The second-floor door closed.
Wen Li lowered his head, thinking about information related to North City. Jiang Yunhao had appeared here for no apparent reason.
If it was purely for cooperating with the Fu family, this would be making a fuss over nothing.
From the woman’s disappearance in North City, to Wanta’s location, and the tension between the Li and Mo families—none of it happens without a reason.
Fu Yuxiu walked behind her, gently brushed her cheek, and drew her into his arms, settling her onto his lap.
“What are you thinking?” He raised his hand and carefully tidied Wen Li’s hair strand by strand.
“Don’t move.”
She bowed her head, lost in thought.
Fu Yuxiu couldn’t help but laugh at how serious she looked, reaching out to softly ruffle her hair.
“See anything wrong?”
This little one is very smart—whether it’s logical thinking or anything else, she’s far ahead of others by countless degrees.
She can grasp details that ordinary people wouldn’t even think to notice—that’s her skill.
His long fingers moved with steady rhythm across her scalp—his massage technique and pressure were impeccable.
Wen Li relaxed and shut her eyes. The tangled lines in her mind slowly sharpened, connecting into a coherent image.
“How is it? Comfortable, right?”
Watching her so relaxed, Fu Yuxiu couldn’t help himself—he leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek.
The crisp scent of mint enveloped Wen Li. She lifted her hand, stopping his lips from coming any closer.
“Are you not going to sleep?”
What’s he doing clinging to her in the middle of the night?
“I can’t sleep…” Fu Yuxiu held her, resting his chin on her shoulder, speaking with a hint of shamelessness.
“If you can’t sleep, go see a doctor. At the very least, take a couple sleeping pills.” Wen Li spoke to him patiently. “Staying with me won’t help.”
The man leaned closer and closer to her face, a wicked smile tugging at his lips. He whispered by her ear, “You’re my medicine.”
The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly ambiguous. At one in the morning, Wen Li got up and told him to leave.
“Go back and sleep.”
The man, half-reclining on the sofa, chuckled softly. In a lazy posture, he looked at the girl in front of him and reached out to hold her fingertips.
“You think a hunter would let go of prey that’s already in his grasp?”
His narrow, upturned eyes held a trace of amusement. He clasped her fingertips, tightening his hold bit by bit.
“Are you going or not?” Wen Li fixed her gaze on him.
The man shook his head, clearly showing he intended to stay.
She was aloof by nature, not your typical girl. Even after agreeing to be with him, the beliefs rooted deep inside her hadn’t changed.
What couple goes on a trip and sleeps in separate rooms?
If he didn’t take this step, he’d be the one suffering later. Thinking of this, the darkness in the man’s eyes deepened.
“I’m not leaving. I swear, if I sleep holding you, I won’t try anything.” He raised his hand, looking completely sincere.
Wen Li smiled softly, her fingertip brushing along his collarbone as she slowly moved closer.
The girl who had always been indifferent and distant now wore a smile. “Are you sure you can really hold back?”
Fu Yuxiu raised his hand and pulled her into his arms with satisfaction, his grip tight as steel.
“I’ll try my best.”
Those three words fell into Wen Li’s ears—not too light, not too heavy—but they felt like a promise.
She struggled hard twice, and in the soft rustling, their robes slipped apart.
Wen Li lowered her head and saw the man’s exposed chest. The dim light cast a sheen over his firm skin.
His features were breathtaking—lips curled in a teasing arc, eyes long and fox-sharp, nose high and proud, the whole face as flawless as a jade carving.
Even just sitting there, someone like him could draw women rushing toward him in droves—let alone if he were deliberately seductive.
No one dislikes beautiful things. Wen Li didn’t care much for male beauty, but she still liked to admire pleasing-looking men.
She had to admit, the man before her was flawless—head to toe, not a thing out of place.
“Are you satisfied?
The man leaned forward slightly, his thin lips gently brushing against the girl’s red lips.
His breath, warm and close, fanned across her face. Wen Li slipped into it without even realizing.
Before she could react, he’d already cupped the back of her head, pulling her in with a firm, possessive grip
He tilted his head and kissed her, breath warm and full of lingering affection
Wen Li closed her eyes, her hands uncontrollably holding onto his back as she tried her best to respond.
Time passed, second by second, as if a long while had gone by. The man, who had been lowering his gaze and devouring all her breath, finally let go, placing feather-light kisses one after another on her face.
From the corner of her lips to the tip of her nose, then to the faintly pink edge of her ear.
The kiss was gentle and attentive, as if he were handling a treasured gem.
Knock knock...
The steady knock on the door woke them both. Wen Li shook her dazed head hard.
What was with this man? One look and she seemed to lose all reason. Those eyes—like they could seduce your soul.
Seeing her expression, Fu Yuxiu burst out laughing without holding back.
“Hands off. Stay put.” Wen Li said to the man on the couch as she stood and walked to the door.
Fu Yuxiu spread his hands and obediently sat still.
When Wen Li turned, he caught sight of the blush creeping behind her ear—and his smile deepened, bold and unrestrained.
The one who came knocking was Fei Ran. Seeing Wen Li open the door, he gave a polite nod.
“Miss Wen.” Fei Ran looked past Wen Li and saw the man sitting inside.
His clothes were disheveled, and his already seductive face looked even more striking than usual. His lips were glossy, and his tongue flicked across them, carrying a faint, elusive allure.
Fei Ran steadied himself and looked at Wen Li. “The eldest Miss of the Li family wants to see you. She’s very anxious and said it’s something important.”
Wen Li frowned. Li Ruobing came at this hour?
Was her gut feeling actually spot on?
“Tell her to wait. I’ll head down right away.”
Wen Li turned and went back to her room to change. The man still half-reclining on the sofa watched her as she took out her clothes.
“Go get changed.”
Wen Li threw the towel, and it landed squarely on that unfairly good-looking face.
Fu Yuxiu raised a hand and took off the towel, then slowly got up and shook out his clothes.
“What’s the rush?”
Wen Li was just about to turn with the clothes in her arms when someone yanked the jacket from her hand.
Turning to look at the man holding the other end of the clothes, Wen Li didn’t hold back—she jabbed her elbow hard behind her.
The man easily blocked the girl’s attack and chuckled. “I’ll help you change.”
“Don’t push your luck.” Wen Li shot him a glare.
Seeing the little girl in front of him bristling like a ruffled lion cub, Fu Yuxiu pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair.
“Mm, I won’t tease you anymore. I’m going to change. It’s cold outside—remember to dress warmly.”
Although it hasn’t snowed these past two days, the temperature here is already below zero, and outside, thick piles of snow remain.
Wen Li watched the man walk out and shut the door, then smacked her forehead hard.
“When did I ever get tempted by a pretty face?” she muttered.
If Su Jingjing saw this, who knows how hard she’d laugh at her.
Li Ruobing waited anxiously in the lobby, wrapped head to toe in a thick black down jacket.
She shifted anxiously, stealing glances at the top of the stairs—though she couldn’t call out.
Wen Li and Xia Chen appeared at the same time—she came down from upstairs, while he showed up with a messy bedhead like a bird’s nest.
Li Ruobing strode over in a few quick steps, her expression flustered. “Wen Li, please save Li Li!”
Wen Li looked at her anxious expression and leaned back on the sofa. “What happened?”
Did Li Li fell into an ice hole while skiing?
They’d only just found out that Li Li had arrived in North City—before the news even had time to warm up, something had already happened to her.
“Did Li Li get into trouble again?” Xia Chen yawned.
Isn’t that girl getting into trouble just normal?
“Li Li’s gone missing!” Li Ruobing looked anxiously at the two of them.
Xia Chen’s sleepiness vanished in an instant. He rubbed his eyes, looked at Wen Li, then at Li Ruobing.
“What happened?”
Li Ruobing’s voice trembled with tears, her eyes rimmed red. “Tonight, Li Li said she was going up the mountain to paint. She went out with just a few bodyguards. But by midnight, she still hadn’t come back. I tried contacting the people with her—but they’ve all lost contact!”
Wen Li caught the key detail in her words. “Up the mountain—which one did she go to?”
“Just out back,” Li Ruobing went on. “I brought people to search the mountain, but the back slope was sealed off—we couldn’t get through. They said the Mo family was hunting a traitor. But that’s where Li Li went to paint!”
She heard noises coming from the woods every now and then—it nearly scared her soul out of her body.
“Grandma took her medicine and went to sleep. I had no other choice, so I came to you.” Li Ruobing grabbed Wen Li’s hand. “I’m begging you, Wen Li—please save Li Li!”
The back mountain was inexplicably sealed off, and the bodyguards lost contact—Li Li is most likely in grave danger.
Wen Li recalled the bodyguards she’d seen on the road behind earlier and the unease she’d felt—now she finally understood why she couldn’t sleep.
“Are you sure she’s on the mountain? She might have…” Xia Chen looked at Li Ruobing’s tear-streaked face and swallowed the rest of his sentence.
With Li Li’s personality, she might’ve just run off somewhere to play.
You really wouldn’t think she’s the type to sit still and patiently paint.
“She’s definitely on the mountain.” Li Ruobing looked at Xia Chen.
If this were the Imperial Capital, she would’ve swaggered up the mountain with her people long ago. But this is North City.
The mountain was sealed off by the Mo family, under the Fu family’s name. Each family has its own sphere of influence—and the young master is still here.
She couldn’t risk alarming Grandma—at this point, Li Langhua’s health wasn’t good. If she were frightened again, something bad would definitely happen.
Fu Yuxiu happened to hear that sentence as he came down the stairs.
Wen Li raised a hand to rub her temples and instructed Xia Chen beside her, “Get ready—we’re heading up the mountain.”
“Miss Wen, let’s wait for the young master to come down first,” Feiran reminded from the side.
Wen Li turned to glance at the man standing on the stairs. “He’s down. You all get ready—we’re heading straight up the mountain.”
Feiran glanced at the man on the stairs. After receiving his signal, he nodded and went down to make preparations.
“Thank you, Wen Li. Really, thank you so much.” Li Ruobing was nearly on her knees.
If Wen Li weren’t here, she truly wouldn’t know how to handle this.
As she stepped out the door, light snow was already drifting down overhead. Wen Li glanced up—this snowfall probably wouldn’t last long.
“Boss, shouldn’t we talk to the Mo family first before heading over?” Xia Chen said from behind.
Without even turning her head, Wen Li said, “Dressing you like this wasn’t so you could go reason with them.”
Xia Chen looked down at his gear. Sure enough, it had been a long time since the boss had him dress this formally.
He wore gear designed for easy movement, a pair of black combat boots crunching through the snow with every step.
When they headed out, including the three of them, only twenty people were brought along.
They all carried high-powered submachine guns on their backs.
Fu Yuxiu half-embraced Wen Li, interlaced their fingers, then tucked the girl’s slightly cold hand into his coat pocket.
“Don’t worry. The Mo family hasn’t brought anyone out yet—they clearly haven’t caught anyone.” The man whispered comfortingly in her ear.
“Since the Mo family’s under your surveillance, tell me—what exactly is Mo Xiao planning with such a big setup tonight?”
Wen Li followed his steps forward. Their pace wasn’t slow—walking like this, they were actually faster than Li Ruobing behind them.
“Of course—there’s someone in this mountain the Mo family wants.”
With that, the words were done, and Wen Li more or less understood.
Li Li’s accidental entry into this place was what led to the current situation.
The Mo family’s people haven’t pulled out yet—clearly, they haven’t caught anyone.
The group marched forward in full force, and the Mo family’s men stationed along the mountain path stepped up to block them.
The man in front hadn’t even opened his mouth before Xia Chen’s machine gun shredded him like a sieve.
The action happened too fast—no one had time to react. Li Ruobing clutched her ears tightly, not moving until she saw the body hit the ground.
Xia Chen put away his gun, and only then did she lower her hands, dazed as she looked at Wen Li.
Though Wen Li was a bit cold, in Li Ruobing’s eyes, she had always saved people like a savior.
It was the first time she’d seen Wen Li kill with such coldness—even if she hadn’t pulled the trigger herself, it was done on her command.
As members of the Li family, both Li Ruobing and Li Li had been trained in basic self-defense since childhood—naturally, marksmanship was a required course as well.
She had originally thought Wen Li would come and negotiate properly with the Mo family.
No one expected it—before a word was spoken, the other side was gunned down.
Xia Chen put away his gun with a proud look. “Boss, how’d I do?”
Wen Li glanced over and didn’t hold back the praise. “Not bad.”
Fei Ran and Lu Min exchanged a glance. Lu Min leaned in and said, “Young Master never said anything about negotiating with the Mo family—he just brought people and started killing.”
Isn’t this maybe a bit too much?
“We can’t afford to provoke them?” Fei Ran raised an eyebrow at him.
Lu Min puffed out his chest. “What kind of joke is that? The Mo family’s nothing.
Their young master doesn’t even think much of the Fu family—why would he care about the Mo family?
But charging in like this—Miss Wen Li is being a bit too blunt and violent.
And all their guns were heavy weapons—no way to attach silencers. They just came in, bold and brazen, to wreck the Mo family’s place.
“You’ve been holed up in Ningzhou with the young master for ages—bet you’re about to grow moss. Let’s cut loose tonight.”
At the mention of this, Lu Min’s eyes lit up—it was about time to stretch his muscles.
A tiger can’t be kept in a cage forever, can it?
They walked a few steps along the mountain path, and everyone who followed the gunfire was taken out one by one by Xia Chen and Lu Min.
Li Ruobing walked at the back of the group, watching the two people ahead walking side by side.
Even with such a near-suicidal advance, the two of them acted with reckless arrogance, showing no fear of the people closing in from all directions.
After walking for about twenty minutes, Li Ruobing rushed forward and picked up the paint that had been scattered and trampled all over the ground.
“This belongs to Li Li!”
This was the paint Li Li took with her when she left—and the sketch board is still lying here too.
“Then which direction would she go?” Xia Chen asked thoughtfully.
Wen Li glanced over the footprints on the ground. It had only just started snowing tonight—a few minutes wasn’t enough to cover all the tracks.
Aside from the scattered corpses, there were two sets of footprints—one large, one small—clearly visible behind the ancient tree across the way.
In the end, the larger set went forward, while the smaller one vanished near the bushes.
“These are Li Li’s footprints,” Wen Li said, rising to her feet and looking at the snapped dead branches.
The ones who came up this mountain were probably all men—none of them would have feet this small.
“She went downhill, right? If we start from here, we should be able to find her?” Xia Chen asked, using the tip of his gun to lift the fallen man’s clothes.
The weapons were taken, and even the handgun that was left had its bullets removed.
“There are people guarding the main road. Li Li’s not stupid—if she ran into a blockade, she would’ve turned back,” Wen Li said, scanning the distance.
Fu Yuxiu stepped forward and carefully tightened the scarf around Wen Li’s neck.
“Detour.”
Li Ruobing looked into the distance, her expression worried. “But Li Li’s never been here before—how would she know what’s where?”
It was the dead of night. The thought of Li Li out there alone, dodging killers in the mountains, made Li Ruobing’s heart twist with worry.
“Go from the west and cross the stream—you’ll reach the ski resort,” Feiran said, stepping forward.
So that means Li Li must’ve gone forward along the stream.
“Go west.”
The road was littered with corpses. The thick stench of blood mixed with the icy, piercing snowflakes, stinging the face as it entered the nose.
“Cold?” Fu Yuxiu leaned in close to Wen Li’s ear, pulling her tightly into his coat.
Even though they were walking through the mountains, the man moved as leisurely as if he were strolling through a shopping street.
“You seem pretty relaxed,” Wen Li said, raising an eyebrow at him.
Fu Yuxiu leaned down and touched her nose lightly. “The mountain scenery at night isn’t bad. Would you say this counts as our first time watching the night view together?”
Like this, there’s no denying he’s relaxed.
By the time they reached the heart of the woods, they spotted a group in pursuit, closing in from all directions. The figure ahead was bleeding, blood trailing down with every step.
On the white ground, the scattered crimson bloodstains looked especially glaring and eye-catching.
Li Ruobing glanced over. When Yun Xiao turned back, his handsome and refined face stood out clearly.
“It’s Yun Xiao!!”
She remembered—Grandma had arranged for Yun Xiao to go up the mountain with Li Li to give the two of them a chance.
So that means, when the danger struck, Li Li wasn’t alone—Yun Xiao was with her.
“Save the person.” Fu Yuxiu said.
Lu Min and Xia Chen charged out first. After a round of gunfire, they took down the dozen or so people surrounding Yun Xiao.
Seeing the reinforcements arrive, the person covered in snow could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, leaning against a tree.
“Yun Xiao!!”
Li Ruobing rushed over with her team. His white down jacket at the chest was soaked through with blood, and his face was deathly pale.
Judging by the damage to the clothing, there were gunshot wounds to both the hand and the waist.
“Are you okay? How are you?”
Yun Xiao steadied himself and looked at Li Ruobing, a smile tugging at his lips. “You’re here… does that mean Li Li made it back safely?”
Just that one sentence, and Li Ruobing understood what had happened.
She didn’t speak, lips pressed together in silence.
She checked Yun Xiao’s pulse. He had lost too much blood—though the wounds weren’t fatal, without treatment, there would still be serious consequences.
“Ruobing, where’s Li Li?”
After a long moment without a response from Li Ruobing, Yun Xiao’s tone turned cold.
Li Ruobing lowered her head without answering. “I’ll arrange for someone to take you back right away—you need immediate treatment.”
She hadn’t brought anything when she left—not even the medical kit. Now, even if she wanted to treat his wounds, she was powerless to help.
“I’m asking you a question! Where’s Li Li!!” Yun Xiao’s voice suddenly rose.
Wen Li stepped forward, pulled out a bottle of hemostatic pills from her pocket, and tossed it over. “Take two. It’ll stop the bleeding.”
Yun Xiao sat on the ground, looking at Wen Li. She stood against the light, her face nearly impossible to make out.
Even so, her overall silhouette was still discernible.
It was Wen Li.
Wen Li—the one who helped her on Li Li’s birthday last time. Why is she here now?
“Send two people to take him back. We’ll keep moving forward.” Wen Li turned and gave the order.
Xia Chen nodded and made a gesture to the two black-clad men beside him.
“Why are you still going forward?” Yun Xiao asked, clutching the bottle of pills, eyes fixed on Wen Li.
Wen Li looked down at him, expressionless. “Didn’t you already figure it out?"
From the moment he questioned Li Ruobing, he’d already suspected that Li Li had never made it back to the villa.
That realization made his already pale face turn even paler.
“No. I’m going with you.”
Under intense stress, his wound throbbed worse than before—he couldn’t even stay on his feet.
Li Ruobing hurried forward to support him. “You have to go back for treatment now—if you don’t, you’ll die.”
“No—I have to save her.”
Yun Xiao forced himself upright and kept moving forward.
“If we bring you along, our pace will slow. Every second we lose puts Li Li in greater danger. You decide.” Wen Li said.
Her words successfully made Yun Xiao, who had just gotten up, stop in his tracks.
It was true—his left hand was completely numb now, and the pain from the wound was getting worse.
Going now might not be much help to them.
Seeing him stop, Wen Li confirmed that he was someone rational enough to understand the situation.
He’s not the type to let emotions cloud his judgment. That’s good.
“You go back with him,” Wen Li said, turning to Li Ruobing.
Likewise, Li Ruobing was a completely useless person.
After looking at Wen Li for a long moment, Li Ruobing nodded. “I understand.”
She couldn’t afford to hold Wen Li back. She already owed her more than she could ever repay. One day, she’d find a way to make it right.
On the distant cliff, two figures silently watched this place.
“Didn’t expect to catch a big fish.” The man’s shrill voice sounded especially sharp in the night.
The woman beside him let out a soft laugh and lowered the binoculars in her hand.
“Tell them to send more people—the ones they want are all here…”
🐇♡🐇♡🐇♡🐇
He takes one step and immediately sits back down like his legs just quit the job.
Li Ruobing (flatly): “You can’t even stand straight. You’re not helping— are you auditioning for a medical drama?”
Wen Li (checking her watch): “If we take him, we lose time. If we lose time, we lose Lili. If we lose Lili, I lose patience.”
Fu Yuxiu (Annoyed): You already disturbed our alone time. I almost scored but got blocked.
Wen Li (Glaring): Shut up!
Yun Xiao (weakly): “I won’t be a burden.”
His legs flops like a sad fish.
Yun Xiao (Awkward): “…Okay, maybe a decorative burden.”
Li Ruobing (sighing): “I’ll take him back. I already owe Wen Li three favors, a bubble tea, and a Netflix subscription.”
Cliffside Villains
Shrill-Voiced Man (grinning): “They’re all here. Perfect! Send more people!
Woman in Black (dryly): “Perfect? We’re on a cliff. It’s freezing. And you brought decaf.”
Shrill-Voiced Man (offended): “It was on sale! We don't have membership here and just snuck in. Just Drink!”
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