After leaving the old mansion, Sang Lu and Feng Yan got into the car heading back to Qinghe Bay.
The driver was behind the wheel, while Sang Lu and Feng Yan sat in the back seat.
Sang Lu stared silently out of the window.
Her thoughts were in a mess.
She kept recalling what Feng Yi had said.
— "Only big brother has a helicopter pilot's license..."
— "I painted that unique design myself..."
Her lips tightened, and her chest felt constricted.
She was almost certain.
The crashed plane in her precognitive dream was the one parked on the lawn of the old mansion.
The blurry parts were gradually becoming clear.
All the images were pointing to one possibility—
Sometime in July (the exact year unknown), Feng Yan was flying this helicopter when it encountered an air crash.
Lost in her thoughts, her hand was suddenly taken by someone.
Feng Yan turned his head and said in a soft voice, "Tired?"
The girl who usually talked a lot had suddenly become quiet and silent.
He noticed her abnormality.
Sang Lu looked back at him, her eyes still a bit dazed. "Not tired."
But these words didn't seem to convince the man.
Maybe in his mind, she was always the type with poor physical strength.
Feng Yan put his arm around her and gently pressed her head onto his shoulder.
"Take a nap. I'll wake you up when we arrive."
Feng Yan said calmly and casually pressed the button for the interior partition.
The carriage was divided into two, and the noise of the traffic outside was reduced.
Sang Lu was then encircled in his strong arms.
His shoulders were broad, and it was unexpectedly comfortable to rest her head on them.
It was strange.
Sang Lu, who hadn't felt tired at first, gradually lost her strength.
She closed her eyes involuntarily.
The car was quiet, and the temperature was just right.
The man beside her, who was temporarily serving as her pillow, was also very reliable.
Steady and motionless.
It was a perfect environment for rest.
Sang Lu kept her eyes closed throughout the journey.
But her mind never stopped.
The images from her precognitive dream and what she had just seen kept overlapping in her mind.
The hand hanging by her side clenched tighter and tighter.
...
When they got back to Qinghe Bay, Sang Lu went straight to the bathroom.
She soaked herself in the bathtub.
She was trying to sort out the clues and get her thoughts in order.
She lay on the edge of the bathtub, resting her chin on her arms, and stared intently at her phone.
On the screen,
The search term was:
[What are the common causes of helicopter crashes?]
The answers popped up, densely packed.
Mechanical failures, operational errors, weather conditions...
All were possible causes of a crash.
Her brows furrowed, and she typed in another question:
[What's the survival rate of helicopter crashes?]
In the first few search results, a line of text caught her eye—If the aircraft fuselage explodes, the possibility of survival approaches zero.
Sang Lu's pupils constricted.
Thinking of the billowing smoke in her dream, her heart felt as if it was being tightly squeezed by a hand, and her expression became increasingly solemn.
The steam on the water surface slowly rose.
Sang Lu felt short of breath.
Frowning, she got up, causing a splash of water.
She mechanically dried her body and changed into her pajamas.
After she came out of the bathroom, Feng Yan went in.
The sound of water came from the bathroom. Sang Lu sat on the edge of the sofa, lost in thought.
All she could think about was how to prevent that air crash from happening without being too obvious.
Now that she knew which helicopter it was, there should be a smarter way.
She didn't know how long she had been sitting there lost in thought.
When Sang Lu came to her senses, she realized that she had come out of the bathroom right after taking a shower and completely forgotten about her skincare routine.
Her mind was still in a daze, and she directly pushed open the bathroom door.
There was no sound of water, which made her forget that there was someone inside.
Inside the bathroom,
Feng Yan had just put on his bathrobe, loosely tying the belt. He looked up and met Sang Lu's slightly stunned gaze.
Their eyes locked.
Sang Lu's expression froze.
She blinked nervously twice.
The man in front of her was tall and imposing. His shadow was stretched long by the bathroom light. The bathrobe hung loosely on him, not yet tightened, revealing the firm and smooth lines of his abs, exuding a powerful and vibrant energy.
His hair was half - wet, falling over his eyebrows, making his usually cold face look softer.
Their eyes met in the steam - filled air.
Sang Lu paused for a moment and glanced at the sink behind him.
"I forgot to get my hair tie and apply my moisturizer..."
Feng Yan followed her gaze, picked up the hair tie with his long, cold - white fingers, and handed it to her.
The warm, moist steam flowed towards her.
Sang Lu calmly stood in front of the mirror, quickly tied her long hair into a bun, and applied the moisturizer.
Throughout the process, Feng Yan didn't move a step, his eyes quietly fixed on her.
A look of doubt flashed across Feng Yan's eyes.
Something was wrong.
Her abnormality was too obvious. She had been absent - minded ever since they left the old mansion.
He had thought she was just too tired and would be fine after a rest.
But now, it was clearly not the case.
The man's eyes darkened.
Regardless of what was distracting her,
All he wanted to do now was to pull her attention back from other things.
After applying the moisturizer, Sang Lu turned around and took a step out of the bathroom.
Before she could react, a big, broad hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
Before she could understand what was happening, a force lifted her by the waist and sat her on the sink.
Under the light, Sang Lu's shocked eyes were wide and bright.
Sang Lu: "… Um? Mm—"
Feng Yan silently held her chin and kissed her directly.
The moist and refreshing scent on his body filled her nostrils.
She widened her eyes.
The kiss was just a fleeting peck.
It seemed only to drive away her bad mood and seize her mind.
Feng Yan moved his lips away, propping his arms on either side of her body and leaning forward slightly.
His pair of dark and cold eyes were so close, just staring at her.
There was no attempt to hide the inquisitiveness and possessiveness in his eyes.
"You've been absent - minded. What are you thinking about?" he suddenly asked.
Meeting his sharp eyes, Sang Lu panicked for a moment.
She saw her own reflection in his pupils.
Sang Lu felt more and more flustered.
She didn't want to lie.
She didn't want to make up nonsense.
Her mouth was dry, and she moistened her lips.
There were still drops of water on her lips that had dripped from his short hair when he kissed her just now.
Since their relationship had reached this point.
After much thought, maybe she should just...
"Do you have a helicopter pilot's license?"
Sang Lu's eyes firmed for a moment, and she asked straightforwardly.
Hearing this, Feng Yan paused slightly. "Yes, I do."
Sang Lu said, "I just heard Feng Yi say that you occasionally fly a helicopter for a few rounds. Is that true?"
A distinct look of confusion flashed across Feng Yan's eyebrows.
It was he who first asked her why she was absent - minded, but now he had become the one answering the questions.
He looked into her eyes inquisitively and nodded.
Just as he was about to say something, Sang Lu's clear and melodious voice drifted into his ears one after another.
"It's very unsafe, really very unsafe. Do you know that the number of people killed in aviation accidents soared last year..."
"Once there is any sudden situation, the chance of survival is very, very low."
"Moreover, it's simply impossible to predict what sudden situations might occur. It could be due to weather factors, or even a small bird hitting the helicopter."
"At least on a civil airliner, there are flight crew members to maintain order and provide emergency shelter. When you fly a helicopter out alone, there isn't even anyone to keep an eye on you..."
"..."
Looking at her chattering mouth, Feng Yan's eyes grew darker.
He always knew she was quite talkative.
But today was obviously different.
There was an eagerness and anxiety in her eyes that he had never seen before.
Could it be that she had been absent - minded ever since they left the old mansion because she saw that helicopter?
And then she let her imagination run wild on her own and worried that he might be in danger?
This thought popped up, and Feng Yan's chest trembled violently a few times. A sudden rush of heat welled up in his heart.
He fixed his compelling gaze on her and asked, "Are you worried about me?"
