The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

The sudden change in the quiet road was quite startling, and Yao Yingxi looked around timidly.

Xi Yuanchen took her hand, the warmth of his hand conveying comfort.

Yao Yingxi turned her head and looked at her for a moment, and the two of them went up the steps together.

She selfishly thought how wonderful it would be if time could stand still at this moment or if this road had no end.

But how could that be? After walking for about fifteen more minutes, the two finished climbing the steps. Yao Yingxi looked down at the navigation and saw that there were a few tourists on the mountain preparing to go down.

Yao Yingxi glanced at the navigation, got the directions, and then put her phone away.

She was still holding Xi Yuanchen's hand.

Xi Yuanchen kept his gaze fixed ahead, his expression unchanged.

Yao Yingxi glanced at him sideways, and as she was about to look away, she saw something with patterns that looked like ropes on his side from afar.

The thing seemed to be alive, writhing and twisting. Yao Yingxi's eyes changed slightly. She subconsciously pulled Xi Yuanchen next to her and shouted, "Mr. Xi, a snake, there's a snake!"

She trembled with fear, but worried that Xi Yuanchen beside her hadn't seen it, so she forced her eyes open and pointed in that direction.

The snake coiled on the ground, writhing and flicking its tongue.

Yao Yingxi has been afraid of snakes since she was a child, and seeing this thing makes her scalp tingle.

Xi Yuanchen frowned and gently patted her back: "I'm here."

Simple words, as if possessing magic, suddenly calmed Yao Yingxi down.

She looked at the snake timidly, her body no longer trembling.

Xi Yuanchen glanced around and saw a thick, long wooden stick. Just as he was about to go and get it, Yao Yingxi quickly grabbed his arm, her eyes reddening, "Mr. Xi, I...I'm scared."

Xi Yuanchen held her hand and led her over.

The snake twisted its body, as if it had seen the two of them, and walked towards them.

Xi Yuanchen held Yao Yingxi's hand tightly, without moving, until the snake was less than a meter away from them. Yao Yingxi nervously squeezed his hand and whispered, "Mr. Xi, it's here."

The snake suddenly arched its body and lunged forward, and at the same time, Xi Yuanchen brought down the wooden stick he was holding.

The snake's vital spot was struck, and Yao Yingxi screamed in fright. When she opened her eyes, the snake's head was already rotten, but its tail was still moving.

Xi Yuanchen raised his hand and touched her hair, pulling her forward as if they had just fought not a deadly snake, but an ant.

After walking for more than ten minutes, Yao Yingxi's heart finally calmed down, but her hands and feet were still trembling. The more she thought about it, the more her scalp tingled and she became more and more afraid.

Are you afraid of snakes?

Xi Yuanchen asked, referring to Yao Yingxi's reaction earlier. He couldn't understand how someone could be so afraid of snakes.

Yao Yingxi lowered her eyes and nodded: "Yes, I was bitten before."

After her mother died, she was sent to an orphanage. The orphanage was very remote and damp, so there were often small insects and snakes, but most of them were not poisonous.

She was on her way to the cafeteria when, whether she wasn't looking where she was going or didn't see it, she stepped on the tail of a snake. The snake then lunged at her, its head snapping back and its tongue flicking.

Hearing him say that, Xi Yuanchen felt as if something was piercing his heart.

He held Yao Yingxi's hand tightly.

Yao Yingxi also sensed his unusual behavior and was about to speak to comfort him when Xi Yuanchen spoke first: "Don't be afraid."

His deep voice, with an unprecedentedly gentle tone, was as if Yao Yingxi were the Yao Yingxi of her childhood, comforting her.

Yao Yingxi felt a lump in her throat and her eyes reddened slightly. She lowered her gaze, not looking at Xi Yuanchen, afraid that he would see her expression.

But in her heart, she thought helplessly, "Xi Yuanchen, don't be so good to me. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself and will love you even more."

As the two walked, Xi Yuanchen suddenly spoke up: "We're here."

Yao Yingxi looked up and saw the clear blue lake water in the distance. She excitedly let go of Xi Yuanchen's hand and slowly ran over. She squatted down in front of the lake and was about to reach into the water.

Suddenly, Xi Yuanchen beside him pulled him up to stop him, saying, "The water's cold."

He knew that Yao Yingxi was prone to feeling cold. The weather was very cold, and although the lake water was not frozen, it was still bone-chillingly cold.

Yao Yingxi was startled and stared blankly at Xi Yuanchen in front of her for a long time before she came to her senses.

Xi Yuanchen frowned slightly: "You can look at the lake, but don't put your hands in it. It's cold, and you might catch a cold."

Yao Yingxi nodded, no longer intending to reach out. She looked at the boundless lake, but her heart was filled with a different scene.

She stood there for an unknown amount of time, but Xi Yuanchen didn't disturb her. Suddenly, snowflakes began to fall. Yao Yingxi reached out her hand, and a snowflake landed in her palm. Before it could melt, Xi Yuanchen pulled it down.

He held Yao Yingxi's hand, and the snowflakes melted in their palms, turning into water droplets that evaporated in their palms.

"Snowing."

"Let's go back."

in unison.

Yao Yingxi turned her head to look at Xi Yuanchen and nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Okay."

At Wangshui Lake, a television program plays a story: "Drinking this water will make you forget all your past, all your loves and hates."

The descent was quick, much faster than the ascent.

Once the two got back into the car, Xi Yuanchen turned up the air conditioning and, seemingly out of nowhere, handed a hot water bottle to Yao Yingxi.

Yao Yingxi was surprised and subconsciously asked, "Where did you come from?"

He didn't see it when he was packing, and he hasn't seen it in the past few days. When did Mr. Xi buy it?

Xi Yuanchen got the hot water bottle when he woke up in the morning and saw the weather forecast that it would snow today. So he gave his car keys to the lobby manager and asked him to have someone prepare a hot water bottle.

The air conditioning was on in the car the whole time, so the hot water bottle was hot.

"bought."

Yao Yingxi didn't ask any more questions. She looked down at her feet and put her hands inside the hot water bottle.

Xi Yuanchen asked, "What are your plans after you get home?"

Today is the third day of the Lunar New Year. Yao Yingxi is not working and has no relatives around. Will she be bored if she goes back? For the first time, he put himself in Yao Yingxi's shoes and thought about it from her perspective.

"what?"

Startled by his sudden question, Yao Yingxi looked up, somewhat taken aback.

Xi Yuanchen spoke again: "After we go back, where else do you want to go?"

Yao Yingxi shook her head: "There's nowhere I want to go for the time being."

She sensed that something had changed on this trip, that it was different from before.

But she couldn't pinpoint exactly where things had changed, and she was afraid she was just being wishful and overthinking things.

"What do you plan to do after you get back?"

Xi Yuanchen spoke again.

Yao Yingxi was stunned for several seconds before answering, "I'm studying. The self-study exams will be in a few months."

Upon hearing her words, Xi Yuanchen did not feel happy that his child was studying well. Instead, his expression grew heavier and heavier, as if something was blocking his heart.

He asked, "Studying? If you pass the exam, do you plan to continue your studies in this city?"

Yao Yingxi nodded: "Maybe, but I'm not entirely sure."

She wasn't sure if she could pass the exam.