At dusk, the helicopter dispatched from the prefecture-level city arrived safely at Mount Bilao, carrying antivenom, a thermostat incubator, and an emergency medical kit.
At this time, the blond young master Jin Ruizhi had not yet returned from the small town.
Qin Yuhe called Jin Ruizhi: "What are you doing?"
Jin Ruizhi huddled in a dark corner near the casino, his ears filled with a buzzing sound: "Feeding the mosquitoes."
As everyone knows, it is the female mosquitoes that bite. To reproduce and lay eggs, they suck human blood to obtain the protein in it.
Qin Yuhe: "You are quite selfless. You haven't even had children of your own yet, but you're selflessly donating blood to female mosquitoes to help them reproduce the next generation."
Jin Ruizhi: "What do you mean by that?"
Qin Yuhe: "Everyone else cares about how high you fly, but I am the only one who cares about whether your mosquito bites itch."
Jin Ruizhi: "They itch."
Qin Yuhe: "Endure it."
Jin Ruizhi choked on his words for a moment, then explained, "Feeding the mosquitoes is a last resort. I found out that Jian Shuibing will be coming to this casino, so I've been waiting around here to catch him."
Qin Yuhe: "Is anyone else with you?"
Jin Ruizhi: "That group of your employees with their slicked-back side-parted hair are right here with me."
Qin Yuhe: "If Jian Shuibing shows up, don't act on your own. Report to me immediately and follow my instructions."
After spending these past few days together, Jin Ruizhi knew that Qin Yuhe was someone he could trust and rely on. This rebellious and usually reckless young master obediently replied, "Alright, I'll follow your instructions, President Qin."
Hanging up the phone, Jin Ruizhi continued to stake out his spot.
The buzzing sound in his ears simply wouldn't stop.
The mosquitoes were exceptionally fond of Jin Ruizhi, constantly swarming around him and gifting him with little bumps.
Jin Ruizhi got bitten right on the tip of his nose, raising a large red bump that made him look like a clown.
He turned his head to look at the greasy guys beside him: "Did the mosquitoes bite you?"
The crowd: "No, the mosquitoes are all too busy flying around you."
Jin Ruizhi felt extremely annoyed.
They were all human, so why was he the only one getting bitten!
He had no talent for attracting women, but he was first-class at attracting mosquitoes. What kind of awful constitution was this!
Jin Ruizhi ran off to buy a bottle of floral water and slathered it all over his body. He radiated a strong fragrance, effectively turning himself into a flower fairy.
The sky shifted from bright to a hazy gray. The surrounding crowd dwindled from a steady stream to groups of twos and threes, and finally to no one at all.
Staking out one spot for a long time, coupled with the constant harassment from the mosquitoes, made it an agonizing experience.
As a pampered young master, Jin Ruizhi had never suffered such torment before.
Yet he remained firmly crouched in the corner, without a single thought of backing out. His mind was solely focused on finding Jian Yiyi as soon as possible.
She had been missing all these days, and he had no idea if she was doing well or not. He was so worried.
Jin Ruizhi prayed sincerely: Please let Jian Yiyi be safe and sound.
Jian Yiyi, I know you must be having a hard time right now, but please, you have to hold on a little longer. We will definitely find you soon, we definitely will.
...
Deep in Mount Bilao, Qin Yuhe was also busy with the rescue efforts.
He planned to take a look around Jian Shuibing's old ancestral home.
At this moment, he was wearing a black quick-dry jacket, his dark hair falling naturally. It was a completely different aura from his usual appearance in a crisp suit with his hair slicked back.
Carrying a knife and snake repellent, Qin Yuhe headed deeper into the mountain.
As he passed through a dense patch of woods, his footsteps paused for a second, and he glanced back from the corner of his eye.
Someone was following him.
When he paused, the person behind him also paused.
Qin Yuhe swiftly dodged behind a large tree.
In the blink of an eye, the man ahead had disappeared. The person trailing behind hurriedly ran out—wearing a hat and a face mask—and stood by the large tree, looking left and right, searching anxiously.
Qin Yuhe stepped out from behind the tree, opened his arms, and hugged her from behind. "Who told you to follow me, Mrs. Qin?"
The person in his embrace spoke in a low voice, "Did I get caught?"
Qin Yuhe: "Yes. Even if you put on a disguise, I would still recognize you."
He reached out and took off the hat from her head.
Her long, dark, and silky hair, which had been bound up for a long time, cascaded down. It scattered softly over her slender, straight shoulders, fluffy and soft, with a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks.
He reached out again and removed the mask from her face.
Song Xinya's delicate and beautiful face was revealed. With red lips and white teeth, her facial contours were soft and exquisite.
Qin Yuhe leaned in and planted a firm kiss on her cheek.
"Didn't I tell you not to follow me? Why did you come anyway?"
His tone was strict, but his actions were intimate.
Earlier, Qin Yuhe had repeatedly urged her to stay safely at the farmer's house.
Song Xinya had agreed so readily at the time: "I will definitely stay in the house and not go out."
But the moment he left, she followed right on his heels.
Song Xinya wasn't quite sure of his mood and felt a bit guilty. She asked, "Are you angry?"
Qin Yuhe: "I am angry."
Song Xinya: "Then what should I do?"
Qin Yuhe: "Kiss me hard, just like I kissed you just now."
Song Xinya turned her head and kissed his cheek.
Qin Yuhe: "Not hard enough."
Blushing, Song Xinya twisted her hands together. "Can I kiss you again when we get back tonight?"
Qin Yuhe patted her head with his palm. "Fine."
He hadn't let her come because it was dangerous.
The reason she had followed him was also because it was dangerous.
They were both worried that the other would fall into danger.
Song Xinya pursed her lips, puffing out her cheeks. Her fingers twisted together continuously, her usually pink knuckles turning white as she stood there stubbornly.
"Since I'm already here, I'm not going back. Even if you try to drag me away with ten bulls, you won't be able to."
Look at that, more stubborn than ten bulls.
Qin Yuhe walked in front, clearing the path and sprinkling snake repellent. Only after confirming it was safe did he let Song Xinya follow.
Along the way, the two didn't encounter any snakes.
However, they did run into a stinging caterpillar, also known as a slug caterpillar.
The caterpillar fell from a tree, landing on Qin Yuhe's shoulder and crawling toward the exposed skin of his neck.
Song Xinya saw it, flicked it off with a stick, and stomped on it with one foot, completely squishing the caterpillar until it burst.
The caterpillar's insides splattered out, sticking to the sole of her shoe.
Song Xinya wasn't afraid in the slightest. With a proud smile on her bright, pretty face, she looked at Qin Yuhe and said, "See, bringing me along is quite useful, isn't it?"
Qin Yuhe popped her collar up to cover her neck, put the hat back on her head, placed the mask back on her face, and zipped her jacket all the way to the top, covering her up tightly.
"Everyone is born with a purpose, but if I can avoid using yours, I will."
After that, the two encountered no further unusual situations and smoothly arrived at Jian Shuibing's old ancestral house.
The old house had been abandoned for years. The courtyard walls had collapsed, spider webs covered the beams and pillars, green moss crept along the base of the walls, and green ivy crawled all over the walls.
Qin Yuhe glanced into the courtyard and said with certainty, "Jian Shuibing has been here."
Song Xinya looked around but didn't see anyone. "How do you know?"
Qin Yuhe pointed at a few creeping weeds on the ground. "These have been trampled."
The courtyard was overgrown with stiff, upright weeds. Only these few growing near the entrance of the main room were broken and flattened on the ground.
Qin Yuhe said, "Jian Shuibing's house is deep in the mountains, and there is nothing valuable inside. Who would go out of their way to break into his home?"
The answer was self-evident: Jian Shuibing himself.
There was no lock on the front door of the main room. Perhaps there used to be one, but it had been broken by someone at some point.
Qin Yuhe pushed the door open, and a stale, decaying smell immediately rushed into his nose.
He walked in and inspected every room.
The footprints on the ground and the swipe marks left by fingers on the dusty table all indicated that Qin Yuhe's deduction was correct: Jian Shuibing had been here.
However, there were no signs of anyone actually living in the house.
Jian Shuibing was not staying here.
After searching around, Qin Yuhe was about to leave when he turned and saw Song Xinya standing in front of the table, staring blankly at an old, yellowed photo frame resting on it.
Qin Yuhe looked toward the frame and saw a photograph of a young girl.
Song Xinya picked up the frame, pointed at the little girl, and said, "This is my younger sister, Song Tingyou."
The little girl in the photo looked to be about three or four years old. It was a version of Song Tingyou that Song Xinya had never seen.
It was Song Tingyou from the years the sisters had lost with each other.
Song Xinya felt a deep sense of regret for not being able to witness her sister's growth with her own eyes.
Still, being able to see photos of her sister from those lost years was a comfort.
Seeing Song Xinya's emotional shift, Qin Yuhe knew how much she cherished these photos.
He pulled open all the drawers, opened all the cabinets, and rummaged through everything to search the place thoroughly.
He managed to find more for her—
Four-year-old Song Tingyou.
Five-year-old Song Tingyou.
Six-year-old Song Tingyou.
Seven-year-old Song Tingyou.
The little girl in the photos grew like a sprouting willow branch, getting taller in each successive picture. Her chubby cheeks gradually transformed into a beautiful, soft oval face.
So, her sister had grown up in this small mountain village.
Holding her sister's childhood photos, Song Xinya treasured them as if she had found the most precious jewels.
Although they did not find her sister on this trip, finding these childhood photos was still a rewarding harvest.
Ideally...
It would be best...
To find her sister soon.
Song Xinya was terrified that if they were even a little late, she might never find her sister again.
Qin Yuhe pulled his worried wife into his arms. With a gentle voice that sounded like a solemn vow, he told her, "Yaya, I will help you find your sister. I promise I will."
The two returned to the farmer's house at the foot of the mountain, and Qin Yuhe sent a message to Jin Ruizhi: [Did you manage to stake out Jian Shuibing?]
Jin Ruizhi: [Not yet.]
The deep black of the night thickened, and then, as time passed, it receded like the tide, leaving the horizon a pale white.
At dawn, Qin Yuhe's phone rang.
A message from Jin Ruizhi came through: [Mr. Qin, I've got eyes on Jian Shuibing!]
Qin Yuhe immediately sat up in bed and started getting dressed.
Song Xinya sat up as well. Wearing a slip nightgown, she propped her pale arms behind her, her chest thrust forward slightly. The lines of her neck were slender and graceful, and her skin glowed with a flawless, snow-like radiance.
Her voice, fresh from sleep, carried a hint of soft sweetness. "What happened?"
Qin Yuhe turned to look at her, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her lips deeply.
"Today, I am definitely going to help you find your sister!"
