The silent forest, no insects chirping on this cold night.
Under the dim streetlamp, a girl stood still, her gaze piercing through the railing beside the cement path, the shimmering surface of the lake reflecting in her eyes.
Only then did Lin Xinyuan suddenly realize that she had unknowingly wandered all the way to Artificial Lake Park.
And to think… this place was several kilometers away from her home…
No wonder her legs ached so badly…
She bitterly smiled, gaining a new understanding of her own foolishness.
Who in their right mind would run out in the freezing cold, and in the dead of night no less, wearing just a tattered set of pajamas…
Especially since she was still a girl…
If anything dangerous happened, there would be no way to reason with it…
Shaking her head, she slowly walked over to a wooden bench by the streetlamp and sat down gently.
She stared blankly at the lake not far away, drifting off in thought.
The Artificial Lake was called a lake, but in truth, it was more like a large pond, stocked with some ornamental fish.
But it was pitch black and far away; no matter how she tried, she couldn’t see anything clearly.
Across the lake, distant buildings still glowed with lights, the city’s nightlife alive with red and green neon.
Faint singing drifted over the water.
So vibrant and colorful, yet completely unrelated to her.
The night wind was strong, especially by the water — far stronger than anywhere else in the city.
It was fair to say the cold wind pierced right through the bone.
Yet Lin Xinyuan felt nothing at all.
She had probably grown used to it, numb to the point of barely feeling cold.
Her rational mind urged her to stand and leave, but the pain in her legs told her otherwise — it simply wasn’t feasible.
Besides… as long as the strong wind blew on her, it would temporarily blow away those disgusting feelings, making her headache feel less intense…
In the darkness, the faint yellow light spilled down.
The girl in pink pajamas sat on the wooden bench, her pale, delicate feet propped up on the seat, arms wrapped around her knees as she curled her small frame, quietly watching the shimmering lake.
Her slender figure remained perfectly still, her black hair dancing in the wind.
Beneath her bangs, the shadows of her long eyelashes trembled slightly in the light, like a newly born butterfly.
Her moist, beautiful eyes were like the lake itself — calm, without a ripple, serene and deep.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still.
The stillness and slight movement formed a perfect picture, as if a stunning wallpaper.
Perhaps the heavens did not intend this to last long.
This moment stretched on for an unknown length of time until someone cruelly shattered the silence…
From the road in the distance, footsteps grew clearer, the young man’s breathing a little rough, his normally composed face tinged with anxiety.
He kept running, searching every corner along the roadside as if looking for something precious.
Finally…
He found her. It wasn’t anything else — it was her.
“Xinyuan…”
His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t drunk water for a long time, yet it still held strength.
But his words failed to elicit any response from the girl, who remained motionless.
If not for her hair fluttering in the wind, one might truly mistake her for a painting…
But though beautiful, this picture meant nothing to Qin Nanfeng at this moment.
The scene rewinds to over an hour earlier—
Qin Nanfeng had just finished a two-and-a-half-hour flight, arriving in Zhannan City, the southernmost city on the continent.
Exiting the airport, a black BMW was slowly pulling up.
Without hesitation, he opened the rear door and got inside.
“Thanks, brother, for bringing the car over so late,” Qin Nanfeng said, reaching out a hand to the man in the driver’s seat with a smile.
The man quickly shook his hand, speaking with a strong accent but a friendly tone.
“No problem, no problem, Mr. Qin. You’re a friend of my boss; it’s the least I can do.”
“I’ll first take you to the apartment the boss arranged, then hand over the car, alright?”
“That’s fine, thank you.”
After that, the man drove Qin Nanfeng toward his destination, a residential complex in the city.
During the drive, the man didn’t start any conversation — after all, it was late at night, and no one was in the mood for small talk.
Better not to disturb anyone.
In the back seat, Qin Nanfeng leaned quietly against the seat, ready to take a short rest.
Though he had told Lin Xinyuan he would fly in during the day, he had actually taken a red-eye flight.
This trip to Zhannan was not solely to see the girl — he had other plans and objectives.
Handling company affairs during the day, barely sleeping before rushing to catch a flight at night, this had left him rather exhausted.
In fact, this had been the case for some time…
Beep beep beep —
Just as Qin Nanfeng was about to close his eyes, a phone call shattered the silence.
At this hour, no one would disturb another’s rest without a serious reason.
Looking at the incoming number, Qin Nanfeng was surprised to see it was Lin Xinyuan’s mother calling.
She had previously exchanged contact information with him willingly…
Naturally, they had added each other on WeChat, where Lin’s mother often asked him about the girl.
She had even subtly inquired about his feelings toward Lin Xinyuan — her attitude was unmistakable.
What could be so urgent at this hour?
No news is good news, after all.
If Lin’s mother was calling this late, something had to be wrong.
It could only be about the girl…
At this thought, Qin Nanfeng’s heart tightened with a bad premonition.
Without hesitation, he answered the call.
“Qin, I’m sorry to disturb you so late… but I must find you…” Lin’s mother’s voice was weary but urgent.
“Alright, Auntie, please go ahead.”
Qin Nanfeng responded, his fingers clenching involuntarily.
Just from her tone, he knew the matter was serious…
Lin’s mother wasted no time, explaining the situation simply before asking him to notify her if Lin Xinyuan got in touch.
Then she immediately hung up.
Qin Nanfeng frowned deeply.
After hearing the news, he quickly called the girl.
As Lin’s mother had said, there was no answer.
Probably turned off.
Or worse…
Thinking this, Qin Nanfeng’s heart pounded fiercely.
He immediately contacted his company, asking them to help locate the girl.
Fortunately, since her phone was with her and he had provided information, tracking her was not difficult.
Soon, he got a rough location.
He apologized to the driver, who had apparently overheard some of the conversation and realized Qin was in a hurry.
The driver said he could get off here.
Finding a spot to stop, the man got out on his own, while Qin Nanfeng immediately took the wheel and drove toward the location.
Following the coordinates, Qin Nanfeng sped for dozens of minutes before finally arriving at Artificial Lake Park.
His efforts paid off.
He searched along the lake and through the park for over ten minutes before finally finding her.
Quickly approaching the girl, Qin Nanfeng’s heart swelled with mixed emotions — worry, and anger.
His anger was aimed both at Lin’s father and at the girl herself.
“Heh… Lin Xinyuan, are you out of your mind? Wearing pajamas, and you run out on your own? Don’t you care about your body?”
By now, they were only two steps apart.
Qin Nanfeng’s voice carried a sharp edge of anger that sounded like thunder crashing in the girl’s ears, gradually pulling her back to awareness.
Lin Xinyuan’s mind was still blank, but at his words, she looked at him bewildered.
Only then did she notice someone beside her — a foul-haired guy…
How was that possible? Didn’t he only get off the plane this afternoon?
Had she frozen her mind?
Or was she dreaming…
But… if this was a dream…
Could she scold him as much as she wanted?
Lin Xinyuan tilted her head slightly, her beautiful eyes unwavering as she looked at the panting Qin Nanfeng in front of her, especially his face radiating uncontrollable anger.
The weak, pale expression on her face softened with joy.
“Foul-haired brat…”
“Foul shark-arm…”
“I hate you the most… If it weren’t for you, how would I have ended up like this… It’s all your fault…”