Liu Renzhi still didn't know what had happened; he just instinctively held Lin Wanyi firmly in his arms.
"A snake, there's a snake.
"Brother Liu, there's a snake."
Liu Renzhi looked around but only saw the rustling grass.
There wasn't even a shadow of a snake.
Still, he patted Lin Wanyi's back gently:
"It's okay, it's okay. It's just a small snake, it won't bite."
"I'm scared."
Lin Wanyi hugged Liu Renzhi even tighter, looking incredibly pitiful.
She wasn't pretending; she was genuinely terrified of snakes.
She had been since she was a little girl.
Even at the zoo, she wouldn't dare go near the reptile house.
Liu Renzhi breathed in the sweet fragrance of Lin Wanyi's body.
He felt a little intoxicated.
He didn't even think about putting her down; he just wanted to hold her like this forever.
However, Lin Wanyi finally regained her senses.
She struggled to get down from Liu Renzhi's embrace:
"I'm sorry, Brother Liu, I'm really sorry.
"I was just so frightened. Snakes... I'm really terrified of them."
A wicked idea popped into Liu Renzhi's head:
"What should we do then? We're on a mountain, and mountains have the most snakes.
"There might be even more snakes further down. What are we going to do?"
Lin Wanyi trembled with fear, but she insisted on getting down anyway.
Jumping into Liu Renzhi's arms like that was simply too embarrassing.
At this moment, her face was burning red.
She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
She didn't dare look at Liu Renzhi, yet she was too scared to step forward.
She was terrified of seeing another snake; that would truly be the death of her.
Seeing her like this, Liu Renzhi felt a sudden flutter in his heart.
Suddenly, he cupped Lin Wanyi's face and, without a second thought, captured her lips with his.
Those soft, sweet-tasting lips.
Ever since their last kiss, he had been reminiscing about it every single day.
Tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep.
Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore.
He kissed her, forceful and domineering.
Lin Wanyi never expected the usually restrained Liu Renzhi to suddenly be so wild.
She tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge.
She kept her lips tightly sealed, but Liu Renzhi forcefully pried them open.
His tongue swirled inside her mouth.
Lin Wanyi's body began to heat up.
Just as she was running out of breath and about to lose her footing,
Liu Renzhi suddenly grabbed her waist and pinned her against a large tree.
He finally released her lips temporarily, but he still didn't let go of her body.
"Bro... Brother Liu."
Lin Wanyi didn't know what she was saying, nor did she know what she was doing.
She just wanted Liu Renzhi to let her go.
But unexpectedly, Liu Renzhi just took a breath and kissed her again.
Still forceful, still domineering.
Still leaving Lin Wanyi completely unable to resist.
An unknown amount of time passed.
When Liu Renzhi had kissed her enough and felt satisfied, he finally released Lin Wanyi's lips, but he didn't pull away from her body.
He rested his head against Lin Wanyi's neck:
"Wanyi, I'm sorry, I was too impulsive.
"But I... I really don't seem to be able to control myself.
"I..."
He hesitated, not daring to say that he couldn't wait to be with Lin Wanyi right now...
He didn't dare say it, let alone do it.
A kiss was already the most daring thing he could muster.
After his impulse passed, he looked at Lin Wanyi cautiously.
He was afraid that Lin Wanyi would never speak another word to him.
Little did he know, Lin Wanyi still hadn't recovered from the shock.
She was still stunned.
She had never imagined that the always disciplined and polite Liu Renzhi could be so bold.
Her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, and even her ears were burning hot.
Seeing her like this made Liu Renzhi's heart flutter even more.
But this time, he held back.
He took Lin Wanyi's hand:
"Let's go, they are still waiting for us."
Lin Wanyi tried to pull her hand away, but found she couldn't break free.
"Brother Liu, I..."
"Careful, there might be more snakes."
Liu Renzhi's simple sentence scared Lin Wanyi into immediately leaning closer to him, completely abandoning the thought of pulling her hand away.
As they continued their hike, Lin Wanyi's heart remained unsettled.
Liu Renzhi's heart was beating even more wildly.
He wished he could take Lin Wanyi to get their marriage certificate right now.
But he also knew he couldn't rush things; matters of the heart were the last thing one should rush.
Lin Wanyi was not an ordinary girl; she was freshly divorced, and her situation was different.
She was much more sensitive than other girls.
Liu Siyue had already reached the top of the mountain first.
Chen Hui followed behind, nearly exhausted to death.
She slumped down next to Liu Siyue:
"Siyue, what's with you? Running so fast.
"It's like a dog was chasing you."
"Silly Huizi."
Lin Jiajun laughed at her:
"You and I are the ones behind her, so who are you calling a dog?"
"Ah."
Chen Hui hadn't thought that far ahead at all.
She playfully punched Lin Jiajun's back:
"You're insulting me, Lin Jiajun, you actually called me a dog."
While the two were laughing and playfully bickering, Liu Siyue quietly gazed at the foot of the mountain.
She wondered, if she were to just jump down, what would happen?
Would it hurt?
Would she be scared?
Would she be free from everything, from it all?
Before she could finish her thought, Chen Hui pulled her back:
"Siyue, don't get too close to the cliff, it's too dangerous.
"I'm the one who invited you out to climb this mountain, so I have to be responsible for your safety."
Liu Siyue immediately stepped behind Chen Hui:
"What are you thinking? Do you think I have a death wish?
"Besides, you and Jiajun are getting married soon. I'm still waiting to attend your wedding banquet."
Thinking of this, she asked Chen Hui:
"Is everything ready for the wedding?"
Chen Hui blushed slightly:
"Yeah, pretty much. There's only a week left. Yueyue, we agreed that you'd be my bridesmaid."
Liu Siyue linked arms with her:
"Mhm, of course. Not only will I be your bridesmaid, but I'm also waiting to be the bridesmaid for my brother and Sister Wanyi."
She paused, lowering her voice:
"I hope I'll still be in time."
Chen Hui didn't quite catch her last sentence and asked:
"What? Yueyue, I didn't hear what you said."
Liu Siyue pointed to another path leading up the mountain:
"Nothing, Huihui. Let's guess when my brother and Sister Wanyi will make it up here."
Liu Renzhi was still holding Lin Wanyi's hand.
Lin Wanyi's heart had been racing the entire way.
Liu Renzhi holding her hand was secondary; what scared her the most was the thought of snakes.
Before she saw one, she felt completely fine, but after seeing it, snakes were the only thing on her mind.
So, she let Liu Renzhi hold her hand, carefully following behind him the entire time.
It wasn't until they were nearing the summit.
Lin Wanyi finally pulled her hand out of Liu Renzhi's grasp.
"Brother Liu, thank you."
Liu Renzhi was just about to say something when Liu Siyue suddenly popped her head out from the side of the path:
"Brother, why did you let go? Keep holding her hand.
"Look how rugged this mountain path is, and look how tired Sister Wanyi is."
She paused for a moment and then turned to look at Lin Wanyi:
"Sister Wanyi, aren't you tired?
"Why didn't you let my brother carry you up on his back?
"Why not?"
Lin Wanyi felt incredibly embarrassed and eagerly explained:
"No, it's not what you think. I just saw a snake on the path.
"Yueyue, I'm scared of snakes. I have been since I was little."
Before Liu Siyue could say anything, Lin Jiajun immediately stepped up to testify:
"It's true. My sister was almost bitten by a snake when she was a kid. Ever since then, she stays far away whenever she sees one.
"She's genuinely terrified of snakes."
With Lin Jiajun's explanation, Lin Wanyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She took a bottle of water from Lin Jiajun's bag and handed it to Liu Renzhi:
"Thank you, Brother Liu."
As the sun shone warmly upon them, Liu Siyue received another message from Qin Chao:
"Baby, my mom misses you. She wants you to come over to our house for dinner tonight."
Liu Siyue's first instinct was to refuse, but catching sight of Chen Hui, she suddenly changed her mind.
"Alright, I'll be there tonight."
