Early in the morning, the sun pierced through the thin clouds, casting its brilliant rays upon the world. In the dense forest, with its lush branches and abundant leaves, the sunlight could only filter through in dappled patterns, forming visible beams of light in the air that illuminated the spots on the ground.
The morning mist quickly dissipated under the sun, leaving only tiny dew drops clinging to the leaves, branches, and car windows.
I groggily opened my eyes, raising a hand to shield them from the dazzling light. My whole body ached as if I’d been run over by a car. My neck hurt especially, probably from sleeping poorly last night without proper support.
Reason slowly returned, and I remembered everything that happened yesterday. The journey back, getting lost, the signal disappearing… And the bugs! Perhaps because it was broad daylight and the natural terrifying backdrop of night was gone, recalling the bugs didn’t fill me with as much fear.
Last night, we took turns keeping watch. I had the first shift, and the last one should have been Wen Lingyu’s. I turned my head to look; she was leaning against the car window, eyes closed tightly, breathing evenly and deeply. She must have been too tired and fallen asleep.
I turned back, wanting to get out of the car and walk around, stretching my stiff limbs. The temperature difference between day and night in the mountains was significant, and a thin layer of mist had formed on the car’s windshield, blurring my vision. I pulled off the warm jacket I had been using as a blanket and leaned closer to wipe the windshield.
Just as I finished wiping the section of glass in front of me, a white object unexpectedly entered my view! I focused my eyes, and it seemed… It was a flower?!
I quickly pushed the door open and got out, walking to the front of the glass. There, a white flower, still covered in dew, lay quietly in the windshield’s groove. The flower was pure white, its stamens pale yellow, and it still had a section of brown stem attached. The break in the stem was clean, with a hint of green, clearly indicating it had been deliberately snapped off, and not long ago.
My hand trembled as I thought of the white flower found on the windowsill of the inn room in Miao Village. It was identical to the one now in my hand. This was definitely no coincidence; someone had been here!
A feeling of unease enveloped me. Who was it? Had they been following us… all this time? Since when? They could silently leave a flower here, so why didn’t they appear and speak to us? Since they left a flower, they likely meant no harm, so could they lead us out of this dense forest?
And who was this flower for? I recalled that at the inn, my room was the innermost, and next to it was Wen Lingyu’s room. If they made a mistake, it was very possible it was originally intended for Wen Lingyu.
I clutched the flower in my hand, goosebumps rising on my skin. The thought that our group had been under the gaze of someone hidden in the shadows this entire time made me feel utterly uncomfortable. And… were they watching us even now?
At this thought, the hairs on my arms stood on end, and I abruptly remembered those disgusting, terrifying bugs from last night. I turned my neck, stiff with fear, searching through the layers of the dense forest. The dark green leaves rustled in the wind, and the thick branches stood like silent, strong guards. Beneath the trees were herbaceous plants reaching my knees, covering any potential traces.
Just then, a soft voice came from behind me. “Li Yuze, what are you doing out there?”
Wen Lingyu opened the car door and stepped out. Should I tell them about this? The team was already in a tense atmosphere. Would telling them this intensify their negative emotions, or would it give them hope of leaving?
Wen Lingyu came up to me and said with concern, “You look so pale. Didn’t you rest well last night?”
I shook my head and said, “No.”
She looked down, saw the flower in my hand, and her eyes lit up. She then looked intently into my eyes: “What is this?”
I said, “I found this flower on the windshield when I woke up.”
“What?” Wen Lingyu seemed momentarily stunned, as if the answer deviated wildly from her expectations, but she quickly recovered. “On the windshield?”
I nodded. “Yes… someone was here last night.”
Wen Lingyu’s eyes widened, and she gasped, her small frame looking fragile. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that this person was very likely targeting her.
Just then, Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong also got out of the car. They must have been woken by my conversation with Wen Lingyu, as they were still sleepy-eyed and disoriented.
“What are you two whispering about?” Qiu Lu rubbed her eyes as she approached. After sleeping all night, her clothes were disheveled. I glanced at her and then turned away, while Wen Lingyu immediately stepped forward and carefully straightened her collar.
“Nothing, it’s not a secret.”
Qiu Lu hugged Wen Lingyu, her voice syrupy. “Aiya! Did I interrupt you two?”
Wen Lingyu didn’t say anything, but Xu Zirong pouted and said, “That’s no way to ask. Of course, they won’t admit it.”
The two of them had a surprisingly good attitude. No wonder they made a pair; they had the leisure to tease others so early in the morning.
“Oh, some people really know how to make a move!” Qiu Lu’s eyes caught sight of the flower in my hand, clearly misunderstanding its origin, and she winked at Wen Lingyu and me. “Even went to pick flowers this early in the morning!”
Wen Lingyu’s cheeks flushed, and she bit her lip, saying, “That’s not…”
At this point, anything I said would sound like an explanation to them, so I simply told them about this flower and the previous encounter at the inn, explaining everything clearly at once.
After listening, Qiu Lu clutched Xu Zirong’s arm tightly. “The more you think about it, the scarier it gets… Someone was in front of our car last night? He, he’s been following us…”
Xu Zirong comforted her, “Lulu, don’t worry, I’ll protect you!”
Now wasn’t the time for them to be all lovey-dovey. The top priority was finding our way back. The longer we stayed in this forest, the more unsafe it became.
“We need to leave quickly. That person is hidden in the shadows; they might not mean us harm now, but who knows what will happen later?”
The three of them nodded in agreement. We casually grabbed some dry rations and prepared to continue our journey.
I sat in the driver’s seat, my heart heavy as I looked at the fuel gauge, which was only one-third full. If the car ran out of gas before we could get out… then we might truly be stuck here. I had no confidence in self-rescue. I just hoped An Pu would discover our disappearance and come find us soon.
“But where do we go?” Wen Lingyu’s voice held an unconcealable worry.
No one dared to speak up. At this moment, anyone who made a decision would be blamed if we still couldn’t get out later. No one wanted to be accused.
The car was silent. In this suffocating atmosphere, I remained quiet for a moment, then said, “Just go straight. The way back isn’t going to lead us out anyway.”
They didn’t answer. I started the car on my own accord and continued driving forward.
The scenery along the way hadn’t changed at all. I didn’t know how vast this forest was or where we were within it. Only this small road continued to extend, supporting and accompanying us as we moved forward.
After who knows how much longer, I sharply turned a bend, and at the end of the road, I vaguely saw a dark blue figure!
A figure!
Excitedly, I said in a loud voice, “Quick, look! Is that a person?!”
Hearing this, the three of them rolled down their windows and leaned out.
“It’s a person! It’s a person!” Xu Zirong was equally excited, punching the air. “Damn it, we finally met a living soul!”
Meeting someone meant we could ask for directions and escape our current predicament!
The prolonged anxiety and fear had numbed my nerves; seeing a person felt like grasping a lifeline. My foot pressed down on the accelerator. I didn’t want to think about fuel consumption, only to catch up to the person ahead quickly.
Our four pairs of eyes were fixed unblinkingly on that dark blue figure. Our urgent desire created the illusion that this road was too long, and we’d never catch up.
As we caught up to the person ahead, Xu Zirong eagerly leaned out and shouted, “Friend up ahead! Stop for a moment!”
The figure indeed stopped, then turned around. Perhaps the person turned too quickly, their tied-up braid flying in the air, tracing a black line. The moment I clearly saw his face, my heart gave a fierce leap.
It was him — the youth who had accidentally appeared in my photo. The one who, below the stilt house, smiled brilliantly at me through the crowd. He had a bamboo basket on his back and stood still, silently and expressionlessly watching us stop the car and get out.
Qiu Lu put on her kindest smile and said, “Hello, excuse me, do you know where this is? How can we get to Dongjiang Town?”
The youth’s gaze swept from Qiu Lu’s face, moved to Wen Lingyu, then to Xu Zirong, and finally settled on me. I wondered if it was just my imagination, but I felt his gaze on me was strange.
This was also the first time I’d seen his face this close. He looked young and was indeed very handsome; his full face was even more striking than his profile. His eyes were slender, and there seemed to be a small red mole on his right eyelid, appearing and disappearing as he blinked. His mid-length hair didn’t look out of place on him, instead adding a touch of feminine charm.
When he spoke, his features became animated, and that somber aura instantly vanished. “I… I’m sorry. My Mandarin isn’t good.”
His voice, once he spoke, was like a phoenix’s song, yet his intonation was even stranger and more choppy than An Pu’s, with every syllable landing in an unexpected place.
“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Xu Zirong waved his hands repeatedly. “Just tell us how to get out!”
He tilted his head, revealing a faint smile, and said to me, “I’ve seen you.” This sentence was perfectly articulated and very standard.
I didn’t expect him to remember and said, “We’re quite fated. Can you tell us how to get out of the forest?”
“Fate, hehehe…” The youth murmured playfully, his eyes lowered, making the red mole appear even more vibrant. “You guys, just keep going straight along this road.”
