Chapter 036: Destined to Lack Water

Jiang Yao lay in the hospital for two days, and never saw He Yunqing again.

She’d heard the He family had specifically instructed that Yunqing needed proper rest and would not receive any visitors.

The first thing Jiang Yao did after being discharged was return to the scene of the accident.

The set had long since been dismantled, and even the box that had struck He Yunqing had been taken away.

Jiang Yao shook her head; it seemed nothing could be uncovered now.

“I’ve already looked into it for you.” A clear male voice sounded behind her.

Jiang Yao turned to see Cheng Yanchi with his hands in his pockets, standing in the cold wind.

The wind lent his expression a solemn cast as he approached with furrowed brows. “I investigated that day. The rope which was supposed to secure the box—there were signs it had been deliberately cut.”

Listening to Cheng Yanchi’s words, Jiang Yao felt a cold fear creep into her heart.

Luckily, nothing truly disastrous had happened.

“Yao,” Cheng Yanchi stood before her, “do you think Ye Yiyi has offended someone?”

Jiang Yao pondered for a long moment. “It wasn’t Ye Yiyi who offended anyone.”

She didn’t elaborate.

Cheng Yanchi saw her reticence and felt both helpless and concerned. He glanced around, then rubbed his head vigorously.

“Yao, you don’t have to speak if you don’t wish to, but you mustn’t put yourself in harm’s way,” he said, gently gripping her shoulders and looking at her seriously. “Do you understand?”

Jiang Yao lowered her gaze.

“Aren’t we good friends?” Cheng Yanchi’s tone grew impatient.

When Jiang Yao looked up again, her eyes were clear. “I thought this was just my own problem, so I hadn’t planned to tell you. But since he’s already targeted Ye Yiyi, he might come after you as well. I can’t let you remain in the dark.”

Cheng Yanchi nodded. “What’s going on?”

“It’s hard to explain. I’ll find an opportunity to tell you everything in detail. But in short…” Jiang Yao frowned, trying to be brief yet clear. “There’s someone fixated on me—a psychopath, and now, probably a reckless one at that. You have two choices. First, be vigilant about your own safety at all times. Second… stay far away from me and never have anything to do with me again.”

Jiang Yao hoped he would choose the second option.

But she knew, with Cheng Yanchi’s fiercely loyal nature, that was impossible. Not telling him, she feared he’d be hurt unwittingly; telling him, she feared his impulsiveness might get him hurt for her sake.

“No matter what you decide, I just ask that you protect Ye Yiyi for me.”

Jiang Yao understood that, with her own strength now, she could no longer guarantee Ye Yiyi’s safety.

She hadn’t expected that, in the end, she would drag her two closest friends into this vortex.

Cheng Yanchi was surprised, and there was a hint of displeasure on his face. “Yao, what do you take me for? Do you think I’d abandon my friends and run? I won’t just protect Ye Yiyi—I’ll look after you, too. I won’t let anything happen to you!”

Jiang Yao forced a smile, unease rising in her heart…

Spring arrived in the blink of an eye, with all things awakening.

Since finishing her scenes in “Heartstab,” Ye Yiyi hadn’t received any new work.

On Cheng Yanchi’s suggestion, Jiang Yao and Ye Yiyi went to a mountain resort to relax.

The resort was lively and full of vitality, with many people camping and fishing.

Jiang Yao, reading the instructions for setting up a tent, frowned and asked Cheng Yanchi, “Can I ask you something? Why aren’t we staying in a perfectly good house, but insisting on pitching one of these?”

As she spoke, she gestured toward the guest rooms not far away.

Ye Yiyi nodded repeatedly.

Cheng Yanchi waved his hand. “This is what you call enjoying life—don’t you get it? I’m an expert at pitching tents.”

Jiang Yao glanced at the time. They’d been at it for three hours already.

She looked at the pile of leftover poles after Cheng Yanchi finished, rubbed her head, and asked, “Are you sure this thing is actually livable?”

“Of course it is!” Cheng Yanchi waved dismissively. “You two go get some food ready. Once you’re done, I’ll have the other tent up too.”

Ha.

Jiang Yao curled her lip.

She really couldn’t bring herself to believe it…

By the riverside.

Two people sat quietly.

An elderly man, his beard half white, sat upright and wore a felt hat, his bearing energetic—he must have been fishing for some time.

Beside him, a young man in a simple white shirt was threading bait onto a hook—every movement was graceful.

“Yunqing, stay a bit further away,” the old man spoke quietly. “When you sit next to me, the fish bite your hook and ignore mine.”

He Yunqing couldn’t help but laugh. “Even if I went to the ends of the earth, the fish still wouldn’t bite your hook.”

The old man suddenly coughed. “You rascal!”

He Yunqing calmly cast his line. “I’m sitting here to keep you company.”

The old man smiled with satisfaction. “Have you been home lately?”

The faint smile on He Yunqing’s lips stiffened slightly, then returned. “I just arrived, and you already want to send me away?”

“Yunqing,” the old man sighed, “I know you don’t want to see your father. But your mother has been gone so many years now. If she were still here, she wouldn’t want to see you like this…”

“If she were still here,” He Yunqing’s gaze grew cold as he looked at the river, “would she forgive him?”

The old man frowned, lost in deep thought.

After a long time, he spoke slowly, his voice sounding aged. “I think she would.”

He Yunqing’s smile vanished, and his tone was icy. “No one has the right to forgive on my mother’s behalf.”

The old man sighed softly.

“Grandpa!” A delicate female voice rang out, and a pair of fair arms wrapped around the old man’s shoulders.

He turned and looked at her, frowning. “Firewheel, you’re making such a racket—my fish will all be frightened away.”

“Grandpa, you haven’t caught a single fish in two years. Whether I’m noisy or not makes no difference. And anyway, I go by Irene now—stop calling me Firewheel!”

Irene frowned: Firewheel, Firewheel—it sounded awful.

She couldn’t fathom what her grandmother had been thinking, giving her such a name.

“You lack fire in your fate, so you should hear it often,” the old man said affectionately, then glanced at He Yunqing sitting nearby. “You two, brother and sister—one lacking fire, one lacking water.”

“Why didn’t grandma call him He Waterwheel then!” Irene tossed her hair.

The old man burst out laughing and tapped her head. “You’re quick-witted!”

Nearby, He Yunqing, fated to lack water, smiled gently. As he inadvertently glanced up, he caught sight of two familiar figures walking toward them…