. "Guan Xia, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like the frequency of cases happening around us has increased. Although there have always been cases around me since I was little, it's never been like recently. This is the second one in half a month, right? Not counting that wanted criminal. Don't you think something feels off?"

Pang Le paused for a moment before continuing. "And I have this inexplicable feeling that... this situation might continue. Do you think we might have picked up some bad juju on our trip? Otherwise, why would we be so unlucky? Maybe we should go to a temple and pray?"

Guan Xia wasn't sure how to respond.

To be honest, it really was because of Guan Xia—not because they encountered something, but because the system had been activated. Still, Pang Le's premonition wasn't wrong. This situation would indeed continue, and the frequency might even increase.