Roses in Flames

Behind the bushes lay a tall, slender figure.

The man was wearing a black windbreaker, his face was ashen, his lips were pale, and he looked extremely weak.

He was clutching his legs, panting and calling for help.

Upon recognizing the person, Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang exclaimed in surprise at the same time, "Yan Xu?"

The man who cried for help looked up at the sound.

His dull, lifeless phoenix eyes lit up with surprise and hope upon recognizing the two approaching figures. "Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap—"

He kept saying "Holy crap" countless times.

He thought he was going to die in this godforsaken place, but unexpectedly, he ran into an acquaintance in his moment of despair.

"Second Brother!"

"Beauty Ye!"

Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang were stunned again, and asked in unison, "Do you know him/her?"

Yan Xu didn't know who to answer, so he could only nod excitedly.

He naturally knew Xiao Lin. He was the second young master of the Xiao family in Beijing. His family was powerful and influential, but instead of being a proper young master, he had to run to Yecheng, hide his identity, and do the tiring, arduous, and dangerous work of a criminal police officer.

He also forbade his brothers from revealing his identity to outsiders.

As for Ye Meiren, once when he was being chased by Ji Chen's fanatical fans and was almost hit by rotten eggs, Ye Meiren, who was riding a motorcycle, happened to pass by and helped him.

If he hadn't learned that Ye Meiren was married, he would have wanted to pursue her.

Yan Xu was surprised to run into them here. "Second Brother, what are you and Lady Ye doing here?"

Xiao Lin's dark eyes were deep and unfathomable. "She's the new forensic doctor on our team."

Yan Xu's eyes lit up even more. "Ye Meiren, besides riding a motorcycle, you can also perform autopsies? So cool!"

Ye Yuntang smiled. "Thank you for the compliment, but what are you doing here?"

She remembered that Yan Xu was a singer, and it seemed that she and Ji Chen were in the same company.

Yan Xu sighed, looking extremely frustrated, "It's all because of Ji Chen. I just can't stand his two-faced behavior, his fake way of manipulating fans. I didn't get along with him, so the company blacklisted me. I was in a bad mood, so I came to Dawei Mountain to explore, but I got lost and sprained my ankle. Luckily, I met you guys, otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to get out."

Ye Yuntang took out a piece of chocolate and a bottle of water from her bag and handed them to Yan Xu, "Here you go."

Yan Xu burst into tears, "Waaah, Ye Meiren is so beautiful inside and out." After saying that, she even gave Ye Yuntang a flirtatious wink.

Xiao Lin's features were taut. He walked up to Yan Xu, helped him up from the ground, and bowed slightly with his tall frame. "Get on."

"Second brother, you're so great. If I were gay, I would definitely choose you as my boyfriend."

Xiao Lin: "Get out."

Ye Yuntang quite liked Yan Xu's goofy personality, and she asked curiously, "Why do you call Captain Xiao 'Second Brother'?"

Just as Yan Xu was about to speak, he saw Xiao Lin wink at him.

"I've known your Captain Xiao for a long time. He's the second oldest among us brothers, so we all call him Second Brother."

Xiao Lin and Yan Xu were good brothers for many years, something Ye Yuntang hadn't expected.

She thought that Yan Xu's family was just as poor as Xiao Lin's family, and that's why they were sidelined.

Actually, Yan Xu ran away to become a singer because his family didn't approve.

He had a big fight with his family, who gave him five years. If he couldn't make something of himself, he would have to obediently go home and inherit the family business.

After Yan Xu climbed onto Xiao Lin's back, he looked at Ye Yuntang and noticed that she wasn't wearing her wedding ring on her slender white fingers. He asked with some confusion, "Beautiful Ye, where's your wedding ring? Why did you take it off?"

Ye Yuntang glanced at her finger, her expression expressionless, and said, "We're divorced."

Yan Xu was stunned for a moment, then a wide smile spread across his face. "Holy crap! Really?"

If he weren't still on Xiao Lin's back, he would have jumped up with joy.

Xiao Lin glared at Yan Xu, "If you keep yelling like that, get down and walk!"

Yan Xu touched his nose and chuckled, "Ye Meiren got divorced, can't I be happy?"

Ye Yuntang found it somewhat amusing. "I'm divorced, what are you so happy about?"

"Now that you're single, I can pursue you openly and honestly."

Ye Yuntang, "..."

Yan Xu wiped the dust off her face. "I look a bit disheveled right now, but I'll look pretty good once I've washed myself clean."

叶允棠还来不及说什幺，他又报出一串数字，「186、99、76、95、18。」

"How is it? Are you satisfied?" Yan Xu asked with a hint of shyness in her smile.

Xiao Lin had only ever heard of measurements, and he frowned slightly. "What's eighteen?"

Yan Xu grinned smugly, "Hehe, it's something that can only be understood, not explained."

As a forensic doctor, Ye Yuntang understood the meaning of eighteen almost immediately.

She almost couldn't look Yan Xu in the eye.

Did this guy really need to give such a detailed report?

"Lady Ye, what do you think? Do I meet your standards for a man?"

Ye Yuntang thought of Xiao Lin for a moment.

It's even larger than the data reported by Yan Xu.

Ye Yuntang blinked her long eyelashes, and a blush rose on her fair face, making her even more radiant and beautiful.

Xiao Lin glanced at Ye Yuntang and saw that she was still blushing; his handsome face instantly turned cold.

Because of Yan Xu's unexpected turn of events, Xiao Lin had no choice but to send him away first.

They hadn't walked far when Yan Xu suddenly yelled, "Ahhh! There's a snake!"

Ye Yuntang and Xiao Lin looked up at the same time and saw a dark green venomous snake coiled between the branches of a large tree, flicking its tongue at Yan Xu.

Startled, Yan Xu dodged to the side. Xiao Lin couldn't protect him in time, lost his balance, and was pulled to the side by him.

There was a thick layer of dead leaves on the side, but no one expected that there was a layer of quicksand underneath.

Yan Xu and Xiao Lin both fell downwards at the same time.

Ye Yuntang realized what was happening and reached out to pull Xiao Lin, but she grabbed nothing.

Without thinking, she instinctively lunged towards the spot where the two were sliding down.

The three of them slid down the quicksand to the bottom of the cave.

Fortunately, there was a thick layer of decaying leaves and soft soil at the bottom of the cave, so none of the three of them were injured.

The cave was pitch black. Xiao Lin was the first to come to his senses. He turned on his flashlight and looked in Ye Yuntang's direction. "Are you alright?"

Ye Yuntang swallowed a mouthful of dirt, spitting it out several times. "It's alright, it's just that dirt tastes awful."

"Indeed, it's awful," came Yan Xu's voice.

Xiao Lin glanced at Yan Xu, who was lying on the ground, then raised his long leg and kicked him. "You're good for nothing but causing trouble."

Yan Xu wiped the dirt off his face, looking aggrieved. "Second brother, if I were as capable as you, I wouldn't be being bullied by Ji Chen. I would have beaten him so badly that even my own parents wouldn't recognize him."

The cave was narrow and low. Xiao Lin was 1.89 meters tall and Yan Xu was 1.86 meters tall. Both of them had to bend over to walk after standing up.

Yan Xu limped over to Ye Yuntang's side, put his arms around her, and said, "Beautiful Ye, I feel so good~"

Xiao Lin, who was walking ahead, heard Yan Xu's pretentious voice and wanted nothing more than to kick him away. "Can't you act like a man?"

"Second brother, why are you being so fierce? Haven't you heard that it's not a sin for a man to cry? Even the strongest person has the right to be tired. If behind a smile there's only heartbreak, why live such a miserable life?"

Ye Yuntang glanced at Yan Xu and said, "I must say, you sing quite well."

Yan Xu chuckled, "Right? I'll sing it for Ye Meiren alone sometime."

Xiao Lin gritted his teeth. "Yan Xu, shut up!"

Yan Xu, "..."

What's wrong?

It seems like my second brother has a lot of opinions about him!

When did he offend him?

"He has a bad temper, just ignore him." Seeing Yan Xu's depressed mood, Ye Yuntang gently comforted her.

Yan Xu nodded, "Ye Meiren is still the best."

The three of them bent over and walked into the cave.

A chilly wind swept in, and Yan Xu kept swallowing. "Beauty Ye, do you think there might be a ghost in here?"

Sometimes, the human heart is more terrifying than a ghost.

Yan Xu glanced at Ye Yuntang, then at Xiao Lin who was leading the way.

The second brother is upright and dignified; if there were really ghosts, they would probably be scared away by him.

After walking for a while, Xiao Lin suddenly stopped.

Ye Yuntang and Yan Xu walked behind him. Because the cave entrance was too narrow, they couldn't see what was ahead. When they saw Xiao Lin stop, they asked in unison, "What's wrong?"