Marriage Seduction Addiction

Unable to dissuade him or rush forward, Zhang Heng could only stay put and quickly report the situation to his team.

On the other side, Yan Shiyu had already trod across the bushes and thorns as if walking on flat ground, and arrived at the edge of the cliff.

There was no one around the cliff, and no trace of anyone having been there.

He turned and walked in another dark direction.

He knew he shouldn't have come.

At this time, he should never be here.

Regardless of how much of a role his appearance could play, even if a miracle did occur and he was the only one who found her in this mountain, how would he face her unfamiliar gaze? How would he explain his abrupt appearance?

Knowing he couldn't face her, he barely looked at her when they met again at the banquet.

He had seen her in countless ways and read all sorts of expressions in her eyes, but he dared not look into the unfamiliarity and emptiness in her eyes that reflected his own identity.

He also knew that it wouldn't be easy for him to explain his reason for being there when he was facing her.

They had long since regressed to the state of complete strangers.

He spent so much time and effort convincing himself to set her free and give her happiness, only to reappear at this crucial moment.

It makes absolutely no sense.

It's simply unreasonable.

But he still came after all.

Like a madman whose words and actions don't match.

He didn't know where she was at that moment, nor what she was going through.

All he knew was that he couldn't let her bear all of this alone.

At such a moment, he could no longer see himself as an outsider.

It's probably because... it didn't hurt enough.

He'd been numb long enough that even achieving his long-held obsession couldn't bring him pleasure, so he might as well go through that exhilarating pain one last time.

Even if it's the last time.

Time passed as they trekked, and the sky grew darker and darker. Visibility in the mountains and forests decreased rapidly, and it seemed as if darkness had surrounded them from all directions in an instant.

Despite the darkness, Yan Shiyu's steps seemed completely unaffected as he continued to swiftly traverse the tangled, desolate wilderness.

He didn't know how long he had been walking, nor where she was.

He didn't even dare to hope that he would definitely find her.

He knew that even the search and rescue teams dared not venture into these most dangerous and unlikely places, and he had to confirm it himself. Only by traversing all these locations could he eliminate the possibility that she was in danger or trapped, even by the slightest bit.

The mountains in the darkness were as silent and terrifying as giant beasts.

The slippery mud underfoot, the branches and thorns scraping against the skin, the cold wind and chill penetrating to the bone—all of these became a comfort at this moment.

The pain is real, the cold is real, and the ever-growing wounds are real.

He is still alive, and that is real.

As long as I'm alive, as long as I walk a little further, perhaps I can get closer to her, and even closer...

When a flash of light suddenly appeared before his eyes, Yan Shiyu thought he was seeing things.

But as he put away his flashlight and got closer, the firelight gradually became clearer, and the familiar figure beside the fire also gradually became clearer.

At this very moment, beside a simple pile of firewood on the edge of that precipice that is not easily accessible, Tang Xu sat quietly, letting the firelight illuminate her face. She was motionless, as if she were in a daze, or as if she were waiting for something, or even more like... a scene that would appear in his only dream.

At that moment, Yan Shiyu genuinely wondered if she was hallucinating due to hypothermia.

How could it be... that I could really find her in a place like this?

Will God show him mercy and favor him like this again?

Yan Shiyu stopped a dozen steps away and did not go any further.

He couldn't remember the last time he had looked at her so closely, almost greedily and extravagantly, just like this.

So whether it was a dream or a hallucination, at this moment, he gave up on saving himself and just wanted to watch her like this, even for just one more second, and then just one more second...

Until Tang Xu turned his head and looked in his direction.

Looking from the light into the darkness, she should have been unable to see anything, but as if sensing something, she asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Who?"

In his dreams, Tang Xu never spoke in such a tone, and it should be the same in the illusion.

At this moment, Yan Shiyu finally came to his senses.

He realized clearly that it was her, the real her, the one who was still alive.

He stood frozen for a long time before finally taking another step and walking closer to her step by step.

In such circumstances, facing this person who suddenly appeared before him, Tang Xu remained calm, showing no surprise, joy, or doubt.

Only after his figure finally became clear did she ask again, "Are you a mountaineer or part of the search and rescue team?"

Yan Shiyu stopped again, and in the dim light, he met Tang Xu's gaze. After a long while, he finally answered, "Mountaineer."

Hearing this answer, Tang Xu didn't seem surprised. She tilted her head slightly and asked, "Did you get lost too?" "No," Yan Shiyu replied.

"Oh," Tang Xu responded, "Then you're quite lucky. I'm lost."

"Do you need any help?" Yan Shiyu asked.

"Please make a distress call for me," Tang Xu said. "Someone might already be looking for me, but it's better to make another call, at least to let the people down the mountain know I'm safe."

Yan Shiyu remained standing there. After a few seconds, he said, "I lost my phone on the way up the mountain, so I can't make a call for you."

"Oh," Tang Xu responded again, still appearing completely unmoved. "It's common, after all, the roads here are indeed very difficult to travel."

"So how did you get here?"

"I'll just wander around aimlessly, otherwise how would I get lost?" Tang Xu replied, then asked, "Can you find the way down the mountain?"

After a moment of silence, he replied, "It's too late, and the mountain road is difficult to travel. I can only guarantee that I can go on alone. If I take you with me, I can't guarantee what will happen."

After listening, Tang Xu nodded slightly and said, "That's true. I still have a slight sprain in my ankle, and if I force myself to go with you, I'll only slow you down. I'll continue to wait for rescue."

After the words were spoken, an eerie silence fell between the two of them, with only the sound of the wind and the burning wood occasionally passing by.

After a long silence, Tang Xu spoke again: "Are you going to continue on your way? Or do you want to come and warm yourself by the fire? I didn't bring anything, but somehow I brought a lighter, and it was so hard to get the fire going. I almost froze to death before it got going."

Upon hearing this, Yan Shiyu finally took another step and slowly approached the fire.

He also got closer to her.

He sat down by the fire, took off his backpack, took out a thermos from the backpack, poured out a cup of steaming water, and handed it to her.

The moment she looked up, Tang Xu's gaze finally landed on his face.

Perhaps it was the firelight that made his face clearer in her vision. Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then she reached out and took the hot water he offered, drinking it almost in one gulp.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Shiyu tore open two more energy bars and handed them over.

Tang Xu quickly finished one of the sticks, but hesitated when she looked at the second one. She looked up at him again and asked, "Do you have any more?"

"Yes," Yan Shiyu said. "There are many."

Tang Xu seemed relieved, said "thank you," and lowered her head to eat little by little.

“You’re a bit like someone,” she said.

Yan Shiyu didn't look at her; his gaze was fixed on the flames in front of him. Without asking who she resembled, he simply replied, "Is that so?"

However, the next moment, Tang Xu still asked, "Are you Mr. Yan Shiyu?"

Yan Shiyu did not answer.

"I'm sorry, although I've only met Mr. Yan once, you look so much like him. If you're not him, please don't mind."

"I am," he finally said, admitting it frankly.

A noticeable change finally appeared in her expression, clearly in disbelief. "How could Mr. Yan be here?"

Yes, why is he here?
When the question finally came to him, Yan Shiyu found that it wasn't so difficult to answer.

"It's just a personal interest," he said.

“That’s really my good fortune,” she said. “If Mr. Yan didn’t have this hobby, if you hadn’t come here today, and without your hot water and energy bars, I don’t know if I could have made it through this fire.”

Yan Shiyu finally looked at her again, "Then why did you come here?"

"I was bored, so I wandered around and got lost," Tang Xu replied.

"Do you know how far you've gotten lost?" Yan Shiyu asked.

"I don't know," Tang Xu said. "If I knew, would I still call it being lost?"

After listening, Yan Shiyu remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding, "That makes a lot of sense."

"It's quite a coincidence to meet Mr. Yan at this time. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Tang Xu, and I'm also from Huai City."

At that moment, time and space seemed to split, and a possibility flashed clearly through Yan Shiyu's mind—

Let's start over.

Forget all the pain and entanglements of the past, find a place where no one knows the two of you, and start over completely.

But this thought only flashed through my mind for a moment before being completely extinguished by reason.

After so much planning, we've finally arrived at this day; after so much sacrifice, we've finally given her her freedom.

Everything was progressing in the predetermined direction, and the day when everything would be settled was fast approaching. But at this moment, he wanted to overturn everything from the past, simply because he wanted to hold her in his arms again.

Yan Shiyu has always been fully aware that he is a madman.

But this was the first time he had ever despised his own madness.

He had never done anything good in his life; even letting her go was after inflicting so much pain on her…

And now he actually has such extravagant hopes, such madness, that even he despises himself.

He was already greedy enough to have this moment alone with her. What right did he have to want more from her?
Aren't you afraid that she will suffer unnecessary pain again because of this?
Yan Shiyu slowly lowered her eyes.

"Hello, Miss Tang." (End of Chapter)