I Don't Want to Hand Him Over to Anyone

Si You was numb from the fall.

There was a long-lasting ringing in his ears. He didn't know how much time had passed, but when his vision gradually returned, the first thing he felt was excruciating pain.

For a moment just now, Si You had thought he was going to die. He'd even wondered whether he might return to his original world, but the moment that thought surfaced, he dismissed it. Dying over and over was too miserable. In his previous world, he had achieved fame and success, but that was all he had left.

For several long minutes, Si You's mind went blank again and again.

Fortunately, although the drop from where they had fallen to here was quite high, the slope wasn't particularly steep. Aside from the first few crooked trees, there had only been rocks digging into him afterward. Of course, Si You had also been forced to eat a mouthful of dirt along the way.

Finally, Si You remembered that Xue Boyu had fallen with him.

He forcibly dragged his scattered soul back into his body, and light finally gathered in his eyes. With great difficulty, he rolled over. The stale air lodged in his chest burst from his throat, and Si You began coughing violently. Even so, he forced himself to focus and look around.

"Bai Yu..." Si You breathed with difficulty, realizing he had barely made a sound.

Then he gritted his teeth, and his five senses finally truly awakened from the haze. "Xue Boyu!"

Si You's shout was quite loud, and faint echoes could be heard in the open area.

Si You remembered shielding Xue Boyu several times while they rolled down, but the tumbling had been so chaotic that he couldn't control their balance.

Where had this guy fallen?

Si You's legs only started cooperating after he crawled a few times. He braced himself against a small pine tree and stood up, feeling unbearable swelling pain at his right temple. He touched it and looked at his hand. His head had split open, but fortunately, it wasn't too serious.

This position broadened his field of vision. The grass had grown wildly after days of plentiful rain, lush and green. Looking at the surrounding terrain, although he didn't want to admit it, Si You judged that they had fallen onto the far side of the mountain. It was directly north to south from the route they had come by, and Xue Boyu was lying facedown not far away.

Si You's heart clenched as he walked over. He was afraid something had happened to him.

But Xue Boyu spoke first. "Brother Si You..."

"Hey!" Si You let out a breath of relief, nearly lying down beside Xue Boyu himself. He forced himself to crouch and helped the boy turn over. "How do you feel?"

Xue Boyu said, "Like I'm dying..."

Si You nodded. "Then that's right."

Xue Boyu: "..."

He realized that ever since Si You had returned, he wouldn't even be afraid if he met the living King of Hell.

"Move slowly." Si You instructed Xue Boyu, "Little by little. If anything hurts, you have to tell me."

In fact, Xue Boyu was in better condition than Si You. During the fall, he had landed on Si You several times.

After checking him over, Xue Boyu sat up and frowned. "My left knee... hurts so much, Brother Si You. My waist hurts too."

When Xue Boyu had been fifteen and practicing dance, he had failed to execute a large movement properly and suffered a serious strain. His family had hired top specialists, who said he was young and could recover, but he couldn't engage in strenuous exercise for the short term. Xue Boyu had always been very careful, but now he couldn't help being afraid. As he spoke to Si You, his voice even became hoarse.

"Don't move." Si You said, "I'll figure something out."

Si You rubbed his chest hard, as though endless strength had surged up from within him again. He staggered toward a patch of wild woods nearby to search around. Knowing Xue Boyu was afraid, he never left the boy's line of sight. After quite a while, Si You returned with several sticks of varying thickness.

He took off his jacket and decisively tore it into strips. Then he used the sticks to secure Xue Boyu's leg from his knee to his ankle, tying it tightly with the cloth strips.

"Ah!" Xue Boyu's eyes reddened with pain.

"Bear with it." Si You sat down as he spoke and did the same thing, securing his own right ankle.

Xue Boyu was startled. "Brother Si You, you twisted yours too?"

"I'm not sure, but it hurts." Si You's gaze was vigilant as he said calmly, "We've been down here for a while. The production team must be searching desperately. We're both injured now, so as long as there aren't any wolves or wild beasts nearby, we'll stay here for the time being."

Xue Boyu had been terrified, but after hearing that, he gradually calmed down. It seemed that as long as Si You was here, they could get out.

Si You saw how dry Xue Boyu's lips were. His eyes landed on something, and he said, "Wait here."

In circumstances like this, they needed to keep hydrated. There was no mountain spring to be found, but Si You had spotted wild grapes.

They weren't very purple, and most of each cluster was greenish, but after picking through them, he still managed to gather a small handful.

"Brother, can we eat these?" Xue Boyu asked in surprise.

Si You grabbed one and popped it into his mouth. "Not bad. They're pretty sweet."

Xue Boyu stopped being polite.

"Brother, how did you know these were edible?"

"I lived with my grandfather in the countryside for a while. It was surrounded by mountains too, and there were lots of wild berries like these. I could identify them when I was seven."

"Your old agency was seriously inhuman!" Xue Boyu couldn't help cursing. "You're so capable, yet what kind of persona did they force on you?"

Si You coughed lightly, thinking that the original owner's old agency hadn't actually been that terrible. Half of it had been the original owner's own doing, resulting in an even worse mess.

They had left the apartment at around twelve thirty. Judging by the direction of the sun now, it was about four thirty, which meant he and Xue Boyu had been unconscious here for nearly an hour.

How was the rescue going?

All the wild grapes went into Xue Boyu's mouth. Si You had only eaten the first one.

"If you feel bad, sleep for a while and conserve your strength." Si You said, "I'll keep watch."

Xue Boyu saw him constantly rubbing his chest and couldn't help asking, "Brother Si You, are you feeling unwell too?"

"I'm fine." Si You said, "I might've hit a tree stump on the way down. Get some rest."

"No, I'll stay with you..." Xue Boyu said that, but less than three seconds after lying on his side, his eyes closed. He was still a pampered young master, after all. It was his first time facing such danger, and simply adapting to it had drained all his energy.

The moment Xue Boyu fell asleep, the vitality on Si You's face dimmed.

He didn't know where he'd hit himself. He only knew that every part of his body hurt. He had been forcing himself to speak just now, otherwise the taste of blood would keep rising in his throat.

But he didn't dare show weakness. If Xue Boyu's emotions collapsed, things would only get worse.

Si You had barely closed his eyes before he jerked awake. He immediately checked on Xue Boyu and found that he was clearly not doing well.

A flush had appeared on Xue Boyu's face. He seemed to have inflammation from an infection.

After thinking for a moment, Si You bent down.

Xue Boyu was uncomfortable at being moved around, but soon felt his breathing become easier. He struggled to open his eyes and saw the scenery around him swaying. The wind swept past in silence, leaving only the rustling of grass. Xue Boyu was lying on Si You's back, and he felt safe.

"Brother Si You..." Xue Boyu said quietly, "I can walk by myself."

"Walk my ass." Si You panted. "Exercise more when we get back. Your immunity is terrible."

Xue Boyu was utterly ungrateful. "Then don't pant so hard if you've got the ability."

Si You kind of wanted to toss him into the bushes beside them.

"Is there anything? Did you find them?!"

A distant voice rang out, and Si You immediately stopped.

"Did you hear that, Bai Yu?"

"Hear what..."

Si You knew he couldn't count on him. He could only feel his way forward in the direction the voice had come from. The path ahead was narrow and rarely traveled. Every step left burrs hooked onto the edges of his pants. Ravines of varying depths lay on both sides, while leaves overhead blocked the sunlight, making the place gloomy. Si You didn't know whether he was going the right way. He was holding on entirely through sheer determination.

"There's nothing over here~"

This time, the voice was much clearer.

Si You was instantly invigorated. He carefully lowered Xue Boyu so he could support himself for a moment, then gathered his strength for a long time before managing to call out, "Over here!"

No one responded.

Si You searched around, then laboriously picked up a stone and threw it downhill, hoping to catch the rescuers' attention.

"Where did that stone come from?!" someone exclaimed.

"Over here!" Si You shouted himself hoarse. Afterward, it felt like his throat was leaking air.

Finally—

"They're up there!!!" Someone spotted Si You through the overlapping shadows of the trees.

"Don't move! Don't move!"

Si You wanted to, but his feet felt as though they had been filled with lead. The only thing he could do was support Xue Boyu. They couldn't lie flat in this place, and he also needed to make sure Xue Boyu could breathe properly.

The crowd surged toward them. Si You thought they should all be professionals, but through the layers of bushes blocking his vision, he still caught a glimpse of a vaguely familiar figure passing by, and his heart suddenly leaped into his throat.

Jiang Tingxu had come too? That couldn't be possible. He should have stayed in the little apartment and waited for news.

Footsteps came in rapid succession. Si You endured the dizziness and held on. It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like only an instant. Someone took Xue Boyu from him, and Si You immediately felt much lighter, as if his entire body had been hollowed out.

He felt that if another gust of wind rose, he would fly away with it.

A group of people surrounded Xue Boyu to examine him. They even had relevant equipment, so there were apparently medical staff among the accompanying team. Once Si You reached that conclusion, his brain completely shut down, as if punishing him for forcing himself earlier. His temples throbbed as though pricked by needles, the light before his eyes flickered bright and dim, and a figure strode toward him.

Jiang Tingxu bypassed everyone and rushed over, pulling Si You into his arms.

Jiang Tingxu...

Si You could only call his name in his heart. He was nearly done for too. Worried that everything was an illusion, Si You stubbornly stayed conscious and struggled to take a look.

His jawline was clearer and smoother than any goddamn life plan. His high nose bridge and beautiful lashes were equally flawless. It was Jiang Tingxu, all right.

Si You stopped caring.

The head on his shoulder suddenly sank, and Jiang Tingxu immediately lowered his head.

Si You's face was terribly pale, but his chest was still rising and falling.

Jiang Tingxu tightened his arms around him and headed back the way he had come.

The helicopter arranged by the Xue Household was on its way. No one had expected Si You to carry Xue Boyu out of that sunken area, saving everyone from having to take a long detour.

Everyone rushed out at top speed. The media who had arrived after hearing the news were kept outside the cordon, but their cameras were already prepared.

No one had brought their phones when they set out on the assignment today, which was inconvenient. So Si You had no idea how wildly the internet had exploded during the several hours he and Xue Boyu had been missing.

The main reason was that the livestream had captured the exact moment Si You tried to pull Xue Boyu back, only for them both to fall down. It had been incredibly clear.

Xue Boyu's fans were beside themselves with worry, needless to say. The Xue Household had contacted the production team immediately. Even though filming had been suspended, online discussion continued to intensify.

[They're really risking people's lives for hype! I've said before that so many of this show's challenges are completely unreasonable. Which genius decided they should go out in heavy rain? And now they're climbing a mountain like this!]

[I hope Bai Yu is okay. I really... don't know what to do.]

[I also hope Si You is okay. He really didn't hesitate when he saved Bai Yu.]

The haters didn't dare act up these days. Human lives were at stake. Anyone who still wanted to sling mud and smear people now was asking for death.

Insiders said the mountain was genuinely steep, and it was obvious that where Xue Boyu and Si You had fallen was an area no one ever went through.

"They're here! They're out!"

Someone among the media shouted, and camera flashes immediately went off everywhere.

The ambulance arranged by the Xue Household had already arrived. Xue Boyu was covered with a blanket and sent straight inside.

The Xue Household had given orders that after settling the young master, they were to immediately check on the other artist. But another ambulance came rushing in with its siren blaring, with the words "Weicheng Medical" written on it.

The Xue Household was powerful and influential, but it wasn't the most powerful family in Lindu. It wasn't until Jiang Tingxu, his face cold and stern, avoided the help offered by the Xue Household and quickly boarded the Weicheng ambulance that some people realized Jiang Tingxu was the only son of the Jiang Household.

The two ambulances sped toward the hospital one after the other.

It wasn't that Jiang Tingxu didn't trust the Xue Household. But with Xue Boyu as the priority, Si You might not receive the most thorough care. More importantly, at this moment, Jiang Tingxu didn't want to hand Si You over to anyone.

Once the media filmed that, the online comments became even more intense. They practically crashed the Weibo backend for Spring Action.

The production team kept making calls, hoping only to receive news that the guests were safe and sound.

Safe and sound was impossible. Xue Boyu's studio posted on Weibo that night, stating plainly that his old waist injury had flared up, his knee was bruised, and the remaining superficial injuries weren't serious. They only had to wait for him to wake up now.

As the saying went, the fewer the words, the more serious the situation. Some fans couldn't help wanting to go to the hospital, while there wasn't a single update at all from Si You's side.

Yuan Fei had been in the neighboring city filming an advertisement with another artist under his management. Upon hearing the news, he drove straight over. When he reached the hospital entrance, even the bodyguards blocked him. Weicheng was a famous private hospital with strict entry requirements. Only after Yuan Fei revealed his identity and received Jiang Tingxu's approval did he finally arrive, dusty from the road.

When he saw Jiang Tingxu on the bench outside the operating room, even an old hand like Yuan Fei unconsciously softened his footsteps. If he wanted to survive in this industry, Jiang Tingxu was someone he absolutely could not offend.

"Jiang, the Movie Emperor," Yuan Fei said.

"Mm." Jiang Tingxu glanced at him, then asked after a moment, "Do you have anyone handling public relations?"

To be honest, they hadn't before. Si You had been an abandoned pawn. But on the way here, Yuan Fei had already thought through every possible strategy. Si You's act of saving Xue Boyu would not go to waste. He would personally handle the operation.

"Yes."

"Mm." Jiang Tingxu added, "Stick to the facts. Don't try to play the victim."

Yuan Fei froze for a moment, then quickly said, "I understand!"