Xu Xiuwen arrived at the entrance to Tianmen, but Song Siyu had not yet arrived.
After waiting for a while longer, Song Siyu finally arrived, panting and flushed from running.
At this moment, Song Siyu noticed Cheng Lu and An Shishi standing next to Xu Xiuwen. She hesitated for a moment but still said, "Thank you."
Cheng Lu and An Shishi both responded with a simple "Mm."
Xu Xiuwen quickly said, "Let's not worry about thanking each other now. Finding Youran is more important. Let's hurry up the mountain."
With that, Xu Xiuwen led the three women to the cable car station.
Walking up the mountain was not feasible; they were already short on time and likely low on energy. Taking the cable car was much faster.
The cable car ride up Tianyun Mountain takes a total of twenty minutes. Each cable car can accommodate six people.
Since it was the afternoon, there were not many people going up the mountain, so they didn't need to queue.
Once they boarded the cable car, it began its ascent along the cable.
Honestly, the scenery from the cable car is different from that seen while walking up the mountain. However, Xu Xiuwen was too anxious to appreciate the view.
After what felt like an eternity, the twenty-minute ride ended, and the cable car finally reached the summit.
As soon as the cable car came to a stop, Xu Xiuwen impatiently opened the door and rushed out.
The summit of Tianyun Mountain is neither large nor small. A full circle around the summit would take about ten minutes.
Once at the top, the four of them split up to look for Xiao Youran.
Xu Xiuwen grew more anxious as he searched, but even after combing the entire summit, he couldn't find Xiao Youran.
He didn't know if the others had found her, but he assumed they hadn't, as they would have called if they had.
After about ten minutes, the four of them met up in the open space in front of an ancient building on the summit.
By then, all their faces were grim.
Song Siyu was so anxious that she was on the verge of tears. She said, full of guilt, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault for losing Youran."
Her words stunned Xu Xiuwen.
Xu Xiuwen was very clear about his own feelings. That night, when his relationship with the two women was exposed, he had to make a choice in that situation. However, deep down, he still had feelings for Xiao Youran. Although he didn't show it often, the thought of Xiao Youran's disappearance now filled him with immense fear.
He was truly terrified that something might happen to Xiao Youran, and if it did, he would blame himself for the rest of his life.
An Shishi, putting aside her usual bickering with Song Siyu, went over to comfort her.
Cheng Lu noticed Xu Xiuwen's expression and asked gently, "Xiuwen, are you okay?"
Her words snapped Xu Xiuwen back to reality.
He glanced at Cheng Lu, a look of apology flashing in his eyes. He nodded and said, "I'm fine."
After a brief pause, he added, "Let's call the police. If we wait any longer, it will be even harder to find Youran once it gets dark."
Cheng Lu remained calm.
She quickly said, "Don't call the police yet. Contact the park staff first. If this is just a misunderstanding, it wouldn't be good to involve the police."
Song Siyu, feeling a bit better after An Shishi's comfort, immediately became anxious again upon hearing Cheng Lu's suggestion.
She directly yelled at Cheng Lu, "Cheng Lu, how can you be so heartless! Youran is missing, what if something happens to her? Why won't you let us call the police? Even if you all like Xu Xiuwen, you shouldn't be so selfish that you ignore Youran's safety."
Song Siyu's sudden outburst shocked the other three.
Despite being yelled at so harshly by Song Siyu, Cheng Lu remained composed and did not argue back.
She explained, "Song Siyu, I'm also very worried about Xiao Youran. I'm not refusing to call the police out of selfishness. It's just that it's been less than two hours since Youran went missing. What if she already went down the mountain? Or what if she's back in the town but got delayed by something? These are all possible. If we call the police immediately and it's just a misunderstanding, we would be wasting their resources. The park staff are experienced with this kind of situation; contacting them first might be more helpful than calling the police."
An Shishi looked at Cheng Lu, deeply admiring her.
Cheng Lu was Xu Xiuwen's official girlfriend, while An Shishi was the mistress, the third wheel.
If before, she thought she was just a step behind Cheng Lu, now she realized the gap between them.
Being so calm and magnanimous in such a situation, a girl like Cheng Lu was hard to find.
After hearing Cheng Lu's explanation, Song Siyu realized she had been too emotional and had misspoken.
Being straightforward, she immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, Cheng Lu. I shouldn't have thought that about you."
Cheng Lu nodded, saying nothing.
She then turned to Xu Xiuwen and said, "Let's contact the staff first."
He nodded, "Okay."
Just as he was about to find the staff, Cheng Lu said, "I'll go."
Cheng Lu was decisive, and after speaking, she turned to ask for the park staff's contact number.
Xu Xiuwen didn't argue with her.
Turning around, Xu Xiuwen heard the sound of sobbing.
It was Song Siyu crying, with An Shishi comforting her.
Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen felt moved.
Despite Song Siyu often targeting and confronting him, she genuinely cared for Xiao Youran.
Xu Xiuwen thought for a moment, then walked into the store behind them and bought a pack of tissues.
As he paid, the store owner, smiling, asked, "Young man, are you here alone?"
Xu Xiuwen, in no mood for small talk, said nothing and lowered his head to pay.
The owner, assuming Xu Xiuwen's silence was a confirmation, continued smiling, "Then I suggest you visit the Marriage Temple when you go down the mountain. Our Marriage Temple is very effective; if you burn incense there, you'll definitely find love within a year."
Xu Xiuwen's hand froze mid-payment.
He suddenly looked up at the owner and asked, "What did you say?"
The owner, startled by his intense and serious gaze, instinctively replied, "I said the Marriage Temple."
Marriage Temple!
Hearing those three words again sparked something in Xu Xiuwen's mind.
Could Xiao Youran have gone there?
The more Xu Xiuwen thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
He immediately asked, "Where is the Marriage Temple?"
The owner replied, "When you go down the mountain, don't take the same path you came up. Take the other path, and the Marriage Temple is halfway down."
"Okay, thank you," Xu Xiuwen said, quickly leaving the store.
The owner shouted, "Wait! You forgot your change!"
But no matter how much he yelled, Xu Xiuwen kept walking.
Leaving the store, he returned to Song Siyu and An Shishi.
Handing over the tissues, he said, "I think I know where Youran is."
Song Siyu and An Shishi were both surprised by his words.
Without waiting for them to ask, Xu Xiuwen continued, "You two wait here for Cheng Lu. If I find Youran, I'll call you."
After speaking, Xu Xiuwen turned and left.
He walked down the mountain path once more.
This time, Xu Xiuwen was much more hurried than before.
He had no time or energy to enjoy the scenery along the way.
Pedestrians on the road cast curious glances at him due to his speed.
The first time he walked down, it took a little over an hour.
Half of that time would be about half an hour.
But this time, Xu Xiuwen reached halfway down in just over ten minutes.
At the halfway point of Tianyun Mountain, there was a temple.
Xu Xiuwen had noticed it before, seeing many people there, but he hadn't stopped or gone in.
Arriving outside the Marriage Temple, Xu Xiuwen hurried inside.
The Marriage Temple was like any other temple, with a large gate and a wide, long stone path leading to the main hall.
In front of the main hall was a large incense burner filled with offerings from visitors.
Entering the main hall, the room housed a giant Buddha statue.
On either side of the room were rear doors, seemingly leading in different directions.
Xu Xiuwen randomly chose the left rear door.
Through the door was another stone path, leading to another building after a few steps.
Xu Xiuwen quickly walked in.
The room also housed various Buddha statues.
After a quick glance, Xu Xiuwen stepped back out.
He circled around to the right rear door.
Passing through, he found another stone path.
The path ended at a stone bridge.
Under the bridge was a small pond.
As Xu Xiuwen passed, he noticed two open-mouthed golden toads in the pond, surrounded by coins thrown by visitors.
This was a common wishing pool in scenic spots.
Crossing the bridge, he reached a plaza-like open space.
In the center of the open space was a tall, dark brown cauldron, about three meters high.
To the right of the cauldron was a pavilion, and to the left grew a towering ancient tree.
The tree was old and tall, with lush branches and leaves, and beneath it were two rows of stone benches.
Further ahead was the Guanyin Hall.
The Guanyin Hall had a suspended-roof structure, with a golden plaque above its red wooden doors inscribed with "Guanyin Hall" in black letters.
Compared to the previous two halls, this one had many visitors.
Entering the hall, Xu Xiuwen was greeted by a statue of Guanyin.
In front of the statue was a long wooden table and two prayer mats.
Two young people were kneeling on the mats, seeking a divination.
On the side of the hall, a middle-aged monk was seated at a table, interpreting divinations.
Xu Xiuwen looked around the hall but didn't see Xiao Youran.
He felt a pang of disappointment.
Had he guessed wrong?
Unwilling to give up, he approached the monk.
"Master, have you seen a girl?"
The middle-aged monk, with a kind expression, asked, "Are you looking for a girl in a pink sports outfit?"
Xu Xiuwen was startled.
He hadn't mentioned what Xiao Youran was wearing.
Ignoring his surprise, Xu Xiuwen quickly asked, "Yes, that's her. Do you remember when she left?"
Instead of answering, the monk asked, "Who are you to her?"
Xu Xiuwen was taken aback.
The monk's gaze made him uncomfortable.
"I'm her friend."
The monk replied, "That girl sought a divination here and left not long ago."
Xu Xiuwen quickly thanked the monk and turned to leave in search of Xiao Youran.
The monk suddenly said something quite mysterious.
Xu Xiuwen didn't pay attention to the monk's words.
He hurried out of the Marriage Temple and started down the mountain.
After a few minutes, he stopped in his tracks.
Ahead, sitting on the stone steps, was a girl.
Even from behind, he recognized her immediately.
"Xiao Youran!"
Xu Xiuwen shouted.
Hearing someone call her name, Xiao Youran momentarily forgot her grievances and turned to look back.
Seeing Xu Xiuwen, Xiao Youran was stunned.
She thought she was seeing things.
After rubbing her eyes, she realized it was really him!
Xiao Youran was ecstatic.
She jumped up immediately.
But she quickly let out an "ah" and wobbled, nearly falling to the side.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and grabbed the nearby railing to keep from falling.
Barely managing to stand, she waved excitedly at Xu Xiuwen and shouted, "Xiao Xu! I'm here!"
Xu Xiuwen hurried over.
"Are you okay?"
Xiao Youran beamed, "I'm fine."
Xu Xiuwen didn't believe her.
His eyes lingered on her curled-up foot for a few seconds.
"What happened to your foot?"
Xiao Youran tried to downplay it, "It's nothing."
Xu Xiuwen firmly pressed her shoulder, making her sit down.
Then he crouched on the step below her.
Before Xiao Youran could react, he took off her shoe.
Then he removed her sock.
Her foot was fair and clean, but her ankle was red.
Xu Xiuwen held her ankle with one hand and gently turned her foot with the other.
Xiao Youran couldn't help but cry out in pain, "Ah!"
"It hurts, Xiao Xu!"
Before finding Xiao Youran, Xu Xiuwen was just anxious.
After finding her, he was both angry and worried.
He couldn't help but say, "You know it hurts? Didn't you say you were fine?"
Seeing his serious expression, Xiao Youran felt a bit scared.
She softly said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you."
Xu Xiuwen was indeed very angry.
But his anger wasn't because Xiao Youran lied to him; it was because she went to the Marriage Temple alone without telling anyone, making him worry so much.
Seeing his grim expression, Xiao Youran hesitated for a few seconds.
Finally, she reached out, tugged at his shirt, and gently shook it twice, softly saying, "I'm sorry, Xiao Xu. You can scold me, but please don't be mad at me."
As she spoke, her tone had a hint of sobbing, as if she could cry at any moment.
Twisting her ankle left her stuck, unable to go down or up the mountain, with no familiar faces around and no phone.
She was scared and upset, almost crying at that moment.
But she held back and didn't cry.
Now, seeing Xu Xiuwen, seeing him seemingly angry, she was so worried she almost cried.
Xu Xiuwen's heart softened instantly.
His expression relaxed, and he said gently, "I'm not angry. I'm just worried about you. You came here alone without saying a word. I almost thought... If something happened to you, how could I explain it to Aunt Zhang?"
Only then did Xiao Youran understand why his expression was so grim.
She felt guilty, lowering her head and softly saying, "I'm sorry."
Xu Xiuwen sighed, "If I hadn't found you, with your twisted ankle, how would you get down the mountain?"
Hearing this, Xiao Youran's eyes suddenly lit up.
She looked up, her face full of surprise, and asked, "Oh right, Xiao Xu, how did you know I was here?"