Chapter 22: So Desperate, Huh?

The off-road vehicle tore through the night, its tires chewing up the muddy trail, flinging arcs of filthy water into the air. 

The engine roared, a primal beast unleashed in the darkness.

Inside, Mu Xi clung to the seatbelt, her knuckles blanched white from the strain. 

The car lurched violently, each jolt threatening to unmoor her entirely.

“Your driving’s not half bad,” she managed, her voice trembling as she glanced at Tuesday, his eyes fixed on the treacherous path ahead.

“I practiced every day, just for moments like this,” Tuesday replied with a broad, honest grin. 

“But you’re no slouch yourself—jumping like that? Gutsy move.”

Mu Xi puffed out her chest, feigning bravado. 

“This frame might be delicate, but my courage isn’t. Though, I’ll admit, too many desserts lately—two steps and I’m winded.”

Gunshots cracked in the distance, closer now. 

Bullets whizzed past, splintering tree trunks and showering the air with shards of bark.

Tuesday yanked the wheel hard, sending the car into a wild drift along the slick trail. 

The tires skidded, yet somehow held their course.

“Ow!” Mu Xi yelped as she slammed against the door. 

“You drive like you’re piloting a bulldozer!”

“Sorry, the road’s a mess,” Tuesday said, his foot still heavy on the gas. 

“But a bulldozer’s got nothing on this baby’s finesse.”

The car hit a rock, launching into the air with a stomach-churning lurch.

Mu Xi’s scream tore through the cabin as her insides seemed to rearrange themselves.

Through the window, the blur of passing trees sparked memories of her days at the manor. 

She turned to Tuesday, a sudden thought breaking through the chaos. 

“Think Ye Lan’s furious I bolted?”

“Oh, she’s probably spitting fire,” Tuesday said, chuckling. 

“But she’s not catching us.”

“You sound awfully sure of yourself.”

“Three years driving bulldozers, my friend. I’m the real deal.” He punctuated the boast with another slick drift.

Mu Xi kept glancing back, her eyes straining against the darkness. 

Only a few flickering headlights dotted the horizon, but her heart pounded like a war drum, dreading Ye Lan’s pursuit.

“What if Ye Lan sends a helicopter after us?” she asked, recalling the sleek, private chopper she’d glimpsed at the manor.

Tuesday’s eyes stayed glued to the road. 

“In this mess? No way a chopper’s taking off. But buckle up tight—the road ahead is about to get nasty.”

The car plunged into a rugged mountain pass, the pitted dirt track rattling them like dice in a cup.

Mu Xi felt like a milk bottle being shaken to oblivion, her stomach churning with every bump.

“Ah!” A deep pothole sent the car bouncing, her head narrowly missing the roof.

“Didn’t see that one coming,” Tuesday said with a sheepish grin. 

“Bulldozers don’t deal with pits this wild.”

They finally broke free of the forest, emerging onto a desolate stretch of mountainous terrain.

Under the moonlight, jagged rocks loomed like crouching beasts. 

The narrow path hugged the cliff’s edge, one wrong move promising a plunge into the abyss below.

A sudden, urgent pressure in her bladder made Mu Xi squirm. 

‘Too much milk at the manor’, she cursed silently, her cheeks burning as she clamped her thighs together, wishing for a hole to crawl into.

“You okay? Your face is red as a beet,” Tuesday asked, concern creasing his brow.

“I’m fine,” Mu Xi muttered, shifting awkwardly. 

“Just drive.”

“Need a quick stop?”

“No way!” She stomped her foot, panic rising. 

“Stop now, and Ye Lan’ll have us back in chains!”

“Alright, hold it in then,” Tuesday said with a grin, flooring the pedal. 

“We’ll be safe once we clear these mountains.”

Mu Xi stared out at the jagged rocks whipping past, silently praying for a rest stop—anywhere to escape this humiliating ordeal.

God, how she missed the days when she was a man.

The road smoothed out as they pressed deeper into the mountains, and the tension in their shoulders eased, if only slightly.

Mu Xi slumped in her seat, legs twisting restlessly as the ache in her bladder grew unbearable.

“You know the way ahead?” Tuesday asked. 

“I’ve worked these mines for years, but I’m still clueless about the exit.”

“No idea,” Mu Xi groaned, her face pinched. 

“My head’s a mess.”

Dawn’s first light crept over the horizon as Tuesday yawned and pulled the car into a hidden ravine, safe—for now—from pursuers.

Mu Xi couldn’t hold it any longer. 

She flung open the door, desperate for relief.

“Wait!” Tuesday grabbed her arm. 

“We didn’t bring water.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“We might be out here for days. Can’t die of thirst.” He rummaged in the back, pulling out an empty metal tin and dumping out its screws. 

“Pee in this.”

“Are you insane?” Mu Xi’s eyes widened in horror. 

“That’s disgusting!”

“Survival wisdom,” Tuesday said, being dead serious. 

“I saw it on a show—urine can save your life.”

“Stop watching that garbage!” Mu Xi stomped her foot, mortified. 

“I’d rather die than drink that.”

“Fine, go handle your business. I’ll keep watch.” Tuesday’s grin was infuriatingly earnest.

Face flaming, Mu Xi ducked into the roadside bushes, cursing her wretched female body.

She barely crouched when Tuesday shouted, “Snake!”

“AH!” Mu Xi leapt up, her skirt snagging on a branch. 

“Damn it, Tuesday, you’re screwing with me!”

He doubled over, laughing.

“That’s what you get for dissing my shows.”

“You’re dead meat!” she hissed, yanking her skirt free. 

“I’m tossing you off this cliff later.”

“Great, saves me from drinking pee.”

Their bickering lightened the air, the weight of their escape momentarily lifted.

Mu Xi silently thanked her stars that, for all his goofiness, Tuesday was a far cry from Ye Lan’s twisted cruelty.

But the thought of Ye Lan sent a shiver down her spine, and she urged Tuesday to keep moving.

He fired up the engine, and they rolled on, directionless, picking paths on a whim.

“Think we’ll get lost?” Mu Xi asked, peering at the dark, winding trail with unease.

“Nah, I know these mountains well enough,” Tuesday said, thumping his chest. 

“Might not know the exact way out, but I won’t let us starve.”

They’d only had one measly meal all day, and by nightfall, their stomachs were staging a full-on revolt.

Mu Xi curled up in her seat, clutching her growling belly. 

The manor’s pampered days felt like a distant dream; hunger hit her like a stranger.

“Hang in there,” Tuesday said gently. 

“At dawn, I’ll scrounge some berries or something. You got too used to those fancy manor meals.”

Mu Xi nodded weakly, then squirmed again. 

“Ugh, I need to pee again.”

“You haven’t even drunk anything. How’s that possible?”

“No clue! Probably all that milk.” She glared as he held out the tin again. 

“Don’t even start.”

“Your loss,” Tuesday said, his grin maddeningly cheerful. 

“I’ll drink it if you won’t.”

Mu Xi shot him a suspicious look, half-convinced he was actually looking forward to it.

With no other choice, she slipped out to relieve herself by the car, the night wind sending a chill through her bones as she hurried back inside.