Chapter 124: The 123rd First Kiss

"Ah!"

Just then, a terrified scream suddenly pierced through the forest.

Ling Chen, who was sprinting, came to an abrupt halt and turned towards the direction of the sound, his expression changing dramatically. He was certain that the scream had come from Nanrong Wanqing.

This woman... Hadn’t he warned her not to make any noise? It looked like their plan was about to go south.

No longer concerned about the enemies behind him, he hurriedly dashed towards Nanrong Wanqing’s location. Those people, hearing Nanrong Wanqing’s voice, would definitely shift their target; he had to beat them to it and get back to her first.

Before long, facing a patch of grass half a person tall, he took a long stride and plunged into it.

Before he could even speak, he saw a figure flash before his eyes, and a pair of arms reached out, tightly clasping his neck.

"What happened?"

"Snake... there’s a snake..."

Nanrong Wanqing pointed to the grass next to her, her voice trembling slightly, clearly frightened.

Ling Chen glanced over and saw a snake about a meter long and as thick as a chicken egg, covered in green, hissing at that moment.

"It’s just a green bamboo snake, what’s there to be scared of?" he said with a touch of exasperation.

But then again, women naturally fear such critters like snakes and bugs.

He casually grabbed the green bamboo snake, flung it with force, tossing it away, then he hoisted Nanrong Wanqing back onto his back and burst out of the grass like a shot. This place was already exposed; those people would soon find it, so they needed to move immediately.

"Captain, they’re over there."

A team member trailing behind caught sight of Ling Chen surging forward and immediately cried out.

"Stop!" The man with the cold demeanor roared, "If you don’t stop, I’m going to shoot."

Ling Chen just curled his lip, ignoring the threat as if he hadn’t heard it at all. These people were desperate to kidnap Nanrong Wanqing; they wouldn’t dare to shoot.

"Chase, don’t let them get away, you two flank from that side."

As the footsteps behind him got closer, Ling Chen’s expression became increasingly solemn. Now that they were less than thirty to forty meters apart, it was impossible to shake them off at such a short distance. Moreover, his speed was limited by carrying Nanrong Wanqing.

"I’m sorry."

Nanrong Wanqing lay against Ling Chen’s shoulder, speaking with self-reproach. She knew that if it wasn’t for her scream, the enemies wouldn’t have been attracted.

"Chairwoman, you should pray that we can get through this ordeal instead."

As they spoke, Ling Chen suddenly heard the sound of rushing water not far ahead. Clenching his teeth with resolve, he exerted all his strength, pushing his speed to the limit.

A few dozen meters later, he burst forth from the dense foliage. Suddenly, he saw a rapid river lying in their path.

"We’re trapped..."

Nanrong Wanqing’s pretty face turned pale, despair flickering in her eyes. After hesitating, she bit her lip and said, "Ling Chen, you should escape by yourself, don’t worry about me."

"Don’t talk like we’ve already lost. As long as I’m alive, they won’t lay a finger on you." Ling Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with determination, "This is my promise to you, and my responsibility as well."

"Mm."

Nanrong Wanqing gave a soft response, touched by his words.

"Do you know how to swim?"

"I haven’t learned that..."

"Hold your breath later, don’t breathe at all."

As he finished speaking, Ling Chen jumped into the river with her on his back. Once they reached the middle of the river, he dove underwater, and the river immediately engulfed their bodies.

At this time, the stoic man also arrived at the riverbank with his team.

"They must have gone into the water, search!"

At this moment, in the rapidly flowing water, Ling Chen hugged Nanrong Wanqing’s delicate body tightly and swam swiftly with the current.

After a while, he suddenly felt his wrist being gripped tightly. Turning his head, he saw Nanrong Wanqing’s hand clutching his wrist, her complexion pained as she shook her head lightly, nearly unable to hold on any longer.

Seeing this, Ling Chen frowned slightly. Those people were still searching for them; surfacing now would surely turn him into a live target.

Thinking this, he pulled Nanrong Wanqing close and moved his head towards hers.

Watching as Ling Chen’s face neared hers, Nanrong Wanqing was momentarily puzzled. What... what is he doing?

Just as she wondered, it felt like something blocked her lips, soft and gentle.

Nanrong Wanqing’s eyes went blank, her mind going completely empty, forgetting her predicament, with only one thought in her heart.

That was, her first kiss was taken away like this...

After what felt like an eternity, the two of them finally emerged from the water.

Nanrong Wanqing stared at him, still unable to snap back to reality. She had no knowledge of what just happened; all she knew was that this man had taken the first kiss she had cherished for over twenty years.

At this moment, Ling Chen moved his lips away and casually licked his own with his tongue.

Well, it was actually pretty sweet.

Seeing his action, Nanrong Wanqing felt both embarrassed and annoyed.

Noticing the change in her expression, Ling Chen coughed lightly, embarrassedly saying, "That was a last resort just now, I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you."

"You’re still talking."

Nanrong Wanqing complained. He had taken all the advantages he could from her—being pressed against him naked in the car, and now even her first kiss had been stolen—destroying her purity, and he was still making excuses.

Thinking this, her eyes began to redden, on the verge of tears.

"You, don’t cry, okay?" Ling Chen was so anxious he began scratching his head. Seeing her like this, Nanrong Wanqing must still have considered it her first kiss. He hadn’t expected to gain such an advantage, and although he verbally said, "Look, it wasn’t intentional. How about this, you kiss me back?"

Seeing the tears in her eyes, his joke didn’t seem very funny anymore, and he softened, "Alright, alright, don’t cry. After we escape danger, you can punish me however you want; I’ll take responsibility if it comes to that."

"Who wants you to take responsibility." Nanrong Wanqing retorted angrily. He had taken so many liberties with her and still wanted more, not on her watch. What annoyed her the most was his tone, acting as if he’d suffered some loss.

"Hey, let’s be clear here, although I took your first kiss, it was also my first kiss. You’ve cherished your first kiss for twenty-three years, and I’ve cherished mine for twenty-four years, one year longer than you. If anyone should feel at a loss, it should be me. I’m not crying, so why are you?"

"You..." Nanrong Wanqing was frustrated beyond words; his comparison was absurd.

"Okay, okay, let’s not waste time, those people are still searching for us. We need to go, or it’ll be too late."

Hearing this, Nanrong Wanqing remembered again that she was still in danger. With a light hum, she wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and quickly regained her composure.

Ling Chen shook his head; they say a woman’s mood changes as fast as flipping through a book, and that’s no lie.

Once onshore, he carried Nanrong Wanqing and plunged back into the woods.