Chapter 46 Unexpected Incident

Chapter 46: Unexpected Incident

It would still take some time to reach the mountain's photo platform. The area below was covered in dense forest, making it impossible for the drone to fly up. Gu Shiying also worried he might mishandle Fu Huan's drone and lose it.

Although Liang Qi had been assigned by Fu Huan to photograph Yang Shuhang, Yang Shuhang was unimpressed with his skills. After just one shot, he complained bitterly, eventually pestering Gu Shiying to take several satisfactory photos for him.

Liang Qi found it odd. Despite Yang Shuhang clinging so closely to Gu Shiying, Fu Huan showed no reaction at all. He even wondered if Fu Huan had been body-snatched.

"Why haven’t you said a word since we started climbing? You’re not even keeping an eye on Gu Shiying anymore. Aren’t you angry they’re so close?"

Fu Huan asked, "What should I be angry about?"

Liang Qi replied, "Jealousy, of course."

Fu Huan shot him a look, "Am I the reincarnation of a jealousy personified?"

Liang Qi retorted, "Aren’t you?"

Fu Huan couldn't be bothered to argue and took large strides to catch up with Gu Shiying.

He was indeed a little annoyed with Yang Shuhang, but Gu Shiying had already smoothed things over. In fact, he now felt somewhat grateful to Yang Shuhang; otherwise, he might never have noticed the special way Gu Shiying acted around him.

He openly liked Gu Shiying. Although he never expected anything in return, Gu Shiying had given him genuine, unadulterated feedback, showing he was trying to accept Fu Huan’s feelings.

Did that mean Gu Shiying had some feelings for him too?

Now, Gu Shiying was willing to accept everything Fu Huan did for him. Previously, he had been overly polite, but now he interacted naturally, accepting his kindness. What surprised Fu Huan the most was that Gu Shiying was also kind to him—not in a friendly way, but as if reciprocating his affection?

Fu Huan didn’t dare to overthink it, only carefully savoring the thought. He was afraid that if he came on too strong, he might scare away Gu Shiying, who was just starting to develop feelings for him.

Gu Shiying was happily filming with the drone Fu Huan had brought. Yang Shuhang raved about the videos he shot, and everyone was in high spirits. With beautiful scenery and good company, they didn’t even feel tired from the climb.

The four of them climbed and enjoyed themselves, arriving at the farmhouse just in time for lunch.

The mountain was quite crowded on the weekend. Some, like them, had driven to the mountain, while others had climbed from the foot. There were even those who had driven all the way up.

Halfway up the mountain was a popular farmhouse restaurant where visitors could experience feeding chickens with a small rail cart. Gu Shiying was so tempted to try it.

Fu Huan informed him that it wasn’t possible, as the cart was specifically for feeding chickens. However, they could still film a video, which Gu Shiying naturally didn’t miss. He spent some time capturing the scene with the drone.

By the time Gu Shiying was satisfied with the footage and called the drone back, Liang Qi and Yang Shuhang had already disappeared. Only Fu Huan remained, leaning against a tree trunk and watching him intently.

Gu Shiying asked, "Where are they?"

Fu Huan replied, "They went ahead to order. Tables are in high demand, so someone had to go early."

Gu Shiying said, "Then I’ll go too."

Fu Huan instinctively picked up his backpack.

Gu Shiying thought, "...Alright then."

They weren’t officially in a relationship, but Fu Huan was already taking care of him meticulously.

The two walked along the road toward the village. The path wasn’t very wide, and cars occasionally passed by, forcing them to walk single file.

The village was built like a secluded paradise, with every household growing a variety of flowers and plants. The environment was incredibly beautiful, and Gu Shiying couldn’t stop taking photos with his phone.

Just as Gu Shiying was about to turn around and tell Fu Huan that the osmanthus tree ahead was in bloom, a disheveled man suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He nearly knocked the phone out of Gu Shiying’s hand. If not for Fu Huan’s quick reaction, Gu Shiying would have been pushed onto the road.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm, and Gu Shiying wasn’t hurt. The man apologized.

However, the moment they collided, the man’s hand grazed Gu Shiying’s arm.

It had been a long time since Gu Shiying had heard someone else’s thoughts besides Fu Huan’s.

[Wife, I miss you so much. They deserve to die. They really deserve to die.]

The man was wearing a thick winter jacket despite the summer heat, which seemed odd. It wasn’t that cold in the mountains—a light jacket would have been enough.

The scruffy-looking man, looking highly tense, ran ahead in the same direction as the farmhouse. The two didn’t think much of it and prepared to continue walking. But as Gu Shiying took a step forward, he stepped on something leather—what looked like a wallet.

He bent down to pick it up. "Is this the wallet that man dropped?"

Fu Huan said, "Probably."

Gu Shiying opened the beat-up black wallet. "What should we do?"

He quickly looked through it. Inside were bank cards and about two hundred yuan in cash.

Nowadays, not many people carried that much cash with them.

Fu Huan suggested, "He’s probably from the village. Let’s turn it in to the local community police later."

Gu Shiying agreed, "Alright, we’ll keep it for now and turn it in after we eat."

Although called a farmhouse, it was actually a large restaurant built with wooden materials. Nestled among the maple trees, it exuded charm and blended perfectly with the scenery. One had to admit, the owner had a real eye for design.

As they entered, they could smell the natural scent of firewood. The restaurant even had a terrace where pre-booked customers could dine, which was quite unique.

Liang Qi and Yang Shuhang had already placed their order. After sitting down, Fu Huan added a few lamb chops to the order. When they entered, Gu Shiying had casually remarked that the lamb chops smelled delicious, and Fu Huan had remembered.

Once the food was served, Yang Shuhang wolfed down his meal and soon finished, starting to play on his phone while Gu Shiying and the other two continued eating slowly.

Gu Shiying was still drinking the chicken soup Fu Huan had served him. "Don’t pour me any more. I’m almost full."

Fu Huan said, "Okay, but the lamb chops haven’t arrived yet. Can you still eat?"

Gu Shiying put down his bowl and picked it up again. "Of course. But I need a break. I drank a lot of tea, so I’m going to the restroom first."

Yang Shuhang teased, "Your appetite isn’t great, Ying Er."

Gu Shiying retorted, "And yours is?"

Yang Shuhang rubbed his stomach. "..." He wasn’t far behind. They had ordered too much.

Gu Shiying headed straight to the restroom.

But he didn’t return for a long time. Fu Huan was getting antsy and wanted to go look for him, but he worried that it might seem too clingy. After all, Gu Shiying was just using the restroom and was an adult.

However, when the waiter brought the lamb chops and fifteen minutes had passed without Gu Shiying returning, Fu Huan grew concerned. Gu Shiying had only drunk a lot of water—he shouldn’t have been in the restroom for so long. Something must have delayed him.

"Gu Shiying might have forgotten which room we’re in. I’ll go check," Fu Huan said, feeling uneasy as he stood up to look for Gu Shiying. But a minute later, he returned.

Fu Huan said, "There are many police officers outside, along with several police cars. The customers dining outside have been asked to leave."

Liang Qi asked, "What’s going on?"

Fu Huan was on edge and immediately grabbed his phone to head out again.

As the three of them looked at each other nervously, their private dining room door was pushed open, revealing two officers in full gear standing outside.

"Hello, there’s a situation unfolding. We need the three of you to leave the villa with us and move to a safe location."

They complied without protest.

Liang Qi: "Officer, what exactly happened?"

Following procedure, the officer didn’t disclose the details: "We can’t go into specifics, but please follow us. We’ll ensure everyone’s safety."

Yang Shuhang: "One of our friends went to the restroom 15 minutes ago and hasn’t returned. Did something happen to him?"

The officer tried to reassure them: "Don’t worry, we’ll find your friend."

The officer’s reassurance only made Fu Huan more anxious.

Their private room was on the second floor. Not far from them, screams erupted from the direction of the main hall, followed by a shot fired, hitting one man in the thigh.

"Ahhh!"

"Agh!"

"Screams!"

A man holding a small black remote shouted at them: "Stop screaming! You’re all going to die here anyway!"

The two officers had already drawn their guns and assumed defensive stances.

Frantic, Fu Huan scanned the crowd for Gu Shiying. His heart nearly stopped when, after searching for a while, he spotted a figure in white crouching beside the wounded man.

Gu Shiying was wearing a white T-shirt with a black cat printed on the chest and khaki casual pants—easy to recognize.

Fu Huan’s heart raced wildly. He couldn’t bring himself to confirm whether the person crouching next to the injured man was really Gu Shiying.

Fu Huan: "Liang Qi, can you check if that’s Gu Shiying? The person next to the wounded man."

Liang Qi couldn’t lie to him and nodded gravely: "It’s him."

Yang Shuhang almost passed out: "Then... what do we do?"

Meanwhile, Gu Shiying was terrified. He had only intended to use the restroom, but as he passed by one of the larger private rooms on his way back, he spotted the man who had dropped his wallet earlier. Just as he was about to approach and return it, the man suddenly snapped, pointing a gun at another man who had stepped out of the room and wasn’t wearing a shirt because of the heat.

Gu Shiying was startled and confused but quickly realized how serious it was. As he tried to slip away, the mentally unstable man pulled open his jacket and yelled:

"No one leaves this place, or I’ll set off the bomb and blow everyone up!"

The shirtless man, stuttering with fear, stammered: "Who are you? What do you want? I... I don’t know you."

The gunman replied: "You may not know me, but you must know Zhong Jiajia. She stayed home honestly, raising the kids and running a small shop to make ends meet. Just because she wore lighter clothes in the heat, you spread rumors online that she was sleeping around! You disgusting people are the unclean ones—you deserve to die!"

Gu Shiying didn’t move a muscle, afraid of provoking the man. He quietly dialed 911 on his phone but didn’t speak, only pressing the call button.

The stalemate went on for 15 minutes until the police arrived.

Gu Shiying was moved to the center of the main hall, where he watched the shirtless man give up his buddies who had helped spread the rumors—a real dog-eat-dog scene.

When the shot was fired, Gu Shiying was terrified, but he remained calmer than most, having previously experienced being slashed with a knife.

The gunman grilled the men about how they had trash-talked his wife. Though he appeared composed, he was about to lose it.

Seeing that the man might soon reach his limit, Gu Shiying quietly moved behind some tables and chairs to text Fu Huan.

[Gu Shiying: Fu Huan, do you remember the wallet we picked up?]

Fu Huan, his hands shaking, replied immediately.

[Fu Huan: Get somewhere safe! Are you trying to get killed?!]

Seeing Fu Huan’s concern made Gu Shiying feel warm inside.

[Gu Shiying: Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.]

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Author's Note: Fu Huan: ... [sobbing uncontrollably][sobbing uncontrollably][sobbing uncontrollably]