Chapter 113: Chapter 113
Ye Ling glanced around again, seeing no one, she quickly took off her clothes, left with just underwear, and waded into the water. She walked to a spot where the water reached her waist and squatted down. By her side, there was a big stone. Ye Ling splashed water on the stone to clean it before leaning against it. She let her hair down, washed it thoroughly, tied it up into a bun on top of her head, and then began to wash her body. In both her lifetimes, Ye Ling had never taken such a liberating bath. The anxiety she felt earlier began to ease, so she wasn’t in a hurry to leave.
At midday in summer, the sun was blazing. Ye Ling bathed in the middle creek, feeling a rare sense of comfort. After she finished washing, she circled to the back of the big stone and noticed that half of it was still in the creek. She lay her whole body on it, letting the lower part soak in the water while the upper part was exposed. The feeling was indescribably comfortable, so much so that she didn’t notice the approaching footsteps until she heard someone splashing water nearby, which startled her awake.
"Who is it?" In anxious situations, people often do foolish things.
When Ye Ling went into the water, she hid her clothes in the bushes, invisible to passers-by. At that time, she had thought if someone came by, she would hide behind the big stone, waiting for them to leave before coming out. Now lying on the stone, even if someone came, with her back to the stone and her eyes half-closed in a nap, no one would discover her.
By coincidence, she just called out, which evidently startled the approaching person, who hadn’t expected a woman to be here. This was the company’s factory area, counting fingers, apart from two people in the infirmary, there was Minister Ye’s daughter.
As Ye Ling shrank her entire body into the water, the other side also fell silent, a silence that was unnerving. Ye Ling held her breath, picking up a stone from the creek bottom, prepared to hit with it if it was someone not from the company, perhaps someone from the mountain or just passing by with malicious intent.
After waiting for an eternity, finally, there was a sound, footsteps, making her heart leap. But as the footsteps grew more distant, Ye Ling exhaled in relief. Not daring to leave immediately, she waited a bit longer, ensuring there was no further commotion before cautiously poking her head out, finding no one on the shore. Ye Ling scrambled out of the water, fetched her clothes from the bushes, and dashed back to the factory without pausing to dry off properly. Once in her room, she collapsed into a chair, breathing a sigh of relief.
Her clothes clung to her, soaking wet, causing discomfort. She thought of changing, and during the switch, she realized her jade pendant was gone from her neck.
Ye Ling’s expression changed instantly, thinking it must have been left by the creek. She threw on her clothes and raced back there, spotting Zhao Guodong and two others happily splashing water. Ye Ling ran over, and there was no way Zhao Guodong and his friends wouldn’t notice her. Before she reached the creek, Zhao Guodong had already started shouting.
"Don’t come over, can’t you see we’re bathing?" He yelled, still trying to submerge himself further in the water.
Without even glancing at the three, Ye Ling headed straight for where she had placed her clothes, but it was empty, showing no sign of the pendant. She looked around once more but to no avail. Finally, despairingly, she turned to the three people in the water, "Did you guys pick up my jade pendant?"
The three boys squatted in the water, shielding their bodies with stones, only their heads peeking out. Zhao Guodong shouted, "What jade pendant? We didn’t see anything. You should leave; can’t you see we’re still undressed?"
Seems he was embarrassed, though Zhao Guodong’s ears had turned red.
Ye Ling glared at him, searching the area a few more times despite Zhao Guodong’s constant urging for her to leave. Finding nothing, she finally walked away in a daze.
That jade pendant was the only thing her grandma had left for her, and she had now lost it just like that. Hardening her resolve when she reached the factory building, Ye Ling paused, convinced the person who came to bathe during her time there had taken it. She figured it was that person but didn’t know who, so how could she find them?
Ye Ling felt the urge to cry but couldn’t, as though her tears had dried up. Her reaction was driving her to madness until she bumped into Shen Bin, snapping her back to her senses.
Looking up at him blankly, she appeared as if she’d lost her soul.
"Is this yours?" Shen Bin handed over the item in his hand.
Ye Ling snatched it, clutching it closely to her chest. It turned out it was the jade pendant, really, somehow back in her hands. This unexpected delight was beyond thrilling. Thanking Shen Bin, she realized her face was covered in tears.
"Why are you crying when you’ve found it?" Shen Bin asked.
"Thank you, truly thank you. I thought I’d never find it again." Ye Ling wiped away her tears, but her smile froze the next moment, "Where did you find it? How did you know it was mine? Was it you who peeked at me while I was bathing?"
Looking at the petite girl before him, who one moment was ecstatic, the next moment fierce as if ready to bite, Shen Bin replied, "I went to the creek to wash clothes and didn’t see anyone. I heard your voice, realized someone was there, and left. Halfway back, I remembered I forgot the soap, wondered if I should go back and saw you walk by from the back, so I turned back from a side path and found this jade pendant."
Ye Ling gritted her teeth; was he implying it was her fault?
But strangely, she couldn’t find fault in his words. Staring at him, she forced out from between her teeth, "Then thank you very much."
"You’re welcome." Shen Bin didn’t react much, "Next time, remember to leave your clothes on the side while bathing, so if someone comes by, they’ll avoid the place when they see them."
Having dispensed that advice, he turned and walked away.
Staring after Shen Bin’s retreating back, Ye Ling felt an urge to kill. How had she not noticed this annoyingly righteous man in her past life?
"Ye Ling, what were you talking about with Shen Bin?" Zhao Guodong and the others emerged from behind the factory, carrying basins.
Ye Ling turned back to look at him but said nothing, intending to go inside. However, Zhao Guodong quickly stepped in front of her, pointing at the jade pendant in her hand, "Isn’t the jade pendant in your hand? You said it’s lost?"
He then looked at Ye Ling with suspicion, sighing, "Ye Ling, I know what you’re thinking, but doing this is too much. You made us soak in the water and nearly catch a cold."
Zhao Guodong misunderstood, thinking Ye Ling claimed the pendant was lost just as an excuse to peek at them bathing. (To be continued. If you work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)