Chapter 403: Chapter 379, Want to Escape_1
The breeze swept by once again, and Daohua felt the chill, snapping back to reality instinctively with a push.
Xiao Yeyang had been maintaining the same pose, his body already somewhat stiff, so when she pushed him, he fell directly into the wooden boat, causing it to start rocking suddenly.
Daohua struggled to sit up, increasing the rocking of the boat.
“Don’t move!”
Xiao Yeyang’s body was a bit numb and he couldn’t sit up right away, so he could only soothe Daohua first, telling her not to be afraid.
Daohua held onto the boat’s edge and dared not move, waiting quietly for the boat to stabilize.
After a while, when the boat was no longer rocking, Daohua glared at Xiao Yeyang: “Why are you here? Where’s Manman?”
Xiao Yeyang slowly sat up and said dismissively, “Didn’t you fall asleep just now? Manman was worried you’d catch a cold, so she went to fetch your cloak. I happened to be nearby, so I kept watch over you in her place.”
Daohua looked around and, seeing nothing but endless lotus leaves, she frowned and said, “How did we end up here, and why hasn’t Manman come back yet?”
Xiao Yeyang shrugged: “I didn’t move the boat; it drifted here on its own with the wind. As for Manman, I don’t know about that either. Maybe she got held up by something.”
Seeing Xiao Yeyang clear himself of responsibility, Daohua became frustrated, knowing that he was behind all this, but not willing to confront him directly, she could only huff and say, “We should go back now. Start rowing.”
Xiao Yeyang sounded speechless: “You’re getting quite good at ordering me around.”
Daohua: “Are you going to row or not?”
Seeing Daohua with her eyes wide and fuming, Xiao Yeyang silently smiled, grabbed the oar, and indulgently said, “Of course I’ll row. How could I dare ignore Miss Yan’s orders?”
Daohua, provoked by the tease on his face, directly turned her head away, no longer looking at him.
Xiao Yeyang suppressed his laughter and continued to row leisurely while silently watching Daohua.
Under the setting of green leaves and lotuses, Daohua, who was just waking up from the effects of alcohol with a hint of annoyance, looked different from usual, even more charming and attractive.
The boat had gone too deep into the lake, and after a while, all they could see was lotus leaves.
“Why haven’t we seen the shoreline yet?”
“What’s the rush? Today was meant for enjoying the lotus blossoms and the lake, let’s appreciate the beauty around us.”
“I’m not in the mood!”
“Well, I’m feeling quite good.”
Daohua glared fiercely at Xiao Yeyang, feeling that he was deliberately provoking her. After a moment of silence, she slowly stood up, stretching her neck to look around.
“Be careful, stand firm. Don’t fall into the water,” Xiao Yeyang warned.
Daohua ignored him, continuing to look around and letting the breeze cool her cheeks.
Slowly, the view opened up.
Delighted, Daohua exclaimed, “We’re almost out.” Looking at Xiao Yeyang, she said, “Row faster, it’s getting late, and we have to hurry home.”
“Miss Yan, haven’t you noticed I’m already giving it my all?” Xiao Yeyang said plaintively, pretending to be an employee oppressed by a cruel boss as he looked at Daohua.
Daohua was rendered speechless by his gaze and, ignoring him, continued to watch the distant riverbank. Shortly after, she frowned, “It doesn’t seem to be where we landed before.”
Xiao Yeyang: “Relax, I know this area well, I guarantee I’ll get you out of here safely and soundly.”
Daohua: “That’s not what I meant. I’m worried Yuan Yao and the others might wait too long and get worried.”
Xiao Yeyang looked unconcerned: “So let them wait. And who knows who will end up getting back late. Earlier, I saw your fourth brother picking lotus seeds with Miss Su, and he seemed quite happy. Who knows where they might have rowed off to.”
Daohua was stunned: “My fourth brother and Sister Su?”
Xiao Yeyang nodded, then as if an idea struck him, he spoke with a smile, “Don’t underestimate your fourth brother’s foolish appearance. In some matters, he is much more formidable than your elder brother.”
A puzzled look appeared on Daohua’s face: “What are you talking about?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled at Daohua, “See for yourself.”
Daohua pouted, “Fine, don’t tell me.” She said, then lifted her gaze toward the distant scenery.
Compared to before when she was submerged among the lotus leaves, she preferred the expansive view she was seeing now.
Seeing her engrossed in the beauty of the scenery, Xiao Yeyang laughed, “The view here is unparalleled when the evening glow appears. Why don’t you stay a little longer before heading back?”
Daohua shook her head, “I can’t. When I left, my mom specifically instructed us to return early. If we go back late, it won’t be easy to come out next time.”
Xiao Yeyang showed a look of regret, “Your mother is too strict with you.”
Daohua replied, “My mother is already quite lenient with me. You haven’t seen the other girls; they truly don’t step outside their doorways or gateways.”
Xiao Yeyang agreed wholeheartedly with a nod, “Fortunately, your mother is relatively enlightened.”
Otherwise, where could he go to see Daohua?
At that moment, the wooden boat slowly sailed out of the lotus leaves. Just as Daohua’s face brightened with a smile at the approaching shore, countless gulls and herons flew out from both sides, startling her immensely.
Standing in the middle of the wooden boat, which was already not very stable, she was so frightened that she stepped back, and the boat immediately began to rock.
“Careful!”
Seeing Daohua unsteady on her feet, Xiao Yeyang quickly stood up and grabbed her into his embrace.
The motion of standing up caused the boat to rock even more violently, and the two of them lost their balance and fell down.
In the instant they went down, Xiao Yeyang pulled Daohua in front of him, causing her to fall on top of him.
“Bang!”
As they fell, Xiao Yeyang let out a muffled groan, his head hitting the boat’s edge, pain contorting his brows.
Daohua tried to lift her head to check, but he covered her head with his hand, “Don’t move yet, wait for the boat to stabilize first.”
Daohua lay on top of Xiao Yeyang, her head resting at the nape of his neck. With the boat rocking, she didn’t dare to move and could only ask anxiously, “Xiao Yeyang, did you hurt yourself anywhere?”
Xiao Yeyang replied, “…No.”
Daohua said, “Your voice sounds a bit off, don’t hide it if you hit somewhere.”
Xiao Yeyang insisted, “Really, it’s nothing.”
Daohua blamed herself, “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t stood up, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Xiao Yeyang moved his hand on Daohua’s waist and after a moment of silence said, “It’s not your fault.”
Actually, he was rather pleased; even though he had bumped his head, hadn’t he also taken the opportunity to get close to Daohua?
It was worth it!
As the boat gradually stabilized, Daohua slowly propped herself up, intending to check on Xiao Yeyang’s injuries, but unexpectedly, her gaze met his tender eyes.
Daohua froze, her heart racing as she clearly perceived the affection in Xiao Yeyang’s eyes for the first time. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to escape quickly.
Thus, Daohua sat up straight with a start.
“What are you doing?!”
The boat started to sway again, and Xiao Yeyang pulled Daohua back down, making her lie in his arms once more. Feeling her struggles, he spoke up, “Calm down, don’t move around anymore. You don’t want us both to fall into the water, do you?”
Indeed, Daohua didn’t dare to struggle anymore, but her heart continued to pound nonstop.
Once the boat was completely stable, Xiao Yeyang let go of Daohua.
This time Daohua got up carefully, not making any big movements. But after sitting up, she quickly moved away from Xiao Yeyang, without speaking or looking at him.
Seeing this, Xiao Yeyang wanted to say something but seeing her blushing cheeks, his heart stirred and he smiled, picked up the oar, and began to row silently towards the shore.