Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

“Can you handle it?” Bai Muchuan asked Xiang Wan.

Yes… I can.” Xiang Wan used all her might to grab onto the metal rope before she regained her balance.

“… Good.” Bai Muchuan looked at her. “I have faith in you.”

His gaze was like a healing ray. Xiang Wan felt a little better.

Hearing the sound from the metal rope like it was wiping the water terrified her so. Her mind went blank, and she felt giddy…

“Bai Muchuan.” She called his name softly.

“… Don't be afraid! Hold my shoulder, I'll lead you—” Bai Muchuan s.h.i.+fted the rifle to his back and grabbed onto the metal rope with one hand while his other hand paddled forward.

“I'm so sorry. It looks like… I can't protect you.” Xiang Wan hung her head low powerlessly. Since she was wounded, and the natural-focal disease also slightly infected her, all these factors were attacking her rationality and mental state at the same time. She could only grab hold of Bai Muchuan's shoulders, not letting go of it…

“It's okay silly girl, I'll protect you.”

Bai Muchuan's voice sounded very calm.

“Otherwise, why do you need a man?”

Xiang Wan looked at his face as she held her breath. The water that got into her nose seemed to be burning her eyes. Her eyes started to feel warm, and she felt like crying…

“You're always like that.”

“Is that not good?” He asked.

“It's good. It's just that… it's so touching that it makes me want to cry!” Xiang Wan tried her best to be a little humorous. She looked at him as she spoke slowly. “Well, you're the Captain and you're also injured. You can simply get your men to bring you over first—”

“That will be too unmanly of me! If I'm such a person, will you still love me?”

Bai Muchuan swept a glance at the reflection on the water—the water had drenched Xiang Wan's face; her long hair floating on the water made her look like a water nymph under the moon. There was an unspeakable charm in her ashen face. It made him want to give her a tight hug…

His heart was fluttering. “Little Xiang Wan, I have a sudden urge to kiss you.”

Xiang Wan blushed. “…”

He still had such thoughts at a time like this?

Of course, Xiang Wan would not know how charming she looked at that moment that she stirred up emotions within Bai Muchuan.

Before she could answer, Bai Muchuan had already drew closer and gave a light kiss on her lips.

“You little imp!”

Xiang Wan's heart was beating really fast as she held on to his shoulder. “… Rogue.”

He laughed and pulled her along as he swam.

Cluck! There was a sudden loud sound. Xiang Wan turned her head. She was shocked at what she saw.

The metal rope tied around the huge rock finally gave way from the load.

Xiang Wan felt a chill in the heart. “What do we do now?”

Bai Muchuan saw what happened.

The corners of his lips lifted upwards. His first reaction was actually a smile.

“D*rn!” He cussed, but he did not seem surprised. “Do we have to perform a 'you jump I jump' t.i.tanic scene?” He gritted his teeth.

“…” He's still in a mood to crack jokes?

Xiang Wan tried hard to swim as well to reduce his burden. “I wonder how wide this lake is and how far away are we from the exit…”

“It's very far away!” These words from Bai Muchuan totally dashed her hopes. “But you don't have to worry.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms where he gave her hair a light kiss. “Even if I have to sacrifice myself, I won't let you die!”

Xiang Wan was so taken aback she sneezed.

“No!” She was panting from exhaustion and did not even have much strength to speak. “We shall live for ourselves. I'll never ask you who you would save first if your mom and I fell into the water at the same time… I'll never force you to use your life in exchange for mine. That's too inhumane.”

“Eh! You still have the strength to say such a long sentence?” Bai Muchuan turned and looked at her.

“… I'm serious.” Xiang Wan was already at her physical limit; her voice sounded weak like a baby chick. “I want you to be selfish. I don't want you to give up on yourself just to save me—do you understand? I don't want to owe you such a big favor!”

The word 'owe' made Bai Muchuan's pupils contract, and his voice sounded grim.

“You don't want to owe me?”

“It's not that… I don't want anything bad to happen to you.”

The expression on Bai Muchuan's face seemed better as he squeezed Xiang Wan's waist.

“That's more like it! You don't have to feel that you owe me—I'm the police, and that's what I should do.”

His strength was definitely not to be underestimated.

He was already in such a state, but when he squeezed her, Xiang Wan still felt that her bones would break.

She stopped debating with him. Her body rested in his arms weakly, and with his help, both of them swam forward.

“… Huff.”

She overestimated herself.

She did not swim far and was already out of breath.

It was too cold! The piercing chill felt like a snake drilling into her bones and gnawing at her, making her bleed…

Without the support of the metal rope, she couldn't alleviate the fear within her; she also couldn't battle against the cold. Her eyelids started to close slowly; she could only hear the chattering sound of her teeth.

“Bai… Bai Muchuan…”

She wanted to talk to him, but she could no longer speak as clearly.

It turned out that those romantic t.i.tanic scenes… were not romantic at all!

Xiang Wan's lips were s.h.i.+vering as she uttered the following words. “Am I… going to die?”

“…” Bai Muchuan's lips twitched a little. “With me around, you won't die.”

“If I died… will you… find another girlfriend?”

Xiang Wan's mind was a little confused.

The tension and her look of desperation made her seem extremely pitiful.

“Hur! Why do I have an urge to strangle you to death?” Bai Muchuan gritted his teeth as he tried his best to hang on. Even though he was scolding her, his voice sounded gentle. “Look at you… you're already thinking of death… why do you still want to bother about my future? Aren't you silly?”

Huff!

Xiang Wan was slipping into a state of semi-consciousness.

“I'm just… just curious… I wanna know… just wanna know… can't I…”

“Alright, alright… you want to know…” Bai Muchuan seemed to be losing energy.

He was worried that Xiang Wan would fall asleep under the cold, so he kept talking to her, even to the extent of provoking her.

“Well, I have to remind you… if you don't try to hang in there, you won't be able to control what will happen in the future.”

“… Eh?” Xiang Wan tried her best to answer.

They had a strong mutual understanding where they needed not say too much.

She knew Bai Muchuan's thoughts, and she was willing to use her remaining strength to cooperate with him.

“Don't tell me… you're really… going to find another woman?”

“Yes.” Bai Muchuan's stern gaze was on Xiang Wan's already ghastly face and used all his might to swim. “If you dare to die, I will find a bunch of women where we'll make merry every day in front of your grave… to p.i.s.s you to death!”

“… But… I'm already dead.”

“Mm…?”

“If I'm already dead… how could you p.i.s.s me to death?”

“Then I'll p.i.s.s you so much you'll come back alive!”

“Hur!” Xiang Wan laughed. That laugh made her face stiffen. “Bai Muchuan, there's a big problem with your logic… a very big problem.”

“…!” Bai Muchuan had to concede defeat in front of this woman. “You can still think about logic at a time like this? Xiang Wan, I really don't know if I should praise you…”

“Sure, praise me…”

“Your mind is still very clear. Seems like your condition is still pretty good.”

“My condition… is not good!” Xiang Wan tried to make herself sound coherent. “I'm so cold… I've never thought… that one day… I might freeze to death…”

“You won't freeze to death!” Bai Muchuan looked at the mountain in front of them, beyond the lake. “We're almost there!”

“Mm…” Xiang Wan tried her best to open her eyes and looked at the direction he pointed to.

The moonlight shone onto the surface of the lake where they could see silverish ripples on the water as they swam. However, in front of them, there was only darkness.

“Someone is coming!” Bai Muchuan suddenly said.

Eh? Xiang Wan tried to keep awake and looked up ahead.

However, she could only see darkness in front of her.

“Little Bai!” It was Quan Shaoteng.

“Captain Bai!” It was Salimu!

The voice came from the lake, and it was getting closer and closer to them.

They came back to save them.

Huff! Were they considered safe now?

That was one of Xiang Wan's thoughts before she fell into a coma.

Her last thought was: such a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic method of exiting the mountains… Did Brother Steel and his men exit the forest like that as well?

Impossible, there was no way they would escape this way.

A village was located outside the lake.

It was a quiet place. Before they even got near, they could already hear dogs barking.

At this moment, the sun had not come out. Bai Muchuan was carrying Xiang Wan on his back. After they walked for a distance, he could vaguely make out a group of people standing in a distance; they seemed to be waiting for them under the misty dawn.

There was a jeep parked behind the village on a small path, nearly completely covered in mud. Even the car number plate was not visible. The front of the jeep had caved in a little and mud was all over one side of the jeep, even on the windows…

Even so, the person who was standing next to the car still looked clean and tidy as before.

Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes to a frown. “Why is he here?”

He asked Quan Shaoteng who was beside him.

Quan Shaoteng's eyes were cold, as well as puzzled, as he looked at that person. “When we arrived at Brother Steel's villa, he had stayed back then. He went around asking people to help locate Xie Wanwan and behaved totally like a domineering CEO, thinking that money can buy anything… I really didn't expect that when we entered the village, he's already here! Don't tell me that this is really the power of money?”

Bai Muchuan's gaze turned frosty. “When did he arrive?”

Quan Shaoteng replied, “He arrived not more than 10 hours before us. This guy is indeed gung-ho. He could actually drive the jeep here…”

Something dawned upon Quan Shaoteng as he turned and looked at Bai Muchuan.

“Little Bai, are you suspecting him?”

Bai Muchuan replied coldly, “I suspect everyone.”

However, it was pointless suspecting anyone now.

At that moment, the most important thing was to save all those in need.