"I've also been waiting for a certain someone to show up."
After You Mingxu said this, Gu Tiancheng stared at her soft face, those bright red lips. Suddenly, a somewhat wicked urge sprouted in his heart, an urge to kiss those lips. Not just a simple kiss, but a passionate one, mixed with the desires of a man, in the middle of such a night, on a deserted wilderness, towards a strange woman. This thought made Gu Tiancheng increasingly restless. He inhaled a mouthful of smoke, making his throat even drier.
He followed her example, crushing his cigarette into the ground below, as if burying something. He propped his hand on the ground between the two tents, and his body moved in front of hers, asking, "Who did you say you were waiting for?"
His voice turned very low, slightly absent-minded, his eyes slightly drooped, staring at a place on her face. He, in this way, gave off a sense of frivolous aggression.
You Mingxu's face, less than 20 centimeters away from him. In the dim light, he was taller than her, slightly looking down. She seemed to want to peer into the depths of his eyes, staring at the pitch-black pupils for a good while.
"I said…" The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, a hint of mischief in her eyes, "It's time to go to bed." By the time Gu Tiancheng reacted and reached out to stop her, he was too late. You Mingxu pulled the curtain of the tent across, zipping it up with a "swoosh".
The tent was completely dark. Gu Tiancheng saw her move a few times inside, presumably undressing to lie down. He was aware of his wild temperament, and had the impulse to reach out and touch her arm or waist through the fabric of the tent. Both of them were adults, everything was just beginning, why did she run away? In the end, he held back, not wanting her to think him too rash.
Gu Tiancheng also lay down, glanced once more at the other tent, and at the two rooms, all quiet, probably already asleep. He then glanced at his own car, silently parked not far away, completely stable. This place was rarely visited, should be safe. His expression calmed down, he also closed the door of his tent, and fell asleep.
Not long after, Ming Tao's loud and long snoring filled the campsite. Song Lan was initially a bit alert, after all, it was almost like sleeping in the wilderness. But the fatigue from the day's bike ride quickly overpowered her, and she fell fast asleep.
Zou Fuyu has always been naïve and straightforward. She believed that the people she met today were all likeable and reliable. And since she was sleeping indoors, she couldn't be any safer. So she quickly fell asleep too.
The tents of Gu Tiancheng and You Mingxu remained silent.
The camp light that was originally left on the ground, Gu Tiancheng had also turned off. As the night grew darker, there wasn't a single noise in the field. The small campsite seemed to completely merge into the darkness.
You Mingxu was always alert, her eyes just slightly closed. Every so often she opened her eyes to glance at the top of the tent, listening to the sounds outside. When all was quiet, she closed her eyes and slept for a while.
After drifting in and out of sleep, at a certain moment, she suddenly opened her eyes, completely alert. She couldn't tell what had awakened her. She slowly steadied her heart, listening to the soft sound of the wind blowing against the tent. It was still pitch black all around.
Then she heard slow footsteps on the grass, "Crunch—Crunch—Crunch—" Then, the faint sound of someone rummaging through something, and chewing, someone was eating.
She pushed herself up slowly from the ground, slid out of the sleeping bag, and was just about to unzip the tent. But the night was too quiet, and even this faint sound was clearly audible. The sound of eating immediately ceased.
Almost instantly, You Mingxu threw open the tent door and crawled out. But all she saw was a shadow disappearing quickly into the woods behind the cabins, gone in an instant. You Mingxu shouted, "Who's there?"
Almost at the same time, Gu Tiancheng sprang out of his tent, his eyes alert as they glanced at her, then swept around, asking anxiously, "What happened?"
The commotion got Ming Tao, as well as Song Lan and Zou Fuyu in the cabin, to turn on the lights and come out, all of them looking puzzled and tense.
You Mingxu pursed her lips as she looked into the distance of the forest, recounting what she had seen and heard, while everyone exchanged glances. Ming Tao was the first to speak, "Damn, could it be a wild man?" Not waiting for a response, he dismissed his own theory, his voice even sounding a bit excited, "No, no, I've never heard of wild men in Tibet, could it be that serial killer, backed into a corner, who has come to us? Damn!" He promptly went to check around the tents. Song Lan and Zou Fuyu huddled together.
Gu Tiancheng and You Mingxu exchanged a look, then he said, "Let's check if anything has been touched." You Mingxu nodded.
"Damn, my shoes and clothes are gone!" Ming Tao shouted excitedly, or maybe in shock. Everyone looked where he was pointing, and indeed his boots that were outside his tent were gone.
"And my jacket." Ming Tao gestured, "It was a bit wet, so I hung it outside the tent to dry. It's gone now, damn it's cold…" He hugged his arms, grumbling.
You Mingxu, with sharp eyes, noticed on the ground outside her tent shredded sausage wrappers and some broken biscuit pieces. She also felt a chill run down her spine. She rushed over and saw her backpack, which she had left outside her tent, had been opened and its contents scattered..
Gu Tiancheng came over and asked, "What's wrong?"
She picked up the bag to show him. Ming Tao and the others came over after hearing the commotion.
Gu Tiancheng's brow furrowed, and after a moment of contemplation, his face suddenly changed. He turned and ran towards his car. You Mingxu's eyes widened, and she followed him. Everyone else, not understanding, also followed.
The trunk was open, Gu Tiancheng was the first to rush over, his forehead creased as he rummaged through the trunk. By the time You Mingxu got there, he looked up at her, his voice calm, "My two suitcases are gone."
You Mingxu quickly glanced inside and sure enough, there was only one small suitcase left in the trunk, and a few bags haphazardly thrown inside. There were also some random items left in the corner, a pair of dirty shoes, a hat, a piece of rope and such.
Before You Mingxu could inspect further, Gu Tiancheng had already closed the trunk and started inspecting the rest of the car with a stern face.
"Damn it." He kicked the rear left tire and then crouched down to inspect it more closely, his face turning grim. You Mingxu's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately went to the right rear wheel. Sure enough, the tire had been punctured and was deflated. She slowly stood up, both of them looking at each other over the car, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.
Ming Tao and the others were also shocked to see. Zou Fuyu asked, "Ho... How could this happen? Has the tire been punctured?"
Song Lan looked up at You Mingxu. For some reason, their auras seemed quite in sync. Song Lan asked, "Was it... was it punctured by that shadow just now?" Once she asked, even she felt a shudder.
You Mingxu nodded slowly.