Scared? Hold on to me

One look from Meng Zhiyuan instantly drained most of the force from Du Chen's imposing stance.

"Shen Yun, you'd better be telling the truth."

Meng Zhiyuan stared at Shen Yun with deep, dark eyes for a long moment, then turned and entered the Cave Jiang Ze had gone into before disappearing.

After Meng Zhiyuan left, Shen Yun pressed his lips tightly together, his handsome face full of resentment.

Jiang Ze, what makes you worthy of so much attention from Meng Zhiyuan? I'm the one he should love!

He couldn't understand what had gone wrong in this lifetime. Even if Jiang Ze had also been reborn, how could he have gotten involved with Meng Zhiyuan?

"You made him stay somewhere like this?"

The director followed behind him, trembling and barely daring to breathe. If he'd known how precious Jiang Ze was to this man, he would have had him guarded closely, no matter what.

A single word from this man could shut the entire show down.

"It... it was decided by drawing lots."

Meng Zhiyuan frowned. Mu Shaoxuan, who had followed him over, answered a phone call beside him.

"Zhiyuan, Meng Cheng is here with his men. They're searching the mountain."

"Mm."

Meng Zhiyuan lowered his head to examine the traces around the Cave and answered quietly.

Seeing him like this, Mu Shaoxuan pulled the director aside and questioned him carefully again about everything Jiang Ze had done before and around the time of his disappearance.

"I remember you had six guests altogether, including Jiang Ze. Why is there only one sleeping bag in the Cave? And no one saw whether Jiang Ze went out?"

The director wiped the sweat from his forehead again. This was another man he couldn't afford to offend.

He hurriedly recounted everything that had happened the day before, leaving out no detail.

"Shen Yun?"

Mu Shaoxuan thought for a moment. The name sounded very familiar. The person Meng Zhiyuan had questioned earlier seemed to be called Shen Yun. Apparently, the two already knew each other.

The large group searched Barren Mountain for nearly an entire day, but in the end, they found no trace of Jiang Ze.

"Boss."

A young man in professional mountaineering gear approached. He looked as though he had served in the military, carrying himself much straighter than the others, but he became somewhat reserved when he reached Meng Zhiyuan.

"Any news?"

Meng Cheng shook his head.

"It's strange. There are no signs of anyone passing through within a five-kilometer radius. The guys have searched all of Barren Mountain and found nothing."

Meng Cheng was also a Meng Family Disciple. He had served under Meng Zhiyuan when the latter joined the military, and he had now been transferred to C City. Although Meng Zhiyuan had left the service, the two still kept in frequent contact.

"Mm. Everyone can head back."

Both Meng Cheng and Mu Shaoxuan were startled by his words.

"Zhiyuan, you're just going to stop looking for your guy?"

He didn't believe that the man who had been willing to spare no expense moments ago could have changed his mind so quickly.

The man's tall figure stood in the Cave, his eyes lowered, leaving his expression unreadable.

Everyone was baffled by what he had said.

After coming here with such a large search party, he was sending everyone back without any news?

"I remember your family owns a hotel at the foot of the mountain. Settle them in there first. Searching at night is even harder. We'll discuss it tomorrow morning."

Meng Zhiyuan looked at Mu Shaoxuan, signaling for him to take everyone away at once.

Mu Shaoxuan knew he always had his own reasons for doing things, so he didn't insist.

"You're not coming?"

"No. You go ahead."

Meng Cheng was reluctant to leave. He hadn't even managed something as simple as finding a person. Who knew how the guys would laugh at him when he returned? Besides, this person seemed quite important to his boss.

Mu Shaoxuan gave him a meaningful look, then half pushed, half dragged him away.

By then, it was completely dark. Only Meng Zhiyuan remained in the Cave, surrounded by deathly silence.

"Jiang Ze..."

He walked deeper into the Cave, his shoes tapping against the stone paving, the sound especially jarring in the silence.

He switched on his flashlight and swept its beam over the stone walls. One patch was slightly different in color from its surroundings, as though it had been touched repeatedly.

Feeling along it, he found a protrusion. A click sounded, and the stone wall at the far end slowly began to move.

On the other side of the wall, Jiang Ze was leisurely munching on Potato Chips he had taken from a storage slot.

Hearing the noise, he instinctively looked up and met a pair of deep, dark eyes.

Yes, this seemed familiar.

He remembered that the big shot had looked at him like this when he first transmigrated here.

"Come here."

The man's voice betrayed neither anger nor pleasure, but it was so frighteningly low that Jiang Ze couldn't help shivering.

"Um... Uncle Zhiyuan..."

Jiang Ze hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly. He glanced at the Potato Chips in his hand, then at the mattress beneath him that had no business being in the Cave. His mind went blank.

His body, however, instinctively obeyed the man's command. He got up and walked toward him.

Before he could reach the entrance, he was pulled into an embrace filled with cold air and the scent of sandalwood.

"Tsk. You certainly look relaxed."

Hearing the chill in the man's voice, Jiang Ze no longer dared to hold on to his Potato Chips. He tightened his arms around the man's solid waist, his mind racing to find an explanation for this unbelievable situation.

System, how do I bluff my way through this with the big shot? Waiting for an answer. Urgent!

The system was helpless too, so it began playing dead.

What do I do? What kind of lie could fool the big shot? Forget it. I'll show him my devotion first!

Jiang Ze cleared his throat, and his voice immediately turned aggrieved.

"Boo-hoo, Uncle Zhiyuan, you finally came! You have no idea. I was stuck in the Cave with nothing to eat or drink..."

Jiang Ze paused. Looking at the remnants of Potato Chips on the ground, he faltered, but pressed on.

"Boo-hoo... it was pitch-black at night, and I was all alone. You have no idea how scary it was. If you hadn't come, I might have died of fright in here. Boo-hoo..."

Jiang Ze sobbed as pitifully as he could. Having his face buried in the man's chest didn't hamper his performance at all. His voice was muffled, and he even squeezed out a few tears.

He was still crying with all his might when he suddenly found himself airborne. He instinctively wrapped his arms around the man's neck, only to realize he had been swept into a bridal carry.

"Boo-hoo... huh?"

What's happening? Why did the big shot suddenly pick me up? Aah, this is my first time being carried bridal-style! How embarrassing!

Jiang Ze kept whimpering aloud while screaming wildly inside. He buried his little face in the man's chest, afraid to lift it and reveal his excitement.

"Who locked you in there?"

Jiang Ze froze at his question. He had been about to blurt out Shen Yun's name, but then reconsidered. The protagonist bottom couldn't be allowed to come into direct conflict with the big shot yet.

"Uh... I was wandering around the Cave and accidentally touched a mechanism. After I went inside, the stone wall closed on its own, and then... then I couldn't get out."

His voice sounded muffled as he spoke from the man's embrace.

The big shot can't clash with the protagonist bottom yet. There's nothing to gain from going up against the protagonist aura.

Meng Zhiyuan frowned and unconsciously tightened his hold on the person in his arms.

So it was Shen Yun again.

"Mm. If you don't want to tell me, forget it."

He carried Jiang Ze out of the Cave, step by step. It was late at night now, but the moon overhead was large and round, lighting up the somewhat frightening surroundings.

Feeling the man's chest vibrate as he spoke, Jiang Ze wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to open his mouth.

Boo-hoo, the big shot spent all that time looking for me, and I still lied to him in the end. I'm guilty!

"Uncle Zhiyuan... thank you for coming to find me."

Although he had the system to keep him company and could exchange points for something to help him get out, someone in this unfamiliar world had actually been thinking of him.

The man gave a quiet acknowledgment, sensing that the person in his arms seemed a little down.

"Scared? Hold on to me. We'll be at the tent soon. We'll go home at dawn."

Jiang Ze couldn't resist nuzzling the man's chest and quietly tightening his arms around him. Hearing the man say they would go home sent a trace of warmth through his heart.

"I'm not scared. Just a little cold."

The mountain was cold to begin with, especially this late at night.