Falling

Following the rice paddies and vegetable patches eastward, a small mountain came into view.

The mountain wasn't large, but it was lush and verdant. Even before reaching it, Yimo could see many fruit trees.

At the foot of the mountain and by the village fence, there was a small stream less than three meters wide.

The water flowed gently, and the stones within, having been submerged for a long time, appeared very smooth.

Dieyu released Yimo's hand, then took off her sandals. Holding her sandals in her right hand, she carefully stepped into the stream. The trickling water flowed over Dieyu's delicate skin, and a few small fish swam towards her.

Suddenly turning back, she bent down and looked at Yimo, saying, "What are you standing there like an idiot for? Let's go!"

"Heh heh, can't you walk without me holding your hand?"

"You really are a child!"

Yimo looked at Dieyu and asked, "What are you going to the back of the mountain for? It's deserted. You're not going to do anything to me, are you?"

Because Dieyu was bent over, that hint of spring was perfectly clear for Yimo to see.

For Yimo, a shut-in who had never experienced romance, this stimulation was incomparable to anything he'd seen in movies.

He didn't look away.

Dieyu naturally knew where Yimo's gaze was, and she raised an eyebrow, saying, "What, scared?"

Upon hearing this, Yimo squatted down, took off his shoes, rolled up his sweatpants to mid-thigh, and waved his hand, saying, "I'm a tough guy, why would I be scared?"

Dieyu looked at Yimo's legs and frowned slightly, saying, "I don't know why, but I feel a little discouraged..."

"Never mind... let's go~"

She winked at Yimo, then extended her hand, inviting Yimo to proceed through the stream together.

The two advanced cautiously through the stream, one behind the other.

As they walked further, the water gradually deepened.

The trees at the foot of the mountain became more numerous, their shadows dancing. Light spots flickered on the water's surface, reflecting off the small stones in the water, creating a colorful scene.

It wasn't exactly colorful, perhaps because Dieyu was so radiant that everything around her seemed to become more beautiful.

After walking a distance, the water level deepened, reaching Yimo's thighs.

Dieyu's denim shorts were already splashed wet by the gently flowing stream.

The bottom of the stream was covered in stones, and Yimo walked very slowly, taking each step with great care.

Dieyu, on the other hand, hummed a song, gently swaying her head, looking very happy. She wasn't as careful and even looked back to urge Yimo on, "You don't need to be so careful, you won't drown!"

"The lake behind us is very beautiful!"

Yimo gave a wry smile, "I'm not a child, why are you so excited?"

Yimo actually wanted to explore the village on his own, but because he had become the center of attention from the start, he hadn't found an opportunity to go out alone all afternoon yesterday.

This was a good opportunity, using Dieyu as an excuse to come and take a look.

He was still very interested in the ancestral hall behind the small hill.

Yimo always felt that such things wouldn't appear in a game for no reason; perhaps they could trigger some plot or provide some clues.

Dieyu turned her head upon hearing this and said with a smile, "Why aren't you a child? Girls are always 16 years old!"

Yimo: "16 isn't exactly young anymore."

Dieyu pouted upon hearing this, "You weren't as sweet when you were talking just now."

Yimo shook his head and didn't say anything more.

Instead, Dieyu smiled and said, "Oh right, I'm 20. Mr. Siba Jungler, how old are you?"

Yimo: "20, we're the same age."

Upon hearing this, Dieyu suddenly leaned her upper body closer, startling Yimo.

At this moment, the two were in a rather deep stream, and Yimo couldn't dodge even if he wanted to. He could only watch Dieyu's big eyes blink and blink right in front of him, like a butterfly's!

"I'm a Gemini. What's your zodiac sign?"

Yimo didn't want to say, but Dieyu urged him repeatedly. When she wouldn't move unless he answered, he truthfully said, "Capricorn."

Dieyu frowned slightly upon hearing this, "So Mr. Siba Jungler is actually younger than me..."

"Capricorn and Gemini don't seem to be a very good match."

A hint of worry appeared on her face.

Yimo couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, there was no expression on his face, but the sound of laughter was there.

"Hahaha... what, you want to be my girlfriend?"

Yimo said it casually, but it was actually another attempt to test Dieyu.

Whether Dieyu was truly his girlfriend.

Dieyu's face flushed upon hearing this, revealing a girlish shyness, "Hehe."

With just a smile, she looked quite happy.

But there was no reply.

Immediately after, she turned to take Yimo and speed up, heading towards the area behind the hill.

"Let's go, speed it up! The scenery at the small lake behind us is really nice!"

Yimo muttered, "Why does this feel like a date..."

However, just then, because Dieyu was rushing a bit too much, her footing became unstable, and with a startled cry, she stumbled towards the water!

"Ouch!"

Yimo's footing was very stable; he had already guessed this might happen and reacted quickly, giving a strong pull.

Then.

Dieyu completely fell into Yimo's arms.

Caught squarely in Yimo's embrace!

At this moment, both of their clothes were splashed by the water, and Yimo, through his t-shirt, could feel a considerable softness against his chest. His face immediately flushed red, and he quickly said, "Hey! I told you to be careful!"

After speaking, he frowned and looked down at Dieyu in his arms.

She was looking up at him, peeking at him with slightly narrowed eyes and a faint smile playing on her lips.

A few water droplets clung to her slender eyebrows, and her white chiffon camisole was completely soaked, revealing a breathtaking, alluring scene.

It was captivating, intoxicating.

Yimo frowned slightly, "You did that on purpose."

Dieyu, with a sly, mischievous grin, replied, "Where did I? Don't talk nonsense, I didn't~"

Yimo wanted to rub his aching head, but unfortunately, he didn't have a free hand, so he had to give up and quickly urged, "Alright, that's enough. After we've had our fill, let's continue on our way."

Seriously, it really felt like a date!

No, even a date wouldn't usually have a scene like this!

Though he thought this, Yimo recalled carefully and realized that this kind of scene had actually happened before...

It was also near water, a girl lost her footing and fell towards him, and he caught her.

Childhood sweetheart?

Not exactly, as he had only met that girl 5 years ago.

Compared to the Dieyu in front of him now, she was much more immature.

Moreover, Dieyu did it on purpose, while that girl had genuinely slipped; it was an accident.

Probably...

"Holding me and thinking of someone else, that's not good!" Dieyu's eyes were bright, and she saw right through Yimo's thoughts, bringing him back to reality.

Yimo said, "Okay, big sister, stop trying to tempt me. I'm young, I can't handle it!"

Hearing this, Dieyu wrapped her arm, holding her sandals and small storage box, around Yimo to ensure she wouldn't fall again, putting her entire weight on him. With her other hand, she patted Yimo's chest, "Mr. Siba Jungler, people always have to grow up."

"Look at me, I've gone from a little kid to a big sister."

For some reason, Yimo felt Dieyu was a bit upset.

It seemed she wasn't too happy with his "big sister" remark.

After speaking, Dieyu finally let go of Yimo and continued to lead him through the water.

She muttered, "It really is like a date."

"It's quite nice~"

Yimo wanted to call her a little vixen, thinking her muttering was too loud.

But then he considered that Dieyu might be doing it on purpose, so he obediently shut his mouth and didn't say anything more.

About 15 minutes passed.

The water level gradually decreased, and they could see the back of the mountain was within reach.

A little while later, at the end of the stream, a small lake finally came into view.

The sky was a clear azure, the lake was calm, and small fish occasionally surfacing caused ripples to spread across the water.

There were many smooth, large stones around the lake. To the left was a sizable forest, and to the right, the lake bordered the village fence.

Several birds circled in the sky, creating a scene like a pastoral paradise.

After coming ashore, Dieyu excitedly ran towards the small lake barefoot.

Yimo's attention, however, was drawn to the ancestral hall at the foot of the mountain in the direction she was headed, and he planned to go take a look.

But before he could reach the ancestral hall, he heard Dieyu calling him.

Yimo turned his head at the sound and saw exactly that.

Dieyu stood barefoot on a large white stone by the lake, looking at him slyly. Then, with one hand on the edge of her denim mini-skirt and the other, she pulled down the zipper of the skirt.

Then...

The denim mini-skirt, just like that... slid down her smooth, fair legs, pooling around her small feet