Cheng Feng, born and raised in a metropolis, was not aware of the dangers of landslides. Hu Haiyun, however, learned of their peril through childhood experiences. One had claimed nearly her entire village during the dead of the night.
The cries echoed for days afterwards, terrorising her so much that she wouldn’t dare to leave the house at night.
Upon hearing their words, Cheng Feng understood the gravity of the situation. He moved the car a little way forward only to have it get stuck in the mud again—the wheels were completely caked in it.
At least they weren’t by the mountain side, so landslides weren’t an immediate threat anymore.
Tong Yao disliked both shirking of responsibilities and the blaming of others. Even when they were stuck, she did not blame Cheng Feng for not checking the weather forecast before they started. She comforted him when he started blaming himself.
However, this couldn’t resolve their current dilemma. The rain showed no signs of stopping, instead, it looked like it was intensifying. Their predicament filled the car with a restless energy.
With nightfall approaching and no solution in sight, they could only wait for the rain to stop.
As the night grew darker, the heavy rain persisted. Tong Yao’s stomach was growling with hunger, but there was no food in the car as Cheng Feng, a grown man, did not have a habit of snacking.
As Tong Yao’s stomach growled louder, she felt a little embarrassed. Hearing her rumbling stomach, Cheng Feng couldn’t help but feel guilty, "I’ll stay awake. You both get some sleep, and we’ll come up with a plan in the morning."
Before Tong Yao could reply, Hu Haiyun suggested, "You take the first half of the night, and I’ll take the second."
Although they were safe from landslides here, they still needed to be careful given they were stuck in unfrequented terrain in the rain.
Starving, Tong Yao tried to lull herself to sleep as she believed that she wouldn’t feel hungry if she were asleep. Soon, she started to doze off.
The sound of rain hitting the windows unsettled Cheng Feng; he couldn’t help but feel that something unexpected would happen under such circumstances.
The outside was pitch-black, and the occasional lightning was their only source of illumination. The strong wind accompanying the heavy rain could be quite scary.
Though Cheng Feng was a rational and scientific person, he felt his hairs standing on end. He wanted to light a cigarette but recalled that Tong Yao had mentioned she was pregnant.
At the time, he didn’t take her seriously, but since she admitted to being married, he felt she might really be pregnant.
He felt guilty for involving Tong Yao in this mess but was also thankful she was with him. Being stuck here alone would have been an unbearable ordeal.
In a drowsy state, Tong Yao felt as though a light was shining. Just as she was about to exclaim thinking of morning, she was startled by the sight in front of her.
Even Tong Yao, who did not believe in ghosts or spirits, was almost scared out of her wits when she saw a distorted face plastered against the window.
Tong Yao’s scream woke Cheng Feng and Hu Haiyun from their sleep. Seeing what she saw, they were both startled.
They quickly regained their composure, only to discover that the figures outside were men, holding torchlights and inspecting their vehicle.
Given the rain and darkness, they were horrified to wake up to a face outside their window. Cheng Feng quickly apologized, realizing that they were caught off-guard by his falling asleep.
"Sorry, I fell asleep." At the same time, he felt relieved. If there were people nearby, it meant there must be villages nearby as well. This meant they could seek assistance tomorrow, and at least they wouldn’t starve.
However, Tong Yao had a bad premonition. Seeing Cheng Feng getting ready to open the window, she hurriedly warned him, "Mr. Cheng, do not open the window. Do we have anything for defense in the car?"
Still recovering from the fright, Tong Yao’s heart was racing, but her mind was clear.
Hu Haiyun, who had a fair amount of streetwise skills, also had a bad feeling about this. "These people seem suspicious, who would be wandering around in the wilderness in the middle of the night?" she mused.
At first, Cheng Feng had thought they were there to help. However, hearing their words, his heart sank. He squinted outside and noticed four men standing there, talking amongst themselves.
It was pouring and they were wearing raincoats, so he could barely make out their faces. He could only tell from their silhouettes that all four were men.
If these men intended harm, they would be in a precarious situation. "There are no weapons in the car."
Even though Cheng Feng had always lived in a city, he still held a glimmer of hope. "Could they be villagers who had to leave their homes in the middle of the night due to some emergency? From what I understand, people in the countryside are usually hardworking."
Tong Yao frowned, "I have been here numerous times and never seen any village nearby."
At her words, Cheng Feng blanched in disconcertion. Hu Haiyun also became tensed and watched the men outside closely. She had taken notice that the men outside did not seem to be carrying any weapons. This was a small consolation for her.
"What should we do now?"
Tong Yao asked Cheng Feng, "Can you fight either one-on-two or one-on-four?"
Cheng Feng twitched in astonishment at the question, finding it highly theatrical, "I haven’t been in a fight since I became an adult."
Unsurprised by his answer, Tong Yao turned to Hu Haiyun, who shrugged sheepishly, "I can’t either."
She was confident about fighting with women, but dealing with men, especially husky ones like these, was not her forte.
Tong Yao glanced outside and saw the men engrossed in their conversation. She suggested, "Let’s observe and react accordingly. If they mean no harm, or indeed are local villagers, they are likely to leave."
Without any alternative, Cheng Feng and Hu Haiyun had to follow Tong Yao’s course of action. The few minutes the men spent talking outside felt like an eternity to them.
The men outside were holding torchlights, and the occasional glints on the car made the three inside shiver. If these men did have ill intentions, they could be in grave danger. Tong Yao swiftly advised, "If they are bad people, be sure not to antagonize them. Our lives are of utmost importance."
After saying this, Tong Yao specifically warned Cheng Feng, "Pride and dignity won’t bring us any good now. We must prioritize our lives over everything else and act accordingly."
After wandering outside for so long, Hu Haiyun knew when to compromise and back down, but Tong Yao was worried that Cheng Feng, being a young and successful boss who had never suffered setbacks, might not be adaptive enough to navigate through such crises.