HBWMA -Chapter 389 I Can’t Leave You

The lakebed was pitch-black, visibility almost zero. When that figure suddenly pressed in close, Jiang Huashan was caught off guard and momentarily forgot to struggle.

Shen Guiling lowered his eyelids slightly. The turbulent light in his eyes shone brighter than the golden scales flickering on the lake surface under sunlight.

He threaded his fingers through her drifting dark hair, and before Jiang Huashan could react, he lowered his head and kissed the red lips he had long desired.

The freezing lakewater cut off all sound. Sight and hearing failed at the same time, while touch was amplified to its extreme in this moment.

Shen Guiling had originally only intended to share a breath, but her lips were softer than he had imagined. A brief, shallow exchange was not enough to quench the thirst—instead, it awakened something deeper.

He wanted more.

He swam upward, tightening his grip, fingers entangling her loose hair to force Jiang Huashan to tilt her head back. His other hand cradled her face as he bit her soft lower lip, instinctively deepening the kiss with an untrained hunger.

【Ding—】

【Congratulations, the hidden storyline Heartbeat Arc: “Rescuing the Pitiful One” has been triggered. Completion progress: 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999%】

【Congratulations, the hidden storyline Heartbeat Arc: “Rescuing the Pitiful One” has been triggered…】

【Congratulations, the hidden storyline Heartbeat Arc: “Rescuing the Pitiful One” has been triggered. Completion progress: 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999%】

“!”

Jiang Huashan’s body stiffened instantly. She violently shook her head, trying to break free.

But Shen Guiling had already anticipated her resistance and firmly held her face in place.

He was like a reckless invader—coveting everything, even the air from her breath.

Cold lakewater slipped through the gaps of their pressed-together lips, forming clusters of bubbles that drifted upward in the depths.

“……”

This damn guy.

Jiang Huashan changed tactics. She deliberately relaxed her body, pretending to yield as she slowly leaned in. The moment Shen Guiling loosened slightly, she suddenly raised her leg and aimed a kick at his groin.

Shen Guiling’s eyes flickered. Movement underwater made force difficult to control, so the kick didn’t cause real damage—but it instead provoked something even more destructive in him.

“Mmm—!”

She slapped his shoulder hard, signaling him to let go, but Shen Guiling couldn’t stop. In retaliation for her earlier kick, he tilted her chin and bit down fiercely on her tongue.

“……”

Outrageous. A 99% affection-value fish still dares to bite her?

She simply didn’t want to complete a mission by fishing—this didn’t mean she couldn’t fish at all.

With Shen Guiling’s current favorability, she could make him lose control with just a small move.

A fierce glint flashed in Jiang Huashan’s eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with sudden enthusiasm.

Shen Guiling’s entire body went numb, as if electricity had shot through him, his soul momentarily pulled out of his body.

Sensing his distraction, Jiang Huashan wrapped her legs around his waist and took control.

Shen Guiling snapped back to awareness, pressing both hands against her shoulders to push her away.

Feeling like he was about to burn up, he didn’t hesitate and immediately turned toward the surface.

Running already?

Jiang Huashan spat out a bubble, kicked upward, and chased after him. She was faster, quickly closing the gap, and grabbed his waist from behind.

Shen Guiling, caught off guard, inhaled a mouthful of lakewater and shot her a furious glare.

Jiang Huashan, now fully reckless, reached for his pants.

Shen Guiling’s brow twitched. He grabbed her wrist, but couldn’t use force underwater, so he only managed to pull her hand away.

Now!

With a twist in midair, Jiang Huashan used his face as a step and kicked herself upward.

Shen Guiling: “……”

“Splash—”

She broke the surface, gasping heavily, then immediately swam toward the shore under the pouring rain.

Just as she was about to climb up, someone grabbed her ankle.

Seriously, are we not done yet?

Grinding her teeth, she scooped up a handful of mud from the lakeside and threw it backward.

Shen Guiling tilted his head; the mud missed and fell back into the lake. Jiang Huashan kicked his shoulder again, and only then did he slowly loosen his grip, eyes still red at the corners.

She scrambled onto shore, grabbed another handful of mud, and just as Shen Guiling tried to dodge, she shouted sharply:

“Don’t move.”

Shen Guiling: “……”

She aimed and threw it—smack.

Mud splattered directly across his face.

Rain poured down violently, washing most of it away instantly.

He raised his hand to wipe it off.

“Don’t wipe it.”

His fingers froze mid-air.

Lightning and thunder framed them as they stood facing each other in the storm.

“I…” Shen Guiling began hoarsely, then paused, wincing slightly at the corner of his mouth. “I didn’t know there was someone underwater. I was drowning at the time.”

“……”

Jiang Huashan’s mouth twitched.

Didn’t know? If her brain hadn’t been screaming “999” nonstop, she might have believed him.

Shen Guiling, unaware of her inner system cheating, was still fixated on what had just happened.

His heartbeat was chaotic. He avoided her gaze and forced himself to sound calm. “Then you? Did you know it was me?”

Jiang Huashan froze for a moment, then suddenly turned fierce. “Of course I didn’t! I thought it was—”

Shen Guiling’s expression cooled slightly. “You thought what?”

How could a fisherman let the fish know?

Jiang Huashan looked up at the sky. “I thought it was the assassin who’s been chasing me.”

“Assassin?” Shen Guiling’s gaze darkened. “I was just about to ask you—why were you here? Weren’t you supposed to stay in the safe room with them?”

Jiang Huashan glanced at him sideways. “Who says I have to be where you tell me to be? I go wherever I want.”

She scoffed and turned to leave.

Shen Guiling frowned and quickly caught her wrist. “Even if you’re angry, you should look at the situation. It’s dangerous outside. If something happens to you, how will… Grandpa handle it?”

Jiang Huashan yanked her hand away. “Now you remember Grandpa? When you and Shen Lanxi and Shen Qingyu were secretly plotting behind closed doors, did you think you owed him an explanation?”

Shen Guiling had thought she was angry about what happened underwater—but now realized it was about their concealment.

Only then did it hit him: she had been alone, fighting for her life at the bottom of the lake.

How ironic. He and Shen Lanxi had thought they had everything under control, yet they had missed the most important person of all.

He tried to explain, but when he opened his mouth, he realized there was no excuse he could offer.

Tonight… everything had gone off the rails.

Rain from the downpour soaked Jiang Huashan completely, and lake water had already seeped into her clothes. On top of that, she was forced to humbly evade and accommodate the people hunting her. At this moment, he had never felt so powerless.

“No words left?”

Shen Guiling shook his head. “Nothing to say.”

Jiang Huashan glanced at him and was about to turn away when suddenly a gunshot rang in her ear. A bullet cut through the rain and brushed past her neck before striking the willow tree on the shore.

“Careful.”

Shen Guiling’s expression changed drastically. Without thinking, he pulled Jiang Huashan into his arms and used his body to shield her as he retreated behind a tree.

Jiang Huashan shoved him away and stood up, preparing to run on her own.

Shen Guiling forcibly pulled her back into his arms. “I know you’re angry, but it’s dangerous right now. Stay here and crouch down. I’ll draw them away.”

“Don’t go!” Jiang Huashan grabbed him from behind.

Shen Guiling turned to look at her, a teasing smile in his eyes. “Are you dragging me like this because you want to die with me?”

He expected her to get angry at that, but instead Jiang Huashan grabbed his waistband and yanked hard.

“I told you to come back—don’t you understand me?”

“…”

Shen Guiling’s mouth stiffened as he tilted awkwardly, silently pulling up his pants.

Jiang Huashan quickly scanned the surroundings and then looped her arm through his, pressing tightly against the tree.

Shen Guiling stared absentmindedly at their intertwined arms.

So this is what it feels like to rely on someone.

At this moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace—life and death no longer seemed so important.

“Shen Guiling,” Jiang Huashan said, turning her head as heavy raindrops fell onto her nose, “let’s break this situation together?”

The turbulence in Shen Guiling’s eyes gradually calmed.

“Alright.”

“Move faster.” Fu Sui’er looked back and saw Bai Mi lazily dragging his feet and immediately grew dissatisfied. “If you keep dawdling, it’ll be dawn soon.”

Bai Mi crossed his arms, clearly displeased. “Who are you shouting at? Don’t forget your status—you’re still my hostage.”

“…” Fu Sui’er held back her temper. “Wasn’t it you who said we’d bet everything on this last round? If even one person from the Shen family risks their life to save someone like I said, I win. Not only do you let me go, you also help us deal with those killers. Don’t tell me you regret it?”

Bai Mi sneered and stretched his hand out into the corridor, letting the storm soak his palm in an instant.

“Why the rush? Wait until the rain eases.”

Fu Sui’er said, “What do you mean wait? What if it doesn’t stop all night?”

Cold light flickered in Bai Mi’s eyes. His tone left no room for negotiation.

“I said I hate rain.”

In the royal family, cruelty was the norm. Assassinations he had experienced since childhood were often carried out by his own relatives. They preferred stormy nights because rain washed away all traces, concealing rotten and corrupt interests.

Fu Sui’er could sense his hatred for rain, but she was truly anxious. Without thinking much, she grabbed him and dragged him straight out of the corridor.

The downpour hit instantly. Both of them were soaked within seconds.

Bai Mi was furious and grabbed her collar. “You—”

“Sorry, don’t hit me.” Fu Sui’er covered her head.

“…”

Bai Mi frowned, then pushed her away. “Useless. Keep up.”

“I’m coming.” Fu Sui’er quietly exhaled in relief.

As expected, this fool—though he always mocked her naïve and stupid—was actually soft-hearted.

Because he had once been drenched in rain himself, he didn’t believe in a world where people could support each other… but if he truly met someone like that, he would still be willing to hold an umbrella for them.

In short, she was incredibly lucky to have met a soft-hearted fool among so many bad people.

Inner lake shore.

Rain hammered the water surface like steel needles, sending ripples in all directions. The wind did not stop, nor did the rain. The lake water was gradually overflowing the embankment.

After listening to Shen Guiling’s explanation, Jiang Huashan frowned.

“So originally, you were supposed to be ambushing at the stone pier. You and Shen Qingyu were supposed to meet Shen Lanxi at the Pear Garden. But because someone suddenly blocked your path, everything tonight went off track?”

Shen Guiling nodded. “What about you? Why are you here?”

Jiang Huashan’s expression turned serious. She shook her head. “I felt like you were all hiding something from me, so I came out to check.”

She said it lightly, but in truth, she had brushed past death countless times tonight.

Not long after Gao Zhi left, she exited the cinema hall.

Originally, she planned to go to the hotel lobby to ask Shen Guiling for clarification, but she encountered an ambush on the way and had to change direction to hide.

Those people seemed to be targeting her specifically. No matter where she hid, they could find her.

She fought them for half an hour. Just as she was about to be captured alive, she chose to jump into the lake to survive.

The assassins pursued her relentlessly—even jumping into the water after her. Fortunately, she had learned to swim in a past life, so she held her breath and dove deep, using her advantage in water to escape.

She swam aimlessly until she finally found a rocky wall and tried to surface for air. But just as she entered a room, she heard gunfire outside. Thinking it was the assassins again, she jumped back into the lake to escape—leading to the misunderstanding with Shen Guiling.

Shen Guiling frowned. “Jiang Huashan.”

Just moments ago she insisted on honesty, yet now she was avoiding her own story.

But Jiang Huashan didn’t react at all—her mind was entirely focused on the three-person plan.

Shen Guiling’s expression grew more serious.

“Too many accidents tonight. The plan is completely disrupted. Shen Qingyu will definitely find another way to survive after seeing no one under the bridge. Shen Lanxi is Shen Xi’s only son—he must have backup plans. The others aren’t your concern. The most important thing now is your safety.”

His gaze fell on her bare toes stained with mud.

She had even lost her shoes—how dangerous must this journey have been?

He paused and softened his tone. “These assassins aren’t ordinary. It’s safer if I handle them. You’re good in water—hide underwater quietly and wait until tonight passes. Then we’ll figure something out. Don’t worry, this isn’t a dead end.”

Not a dead end?

Jiang Huashan’s eyes lit up. She grabbed his hand tightly.

“I know! I know how to break this situation!”

Shen Guiling froze and looked up, meeting a pair of bright peach-blossom eyes filled with starlight.

In her past life, the three Shen brothers had later fought each other to the death over the family head position. But she clearly remembered that when they were young, they were not always enemies.

They grew up together. Although they didn’t like each other, they had lived in relative peace.

Then one day, everything changed. They began to oppose each other—until it became a fight to the death.

So this wasn’t a dead end. It was an internal division scheme.

Jiang Huashan said firmly, “Shen Guiling, I’ll draw away the assassins. You take the others and head to the stone bridge to meet Shen Qingyu, then go to the Pear Garden to find Shen Lanxi.”

“It’s already past the agreed time. Even if we go back, it won’t matter.” Shen Guiling rejected it immediately.

“It will matter.” Jiang Huashan clutched his hand tightly, her eyes resolute. “It will definitely matter. Shen Guiling, listen to me—you must return to that stone bridge. Don’t let Shen Qingyu wait in vain, and don’t let Shen Lanxi trust the wrong thing.”

Shen Guiling froze. He understood what she meant, but still shook his head, his throat tight.

“No. I can’t leave you.”