Roses in Flames

Xiao Lin said in a deep, cold voice, "There is no way out."

After exiting the narrow passage, there is a relatively large cave ahead.

All around were jagged, angular stone walls.

The only way out was through the passageway they had just come from.

They couldn't return because the hole they slid down into was blocked by quicksand.

Yan Xu clutched his chest, a hint of unease in his phoenix eyes. "Damn it! Are the three of us going to die here?"

Neither Xiao Lin nor Ye Yuntang spoke; they looked around and observed their surroundings.

"Let's rest for a while," Xiao Lin said in a deep voice.

A cold wind was blowing in the cave. Ye Yuntang was only wearing a long-sleeved undershirt and no coat, so she shivered involuntarily.

Xiao Lin and Yan Xu simultaneously took off their windbreakers and handed them to her.

Ye Yuntang glanced at Xiao Lin, then at Yan Xu.

"Second brother, don't compete with me. Let me show off in front of Lady Ye."

Xiao Lin ignored Yan Xu and looked at Ye Yuntang with his dark eyes. "Wear mine."

Ye Yuntang reached out and took Xiao Lin's windbreaker. She said to Yan Xu, "He's stronger than you, so he should be more resistant to the cold."

"I don't have as many muscles as my second brother, but," Yan Xu lifted his shirt to reveal his abs, "I do have a thin layer of abs..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly kicked in the butt.

Before he could react, he fell flat on his face.

"Damn it, why did you kick me, Second Brother?" Yan Xu clutched his numb buttocks, a pained expression on his face.

Ye Yuntang quickly went to Yan Xu's side and helped him up.

She glared at Xiao Lin. "His leg was already injured, and you still kicked him?"

Xiao Lin's expression was cold and hard. "What time is it? Still showing off like a peacock?"

Ye Yuntang helped Yan Xu sit down in front of the stone wall. He dared not speak his anger, and muttered under his breath, "No wonder no one loves him. Who can stand that awful temper?"

Ye Yuntang was close to Yan Xu and happened to overhear his complaints.

"No, Captain Xiao is very popular in the team. Not only do female police officers have a crush on him, but a rich woman also wants to take him as her sugar daddy."

Xiao Lin pressed his tongue against his back teeth. "Indeed, there are people who have had one-night stands with me."

Ye Yuntang, "..."

Yan Xu immediately became interested, and asked with a gossipy look, "Really? Second Brother, you had a one-night stand with that person! Wow, I really want to know which woman is so brave as to ask you for a one-night stand, and did you agree?"

Xiao Lin: "It's a private matter, I can't disclose it."

Yan Xu's fists cracked.

He hated it, hated that he didn't have his second brother's skills, otherwise he really wanted to use force to extract a confession.

His curiosity was completely piqued; which woman would dare to have a one-night stand with his second brother?

That was truly the god he worshipped.

Yan Xu lowered his voice and asked Ye Yuntang, "Ye Meiren, you work in the same unit as my second brother. Do you know any women who want a one-night stand with him?"

Ye Yuntang almost choked on her own saliva.

That woman, that must be her.

"Was your second brother a playboy before?" Ye Yuntang asked in a low voice as well.

"What's with all the fuss? He didn't even have a female mosquito around him before, and he's still a virgin in his mid-twenties."

The cave was spacious but quiet.

Although Yan Xu and Ye Yuntang spoke in hushed tones, Xiao Lin, with his keen hearing, still overheard their conversation.

"Are you two ever going to stop?" Xiao Lin glanced at the two of them warningly.

"Alright, let's stop teasing him. If he really gets angry, none of us will be a match for him," Ye Yuntang said.

Yan Xu nodded hurriedly, "Lady Ye is right."

The cave was chilly, with a biting wind blowing through it.

Ye Yuntang said to Yan Xu, "You rest for a while, I'll go find some firewood to start a fire."

Although there was no exit from the cave, there were some withered branches and leaves scattered around.

Ye Yuntang got up and picked them up one by one, holding them in her arms.

Xiao Lin walked to Ye Yuntang's side and said in a deep, cold voice, "Don't try anything with Yan Xu. He's a simple-minded person and easily hurt by relationships."

Hearing Xiao Lin's words, Ye Yuntang was somewhat annoyed. She glared at him and said irritably, "Are you saying I'm not simple? That I'm the kind of scumbag who plays with men's feelings?"

Xiao Lin's dark eyes were deep and unfathomable. "You know what you're doing."

Ye Yuntang was almost amused by his words. She put down the withered branch in her hand, put one hand on her hip, and said, "What do I know? Are you saying I lied to you? Explain yourself!"

"Body." The man uttered a single word from his thin lips.

Ye Yuntang, "!!!"

What a scoundrel! How dare he say she cheated on him with her body?

That night, she forced him to have sex?

Ye Yuntang was furious. She raised her foot and kicked the man's shin hard.

With his skills, he could have easily dodged it.

She thought he would dodge, but to her surprise, he didn't.

The shinbone is the most vulnerable part of the human body; that kick must have hurt a lot.

He didn't even flinch, as if he were made of steel and felt no pain.

Ye Yuntang was somewhat surprised. She pursed her lips tightly. "You didn't dodge?"

"To let you vent your anger."

Ye Yuntang really didn't know what to say to him.

He knew his words had angered her, even though he was like a block of wood.

You could say he's very charming, but he always manages to drive her crazy.

"Xiao Lin, you think I'm a bad guy, but you're no different. I can easily seduce you into bed. You're just a hypocrite, a repressed pervert."

Xiao Lin's jawline tightened. "Ye Yuntang, you won't have it so easy to seduce me next time."

Ye Yuntang gave a forced smile. "Do I really have to be hung up on you? Your good brother Yan Xu is just as good as you in every way. If he's interested in me, can't I go and hook up with him?"

A vein bulged on Xiao Lin's forehead. "Ye Yuntang, you dare?"

Ye Yuntang raised an eyebrow. "I'm a starving fairy, there's nothing I wouldn't dare to do."

Xiao Lin, "..."

"Second Brother, Lady Ye, what are you two whispering about?" Yan Xu's voice came from behind.

Ye Yuntang picked up the tree branch and walked to Yan Xu's side. "It's nothing, we're just discussing how to leave here."

Ye Yuntang arranged the firewood and took out a lighter from his bag to light it.

After staring at Ye Yuntang for a few seconds, Xiao Lin began searching for a way out of the cave again.

He carefully observed the surrounding stone walls, occasionally raising his hand to tap them.

When he struck one of the stone walls, his movements suddenly paused.

There seemed to be some kind of sound coming from behind the stone wall.

He quickly pressed his ear close, his dark eyes narrowing slightly.

The faint sound of flowing water could be heard from behind the stone wall.

Xiao Lin raised his hands and pushed hard against the stone wall.

The stone wall moved slightly.

Upon seeing this, Ye Yuntang and Yan Xu quickly came over and helped push the stone wall.

Although she had just had a minor disagreement with Xiao Lin, Ye Yuntang was very clear-headed when it came to matters of principle.

Nothing is more important than their ability to get out.

With the combined efforts of the three, the crack in the stone wall gradually widened.

Finally, a narrow gap was pushed open, allowing one person to squeeze through sideways.

Xiao Lin looked at Ye Yuntang and Yan Xu, "You two wait here, I'll go down and take a look."

Below the crevice in the rock is a slope, and at the bottom is a natural hot spring pool.

Ye Yuntang glanced down; below lay an unknown path, fraught with unknown dangers.

"Be careful," Ye Yuntang reminded him.

"Second brother, you must be careful." Yan Xu's eyes were full of worry.

Xiao Lin nodded. "It's alright. I'll come and get you once we find the exit."

Under the worried gazes of Ye Yuntang and Yan Xu, Xiao Lin jumped down without hesitation.

After Xiao Lin left, Ye Yuntang and Yan Xu stayed by the cave entrance without leaving for a moment.

Too worried to speak, neither of them said another word.

Time passed, second by second.

Just as Ye Yuntang was getting impatient and preparing to jump down to check on things, suddenly—